Jeanette Raymond's Blog

“I can’t stop going to prostitutes for sex. I hate myself for it, but I can’t stop. I hate doing this to my girlfriend, but it’s all I think about. After the sex I feel disgusted with myself, but I keep doing it. I’ve tried hard to give it up but I can’t. I [...]

The post Compulsive Sexual Behavior is Not About Sex! appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

“I’m just even,” 38-year old Francesca said, as she moved her right palm horizontally in a flat line. She said that nothing felt palatable; and that if she felt some excitement at being asked to go out with a friend, it died down almost immediately. She couldn’t keep the flame of desire going long [...]

The post When Does Desire For Life Become Dangerous in a Marriage? appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

“I don’t know why I wait till the last minute to do things I want to do.” This is what Tessa, a 35-year-old natural birth coach told me after a series of realizations that she only acts when there is a sense of urgency – propelling her to act in the moment, even though [...]

The post Helping my client – Trade Guilt for Pride in Self-Care appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

Unresolved Sibling Rivalry - the narrative of the co-dependent adult couple “I hate it when Bianca makes me feel small and incompetent, but I’d feel like a terrible person if I abandoned her,” said 35-year-old digital advertising consultant, Javier. “I hate it when Javier won’t let me out of his sight and taunts me [...]

The post How Unresolved Sibling Rivalry in Childhood Leads to Co-dependent Adult Relationships appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

Couples who come to therapy often complain that they cycle around the same issues with no resolution, feeling stagnant, exhausted, and hopeless in the process. In essence they are stuck. Sonia a 33-year old massage therapist wanted her partner Dean a 34-year-old pet-grooming service owner to attend couples therapy to make him commit to [...]

The post Helping clients 4: Helping Couples Get Unstuck appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

There are two ways I hear clients talk about the issue of hope. One goes something like this: “I have to keep hope alive that my partner will change, or else there is no point!” The other takes a different path: “I just feel hopeless, my partner’s never going to change, so I might [...]

The post Hope and Hopelessness – How They Work to Manage the Threat of Reality appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

Insomnia dogged 36-year-old Phillipe all his life. He hated not being able to control his body and make it do the right thing, just as he hated all parts of himself that were not perfect. Insomnia was a sign of imperfection and a sign that he wasn’t normal – making him feel defeated in [...]

The post How I helped My Client (3) – Manage Chronic Insomnia and Sleep Like a Baby appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

How I helped My Client  – Showing How She Set Herself Up to Deny Her Deepest Wish Susan a 38-year-old Dental Hygienist had always felt that she got a raw deal in life. Unloved and neglected by her parents, she was now rejected by her partner Mick when she made overtures for closeness, affection, [...]

The post How I Helped My Client 2 – Showing How She Set Herself Up to Deny Her Deepest Wish appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

“I’m really anxious - you haven’t spoken to me since last night!” Nico said to his partner Tamara when she nagged him to book his vacation dates at work so they could plan the family vacation. “I’m anxious that it’ll be too late and we won’t get a good cabin on the cruise ship,” [...]

The post Different Anxiety Types in Partners Create Tension Between Insecurity and Need for Control appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.

Here’s how I helped David last week – Am I a pedophile becuase of a dream I had? David, a 37-year-old electrical engineer had been working on his sense of entrapment in romantic relationships for some time in his indivdual therapy with me. Recently he brought a dream to a session and it turned [...]

The post Helping my clients 1 – Understand a Shameful Dream appeared first on LA Westside Therapy.