Dr. Payton

Over and over I witness people who come to me for help, struggling with stress that they can’t stop or even limit.  They feel controlled by the stress that is usually in the form of worries and fears that they think about over and over.  They have frequently been diagnosed as having an obsessive compulsive…

It is clear that stress can lead to many types of physical symptoms. It seems that some of the physical symptoms we have are related to past physical symptoms we had that did not appear to be caused by stress. I wonder if the brain thinks that a new situation that we react to in…

Which one did you vote for [cooperation or competition]? Or is that silly as we need both to live healthy and happy lives? Is some competition ok and other kinds not ok? Is cooperation always better?  Which one brings people together?  Which one recognizes individual effort?  Which one gives you winners [and losers]?  Which one…

I have wondered for awhile if it is possible to communicate with other living things through electromagnetic waves that are emitted by our brains.  This could explain how caring about someone can be felt by that person or how prayer works or how empathy works or how intuition works, etc.  Of course it is not…

I have previously blogged about the importance of not feeling responsible for others and not taking responsibility for others as this inevitably leads to stress and anxiety.  Why does it? Well, it is actually not possible to be responsible for others as they are separate human beings.  I know, as a parent or even as…

It has become clear in my work with people that when they are interacting with others and feel exhausted or drained that something is wrong in how they are interacting. This may seem obvious but fairly often people tell me that they are exhausted by being with certain people. Now it may be only certain…

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry [AACAP] has a new initiative called “Break the Cycle” to fund new research; increase the number of child psychiatrists; and help mentally ill children to get the treatment they need. The May/June 2017 issue of the  AACAP News contains statistics including that: 50% of all mental illness…

I was listening to a TED talk by Anne Lamott [from June, 2017] and she mentioned that “there is almost nothing outside of you that will help in a lasting way.”  Ms. Lamott believes that “it’s an inside job.” We are responsible for helping ourselves in lasting ways. This idea is complemented by her other…

The first amendment to our constitution prohibits the making of any law abridging the freedom of speech.  The supreme court has clarified the extent of the protection for free speech.  This applies only to speech against the government and more recently has been broadened to allow for more political dissent.  Of significance lately is concern…

A few years ago as part of a course that focused on spiritual journey’s, I watched a short film called “The Butterfly Circus.” The film is about encouraging people to believe in themselves and take responsibility for themselves. It is not about enabling people by acting like they can’t do things themselves. The circus performers…