Stories

Q Ain our relationship. We are looking forward to retirement in two years but are in conflict over the next place to live. He wants to travel around the world like two hippies from the 60’s and I want to find a small cottage on the coast. Every time we try to discuss this we … Ask Dr. Tim: My husband and I have come to a standstill…

For many years, my clinical psychology practice served only men, sometimes with a woman in their lives. One glaring vulnerability often appeared in my conversations with older men. Men at midlife and beyond are often profoundly lonely.  Isolated.  Here is a typical conversation while getting acquainted with a man in my office: Me:      Can you … Men and Loneliness

At the moment I am sitting about 30 miles north of Kona, HI. It is a beautiful afternoon with the temperature about 80 degrees, a mixed-cloud sky, and a soft breeze blowing the palm trees. I feel very privileged to spend some time in this wonderful State during the winter. Even with all the laid-back … Never Too Old To Face Our Fears

I’m pretty sure I’m going to stop being invited to social functions soon. People ask what I’m working on these days and inevitably the conversation turns to dying. The thing is, I’m really convinced that our Western end-of-life experience could be better, and I feel passionate about the fact that being able to talk about … Why I Talk About Dying

The year was 1998. That was the year that I decided to ride by bicycle partway around the world. I was twenty years old and my best friend and I decided we needed an adventure. My friend Russ had already done a bit of traveling and we had both cycled locally but I had never … The Trip: Remembering Our Strengths

Q I am a 40-year-old single mom and I have an energetic 4-year-old daughter. My daughter’s father lives in another state and is pretty much a deadbeat. He is of little help both financially and emotionally. There are so many times that I get exhausted with my combined work and parenting. I hate it when … Ask Dr. Tim: I hate it when I yell at my daughter but sometimes I just seem to explode.

Brains don’t like negative stress, so says the authors of a study, which was reported in the December 2014, edition of Psychology and Aging. The authors expected to find an association between so called cognitive decline and everyday memory problems being exacerbated by stress. One hundred and twelve people were studied in a subsample of … Our Brain on Stress

Back in the 70”s, when the Japanese automakers began to seriously take market share as a result of their high levels of quality and dependability, we began to study their systems to see what was giving them such an advantage. Turns out that a major contributor was their deep commitment to statistical process control methods … Humble Student

Q My wife of 35 years controls my life. She controls our money. She controls what our house looks like. She controls what I eat. She controls how I dress. She controls where we travel. She controls how I interact with our children. She controls our sex life. She controls what kind of car we … Ask Dr. Tim: My wife of 35 years controls my life…

Q I am a 46-year-old woman who is afraid to go to a job interview. I have been out of work for several months now. I actually am pretty skilled and have a decent resume. The problem is that as soon as I get into my car to go to an interview, I start to … Ask Dr. Tim: I am a 46-year-old woman who is afraid to go to a job interview.