The Weekend University

Covid-19 vaccines are delivered on a variety of ‘platforms’, traditional and innovative — all aiming at a common underlying mechanism of protection, i.e. stimulating the development of anti-spike-protein antibodies and T-cell activation. Similarly, scholars have tried to delineate the common factors which underpin the 570 (and counting) varieties of psychotherapy, many of which, as the ‘dodo-bird verdict’ suggests, can be highly effective, but none consistently demonstrably more so than another. I shall argue that attachment theory and Friston’s Free Energy Principle provide an evidence base, rationale, and theoretical framework for understanding the transmutative power of psychotherapies. In the ‘duet for one’ and built-in ambiguities of the psychotherapeutic relationship, these include enhanced ‘granularity’ of entero- and extero-perceptions, an expanded range of ’top-down’ generative models, and facilitated agency by which outdated models and repressed feelings can be revised and transcended. The result is greater flexibility, range of choices, and resilience. -- For 35 years, Professor Holmes was Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Psychotherapist at University College London and then in North Devon, and Chair of the Psychotherapy Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists from 1998 until 2002. He is visiting Professor at the University of Exeter, and lectures nationally and internationally. In addition to 200+ peer-reviewed papers and chapters in the field of psychoanalysis and attachment theory, his books include John Bowlby and Attachment Theory, The Oxford Textbook of Psychotherapy, Exploring In Security, The Therapeutic Imagination, Attachment in Therapeutic Practice, and most recently: “The Brain has a Mind of Its Own”. Professor Holmes received the Bowlby-Ainsworth Founders Award in 2009. In his spare time, he enjoys making music, gardening, engaging in green politics and spending time with his grandchildren. -- Links: - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor Holmes books: https://amzn.to/3gs4flg

Neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences among people should be recognized and respected just the same as any other form of human variation. For too long the medical model of mental health has viewed differences like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia solely as “dysfunctional,” “disorders,” and “disabilities.” In the rush to provide treatments focused on “curing” these conditions too little attention has been given to enabling people with neurologically different brains to be accepted for themselves, to articulate what they want, and to help them discover and grow their strengths. Every individual has a unique profile of cognitive, social, and emotional strengths and weaknesses, and it is by understanding one’s abilities and learning how to work with and around them that we find the potential for growth. We must also consider the goodness of fit between the individual and the environment. A disability in one environment may well be an ability in another. In this talk, I will describe the strength and challenge profiles associated with the different brain “wiring” and how to help individuals optimize their learning and success. -- Dr. Devon MacEachron is a licensed psychologist in New York City with a private practice informed by the positive psychology and neurodiversity movements. She conducts neuropsychological assessments designed to uncover each individual’s profile of strengths and weaknesses as a learner in order to provide an action plan that simultaneously develops strengths and interests while remediating and accommodating weaker skills. She is especially knowledgeable about neurodiverse, twice-exceptional, and gifted learners, whose strengths can camouflage their weaknesses, resulting in unexpectedly weaker performance than ability and considerable frustration, anxiety, and often depression. She has a social media presence where she talks about neurodiversity, the advantages of being wired differently, challenging neuromyths, parenting, achievement, and success. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events Dr MacEachron’s website: https://drdevon.com

In this seminar, we will take a voyage together exploring the biological and cultural evolution of individual identity, and the consequences of our self-perspective for major global, social, and environmental issues. Part one draws on evidence from molecular biology and neuroscience, such as how most of our 37 trillion cells have such a short lifespan that we are essentially made anew every few weeks, whilst the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that make up our bodies influence our moods and even manipulate our behaviour. This is combined with evidence from neuroscience and psychology to challenge the sense of ourselves as unchanging, discrete entities. For example, every word and every touch we receive from other people transforms the neural networks in our brain. In Part 2, we will encounter how our sense of identity as isolated individuals is an illusion that is becoming increasingly maladaptive in the modern world. It is responsible for many interlinked environmental, health, and economic problems and we will critically explore the proposition that solving these urgent problems lies in transforming our self-identity. -- Tom Oliver is a professor at the University of Reading, leading their Ecology and Evolution research group. He is a prominent systems thinker, advising both the UK government and the European Environment Agency. He has published more than eighty scientific papers in world-leading interdisciplinary journals and won two first-place prizes for essays communicating science to a broader audience. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, and BBC Science Focus and he is author of the critically acclaimed book The Self Delusion: The Surprising Science of Our Connection to Each Other and the Natural World -- Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks-5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events Professor Tom’s book: https://amzn.to/3s6Vvol

In the first half of this talk, I will present data demonstrating the impact of mindfulness practice on brain structure and function, and how that leads to enhanced cognitive abilities in older adults who regularly practice mindfulness meditation and yoga. I will also discuss how mindfulness can be used to help cope with pain and fear. -- Sara W. Lazar, PhD is an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She is a contributing author to Meditation and Psychotherapy (Guilford Press), and has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994. Dr Lazar’s research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and WebMD, and her work has been featured in a display at the Boston Museum of Science. -- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Sara’s website: https://scholar.harvard.edu/sara_lazar/home - Dr Sara’s books: https://amzn.to/2RtgAwI

All in Nature is interconnected: all processes are interactive. The brain and the world (which it exists to bring into being for us) are no exceptions to this. Our brains mould the world and the world moulds our brains. Given the capacity for each hemisphere to attend to the world differently, and therefore make some aspects of the world stand forward at the expense of others, different cultures may come to emphasise different ‘takes’ on the world. I will consider some ways in which this has worked itself out historically in the West, and whether seeing this can help us get a new perspective on what we see happening around us in the world today. Dr McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context. He has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and podcasts, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He published his latest book: The Matter With Things. You can keep up to date with his work at www.iainmcgilchrist.com. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr McGilchrist’s website: https://channelmcgilchrist.com - Dr McGilchrist’s books: https://amzn.to/318NxBj

Right now, billions of neurons in your brain are working together to generate your conscious experience. How does this happen? According to neuroscientist Anil Seth, we’re all hallucinating all the time; when we agree about our hallucinations, we call it “reality.” This talk will provide an insight into how consciousness emerges from the brain, and how changes to our brain can result in bizarre experiences of consciousness. You’ll learn about the latest research in the new science of consciousness and how cutting-edge experiments in neuroscience are shedding light on the underlying neural mechanisms that give us our conscious experience in normal life, as well as in neurological and psychiatric conditions. -- Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and the Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science. He is a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow, and a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Professor Seth is Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience of Consciousness, sits on the steering group and advisory board of the Human Mind Project, and was President of the British Science Association Psychology Section in 2017. He is the co-author of the ‘30 Second Brain’, and contributes regularly to a variety of media including New Scientist, The Guardian, and the BBC. His 2017 TED talk has been viewed more than 9 million times. Professor Seth’s research bridges neuroscience, mathematics, artificial intelligence, computer science, psychology, philosophy and psychiatry. He has also worked extensively with playwrights, dancers and other artists to shape a truly humanistic view of consciousness and self. You can keep up to date with his work at www.anilseth.com. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Prof Seth’s book: https://amzn.to/2ATvqkK - Prof Seth’s website: http://www.anilseth.com/

Oliver is a writer, TED speaker, and the bestselling author of several books, including: “The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking”, and “Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get More Things Done.” This conversation focuses on Oliver’s most recent book: 4,000 Weeks, which is about making the most of the very brief amount of time we all have here on the planet. There have been few books that have impacted me as much as this one, and if you can apply some of Oliver’s insights and perspectives, they have the potential to dramatically transform your relationship with time, into one that feels life-giving, rather than crushing. It’s not just me either. Adam Grant has called it “The Most Important Book Ever Written About Time Management”, while Krista Tippet says: “It invites nothing less than a new relationship with time – and with life itself.” You can learn more about Oliver’s work at www.oliverburkeman.com, follow him on twitter @oliverburkeman, and get a copy of the book here. --- Interview Links: - Oliver’s website: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/ - Oliver’s book: https://amzn.to/3cxS8BL - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

