Cultivating Empathy – Missoula Therapists
Growing up outside of Helena Montana, Buddhism was very much an “outsider” religion. And then in college, it seemed that even people who liked philosophy didn’t like Kant. I can empathize with them though, I didn’t like Kant either—at first. Having encountered Buddhism and Kant as outside of the norm, I was intrigued and slowly but surely dove deeper into their respective philosophies. For my PhD, I did a comparison
From Empathy to Compassion – Missoula Therapists
In our daily lives, our emotions are pushed and pulled in countless directions. With a toddler in the house, my first waking moment is often the sound of her crying or asking me to wake up. If I’m lucky enough to sleep in a bit, my earliest emotional interactions are with my wife as we get up, make and drink our coffee, and open the modern version of the daily
Agoraphobia: When the World Feels Too Overwhelming
Theresa had always been a bit of an anxious person, but that was part of her charm. She was the life of every party and never shied away from meeting new people. That all changed when she suddenly found herself plagued with agoraphobia - an intense fear of leaving her home. At first, it seemed like nothing more than a mild anxiety attack. But as time went on, it became
Eating Disorder Therapy
My mother was a wonderful woman. She had so much life and energy when I was growing up, that it seemed like she could do anything. But when her father passed away suddenly, everything changed for her. It started with the simple things, like no longer getting up early in the morning to hit the stationary bike for 15 minutes before starting her day. Instead, she spent most of her
The Search for Meaning – Missoula Therapists
Back when I was an undergraduate at the University of Montana here in Missoula in the early 2000s, I took a course on Existentialism. I remember the professor drawing a long line across the white board, some 20 feet or so in length. He said, “this is the history of humanity and this,” he pointed to the end of the line, “this tiny, tiny dot is you.” Existentialism is a
Understanding depression: The power of therapy in my life
A Personal Journey of Healing and Recovery For me, depression in those winter months of Missoula was like a dark cloud that hung over my life, and I found myself doing anything I could to get a boost of dopamine. I would drive for hours to find a hot spring or eat muffins, hoping to find some sense of relief from the 100 pound set of weights that seemed to