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AIDS, Health, And Mental Health: A Primary Sourcebook
by Judith Landau-Stanton Colleen D. ClementsThis volume presents a systems approach to understanding and managing the AIDS crisis - an approach that addresses the needs not only of HIV- infected individuals, but also of families and communities at risk from AIDS. Discussions are included on HIV epidemiology and risk reduction, medical management of the AIDS patient, and neuropsychiatric aspects of HIV infection. Strategies for psychotherapeutic intervention, from individual through group to extended family system, are described in detail. The authors examine spiritual, religious and cultural factors in communities and offer guidelines for building a community network for AIDS prevention and intervention. Full consideration is also given to ethical and policy issues, and to the risks faced by health care providers. First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
AIDS Trauma and Support Group Therapy
by Martha A. GabrielAn empowering guidebook which comprehensively addresses issues related to planning, implementing, and facilitating support groups for people with AIDS.
Aikido as Transformative and Embodied Pedagogy: Teacher as Healer
by Michael A. GordonDrawing on the author’s lifelong practice in the non-competitive and defensive Japanese art of Aikido, this book examines education as self-cultivation, from a Japanese philosophy (e.g. Buddhist) perspective. Contemplative practices, such as secular mindfulness meditation, are being increasingly integrated into pedagogical settings to enhance social and emotional learning and well-being and to address stress-induced overwhelm due to increased pressures on the education system and its constituents. The chapters in this book explore the various ways, through the lens of this non-violent relational art of Aikido, that pedagogy is always something being practiced (on the level of psychological, somatic and emotional registers) and thus holding potential for transformation into being more relational, ecological-minded, and reflecting more ‘embodied attunement.’ Positioning education as a practice, one of self-discovery, the author argues that one can approach personal development as engaging in a spiritual process of integrating mind and body towards full presence of being and existence.
Aiming for an A in A-level Psychology
by Jean-Marc LawtonExam Board: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC EduqasLevel: A-levelSubject: PsychologyFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2017Master the skills you need to set yourself apart and hit the highest grades; this year-round course companion develops the higher-order thinking skills that top-achieving students possess, providing step-by-step guidance, examples and tips for getting an A grade.Written by experienced author and teacher Jean-Marc Lawton, Aiming for an A in A-level Psychology:- Helps you develop the 'A grade skills' of analysis, evaluation, creation and application- Takes you step by step through specific skills you need to master in A-level Psychology, so you can apply these skills and approach each exam question as an A/A* candidate- Clearly shows how to move up the grades with sample responses annotated to highlight the key features of A/A* answers- Helps you practise to achieve the levels expected of top-performing students, using in-class or homework activities and further reading tasks that stretch towards university-level study- Perfects exam technique through practical tips and examples of common pitfalls to avoid - Cultivates effective revision habits for success, with tips and strategies for producing and using revision resources- Supports all exam boards, outlining the Assessment Objectives for reaching the higher levels under the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and WJEC/Eduqas specifications
Aiming for an A in A-level Psychology
by Jean-Marc LawtonExam Board: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC Eduqas Level: A-level Subject: Psychology First teaching: September 2015 First exams: Summer 2017Master the skills you need to set yourself apart and hit the highest grades; this year-round course companion develops the higher-order thinking skills that top-achieving students possess, providing step-by-step guidance, examples and tips for getting an A grade.Written by experienced author and teacher Jean-Marc Lawton, Aiming for an A in A-level Psychology:- Helps you develop the 'A grade skills' of analysis, evaluation, creation and application- Takes you step by step through specific skills you need to master in A-level Psychology, so you can apply these skills and approach each exam question as an A/A* candidate- Clearly shows how to move up the grades with sample responses annotated to highlight the key features of A/A* answers- Helps you practise to achieve the levels expected of top-performing students, using in-class or homework activities and further reading tasks that stretch towards university-level study- Perfects exam technique through practical tips and examples of common pitfalls to avoid - Cultivates effective revision habits for success, with tips and strategies for producing and using revision resources- Supports all exam boards, outlining the Assessment Objectives for reaching the higher levels under the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and WJEC/Eduqas specifications
Aion: Researches Into the Phenomenology of the Self (Collected Works of C.G. Jung #56)
by C.G. JungAion is one of a number of major works that Jung wrote during his seventies that were concerned with the relations between psychology, alchemy and religion. He is particularly concerned in this volume with the rise of Christianity and with the figure of Christ. He explores how Christianity came about when it did, the importance of the figure of Christ and the identification of the figure of Christ with the archetype of the Self. A matter of special importance to Jung in his seventies - the problem of opposites, particularly good and evil - is further discussed and the importance of the symbolism of the fish, which recurs as a symbol of both Christ and the devil, is examined. As a study of the archetype of the self, Aion complements The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, which is also published in paperback.
