Welcome to the Existential Roundup, where we bring you links to some articles currently trending that may be of interest to those in the existential-humanistic psychology community. As this weekend is Memorial Day, it seemed appropriate to think about those who have experienced great traumas, and have often been labelled, for better or worse, with… Read more »
Tag: Treatment Advances
On the Verge of Virtual, and Why Psychologists Should Care
A boy wearing the Oculus Rift. Facebook recently announced its acquisition of Oculus (Associated Press, 2014), a company that has been making waves for developing immersive hardware for virtual reality technology. As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, the benefits of virtual reality stretch far beyond video games, and could “someday be used to enjoy a… Read more »
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… Read more »
Why are people looking to the arts for therapy? Because they want therapy!
This is not a therapists office – but it’s a substitute Steve Almond, an author and MFA, says that writing workshops are taking the place of therapy sessions in modern culture. Writing in the March 23 edition of The New York Times, the frequent workshop instructor says that over the years he’s seen people coming… Read more »
Psychology needs a licensing exam that includes the Arts and Humanities
The ultimate licensing exam “The spiritual side, the poetic side, the giving and forgiving side, the generous and loving side, are humankind’s finest features. Hebb defined psychology many years ago as not being poetry. Although Hebb was my scientific hero, I demur from defining psychology without poetry.” – Frank Farley, American Psychological Association President, 1994…. Read more »
What does it mean to “recover” from a mental health issue?
Photo by Portland Prevention (Creative Commons licence) 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… Read more »
How therapists can Occupy for social change
Photo by Roland zh 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… Read more »
Power, Influence and Will
We all have to make our own choices Question: is someone good if they do good because they are forced to? Imagine I find a Bernie Madoff in the act of stealing millions. Imagine I force him at gunpoint to phone up his investors and come clean, and wire the money back. Would this hypothetical… Read more »
Journey to the East
There is no escape Editor’s note: this is a summary of research findings that Donna Rockwell, PsyD, will present in China at the Second International Conference on Existential Psychology on mindfulness in clinical psychology training, May 24 – 27, in Shanghai. I am taking mindfulness to the East. It is something that I am rather excited about, and would never… Read more »
There are good and bad ways to “internationalize” psychology
Photo by Jebulon (Creative Commons License) The new vogue within the American Psychological Association has been to encourage a greater awareness of the ways that psychology can be elevated to a more international status. The Existential-Humanistic position is in agreement with this effort, but offers a totally different take on what that means. Most psychologists,… Read more »