by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Mar 7, 2026 | Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Jungian Therapy and Depth Psychology, Mythology and Therapy
The search for psychological integration is not a modern invention.Long before Freud, before the DSM, before trauma-informed care became a clinical category, ancient civilizations developed sophisticated technologies of the sacred designed to induce profound...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 29, 2025 | Psychology
The Dream That Mapped the Mind In 1909, Carl Jung had a dream that changed psychology forever. He stood on the second floor of a house. It was furnished in a stiff, rococo style—this was his conscious mask (Persona). As he walked down the stairs, the furniture turned...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 28, 2025 | Mental Health and Psychotherapy Resources in Alabama, Mental Health and Trauma Therapy in Alabama, Therapy Resources for Alabama
The Biology of Safety: A Somatic Guide to Polyvagal Theory For most of the history of psychology, we treated the nervous system like a simple toggle switch. We believed we were either stressed or calm, in “fight or flight” or “rest and digest.”...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 28, 2025 | Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology
Two weeks before her wedding in 1988, Diane Poole Heller suffered a terrible car accident that left her with a traumatic brain injury and overwhelming trauma symptoms. What could have been simply a devastating personal tragedy instead became the catalyst for a...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 28, 2025 | Phenomenology and Existential Psychology, Psychology, Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology
The Great Remembering: Why the Future of Psychotherapy is Just History Repeating Itself In the rush to modernize mental health treatment, the field of psychotherapy often suffers from a peculiar form of historical amnesia. We celebrate “new” modalities as...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 26, 2025 | Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology
In 1969, a graduate student named Nancy arrived at Peter Levine’s office suffering from panic attacks so severe they left her incapacitated, attacks she could not explain and for which no medical cause could be found. Levine, then in his late twenties and...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 26, 2025 | Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health, Birmingham, Brainspotting in Alabama: Revolutionary Trauma Therapy for Deep Healing
In the wild, a gazelle grazing on the savannah is constantly under threat. When a cheetah attacks, the gazelle’s body floods with adrenaline and cortisol. It runs for its life. If it escapes, you might expect it to remain anxious, hyper-vigilant, or traumatized for...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 26, 2025 | Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health, Brainspotting in Alabama: Revolutionary Trauma Therapy for Deep Healing
In our culture, anger has a terrible reputation. We are taught that it is dangerous, destructive, and “low vibration.” We are told to “let it go,” to be “nice,” and to forgive. For trauma survivors—especially those who grew up in...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 26, 2025 | Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health, Brainspotting in Alabama: Revolutionary Trauma Therapy for Deep Healing, Mental Health and Trauma Therapy in Alabama
Grounding 101: The Biology of Panic and 5 Somatic “Brakes” to Stop It If you have ever experienced a full-blown panic attack, you know that “terrifying” is an understatement. It feels physiological, not psychological. Your heart hammers against...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 26, 2025 | Brainspotting in Alabama: Revolutionary Trauma Therapy for Deep Healing, Jungian Therapy and Depth Psychology
If you have ever done “Shadow Work”—journaling prompts, analyzing your triggers, or exploring your dreams—you might have noticed something strange. You can intellectually understand your shadow (“I know I have repressed anger,” “I know I...