Air and Dreams: An Essay on the Imagination of Movement
by Gaston BachelardEssay from one of the most significant modern thinkers in France.
Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe During the Second World War
by Simon Kuper'Football history at its best' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY'Hugely moving... a very good book indeed' FOUR FOUR TWO'Kuper is an original, sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell... is fascinating and pressing' SUNDAY TIMESIn FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between football, politics and culture. In AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR he skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II. He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following the War. The result is a compelling and controversial account of the War, seen through the lens of football.
Akquisition von Dienstleistungen: Angewandte Psychologie für die berufliche Praxis
by Miriam Landes Eberhard Steiner Claus HunertErfolgreiche Verkäufer fühlen sich meist als "die Könige" des Unternehmens und dies meist mit gutem Recht, denn sie sind es, die an vorderster Front für den Erfolg des Unternehmens sorgen. Schwierig genug ist diese Aufgabe schon, wenn man ein konkretes Produkt verkaufen soll, aber das bietet wenigstens den Vorteil, dass es der Kunde im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes begreifen, es testen und auf seine Erwartungen hin überprüfen kann, bevor er seine Kaufentscheidung trifft. Die besondere Herausforderung im Verkauf von Dienstleistungen liegt darin, dass man auf der "Klaviatur" der verschiedenen psychologischen Befindlichkeiten, Erwartungen, aber auch Ängste und situativer Besonderheiten auf Seiten seines Kunden zu spielen vermag. Aufgrund angewandter psychologischen Erkenntnisse bietet dieses Werk die nötigen Einblicke für die Praxis. Auch stellt es diese Klaviatur erstmals in umfassender Weise vor und bietet darüber hinaus konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen für unterschiedliche Verkaufssituationen. Somit ist es wertvolle und zugleich ansprechend interessante Lektüre für alle, die aus beruflichen oder privaten Gründen mehr über die psychologischen Hintergründe von Akquise, Verkauf und Kaufentscheidungen erfahren möchten.
Aktiv Depressionen vorbeugen: Der Wochenratgeber für mehr Selbstwirksamkeit und Lebenszufriedenheit
by Carolina KattanManchmal drückt einfach der Schuh, aber wir wissen noch nicht genau, was wir dagegen unternehmen können. Meist schleichend kann sich aus gedrückter Stimmung und negativen Gedanken im Laufe der Zeit eine depressive Erkrankung entwickeln.Dieser Ratgeber unterstützt Sie darin, unbeschwert und zufrieden durch das Leben zu gehen: Mittels Achtsamkeit und Selbstreflexion lernen Sie Woche für Woche in zahlreichen alltagsrelevanten Übungen, Ihre Selbstwirksamkeit zu stärken, mehr Lebenszufriedenheit zu empfinden und der Entstehung von Depressionen vorzubeugen. Die 40 Übungen zu verschiedenen Lebensthemen bieten Ihnen die Möglichkeit, sich selbst besser zu verstehen, mögliche Mangelzustände zu erkennen, unter strukturierter Anleitung ungünstige Gedanken zu verändern und stärkende Ressourcen aufzubauen.Das wochenweise Vorgehen eignet sich für Menschen aller Altersklassen, die ohne große theoretische Einleitungen direkt loslegen möchten, und besonders für Menschen, die die Wartezeit auf einen Therapieplatz strukturiert und selbst aktiv gestalten wollen.
