AHPb Magazine for Self & Society,
No. 3 – Summer 2019
Please note: around a third of this magazine is free open access, and the remainder is password protected for subscribers only. AHP subscribers were sent the password with the email magazine on 19/8/2019. For non-subscribers, to gain full access, you can join AHPb here.
Editorial – Richard House
I have great pleasure in introducing the third issue of our AHP online magazine for Self & Society. I hope I’ve assembled another rich feast for members, with our usual range of articles, interviews, event reviews, poetry and book reviews – and even a bit of ephemera that I thought might interest you (in this issue, an extraordinary quotation from the founding president of Facebook). Read more …
Articles
Present Shock: From Fear to Building Commonweal – by Martin Large
Martin Large articulates his notion of disabling ‘present shock’ – consisting of rampant insecurity, anxiety and fear. Our current ‘reality distortion zone’ generates insecurity, with many causes, including global heating, no-deal Brexit, poverty, rising inequality, precarious jobs, debt, poor housing, knife crime, punitive welfare, distrust of politicians and ‘false news’. Martin offers six viable responses to this malaise. Read more …
The Pre and Perinatal Roots of Capitalism – 27 Years on – by David Wasdell
A re-publication of a classic 1992 paper by David Wasdell on how the dynamics of capitalism are intimately related to commonly shared and normally unconscious pre and perinatal experience – with an updating contemporary commentary. Read more …
Merging of Humanistic Psychology and Progressive Politics, Part II – by Elliot Benjamin
Elliot Benjamin presents the second part of his detailed examination of US President Donald Trump, first discussing why Trump’s rhetoric is especially dangerous, and may have led to significant increases in violence. The impact of politics on mental health in the present political climate of the United States is then searchingly examined. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Pluralistic therapy and William James’s A Pluralistic Universe – by Jay Beichman
Jay Beichman takes us on an informative journey into pluralism according to the great American psychologist and philosopher, William James, For Jay, ‘Practitioners of any kind of therapy calling itself “pluralistic”… cannot be held down to any kind of predetermined system or methodology – as inconvenient as that might be for researchers who want pluralistic therapy to be a static “thing”’. Read more …
How Humanistic Psychology Has Changed My Life – by Jim Robinson
In these, the latest contributions to this regular series, therapist and long-time Self & Society contributor Jim Robinson shares with searing honesty his personal and professional journey through the Humanistic Psychology world and its many creative challenges. For Jim, ‘we need the deepening connection with, and knowledge of, the Absolute to support letting go of our ego with all its compulsive and compensatory structures. …As we do this, we live with more consciousness, more love, and more embodiment.’. (Subscribers only) Read more …
How Humanistic Psychology Has Changed My Life – by Lucy Scurfield
Lucy Scurfield openly shares her personal and professional journey into Humanistic Psychology, and what this discovery has meant in its implications for her working and personal life. For Lucy, ‘Humanistic Psychology has shown me the importance of relationship in the process of developing my sense of self, [helping] me to recognize and appreciate life-affirming experiences…. In this process I have come to appreciate the importance of my own creativity and of taking responsibility for my own life and my part in the evolution of the world around me.’ (Subscribers only) Read more …
Films on Climate Change – by Denis Postle
Film maker, therapist and writer Denis Postle introduces his recently made short films that engage with the theme of climate change and emergency with his usual fearlessness, skill and prescient incisiveness. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Welfare State under Siege… – Letter to the Chief Medical Officer – by Mo Stewart
Here, we reproduce several of Disability Studies Researcher Mo Stewart’s extraordinary letters that speak truth to the power of those who are complicit in the destruction of Britain’s welfare state. One can only be in awe at the thoroughness, attention to detail and sheer relentlessness of Mo’s spirited challenge to those with the positional power to do such damage to the institutions that make our society civilized. Read more …
Facebook’s Founding President Admits Deliberate Creation of Addiction – by Richard House
In a live TV interview, Facebook’s founding president comprehensively lets the cat out of the bag regarding the deliberately addictive hooks that have been carefully built into the Facebook social networking architecture and experience. Readers will no doubt reach their own conclusions. Read more …
Psycho-environmentalism – by Richard House
In this article first written 25 years ago and obscurely published at the time, Richard House proposes a humanistic–psychodynamic paradigm for environmentalism that has, to some extent, stood the test of time. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Shadows of Extinction – by David Wasdell
David Wasdell explores what he sees as the shadow of the Extinction Rebellion movement. All movements arguably need ‘critical friends’ – especially when they’re working at intense and challenging levels of human experience – and you can’t get much more challenging than working at the level of possible human and planetary extinction. David’s work is always provocative – and is especially needed when political and environmental activism can so easily morph into a kind of unconscious acting-out and projection that, at worst, not only doesn’t help anyone, but can even make matters worse. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Interviews
Jay Beichman – interviewed by Richard House
Dr Jay Beichman describes the experience of studying for and writing a Ph.D. in psychotherapy – essential reading for anyone in the field considering undertaking Masters or doctoral level research.