Through his brain-scan studies on Brazilian psychic mediums, Sufi mystics, Buddhist meditators, Franciscan nuns, Pentecostals, and participants in secular spirituality rituals, Dr Andrew Newberg has discovered the specific neurological mechanisms underlying spiritual experiences – and how we might activate those circuits in our own brains. In his survey of more than one thousand people who have experienced enlightenment, Dr Newberg has also discovered that in the aftermath they have had profound, positive life changes. In this talk, you’ll learn how spiritual experiences offer us the possibility to become permanently less stress-prone, to break bad habits, to improve our collaboration and creativity skills, and to lead happier, more satisfying lives. Relaying the story of his own transformational experience as well as the stories of others who try to describe an event that is truly indescribable, Dr Newberg will share a new paradigm for deep and lasting change. -- Dr Andrew Nerberg is a neuroscientist, author, Professor, and the Research Director in the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He studies how brain function is associated with various mental states, and is a pioneer in the neurological study of religious and spiritual experiences – a field known as “neurotheology.” Dr Newberg’s research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people’s spiritual experiences and attitudes. He has also evaluated the relationship between religious or spiritual phenomena and health, and the effect of meditation on memory. He believes that it is important to keep science rigorous, and religion religious. You can learn more about Dr Newberg’s work at: http://www.andrewnewberg.com --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events - Dr Andrew’s website: http://www.andrewnewberg.com - Dr Andrew’s books: https://amzn.to/3uIAC4F

In this one-of-a-kind session, Irshad Manji will take your questions about faltering relationships — in your family, among your friends, with your co-workers, or in society at large — and coach you to repair them by listening to understand and speaking to be understood. What does this have to do with diversity? Everything. Honest diversity isn’t about labeling people according to race, gender, religion, sexuality, disability, or any other group marker. Instead, true diversity is about communicating with one another so that different points of view are heard, acknowledged, and appreciated, despite being disagreed with. Welcome to Irshad’s no-shaming technique of creating unity without uniformity. Irshad will begin the session with an overview of the Moral Courage Method, a simple, science-backed approach to dealing with any polarized situation. She will then invite participants to put her teachings to the test. They will pose surprise questions about the divisions that are rocking their own lives. Irshad will mentor them to build and exercise their moral courage, all the while encouraging every participant (not just those asking the questions) to voice their doubts, skepticism, and challenges to her teachings. In that way, Irshad will also role-model how to have constructive conversations in the midst of disagreements. This session will wrap up with concrete tools and tips for starting and sustaining difficult dialogues. The bottom line? Any diversity that does not make peace with the existence of different opinions is merely a cosmetic diversity; one that is fixated on skin color and other superficialities. By contrast, the Moral Courage Method shows how we can transcend labels to humanize ourselves and each other, cultivating common ground even when we stand our ground. At Irshad’s request, all proceeds from this session went to the Maggie Fleming Animal Hospice in Scotland. --- The recipient of Oprah Winfrey’s first annual “Chutzpah Award” for boldness, Irshad Manji inspires and equips people to have honest, non-judgemental conversations about issues that polarize. Although she is an internationally bestselling author, her books are banned in many countries — which has intrigued a new generation to learn her techniques for effective communication. Irshad’s latest book, Don’t Label Me, is a primer on how to do diversity without inflaming the culture wars. (Fun fact: The comedian Chris Rock labels it “genius.”) A professor of leadership at New York University for many years, Irshad is now the founder of Moral Courage College. She also teaches moral courage with Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor Irshad’s website: https://irshadmanji.com/ - Professor Irshad’s books: https://amzn.to/35s34xM

Do you ever wonder why you want what you want? Our desires shape almost everything we do in life: what we value, what goals we pursue, who we choose for a romantic partner, and even what career paths we go down. Yet very rarely do we stop to ask ourselves why we want these things. In other words, what causes us to desire them in the first place? In this interview I’m joined by Luke Burgis - a writer and academic who has recently published: Wanting; The Power of Mimetic Desire and How to Want What You Need. In the book, Luke explores the work of René Girard and his theory of Mimetic Desire, which offers a fascinating and illuminating explanation for human desire. In this interview, we discuss some of the key takeaways from the book, including: - What mimetic desire is, and how deeply this is ingrained in human nature - How understanding mimetic theory can help you transform your relationship to desire into one that leads to long-term fulfillment, contentment and wellbeing, rather than just getting caught up in the latest trend or fad - How to change course if you have the nagging suspicion that might be on the wrong path in life - The influence that 'models' may be having on you, and how to create boundaries with unhealthy ones - The power of choosing ONE core, overarching desire to subordinate everything else to. And more. If you're interested in exploring this subject further, I highly recommend picking up a copy of "Wanting", and you can learn more about Luke's work at www.lukeburgis.com. Interview Links: - Luke’s website: www.lukeburgis.com - Luke’s book: https://amzn.to/3C2haUE - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

David Sloan Wilson is one of the world’s foremost evolutionary thinkers and a gifted communicator about evolution to the general public. He is SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University. In addition to his teaching and research, David is President of Prosocial World – an organisation which aims to catalyze positive cultural change to consciously evolve who we are, how we connect with each other, and how we interact with the planet. David is passionate about making evolution more accessible to a wider audience and was invited to speak with the Dalai Lama about his work in 2019. He is the author of several books on evolutionary theory, including: “Atlas Hugged” (his first novel), “This View of Life”, “Evolution for Everyone”, “Darwin’s Cathedral”, “Does Altruism Exist?”, and the co-author of “Prosocial”, along with Paul Atkins and Steven Hayes. You can learn more about David’s work at https://www.thisviewoflife.com and https://www.prosocial.world. Many people use words such as “evolve” and “adapt” to talk about personal and cultural change but few think to consult the actual science of change–evolutionary science. This is largely because the study of evolution was confined to genetic evolution for most of the 20th century, relegating the study of personal and cultural change to other disciplines which developed largely in isolation from each other and sometimes in perceived opposition to evolutionary theory. The result is an archipelago of knowledge and practice, which lacks the integration that evolutionary theory is in a position to provide. I will describe what it means to say “nothing about X makes sense except in the light of evolution”, where X can be “biology”, “humanity”, “culture”, and “policy”.

In this meeting of the minds discussion, we’re joined by three of the world’s leading experts on addiction: Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Richard Schwartz, and Professor Marc Lewis. Although their backgrounds vary widely, with Gabor initially training as a medical doctor, Richard as a family therapist and Marc as a developmental psychologist and neuroscientist, all three of them have reached similar conclusions in their understanding of, and approach to treating addiction. In a lively and wide-ranging discussion, we explore: - Why do we need to approach problems with addiction not by asking: "what's wrong with it?", but instead by asking, “what's right with it?" - Why both the ‘self-indulgent’ and ‘disease’ models of addiction are both fundamentally flawed and harmful (from a scientific point of view) - The root causes - How the internal family systems (IFS) model can improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying addiction - How Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry approach can help heal addictions by simply asking the right questions from a place of compassion and genuine curiosity - Why IFS therapy may be one of the most effective approaches out there for working with addictions. And more. You can learn more about each speaker’s work via the selected links from this episode. Links: Marc’s website: https://memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com Marc’s blog post series on using IFS to treat addiction: https://www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/connect/redressing-addiction-internal-family-systems-therapy/ Memoirs of an Addicted Brain - Prof Marc Lewis: https://amzn.to/2ZGBjy5 The Biology of Desire - Prof Marc Lewis: https://amzn.to/3aBhVsB Gabor’s Compassionate Inquiry Training: https://compassionateinquiry.com/online-training/ In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Dr. Gabor Maté: https://amzn.to/3ajx3JV The Wisdom of Trauma Documentary: https://wisdomoftrauma.com/ Gabor’s website: www.drgabormate.com. IFS Institute Website: https://ifs-institute.com/ IFS Institute Online Circle: https://bit.ly/ifs-online-circle IFS Annual Conference: https://ifs-institute.com/annual-conference Greater than the Sum of Our Parts - Dr. Richard Schwartz: https://amzn.to/3lnJNFJ The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk: https://amzn.to/3oGf20Z What Happened to You - Oprah Winfrey & Dr. Bruce Perry: https://amzn.to/2YwcNSC Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

