A few years ago I introduced the concepts of perceptual dissonance and perceptual synergy . Cognitive dissonance is known as an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. Parents are often caught in the contradiction between what they expect of their children and what they do themselves. How many times has it been said, “Do not do what I do. Do what I say.” For ages, children have been baffled by this cognitive dissonance. Perceptual dis

This bumper-sticker immediately caught my attention, and I was also instantly curious and a little uncomfortable. It was easy to see how others mistakenly believe everything they think, but it became uncomfortable as I looked in the mirror. I also tend to believe everything I think, and my discomfort led me to do some research. I learned that the way humans perceive and interpret information is called Cognitive bias . Cognitive bias is the brain's attempt to simplify informat

When couples arrive at my office, they are often in a relationship crisis. Usually two-way communication has stopped or regressed to contain only senders and no receivers. The atmosphere is generally unhappy, and each person is relating largely out of negative assumptions about the other. Both people have long since stopped learning new things about the other and, therefore, neither one is feeling understood or important. It is a relationship crisis, and the couple may even b

"The Matrix" is a science fiction movie that was released in 1999. If you have not seen the film, it follows the story of Neo, a computer programmer who discovers that his reality is actually a simulated world called "The Matrix," created by advanced artificial intelligence machines to enslave humanity. Neo is approached by a group of rebels led by a man named Morpheus, who believes that Neo is the prophesied "One" who can defeat the machines and free humanity from their cont

From the day we are born till the day we die, we may struggle to understand the “what,” “where,” “when,” and “how to” of our importance to others. From the earliest age we strive to be important and special to those we love. The first moment comes when we perceive the face of our mother, and, as our vision stabilizes, we see and feel love and adoration for the first time. It “explodes” in our tiny brains giving us a feeling profound security that is permanently imprinted. Whe