Mental Health Decoded with Mordechai

Question 1 – Siblings in the same family can have very different childhood experiences and levels of trauma. How can I make peace with the fact that my siblings may be jealous of the support and love I got from my parents that they didn't get?

Question 2 – What are your thoughts on energy healing? Some people attend four sessions for $250 each and say they are completely healed.

Question 3 – I recently had to speak with a very complicated person and expected it would take years of therapy to prepare. Instead, I found the courage to do it, and the conversation went remarkably well. I realized I was using many of the skills I learned from your program. How do we know when therapy has truly become part of who we are?

Question 4 – I run a playgroup and am much younger than many of the parents. I often feel that people expect me to do things that are not my job because of my age. How can I set healthy boundaries while showing them respect? 

Question 1 - My Therapist Has Fallen Asleep During More Than One Session. Should I Talk to Her About It or Find a Different Therapist?

Question 2 - Is It Appropriate for Therapists to Text Clients Between Sessions?

Question 3 - How Do You Cope with Very Disturbing and Obsessive Thoughts?

Question 4A - My 12-Year-Old Asked Why Some Family Members Stay Married If They Fight All the Time. How Should I Answer?

Question 4B - My 12-Year-Old Read About Borderline Personality Disorder and Thinks a Relative Fits the Symptoms. How Should I Respond? 

Question 1 - Is It Okay to Tell Someone, 'You Can Ask Me Anything, but Please Don't Ask Me About This Subject'?

Question 2 - My Children Prefer One Set of Grandparents Because They Give More Treats and Attention. How Do We Handle Their Resentment Toward the Other Grandparents?

Question 3 - Who Says I'm Right? If People Can See Things So Differently, How Can I Ever Trust My Own Judgment?

Question 4 - After a Minor Car Accident, I'm Afraid to Drive. Is It Trauma, or Am I Just Not a Good Driver? 

Comment 1 - I've Been Enjoying the Program for Many Years. Thank You for Everything You Do.

Question 2 - My Child Has Special Needs. If He Holds a Knife but I Know He Won't Use It, Is It Still Dangerous?

Question 3 - I Didn't Receive Love as a Child. How Do I Heal That Emptiness?

Question 4 - Did You Used to Take Questions from Children on the Program?

Question 5 - I Work with an 8-Year-Old Who Says She Doesn't Like Herself or Her Appearance. How Can I Help Her?

Comment 6 - Thank You to All the Callers for Their Thoughtful Questions.

Question 7 - Can You Talk About ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) and When It Is Appropriate?

Question 8 - Can Trauma Cause Derealization? If the Trauma Is Over, Why Does the Person Still Feel Hurt? 

Question 1 - Congratulations on the PhD. If a Husband Struggles to Meet His Wife's Emotional Needs, Is It Usually an Attachment Issue or Could It Be Something Else?

Question 2 - Is Therapy Helpful for ADHD, or Is Medication Alone Enough?

Question 3 - How Do You Show Love to a Family Member Who Pushes You Away but Still Feels Hurt When You Don't Reach Out?

Question 4 - My Relative Has Severe Depression and Often Acts Like a Victim. How Do I Know If I'm Helping or Enabling Her?

Question 5 - My Son Constantly Needs My Reassurance, Almost Like OCD. What Is My Role as a Parent?

Question 6 - Setting Boundaries with Family Brings Up a Lot of Pain. Should My Friend Continue Setting Boundaries or Stop Because It Hurts? 

Question 1 - How Was the Milgram Experiment Approved, and Would It Be Allowed by Today's IRB Standards?

Question 2 - My 10-Year-Old with PANDAS Refuses His Medication and Vitamins. Is It Okay to Force Him to Take Them?

Question 3 - Are People with Avoidant Attachment More Likely to Be Introverts and Those with Anxious Attachment More Likely to Be Extraverts?

Question 4A - My Oldest Son Is Away at Camp and Only Wants Brief Contact. How Should I Handle It?

Question 4B - Can Group Therapy Be Harmful If Someone Isn't Ready for Help or Doesn't See Their Own Role in the Problem?

Question 5 - If Someone with a Personality Disorder Doesn't Recognize That They Are Part of the Problem, How Can They Ever Get Better? 

Question 1 - How Can I Support a Friend with Many Life Challenges Without Getting Pulled into Them?

Feedback 2A - Feedback To Last Caller. Small Acts of Kindness Can Make a Big Difference. A Neighbor Once Brought Me Homemade Bagels and Eggs, and It Meant So Much.

Question 2B - My Daughter Is Being Excluded Because She Doesn't Have Hello Kitty. How Do We Handle This Elitist Behavior?

Question 3 - My Husband Has Had Three Episodes Where He Stayed in Bed for Days, Ate Impulsively, Seemed Mentally Different, and Doesn't Remember It. What Could Be Happening?

Feedback 4 - I Am the Great-Grandmother. I Really Appreciate the Interviews with the Founders of Different Therapy Approaches. I Believe, More Psychoeducation About Medication Can Help People Feel More Comfortable Accepting Treatment. 

Question 1 - My Friend's Older Sister Is Hurt That She Does Things Without Her. How Should They Handle This?

Question 2 - Our Foster Child Says He Doesn't Want Two Moms After Visits with His Biological Mother. How Can We Help Him?

Question 3 - What Should an Older Sister Do When Her Adult Sibling Constantly Depends on Her for Attention?

Question 4 - A Close Relative Is Severely Depressed and Stays in Bed. When Should We Help, and When Does Helping Become Enabling?

Question 5 - My Friend Is Nearly 50 and Feels That No One Is There for Her. Anything We Try Telling Her, She Won't Accept. How Can We Support Someone Who Feels Completely Alone?

Question 6 - I Want to Use Technology, but My Wife Strongly Disagrees. How Do We Handle This Difference?

Question 1 - How Can I Appreciate My Own Summer Plans In The City, When Others Seem to Be Having a Much Better One?

Question 2 - Can an Anxiety Disorder Get Much Worse During Times of Stress?

Question 3 - Can Coping Skills That Helped Someone in the Past Become Harmful Later in Life?

Question 4 - I'm Leaving My 16-Month-Old for a Week While I Go on Vacation. Will It Harm His Attachment?

Question 5 - How Do You Set Boundaries with a Narcissist Without Getting Pulled into Their Anger and Outbursts? 

Question 1 - Does Everyone with Attachment Issues Need Medication?

Question 2 - When I Know Someone Is Struggling, Am I Obligated to Reach Out and Help?

Question 3 - My 12-Year-Old Is Going to Camp with a Boy He Has a Silent Conflict With. How Should He Handle It?

Question 4 - Is There a Place Where I Can Read Your Articles Online?

Question 5 - I've Been in Therapy for Almost Two Years and Have Improved, but I Still Have the Same Thoughts. Does That Mean Therapy Isn't Working for Me?

Question 6 - Can You Discuss the Risks of Going to Seminary in Israel When You Struggle with Anxiety?

Question 7 - How Do Attachment Issues Affect Someone Who Is a People Pleaser?

Feedback 8 - I Previously Called About Taking a Break from Therapy Over the Summer. After Being Honest with My Therapist Instead of Keeping Secrets, Our Work Together Has Already Improved Significantly.