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Posts tagged with the category Key concepts
R. D. Laing: Infinitely Compassionate
Ronnie Laing was a Freudian to the extent that, like Freud, he was a deeply insightful and compassionate reader of people. He had the gift of unlocking the combination to the heart vault of virtually anyone and everyone with whom he came into contact. The experience of being “seen” by Ronnie was uncanny. You felt as if you were...
Waxing Existential: Binge Eating Disorder
According to the Binge Eating Disorder Association, “Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States. An estimated 3.5% of women, 2% of men, and 30% to 40% of those seeking weight loss treatments can be clinically diagnosed with binge eating disorder. The disorder impacts people of all ages, including...
Midlife and Integration of the Masculine: How Dating Has Shaken My Shadow
I am a single woman who is entering midlife. I am a therapist and a poet. I am also a woman who is struggling with a drive for internal freedom, external connection, a shift in the manifestation of my masculine and feminine energies, and a strong desire to explore what my innermost being needs to be happy versus the prescriptions of happiness that...
The Future of Existential Psychology: Was Nietzsche Right?
If the future of Existential Psychology could be reduced to a bumper sticker, it might be this one: “Nietzsche Was Right.”
In 1882, Nietzsche put some stunning words in the mouth of a character: God is dead, we have killed him, and the implications are staggering. Let me quote from the passage:
“Is not the magnitude of this...
Time
In Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Sarah Kass writes about procrastination as a sometimes dysfunctional adaptation to deadlines. Some people work best under pressure, but procrastinators tend to live stressed-out and guilt-ridden lives.
It is easier to engage with the distractions than with the things that really need doing, making it hard to...
Marriage Equality, Religion, and Polarization
One of the most divisive and polarizing issues in contemporary United States society is marriage equality. Kirk Schneider’s new book, The Polarized Mind, aptly demonstrates why we should be very concerned about this not only because of the importance of the issue, but also because of the dangers inherent in polarization. Schneider (2013)...
Distracted Doing
In my continuing quest to understand work habits and productivity from an existential perspective, an article from The New York Times really caught my eye—it detailed a study on what impact distractions have on our cognitive abilities.
First, let me define distraction—21st century life. Phone calls, text messages, email, Twitter,...
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Carpe Diem has never been my motto.
Trained as a journalist starting in the seventh grade, I somehow got it into my head that what mattered most was the immediate looming deadline. Thus, I became one of those people who worked best under deadline pressure. In college, I wrote 20-page research papers overnight on typewriters (yes, I’m dating...
Infinitely Adjustable: Reflections on Technology and What It Means to Be Human
Among the varied and unending quests to comprehend the meaning of human experience and the nature of being human, broad consensus can be found as to the inevitability of suffering. Where does our suffering come from?
Freud (1930) claimed that it came from three principle sources: our (fallible) bodies, the caprice and constraints of the natural...
The Future of Existential Psychology: Where Do We Go From Here?
In reading the many beautiful and profound words that have graced these pages thus far during the last three months in The New Existentialists Future of Existential Psychology series, I have been struck by how many of the writers and practitioners have spoken of various aspects of existential psychology and psychotherapy, but few have looked at...
R. D. Laing’s Take on Authenticity
What I am about to say is not based on Ronald Laing’s published work, but on what I have gleaned from my personal relationship with him over the course of nearly 20 years, from 1973 when I first came to know him when I moved to London to study with him at the Philadelphia Association, then subsequently after returning to California in 1980...
Journeying Home: In Search of Identity
I have recently completed a six-day short trip back to my late grandfather's village in Shantou, China. It was a trip that began in an almost touristy way: landing at the airport, checking in, and marvelling at the comforts of the hotel, having a feast of a dinner for the price of a smaller meal back home. My extended relatives, whom I have...
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