Get tips & tools to help you get the life you want from our mental health blog.
Attention + Focus
Trauma
+ PTSD
Mood
+ Addiction
Personality
+ Identity
Media
+ News
The way dark empaths are portrayed in movies, television, and literature significantly influences how the public understands and responds to emotional manipulation in real life. While fictional...
While fictional portrayals of dark empaths can sometimes mislead us, they can also serve as valuable educational tools when we learn to extract the accurate patterns while filtering out the dramatic...
Developing romantic or intense emotional feelings for your therapist is far more common than most people realize. If you're experiencing this, you're not alone, you're not "weird," and you haven't...
While developing feelings for your therapist is normal and can be therapeutically valuable, it's crucial to recognize when a therapist is inappropriately crossing professional boundaries. Therapist...
The phenomenon of developing romantic feelings for a therapist is rooted in deep psychological processes that have been studied extensively in mental health literature. Understanding the psychology...
Transference is one of the most fascinating and important phenomena in psychotherapy, yet it's often misunderstood or overlooked. When you develop intense feelings for your therapist—whether...
While much attention is given to clients' feelings toward their therapists, less is understood about the complex emotions therapists experience toward their clients. Countertransference—the...
"You remind me of my mother," "You're just like my ex-boyfriend," or "You have the same energy as my best friend"—these are common experiences in therapy that reveal the fascinating psychological...
Having intense feelings for your therapist, while initially confusing, can become a powerful catalyst for developing healthier relationships in your real life. The insights you gain from...
Your attachment style—the patterns of connection and relationship you developed in early childhood—plays out powerfully in the therapy room. Understanding how your attachment style manifests in...
Many people are surprised by the profound intimacy they experience in therapy—often describing it as deeper and more meaningful than romantic relationships, close friendships, or even family bonds....
Behind the professional facade, therapists are human beings who sometimes experience attraction to their clients. Understanding how therapists are trained to recognize, manage, and use these...
Balanced Mind is a psychotherapy and counseling center offering online therapy throughout New York. We specialize in Schema Therapy and EMDR Therapy. We work with insurance to provide our clients with both quality and accessible care.
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the landscape of education and, with it, the nature of school bullying. As students were forced into remote learning environments and later returned to dramatically different school settings, the patterns, methods, and...
The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented global experiment in family living. As lockdowns confined families to their homes and traditional structures collapsed, family systems underwent rapid and often dramatic transformations. Through the lens of family systems...
In an era where mental health content can spread rapidly across social media platforms, some therapists find themselves with viral videos, massive followings, or unexpected internet fame. For their existing clients, watching their private therapist become a public...
Understanding the New York Mental Hygiene Law The New York Mental Hygiene Law is a comprehensive set of rules that govern how persons with a mental illness receive care and treatment in the state. Think of it as New York's official guidebook for mental health...
How Do I Talk to My Partner About Going to Couples Therapy (Couples Counseling) Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy designed to help romantic partners improve their relationship, share their concerns, and resolve conflicts. During sessions, a trained therapist...
A comprehensive guide to maintaining your well-being while navigating an unavoidable relationship with someone who weaponizes empathy Sometimes leaving a relationship with a dark empath isn't immediately possible or practical. You might be married with children,...
We are sharing detailed scenarios and case studies to help you identify dark empathic patterns in everyday situations Understanding dark empathy becomes much clearer when we examine real-life examples. The following scenarios are composites drawn from clinical cases,...
Protecting yourself from those who weaponize emotional understanding Dark empaths represent one of the most challenging personality types to identify because their manipulative behaviors are masked by genuine empathic abilities. Unlike traditional manipulators who may...
A comprehensive guide to navigating shared custody, communication, and child protection when your co-parent weaponizes emotional understanding Co-parenting with a dark empath presents unique and complex challenges that go far beyond typical post-divorce difficulties....
Understanding the complex psychological and emotional effects of being in a relationship with someone who weaponizes empathy Being in a relationship with a dark empath creates a unique and profoundly confusing emotional experience that can be difficult to articulate...
Strategies for protecting yourself while navigating the complex dynamics of dark empathic relationships Discovering that someone in your life is a dark empath can be profoundly disorienting and emotionally devastating. Unlike dealing with more obvious manipulators,...
Dark empathy represents one of psychology's most paradoxical phenomena—individuals who possess genuine empathic abilities but use them as weapons rather than bridges. While often confused with narcissism, dark empathy is a distinct psychological profile that requires...
