SelfhelpMagazine

Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D.

Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in El PasoTX. He did his graduate work at Indiana University, then spent four years in the Army. He has been a private practitioner since 1979, specializing in marriage and family therapy.

Dr. Patterson has also written three books on psychology and spirituality as well as several articles for journals such as Voices, Journal of Family Psychology, America, and Spiritual Life. He is married and, along with his wife Cornelia, has survived raising four children. He writes poetry, loves music, hasn't missed a day of running in years and is an avid Boston Redsox fan, year after year, no matter what.

Read Dr. Patterson's Articles:

• "The Dark Night of the Soul" - What Is It?
• 15 Years Old and Interested in Ouija Boards
• 7 Tips for Coping with Difficult People
• 7 year old daughter from a previous relationship.
• A Co-Worker Suggested That It Is the Devil Giving Me Colds
• A Therapist Links My Pelvic Pain to Childhood Sexual Abuse...
• Anger and Hostility Due to Depression?
• Any Connection between Bipolar Disorder and Fibromyalgia?
• Any Value in New Age Approach to Medicine?
• Are Dreams of Any Use in Helping Me Stay Healthy?
• Are Hives Stress-Related or An Allergic Reaction?
• Are There Different Ways That Rituals Might Help Us?
• Become More Spiritual While Struggling with A Difficult Person
• Can Hypnosis Be Utilized to Increase Breast Size?
• Childhood Memories: Memory Reconstruction Techniques
• Clinical Hypnosis for Chronic Pain?
• Concern about God-Talk at 12-Step Meetings
• Different Religion: Mixed Marriage
• Do You Have Any Tips for Falling Out of Love?
• Does Anxiety Have Anything Spiritual about It?
• Dreams That My Boyfriend Is Going to Die
• Fiance Does Not Want to Take on My Name
• Finding Faith in the Ashes
• Forgiveness: The Spiritual Tonic
• Forgiving Yourself
• Health and Spirituality - Is It Self-Centered?
• Holistic Wellness: Taking Charge by Redefining Your Health
• How Can I Make Someone Forgive Me?
• How Can I Tell If Someone I Care For Is Manipulating Me?
• How Can Keeping A Journal Be of Benefit?
• How Can Pain Make Us Strong?
• How Do I Forgive Anger Toward My Ex-Spouse?
• How to Convey A Healthy Attitude about Sexuality?
• I Am 16 and No Longer Believe in My Religion
• I Am A Very Insecure Person
• I Am Always Putting Off Things to Do and Can't Figure Out What to Do with My Life. Am I Lazy?
• I Am Bothered By A Crippling Phobia and Would Like to Be Free of It. Can You Help?
• I Am Dealing with A Friend Who Is Suffering from Ptsd As Well As Other Problems. What Kind of Treatment Helps?
• I Am Engaged and Have Doubts about the Relationship
• I Am Having Trouble with Hives. Please Help!
• I Am in A Relationship. Early on, My Boyfriend Was Unfaithful
• I Am in My First Serious Relationship. To Be with Him, I Moved Away from My Home
• I Am in the Process of A Divorce. My Soon to Be Ex Seems Obsessed with Me
• I Am Involved in A Long-Distance Relationship
• I Am Terrified of Death. What Can I Do to Help Myself?
• I Believe I Am Badly Burned Out in My Work
• I Find That I Am Extremely Irritable Toward My Spouse and Children
• I Grew Up in An Alcoholic Home but My Father Is Sober Thanks to AA
• I Have A Relative in Prison Who Has A History of Explosiveness. Could This Be A Psychiatric Problem and What Can I Do to Help?
• I Have Been Diagnosed HIV Positive
• I Have Great Trouble Using Public Urinals, Any Suggestions?
• I Have Very Low Self-Esteem, Would Psychotherapy Help?
• I Repress My Feelings to the Point Where I Often Feel Emotionally Numb
• I Talk to Myself A Lot, Is This A Problem?
• I Think about Death A Lot and Am Afraid of Dying
• I Was Sexually Molested by A Parish Priest
• I Was Standing in Line and Suddenly I Felt Dizzy and Short of Breath
• I'm Out of Touch with My Emotions
• In Praise of Silence
• Incest Survivors Have Spiritual Issues?
• Into the Dark Forest: Spirituality and Midlife Crisis
• Is God Punishing Me by Giving Me HIV?
• Is Guilt Always Bad?
• Is This Abuse?
• Loss of Self Esteem with Loss of Weight
• Making Holiday Season More Meaningful
• My Adult Son Is Having Trouble Getting Started on A Future
• My Doctor Thinks I May Have Fibromyalgia
• My Girlfriend Has a Fear of Doctors. How Can I Persuade Her to Get Regular Check-ups?
• My Spouse Suffers from A Chronic Disease Which Includes Chronic Pain
• My Two Teenagers Are Refusing to Attend Church
• New Year's Resolutions
• Of What Use Is Counseling in Dealing with An Illness?
• On My Own Spiritual Path I Often Come Under Attack
• Ouija Board, Devil and Special Prayer
• Raising Spiritually Healthy Children
• Recovering Alcoholic with A Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
• Religion or Spirituality: A Distinction
• Religions View the Body As Separate from the Spirit
• Religious Cults Prey Upon Young Adults
• Research On Athletic Superiority Of African Americans?
• Resentment Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
• Resentment Toward the Religion of Youth
• Speaking Up When Disagreeing with A Doctor?
• Staying Healthy Spiritually During Holiday Season
• This Holiday Season - How Can You Be Grateful?
• Trying to Develop A Healthy Spiritual Life
• Upset At the Thought of Therapy Ending
• What Can You Tell Me About Self-Inflicted Mental Abuse Where A Person Takes on Other People's Pain?
• What Is Ethical Contact During Counselling?
• What Issues Do I Need to Be Aware of in A Relationship with An Older Man?
• What Should I Know of My Elderly Parents Spiritual Needs?
• Why Are Programs Like AA Viewed As Spiritual?
• Will Believing in God Help Me Recover from My Addictions?
• Will My Health Improve If I Learn to Love Myself?
• Would Something Like Zoloft for Depression or Panic Make Me A Weaker or Stronger Person?
• Wounded Healer Is More Emotionally Intelligent
• Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography
• You Can Learn To Relax Even If You Seem To Have Relaxation Anxiety
• Young Relative Has A Problem with Stealing

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