bradlombardicounseling.com

“Alone” is a word full of potential emotional power. It is a state of separation from others – isolation. It may be sought after and treasured or it may be thrust upon us and dreaded. Wanting to be alone for a time is a natural and popular reaction to the crush of people, noise, and activity assaulting our senses and typically indicates self-awareness and a healthy level of comfort with one’s own skin. (continued below)

Hi. My name is Brad Lombardi and I am a licensed professional counselor with offices in Branson MO. I am also an ordained minister with 23 years of pastoral experience. I counsel from a Christian viewpoint, attempting to integrate Biblical principles with sound psychology. I provide counseling services for:

• Families
• Couples
• Individuals

looking for hope, healing, and growth.

My primary specialties are:

• Marriage counseling
• Pre-marital counseling
• Anger Management
• Pornography Addiction
• Adolescent Male Issues
• Adult Male Issues
• Unwanted Homosexual Feelings

I am available to speak in Churches and civic organizations, and for seminars and retreats. (See Topics)

My office in Branson is at 1790 Bee Creek Road  (map)
At this time, I do not accept insurance. I will gladly give you a receipt to submit to your insurance company for a refund. I do accept Medicaid for qualified children and adolescents.

To make an appointment, or for further information:

 continued….

Alone time can be a valuable asset, providing a time of refreshing, a period of reflection, or an opportunity for creativity. Negatively, an obsessive desire to be alone may be an indicator of a withdrawal from reality, a rejection of friends and family, or a negative self-image.  On the opposite end of the spectrum from being alone is living in community. Community means enjoying satisfying connections - loving and being loved by others. Studies have consistently shown that people with healthy relationships (living in community) enjoy better health, less stress, and greater happiness. A popular theory in psychology introduced by Abraham Maslow suggests that once the basic physiological needs of food and shelter have been met and safety and security have been procured, men feel most fulfilled by seeking the social and community needs of love, affection, and a sense of belonging.  

There has always been a tension between the desire to connect with others and the freedom of the solitary life. On one hand, relationships often require work, compromise, and cooperation. On the other hand, being alone, while easier, lacks the joy and fulfillment of healthy relationships. At this time our society places such high value on individual freedom that the benefits of living in community are in danger of being overshadowed. Furthermore, our generation, enchanted by the illusion of ‘virtual relationships’ through such mediums as chat rooms, Facebook, My Space, and Twitter, has increasingly isolated itself. What these offer in terms of ease, speed, and quantity, is countered by the lack of intimacy, face-to-face contact, and commitment that form the brick and mortar of relationships. The result is a predictable epidemic of loneliness.  

This loneliness often becomes an ache in the mind and heart, a hole in the soul that needs to be filled. A recent study at the University of Chicago, using fMRI scans to investigate connections between loneliness and activity in the brain, has found that regions of the brain associated with empathy and rewards are affected by loneliness. This would seem to suggest that lonely people tend to seek comfort in non-social places. (ScienceDaily, Feb. 17, 2009)   Meaningless sex, experimental drug use, and high risk activities are often used to fill that void, but with little long-term success and with many potentially harmful side-effects. Science has yet to find a suitable substitute for good friends. If you are lonely, make some friends. Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move. Put yourself out there and be the friend you want to have. You’ll be glad you did.

Once upon a time there was courtship, a process of mating with a high level of parental involvement that was usually a precursor to marriage. This gave way to dating, where couples escaped the watchful eyes of parents and enjoyed exploring potential relationships in a variety of social and solitary environments with marriage being only one of many possible future options. Dating has since given way to “hooking up” - an intentionally vague term used to describe a semi-random, undefined sexual/physical encounter with no emotional ties. This encounter could range from kissing and “making out” to sexual intercourse. The term could be used to infer more went on than actually did (or less). The key aspect of “hooking up” is the ability to unhook, to separate the physical and sexual encounter from any emotional ties. The hook-up is meant to be very existential in nature – enjoy the moment and move on.          (continued below) 

Hi. My name is Brad Lombardi and I am a licensed professional counselor with offices in Branson MO. I am also an ordained minister with 23 years of pastoral experience. I counsel from a Christian viewpoint, attempting to integrate Biblical principles with sound psychology. I provide counseling services for:

• Families
• Couples
• Individuals

looking for hope, healing, and growth.

My primary specialties are:

• Marriage counseling
• Pre-marital counseling
• Anger Management
• Pornography Addiction
• Adolescent Male Issues
• Adult Male Issues
• Unwanted Homosexual Feelings

I am available to speak in Churches and civic organizations, and for seminars and retreats. (See Topics)

My office in Branson is at 1790 Bee Creek Road  (map)
At this time, I do not accept insurance. I will gladly give you a receipt to submit to your insurance company for a refund. I do accept Medicaid for qualified children and adolescents.

To make an appointment, or for further information:

(continued… )          As someone who deals with people and relationships, I can’t help but wonder what the impact of this new social paradigm will be.  The sciences of psychology, psychiatry, and neurology have taught us there are links between mind and body, between actions and emotions. Several powerful and influential chemicals are simultaneously released during sexual stimulation. One chemical released, phenylethylamine, causes sweaty palms, shaky knees, rapid pulse, heavy breathing, and confused emotions – in other words, the common symptoms of we identify as “love”.  Its release to the bloodstream by the brain may be induced by a simple touching of hands or a meeting of the eyes. Is it a coincidence that chocolate has a high level of this chemical?  Another chemical, oxytocin, is known as the “cuddling” chemical, encourages trust and a feeling of safety and satisfaction – ingredients important to bonding and forming relationships. Another brain chemical, vasopressin, has a suppressing effect on the fight or flight impulse triggered by the adrenaline rush of sexual stimulation – especially in men – and instead is believed to encourage emotional interaction.    From a social perspective we can divide our “love” relationships into three separate, neat categories – lust (the craving for sex), romance (the euphoria of attraction), and long-term commitment (mating). It seems obvious, though, that the brain links them all together.  Experience would also seem to show the lines are blurred – hence the awkwardness after the hook-up, the likelihood that one of the partners may be more affected than the other (often the female), and the low percentage of hook-ups turning into long-term relationships.  

People are sexual creatures, but are social creatures as well.  I believe we are created by God with a desire to mate for life in marriage and equipped by Him to be able to do so well. Attempting to have sexual encounters without emotional ties is counter to our design and purpose and is thereby causing inner confusion (dissonance) to many. Un-hooking may be harder than we admit and it may cost us our inner peace and our ability to form long-term relationships. 

Why is it so hard to be a parent today? For that matter, it is no easy task to work with children in any context today. I believe it is because we have neglected to teach our children what some may call an old-fashioned principle - RESPECT.  (continued)

Hi. My name is Brad Lombardi and I am a licensed professional counselor with offices in Branson MO. I am also an ordained minister with 23 years of pastoral experience. I counsel from a Christian viewpoint, attempting to integrate Biblical principles with sound psychology. I provide counseling services for:

• Families
• Couples
• Individuals

looking for hope, healing, and growth.

My primary specialties are:

• Marriage counseling
• Pre-marital counseling
• Anger Management
• Pornography Addiction
• Adolescent Male Issues
• Adult Male Issues
• Unwanted Homosexual Feelings

I am available to speak in Churches and civic organizations, and for seminars and retreats. (See Topics)

My office in Branson is at 1790 Bee Creek Road  (map)
At this time, I do not accept insurance. I will gladly give you a receipt to submit to your insurance company for a refund. I do accept Medicaid for qualified children and adolescents.

To make an appointment, or for further information: