A General Theory of Love By Thomas Lewis et al

This episode is a discussion about the book "A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon.  Here is a summary of the book:

Three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain. The result is an original, lucid, at times moving account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being. A General Theory of Love draws on the latest scientific research to demonstrate that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are.

Podcast Episode

The Psychology Book Club Experience

Here is a very short podcast about the experience of reading and sharing thoughts on psychology books from members of the book club. I hope you get involved! Podcast Episode 

The Stranger In The Mirror by Marlene Steinberg

A group discussion about Marlene Steinberg's fascinating book, The Stranger in The Mirror: Dissociation- The Hidden Epidemic. Here is the book's summary from Amazon.com:

Discover groundbreaking findings on a hidden epidemic -- and why it so often is misdiagnosed.

You peer into the mirror and have trouble recognizing yourself. You feel as if you're going through the motions of life or you're watching a movie of yourself.

These are all symptoms of dissociation -- a debilitating psychological condition involving feelings of disconnection that affects 30 million people in North America and often goes untreated. The Stranger in the Mirror offers unique guidelines for identifying and recovering from dissociative symptoms based on Dr. Marlene Steinberg's breakthrough diagnostic test. Filled with fascinating case histories of people with multiple personalities, this book provides enlightening insights into how all of us respond to trauma and overcome it. Her innovative method of treatment will benefit anyone in search of a healthier sense of self and a heightened capacity for joy.

Podcast Episode

Author Interview: Daniel Mackler on Toward Truth

This episode is an interview with author Daniel Mackler about his book "Toward Truth: A Psychological Guide to Enlightenment". Daniel is a filmmaker, musician and lover of life. For 10 years he was a psychotherapist in New York City. He writes extensively on healing childhood trauma and reclaiming the true self.  Here is a summary of his book:

Toward Truth offers the reader a radical psychological guide to healing childhood trauma- both the extreme echelon of damage and the other 99% that flies below the radar and is considered normal. Daniel Mackler sides with the truth of the child, not the lies of the parents, and traces the roots of trauma in the family. Toward Truth takes the groundbreaking work of psychologist Alice Miller to the next level and in doing so offers a vision of deep, permanent, non-dissociative hope.


Podcast Episode

Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams

In this episode we talk about Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams, a book that helps you explore the rich inner world through journalling.

Kathleen Adams' life is journal keeping and this book reflects the passion she has for using writing to enrich our lives. Whether this is your first venture into journaling or you are a veteran journaler, you will find fresh ideas and satisfying reading in "Journal to the Self". The book is full of journaling prompts and techniques that will have you feeling as though the author is holding your hand. Kathleen is the Director of the Center for Journal Therapy in Colorado, and the author of several journaling texts, including a workbook that accompanies this book.  


Podcast Episode

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

In this episode, we're discussing Marshall Rosenberg's book Nonviolent Communication. Here is a summary of the book:

An enlightening look at how peaceful communication can create compassionate connections with family, friends, and other acquaintances. The book uses stories, examples, and sample dialogues to provide solutions to communication problems both at home and in the workplace. Guidance is provided on identifying and articulating feelings and needs, expressing anger fully, and exploring the power of empathy in order to speak honestly without creating hostility, break patterns of thinking that lead to anger and depression, and communicate compassionately. These non-violent communication skills are fully explained and can be applied to personal, professional, and political differences. Included in this new edition is information on how to compassionately connect with oneself. 


Podcast Episode

The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnik

In this episode, we're discussing Alison Gopnik's book The Philosophical Baby.

"The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of infants and young children. Scientists used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Recently, they have discovered that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined. And there is good reason to believe that babies are actually cleverer, more thoughtful, and even more conscious than adults.

This new science holds answers to some of the deepest and oldest questions about what it means to be human. A new baby's captivated gaze at her mother's face lays the foundations for love and morality. A toddler's unstoppable explorations of his playpen hold the key to scientific discovery. A three-year-old's wild make-believe explains how we can imagine the future, write novels, and invent new technologies. 

Alison Gopnik - a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother - explains the groundbreaking new psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in our understanding of very young children, transforming our understanding of how babies see the world, and in turn promoting a deeper appreciation for the role of parents."

Podcast Episode

The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck

This episode is a discussion of M. Scott Peck's bestseller, The Road Less Traveled. Here is a summary from Wikipedia:

The Road Less Traveled, published in 1978, is Peck's best-known work. It is a description of the attributes that make for a fulfilled human being, based on his experiences as a psychiatrist and a person.  In the first section of the book Peck talks about discipline, which he considers essential for emotional, spiritual and psychological health, and which he describes as "the means of spiritual evolution". The elements of discipline that make for such health include the ability to delay gratification, accepting responsibility for oneself and one's actions, a dedication to truth and balancing. In the second section, Peck considers the nature of love, which he considers the driving force behind spiritual growth. The section mainly attacks a number of misconceptions about love: that romantic love exists (he considers it a very destructive myth), that it is about dependency, that true love is not "falling in love".', it is a feeling. Instead "true" love is about the extending of one's ego boundaries to include another, and about the spiritual nurturing of another. The final section describes Grace, his concept of a force originating outside human consciousness that nurtures spiritual growth in human beings. 

Podcast Episode

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Briggs Myers

In this episode, we discuss Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs Myers & Peter B. Myers. Here is a summary of the book from Amazon:

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type is a well-known book, written by Isabel Briggs Myers with Peter B. Myers, which describes the insights into the psychological type model originally developed by C.G. Jung as adapted and embodied in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test. The book explains the many practical applications of this typological model using four categories of psychological type differences - Extraversion / Introversion; Sensing / Intuition; Thinking / Feeling; Judging / Perceiving. The book also suggests how different combinations of these characteristics tend to influence the ways people perceive the world and how they both respond to and interact with it. Type tables show how type preferences tend to correlate with occupational interests. Profiles of the sixteen types also suggest how people of each type tend to act and relate to people with other type dynamics. Every year over 2.5 million people take the MBTI assessment and it has become the most widely used personality questionnaire in history. Over 150,000 copies of Gifts Differing have been sold. 



Podcast Episode