Aktiv für die Psyche: Sport und Bewegungsinterventionen bei psychisch kranken Menschen
by Viola Oertel Frank HänselÜberwinden Sie die Motivationsbarrieren Ihrer Patienten!In diesem Praxisbuch erfahren Sie, wie gezielte Bewegungseinheiten in der Physiotherapie dazu beitragen können, Menschen mit psychischen Erkrankungen positiv zu beeinflussen. Welche Sport- und Bewegungsinterventionen sind bei psychisch kranken Menschen sinnvoll? Wie können krankheitsbedingte Motivationsbarrieren überwunden werden? Welche Effekte hat sportliches Training auf verschiedene psychiatrische Krankheitsbilder, wie z.B. Schizophrenie, Angst- oder Essstörungen? Das Herausgeberteam liefert Ihnen die Antworten zu allen Aspekten des Trainings. Aus dem Inhalt: Medizinisches Basiswissen zum besseren Verständnis psychisch kranker Menschen, praktische Empfehlungen für Übungsleiter*innen wie Ernährungshinweise und Kontraindikationen, Werkzeugkasten mit Fotosequenzen, Trainingszielen und Anwendungsvarianten. Neu in der 2. Auflage: komplett überarbeitet, mit neuen Diagnoseschlüsseln und auf dem aktuellen Forschungsstand.
Aktiv für die Psyche: Sport und Bewegungsinterventionen bei psychisch kranken Menschen
by Viola Oertel-Knöchel Frank HänselÜberwinden Sie die Motivationsbarrieren Ihrer Patienten! Dieses multidisziplinäre Praxisbuch bietet Physiotherapeuten und anderen Bewegungsfachkräften einen praxisorientierten Handlungsleitfaden für die Durchführung von sportlichen Interventionen bei psychisch kranken Menschen. Bewegungsfachkräfte wissen zwar welche Sport- und Bewegungsinterventionen sie bei psychisch kranken Menschen anwenden können - oft aber nicht, wie sie krankheitsbedingte Motivationsbarrieren überwinden können. Dieses in der Praxis bewährte Trainingsmanual erleichtert die Vorbereitung und Durchführung von sportlichen Interventionen in der Sozialpsychiatrie und Psychosomatik und verbessert die Resultate und die Qualität der therapeutischen Arbeit.
Akupunktur bei psychischen Erkrankungen: Anwendung von chinesischer Medizin in der Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie
by Doris KrügerDas Buch beschäftigt sich erstmalig mit den Möglichkeiten der Anwendung der Akupunktur in der Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie. Im allgemeinen Teil werden die Grundlagen aus der chinesischen Medizin die Nadeltechniken, die Diagnostik und das Behandlungskonzept vorgestellt. Der spezielle Teil widmet sich einer Auswahl von psychischer Erkrankungen und stellt systematische das Krankheitsbild aus Sicht der TCM, die Möglichkeiten der Akupunkturpunkte, Erfolge, Grenzen und Kontraindikation sowie Fallbeispiele mit Diagnose, Verlauf und Beispielpunktkombination vor. Die Akupunktur bietet eine nebenwirkungsarme und kostengünstige Alternative zu Psychopharmaka an und kann bei einigen Patienten schnell zu deutlich sichtbaren Linderung führen sowie Krankheitsverläufe günstig beeinflussen.
Al fin!: Growing old
by Andrew Graham YoollCompletado poco antes de su partida, este libro póstumo de uno de los periodistas más respetados y queridos propone una mirada reflexiva y humorística sobre el difícil arte de envejecer, los achaques físicos y emocionales y la cercanía del final. Envejecer implica prepararse para morir y este libro es un ejercicio en eso, en preguntarse en cómo son las cosas cuando uno no está. ¿Cómo se van a acordar del golpe de 1976 cuando ya no estemos los que lo vivimos? ¿Cómo no nos acordamos del pogrom de 1919 o las ejecuciones de Mitre? ¿Y qué se hace con las toses, el paso lento, los médicos permanentes? ¿Qué va a ser de las caras que todavía recordamos de tantos años atrás, desaparecen con nosotros? ¿Tienen razón los mexicanos? Como este es un libro de Graham-Yooll hay un par de valentías, que tienen que ver con el sexo. "La jubilación del pene" es una lección de sexualidad para la tercera edad en un bar rotoso de Barracas, seguida de un poema de Yeats sobre una amante envejecida y otro de Baudelaire. Pero también y sobre todo está una de esas cosas que salían de los cuadernos de Andrew, uno de esos espejos durísimos. Es el diálogo con su ex mujer de tantos años en una visita a la vivienda asistida donde ella penaba, un diálogo que ella lleva al sexo, a los mejores recuerdos, al ¿te acordás? más gráfico que hay. A cuando eran jóvenes y no podían esperar. Ese era Andrew Graham-Yooll, uno que se retorcía de incomodidad durante un diálogo así pero después lo anotaba fielmente para publicarlo. Era valiente, nomás, y este es un libro valiente.Del prólogo de Sergio Kiernan
Al otro lado del miedo
by María Cecilia BetancurDescubre, enfrenta y vence los temores que te impiden llevar una vida estable, tranquila y feliz. <P><P>¿De dónde provienen nuestros miedos? Saberlo puede cambiarnos la vida. Y es que los temores no tienen límites y pueden originarse por las alturas, los animales, la soledad o el rechazo. ¿Cómo debemos reaccionar frente al temor? ¿Cuál es el tratamiento adecuado? ¿Qué tipo de miedos sienten los niños? <P><P> La reconocida psicóloga María Cecilia Betancur presenta una guía que se convertirá en la herramienta indispensable para todas las personas que quieran enfrentar y vencer sus mayores temores.
