I want to share my thoughts in this blog post about the new normal imposed on us by the coronavirus. Through conversations with my patients, I have come to appreciate how prior experience in managing emotional and physical vulnerabilities equipped some individuals to adapt better to self-isolation. For example, a young woman who battled an aggressive cancer shared that she has already experienced the conditions the rest of us are grappling with. She faced an unpredictable disease; she lived through […]

I recently had a conversation with a young woman in her midthirties about her fraternal twin brother. She and her brother got along well all their lives. They went to separate colleges and lived and worked in different cities until six months ago. Prior to her brother moving to the same city, they spent time with one another on family vacations and visited one another perhaps once or twice a year. Now that her brother lives close by, she feels […]

Speaking to a lovely group of twin moms, I was struck by a dilemma plaguing one of the mothers. She related that, contrary to her own personal beliefs, her husband is passionately opposed to the idea that it is healthier for twins to be differentiated. He believes their six-year-old fraternal sons should wear the exact same clothes, and he does not see the value of spending alone time with each boy. He feels that the twin connection is sacred and […]

What if my twin falls apart and I am not there to pick up the pieces? What if my twin never gets married? What if my twin cannot forgive me for moving away? What if my twin decides to quit running the business with me? Many of my patients tend to be trapped by catastrophic thinking, which involves ruminating about irrational, worst-case scenarios that will result in disaster. Sometimes, persistent negative thoughts stem from old beliefs and core values. Helping […]

I recently posted an article on Facebook about the social media backlash directed at a father because of his decision to spend time alone with each of his four-year-old twins. Apparently, many people accused him of inciting separation anxiety if he implemented this plan. Nonetheless, he offered valid and legitimate arguments for his intentions. He explained that before he and his husband decided to have twins, they spoke to many adult twins and asked about their experiences. He reported that […]