In this ‘Meeting of the Minds’ session, we explore the transformative potential of “The Overview Effect” and Self Transcendent experiences - both for individuals and society at large. You’ll learn about the effects these experiences have on those who undergo them, including astronauts who view the earth from space for the first time, and people experimenting with psychedelics. Specifically, we discuss the therapeutic potential of self-transcendent experiences, what might be happening in the brain while we are having them, and how modern technology (including Virtual Reality) may enable us to enjoy the benefits of self-transcendence, without having to leave the Earth. The speakers for this session were Dr Annahita Nezami, Frank White, and Dr David Yaden. Annahita is a counseling psychologist providing psychological consultation, assessment and therapy to organisations, individuals, and couples. Her areas of interest include space psychology, higher states of consciousness, wellbeing, performance, neuropsychology and trauma. She is also the founder of VR Overview Effect; the first tech-based multi-sensory company that designs and researches treatments based on the self-transcendent experience of the Overview Effect. Frank White is a space philosopher who has authored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration, climate change, and artificial intelligence. His best-known work, “The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution”, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space exploration, and the fourth edition was published earlier this year. A film called “Overview,” based largely on his work has had nearly 8 million plays on Vimeo. Dr David Yaden is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medicine working in The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. His research focus is on the psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and psychopharmacology of spiritual, self-transcendent, and positively transformative experiences triggered with psychedelic substances and through other means. Specifically, he is interested in understanding how these experiences can result in long-term changes to well-being and how they temporarily alter fundamental faculties of consciousness such as the sense of time, space, and self. His scientific work has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, and NPR. Links: Annahita’ website: https://annahitanezami.com/ Frank’s website: https://frankwhiteauthor.com/ David’s website: https://davidbryceyaden.com/ Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

What is compassion? How is it beneficial for people? And how can it be harnessed directly as part of therapy? In this talk, we’ll take a look at some of the key theories underneath and practices of CFT, and see how this can be a powerful way of working with distress and suffering. This presentation will help you learn some of the key basics of CFT, and have an opportunity to try out a few CFT interventions and see how these may be useful. At the end of the workshop, you’ll have a better sense of what CFT is, how it can be helpful, and hopefully energise you to find out more about CFT in the future! --- Dr Chris Irons, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist, and Director at Balanced Minds, an independent psychology practice in London set up to bring compassion-focused approaches to individuals and organisations in London and the UK. In his clinical work, he uses Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT; Gilbert, 2009; Gilbert & Irons, 2005) in working with people suffering from a variety of mental health problems, but also in bringing these ideas to the general public. He is an internationally recognised trainer and supervisor of CFT, and the author of a number of CFT books, including: “The Compassionate Mind Workbook”, “CFT from the Inside Out” and “CFT for Difficult Emotions”. Chris also works with the Compassionate Mind Foundation, a charitable organisation aiming to: “Promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion”. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Chris’s website: https://balancedminds.com/dr-chris-irons/ - Dr Chris’s books: https://amzn.to/3oTF1il

For many, facing the existential threat of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has been a shared traumatic experience – a kind of collective trauma. What exactly is collective trauma, what are the different kinds, and what effects do they have on us? How can they impact our beliefs and narratives, and how do posttraumatic narratives and beliefs perpetuate collective trauma going forward? How might we instead be able to utilize this period as a time of emotional and social enrichment, even while we may be experiencing anger and grief? Synthesizing both academic research on trauma and lessons from indigenous teachers, Sousan will be sharing a concrete framework for developing capacities that will not only allow us to heal but create new potentialities for ourselves and our communities going forward. —- Dr. Sousan Abadian earned a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University, an M.P.A. in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School, and an M.A. in the Anthropology of Social Change and Development, also from Harvard University. Her earlier research on healing the effects of long-standing collective trauma and cultural damage, a key contributing factor in violence and impoverishment, was described by Nobel laureate in economics Amartya Sen as “pioneering” and “highly original.” She now has an independent practice teaching, speaking, and consulting internationally on leadership, innovation, culture change, and her A.R.I.A. principles. She builds on her earlier work at Cambridge Leadership Associates facilitating workshops and speaking on Adaptive Leadership. Between June 2017-June 2019, Dr. Abadian served as a Franklin Fellow at the U.S. State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Her portfolio included preventing violent extremism, rights of religious minorities in the Middle East and South Asia, gender issues, atrocity prevention, and cultural restoration. She has also served as a Fellow at M.I.T.’s Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values as well as at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. More information can be found at www.sousanabadian.com —- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Sousan’s website: https://www.sousanabadian.com/

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 85 scientific papers and 14 books. He is a leading researcher into anomalous phenomena and was named among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders for 2013. He studied biology and biochemistry at Cambridge University where he earned his Ph.D., followed by a fellowship at Harvard where he spent a year studying philosophy and history. In this session, we discuss Rupert’s latest work on scientific approaches to spirituality, why they work, how they improve psychological wellbeing, and how you can use them - even if you do not identify with any kind of religion. Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5

Human beings have evolved to be highly adaptable creatures, psychologically and physiologically. From moment to moment we continually monitor the social and physical environment in order to assess opportunities or threats that lie ahead; and we change the face we present to the world accordingly. In this talk I’ll explain how these adjustments to personality, mental and physical health can occur without our knowing it, as we respond instinctively to environmental cues. But of course we may sometimes get it wrong. We may be deceived by accidental or deliberate disinformation into forming a false picture of our prospects. Or we may be misled by information that – in evolutionary terms – is simply out of date. I’ll show how this explains not only the placebo effect, but much else about the misfit between human nature and the modern environment. --- Nicholas Humphrey is a theoretical psychologist, based in Cambridge, who is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. His interests are wide ranging. He studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey in Rwanda, he was the first to demonstrate the existence of “blindsight” after brain damage in monkeys, he proposed the celebrated theory of the “social function of intellect”, and he is the only scientist ever to edit the literary journal Granta. His books include Consciousness Regained, The Inner Eye, A History of the Mind, Leaps of Faith, The Mind Made Flesh, Seeing Red and most recently Soul Dust. He has been the recipient of several honours, including the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize, the British Psychological Society’s book award, the Pufendorf Medal and the International Mind and Brain Prize . He has been Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford, Assistant Director of the Subdepartment of Animal Behaviour at Cambridge, Senior Research Fellow in Parapsychology at Cambridge, Professor of Psychology at the New School for Social Research, New York, and School Professor at the London School of Economics. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor Humphrey’s website: http://www.humphrey.org.uk/ - Professor Humphrey’s books: https://amzn.to/2TQVGWp

Your personality is the set of basic traits that makes you you, influencing your habits of thought and behaviour. But how fixed are they? The great American psychologist William James said that our personality is set like plaster by age 30. But new findings show that while there is a degree of stability in our traits, we also continue to change in meaningful ways through our lives – our personalities are more like plastic than plaster. In this talk, psychologist and author Dr Christian Jarrett will explore the pros and cons of the main personality traits, the role they play in shaping our lives, how your traits are likely to change as you age and in response to different experiences. But we don’t have to be passive: you’ll also discover evidence-based ways that you can deliberately change your personality. Dr Christian Jarrett is a psychologist and author of Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change. A cognitive neuroscientist by training, Christian is currently the Deputy Editor of Psyche Magazine, and was the Editor of the award-winning BPS Research Digest Blog for sixteen years until July 2019. He writes regularly for the BBC, 99U and his TED-ED lesson has been viewed over 500,000 times. He writes regularly for the BBC, 99U and his TED-ED lesson has been viewed over 1.8 million times. Links: Get a copy of Dr Jarrett's new book "Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change": https://amzn.to/2Q8XFGX Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Dr Jarrett's website: https://psychologywriter.org.uk/ - Follow Dr Jarrett on twitter: @Psych_Writer - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

The Science of Diversity is a method of teaching universal, scientific reasoning as a tool to overcome dialog barriers and move forward in polarizing conversations. This method addresses fundamental weaknesses in the way we communicate and provide learners with the necessary skills to approach conversations about diversity issues scientifically. People do not always think of scientific reasoning as a path to understanding in emotionally charged conflicts. However, the nature of scientific reasoning causes us to pause, reflect, look to data for insight and reach scientific consensus. The Science of Diversity method recognizes that in order to comprehend the complexities of our biases, it is necessary to understand their biological and psychological underpinnings. Many of the current agenda driven diversity and racial sensitivity programs have failed to recognize that people have biases deeply rooted in their personal memories and histories. The Science of Diversity method stands out from such programs by recognizing that commanding people to get rid of their biases is often akin to asking them to shed their very legacies and identities. Diversity issues are nuanced, but without the ability to have truly open discussions, people will not feel safe to express their ideas, and real understanding and growth cannot be achieved. This session will help participants to: - Differentiate between the Science of Diversity method and traditional diversity approaches - Understand the psychological process of the intergenerational transmission of injustice - Examine the legacy of injustice & polarization. --- Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark is an award-winning professor, researcher, and author. Her work on the science of diversity® has received global recognition, and she is widely recognized as a leading expert on diversity, inclusion, and polarized groups. Dr Weissmark is best known for her groundbreaking social experiment of bringing together descendants of slaves and slaveowners, and descendants of Holocaust survivors and Nazis at Harvard University. She teaches the ‘Psychology of Diversity’ course and conducts research on the science of diversity at Harvard, and her work has been featured in major publications such as the New York Times, The Guardian, JUF News, Harvard Magazine and many others. Marcelle Giovannetti is a full time Assistant Professor in Messiah University’s Graduate Counseling Program in Pennsylvania, and also works part-time as a clinician in private practice at Purposefully Soaring LLC. She has presented on numerous occasions at national, regional, state and local conferences. Marcelle serves as a Teaching Assistant to Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark in the Psychology of Diversity course taught at Harvard. Brian Chin, one of Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark’s research and teaching assistants, is a current graduate student at Harvard University. Brian graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and also served with distinction in the U.S Army (2011-2019) as an enlisted soldier specializing in Psychological Operations, a branch of the U.S Army focusing on Psychological Warfare. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Weissmark's website: https://www.weissmark.com/ - Dr Weissmark's book: https://amzn.to/38GiRuY, https://amzn.to/3eWwkQk, https://amzn.to/36sBi3q

Professor Marc Lewis is a neuroscientist, professor, bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading experts on the neuroscience of addiction. In his academic work, he has authored or coauthored more than fifty journal articles, and for many years was a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Toronto before retiring. In recent years, he has focused on making his work more accessible to a wider audience through public talks and interviews. He is the author of two bestselling books on addiction: “Memoirs of an Addicted Brain” and “The Biology of Desire”, a book which Dr Gabor Mate argues “effectively refutes the disease model of addiction.” In this wide ranging conversation, we cover: - Marc’s background and his own early struggles with addiction - Why traumas (particularly in early life) often lead to addictive behaviour - What happens in the brain during addiction - Why internal family systems therapy offers an effective solution - How developing a stronger connection to your “future self” can help overcome addiction And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Marc’s work on his website: www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/ Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Marc’s website: www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/ The Biology of Desire: https://amzn.to/3aBhVsB Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: https://amzn.to/2ZGBjy5

David Sloan Wilson is one of the world’s foremost evolutionary thinkers and a gifted communicator about evolution to the general public. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University in New York. In addition to his teaching and research work, David is President of Prosocial World – an organisation which aims to catalyze positive cultural change to consciously evolve who we are, how we connect with each other, and how we interact with the planet. He is passionate about making evolutionary science more accessible to a wider audience, and in 2019, he was invited to speak with the Dalai Lama about his work. David is the author of several books on evolutionary theory, including: “This View of Life”, “Evolution for Everyone”, “Darwin’s Cathedral”, “Does Altruism Exist?”, and the co-author of “Prosocial”, along with Paul Atkins and Steven Hayes. In this conversation, we discuss some of the key insights and themes from David’s first novel: Atlas Hugged. This book is a must read for anyone interested in evolutionary theory and its implications for how we can best understand human nature, and also how best to live in this world. In the novel, David weaves together a lifetime’s worth of research and academic work into an engaging narrative, which offers science based solutions to some of life’s biggest questions, including how we can solve the problem of excessive individualism, how to create a ‘meaning system’ that is both highly motivating and based on scientific truth at the same time, and how we can use a managed process of cultural evolution to consciously evolve as a society. You can get the novel at: www.atlashugged.world, and learn more about David’s work at www.darwinianrevolution.com. Links: Get a copy of Atlas Hugged: https://atlashugged.world/​ This View of Life: https://amzn.to/323MrWA​ TVOL Magazine: https://thisviewoflife.com/​ Prosocial World: www.prosocial.world David’s books: https://amzn.to/3s31jiN​ Follow David on Twitter @David_S_Wilson Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5​ Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/​ The Invention of Tradition - Eric Hobsbawm: https://amzn.to/3mxBQNe​ The Goodness Paradox - Richard Wrangham: https://amzn.to/3wJBaJt

Roman Krznaric is a bestselling author and one of the UK’s leading philosophers, who is passionate about the power of ideas to transform society. He is a TED speaker, a founding faculty member of the School of Life, the Creator of the World’s First Empathy Museum, and a Research Fellow at the Long Now Foundation. Roman's books include: 'How to Find Fulfilling Work', 'Empathy', 'The Wonderbox' and 'Carpe Diem Regained', and have been published in more than 20 languages. In this conversation, we discuss his most recent book: ‘The Good Ancestor’, which focuses on how to think long term in a short term world. In a wide ranging discussion, we explore: - Why long term thinking may hold the key to solving large scale societal issues such as climate change - How small groups of ‘time rebels’ are slowly starting to influence culture and public policy to the protect the rights of future generations - The psychological barriers to long term thinking, and how to overcome them - Practical ways we can start widening our time horizons And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Roman’s work at www.romankrznaric.com, and follow him on Twitter @romankrznaric. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5​ Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/​ Roman’s book: https://amzn.to/3qTv30L​ Roman’s website: www.romankrznaric.com

Have you ever wondered what exactly DBT is? What are its essential components? What exactly are dialectics and why are they relevant to a psychological therapy? In this presentation, Professor Michaela Swales, an international expert in DBT, introduces you to the essential elements of DBT: underlying theories, treatment structure and treating clinical cases. This presentation is aimed at those who know very little about DBT and who may be considering whether or not it is an appropriate intervention for their context, or for those who have heard about DBT and are curious to know more. There will be an opportunity to discuss the presented material and to assess whether DBT would be a good fit for your organisation or your clinical context. --- Michaela Swales, PhD, is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with BCUHB and Reader in Clinical Psychology on the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme at Bangor University. She trained in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in Seattle in 1994 and 1995 with Marsha Linehan and for twenty years ran a clinical programme for suicidal young people in an inpatient service. After completing specialist supervision in DBT, she became one of the founder members of the UK DBT Training Team in 1997 and Director of the Training Team in 2002. She has trained more than a thousand professionals in DBT, seeding over 400 programmes, in both the UK and further afield. She is the co-author of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: Distinctive Features, which had its second edition published by Routledge in 2016 and Changing Behavior in DBT: Problem-Solving in Action, published by Guilford in 2015. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor Michaela’s website: https://www.dbt-training.co.uk/trainer/michaela-swales/ - Professor Michaela’s book: https://amzn.to/3mgG2iG

We live in a challenging age. With the death of George Floyd, the subsequent marches across the world against racism, the struggles of the #Metoo movement, campaigns for equal rights for the LGBTQ community, and the rise of Disability theorists. Yet, all these efforts towards equality in the face of varying types of oppression speak loudly of the voices of the others and their need to be heard and acknowledged. Within psychotherapy and psychology though, difference and diversity trainings have been slow in turning their considerable talents towards exploring or understanding the experiences of the other, often doing no more than to mirror the wider societal oppressions we all witness daily. This morning session is designed to give facilitators, supervisors, lecturers, and markers an insight into the latest thinking around privilege and otherness within the profession. Drawing upon the idea of intersectionality, this taster presents a more nuanced, psychotherapeutic understanding of difference and diversity. --- Dr Dwight Turner is a psychotherapist, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the School of Applied Social Science at Brighton University. Dr Turner casts an intersectional lens on privilege, supremacy, otherness and social justice. He was invited to deliver the keynote presentation at the BACP’s ‘Working with Diversity’ Conference in 2019. His recent blog post – “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” addressed the anguish and the action that has risen from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and has been widely read by UK and US therapists. Dr Turner’s new book: ‘Linking Intersectional Theory of Privilege and Otherness to Counselling and Psychotherapy’ will be published by Routledge. You can keep up to date with his work and latest blog posts at: https://www.dwightturnercounselling.co.uk/ and follow him on twitter @Dturner300. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Dwight’s website: https://www.dwightturnercounselling.co.uk/ - Dr Dwight’s books: https://amzn.to/38IRb8W, https://amzn.to/2UnYM4n, https://amzn.to/35uCDYj