Red flags, warning signs, and protective strategies for the vulnerable world of modern romance Dating in the modern world presents unique challenges, and perhaps none more dangerous than the dark empath. These individuals combine sophisticated emotional intelligence...
An updated exploration of empathy's darker expressions and their representation in literature and psychology Empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of others—is typically viewed as one of humanity's most noble traits. It forms the foundation of...
An expanded exploration of literature and media's most manipulative empaths The world of fiction is rich with characters who demonstrate the troubling phenomenon of dark empathy—individuals who possess deep emotional intelligence but use it to manipulate, control, and...
A comprehensive guide to recognizing the characteristics of those who weaponize emotional understanding In the landscape of human personality, few phenomena are as paradoxical—or as dangerous—as the dark empath. These individuals possess a unique and troubling...
How to identify when someone's understanding of you becomes a weapon As a therapist, I've seen countless clients who've been deeply wounded by relationships that started with the most intoxicating feeling imaginable: being truly, deeply understood. They describe...
The Basics: Therapy vs Medication Studies show that both therapy and medication can be effective, but the best option really depends on your specific mental health condition, symptom severity, and other factors. Here’s a quick rundown of how both treatments work:...
Amber's Story Amber was the first-born child to her mother and father. By the time she turned five, her parents had four more children, and the weight of responsibility settled on Amber far too soon. While other kids her age were playing with friends and exploring,...
What Is Couples Therapy? Couples therapy is a form of psychotherapy designed to help romantic partners improve their relationship, deepen their emotional connection, and navigate challenges together. Whether couples are dating, engaged, cohabiting, or married, therapy...
What is EMDR Therapy? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help individuals heal from trauma, distressing memories, and negative self-beliefs. Developed by Francine Shapiro, EMDR...
What is Unresolved Trauma? Unresolved trauma refers to psychological and emotional distress that remains unprocessed or unhealed after a traumatic experience. When trauma is unresolved, the individual may continue to experience intense emotions, intrusive memories, or...
The human imagination has birthed our greatest artistic achievements, scientific breakthroughs, and technological innovations. Yet for those experiencing maladaptive daydreaming, this same creative faculty becomes both gift and burden—a wellspring of boundless...
Maladaptive daydreaming—the tendency to become absorbed in vivid, detailed fantasy worlds for hours at a time—can significantly disrupt daily functioning and relationships. While not yet officially recognized as a disorder in diagnostic manuals, research increasingly...
When someone you love seems physically present but mentally elsewhere, the experience can range from puzzling to deeply painful. For partners of individuals with maladaptive daydreaming, this scenario plays out repeatedly, creating unique relationship challenges that...
Introduction: The Discovery of a Unique Psychological Phenomenon In 2002, a groundbreaking paper published in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy introduced the world to a previously unnamed psychological phenomenon: maladaptive daydreaming. The term was coined...
Understanding Early Maladaptive Schemas and Maladaptive Daydreaming Maladaptive daydreaming—the immersive fantasy world that many individuals retreat to—can be deeply understood through Jeffrey Young's Schema Therapy model. This therapeutic framework provides profound...
The rich, immersive worlds created in maladaptive daydreaming rarely emerge by chance. Behind the elaborate storylines, recurring characters, and persistent themes lies a psychological blueprint—a map of emotional needs that often traces back to childhood experiences....
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is increasingly recognized as a complex psychological phenomenon that frequently co-occurs with other mental health conditions. While not yet formally classified as a disorder in diagnostic manuals, research indicates that MD rarely exists...
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a relatively newly recognized psychological phenomenon characterized by extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and interferes with daily functioning. Since Eli Somer first described this condition in 2002, growing...
In recent years, maladaptive daydreaming (MD) has gained increasing recognition as a distinct psychological phenomenon that affects many individuals worldwide. As researchers delve deeper into understanding this condition, an important question has emerged: Should...
Have you ever found yourself lost in an elaborate fantasy world for hours, complete with complex characters and ongoing storylines? Do you sometimes pace, rock, or make facial expressions while immersed in these daydreams? Does your daydreaming interfere with your...
Overview: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is characterized by extensive fantasy activity that interferes with daily functioning. While all maladaptive daydreamers share the common experience of becoming deeply absorbed in their inner worlds, the content and patterns of...
