“I think acting has healed me.” Charlize Theron Creative expression can transform our painful reactions to traumatic situations, providing a way to give voice to difficult feelings. Charlize Theron as a teen saw her mother shoot and kill her father in self defense. She said in a 2004 interview that her work has helped her [...]
Stephen A. Diamond is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, and author of the book Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic: The Psychological Genesis of Violence, Evil, and Creativity. In our podcast interview, Dr. Diamond talks about actors who have shown a dark and violent side, such as Christian Bale (“Batman”), and how therapy helps people [...]
Like many actors who want to develop their talents, Vanessa Hudgens observes other people, and uses the experience for personal growth as well. She also develops her awareness through reading, such as the book The Four Agreements. Hudgens sometimes visits Venice Beach: “I love going to the drum circle down there. Every now and then [...]
“You’re happy if you think you’re happy.” Gretchen Rubin How much of our happiness and satisfaction in life is due to circumstance or other people, and how much is it a matter of conscious choice? In the new movie The Adjustment Bureau (written and directed by George Nolfi, based on a short story by Philip [...]
One of my constant internal dialogs revolves around whether or not I’m being authentic. Am I compromising myself? Trying too hard to avoid conflict by keeping silent? Is my desire to have other people feel understood an authentic part of me or counterproductive? And just because a trait is authentic, should I nurture it? Personal [...]
In her article, 10 Misconceptions About Gifted Adults, Jane Macondo sheds some light on why gifted people can be baffled…and baffling. Gifted adults are largely invisible. One of the reasons very few apply the term to themselves is due to the misconceptions about giftedness – in adulthood as well as childhood. Many adults who have [...]
In her article, How To Stop Being So Hard On Yourself, excerpted below, expert on highly sensitive living Jenna Avery explains why sensitive people are so self-critical, and how we can stop: Every time I work with a fellow sensitive soul, it seems like we always bump into some kind of fear or limiting belief [...]
“You’ll never finish your novel.” “You’ve wasted your life.” “You’re too complicated. Who would ever want to be with you?” Sometimes my inner critical voice is so clear I can argue with it. Most of the time, the negativity I wreak upon myself is unconscious and harder to fight. Lisa Firestone and Eric Maisel provide [...]
Creative expression can transform pain, and provide strength and understanding to change our inner and outer realities. Some think art needs to have a major impact to be worthwhile. Franz Kafka wrote, “I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us… that affect us like a disaster… A [...]
Lady GaGa said she “felt like freak” in high school, and creates music for her fans who want a “freak to hang out with.” She admits it took her a long time to be okay with how she is, and get beyond needing to fit in, or be like everyone else – “but not really” [...]
“Guest author Carmen Lynne writes : “After spending the greater part of my life as an actress and performer, I became a therapist in early 2007. “While I still do a little bit of acting when I have a chance, I now mainly spend my time helping other people to fulfill their creative ambitions or [...]
A public art project created by designer Candy Chang, Sidewalk Psychiatry “encourages self-evaluation in transit by posing critical questions on the pavements of New York City with stencils and temporary spray-chalk. “Now your daily ponderings and emotional problems can be prodded and treated on the go…” The temporary messages she has painted include: “Then Why [...]
In this excerpt from the article Eleven Ways to Be Your Own Therapist, from his website, Essays for the Enlightenment Seeker – Healing from Childhood Trauma, Psychotherapist Daniel Mackler speaks about nurturing our ability to know and take care of ourselves by journaling: “1. KEEP A JOURNAL: Journaling – that is, writing down the truth [...]
self acceptance, self knowledge, personal development, Robert Anthony on authenticity Two of the key elements in personal growth writings and programs are self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Personal development seems to depend on knowing who we really are. But what does that mean, and what “practical” value is there? People visited the Oracle of Delphi in ancient [...]
Brigid O’Shaughnessy [Mary Astor]: Help me. Sam Spade [Humphrey Bogart]: You won’t need much of anybody’s help. You’re good. Chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get in your voice when you say things like ‘Be generous, Mr. Spade.’ Brigid O’Shaughnessy: I deserve that. But the lie was in the way I said [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