Alan Watts in Late-Twentieth-Century Discourse: Commentary and Criticism from 1974-1994 (Routledge Research in Psychology)
by Peter J. ColumbusThis book is an anthology of commentary and criticism written within the transitional period between Alan Watts’ 1973 death and the twenty-first century intellectual horizon. Comprised of 16 chapters written and published between 1974 and 1994, with up-to-date introductions from the essayists and other contemporary thinkers, this volume opens a window onto unexplored grounds of Alan Watts’ impact within late-twentieth-century discourse – an intermediate space where scholars reoriented their bearings through changing times and emerging academic trends. Offering varied explanations and assessments of Alan Watts, including his influence on the Beat and Hippie generations, and his popularization of Zen Buddhism in America, it tackles unaddressed questions within the milieu of late-twentieth-century America from the Reagan Revolution and religious conservatism, to paradigm shifts in Buddhist studies and the rise of post-colonial theory. Contributors’ post-mortem analyses and critiques of Watts allow for a thematic rendering of their consonance or dissonance with noted Beat, Hippie, and Zen Buddhism themes of his lifetime. This volume will appeal to scholars and students of humanistic psychology, transpersonal psychology, the psychology of religion, comparative religion, and American studies.
Alasdair MacIntyre, Rationality and Education: Against Education of Our Age (SpringerBriefs in Education)
by Steven A. StolzDespite Alasdair MacIntyre being known as an academic who has made many notable contributions to a range of areas in philosophy, his thinking on education is not as well-known and/or properly understood by most audiences and readerships that predominantly reside in educational contexts. With this in mind, this book aims to provide a critique of MacIntyre’s thinking about education, and hence commences with a central theme found in MacIntyre’s extensive corpus concerning the fragmentation and disunification of ideas found in our culture and society that stems both from the rejection of metaphysics and what it means to be a human being living within the context of history. According to MacIntyre, part of the problem why this has occurred is due to educational institutions, particularly universities failing to resist the pressure exerted from industry and the state to conform. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a type of intellectual dissensus where the shared conceptions of rational enquiry and the role of reason have been replaced by pluralistic notions of private and personal choices concerning the good, and a disillusionment with reason that is ultimately exhibited as apathy and conformism. In order to overcome this apathy and conformism found in our culture and society, MacIntyre’s educational project is concerned with the cultivation of rationality; however, this is not an easy undertaking because it involves students being confronted with alternative – sometimes rather hostile – rival traditions so they both come to see rival points of view and understand that each tradition, including their own, does not come from a neutral or value-neutral standpoint. To MacIntyre, dialectical encounters between traditions is a crucial starting point of a good education, but for intellectual and academic progress to be made, rational enquiry needs to be grounded in a shared understanding of first principles that aims at truth and rational vindication. It is this shift in thinking that is of interest in the latter part of this book, particularly MacIntyre’s views around tradition-orientated communities of practice. Here, MacIntyre is concerned with the praxis of his educational project and the crucial role tradition-orientated communities play in the cultivation of independent reasoners who are capable of seeing the interconnectedness between different forms of knowledge that can lead us to an informed discovery of both the truth, and of the good, but most importantly exhibit virtuous dispositions which are vital to good practical reasoning.
