October 16, 2018
I. New Podcast Site

Please check out recent postings on my podcast site Relationship Unconscious .
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II. Group Schedule on Saturday, October 20, 2018
The Relationship Group: Relinquishment *
11:45 AM to 1:00 PM

Inevitably, beyond the best of us, our partner sees the worst of us. Perhaps this is what makes ongoing committed love so difficult and so wondrous. Our limitations, weaknesses, and hang-ups reveal themselves again and again, and we ask of our partner to love us despite our own fallibility and all that we may do to conceal it. Moreover, those whom we love sometimes, and maybe even often, bring out the worst in us.  In the next meeting of the Relationship Group on Saturday, October 20, 2018 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM ), I want to set forth a new perspective on romantic love that suggests deeper levels of intimacy occur through relinquishment , i.e., when one reveals to his or her partner the worst of oneself. These revelations often inspire conflict and distress, can be unconscious tests of the partner's commitment to the relationship, and may even take the form of self-sabotage. But if a couple can see beyond these possibilities and, instead, appreciate gestures of vulnerability and surrender inherent in the annoyances of one's partner, strife may be offset by understanding, empathy, and forgiveness.
The Men's Group: Failure and Humility *
10:15 to 11:30 AM
Amidst the current sociocultural environment of dramatic self-promotion, hubris, and the emerging tendency of narcissistic self-protection, people fail. A significant portion of my psychotherapy practice is devoted to providing a venue for patients to process a wide range of personal and professional failures, failures that often cut even more deeply in the context of so much pressure to succeed.

From this work I have come to consider the experience of failure as having a significant psychological role in the development of advanced self-esteem and the formation of humility.  In the next meeting of the Men's Group on Saturday, October 20, 2018 (10:15 to 11:30 AM) , we will explore the psychological elements of failure and how failure is linked to humility. We will consider various writings on this subject including In Praise of Failure , 10 Surprising Facts About Failure , Against Happiness , and How Humility Can Improve Your Life .
The Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group
 1:15 to 2:30 PM
This therapy group utilizes the emerging dynamics among group members, and between the group members and facilitator, as a basis from which to examine one's characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others.  Our next group session will be on Saturday, October 20, 2018 (1:15 to 2:30 PM) at the Laguna Hills office location.  A second process group that will be meeting on a weekday evening at my Newport Beach office is starting soon; interested persons may contact me directly at 949-338-4388 or [email protected] for more information.  
* If you would like to attend the Men's Group and/or the Relationship Group on October 20, 2018, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or  [email protected] . There is a limit of 14 attendees for each group and registrants will be accommodated on a first-come/first-serve basis. The fee is $25.00. 

Location:
The Water Garden Business Center
23421 South Pointe Drive, Suite 130
Laguna Hills, CA, 92653

Please note that the Men's Group and the Relationship Group are psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and do not constitute psychotherapy or counseling. In contrast, the Dynamic Psychotherapy Process Group is a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview.
James Tobin, Ph.D., PSY 22074 | 949-338-4388 |   [email protected]