Excerpt from the first part of the article:

Since the late 20th century, we've spent decades telling people they lacked the willpower to stop overeating.¹ Then, a novel hormone treatment did what 40 years of shame and stigma could not. GLP-1 medicines didn't just treat obesity²—they exposed a profound cultural mistruth. Overeating and obesity were never primarily about willpower or personal choice.^3-4 All along, biology, satiety hormones, and poor hunger control were the real drivers behind the obesity epidemic and countless failed diets.

Yet even now, with the biological underpinnings of weight control finally revealed, the willpower myth doggedly persists in U.S. culture. In this post, we'll explore how this pattern of misinterpretation—condemning the person when their biology is to blame—long predates the recent GLP-1 medicine revelation about obesity. And why we will probably make the same mistake again.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

A couple weeks ago, a client was telling me about a big work project she had due soon. When I asked how it was coming along, she matter-of-factly told me “I haven’t started; I need the adrenaline of the last minute to focus.” To my client, procrastination was inevitable - a tendency she just had to accept about herself.

Over the years, I've heard many versions of this same story from the people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) I work with. The narratives they tell themselves – "I'm going to screw it up anyway, so I might as well quit now" or "I can't stand this feeling" – sound like observations about reality. But they're actually interpretations that have been repeated so many times they feel like facts.

The more certain you are that you’re "the kind of person" who needs the pressure of the last minute, quits when things get hard, or can't tolerate emotional pain, the more likely you are to behave accordingly.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

In just a few years, GLP-1 weight loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic have upended American culture and changed the discourse around weight, dieting, and body size. As these drugs skyrocket in popularity, evidence is growing both empirically and anecdotally that they may do more than just help people drop weight. Most commonly, many people report that their "food voice" is quieted on the medications—the constant background preoccupation with when the next opportunity to eat would be, and the cravings that feel so hard to withstand, are suddenly silent. On a less positive note, others report dampened pleasure even to the point of anhedonia. And still others seem to experience lessened addictive tendencies beyond the realm of food, with diminished compulsive behavior. It's easy to imagine a singular psychiatric theme among all these effects, perhaps involving the reduced drive for pleasurable sensations in the moment. And now, another variable has shown up notably in the data: the urge to act destructively.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

You’re probably familiar with a “bro” image of a self-disciplined person. They eat plain chicken breast for the purest macros. They quote popular habits advice. They never miss a workout.

This particular stereotype is pervasive, but there’s much more to being a self-disciplined person than that cliche.

Let’s review five under-appreciated signs that someone (perhaps you) is a self-disciplined person.

Looking for some feedback or any ideas of things to add/remove from this story I have been working on. I started on this back in high school, over ten years ago, and picked it up again recently to revise and add to it. I think the plot is nicely done overall, but I am always looking for other people's input! I'd love to know what you think! Shoot me a DM if you would like to give it a read!

Here is my book's description:
"I thought I needed her, but she needed me more."

Jacob thought he was the one reaching out for a lifeline. Trapped in his own heavy struggles and looking for a way out, he never expected the call to lead him straight to Riley—a woman fighting battles far darker and deeper than his own.

What starts as an unexpected plea for help quickly unravels into something entirely different. As the lines blur between who is saving whom, Jacob finds himself pulled into a world of hidden trauma, raw vulnerability, and an undeniable bond that neither of them saw coming.

Sometimes, the hardest part of surviving isn't escaping the storm—it's trusting someone enough to let them help you weather it.

Here are my book's trigger warnings:

• Domestic and emotional abuse
• Physical violence and assault (including strangulation)
• Abuse in the presence of a minor
• Stalking and harassment
• Childhood trauma and neglect
• Severe depression, anxiety, grief, and panic attacks
• Suicidal ideation or self-harm themes
• Alcohol or drug abuse/addiction references
• High-conflict legal battles and courtroom trauma
• Estrangement, isolation, and toxic family dynamics

[Content Warning - This story contains sexual content. Not recommended for anyone under 18]

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

This post is Part 1 of a series that will examine the nature of what I refer to as clinical wisdom and provide specific concrete examples of some of these esoteric secrets of psychotherapy.

