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New Existentialists

Covering and Unconvering Shame in the Therapeutic Relationship

12/12/2012

The experience of shame is universal. As social creatures, humans desire connection and a sense of belonging. Each social group to which one belongs has established, often implicitly, certain standards of behavior or ways of being that are deemed acceptable. Transgressing these moral codes of appropriateness threatens expulsion or censure from the group. The desire to be accepted by others opens one towards the possibility of disconnection. This inherent vulnerability in relating to others fuels the potential for shame. The word “shame” can be traced back to the proto-Indo-...

Posted at 11:00 AM

New Existentialists

The Existential Truths of Coffee

12/11/2012

Not being a coffee drinker, I nevertheless went on a quest for a good cup of coffee in Malaysia with my friend and Zheng Liren, a frequent contributor to The New Existentialists, because of his deep passion for everything related to coffee. Liren makes a point of visiting specialty coffee shops wherever he travels. He told us about how to roast beans, and how to go about brewing and tasting a good cup of coffee. As he talks, I’m reminded of the article Jason Dias wrote for these pages about being connoisseurs of pain. Liren definitely qualifies as a connoisseur...

Posted at 09:18 AM

New Existentialists

DSM-5 Round Two: With DSM-5 Approval, Society for Humanistic Psychology’s Efforts to Reform Psychiatric Diagnosis Start Anew

12/10/2012

On December 1, without much fanfare, the Board of the American Psychiatric Association approved the draft of the DSM-5. Even as of today, more than a week later, very few news outlets have covered this major story. It seems as though the American Psychiatric Association would rather keep things quiet rather than promote their new book. I suppose they are aware that calling attention to this very flawed draft of the DSM would call even more public attention to its weaknesses. Those in the blogosphere who have responded so far have been primarily negative in their reactions. I have been...

Posted at 11:00 AM

Rethinking Complexity

Political Leadership, Human Rights, and Activism: What Is the Connection?

12/10/2012

Today the world celebrates the International Day of Human Rights, and lately I have been reflecting on conversations that I have been engaged in where the topics of leadership, human rights, and activism become points of curiosity for me. In late November, I attended the fourth annual African Women and Political Leadership conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, which was hosted by United Nations Development Programme (or UNDP) and the African Women's Development and Communication Network (or FEMNET). I did not participate at this conference as a current or emerging political leader, but as...

Posted at 07:40 AM

New Existentialists

It’s Life, Not an Illness

12/07/2012

She sits quietly at the table with her head bowed just enough so that the shadow of her hair crosses her face, blocking a clear view of her melancholy affect. Her fork dances among the food on her plate, moving food from one spot to another but never lifting food to her mouth. Her eyes are hollow and empty, looking but not seeing. Her face and shoulders sag like those of a cartoon hound dog. One arm rests on the dinner table, sometimes serving as a prop for her heavy head. It is Thanksgiving, and she sits at the family table surrounded by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The...

Posted at 11:00 AM

Mind-Body Medicine

School of Mind-Body Medicine Graduate Participates in Research Investigation of an Application of Emotional Freedom Techniques for Trauma: Marisa Iacobucci, MS

12/06/2012

Marisa Iacobucci, Graduate of School of Mind-Body Medicine

Saybrook’s Mind-Body Medicine Program began in the fall of 2009, and since its inception several students have earned a Master’s degree in Mind-Body Medicine. As students continue to graduate and make their mark in the world, it is inspiring for other students to learn about their passions and paths.

Marisa Iacobucci was one of 16 students in the first cohort and completed her Master’s degree in Mind-Body Medicine in January 2012. Marisa decided to pursue a Master’s in Social Work (MSW), after completing her degree, as it is her intention to work with veterans and their families as well as individuals with chronic pain and illness. While she was finishing her degree at Saybrook she began to look into MSW programs. At the same time, she participated in an Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The training was taught by Carol Look (http://www.attractingabundance.com/eft/about-carol/) over a three-day weekend and included the basics of EFT and its value in treating trauma in individuals.

Posted at 08:08 PM | Permalink | 0 Comments

New Existentialists

An Experiential Journal from Auschwitz-Birkenau

12/06/2012

[Editor's Note: The following are the author's reflections during and following a trip to site of the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim, Poland, as part of Bernie Glassman's and the Zen Peacemaker's 17th annual "Bearing Witness Retreat."] While I do not know what the ultimate impact of this experience will be, I do know that spending time in Auschwitz was a profound and challenging experience that will affect me for a long time. After spending several days learning about Central Europe, (travelling to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague), we arrived in Krakow. In the first three...

Posted at 11:00 AM

Rethinking Complexity

Framing the Conversation: The Power of Initiative

12/06/2012

Who among us is not experiencing frustration with the nature of the debate about the future of our government tax system? Our tax, pensions, as well as the health of our whole economy hang in the balance, and we see a duel of extreme and simplistic statements about “job creators,” “becoming another Greece (or Europe),” “fiscal cliffs,” “entitlements,” and of course the “47 percent.” We all have our positions, but what scares me is the way that the framing of the conversation makes it impossible to move further. Of course, we know...

Posted at 10:24 AM

University

President's message - Saybrook at 40 and beyond

12/06/2012

As we conclude our 40th anniversary year, it’s a good moment to take stock of the state of the University. The significant changes of the last several months allow us to re-evaluate our assumptions from the time the University was founded in 2009 and will reinvigorate our approach to the New Directions of the future.

The changes can, on the one hand, be described simply: we evolved from a University with three Colleges to one with four Schools. But, in terms of the additional structural aspects of our nascent transformation, we have changed more than nomenclature (colleges to schools) and number (3 to 4).

Posted at 06:00 AM President's Message | Permalink | 0 Comments

Rethinking Complexity

A Painful Goodbye: End-of-Life Care in the U.S. Healthcare System

12/05/2012

The difficulties around healthcare in the U.S. remain as complex as ever. I have spent the last two months experiencing those in a very personal way. Twenty-two years ago, a close family member—let’s call her Millie—was diagnosed with cancer and given a poor prognosis. She beat the odds and survived. This summer, she was again diagnosed with cancer. This time, the same aggressive treatment that helped save her life two decades ago may have helped trigger a heart attack. Chemotherapy drugs are not specific to cancer cells. They are toxic to the whole body in different...

Posted at 01:44 PM