by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 29, 2025 | Psychology Topics
Psychology, as a field, stands at a critical juncture. Over the past few decades, the focus has shifted away from the fundamental nature of human consciousness and towards a more mechanistic, symptom-focused approach to mental health. Manualized therapies, diagnostic...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 29, 2025 | Comparative Religion, Jungian Concepts
Gnosticism as a Metaphor for Consciousness: Meaning, Evolution, and Healing Gnosticism is an ancient spiritual and philosophical worldview that offers a profound metaphor for the nature and dilemmas of human consciousness. While Gnosticism should not be taken as a...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 21, 2025 | Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers
Richard Maurice Bucke and Cosmic Consciousness Richard Maurice Bucke (1837-1902) was a Canadian psychiatrist, philosopher, and mystic whose groundbreaking work explored the evolution of human consciousness and the nature of mystical experience. His most famous book,...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Mar 3, 2025 | Anthropology and Evo Psych, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, 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...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Mar 3, 2025 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology
The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is renowned for his profound and often controversial views on the nature of reality, ethics, aesthetics, and the human condition. Among his most intriguing and influential ideas are his reflections on the...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Feb 24, 2025 | Psychology of Film and TV, Psychology of Media and Culture
What is the Point of All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky. These opening lines from...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Feb 5, 2025 | History of Psychotherapy, Psychology
What are our psychological blindspots in mass and individual psychology? “Maybe the only thing each of us can see is our own shadow. We are all like the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there.” – The Great...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Nov 24, 2024 | Classical Mythology, Jungian Concepts
How Literally Did Ancient People Take Their Mythology? The nature of gods and deities in ancient civilizations has long been a subject of fascination and debate. Did the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Norse, and followers of Vedic religions literally believe their gods to...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Oct 27, 2024 | Jungian Concepts, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Philosophy
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...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Oct 27, 2024 | Anthropology and Evo Psych, Jungian Concepts
Insights from Global Cultures on the Nature of Pain and Healing What can therapy learn from ancient cultures? Suffering is a universal human experience, yet the way we make meaning of our pain is profoundly shaped by our cultural context. By examining diverse...
