The Importance of Empathy

Have you ever been to a restaurant and had a table of people next to you that made your night out utterly miserable? I certainly have, and it happened recently. I invited my wife to dinner, hoping for a relaxing, romantic evening. However, the whole experience was a nightmare! The table next to ours must…

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How to develop cognitive empathy

When we practice cognitive empathy in our marriage, we learn to look at the world from our partner’s perspective. In essence, we are imagining what it might be like to be our partner in her/his life situation. Cognitive empathy is also referred to as perspective-taking or the skill of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes,…

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Empathy and you

Learn the basics of empathy and what it is. Learn what the 4 core aspects of empathy are. Learn how best to deal with challenges in your relationship where empathy will help to resolve. Understand what empathy is, what it involves and practical ways to put empathy into practice in everyday life. You can find…

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What is cognitive empathy

Learn ways to look at things from the perspective of your partner – putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Seeing things from the point of view of your partner is much harder when you don’t agree with the idea or concept which is why it is such a crucial tool in improving relationships. Watch the…

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What is empathy?

Empathy is a crucial tool for healthy relationships whether they be friendships or romantic relationships. If you want to learn more about how you can develop a stronger sense of empathy in your relationship I’ve put together a 14-page report that’s FREE. You can learn the valuable tools needed to repair your relationship through the…

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Four ways to think like an optimist and improve your your health

Even as a child, James was described by teachers and his parents as a happy optimist. As the story goes, one day his parents decided to play a joke on him and test his attitude by requiring him to spend an afternoon cleaning deserted stables at what had been a local racetrack. Returning after two…

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How to control your emotions on the road

Dateline: December 4th. Orange County, California. A 29 year old man was shot to death, an apparent victim of road rage. According to newspaper accounts, he had a reputation for never backing down from a fight. The man and his half brother were heading home from a plumbing job when the trouble began. Driving in…

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Anger in the American family – four steps to teach family to treat you better

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always feeling angry and “used” by her family, constantly saying that everybody took advantage of her. She felt that she worked like a slave but her family showed no appreciation or acknowledgment of her many efforts. Case #2- Bill, a 34 year old husband complained that…

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How to deal with an adult bully

Sixty-four year old Bill was a married retired executive who sought anger management help on the insistence of his wife Ann. After 24 years Ann could no longer tolerate his bullying behavior toward her, their children, and their friends. He would often relate in an insulting, “get in your face” way using a loud, intimidating…

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Rage behind the wheel: Can we help it?

Recent headline: “Road Rage may be due to medical condition called Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)” What is the science behind this? The study, reported in the June (2006) issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry was based on a national face-to-face survey of 9,282 U.S. adults who answered diagnostic questionnaires in 2001-03. It was funded…

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Five skills to deal with workplace anger

Leroy was a superstar in the Real Estate business, producing three times the monthly business of his nearest coworker. He was a driven, highly competitive young man who saw his manager as getting in the way of even higher production. Tension turned to irritability. Yelling and shouting followed. On the day he was fired, he…

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The Anger-Damage effect on your heart: Guest blog from Dr Alan Levy

THE ANGER-DAMAGE EFFECT ON YOUR HEART Guest Article by By Alan Levy, Ph.D. How does anger do its damage and contribute to heart trouble? In this brief article, I explain the physiological and psychological mechanisms that are problematic ways of handling frustration and anger. I also present 8 helpful hints to better manage negative emotions…

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Anger, Elephants, and My Late Father

My 94 year old father with whom I have always had a rocky, angry relationship recently died. At his memorial service in a small Midwestern town, I had an eye-opening experience. The room was filled with people who talked about how loving and giving my father was. About how humorous he was and how much…

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Road Rage In Reverse. An Act of Kindness.

This is a personal story. Yesterday I was tooling down the 405 freeway in Southern California when suddenly I heard a loud pop which I assumed belong to another vehicle. I was in the center lane of a very crowded freeway and suddenly realized that the bang was coming from MY car. A blowout! Behind…

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Successful Couples Repair Conflict

Let’s face it. All couples fight. In successful relationships as well as others. Having fights is not necessarily a sign that your relationship is doomed to failure. If all couples fight, What then makes the difference between successful vs unsuccessful relationships? Simply put, one major difference is having the skills and ability to repair the…

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Anger Management in Action; Setting Realistic Expectations

How high should you set the bar for yourself or others in term of what you expect? This was a recent discussion topic brought up by Robert in a recent fast-track anger management seminar that we held in Newport Beach, California. Set the bar too high and the gap between what you expect and what…

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Anger Management In Action: Need More Respect From Your Family?

Case #1- Elizabeth, a 40 year old homemaker was always feeling angry and used by her family, constantly saying that everybody took advantage of her. She felt that she worked like a slave but her family showed no appreciation or acknowledgment of her many efforts. She needed anger management to help deal with her feelings….

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Anger Management Classes: How We Teach Empathy

Through he years, I have asked our anger management class participants what they expected class to be like before they actually came. Thought I’d share some of the responses I have received: “Anger Management Class is like traffic school.” “Like a support group therapy for angry people.” “Full of convicts and criminals.” “In anger management…

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Accepting Others With Limitations is a Challenge For Some

“I worked hard for my knowledge,” Bob said in a session, but “others want to drain me of my knowledge and skill so they won’t have to do the hard work themselves to learn it.” “Besides, they are so stupid and they are unmotivated to improve themselves.” Bob was very much into self-development and self-improvement and thought…

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How Important is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?

In a recent session, 65 year old Dan, a retired insurance manager, was reflecting on mistakes he had made in his life. At the top of his list was an incident twenty years earlier when he received a home visit from a corporate V.P. who was vetting him for a large promotion as a district manager of a…

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Is Empathy Declining?

Empathy is defined as the ability to put oneself in another’s shoes, to understand their feelings and feel them yourself, and to see the world as they do. Theodore Roosevelt said: “A very large share of the rancor of political and social strife arises from sheer misunderstanding by one section, or by one class, of another, or…

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