Illuminating the Mind: Lessons Psychology Can Learn from Anthropology and Philosophy

Illuminating the Mind: Lessons Psychology Can Learn from Anthropology and Philosophy

Why Does Psychology Ignore Philosophy and Anthropology? Time moves in one direction, memory in another.<br> We are that strange species that constructs artifacts intended to counter the natural flow of forgetting. – William Gibson, “Dead Man...
Generational Cycles and Parts-Based Therapy: Understanding Generational Differences as Overreactions

Generational Cycles and Parts-Based Therapy: Understanding Generational Differences as Overreactions

The Generational Cycles of Trauma: A Parts-Based Perspective It has long been pointed out be different schools of therapy that the patterns that repeat in the individual psyche on a micro level also mirror the family system at a mezzo and the society at a macro level....
Weak Thought, Strong Therapy: Gianni Vattimo and the Metamodern Turn

Weak Thought, Strong Therapy: Gianni Vattimo and the Metamodern Turn

Who is Gianni Vattimo? In the ever-shifting landscape of contemporary thought, the work of Italian philosopher Gianni Vattimo offers a compelling lens through which to view the challenges and opportunities facing psychotherapy today. Born in 1936, Vattimo emerged as a...
The Future of Therapy: Navigating the Tensions of Our Time

The Future of Therapy: Navigating the Tensions of Our Time

As a practicing therapist, I find myself constantly grappling with the widening gulf between the realities of clinical work and the priorities of the academic and research establishment in psychology. We are living through a time of profound cultural and...
Existentialism and Indigenous Worldviews: Finding Purpose in a Complex World

Existentialism and Indigenous Worldviews: Finding Purpose in a Complex World

The Search for Meaning in Existentialism and Indigenous Thought Existentialist philosophy and indigenous worldviews offer contrasting but potentially complementary perspectives on one of life’s biggest questions: What is the meaning and purpose of human...
The Rituals of Healing:

The Rituals of Healing:

Anthropological Insights into Modern Psychotherapy Throughout human history and across cultures, rituals and storytelling have played a central role in addressing psychological ailments and facilitating healing. While modern psychotherapy can seem like a far cry from...
Jacob Burckhardt: A Life of Cultural History and Psychological Insight

Jacob Burckhardt: A Life of Cultural History and Psychological Insight

Who was Jacob Burckhardt? Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), the renowned Swiss historian and philosopher of culture, has made an indelible impact on our understanding of the Renaissance, modernity, and the nature of historical change. His groundbreaking works, such as...