Why do people hurt themselves?
One of the most scary symptoms faced by the loved ones of some who suffer from psychological distress is the phenomenon of self-harming...
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Elisheva Liss
- Aug 13
- 3 min
What if they never loved each other?
What if we never had that “honeymoon phase” of being in love? A common refrain from many couples therapy clients from certain backgrounds...
417 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 9
- 4 min
When the world feels broken
This week of the summer always feels a little off for me. Like, mixed confusing feelings. Selfishly- I look forward to the summer all...
234 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 9
- 3 min
This weird thing got me mad
This was originally a schmoozeletter email, several years ago: Do you ever find that certain things get you mad, but it doesn't really...
453 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 2
- 4 min
How a camping trip changed our lives
This post was originally written as a schmoozeletter email, several years ago. Have you ever gone camping? As a family, we did it a total...
203 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 2
- 4 min
Intimacy as a Journey
*This was originally a schmoozeletter email* I once read someone describe the time period we're living through as "the age of metaphor."...
435 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 18
- 3 min
Mosquito Bites and Evil Eyes
*This was originally a schmoozeletter email in 2021 Do you have any things that most people dislike but you kind of like? For me, it's...
105 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 12
- 3 min
No clue why I did this
This was originally published as a subscriber schmoozeletter email, a few years ago: Today I was thinking about something that happened...
423 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 12
- 4 min
They said they wished they'd died
Hi:) Trying something new. You might know that I send out a weekly email as a free subscription. It's been several years now, and I had...
238 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 3
- 6 min
What do couples fight about most?
“What's the biggest struggle you see in couples today?” This is one of the most common questions couples therapists hear, and there’s...
675 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- May 14
- 11 min
What's the danger embedded in the "free Palestine" advocacy trend?
When I was a kid, there was this mean teasing game kids played on each other, by simply repeating everything one person said. I haven't...
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Elisheva Liss
- Oct 11, 2023
- 4 min
"I Believe with Imperfect Faith"
What do you say when there’s nothing to say? The email request from the editor to write about the only thing on most of our minds came in...
514 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 11, 2023
- 4 min
Some Bad Parts
What a jarring wake up call. Last week, I was reading the book “No Bad Parts” by Dr. Richard Schwartz. I chose it intentionally for this...
586 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 27, 2023
- 4 min
Men are sometimes surprised to learn this about pleasuring
Trigger warning: this post will be more explicit than usual. (It's excerpted from one of the schmoozeletter emails) Often, when working...
2,782 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 6, 2023
- 6 min
What if you can't just "forgive and forget?"
Dear Elisheva, Every year around this time I struggle with the idea of asking and granting what feels like lip-service forgiveness. As...
488 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 28, 2023
- 8 min
Avinu Malkeinu: A Prayer-Inspired Essay on Parenthood
Parented by G-d, and Parenting G-d’s Children One of the most challenging, if unoriginal, theological struggles for me personally has...
729 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 15, 2023
- 2 min
The Nation that Wanted to Die
“We wish we had died! We wish we had died!” Cry out the people who personally experienced miraculous salvation. “If only we had died in...
181 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 4, 2023
- 6 min
10 Tips for Preempting/ Avoiding Family Drama over the Holidays/Yom Tov
The yomim tovim / Jewish holidays are often “busy season” for Orthodox therapists. In our communities, where there’s a profound emphasis...
734 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 3, 2023
- 7 min
Why are they doing this to me?"
*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My problem comes up mostly around Shabbos and Yom Tov family...
891 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 8, 2023
- 5 min
"Why Won't My In-laws Support Us?"
*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My wife and I have been married for almost three years, and...
1,103 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 6, 2023
- 3 min
A Lesson about Intimacy Featuring: Queen Esther, Achashverosh, Consent, and "Dead-Fishing"
Trigger Warning: This post deals with explicit and psychologically raw topics. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 74b)questions how Queen Esther could...
1,793 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Feb 16, 2023
- 4 min
Education without soul
Originally published: Feb 2017 Leah [pseudonym] is a 21 year old assistant preschool teacher in a beis yaakov school and part time...
178 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Feb 7, 2023
- 3 min
He was both happy and horrified
*Due to a misunderstanding about a deadline for a guest post on another site, I ended up with a "spare" mini-article this week, and opted...
947 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Dec 13, 2022
- 9 min
"Am I a Bais Yaakov Lesbian?"
Chani was 20 years old when she presented for therapy. The official referral was “anxiety about dating,” but when she began to share, it...
3,863 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 20, 2022
- 5 min
"My prayers weren't answered"
Recently, I tweeted the following: "Please don’t tell people that if they pray hard enough, they’ll get what they want. And please,...
