Understanding Yourself Better
Thoughtful explorations of the human experience — from anxiety and depression to meaning, purpose, and the courage to change.
All Articles
AI Empathy Is Counterfeit. Here's How to Tell.
AI empathy sounds perfect. That's exactly the problem. Real empathy is messy, physical, and sometimes uncomfortable. Here's how to spot the difference.
November 15, 2026 · 9 min read
Why Your Therapist's Body Matters More Than Their Technique
CBT protocols. DBT worksheets. Manualized treatments. None of them predict whether therapy works. Your therapist's nervous system does.
November 1, 2026 · 10 min read
The Economic Force That's Killing Therapy, and It's Not AI
Everyone's panicking about chatbots replacing therapists. Meanwhile, the prescription pad already did. The real extinction event is economics.
October 15, 2026 · 9 min read
Stop Looking for Answers. Start Asking Better Questions.
Every patient walks in wanting answers. The ones who actually change are the ones who learn to sit with the questions. The question itself is the therapy.
October 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Gratitude Is Easy When Nothing's Wrong. That's Not When You Need It.
Gratitude journals work great when life is comfortable. But real gratitude, the kind that actually changes you, begins when everything falls apart.
September 15, 2026 · 8 min read
The Loneliest People I Treat Are Never Alone
The loneliest patients in my practice have full calendars and hundreds of contacts. Their problem isn't a lack of people. It's the direction of attention.
September 1, 2026 · 9 min read
You Don't Need More Insight. You Need to Breathe.
You can narrate your entire psychological history and still have panic attacks. Maybe the answer isn't more understanding. Maybe it's simpler than that.
August 15, 2026 · 8 min read
The Five Seconds That Could Save Your Marriage
Every marriage book tells you to communicate more. I've found the opposite. Five seconds of silence can do what years of talking never will.
August 1, 2026 · 8 min read
Why I Tell My Patients to Do the Harder Thing
Self-care culture says be gentle with yourself. I say do the thing you're most afraid of. That's where the growth is.
July 15, 2026 · 9 min read
Your Therapist Should Be Fascinated by You. Most Aren't.
There's a difference between a therapist who is interested in your case and one who is genuinely fascinated by who you are. The difference is everything.
July 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Most Therapy Has Too Many Words
Therapy is the 'talking cure.' But the most powerful moments in my office happen when nobody is saying a damn thing.
June 15, 2026 · 8 min read
The Patients Who Get Better Are the Ones Who Stop Trying to Feel Better
The wellness industry promises you'll feel better. The patients who actually improve stop chasing that feeling and lean into difficulty.
June 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Why Your Anxiety Isn't What You Think It Is
Most people think of anxiety as something to eliminate. But what if anxiety is actually trying to tell you something important?
March 15, 2026 · 8 min read
Why Your Breakthroughs Aren't Changing Your Life — And What Will
You've had the insight. The clarity. So why hasn't anything changed? Because habits change lives — not insights.
March 1, 2026 · 10 min read
Your Medication Is Working. So Why Do You Still Feel Stuck?
The medication helped. But something is still missing. That's not a failure — it's a signal you're ready for the next step.
February 15, 2026 · 12 min read
Maybe You're on Too Much Medication
If you're on multiple medications and still don't feel like yourself, the answer might not be another prescription.
January 20, 2026 · 11 min read
Will AI Replace You as a Psychotherapist?
An 88-year-old psychiatrist with 55 years of evidence takes on AI. Not with fear — with the truth about what happens in a room.
December 15, 2025 · 14 min read
Your Therapist Has a Gut Feeling About You. ChatGPT Doesn't.
AI's bedside manner is impeccable. That's the problem. What clinical intuition does that pattern-matching never will.
November 20, 2025 · 10 min read
The Algorithm Can't Tell You're Not Looking at Me
What happens in a therapy room that no sensor can capture. The micro-observations that change everything.
November 1, 2025 · 9 min read
I Need My Patients as Much as They Need Me
No psychiatrist I know would say this. But it's the truth — and it's exactly why the relationship works.
October 15, 2025 · 11 min read
Are You Asking the Right Questions — Or Just Worrying Out Loud?
ChatGPT will answer your question in 300 words. I'll ask you one in five that changes your life.
October 1, 2025 · 10 min read
Why Your AI Therapist Will Never Tell You You're Acting Like a Spoiled Brat
AI is optimized for safety. I'm optimized for truth. The most transformative moments in therapy break every protocol.
September 15, 2025 · 9 min read
The Machine Can Diagnose You. It Can't Tell You What to Do with Your Life.
AI can tell you you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I can tell you to stop wasting your life on something you hate.
September 1, 2025 · 10 min read
Stop Complaining to Your Wife (And Other Homework That Actually Works)
My homework assignment: shut up. My patient's review: five stars. Why behavioral homework beats journaling every time.
August 15, 2025 · 10 min read
Your Therapist Should Have Feelings About You. If They Don't, Find a New One.
A therapist who hides behind neutrality isn't being professional. They're being useless. Real therapy requires a real human in the room.
August 1, 2025 · 10 min read
Feelings Are the Insight (Not the Other Way Around)
The Freudian model got it backwards. Insight isn't the destination. The feeling is. And most therapists are still teaching it wrong.
July 15, 2025 · 9 min read
There's Nothing Wrong with You. Now Let's Get Better.
You're not broken. You're not deficient. You're not your diagnosis. You're a person who wants more out of life. Let's start there.
July 1, 2025 · 8 min read
Two Sessions and Everything Changed (No, Really)
He badmouthed his wife for weeks. I met her, turned to him: 'You're giving her a bad rap.' Two sessions later, everything shifted.