(Subscribers only) Read more …
Keith Tudor – interviewed by Richard House
Professor Keith Tudor takes us on a personal and professional story that illustrates his journey from therapy client to one of Humanistic Psychology’s most important flame-holders and prolific writers. Read more …
Poetry
Jehanne Mehta
A poem inspired in part by the recent Stroud uprising against the 5G roll-out. Read more …
Julian Nangle
The Self & Society poetry editor writes about the most urgent issue of the times, climate change. Read more …
Peter Ryan
According to our poetry editor, ‘an extraordinary and quirky poem’ – interesting and original. Read more …
Event Reviews
AHP Humanistic Cafe with Caroline Brazier – reviewed by Lucy Scurfield
Lucy Scurfield reviews the first-ever AHP Humanistic Psychology café event in the ‘Engaging Our Hearts in Dangerous Times’ series, at which old friend of Self & Society Caroline Brazier spoke inspiringly to the title ‘Greed, Hate and Mega Delusion: Challenging disconnection in the modern age’. (Subscribers only) Read more …
David Wasdell’s Extinction Rebellion Matrix Event – reviewed by Jo Woolley
Jo Woolley insightfully describes her experience of a rich and fruitful Matrix event led by David Wasdell, in the service of Extinction Rebellion. Read more …
AHP Humanistic Cafe with Manu Bazzano – reviewed by Lucy Scurfield
Lucy Scurfield reviews our recent AHP Humanistic Psychology café event, led by Self & Society’s ex stellar book reviews editor, Manu Bazzano. In his talk ‘Against Dialogue’, as always Manu takes no sacred cows for granted, and really gets us to think ‘against the grain’. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Book Reviews
John McDonnell, A Future World Is Possible
Barbara Panvel reviews an inspiring manifesto for socialism written in 2007 by the current shadow chancellor of the exchequer, John McDonnell MP. Read more …
Jay Ramsay, The Dangerous Book
Faysal Mikdadi reviews the extraordinary creation of the late and great activist-poet and psychotherapist, Jay Ramsay – who achieved what no one else would surely have dared attempt – a complete poetic re-writing of the Bible. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Robert Verkaik, Posh Boys
Nick Duffell reviews a very important book that takes no prisoners in examining the nature of Britain’s class-infused public-schools system. Read more …
Dan McKannan, Eco-Alchemy: Anthroposophy and the History and Future of Environmentalism
Martin Large reviews a book offering an anthroposophical (Rudolf Steiner-inspired) perspective on environmentalism climate change. (Subscribers only) Read more …
Adam Greenfield, Radical Technologies
Psychotherapist Dean Andrews reviews a very important new book on the march of the new technologies in modern culture. Read more …
Aaron Balick, The Psychodynamics of Social Networking
Richard House reviews a book that shines a psychoanalytic lens on the unconscious dynamics involved in the increasingly ubiquitous social-networking phenomenon. Read more …
Julian Nangle, Poppy (poems)
Stroud poet Gabriel Millar reviews a new collection of poems ‘of grief and celebration’ by Self & Society poetry editor Julian Nangle, commemorating the life of his dear late daughter, Poppy. (Subscribers only) Read more …
The online ISSN of the AHPb Magazine for Self & Society is 2374-5355.