Ever wondered why identical twins become less alike as they age, even developing different diseases? Why are the cells of your skin so different from the cells of your kidneys, even though they contain exactly the same DNA? The answer lies in epigenetics, an extra layer of information on top of genes, that controls how the genetic script gets used. It’s the link between nature and nurture and it’s important in a huge range of biological processes. It explains why tortoiseshell cats are almost always female, and why global warming is leading to catastrophic skewing of the sex ratios in turtle populations. Drug companies are investing billions of dollars in creating new therapies for cancer, using their knowledge of how epigenetic problems can drive this disease. Most weirdly of all, the epigenetic system can be a means by which responses to the environment get passed down through generations, without any change in DNA. It’s a wonderful, strange, fascinating and sometimes controversial science, and it affects us all. --- Dr Nessa Carey is a biologist working in the field of molecular biology and biotechnology. She is International Director of the technology transfer organisation PraxisUnico and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. With expertise in the field of epigenetics and in technology transfer, she promotes the movement of scientists between academia and industry, lecturing often to school students and early career scientists. Dr Carey writes books and articles for a scientifically interested general audience, and contributes to the Huffington Post. She is the author of The Epigenetics Revolution and Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome which explore advances in the field of epigenetics and their implications for medicine. You can find out more about her work at www.nessacarey.co.uk. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Carey’s website: http://www.nessacarey.co.uk/ - Dr Carey’s books: https://amzn.to/3mAdwcm

Professor Jean-Louis Monestès is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Grenoble in France, and a leading thinker into the application of evolutionary principles in psychology. He has published several chapters on evolutionary processes in clinical psychology with Steven Hayes and David Sloan Wilson, as well as articles and books on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory. In this conversation, we explore: - Why evolutionary theory can be a powerful model for effective psychotherapy - How evolutionary principles can be applied for improving outcomes in clinical work - The link between evolution, acceptance and commitment therapy and the psychological flexibility model And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Jean Louis’ work on his website: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/ Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Jean Louis’ website: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/ Jean Louis’ workshop: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/en/darwin-as-your-clinical-supervisor-2/ Evolution and Contextual Behavioural Science: https://amzn.to/3d4qjlQ

This will be the first in a series of ‘meeting of the minds’ discussions, where we bring together leading thinkers to share perspectives on a topic of mutual interest. In this discussion, we explore the relationship between evolutionary science and clinical psychology and psychotherapy, why there needs to be greater integration between the fields, the crossover between ACT and CFT, and the role psychology can play in informing our approach to wider scale societal issues such as COVID-19 and climate change. Professor Paul Gilbert, OBE is a British clinical psychologist, the founder of compassion focused therapy (CFT), compassionate mind training (CMT) and author of books such as The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life’s Challenges, Overcoming Depression. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology for over 40 years with a special focus on the roles of mood, shame and self-criticism in various mental health difficulties for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. Professor Gilbert has written/edited 21 books and over 200 papers. Professor Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada. The author of forty-three books and more than six hundred scientific articles, he has served as president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and is one of the most cited psychologists in the world. Dr. Hayes initiated the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and of Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the approach to cognition on which ACT is based. Dr Dennis Tirch is a Founding Director of The Center for Compassion Focused Therapy, the first clinical training center for Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) in the United States. Dr. Tirch has been described as one of the country's foremost leaders in compassion training in evidence-based psychotherapy. He is an internationally acknowledged expert therapist, supervisor and trainer in CFT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Buddhist Psychology (BP). Dr. Tirch is an author of 6 books, and numerous chapters and peer reviewed articles on mindfulness, acceptance and compassion in psychotherapy. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Evolution and Contextual Behavioural Science - Prof Steven Hayes: https://amzn.to/3d4qjlQ Living Like Crazy - Paul Gilbert: https://amzn.to/2LMvn3a The Reith Lectures: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9 Donate to: http://nokidhungry.org Learn about the Prosocial process: https://prosocial.world Prof Hayes’ website: https://stevenchayes.com Prof Gilbert’s website: https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/ Dr Tirch’s website: http://www.mindfulcompassion.com/

Dr Paul Atkins, PhD is an organisational psychologist, author and the co-developer of The Prosocial Process along with Steven Hayes and David Sloan Wilson. This unique approach draws from the Nobel prize winning economic theory of Lin Ostrom, evolutionary science, and the psychology of behaviour change to offer a practical framework for creating highly effective, inclusive and cooperative teams - in all walks of life. In this interview, we cover: - The evolutionary science behind why human beings are fundamentally a cooperative species - Lin Ostrom’s 8 Nobel prize winning core design principles and how you can apply them to increase the effectiveness of the groups you are a member of - A practical tool for creating a strong sense of group purpose and identity in any team and why this is vital And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Paul’s work and the Prosocial Process at www.prosocial.world and you can get the book here: https://www.newharbinger.com/prosocial Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Perceptions Matter: the Common Cause UK Values Survey: https://valuesandframes.org/values-in-action/survey The Personal Noticing Matrix discussed in the interview: http://bit.ly/prosocial-matrix ACBS: https://contextualscience.org/ Prosocial book: https://amzn.to/3hA9Cyb

Dr John Vervaeke Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the author and presenter of the YouTube series: Awakening from the Meaning Crisis. The depth and breadth of John’s knowledge are extensive which is reflected in the wide range of subjects he teaches. His courses include cognitive science, Buddhism, psychology and mental health, cognitive development, the psychology of wisdom, and many others. Over the past few years he has focused on taking his knowledge outside of academia and making it more accessible to the wider world, mainly via his hit YouTube series ‘Awakening from the Meaning Crisis’, which explores the historical causes of the meaning crisis our culture is currently experiencing, and offers some solutions too. John believes strongly in the power of dialogue to transform both individuals and culture, and spends a lot of his time engaging in meaningful conversations with other key thinkers in the field, including Jordan Peterson, Iain McGilchrist, Tim Freke, and others. He is the author of the book: Zombies in Western Culture: A 21st Century Crisis, which integrates Psychology and Cognitive Science to address the meaning crisis in Western society. You can learn more about John’s work on his website: www.johnvervaeke.com and follow him on Twitter @vervaeke_john. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Zombies in Western Culture - John Vervaeke: https://amzn.to/3rgcftl The Perennial Philosophy - Arthur Versluis: https://amzn.to/2YHW37Q Platonic Mysticism - Arthur Versluis: https://amzn.to/2YHcz84 Transformative Experience - L.A. Paul: https://amzn.to/3rmduY7 Voices with Vervaeke: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh8TPRarb1FpwP7FSaUILC9 John’s Awakening from the Meaning Crisis Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJ John’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/johnvervaeke Diagnosing the Current Age: A Symptomology of the Meaning Crisis: http://bit.ly/3oJlSPA

Online social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be seen as a virtual extension of our psychological and emotional selves. They also happen to be an essential technology that mediates our relationships in contemporary society. The architecture of different online social networking sites enable certain aspects of self-expression while inhibiting others. The consequence is that self-expression and online relationships are necessarily altered by what different online social networking sites can or cannot do. Drawing on insights from his book The Psychodynamics of Social Networking: connected-up instantaneous culture and the self, Dr. Balick will be exploring how online social networking mediates self-expression and interpersonal relationships today. This seminar is an application of contemporary relational psychoanalysis and other related disciplines to modern technology. In this model, online social networking is seen as a product and deployment, however, faulty, of the basic human unconscious motivation to relate to others. The way in which this motivation is mediated through these platforms has important consequences for individuals, relationships to others, and society as a whole. --- Aaron Balick, PhD is a psychotherapist, cultural theorist and author applying ideas from depth psychology to culture and technology. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Department for Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies at the University of Essex (UK). He is a founding member and former executive chair of The Relational School UK. His books include ‘The Psychodynamics of Social Networking: Connected-up Instantaneous Culture and the Self’ and the illustrated children’s self-help book: ‘Keep Your Cool: How to Deal with Life’s Worries and Stress’. ‘The Little Book of Calm’ was released in January of 2018. Aaron is the director of Stillpoint Spaces, a psychology, co-working, therapy, and events hub in London. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Aaron Balick’s website: https://www.aaronbalick.com - Dr Aaron Balick’s Book: https://amzn.to/32QzXTr

