Shohei Ohtani and the Inner Architecture of Mastery
By Dr. Mitch Keil Every generation produces an athlete who seems almost outside of time — someone whose talent feels both effortless and strangely inevitable. Shohei Ohtani has become that figure for baseball. We look at him and see the numbers, the power, the two-way dominance. But beneath the spectacle is a quieter story: the […]
The E-Bike Generation: Chasing the Rush Without the Ride
By Brandon Shapiro, AMFTTherapist in Newport Beach, CA Along the boardwalks and coastal streets of Newport Beach, a new rhythm has taken hold. You can hear it before you see it — the soft hum of electric bikes weaving through the salt air, groups of teens flying by with wind in their hair and earbuds […]
The Mind–Body Connection: How Athletes Elevate Their Game
When the Body Speaks the Mind Athletes often talk about being “in the zone,” that elusive state when thought and movement fuse into one fluid rhythm. Psychologists might call it flow; mystics might call it transcendence. But underneath both is the same truth: the mind and body are never separate. Every swing, sprint, or shot […]
When the Game Turns Inward: Why Every Professional Team Needs a Therapist
In light of Marshawn Kneeland’s tragic passing, this piece explores how professional sports can no longer afford to treat therapy as optional. Athletes need depth-trained therapists as integral members of every team—because the mind is part of the game. In light of the loss of Marshawn Kneeland When news broke of Marshawn Kneeland’s death at […]
Attraction Isn’t Random: The Psychology of Who We Want
We like to think attraction is a matter of chemistry or fate — that certain people just “click” with us for mysterious reasons. But beneath that spark lies something more complex: an emotional blueprint we’ve been carrying for years. From the moment we enter the world, we start learning what love feels like — how […]
Beyond CBT: The Psychodynamic Approach to Real Change
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has become the modern gold standard of talk therapy—brief, structured, and aimed at managing symptoms. It teaches you to identify and challenge negative thoughts, to “reframe” distorted beliefs, and to change how you behave in response. It’s practical, efficient, and can bring real relief. But here’s the deeper truth: CBT, on […]
Obsessive and Compulsive Personalities: A Psychodynamic Perspective
We all know people who seem to live by lists, rules, and rituals. They’re reliable, conscientious, and often deeply caring—yet something about their inner world feels tightly wound, as if emotion itself were a dangerous mess to be cleaned up. Psychodynamically, obsessive and compulsive personalities grow out of an early struggle to manage feelings of […]
Charlie Kirk Shooting: Can We Finally Admit America Is in a Mental Health Crisis?
The Symptom of a Deeper Illness Charlie Kirk was shot dead on a college campus today. The news felt like the air was sucked out of the room. The video circulating was sickening—hard to fathom one human doing that to another. We can’t keep pretending these are isolated incidents. And isn’t it strange—how this has […]
Why Hypochondria Isn’t About Your Body (But About Your Story)
Most of us have, at one point or another, found ourselves Googling a strange symptom and spiraling into worst-case scenarios. For those who struggle with health anxiety (sometimes called hypochondriasis), this cycle can feel relentless. But here’s the truth: health anxiety is rarely about the body alone. Psychodynamically, it is a window into deeper emotional […]
Mental Health & Longevity: A Psychodynamic Guide
The Mind–Body Clock: How Mental Health Shapes Longevity (A Psychodynamic View) We often talk about longevity like it’s a lab problem—glucose monitors, VO₂ max, cold plunges. Those matter. But if you zoom out, the mind isn’t a passenger; it’s a chief engineer. The way we form bonds, metabolize stress, and make meaning leaves measurable fingerprints […]
