Category Archives: Empowerment

Recognizing and Overcoming Intimacy Barriers

Abuse, empathy, Empowerment, Intimacy, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , ,

Intimacy barriers are the biggest reason couples seek counseling. And when counseling fails it’s usually because the true impediments to intimacy weren’t properly identified or dealt with.

Healthy Versus Unhealthy Self-Regard

Abuse, Covert-Aggression, Empowerment, gaslighting, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Self-Esteem, Spirituality, Therapy, , , ,

How we see ourselves matters. And how we behave toward ourselves matters even more. Healthy self-regard defines the evolved character. And unhealthy self-regard is the hallmark of character disturbance.

Knowing and Following Your Heart

conscience, Covert-Aggression, empathy, Empowerment, Infidelity, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Neurotics, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , , , ,

Personal integrity reaches its height in the absence of pretense. The truly decent character has searched his/her heart, knows it well, and strives to keep it pure. This takes a great deal of persistent mindfulness.

Right Thinking Makes for Right Acting

Addiction and Recovery, Empowerment, Faith, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , , , ,

Right thinking is thinking guided by principle. And not just any principle but the overriding principle of love.

Honest Self Reckoning

Addiction and Recovery, Empowerment, Faith, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality, Therapy, , , , , , ,

Facing and embracing the truth about ourselves is hard. But when we do, we can become incredibly empowered. The truth truly does have power to set us free. And it can wrest us from the shackles hindering our spiritual and character growth.

Deceit Can Take Many Forms

Aggression, Covert-Aggression, empathy, Empowerment, gaslighting, Integrity, Lying and Deception, Manipulation, Manipulators, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychological Manipulation, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , , , , , , ,

Deceit is the hallmark trait of manipulative characters. And there are many ways to deceive. Some disturbed characters are so skilled in the subtlest forms of lying that they have raised it nearly to an art form.

The Root of Narcissistic Ego Inflation

conscience, empathy, Empowerment, Entitlement, Integrity, Intimacy, Mental Health, Narcissism, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Self-Esteem, Social Issues, Spirituality

Our egos serve an important purpose. They help us navigate this world and deal with its slings and arrows. But we can identify too much with them. And when we do, we lose touch with our more authentic self. To see the bigger picture, be more fully alive, and treat each other justly, we must eventually surrender our egos. Narcissistic ego inflation interferes with that.

Facilitating Conscious Awareness

Abuse, Empowerment, Faith, Integrity, Mental Health, Narcissism, Neurotics, Personality and Character, Personality and Character Disorders, Psychology, Relationships, Responsibility, Spirituality, , , , , ,

To be genuinely open, we have to accept the inevitability of pain. And if we don’t transform any pain we do experience, we’re certain to transmit it.

Puerto Rico Reflections

Empowerment, Faith, Integrity, Mental Health, Personality and Character, Relationships, Responsibility, Social Issues, Spirituality, , , ,

I must say, I’ve fallen in love with Puerto Rico. I’ve come to love the beauty of the land and the indomitable character of its people. Largely poor by our economic standards, Puerto Ricans are truly rich in spirit. In the midst of hardship, life still flourishes – a testament to both its resilience and preciousness.