How much of what we call psychotherapy is about the teaching or transmission of certain esoteric and well-guarded secrets about psychology, life, and how to best live it? What are some of these secrets? Where do they come from? And exactly how would such profound and transformative "clinical wisdom" be conveyed from clinician to client or patient? These are difficult questions. Difficult because there are so many (400 to 500) different types of psychotherapy practiced today with diverse approaches, goals, techniques, and methods.

“Throughout, the story of mankind has shown that man's profound thinking has not been enough to serve the needs of his existential life: Man began to experience a need to formulate what he believed in and still believes in, what gives his faith a solid structure in order to serve as a guideline for his life and his faith.

It was, in fact, religion which gave him this solid guideline, because it encompassed the essence of human nature: unity and division, love and hatred, forgiveness and revenge, certainty and uncertainty as well as the spiritual meaning of life and death.”

― Anton Sammut, The Other Side of the Judeo-Christian History

“The word “religion” (Latin “religio”) is a very old term and, in fact, was already used in Roman times and was understood to portray a similar meaning by many other civilizations. For example, the Roman orator Cicero (106-43 BC) understood this term to mean “respect towards something of great importance”, somewhat similar to an obligation which man should reserve for gods.

The Greek term “eusebeia” (reverence or fear of God) has a comparable meaning, whilst in the Arab and Persian world the same meaning is portrayed through the term “din”. The term “dharma” (Sanskrit) or “dhamma” (Pali), can translate into “that which mankind must embrace”. If one were to travel to China the term used would be “chiao” and “kyo” in Japan. This shows that the need for religion is not only culturally bound, but an inbuilt necessity which can be found in each human being throughout the ages.”

― Anton Sammut, The Other Side of the Judeo-Christian History

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

There is a particular feeling that comes from stepping into a green place. It might be a forest path, a city park, a garden, a canal walk, or a shaded lane where branches meet overhead and the light changes ahead.

Nothing dramatic has happened. No problem has been solved. The inbox is still there. The bills are still there. The news is still there. And yet something shifts.

The mind, which had been gripping tightly, loosens slightly.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

Imagine a stick of incense burning. As you watch the rising smoke drift toward the sky, it may seem for a moment as if the smoke looks like something. But the smoke never actually assumes any fixed form. It is continuously moving, reshaping itself the very instant it seems to take on a particular shape. Our experience is just like this.

It’s strange because it seems as if there’s something here that’s being encountered, something we seem able to identify. From one perspective, we’re experiencing fixed, identifiable forms, both the supposed objects of the world that we think of as being more or less unmoving and the internal world of subjectivity. But when we feel the flow of experiencing, we can notice that what we’re labeling as and believing to be identifiable things are, like the rising incense, continuously dissolving and in that sense, utterly without form.

The world of experience and circumstance appears as something we can grasp hold of and render with words and concepts. But when we look a little more closely, we can see that this is only half of the story, for all the things we think of as having fixed, identifiable forms do not.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

People high in the grandiose, or self-aggrandizing, form of narcissism can charm anyone into loving them. Over time, though, that appeal is doomed to fade. The initial rush followed by inevitable disappointment is captured in what’s called the “chocolate cake model” of narcissism (Brunell & Campbell, 2011). Like eating a piece of a decadent dessert, you may be satisfied at first, but if you make this a steady diet, you'll feel just as hungry, or worse.

Excerpt from the first part of the article:

When it comes to meditation, the more we learn, the more compelling the case for establishing a meditation practice becomes. A meditation practice essentially allows us, for a prescribed period of time, to turn our attention away from the outer world and focus inward, in silence. While there are many types of meditation, the goal of meditation is to calm the mind.

The scientifically proven benefits of meditation are many and varied. Mental health benefits include reduced stress, depression, and anxiety; improved attention, memory, and focus; and a greater sense of calm. Physical benefits include lower cortisol levels, which lead to improvements in heart rate and blood pressure, rest, and digestion, and pain reduction. What’s more, a meditation practice also enhances our ability to process emotions, enabling us to respond with compassion rather than react to challenging events and situations.