A nice friend just sent me a link to this article: Addiction is a brain disease, experts declare (Source: L.A. Times, August 16, 2011) But wait: addiction is now ‘a brain disease‘?! Well, be warned – here comes a therapist’s viewpoint on that! The scientific community in the US and Europe is highly influenced […]

Beauty surgeons and the cosmetic industry love it (critics claim that they are even doing their best to support? it): the ‘Dorian Gray Syndrome‘ describes a phenomenon where people turn into heavy users of cosmetic products and medical procedures in an attempt to preserve their youth. Oscar Wilde’s famous novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ […]

Am I a ‘pervert’ or simply enjoying the extraordinary? The answer to this question has seen remarkable changes over the times. Many sexual practices that might have resulted in getting burned at the stake for being possessed by ‘demons’ or being locked up in a mental ward during the last centuries are considered as nothing […]

Mark Twain said, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” Well, we all know: quitting smoking reduces the risk of terrible illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular disease. It increases fertility levels, breathing and overall fitness. Another benefit of quitting is enjoying the taste of food again. You will look and smell better […]

It can be hard to be a child or teenager in Thailand … Asia. While at first thought one might think that there couldn’t be a better environment for children to grow up freely and naturally. Many expats will confirm that their children are showing various signs of what could be called ‘adjustment problems’ if […]

One of the lesser known aspects of psychotherapy is the rule of confidentiality. This rule (which by the way is not a binding part of Thai law yet, but handled very strictly in most Western countries) basically says that everything a client tells in the context of an ongoing psychotherapy has to remain between the […]

Fraud, debt, murder, suicide, love, grief, depression, psychosomatic illness, destitution, drug addiction, lack of job prospects, discord within the family, delinquency in the home, … these are just some of the reasons (or consequences) Expats face when there seems to be no way to return back home. A look at the newspaper is enough, many […]

It’s very simple now to order drugs over the Internet, and most pharmacies in Asia will sell medicines over the counter that are only available by prescription in the West. Most popular products in the online catalogs are amphetamines, potency pills and antidepressants. But self-medication is actually risky, particularly with amphetamines (such as Ritaline / […]

When blood pressure rises, neck veins swell – and the rational mind is suspended. Aggression ‘beams’ us back to an early stage of our development … but once the adrenaline rush is gone, we often feel repentance over the damage we’ve done in our rush of emotions (be verbally or physically). There are basically two […]

Within just a few days, the media reports on the earthquake in Japan are now dominated by the nuclear disaster that occurred in Fukushima. Almost everyone who saw images on TV or newspapers will have been shocked… Personally it reminded me of the disaster images displayed in the Japanese Hiroshima Museum: deserted streets, ruins, clouds […]