by Harold W. Anderson, M.Div., Ph.D. Belief is powerful. It changes things and the more people believe it, the more things change. This, I suppose, is the lesson of systems. A singular belief can be something powerful for the person who holds it, but it may have little impact upon others. But a belief thatContinue reading “Beliefs Have Consequences”
Author Archives: Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D.
What Happens When You Die?
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT, M.Div. I attended the funeral of a good friend recently. Her son and husband did the eulogy and did a very good job. However, following that, the minister started speaking. In his words, we received insight into what he thought happened after we die. Quoting from John 14, aContinue reading “What Happens When You Die?”
Faith…But Faith in What?
by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT, M.Div. It is difficult to know what the word for faith in the New Testament means because all too often, the term is used without definition. One of the few biblical definitions is given in Hebrew 11:1, which states “Now faith is being sure of what we hope forContinue reading “Faith…But Faith in What?”
The Problem with Truth
by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. It is more important that a proposition be interesting than it be true. … But of course a true proposition is more apt to be interesting than a false one. Alfred North Whitehead, The Adventure of Ideas Truth is a problem. Throughout history, philosophers have quested for truth and politiciansContinue reading “The Problem with Truth”
Creating Healthy Couples & Families
In this essay, I discuss the importance of rules and boundaries for couples and families. Just as games need rules, so do families if they are to be happy and successful.
The Busy Brain
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT When I was a practicing mental health professional, many of my clients would complain about anxiety. “I just can’t turn off my brain,” they would complain, “My busy brain keeps me awake, floods my waking moments with ominous possibilities and makes my everyday life so problematic it’s affecting myContinue reading “The Busy Brain”
Am I speaking your language?
By Harold W. Anderson, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D., LMFT As with every discipline, mental health and its related fields have developed its own vocabulary. Learning how to become a mental health professional includes learning how to be comfortable with and utilize this form of discourse. However, when one moves into the field and begins working withContinue reading “Am I speaking your language?”
Margins Beyond Individualism
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. I recently posted a blog entitled “What does it mean to be a critical thinker?” One of my readers sent a response written from a Social Darwinism point of view. This is the response I wrote to his response. When completed, I thought my response was something I’d like toContinue reading “Margins Beyond Individualism”
What does it mean to be a critical thinker?
When I was growing up, my mom would often tell me not to be so critical. This was often followed by the refrain “you’re so negative sometimes.” During my childhood, the idea that being critical is being negative was a powerful influence on my thinking, but it didn’t stick. As I grew older and beganContinue reading “What does it mean to be a critical thinker?”
The Wisdom of Learning from Our Mistakes
By Harold W. Anderson, M.A., M.Div., Ph.D., LMFT When you have lived 70 years, you would think you would have learned something. Life experiences are great teachers, but you must be strong enough and willing to listen to them as teachers. This is not easy. The problem is, we all want to be right. WeContinue reading “The Wisdom of Learning from Our Mistakes”