He who binds to himself a joy, Does the winged life destroy, He who kisses the joy as it flies, Lives in eternity’s sunrise. -William Blake It's natural to desire good fortune and to want to avoid suffering. But nature is impartial and doesn’t take into consideration human wishes and desires. So suffering comes to us all. Our lack of control over most things can result in heartache, disappointment, outrage, confusion or even … [Read more...]
Murray Bowen, M.D., based his theory of the human family on biology and evolutionary theory. Trained as a psychiatrist in the Freudian psychoanalytic tradition, Bowen came to believe that too many of Freud's theoretical ideas were subjective. Bowen was motivated by the belief that the study of human behavior could become an accepted science, akin to the hard sciences, such as biology.1 Bowen developed a model of the human family as a natural … [Read more...]
Introduction Human beings feel secure and purposeful when they seize life with awareness, responsibility, and courage. However, when they are overwhelmed or avoid normal levels of anxiety and suffering, feelings of meaninglessness and guilt often result. This understanding is at the core of the humanistic-existential approach, which generally favors a study of life rather than a philosophy of abstract ideas or theoretical formulations. It … [Read more...]
"The Enlightened Mind" and "The Enlightened Heart," by Stephen Mitchell. Authentic spirituality, East and West. "Leaves of Grass," by Walt Whitman. All healing is spiritual. "Wherever You Go, There You Are," by Jon Kabat-Zinn. An invitation to mindfulness. "Walden," by H. D. Thoreau. "If you have built castles in air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." "The Road Less … [Read more...]
The scientific study of happiness is referred to as positive psychology. Traditionally, clinical mental health has looked at distress such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. and sought ways to resolve these. As Freud said, "the goals of psychotherapy is to convert neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness." However, positive psychology takes a different approach and asks, how do human beings flourish and what are the conditions that can make … [Read more...]