By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. The excited new father gazes in at the hospital nursery with a huge smile of pride and joy. “What will you name him?” asks a friendly nurse. “Something strong, like John”, the father replies. Before the baby boy gets his first diaper change the expectation for him to become strong and [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. My dear life-long friend emailed me recently about something that made me feel sad. My friend passionately supports Obama’s health care reform plan, her sister vehemently opposes it. This conflict led to the sisters not speaking to one another. I care deeply about these two women, so it saddened me to [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. So you drive to work, start to change lanes (without glancing back over your shoulder) only to notice another car speeding toward you. You correct the error and quickly steer back to your original lane. The other driver speeds by giving you the middle finger salute. Perhaps your heart races a [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Summertime means swimming pools, amusement parks, golf courses and house guests for many of us. Vacations spent staying with relatives or friends often trigger hurt feelings, and anger. Old resentments, combined with high expectations for fun and relaxation,?? can create a climate for raised tempers.

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. I always expected Michael Jackson to die young. Remembering Elvis, Hendrix, Joplin and Cobain, it seemed fitting that Michael would join the ranks of great talents taken too soon. All of these talented musicians struggled with substance abuse that contributed to their untimely ends. I’m sad about the lost creative potential [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. The 2009 film Pontypool portrays zombie-like people who’ve become infected by language. In the film, humans parrot the same words and phrases, go on a killing spree and torment a talk-radio host. The filmmakers create a successful horror movie while getting the audience to ponder how the words we hear can [...]

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By Gina Simmons, Ph.D. In an old Saturday Night Live skit the character, Stuart Smalley, played by Al Franken, repeats the daily positive affirmation, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggonit people like me.” From Norman Vincent Peale’s 1952 best seller, The Power of Positive Thinking, to Rhonda Byrne’s brilliantly marketed 2006 release of [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Last weekend we attended a youth theater performance of Les Miserables, the musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo. In The People’s Song the chorus sings, “Do you hear the people sing, singing the songs of angry men? It is the music of the people who will not be slaves [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. I first saw her through a window, sitting outside the Earthblend coffeehouse. She wore a bright turquoise pant suit with a colorful scarf. Her hair was a brilliant red, softly spiked, wind blown swirl. Several interesting looking women gathered to sign copies of the books Heart of a Mother, and Heart [...]

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by Gina Simmons, Ph.D. Growing up in poverty, I envied those who lived in houses with garages. To my youthful eyes, having a garage meant you had arrived in the big leagues. Space to store bicycles and roller-skates, skis and camping equipment, with room for a car, or two, symbolized empowerment and possibilities.

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