These violent delights have violent ends And in their triump die, like fire and powder Which, as they kiss, consume — Shakespeare The violence we see in others is in all of us. After a terrible tragedy of  yet another school shooting, we wring our hands and try to understand what it was that motivated … Continue reading Violence

If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? — Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice. From the dark inner reaches of our unconscious mind comes our deepest fears of ourselves. We … Continue reading Racism

We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep. — Shakespeare, "The Tempest" Psychoanalysis was born from the analysis of dreams. With "The Interpretation of Dreams", Freud introduces us to the concept of the unconscious and analysis. Freud taught us that we could differentiate between the … Continue reading Dreams

The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes. — William James Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex, devastating disorder brought on by exposure to extreme stress and/or threat to life. From a psychodynamic standpoint, PTSD can be seen as a condition that arises … Continue reading Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.— Shakespeare The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this month was dedicated to the topic of obesity and bariatric surgery. Having spent some time with patients getting them ready for surgery I thought I would take a moment … Continue reading Bariatric Surgery