June 15, 2025 · 11 min read
Are Commandments Good or Bad? (It Depends on Who's Asking)
Why structure liberates some people and suffocates others. The answer reveals more about you than any diagnosis ever could.
June 1, 2025 · 8 min read
The Courage to Be Direct: What Joshua Taught Me About Fear
A recruiter paralyzed by fear that AI would replace him. My response? 'Man up.' No therapist says that. But it was exactly what he needed.
May 15, 2025 · 9 min read
Why I Offered to Meet My Patient's Father
Most therapists stay in their lane. I offer to meet family members, step into real life, and close the gap between the session and the world.
May 1, 2025 · 8 min read
Anxiety Isn't Happening to You — It's Talking to You
Anxiety isn't a malfunction. It's a message. The question isn't how to shut it up — it's what it's trying to say.
April 15, 2025 · 8 min read
What I Learned from 55 Years of Being Wrong
My own analysis was a waste of time. I say that openly. The best clinicians aren't the ones who got it right — they're the ones who kept growing.
April 1, 2025 · 10 min read
The Best Therapist I Ever Had Was My Tennis Pro
He saw the mistake as I made it. Pointed it out. Made me repeat it until I got it right. And he never lost his patience. That's therapy.
March 15, 2025 · 8 min read
Do You Know What I'm Thinking Right Now?
It's a question that stops patients cold. 'What do you think I'm thinking about what you just said?' Forces a shift that changes everything.
March 1, 2025 · 8 min read
Voted Best Psychiatrist in Greenwich. Here's What That Actually Means.
Five-star reviews don't mean 'he fixed me.' They mean 'he saw me.' Here's what patients are really saying when they rate a psychiatrist.
February 15, 2025 · 7 min read
God Walked Into My Therapy Room (And Nobody Asked Him to Leave)
I'm not religious. But some therapeutic moments have a quality I can only describe as spiritual. When two people are fully present, something sacred happens.
February 1, 2025 · 9 min read
Questions Are More Important Than Answers (Especially in Therapy)
A good therapist doesn't give you answers. A good therapist teaches you how to ask the right questions — and then gets out of the way.
January 15, 2025 · 8 min read
Opinion: Teen shares story on substance misuse. There is a way out.
As a Greenwich psychiatrist working with teens and families, I have seen the devastation and the hope.
October 18, 2019 · 3 min read
Opinion: Teens on mission to reduce overdose deaths
The caricature of addiction as someone under a bridge is dangerously wrong. Teens are fighting back.
August 22, 2019 · 4 min read
Physical and Psychological Aspects of Healthy Aging: Clinical and Personal Implications
Healthy aging involves both physical and psychological dimensions. Clinical insights and personal reflections.
March 14, 2019 · 17 min read
The Kind of Love That Lasts
Would you like to be in love again? Understanding the kind of love that endures beyond infatuation.
February 14, 2019 · 6 min read
DBSA and the Blues
What makes a DBSA support group truly great? Authenticity, transparency, and deep emotional expression.
May 10, 2018 · 7 min read
Depression, Shame and Stigma in Therapists
To share or not to share. Therapists face unique challenges when they struggle with depression themselves.
March 22, 2018 · 11 min read
Cultivating Love on Valentine’s Day
What does it really mean to cultivate love? Reflections on connection, meaning, and lasting bonds.
February 14, 2018 · 4 min read
Fighting a Different Kind of Prejudice on Martin Luther King Day
On Martin Luther King Day, we reflect on a different kind of prejudice: the stigma of mental illness.
January 15, 2018 · 5 min read
Is severe depression comparable to cancer?
Severe depression can be as devastating as cancer. Understanding this comparison changes everything.
January 12, 2018 · 5 min read
The Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder Should Never Become Your Identity
Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes. Do not let your diagnosis steal who you really are.
November 8, 2017 · 7 min read
Dealing with the Shame of depression and bipolar illness: The silver lining for those who find the courage to share
You are only as sick as your secrets. The courage to share your story can transform shame into strength.
September 15, 2017 · 5 min read
Surrender, Acceptance, and Forgiveness: Three Steps on the Road to Recovery
When I argue with reality, I lose. Surrender, acceptance, and forgiveness pave the road to recovery.
July 20, 2017 · 6 min read
Ending Stigma Associated with Depression and Bipolar Illness
The stigma around mental illness mirrors other forms of prejudice. It is time to end the shame.
June 20, 2017 · 4 min read
Toward a more personal definition of heroism
True heroism is not always dramatic. Sometimes the most courageous acts happen quietly every day.
May 28, 2017 · 5 min read
Music as Medicine: the Magic Elixir
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and flight to the imagination.
April 15, 2017 · 8 min read
Love is rare, Lust is medium rare
Love is rare, lust is medium rare. Untangling desire, connection, and what we truly seek.
March 10, 2017 · 5 min read
Viagra and the Essence of Male Sexuality
Everyone talks about Viagra, but the deeper questions about male sexuality deserve serious exploration.
February 8, 2017 · 11 min read
Cuba: Resilience in Action
A memorable night in 1959 at Harvard began a lifelong fascination with Cuba and the meaning of resilience.
November 10, 2016 · 4 min read
What Could Donald Trump Possibly Learn from Alcoholics Anonymous?
What the principles of AA can teach anyone about humility, self-awareness, and genuine leadership.
August 15, 2016 · 4 min read
The Tragedy in Aurora and James Holmes
The Aurora tragedy forces us to revisit questions of free will, personal responsibility, and mental illness.
July 25, 2012 · 6 min read