Categories
Posts tagged with the category Makenna Berry
Considering Existential Joy
Existential joy is the moment of exaltation in which we are at one with the world and conscious of our being in a kind of illumination that carries a deep conviction with it. This is a state of being that many people seek to experience in their lives. If we cannot have it all of the time, we at least want that sensation coursing through us most of...
A diagnosis of "gender identity disorder" or "authenticity?"
The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for GID is:
A strong and persistent cross-bender identification (not merely a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex). Persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that that sex. The disturbance is not concurrent with the physical intersex...
Uncertainty and Intentionality
This may seem hard to believe but, there can be beauty in uncertainty. I came across this story that I was given during a training I attended late last year.
The Tug
A child takes the kite to a distant hill and sets it flying high in the sky. The child gazes at the kite, holding its string in his hand, and as the weather cools and clouds move in,...
Grief is never "one size fits all"
Grief can hollow out a soul and pull someone down the depths of despair that can be all consuming. It is not something to ignore or to treat lightly, but grief is an inevitable in life as there are as many endings as there are beginnings.
Can grief be so painful that it would warrant a psychiatric diagnosis of major depressive disorder?
This is...
Existential aloneness -- and it's opposite
Not long ago I reviewed a piece written by Emory Cowan on existential aloneness. It was a hopeful piece dealing with a Cowan's subject matter that is usually seen as being by some as being dark and bleak. It may seem that existential psychology focuses just on the idea that it is so hard and lonely to be human. It can be. But the existential or...
What does it mean to "recover" from a mental health issue?
Recovery is:
“A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.”
This is the new working definition of recovery that was co-created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the public in a recent...
Are you a "thou" or an "it"?
"I believe that the key to creating society that is nourishing, empowering and healing for everyone lies in how we relate to one another." -- Martin Buber, an Austrian born Jewish philosopher
I came across his work early in my studies of existentialism and existential psychology. Buber’s philosophy was genuine and showed his...
Finding the existential myth within
From, Dr. Louis Hoffman, in "Gordo’s Ghost: An Introduction to Existential Perspectives in Myth," published in Existential Psychology: East West Psychology.
"A myth is a collection of related symbols that create a worldview or meaning system. It serves as a reference for the way we see the world and as an interpreter of our...
How therapists can Occupy for social change
The Occupy movement and the psychologist are they hand in hand?
For some this may not be a far off connection, for others there is very little notion that their work as a therapist could be a part of this movement.
It should not be such a remote concept since physicians have set up their own links to the Occupy movement and have long been...
We are we lonely around the holidays? Because we're lonely all the time.
The holidays are here, as if you have not noticed the cheery songs singing of happiness, joy, presents and Santa Claus. This is time when many people are planning trips to visit family and putting together plans for some food and drink filled celebrations.
Even during this time of gatherings with families or families of choice, there those who of...
Myths are rules -- to follow and to break
Dr. Louis Hoffman recently published a book, Existential Psychology: East-West, is a collection of articles written by leading scholars of Existential psychology. I was drawn to one particular chapter titled “An Existential Analysis of American Beauty” by Cathy Calvert, Kate Calhoon, Steve Fehl, and Christen Gregory.
Briefly, the film...
The impact of everyday terror
Does the fear of death, your death, whether physical, emotional or spiritual, influence your political and community decisions? It may, according to a theory that has renewed interest in our very uncertain times. Terror management theory was introduced in 1973 by anthropologist Ernest Becker.
In his book The Denial of Death, he suggested that all...
Featured Topics
All Categories
Most Recent Posts
- Posted by on May 17, 2013 - 10:00am
- Posted by on May 16, 2013 - 10:00am
- Posted by on May 15, 2013 - 10:00am
- Posted by on May 14, 2013 - 10:00am
- Posted by on May 13, 2013 - 10:00am
Recently Added Media
-
Added on June 4, 2012
-
Added on May 25, 2012
-
Added on May 8, 2012
-
Added on March 6, 2012
-
Added on January 6, 2012
-
Added on November 1, 2011
