I must keep reminding myself that most people are, understandably, unfamiliar with emotionally laden twin dynamics. For obvious reasons, one would not know or be interested in these relationships unless he or she were a twin, were parenting twins, or were counseling twins. What seems obvious to me often results in an aha moment for those unfamiliar with the psychology of twins. I was telling my colleague about a twin patient of mine who struggles mightily with the challenge of defining […]
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The Psychology of Twins—Who Knew?
I have just returned from a glorious two-week stay in Argentina. I will need to “detox” from all the delicious meat and fabuous red wine that I happily consumed during my time there. I gave a presentation to a wonderfully warm and engaging group of parents of multiples who appreciated hearing my particular views and philosophy about raising twins. Prior to my trip, I encountered incredulous responses to my telling people that I had been invited to give a presentation about […]
Can a Twin Connection Mask Emotional Vulnerability?
My London-based fellow “twin therapist” and I were discussing a case that she is treating at the moment. A family whose eighteen-year-old identical twin daughter withdrew from college at the beginning of her second term contacted my colleague for help. This exceptionally bright and accomplished young woman fell apart at college and was forced to take a medical leave of absence. It is difficult to speculate about the variables that may have contributed to this unsettling and unexpected chain of […]
A Filmmaker, His Twinship, and His Twinsburg Experience
I attended the Twins Day Festival as a researcher in August 2014. At that time I had the pleasure of meeting Phil and Joe Garrity. They arrived at the festival with a small crew to help them shoot footage for the film that Joe had envisioned. The short film Twinsburg is terrific. I am planning to show it at my Omega Institute workshop on twin relationships, July 28–30. Joe has kindly offered to come to speak about his emotional journey […]
Searching for Your Double
Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking to the Northwest Association of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NWAMOTC) in Vancouver, Washington. NWAMOTC is a network of member clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and the province of British Columbia, Canada. The convention attendees spent a lovely weekend away from their families, enjoying one another’s company and the activities planned by the hosts of the convention, the Columbia Mothers of Twins Club. Often moms of multiples commiserate […]