Why is the incidence of mental illness in the UK twice that in Germany? Why are Americans three times more likely than the Dutch to develop gambling problems? Why is child well-being so much worse in New Zealand than Japan? The answer to all of these questions, hinges on inequality. This talk will explore how inequality affects us individually, how it alters how we think, feel and behave. You’ll learn about the overwhelming evidence showing that material inequalities have powerful psychological effects: when the gap between rich and poor increases, so does the tendency to define and value ourselves and others in terms of superiority and inferiority. The speakers will then go on to demonstrate that societies based on fundamental equalities, sharing and reciprocity generate much higher levels of well-being, and lay out a path towards making them a reality. Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York and leads the Public Health and Society research group. She is the co-author of The Spirit Level and The Inner Level, with Richard Wilkinson, and her work addresses the social determinants of health and well-being. She was a National Institute for Health Research Career Scientist from 2007-2012, is a Fellow of the RSA and a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health. Richard Wilkinson is a British social epidemiologist, author, advocate, and political activist. He is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, having retired in 2008. He is also Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London and Visiting Professor at University of York. In 2009, Richard co-founded The Equality Trust and was awarded the Charles Cully Memorial Medal in 2014 by the Irish Cancer Society. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Kate & Richard’s books: https://amzn.to/37RwoNY

The most basic aspects of our psychology were shaped by the “social leap” our distant ancestors made from the rainforest to the savannah. In their struggle to survive on the open grassland, our ancestors prioritized cooperation and teamwork over physical prowess, creating a new form of social intelligence that set the stage for our rise to the top of the food chain. In this talk I trace our evolutionary history over the last six million years to show how events in our distant past guide our lives today. William von Hippel is an evolutionary psychologist and the author of the bestselling book: ‘The Social Leap’. He grew up in Alaska, got his B.A. at Yale and his PhD at the University of Michigan, and then taught for a dozen years at Ohio State University before finding his way to Australia, where he is a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He has published more than a hundred articles, chapters, and edited books, and his research has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, The Economist, the BBC, Le Monde, El Mundo, Der Spiegel, and The Australian. He lives with his wife and two children in Brisbane, Australia. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor von Hippel’s book: https://amzn.to/31glOP0 - Two Monkeys Were Paid Unequally: Excerpt from Frans de Waal's TED Talk: https://youtu.be/meiU6TxysCg

Martin Wilks is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, and is a registered applied psychology practice supervisor. Martin specialises as an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Practitioner, and in this interview, we discuss some of the core ideas of the approach, psychological flexibility, the benefits of living a values based life, and the link between ACT and ‘The Ecological Self’. You can learn more about Martin’s work on his website: www.martinwilks.com.

The traditional use of psychoactive plants and fungi for spiritual and shamanic purposes has occurred for thousands of years, whereas the Western scientific research of these substances has only been explored in the last 100 years or so, and prohibition stalled 50 years of this. Now that scientific research is resuming, what do psychedelics tell us about the stranger and more exotic side of human consciousness and its connection with the natural world, and what can be learned from the traditional shamanic practices with these substances? Exploring the nature-connectedness, interspecies interactions and eco-consciousness arising from the use of psychedelics this talk considers what can be learned from animism and shamanism in informing both psychology and ecology. Fusing research from parapsychology, transpersonal psychology, ecopsychology, ethnobotany and the scientific investigation of psychedelics a perspective of transpersonal ecopsychology views plant/fungus-human interactions as meaningful, potentially transformative and sorely needed given the current rate of manmade species extinction on Earth. --- Dr David Luke is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College. His research focuses on transpersonal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, especially via psychedelics, having published more than 100 academic papers in this area, including ten books, most recently Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience (2nd ed., 2019). When he is not running clinical drug trials with LSD, conducting DMT field experiments or observing apparent weather control with Mexican shamans he directs the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon at the Institute of Ecotechnics, London, and is a cofounder and director of Breaking Convention: International Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He has given over 300 invited public lectures and conference presentations; won teaching, research and writing awards; organised numerous festivals, conferences, symposia, seminars, retreats, expeditions, pagan cabarets and pilgrimages; and has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, from the perspective of scientists, shamans and Shivaites. He lives life on the edge, of Sussex. --- - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Luke’s book: https://amzn.to/2ADz85p

This lecture will explore the evidence for our changing environment, and suggest that there are significant cognitive biases in how we think about, and act on climate change. It will examine how organisations have attempted to mobilise the public in the fight against climate change, but these initiatives have often failed due to the public’s unwillingness to adapt their behaviour. The talk will also explore why some people deny climate change altogether, and the influence that these climate change deniers can have on global action to mitigate further damage. By analysing our attitudes to the environment, Professor Beattie will argue that we must think differently about climate change to protect our planet, as a matter of great urgency. --- Professor Geoffrey Beattie, PhD, is an internationally acclaimed psychologist, author and broadcaster. He is Professor of Psychology at Edge Hill University and in recent years a Masters supervisor on the Sustainability Leadership Programme at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was Professor of Psychology at the University of Manchester from 1994-2012. He was awarded the Spearman Medal by the British Psychological Society for ‘published psychological research of outstanding merit’ and the internationally acclaimed Mouton d’Or for his work in semiotics. He is both a Chartered Psychologist and a Chartered Scientist. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an ex-President of the Psychology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (B.A.). You can learn more about his work at: www.geoffbeattie.com/ --- - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Prof Beattie’s website: https://geoffbeattie.com/ - Prof Beattie’s book: https://amzn.to/3gDOlCW

Friedrich Nietzsche was a fascinating, eccentric, and sometimes controversial philosopher in the Existential and Nihilist tradition. In this lecture, we will look at his literary works and his personal life, as well as the impact of his legacy on the world. You’ll learn: – How can Nietzsche help us live more authentically? – Who was he and how did this inform his philosophy? – What is his legacy – in philosophy, to individuals, and in media? Together we will translate philosophical theory into life practice, always with a critical lens. --- Sasha is the course leader of the MA in Existential Coaching at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London. She has a background in performance, having worked professionally as a presenter and actor. Sasha has coached many creative artists including fashion designers, writers and singers, helping them to find inspiration, confidence and a strong sense of what they wish to share with the world and how. She is particularly interested in providing a safe space for neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ individuals, and has a special interest in working with these groups. You can find out more about Sasha’s work at: https://sashasmithcoaching.com/ Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-lectures - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Sasha’s website: https://sashasmithcoaching.com/

The sciences are pointing toward a new sense of a living world. The cosmos is like a developing organism, and so is our planet, Gaia. The laws of Nature may be more like habits. Partly as a result of the ‘hard problem’ of finding space for human consciousness in the materialist worldview, there is a renewed interest in panpsychist philosophies, according to which some form of mind, experience or consciousness is associated with all self-organizing systems, including atoms, molecules and plants. Maybe the sun is conscious, and so are other stars, and entire galaxies. If so, what about the mind of the universe as a whole? Rupert Sheldrake will explore some of the implications of this idea. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 85 scientific papers, and was named among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders for 2013. He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University, where he was a Scholar of Clare College, took a double first class honours degree and was awarded the University Botany Prize in 1963. Dr Sheldrake then studied philosophy and the history of science at Harvard before returning to Cambridge, where he took a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1967. He is the author of 13 books, and in 2012 he published ‘The Science Delusion’. This book examines the ten dogmas of modern science, and shows how they can be turned into questions that open up new vistas of scientific possibility. It received the Book of the Year Award from the British Scientific and Medical Network. His most recent book: ‘Ways To Go Beyond, And Why They Work’ was published in 2019, and looks at seven spiritual practices that are personally transformative and have scientifically measurable effects. You can keep up to date with Rupert’s work on his website: www.sheldrake.org. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Rupert’s website: http://sheldrake.org/ - Rupert’s books: https://amzn.to/2Gbvijy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is perhaps the most evidence-based therapy for emotional problems. It was directly inspired by Stoicism, an ancient Greek and Roman philosophy which teaches people how to take care of their minds and souls. In this talk, Philosopher Jules Evans will look at practical methods from Stoicism and CBT to help cope with adversity and find resilience even in emergencies. Jules Evans is Policy Director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London and a leading researcher into ecstatic experience. He also runs the world’s biggest philosophy club, the London Philosophy Club, which has over 6,000 members. Jules’ first book, Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations was published in 19 countries and was selected by Matthew Syed as a Times Book of the Year. He has written for The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, Spectator and WIRED and is a BBC New Generation Thinker. You can keep up to date with Jules’ work on his website: www.philosophyforlife.org. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-lectures - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Jules’ website: www.philosophyforlife.org - Jules’ books: https://amzn.to/357LkpT