755 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 7, 2022
- 3 min
10 Ideas of What Not to Comment on when Spending Time with Extended Family (or Other Humans):
When families get together in clans, for holidays, celebrations, or other occasions, sometimes interactions that are well-meaning can...
1,829 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 29, 2022
- 7 min
Freaked Out About Yom Kippur
*This post was originally published as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times.* Dear Elisheva, My problem is on a low simmer most of...
862 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 30, 2022
- 3 min
A Total Eclipse of my Son
*This essay was written five years ago* Will the two-dimensional cardboard and plastic “glasses” we borrowed from our friends really be...
532 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 29, 2022
- 3 min
Anxiety and Elul
Tami, a motivated college student, sought help to deal with her test taking anxiety. She describes her symptoms: “I just get so nervous...
281 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 28, 2022
- 7 min
"My daughter blames me for her marriage problems"
*This post was originally published as a State of Mind column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My family is in a...
1,209 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 12, 2022
- 2 min
Tu B'Av's Dark Back Story
Can you smell love in the air? (That might just be your neighbor’s bbq grill. Go ahead and ask them to toss a few extra dogs on for you.)...
519 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 11, 2022
- 4 min
"What if I never have a happy marriage?"
*This is an excerpt from one of my schmoozeletter emails.* One of the more painful categories of work we do is talking with people who ...
1,455 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 20, 2022
- 7 min
Was My Kid Brainwashed in Seminary?
*This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times Dear Elisheva, Our oldest daughter just returned home from her year...
582 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- May 19, 2022
- 6 min
Relationship Uncertainty
*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, I would imagine my problem is not unique,...
1,293 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 12, 2022
- 4 min
Maggid: Sippur Yitziat Mitzrayim as National Narrative Therapy
*This post originally appeared as an article in Bari Mitzmann's Hakol B'Seder Haggadah Companion “Once upon a time…” That old familiar...
414 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Feb 27, 2022
- 5 min
A Different Kind of Sexual Trauma
Trigger warning: this post discusses sexual trauma Zeesy, a 19-year-old newlywed, was referred for intense erotophobia- a fear of ...
3,842 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 18, 2022
- 3 min
Sacrificing Souls on the Altar of Modesty
In my work as a therapist serving an almost completely religiously affiliated population, one issue that arises very, very often, is the...
630 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 13, 2022
- 6 min
Problem with my Kid's Rebbe
This post originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, We think we may have an issue with our son and...
344 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Dec 18, 2021
- 7 min
Religiously Stuck Husband
This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times. Dear Elisheva, I can’t decide whether my problem is marital or...
1,849 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 6, 2021
- 4 min
The Problem with Diversity
This post is an excerpt from the schmoozeletter of October, 2020. You can subscribe to these here: elishevaliss.com/newsletter Do you...
197 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 1, 2021
- 4 min
Don’t even TOUCH it… How making fake rules can lead to disaster: A Chinuch Message
“I think it was the earrings that were the final straw for me.” The young woman is explaining to me how she went from being a...
1,054 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 20, 2021
- 3 min
Wanna be rich?
Do you have weird feelings about money? A lot of people do. Contrary to popular belief, money is not inherently unspiritual. (Being...
290 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 15, 2021
- 7 min
My Teen Discovered Pornography- What Should I Do??
This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, I honestly never thought I would be writing a letter...
2,744 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 4, 2021
- 4 min
B'sha'ah Tova Faux Pas
Adina’s eyes darted around my office, then closed and watered with unsuccessfully repressed shame. She was trying to explain the freshly...
1,027 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 19, 2021
- 6 min
Religiously Scared
This is a Dear Therapist column, which originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, This time of year is always...
778 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 23, 2021
- 3 min
This One Thing Can Change Everything
There's something I've learned in the course of both my work and my spiritual studies has made a profound difference in the way I view...
953 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 4, 2021
- 4 min
Fighting about Whether to Have a Baby
How do you decide when to start a family? How many kids to have? When to stop having kids? Even if we knew exactly how many kids we hoped...
1,638 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 2, 2021
- 9 min
Unpopular Truths about Israel
For anyone who is interested in the facts about the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, here is a very summarized version, including some...
336 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- May 21, 2021
- 3 min
Anti-semitism on the Rise
This post is adapted from my weekly schmoozeletter. When I was a kid, many of our religious teachers were first and second generation...
76 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 25, 2021
- 6 min
How a Chacham Becomes a Rasha: Some Thoughts about Questions
A few years ago, I was speaking with a high school student who was struggling with her faith. She told me that she’d learned some...
574 views0 comments
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