Author: John Mathews, LCSW

Wabi Sabi: The Simple Beauty of Serene Melancholy

Wabi Sabi: The Simple Beauty of Serene Melancholy

Wabi sabi is a Japanese worldview based on the first of the Buddhist Three Marks of Existence: all things are impermanent. Wabi sabi is a notoriously difficult concept to grasp, and is said to have no exact English equivalent. For that matter, a perfect definition might be antithetical to the concept itself. But we can get pretty close to a…

The Hedonic Treadmill: From Consumerism to Minimalism

The Hedonic Treadmill: From Consumerism to Minimalism

Do you ever wonder why your latest purchases fail keep you happy? It may be because you’re on the hedonic treadmill. The hedonic treadmill (also known as hedonic adaptation) refers to the tendency for our happiness to return to a baseline or ‘set point’ regardless of our circumstances, choices, or accomplishments.  In this article we…

Stoicism and CBT: Is Therapy a Philosophical Pursuit?

Stoicism and CBT: Is Therapy a Philosophical Pursuit?

“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them.” — Epictetus,  1st Century Stoic philosopher “People don’t just get upset. They contribute to their upsetness.” — Albert Ellis, 20th Century psychologist When you make the decision to seek counseling or therapy, you are in part making the decision to consult an…