Your Transition Story

I felt that something had broken within me on which my life had always rested, that I had nothing left to hold onto, and that morally my life had stopped. And yet, I could give no reasonable meaning to any action of my life. And I was surprised that I had not...

Money Psychology, Shame and Self-Regulation

The Language of Shame Of all our human emotions, the most painful, the hardest to tolerate, is shame. Shame is the feeling that there is something wrong with us, that we are not only inadequate but are basically flawed. Shame can assume different intensities from...

On Being Right and Wrong: The Neuroscience of Internal Smugness

When I was formerly practicing Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis, I once had a young woman present to me, who despite all the external trappings of success and a doctorate degree, felt insecure and uncertain of herself. She concluded our initial discussion by saying,...

Ulysses Contracts—Pre-Committment to a Future Self

Ulysses, King of Ithaca, and hero of the Trojan War, was on a protracted sea voyage after the war to go back to his home island of Ithaca. He had a rare opportunity ahead, in that his ship would pass the island where the beautiful Sirens sang melodies so luring that...

Elite vs. Average Performance

As I have collaborated with performing professionals—actors and professional athletes—I have learned increasingly about elite performance, and the factors that distinguish from average performance. Colleagues who have also studied this area, such as Geoffrey Colvin in...

The Neuroscience of Change: 3 Steps to Rewire Your Brain

Victor Frankel was a Jewish psychiatrist in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. While death was certain, he observed that about 1 out of 25 of his fellow prisoners somehow managed to survive. He set about studying the characteristics of those who survived....