It has become customary to talk about consciousness as the great unsolved problem of our age. I argue that consciousness itself is not the problem; the problem is our customary mode of thinking. I will outline the thesis of a new book, The Matter with Things, in which I suggest that, because of our allegiance to a certain model of the world, demonstrably associated with the left hemisphere of the brain, we misunderstand the fundamental nature of the world, and as a result run into predictable problems in trying to make sense of it. These problems are in evidence all around us in the modern West. For the purposes of this talk I will focus on the relationship between matter and consciousness, and ask: are they two things or one? Are they things at all? If they are different in what way? How necessary are brains to consciousness? And why do we have consciousness at all? Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. Dr McGilchrist has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and numerous podcasts, and interviews on YouTube, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He is currently working on his latest book: The Matter With Things, a book of epistemology and metaphysics, to be published by Penguin/Random House. You can keep up to date with his work at www.iainmcgilchrist.com. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr McGilchrist’s website: https://amzn.to/2IcAnIM - Dr McGilchrist’s books: https://iainmcgilchrist.com/

Dr Benjamin Hardy is an organisational psychologist, entrepreneur, TED speaker and bestselling author, with an interesting story to tell. He went from being broke and sleeping on his cousin’s sofa at the age of 20, to completing a PhD, building a 7 figure business, and becoming the #1 writer in the world on Medium.com. Ben and his wife Lauren adopted three children from the foster system in February 2018, and one month later, Lauren got pregnant with twins who were born in December 2018 - so almost over night, he went from a situation of having no kids, to suddenly having five. His first book: ‘Willpower Doesn’t Work’ debunks the willpower myth, and explores how proactively shaping your environment is the key to achieving your goals and thriving in today’s fast paced, information-overloaded world. His latest book is called ‘Personality Isn’t Permanent’ and was released this week. It explores the latest groundbreaking research in the psychology of personality, and how you can use this information to design your ideal future and break free from self limiting beliefs and false cultural myths. This is a game changing book that has the potential to dramatically improve the life of anyone who reads it. You can find out more about Benjamin’s work on his website: http://benjaminhardy.com and get the book here: https://bit.ly/2MNOp5Z Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Dr Hardy’s book: https://amzn.to/3a3567v Dr Hardy’s website: http://benjaminhardy.com

Have you ever come up with amazing New Year’s resolutions such as losing extra weight, starting saving up money, starting your own business, exercising regularly, changing your career, eating much healthier or quitting smoking? You pumped yourself up with great enthusiasm and thought things are going to be very different this year. Fast forward – what happened a month down the line? If you are like the majority of us, you’ve probably gone back to where you started. We form habits subconsciously without even realising it and yet we often struggle to change them. Although our brains have an enormous ability to change (neuroplasticity), following old habits require much less energy and effort. Also, our brains resist a sudden change and we get emotional conform from following the same old ways. Therefore, creating a lasting behavioural change is not easy. If you are fed up with this yo-yo effect and want to gradually create a lasting change, then you might want to consider learning from a neuroscientist and performance coach Dr Gabija Toleikyte about what conditions does your brain need to activate neuroplasticity and create a lasting behavioural change. In this talk you will learn: Which parts of the brain are responsible for creating and maintaining old habits? Which parts of the brain are required for creating a lasting change? What is neuroplasticity and when is it active? A brain-based explanation on why we fall back to old habits Brain-based practical tips on how to create lasting behavioural changes. Recommended reading: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge Brain Rules by John Medina Mindset by Carol Dweck Dr Gabija Toleikyte is a neuroscientist and business coach. She completed her PhD at the University College London on the neuronal basis of memory and navigation. During her PhD, Gabija acquired a business coach qualification and worked as an internal coach at UCL for senior academics and administrative staff. Combining coaching experience with neuroscience insights allows Gabija to develop unique seminars, where solid neuroscience research is presented in the context of the topics relevant for individuals and organisations. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Gabija's website: http://www.mybrainduringtheday.com/

If you are living your life right, then a time will come when you sense the need to grow and fulfil your potential. Yet we can find ourselves poorly equipped to move ourselves forward, and seek insight in our stuckness through running inventories of our skills and experiences. Even less helpful, we ask ourselves “What do I want?”, and stare into a chasm of uncertainty and confusion, led by scripts of what we “should” be and do. But the quality of our answers and our lives lie in the questions we ask and live. Success is less about a job title that fits, but alignment between our authentic selves and how we show up in the world. In a practical journey of self-reflection to align yourself and set meaningful goals, you will work through interactive exercises and there will also be time to reflect on what you’ve learnt. You will leave the day energised and inspired, with notes on your values and motivations and an action plan for your next steps. --- Fiona is a Life & Leadership Coach, facilitator and author, passionate about helping people develop deeper, wiser leadership of themselves. She is delighted to count world-leading business and cultural organizations among her clients, including The Wall Street Journal, Alexander McQueen and Viacom. In addition to her coaching and facilitation practice, she leads workshops on authentic leadership, runs Guardian Masterclasses and contributes to The Guardian, the Independent and Psychologies. She is also a guest lecturer in Coaching at Birkbeck University of London. Her book The Thoughtful Leader is published in 2021. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-lectures - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Fiona’s website: http://www.fionabucklandcoaching.com/

Intention underpins your every action and already influences every aspect of your life. Whether you dream of changing the world, escaping the rat race, earning a monthly five-figure income, living more and working less, or finding happiness, intention will play a vital role. Over the last five years, author and speaker Juliet Adams has researched the science that underpins intention. Recent research highlights the powerful role that intention plays in transforming a desire or wish into reality, and that intention is a cognitive skill that can be learned. This talk will offer an evidence informed, practical guide that will enable you to consciously focus your intention to get the things you most want from life, without the need for a guru! You’ll learn about the fascinating science that underpins intention, and how to apply it to start living the life you really want. -- Juliet Adams is Director of ‘A Head for Work’. She specialises in Leadership and Workplaceproductivity, helping individuals and their organisations thrive in times of change and uncertainty. She is a major driving force for mindfulness in the workplace internationally, recently delivering workshops and keynotes in the UK, Netherlands, the USA and China. Juliet has been working in the field of leadership and organisational development for the last 25 years. Her unique approach is based on the latest neuroscience, leadership and intention research findings. Her passion is transforming the way individuals and organisations think, behave, and perform. Mindfulness is at the heart of her work due to its effectiveness in increasing awareness of behaviour and mind-sets – providing the foundation for lasting behaviour change. Juliet’s best selling books, master classes, and workshops have helped thousands of people across the world to focus their attention, manage their minds, and discover new, more effective ways of living and working. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-lectures - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Juliet’s website: https://www.aheadforwork.com/ - Juliet’s book: https://amzn.to/2WCjb7v