Albert Ellis Revisited
by Jon Carlson William KnausAlbert Ellis was one of the most influential psychotherapists of all time, revolutionizing the field through his writings, teachings, research, and supervision for more than half a century. He was a pioneer whose ideas, known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), formed the basis of what has now become known as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), the most widely accepted psychotherapeutic approach in the world. This book contains some of Ellis’ most influential writings on a variety of subjects, including human sexuality, personality disorders, and religion, with introductions by some of today’s contemporary experts in the psychotherapy field. The 20 articles included capture Ellis’ wit, humor, and breadth of knowledge and will be a valuable resource for any mental health professional for understanding the key ingredients needed to help others solve problems and live life fully.
Albträume in der Psychotherapie: Ein klinisches Beispiel für das ressourcenorientierte Imaginieren (essentials)
by Verena KastVerena Kast schildert, wie im Rahmen der Psychotherapie Imagination im Zusammenhang mit Albträumen als Emotionsregulierung wirken und kreative Fantasien wecken kann. Das Arbeiten mit der Imagination ist hierbei durchsetzt von therapeutischen Interventionen, mit dem Blick darauf, Imaginationen der Angst in Imaginationen überzuführen, die Zukunft ermöglichen, kreativ und oft mit Ansätzen von Freude verbunden sind. Ein klinisches Beispiel zeigt, wie eine Analytikerin mit den Albträumen der Analysandin auch die kreativen Aspekte der Imagination bearbeitet und so einen Zugang zu ihrer Ressource herstellt.
Alchemical Active Imagination: Revised Edition
by Marie-Louise von FranzAlthough alchemy is popularly regarded as the science that sought to transmute base physical matter, many of the medieval alchemists were more interested in developing a discipline that would lead to the psychological and spiritual transformation of the individual. C. G. Jung discovered in his study of alchemical texts a symbolic and imaginal language that expressed many of his own insights into psychological processes. In this book, Marie-Louise von Franz examines a text by the sixteenth-century alchemist and physician Gerhard Dorn in order to show the relationship of alchemy to the concepts and techniques of analytical psychology. In particular, she shows that the alchemists practiced a kind of meditation similar to Jung's technique of active imagination, which enables one to dialogue with the unconscious archetypal elements in the psyche. Originally delivered as a series of lectures at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, the book opens therapeutic insights into the relations among spirit, soul, and body in the practice of active imagination.
The Alchemical Mercurius: Esoteric symbol of Jung’s life and works (Research in Analytical Psychology and Jungian Studies)
by Mathew MatherThe figure of the alchemical Mercurius features ubiquitously and radically in Jung’s later works, but despite this, there has been little research concerning Mercurius in Jungian studies to date. In this book, Mathew Mather explores the figure of the alchemical Mercurius and contextualises and clarifies its significance in Jung’s life and works. Placing the alchemical Mercurius as a central concern reveals a Jungian interpretation in which the grail legend, alchemy and precessional astrology, as three thematic threads, converge. In such a treatment, Jung’s belief in the dawning of a new platonic month emerges as a central consideration and an esoteric perspective on Jung’s life and works is brought more fully to light, constructing a life-myth interpretation. The book is comprised of three parts: Aurea Catena: locating the figure of the alchemical Mercurius within the Western esoteric tradition Daimonic Encounter: the relevance of this figure in Jung’s personal life Magnum Opus: Jung’s portrayal of this figure in key texts such as Synchronicity, Aion, Mysterium Coniunctionis; and Emma Jung and von Franz’s The Grail Legend. The Alchemical Mercurius is a unique contribution to analytical psychology, substantially revealing ‘esoteric Jung’ and providing valuable perspectives on the theme of his myth for our times. The book will appeal to researchers and academics in the field of analytical psychology as well as postgraduate students.
