Author Archives: richp45198

About richp45198

I am a clinical psychologist and have an abiding interest in matters spiritual.

Spiritual Mentor: August Wilson

Posted on November 6, 2023 by richp45198

I am not African-American. But I have found myself strongly responding to the plays of August Wilson. The playwright from Pittsburgh presented with his 10-play cycle a powerful picture of the lives and struggles of African Americans in each decade. … Continue reading →

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On Madness and the Streak

Posted on October 10, 2023 by richp45198

“Without a little madness, a man never cuts the rope and is truly free.” Towards the end of the great film “Zorba the Greek”, the character Zorba advises his young friend “A man needs a little madness or else he … Continue reading →

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What It’s Like Inside My Head

Posted on September 26, 2023 by richp45198

Originally posted April 2018 I was watching a TV program recently in which one of the characters said “No one knows what it’s like inside my head!” Interesting. It occurs to me that, like a lot of other bloggers, this … Continue reading →

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On the God of My Understanding

Posted on September 5, 2023 by richp45198

The men who created the AA program and the 12 Step Step program realized two things: 1. If people were to truly recover from alcohol abuse, the solution would only work if it was spiritual in some manner; 2. Many … Continue reading →

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On Being a Catholic Dissident

Posted on July 26, 2023 by richp45198

In reviewing those whom I have viewed as spiritual mentors, I realized that a majority of them would fit the definition of dissident:  “disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief”. In general there have been … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Mentors: St. John XXIII

Posted on June 28, 2023 by richp45198

As part of this blog, I have written about spiritual mentors — persons whom I never met yet whose lives and writings impacted my life. Recently I have also become interested in the topic of protest within the Catholic Church … Continue reading →

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The Catholic Church and the Right Wing

Posted on June 10, 2023 by richp45198

Within our Catholic Church and largely unknown to Catholics is the emerging of an ultra-conservative right wing movement intent on returning us to pre-Vatican days. When Catholics hear of such things, we tend to dismiss such themes as a return … Continue reading →

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On Retirement

Posted on May 24, 2023 by richp45198

I recently closed my 40+ years practice of psychological counseling. As I approached that landmark, I found that I had to apply to myself advice I’d offered to many others over the years: “Don’t just think about what you are … Continue reading →

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Heroes: Henry Aaron

Posted on May 2, 2023 by richp45198

Baseball season is in full force and my Red Sox are struggling. But I continue to embrace baseball with the enthusiasm that I learned to nurture early in recovery. From my love of baseball, I have also acquired a number … Continue reading →

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Conspiracy Theories: A Spiritual Problem

Posted on April 11, 2023 by richp45198

Conspiracy theories are nothing new. People have long embraced conspiracy theories, most often in an effort to make sense of catastrophic events. Earlier in my lifetime, there were two prominent conspiracy theories, both of which are still around today. Those … Continue reading →

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