Why should aspirin be expensive? Why are branded analgesics more effective? The psychologist Nicholas Humphrey argues that placebos work by prompting the body to invest more of its limited resources in recovery. He believes that human immune systems evolved for an environment much harsher than the one we are currently living in, so we have evolved capabilities to ‘trick’ our unconscious into believing the conditions for recovery are much more favourable for our immune system to work at full tilt. The ministrations of doctors (witch or NHS), exotic potions (homeopathic or antibiotic), or the caring presence of relatives and friends can all create this benign illusion. Yet policymakers hate the idea of any solution which involves unconscious processes. If you suggested that the NHS invest more in elaborate drugs packaging, they’d have conniptions. Too little is spent researching the placebo effect in proportion to its importance. Why is this? In this talk, Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland will explore how we can hack the amazing power of placebos for changing behaviour; both on a personal, and societal level. Reading Recommendations: Rory is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy in the UK, and the co-founder of a behavioral science practice within the agency. He works with a consulting practice of psychology graduates who look for ‘unseen opportunities’ in consumer behaviour – these are the very small contextual changes which can have enormous effects on the decisions people make – for instance tripling the sales rate of a call centre by adding just a few sentences to the script. Before founding Ogilvy’s behavioral science practice, Rory was a copywriter and creative director at Ogilvy for over 20 years, having joined as a graduate trainee in 1988. He has variously been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Jury at Cannes, and has spoken at TED Global. He writes regular columns for the Spectator, Market Leader and Impact, and also occasional pieces for Wired. He is the author of two books: The Wiki Man, available on Amazon at prices between £1.96 and £2,345.54, depending on whether the algorithm is having a bad day, and Alchemy, The surprising Power of Ideas which don’t make Sense, which was published in the UK and US in March 2019. Rory is married to a vicar and has twin daughters of 17. He lives in the former home of Napoleon III – unfortunately in the attic. He is a trustee of the Benjamin Franklin House in London and of Rochester Cathedral. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Follow Rory on twitter: @rorysutherland - Rory’s books: https://amzn.to/2NERlTx

While Carl Rogers discussed the importance of the ‘core conditions’ in counselling and therapy, clients often claim that what is also therapeutic is being seen at the point of their need rather than at the point of service availability. In this workshop, Professor Dryden will discuss the nature, principles and practice of single-session therapy that has been developed to provide a response to that need and to reflect the fact that the most frequent number of sessions that clients have internationally in publicly-funded therapy is ‘1’. The lecture will make the point that single-session is best viewed as a mindset rather than as an approach and will stress that SST can be practised by therapists using their preferred orientation. Professor Dryden will demonstrate his approach to SST with a volunteer from the audience. Windy Dryden is one of the leading practitioners and trainers in the UK in the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) tradition of psychotherapy. He is best known for his work in Rational-Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RECBT), a leading CBT approach. He has been working in the field of counselling and psychotherapy since 1975 and was one of the first people in Britain to be trained in CBT. Professor Dryden has published over 200 books and has trained therapists all over the world, in as diverse places as the UK, the USA, South Africa, Turkey and Israel. He is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths University of London. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Windy’s website: https://www.windydryden.com/ - Windy’s books: https://amzn.to/33J9GDV

The United Kingdom arguably represents the leading front in the globalised therapeutic culture of ‘mindfulness’. Promoted predominantly as an effective therapeutic technique for the relief of stress, depression, and anxiety, mindfulness has moved rapidly from the Buddhist monasteries of Southeast Asia and into the mainstream of Western societies. In this talk, Dr Steven Stanley, will discuss the multiple ways in which ‘mindfulness’ is made manifest across sectors of health, education, work, politics and spirituality, and analyse the mainstream turn to mindfulness against the background of cutting-edge work at the borderlands of psychology, religion, and spirituality. Dr Steven Stanley is a critical psychologist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, Wales. His academic background is in Psychology, and his research is focused on the therapeutic cultures of late modernity, with a particular focus on social studies of mindfulness. Dr Stanley has a 20-year meditation practice, and has undertaken the two-year Committed Dharma Practitioner Programme at Gaia House, Devon, and Pāli Summer School at Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, Oxford. Currently, he is collaborating internationally on a series of studies of mindfulness, meditation, and mind wandering. You can follow him on twitter @Dr_SteveStanley. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduni... Dr Stanley’s Bio and Publications: http://bit.ly/2KcGS28 The Handbook of Ethical Foundations of Mindfulness: http://bit.ly/2G7vOzr

Juliet Adams is Director of ‘A Head for Work’ and a leading expert in the science and psychology of intention. She specialises in Leadership and Workplace productivity, helping individuals and their organisations thrive in times of change and uncertainty. She is a major driving force for mindfulness in the workplace internationally, recently delivering workshops and keynotes in the UK, Netherlands, the USA and China. Juliet has been working in the field of leadership and organisational development for the last 25 years. Her unique approach is based on the latest neuroscience, leadership and intention research findings. This interview focuses on Juliet’s most recent book: ‘Intention Matters’ which covers the science underpinning intention, how it is a cognitive skill that can be learned, and how to use it to create your ideal future. You can learn more about Juliet’s work at www.aheadforwork.com Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Learn more about Juliet’s work: https://www.aheadforwork.com/ Learn more about Juliet’s book: https://www.intention-matters.com/ See a preview here: https://www.book2look.com/book/fycrRsfdNU

What is life for, existentially? We are born and then we die and our life task is to make something of the time in between with no way of knowing how long we have got. In living towards an unknown future we are challenged daily with the paradox that while life will always be a mystery, it is this that makes life worth living. So, what do we mean when we say that human beings develop, and what are the limits to human potential? In the first part of this talk, Martin will look at what six existential philosophers, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Simone de Beauvoir have said about how we become who we are. In the second part, he will draw out some common themes and relate these to everyday life and by implication, to therapeutic practice. Martin Adams is an existential psychotherapist, lecturer, supervisor and writer. He is a visiting lecturer at Regents University and the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London. Martin is the author of several books, including: ‘A Concise Introduction to Existential Counselling’, ‘Skills in Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy’ which he co-authored with Emmy van Deurzen, and most recently: An Existential Approach to Human Development’, which was published by Palgrave in 2018. He has contributed to Case Studies in Existential Therapy and to the Wiley World Handbook for Existential Therapy. In his spare time, he is also a sculptor. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Check out Martin’s books: https://amzn.to/2MdRdso

Positive psychology, or the ‘science of optimal human functioning’ as it was originally termed by psychologists Dr Martin Seligman and Dr Mihalyi Cziskmihayli, emerged at the turn of this century as a focus of scientific research. Traditionally the field of psychology had predominantly studied how the mind worked and how it goes wrong i.e. the causes, cures and management of psychological dysfunction. Although this was important, it wasn’t the full picture. Relatively little research attention had been given to what enables human beings to both feel and function at their best and if and why that really matters. In the last twenty years however, there has been an exponential increase in the publication of peer reviewed studies in this area. A growing evidence base is emerging that can help us understand how we can make the most of ourselves, live happy and fulfilling lives and enable our societies to flourish. In this talk, Vanessa King will provide an overview of some key concepts from positive psychology and some practical ways these can be applied to help you realise more of your potential, and also how to help others do the same. Vanessa is an author, speaker and Board member of Action for Happiness, the leading UK-based not-for-profit that focuses on proactively building skills for psychological wellbeing and resilience. She leads the translation of psychological research into practical action for individuals, organisations and communities, as well as Action for Happiness’ consulting work with organisations. She is one of a small group people globally to have completed a Masters degree in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, studying under Martin Seligman, Adam Grant, and Mihalyi Csikzentmihalyi. She speaks internationally, and has given two TEDx talks as well as a Guardian Masterclass. Her work has been featured in the Sunday Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Sunday Express, and the Huffington Post. Vanesa is the author of two books on positive psychology: The 10 Keys to Happier Living, and 50 Ways to Feel Happy. You can follow her on twitter @changespace Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Check out Vanessa’s books: https://amzn.to/2VhrcN0 - Action for Happiness website: https://www.actionforhappiness.org/

In this lecture, we will look at Jung’s theory of individuation, where he maps out a path of psychological personality development that, ideally, culminates in greater self-knowledge. Intricately linked to this process is a gradual unfolding of the archetypal Self, which can be understood as an ideal image that both drives and is the end goal of individuation. While this lecture seeks to provide an in-depth introduction to this central concept in Jung’s psychology, we will also ask some important critical questions: Is individuation an elitist endeavour? Can individuation be achieved without being in relationship to others? Most importantly, is individuation, as Jung conceived it, still possible in our hi-tech and digitally connected world? Dr Kevin Lu, PhD, is Director of Graduate Studies and Director of the MA Jungian and Post-Jungian Studies in the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the International Association for Jungian Studies. Dr. Lu’s publications include articles and chapters on Jung’s relationship to the discipline of history, critical assessments of the theory of cultural complexes, and Jungian perspectives on graphic novels and their adaptation to film. Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Want to give a Weekend University experience as a gift to someone else? Check out our gift vouchers: http://bit.ly/twu-vouchers - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Information on the MA in Jungian & Post Jungian Studies: https://vimeo.com/67385596