Therapy Isn't Like Surgery

Pacific Couples Blog

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Therapy Isn't Like Surgery

It's more like a guitar lesson.

Low-Resolution Feelings Are Hard to Navigate

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Low-Resolution Feelings Are Hard to Navigate

And worse for our mental and physical health.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

The Ambition Penalty

The gender pay gap? It’s complicated.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

Is Emotional Openness Attractive?

Women say they want it…but.

John Williams, PhD 6/13/26 John Williams, PhD 6/13/26

What Therapy Isn’t

This is worth reading if you're a therapist.

John Williams, PhD 6/5/26 John Williams, PhD 6/5/26

What polyamorous couples figured out.

It’s not about sex.

John Williams, PhD 6/5/26 John Williams, PhD 6/5/26

“We’ve lost the spark.”

Is a common complaint but it doesn’t mean what we think.

John Williams, PhD 5/17/26 John Williams, PhD 5/17/26

Variations in Post-Religious Growth

Variations by religion and culture.

John Williams, PhD 5/16/26 John Williams, PhD 5/16/26

Angry Young Men and Women

I don't think youth radicalization is primarily political.

Why Can't Men Stop Fact-Checking Women's Fear?

John Williams, PhD 5/14/26 John Williams, PhD 5/14/26

Why Can't Men Stop Fact-Checking Women's Fear?

Because they aren't the same facts.

John Williams, PhD 5/8/26 John Williams, PhD 5/8/26

Assessment Before Intervention. Always.

What treatment plan? We've just met them.

Couples that savor together, stay together.

John Williams, PhD 5/3/26 John Williams, PhD 5/3/26

Couples that savor together, stay together.

The stress finding is the most interesting result.

Anger feels useful. That’s part of the problem.

John Williams, PhD 5/3/26 John Williams, PhD 5/3/26

Anger feels useful. That’s part of the problem.

How useful is it, really?

When you pick a partner, you pick a set of problems.

John Williams, PhD 4/21/26 John Williams, PhD 4/21/26

When you pick a partner, you pick a set of problems.

Most relationships don’t fail because people chose badly.

There are a lot of scholars in the hell realms.

John Williams, PhD 4/15/26 John Williams, PhD 4/15/26

There are a lot of scholars in the hell realms.

Something one of my Buddhist friends used to say when we got too intellectual.

John Williams, PhD 4/5/26 John Williams, PhD 4/5/26

Anxiety is a bit like assent.

It’s pointless, but we do it anyway.

John Williams, PhD 3/31/26 John Williams, PhD 3/31/26

Is the manosphere gay?

I think it’s about something else

Subtle dynamics that can look like therapist bias.

John Williams, PhD 3/24/26 John Williams, PhD 3/24/26

Subtle dynamics that can look like therapist bias.

Several commenters pushed this idea further.

John Williams, PhD 3/22/26 John Williams, PhD 3/22/26

Meditation Isn’t One State of Mind

A recent study offers one possible explanation.

My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me (and It's Fine)

John Williams, PhD 3/14/26 John Williams, PhD 3/14/26

My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me (and It's Fine)

Understanding isn’t everything.

Tell us what’s going on. Start with a free phone consultation.