Elisabeth LaMotte

How Do We Find Meaning During Quarantine?

By Elisabeth LaMotte / April 10, 2020

During these unprecedented and unsettling times, it feels clear that none of us will come out of this fight against coronavirus the same way we went into it. I found it therapeutic to write about my early experiences as a therapist going into the quarantine and felt honored to have the opportunity to share these…

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My Name is Lucy Barton

By Elisabeth LaMotte / March 25, 2020

It feels like a lifetime ago (early February) that I was fortunate enough to witness Laura Linney on Broadway in the one woman rendition of Elizabeth Strout’s best-selling 2016 novel My Name is Lucy Barton. The play closely follows the poetic novel’s plot, tracing Lucy’s unexplained hospitalization and prolonged, life-threatening illness. Lucy’s husband needs to…

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Next to Normal

By Elisabeth LaMotte / March 18, 2020

“Is that normal?” People in therapy commonly describe a particular thought, feeling or behavior in vivid detail, and then ask whether what they are describing is “normal”. Is it “normal” to scroll through photo after photo of your ex even if you broke up months ago? Is it “normal” to have so many dreams about…

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American Utopia

By Elisabeth LaMotte / March 3, 2020

David Byrne began his uplifting performance in American Utopia by musing with his audience about the human brain and its capacity for change. Of course, this is a concept explored by therapists and human behavior experts. The brain’s capacity for psychological change is also a central focus for clients in therapy. What unfolded on stage…

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How is the current political climate impacting clients in therapy?

By Elisabeth LaMotte / February 21, 2020

It is difficult for a therapist in DC to answer this question considering how the very nature of living in close proximity to the White House and the Capitol shapes the careers and life experience of the clients in my therapy practice. But I do notice that the clients I work with report feeling more…

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Medea

By Elisabeth LaMotte / February 21, 2020

Simon Stone’s jolting modern day version of the classic Euripides tale Medea was so intense, it took weeks for me to gather my thoughts. This steamy pairing of real life couple Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale premiered in January at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and runs through March 8th. For one thing, it…

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Oklahoma

By Elisabeth LaMotte / February 2, 2020

When I decided to see Oklahoma on Broadway, I knew only that this current version differed significantly from the play my mother and I enjoyed on Broadway years ago. I wish I had read Frank Rich’s excellent review BEFORE the show rather than discovering his insightful reflections the next morning as an anecdote to my…

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Marriage Story

By Elisabeth LaMotte / January 26, 2020

I understand that Marriage Story is a critically acclaimed, Academy Award nominated, movie about divorce. But when a film begins with a series of authentic, heartwarming clips outlining everything that two married characters love about one another, it is difficult for an experienced couples therapist like myself to sit back and watch it all implode.…

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Parasite

By Elisabeth LaMotte / January 10, 2020

Therapy is about discovering hidden truths lingering beneath the surface. Clients engaged in the therapeutic process excavate complicated or adverse circumstances and ideally discover new insights and perspectives that help them improve their current relationships or choose new ones if necessary. Many schools of therapy gently (or directly) ask strategic questions to challenge false impressions…

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How Should I Deal with a Partner Who Always Needs to have the Last Word?

By Elisabeth LaMotte / December 2, 2019

Adults who cannot drop a conversation without inserting the last word usually do not have a clear but rather a fragmented sense of self. They tend to experience significant anxiety and attempt to manage their stress by being “right” and winning every argument. They are not sufficiently grounded in their identity and tend to define…

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