"What is even the point?"
*Some of this is adapted from a schmoozeletter email from 2021 Have you been feeling especially down for the last 420 days? For many...
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Elisheva Liss
Sep 253 min read
Does this confuse you too?
*This was originally written in 2021 Do you ever find yourself getting confused by contradictory wisdom? Like, sayings that are quoted...
185 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 252 min read
Holy Love Songs
In this week's Torah portion we read what is often considered the last formal commandment: "Now write for yourself, this song." What...
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Elisheva Liss
Sep 253 min read
"I want to go home"
*This was originally written in 2022 When my now adult daughter was a tiny, adorable preschooler ( which btw was about 10 minutes ago...
309 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 193 min read
Me and my big mouth
*This was originally published as a schmoozeletter email in 2022 Decades ago when I was in high school, we had a school-wide assembly...
451 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 293 min read
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 133 min read
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...
453 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 94 min read
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...
244 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 93 min read
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...
463 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 24 min read
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...
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Elisheva Liss
Aug 24 min read
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."...
462 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jul 183 min read
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...
111 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jul 123 min read
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...
432 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jul 124 min read
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...
249 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jun 36 min read
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...
761 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
May 1411 min read
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...
85 views1 comment
Elisheva Liss
Oct 11, 20234 min read
"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...
518 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Oct 11, 20234 min read
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...
602 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 27, 20234 min read
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...
3,551 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 6, 20236 min read
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...
707 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 28, 20238 min read
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...
835 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jun 15, 20232 min read
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...
182 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Apr 4, 20236 min read
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...
764 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Apr 3, 20237 min read
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...
896 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Mar 8, 20235 min read
"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...
1,111 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Mar 6, 20233 min read
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...
1,846 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Feb 16, 20234 min read
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...
179 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Feb 7, 20233 min read
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...
951 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Dec 13, 20229 min read
"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...
3,947 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Oct 20, 20225 min read
"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,...
909 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Oct 7, 20223 min read
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...
1,890 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 29, 20227 min read
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...
1,036 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 30, 20223 min read
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...
534 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 29, 20223 min read
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...
283 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 28, 20227 min read
"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...
1,229 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 12, 20222 min read
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.)...
520 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 11, 20224 min read
"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 ...
1,482 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jul 20, 20227 min read
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...
594 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
May 19, 20226 min read
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,...
1,300 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Apr 12, 20224 min read
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...
415 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Feb 27, 20225 min read
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 ...
3,965 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jan 18, 20223 min read
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...
633 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Jan 13, 20226 min read
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...
346 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Dec 18, 20217 min read
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...
1,867 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Oct 6, 20214 min read
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...
198 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Oct 1, 20214 min read
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...
1,057 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 20, 20213 min read
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...
297 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 15, 20217 min read
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...
2,785 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Sep 4, 20214 min read
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...
1,030 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
Aug 19, 20216 min read
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...
836 views0 comments
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