Blog
01 Jun “If This is Love, Why Do I Feel So Bad?”: A Review of When Love Goes Wrong: What to do When You Can’t Do Anything Right: Strategies for Women with Controlling Partners by Ann Jones and Susan Schechter
Posted at 12:38 pm in Couples Therapy by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D, ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com “Because the controller builds himself up at the expense of others, no one can remain in a relationship with him without giving up important parts of the self…First you may give up certain activ…
01 Jun “We Marry our Unfinished Business”: Considering How Our Childhood Wounds Guide Our Mate Selection
Posted at 10:57 am in Couples Therapy by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D., ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com Betrayed but Stuck In a recent New York Times article (May 30, 2026, p. D6) entitled “Ask the Therapist,” psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb responds to a letter from a woman whose husband has had m…
12 May What Gaslighting Looks Like in a Marriage—and When to Get Help
Posted at 4:30 pm in Couples Therapy, Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), News by jlbworks
Gaslighting is one of the most emotionally damaging patterns that can develop within a marriage. Unlike obvious conflict or direct verbal abuse, gaslighting often unfolds gradually. One spouse may begin to question their own memory, emotions, judgment, or sense of reality after repeated manipulation from their partner. Over time, this can create confusion, anxiety, low self-esteem, and emotional e…
13 Apr Can Marriage Counseling Help When Summer Break Disrupts Family Routines?
Posted at 4:52 pm in Couples Therapy, News by jlbworks
Summer break is often associated with relaxation, travel, and more time together as a family. However, the shift away from structured school schedules can also introduce unexpected stress into a household. When routines are disrupted, responsibilities shift, and expectations go unspoken, even strong relationships can feel strained. For many couples, this seasonal transition highlights underlying…
23 Mar Psychotherapy as the Raising of Consciousness: Considering the Ideas of Brazilian Educator Paulo Freire
Posted at 9:41 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D, ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com Paulo Freire (September, 1921—May, 1997) was a Brazilian educator and Marxist philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for his book Pedagogy of the Opp…
16 Mar When Every Interaction is a Referendum on One’s Partner’s Self-Esteem: Seamless Mirroring, Blitzkrieg Affects, and the Immense Challenge of Coping with Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Posted at 9:29 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D., ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center “We all view life through the lens of (our) experiences, but the narcissist has something more, not just a lens but a prism that refracts and distorts incoming messages to avoid the intolerable feeing of shame. This means that you are…
12 Mar High-Functioning Anxiety: Why Success Doesn’t Mean You’re Okay
Posted at 11:01 am in Individual Therapy, News by jlbworks
From the outside, people with high-functioning anxiety often appear confident, organized, and successful. They meet deadlines, maintain relationships, and excel professionally. Yet internally, they may experience constant worry, pressure, and self-criticism. If left unaddressed by a psychologist for anxiety in Nashville, TN, high-functioning anxiety can affect relationships, career satisfaction, a…
10 Feb Is It Narcissism or Trauma? Understanding the Overlap
Posted at 4:54 pm in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), News by jlbworks
When you’re in the midst of a challenging relationship — whether with a partner, friend, or family member — it’s all too easy to use big psychological terms like “narcissism” to describe what’s going on. But what exactly lies beneath behaviors that seem self-centered, insensitive, or defensive? Are these traits truly rooted in narcissistic personality disorder in Nashville, TN or are they instead…
12 Jan Internal Versus External Locus of Control: Am I Responsible for My Successes or Failures, or Are They Due to Luck or Fate or Other People?
Posted at 9:06 am in Individual Therapy by jlbworks
By Philip Chanin, Ed.D., ABPP, CGP Board Certified Clinical Psychologist Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry Vanderbilt University Medical Center www.drphilchanin.com philchanin@gmail.com “My teenage son and I were padding a canoe in a small river that flowed out to the sea. In the late afternoon, our canoe got stuck on a huge sand bar. As it was starting to get dark, I complete…