by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 6, 2024 | Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers, Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Philosophy
Who was Emanuel Swedenborg? Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher, scientist, and mystic who lived from 1688 to 1772, had a profound impact on the development of Western spirituality and psychology. His visionary experiences and ideas about the nature of the...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 6, 2024 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology
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 | Apr 6, 2024 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Philosophy
Who was Lao Tzu? Lao Tzu, the legendary Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, and Carl Jung, the influential Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, may have lived centuries apart, but their ideas share remarkable similarities. Both...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 6, 2024 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Psychology of Design and Architecture
Who was Arthur Schopenhauer Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer, Essays and Aphorisms Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy has far-reaching implications for the field of psychology and psychotherapy. His ideas about the...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 5, 2024 | Anthropology and Evo Psych, Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques
What part of the brain is responsible for religion? “The Self is the ordering and unifying center of the total psyche (conscious and unconscious) just as the ego is the center of the conscious personality. Or, put in other words, the ego is the seat of subjective...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Apr 4, 2024 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology
Who was Simone Weil? Simone Weil, the French philosopher, mystic, and political activist, left an indelible mark on 20th-century thought through her profound and often paradoxical reflections on the human condition. Born in 1909 to a wealthy Jewish family in Paris,...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Mar 25, 2024 | Interviews and Case Studies, Psychology of Design 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 | Dec 11, 2023 | History of Psychotherapy
The Revolutionary Influence of Moreno on Modern Therapy Jacob Levy Moreno, a name often whispered in the corridors of psychotherapy, brought a revolutionary perspective to the therapeutic world. His groundbreaking concepts not only influenced numerous therapists,...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Dec 3, 2023 | Jungian Concepts
Meditation to Integrate the Shadow Welcome today we’ll embark on a meditation journey to integrate aspects of our shadow – those extreme emotional reactions, feelings of shame, and overwhelming sensations that we often repress and run away from in life....
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP | Oct 19, 2023 | Anthropology and Evo Psych, Jungian Concepts
Crystals are not shaped like the Buddha’s face When I was in a bachelors psychology class at Sewanee I had to listen to a student, who was a enthusiast of psilocybin mushrooms, go on a rant to the professor about how there were “magic crystals” in...
