About < Placebo> In-Depth
In-depth, placebo shows a direction to explore with different means and towards greater humanity. [see: My favorite video about placebo on YouTube.] The term ‘placebo’ More interesting than bickering about terms is a clarification of concepts. This also makes one think more deeply about what is significant enough to warrant different concepts. [see: “Placebo: I Read the full article…
Is Short-Term Enough in Therapy?
This issue is relevant to any therapy. In my view, it is most pertinent to psychotherapy. A clear and present tension In psychotherapy, we may expect the quality being largely related to effect-longevity. To many people – as to me – a temporary feel-good is not what is expected from psychotherapy. Contrast this with pharmacotherapy. Read the full article…
The Non-Conscious is No Automaton
This insight is central to anything human-related. Two ways to ignore the non-conscious in human mental life These are by ignoring there is anything at all functionally, seeing it as something inactive by itself. In the latter option, the non-conscious is something like a meaningless automaton, an entity of levers, buttons to be pushed, and Read the full article…
Turtle Vagaries
If you think this is about you, you might be right. Even more, it is about you as total-person. Any ocean turtle sticks out its neck most of the time. Each time it does, it’s vulnerable. The wise turtle knows when to do so and when not. That is how it lives ― sometimes to Read the full article…
The Stream of Non-Consciousness
The conscious train of thought may appear like a self-propelling stream of consciousness. The reality is different, carrying immense consequences. The image before the thousand words Please read on. The image and a few consequences will become clear by the end of the words. Constructed vs. fundamental reality The horizontal line in the middle schematically Read the full article…
Being a Hero
Daring to be as little vulnerable as possible. Then, if need be, daring to be vulnerable. I fail in both directions miserably. [see: “Daring to Be Vulnerable“] [see: “Don’t Be Vulnerable”] ‘Hero’ in a rather narrow sense. The term can be used in a much broader sense, ‘heroic’ being anything admirable. That’s great. It’s not Read the full article…
Fundamental Reality in Psychology
On top of solid ground, psychology and psychotherapy can thrive as never before. In natural evolution, one can discern a schematic progression (Artificial Life may be different) Matter As we know, matter is chaotic, bent on entropy. One can see this as the absence of purpose. Without purpose, all motion in matter is a happening. Read the full article…
< Mind = Body> Healthcare
This is bound to become the pinnacle of science in healthcare. [see: “Fundamental Reality in Psychology“] Psychotherapy imitating medicine This is still the present-day situation, including diagnosis → therapy. It makes psychotherapy a weak sibling of ‘big brother medicine.’ Striving to develop and use proper psychotherapeutic techniques in-imitation emboldens psychotherapy while pushing the domain into Read the full article…
There is Soul in Suffering
With due respect, one should not try to eliminate all suffering most quickly and easily. Unfortunately, this indiscriminate stance seems to be precisely the promise of many products and services for sale. Please be careful with this. It can be easily misunderstood. This is not a glorification of pain. One should not seek it out Read the full article…
Placebo Without Deception?
By definition impossible if one takes ‘deception’ as a necessary characteristic of the concept of placebo. Still, it’s worthwhile to take a closer look at the ethical side. Preliminary remarks This text is rather academic. The train of thought is interesting for all. This is not about empathy, but only about ‘the sugar pill that Read the full article…
Altruism – Compassion
Taking into account the depth of nonconscious, subconceptual processing. Empathy is considered elsewhere. [see: “Landscape of Empathy“] For this text, ’empathy’ may be considered as a part of altruism and Compassion. Terms and concepts in an image The relative sizes of the arrows are arbitrary. The circle stands for the mental life of a person. Read the full article…
Importance of Spontaneity
Spontaneity is the stuff of autosuggestion and of nature. as in AURELIS. A suggestion comes with freedom and direction. [see: “Suggestion: Communication to the Subconscious“] I suggest you read further. You are free to do so if you like. In autosuggestion, the emphasis lies on ‘doing yourself.’ It is, in a way, even more spontaneous. Read the full article…
Future A.I.: Fluid or Solid?
Humans are fluid thinkers. That gives us huge strength and some major challenges. The one does not go without the other. A.I. – including Semantic A.I. – is still a very different matter. Through proper context, data becomes information. Still, the information as it is stored in a book is not in any way like Read the full article…
Culture and Nature
The age-old debate: culture vs. nature. High time it becomes: culture FOR nature ― environmentally and most of all profoundly inside ourselves. We might have forgotten: We are nature. More and more, technology enables us to forget that we are nature. Many know it like it were just a piece of information, but not as Read the full article…
From Therapy to Empathy
The future cannot be to un-science. It cannot be without empathy in full mode. The term ‘therapist’ comes from the Greek ‘Serapis,’ a Hellenization of the Egyptian god Osiris. [see: “Isis’ priests, named ‘therapists’”] I think that, in those ages, anyone with a serious psycho-somatic disorder could best go and visit such a temple. The Read the full article…
Human-Centered A.I.: Total-Person or Ego?
This makes for a huge difference, especially since the future of humanity is at stake. With good intentions, one may pave the road to disaster. Everybody, including me, should take this at heart. ‘Doing good’ may take much effort in understanding what one is tinkering with. This is relevant in any domain. [see:” ‘Doing Good’: Read the full article…
Compassion Connecting East & West
And North and South, of course, and everything in-between ― even past, present, and future. Essential A Compassionate attitude is to be received gracefully after sometimes earning it with huge effort and even danger to yourself. Sacrifices are unnecessary, but the person who is reluctant to make them can hardly attain a Compassionate stance. At Read the full article…