Dr. Erica Komisar

Well, I have a very large parent guidance practice because of the books that I write and the articles I write. I also write for the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. So I, you know, people find me through my writing and then they reach out for help.

Well, I have a very large parent guidance practice because of the books that I write and the articles I write. I also write for the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. So I, you know, people find me through my writing and then they reach out for help.

And so the parent guidance basically means people come to see me, either both parents or one parent, because they have questions about their child's development or something's going wrong. Their child's starting to develop symptoms. And they don't want to medicate them. And they want to understand what's really at the root cause of the issue. And so that's a good portion of my practice.

And so the parent guidance basically means people come to see me, either both parents or one parent, because they have questions about their child's development or something's going wrong. Their child's starting to develop symptoms. And they don't want to medicate them. And they want to understand what's really at the root cause of the issue. And so that's a good portion of my practice.

But I also see individual patients for depression and anxiety. And I see couples and You know, the joke about psychoanalysts is we're all specialists in depression and anxiety. But yeah, so I see individuals and couples, but a lot of parent guidance work.

But I also see individual patients for depression and anxiety. And I see couples and You know, the joke about psychoanalysts is we're all specialists in depression and anxiety. But yeah, so I see individuals and couples, but a lot of parent guidance work.

Sometimes they'll come preventatively because they want to raise a healthy child and there's so much white noise in society. There's so much of misinformation. Our instincts are to lean into our children.

Sometimes they'll come preventatively because they want to raise a healthy child and there's so much white noise in society. There's so much of misinformation. Our instincts are to lean into our children.

Our evolutionary drive is to create a feeling of safety and security for our children and to be as present as possible and to soothe them when they're in distress and to be there to teach them our values. And But society took a turn. It took a turn in the – I suppose you could say going back to the Industrial Revolution.

Our evolutionary drive is to create a feeling of safety and security for our children and to be as present as possible and to soothe them when they're in distress and to be there to teach them our values. And But society took a turn. It took a turn in the – I suppose you could say going back to the Industrial Revolution.

If I really want to go back, I'll say the Industrial Revolution was a time when women were forced into the workplace, into factories and cities. They were separated from children for the first time. But really the turn that society took that I think has a lot to do with what's happening today is the Me Movement of the 60s and also the feminist movement.

If I really want to go back, I'll say the Industrial Revolution was a time when women were forced into the workplace, into factories and cities. They were separated from children for the first time. But really the turn that society took that I think has a lot to do with what's happening today is the Me Movement of the 60s and also the feminist movement.

Both of those movements, which had a tremendously positive impact on society in one way, also had a tremendously negative impact on society.

Both of those movements, which had a tremendously positive impact on society in one way, also had a tremendously negative impact on society.

When women decided that it was cool to go to work and to work full time out of the home, you know, everybody cheered and said, great, you know, women have the same rights as men and now everybody can be in the workforce and be independent and make money and do their own thing. Me, me, me, me, me. The problem is that children were dropped. They were abandoned.

When women decided that it was cool to go to work and to work full time out of the home, you know, everybody cheered and said, great, you know, women have the same rights as men and now everybody can be in the workforce and be independent and make money and do their own thing. Me, me, me, me, me. The problem is that children were dropped. They were abandoned.

And their needs, which are not needs that are going to shift because society shifts, because they have irreducible neurological emotional needs. So we know that babies are born neurologically and emotionally fragile. And so what that means is they're not born resilient. And Today, what's being projected onto babies is they can handle a lot. They can handle stress. They can handle separation.

And their needs, which are not needs that are going to shift because society shifts, because they have irreducible neurological emotional needs. So we know that babies are born neurologically and emotionally fragile. And so what that means is they're not born resilient. And Today, what's being projected onto babies is they can handle a lot. They can handle stress. They can handle separation.

They can handle you going back to work after six weeks or three months and leaving them in daycare with strangers or, you know, and from an evolutionary perspective. Babies have always needed the physical skin-to-skin contact with their mothers for the first year.

They can handle you going back to work after six weeks or three months and leaving them in daycare with strangers or, you know, and from an evolutionary perspective. Babies have always needed the physical skin-to-skin contact with their mothers for the first year.