How Are You Feeling, Mr. Trump?

What may be considered “unsafe behaviors” by society are viewed, in therapy, as self-soothing, self-regulating strategies to cope with a history of neglect, trauma, complicated failures of developmental integration or unmet developmental needs. So when I sit across from a person, I not only see the behavior, I also try to discern the story that motivates the behavior. Taking such an impartial stance in my personal life, as in my professional one, has given me the opportunity to tune into the world of the other person involved and has kept me sane in many of my own interpersonal conflicts. Though I may not endorse the other person’s perspective, getting a glimpse into the inner workings of their mind has sufficed in healing many hurts.