In families where there is a divorce and one partner alienates the children from the other partner, this is called “parent alienation syndrome.” It is a very sad situation and happens all the time in our culture. The partner will treat the children like the surrogate spouse, talk negatively about the former partner and put […]
Every human being, regardless of race, gender, age, or class is worthy of love. You deserve to feel valued and respected. You deserve to be treated well by others. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have your needs met. You are worth investing time and energy into. You are capable of great things. […]
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. Nearly 45,000 Americans die by suicide every year. Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death for people 18-65 and for every death by suicide, there are over 22 suicide attempts. *You have what it takes to begin again* Suicide can be prevented. And we can all learn the […]
Many of us weren’t taught how to set boundaries as kids. Typically, if our early caregivers didn’t know how to set boundaries it is because their parents didn’t know how to set boundaries, and they didn’t know because their parents didn’t know either. And so on. It becomes a generational repetition of patterns. Teaching our […]
When you have the ability to self-regulate your emotions and thoughts, when you can press pause on disruptive impulses and stories in your mind and think before you react, this is such a gift you give to yourself. It doesn’t happen overnight. It can take years of hard work to retrain your brain. But you […]
The brain has the power to change your thoughts through neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is defined as “the potential that the brain has to reorganize by creating new neural pathways to adapt, as it needs. Think of the neurological changes being made in the brain as the brain’s way of tuning itself to meet your needs.” Many […]
Respect in marriage is one the most important ways to communicate love and care to your partner. It is an important predictor of marital health, builds intimacy, and evidence shows that where there is respect there is greater marital satisfaction overall. I tend to see a greater sense of “we-ness” among spouses that feel valued […]
Often, we hold back our emotions. It makes sense if we were brought up to think it was crucial to hide our anger or sadness or that having negative feelings was wrong. These emotions can be unpopular and often make those around us uncomfortable if they can’t “fix it.” We may even hide positive feelings […]
According to Psychologist Susan O’Grady, “The human face is associated with our identity; we are recognized more through our eyes than through any other facial feature.” The APA handbook of nonverbal communication even says that the eyes offer such rich social information that adults and infants alike show a natural attraction to the entire face. […]
Many of us are controlled by fear every day without realizing it. After all, just scroll through your news feed and you will find articles, stories, and quotes, many of which are rooted in fear. Just this daily onslaught of news and social media messages is enough to make anyone think powerfully negative thoughts about […]
Dr. R. Scott Gornto, PHD, MDIV, LMFT, CST is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist and Expert on Relationships and Personal Development. Practicing in North Texas since 1999, Dr. Gornto works with individuals, couples, families, groups, and businesses from Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper and Dallas and the surrounding areas. He is the author of The Stories We Tell Ourselves™ and a is a columnist for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today.