Blog posts, news articles, and other resources from The Center • A Place of HOPE
This article is about a form of psychological manipulation called gaslighting. It explores what gaslighting is, how and why it happens, and what to do if you suspect someone is gaslighting you. What is gaslighting? According to the American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology, the definition of ‘to gaslight’...
In recent years, the concept of narcissism has become increasingly well known. It’s not unusual to hear characters in popular culture such as movies, novels, and TV shows described as narcissists. While narcissism is actually a normal personality trait, for some people it can become exaggerated which then can become...
Many people who’ve been in a romantic relationship have experienced feeling distrustful of their partners. It could be because your partner has shown themselves to be untrustworthy. But it could also be because you’ve experienced things in your past that have led you to have a hard time trusting other...
Possible causes and solutions for feeling irritable and short-tempered. Do you get annoyed by everything? Do feelings of frustration arise often? Perhaps other people notice that you are irritable, impatient, and snappy. There could be many reasons you are short-tempered, and plenty of ways to stop it. Find out why...
Attachment theory highlights the importance of a strong, healthy attachment in childhood. This important attachment comes at the earliest stages of life to a parent or primary caregiver, usually a mother. This first, fundamental attachment, or relationship, sets the stage for all relationships going forward.
We are living in very stressful times, living in the time of this Coronavirus outbreak. The situation seems out of our control and our new way of living – either or lockdown or social distancing from loved ones –is uncomfortable and different. Here are 10 things you can do to...
Part Two of a Six-part Series on Relationship Communication The darkness of the sky felt as if it might swallow the whole of her as she stared out the window that cold winter’s night. Tears streamed down Jena’s face as she replayed the evening’s events in her mind. The same...
One of my clients had had his marriage blow up in his face only months before. His pornography habit had been discovered yet again--after repeated promises of “I’m quitting now"--and his wife was so fed up she had left the house for a week. (It could just as easily be...
“Things were going well all week with my wife and me, and I thought the tensions were behind us,” a client told me recently. “But no, last night, she got all upset again over nothing.” If your marriage has been disrupted by your spouse exploding over their discovery of your...
When you were growing up, you may have been told over and over, in a variety of ways, that you weren’t good enough, smart enough fast enough, thin enough, or just plain not enough of anything to please your parents. In order to numb this crushing sense of failure and...
What do people do when it seems God is not acting according to their expectations? Validation, assurance, relief, significance, and more -- are gifts from God.
If the parenting model you grew up with was fundamentally flawed, you may be at a loss to determine what is normal and what is not, what is helpful and what is harmful.
How you feel about yourself affects all of your other relationships. Some of you may not be used to the idea that you have a distinct relationship with yourself, but you do. You have a personality and a will; you have a perspective on life that is lived out in...
There's something important to remember in the quest for strength and courage, and that's a spirit of kindness. Too often we teach our children the verse, "Be kind one to another" (Eph. 4:32 RSV), and then we forget the admonition as adults. True forgiveness and kindness are cut from the...
When you take the risk of opening up to others and begin to share who you are with someone you learn to trust, you are on your way to emotional wholeness.
One of the core traits of a dependent personality is difficulty accepting challenging or disturbing truths about self or others out of a need to maintain the status quo.
Healthy people are growing people, and people do not grow healthy in isolation.
Resilient as children are, childhood abuse, in its various forms, can decimate a child's sense of self. Here are ten questions to consider when processing the struggles associated with childhood abuse.
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The whole person approach to treatment integrates all aspects of a person’s life: