Why Is Happiness Still a Mystery?

PBS has just finished a three-part special on human emotions, with the final episode devoted to happiness. It may surprise many that happiness is a hot subject, especially in the new field of positive psychology. Just as medicine studies disease to find out how to get patients well, psychology has almost entirely been about the mind’s maladies. Positive psychology attempts to reverse this focus by studying a person’s strengths rather than his weaknesses. (more…)

Dealing with fears

I have had a very pleasant life recently. I have 2 beautiful girls, nice job and a husband. We don’t have any money problems. We had a lot of friends.  I have a lot of love and a lot of inner peace. Last year my husband lost his job, and he can’t find any at the moment. There is a lot of fear in me. Will we have money to pay the bills, will we become poor, will his bad mood affect our family? A lot of “friends” turned back on us and my husband has very low self-esteem. I became very sad, I lost the energy in me, I can’t see the light on the end of the tunnel. I had a very strong opinion that:
– material world is just temporary, the spirit in us is important,
– I am, who I am, and other people are another person.
But now there is something in me, that wants to get of this problem. I love my husband, but I want to protect my children and me of this agony, so I want to get away from him and his problems.
Please Deepak, give me some advice or another view on this situation. Everybody keeps saying it will get better, and I was saying that for a long time, but now I don’t believe it anymore.

Does God have a Future? FREE LECTURE

Upcoming Caltech Lecture — Does God have a Future?

A Great Debate Filmed by ABC’s Nightline

* Event Date: Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 2:00 pm

* Location: Beckman Auditorium

* Speakers: Deepak Chopra & Jean Houston versus Michael Shermer & Sam Harris

* Tickets: This is a free event. Priority will be given to those who reserve tickets in advance (maximum of 10) through the Caltech ticket office at 626-395-4652. This event will sell out, but you can come the day of the event in case there are cancellations or no-shows.

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Choosing between love and career

I am facing thirties and all I have in my resume is mainly studies. I like research and that is why I want to do a PhD in a field I am interested in. The problem is that my studies don’t pay my rent [so I live with my parents] and every time I decide to make a new step in my life strangely enough I fall in love. Lately I fell in love with a man who was in a relationship and broke up after meeting me, and we like each other.
The problem is that he still feels bad about his breaking up from his long lasting relationship, but as he admitted it was holding him back. And this is not the only problem. He lives in another country, a couple of thousand miles away. How can I decide to move to his place when I am not sure about his feelings?
And what about my studies and my future which I am neglecting ever since I met him? Will it always be like that? Falling in love and then failing in my personal life? Is there a particular helpful book I could read?

Recovery from child abuse

I am a single mother of a 10 year old very gifted and strong willed boy.  In October 2008 my son shared devastating news that his cousin had been sexually abusing him for two years.  In August 2009 we finished our trial where my nephew was charged with 6 counts of aggravated sexual assault.  I have had in counseling and feel he is doing better than most given his situation.  However, his anger towards me and his sadness is affecting him in every way.  I give him a safe place to get rid of his anger in what we call ‘special time’ but now he is resisting this too  because he feels the yucky feelings come out and he shuts down.  I am so torn as to how I support his process and guide him without being a victim.  I feel as though time is running short in so many ways before all this pain affects his future academically and emotionally.  He has an amazing heart and soul and truly wants peers to like him and wants to do good but the power struggle is preventing all.  Please guide me as to how I can help a young boy before he reaches the teenage years and then finds other ways to hide his pain.