by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Apr 7, 2024 | Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Psychology of Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers, Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology
“If God be within the mosque, then to whom shall I call the adhan? If Rahman be not apart, whom shall I then go to name?” – Kabir Who was Kabir? Kabir (1440-1518 CE) was a legendary mystic poet of India whose writings have deeply influenced the...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Apr 7, 2024 | Christian Mysticism in Therapy, Psychology of Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers
“If I had a friend and loved him because of the benefits which this brought me and because of getting my own way, then it would not be my friend that I loved but myself. I should love my friend on account of his own goodness and virtues and account of all that he is...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Apr 6, 2024 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology, Spirituality and The Transcendent Function in Psychotherapy
Who was Sri Aurobindo? “There is nothing mind can do that cannot be better done in the mind’s immobility and thought-free stillness. When mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence.” — Sri Aurobindo Sri...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Mar 25, 2024 | Interviews and Case Studies, Psychology of Buildings and Architecture
In a recent interview, Dr. James Maffie, author of “Aztec Philosophy,” shared his insights into the complex and fascinating world of Aztec metaphysics. Dr. Maffie explained that the Aztec worldview centers around the concept of “teotl,” a...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Nov 6, 2023 | Dreams and the Unconscious, Symbolism and Meaning in Psychotherapy
What is the symbolism of different colors in dreams? What does the color red mean in dreams: In dreams, colors wield the power to mirror our deepest emotions and psychic states, and red, with its primal force and psychological weight, offers a particularly vivid...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Oct 1, 2023 | Free Resources for Therapists in Private Practice, Neuroscience and the Brain for Therapists, Trauma Treatment in Alabama
What is it that Brainspotting is doing in the brain? One of the questions that we get asked the most is how brain based medicine like brainspotting, EMDR, and ETT work in the brain. Like many discoveries before it we know often discover THAT something works and then...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Sep 20, 2023 | Neuroscience and the Brain for Therapists, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Psychology of Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers
Jungian Thought with a Unique Perspective on Ego Development in Mythology Erich Neumann’s “The Origins and History of Consciousness” is a dense and relatively early exploration of Jungian psychology. The book not only delves into the intricate web of...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Aug 4, 2022 | Brainspotting in Alabama: Revolutionary Trauma Therapy for Deep Healing, Discover + Heal + Grow: Taproot Therapy Collective Podcast Episodes, Neuroscience and the Brain for Therapists, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Trauma Treatment in Alabama, Trauma, Depth Psychology, and Social Work
Yellow garden spiders have a fat yellow abdomen slicked with yellow and black stripes. They weave a tiny white squiggle in the center of their webs. I stare at the faintly milky zig zag as it sways when wind moves the web and stirs the iris sepals it hangs...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Apr 4, 2022 | Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health
Freud very nearly did not become a psychiatrist. He originally researched as a neurologist before moving into other disciplines. Freud’s journals document a tremendous amount of study in varied topics he saw as likely breakthroughs to bring him renown. Much of his...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Oct 14, 2020 | Jungian Therapy and Depth Psychology, Psychology of Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers, Self Help and Personal Development
The Journey of Self-Discovery: Embracing the Acorn Within In Jungian therapy, I often share with patients the metaphor of a dormant “acorn” within each of us. This acorn inherently knows the kind of oak it wants to become but needs the right conditions—sunlight,...