Alchemical Mercury: A Theory of Ambivalence
by Karen PinkusPinkus (Italian, French and comparative literature, University of Southern California) takes the reader on a somewhat quixotic journey through the many visions of alchemy from antiquity to the present. She points out that the derivation of the word is uncertain. But this is appropriate since the definition of alchemy is also murky. Is it science or magic? Is it something as crass as turning lead into gold, or as rarified as a spiritual rebirth? While alchemies have existed for centuries, Pinkus spends the most time on the alchemical centuries, roughly (for nothing is definite) 1500-1800. She finds alchemical thoughts in Goethe, Lavoisier, the Rosicrucians and Marx among many others. Her own philosophy, as expressed through the nebulous, contradictory attitudes of thinkers toward the concept of alchemy is given with intelligence and humor. Alchemy is a metaphor but its shifting meaning is the root of this exploration into ambivalence. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
Alchemists of Human Nature: Psychological Utopianism in Gross, Jung, Reich and Fromm
by Petteri PietikainenA study of Modernist utopias of the mind. This book examines the psychodynamic writings of Otto Gross, C G Jung, Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm. It argues, utopianism became increasingly important to the fundamental ambitions of all four thinkers, and places the 'utopian impulse' with the historical context of the early twentieth century.
Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life
by Rory SutherlandHOW DOES MAGIC HAPPEN? The Ogilvy advertising legend—“one of the leading minds in the world of branding” (NPR)—explores the art and science of conjuring irresistible products and ideas."A breakthrough book. Wonderfully applicable to about everything in life." —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan“Veins of wisdom emerge regularly and brilliantly from these pages. Don't miss this book.” —Robert B. Cialdini, author of InfluenceWhy is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.Based on thirty years of field work inside the largest experiment in human behavior ever conceived—the forever-unfolding pageant of consumer capitalism—Alchemy, the revolutionary book by Ogilvy advertising legend Rory Sutherland, whose TED talks have been viewed nearly seven million times, decodes human behavior, blending leading-edge scientific research, absurdly entertaining storytelling, deep psychological insight, and practical case studies from his storied career working on campaigns for AmEx, Microsoft, and others.Heralded as “one of the leading minds in the world of branding” by NPR, Sutherland is a unique thought leader, as comfortable exchanging ideas with Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (both interviewed in these pages) as he is crafting the next product launch. His unconventional and relentlessly curious approach has led him to discover that the most compelling secrets to human decision-making can be found in surprising places:What can honey bees teach us about creating a sustainable business?How could budget airlines show us how to market a healthcare system?Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk-aversion?Better “branding,” Sutherland reveals, can also be employed not just to sell products, but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech. Equally startling and profound, Sutherland’s journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.
Alchemy and Psychotherapy: Post-Jungian Perspectives
by Dale MathersAlchemical symbols are part of popular culture, most recently popularised in the Harry Potter books. Alchemy intrigued Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology. It inspired him as he wrote ‘the Red Book’ - the journal of his voyage of internal discovery. He devoted much of his life to it, using alchemical symbols as metaphors for unconscious processes. Alchemy and Psychotherapy explores the issue of alchemy in the consulting room and its application to social and political issues. This book argues against the dominant discourse in contemporary psychotherapy - scientific materialism - and for the discovery of spiritual meaning. Alchemy and Psychotherapy has four main sections: ‘Alchemy and meaning’ - looks at the history of alchemy, particularly the symbol of the coniunctio - sacred marriage - a metaphor for the therapeutic relationship. 'The symbolic attitude’ - explores working with dreams, fairytales, astrology and the body: each of which is a symbolic language. ‘The spirit and the natural world’ - discusses the concept of 'burn out' - of therapists, our ecological resources, the mystical aspects of quantum physics and the philosophical underpinning of symbol formation. ‘Clinical Applications’ - shows alchemy’s use with victims of abuse, those struggling to secure gender identity, in anorexia and in ‘social healing’ - atonement and restorative justice - which apply the idea of the coniunctio. Alchemy and Psychotherapy is illustrated throughout with clinical examples, alchemical pictures and poetry which emphasise that alchemy is both a creative art and a science. Bringing together contributors from a wide range of disciplines, Dale Mathers and contributors show that therapy is both art and science, that the consulting room is the alchemical laboratory, and that their research is their creative engagement. Alchemy and Psychotherapy will be a valuable resource for practitioners, students at all levels of psychotherapy, analytical psychology, psychoanalysis and creative, art-based therapies and for creative practitioners (in film, literature and performing arts) who draw on Jung’s ideas.