Adam Blatner
Words and Images from the Mind of Adam Blatner
January, 2011
Drama Therapy and Psychodrama: How They Belong
Last month I responded to an email announcing a workshop for psychodramatists and other creative arts therapists titled “Where Do I Belong?" I wrote: You belong in the ranks of the cultural creatives, those seeking to help promote the transformation of consciousness on this planet. We’re at a tipping point of learning how to re-integrate […]
Posted in Current Events, Psychodrama, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry | No Comments »
Compelling Distractions: Another “Service” of the Amplifying Unconscious
In a recent series of blogs I laid out my provisional theory of the amplifying unconscious, a way of speaking about psychic energy that notes its capacity to intensify our intentions, whether they be for good, evil, or what most folks do, which is to pursue childish illusions. To that list I would add a […]
Posted in Essays and Papers, Psychological Literacy, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment »
Watch Your Language: On Self-Scolding
I was talking with a friend who heard a sermon about taking God’s name in vain, and what this conversation reminded me of is that even if one doesn’t believe in the idea that the god of a hundred billion galaxies and more could have what we could ever begin to know of as a […]
Posted in Follies, Psychological Literacy, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment »
Oops: Reflections on Coping with Mistakes
Sometimes I mess up. Not that it’s “my” fault, you understand. I have these foibles. Foibles are sort of mental gremlins that fuzzy my mind and generate errors. It’s their fault, so cut me some slack. Seriously, though, mere exorcism won’t do the job, and what I’m really getting at is that it doesn’t help […]
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Wise-Eldering
Might there be a role for “wise-elders”? The word, “crone” has been used, mainly for a woman wise-elder, and some have included men in that role, but I think wise-elder is more inclusive of both genders. Anyway, at a certain age, gender considerations still obtain—such as for some in the realms of romance and sexuality—; […]
Posted in Psychological Literacy, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment »
The Spectrum of Rational Coordination
The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) stated (as one of my favorite quotes) near the end of his book, Modes of Thought: “…The purpose of philosophy is to rationalize mysticism, not by explaining it away, but by the introduction of novel verbal characterizations, rationally coordinated.” This brief passage has impressed me mightily. (Many of Whitehead’s […]
Posted in Essays and Papers, Spirituality and Philosophy, Wisdom-ing | 1 Comment »
The Amplifying Unconscious (Part 5)
This continues my reflections on what has occurred to me as a parallel, more “powerful” function of the unconscious. Today I’ll talk about dreams, the problem of “control,” and the nature of inspiration. As I’ve noted, this process seems to be more compelling, more able to capture our minds in the web of illusion and […]
Posted in Psychological Literacy, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry, Spirituality and Philosophy | No Comments »
Peter Rabbit: A Critical Analysis
[Explanation: In October, 2009, played the role of “Linus” in a community production of the late 1960s Broadway Musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” based on Charles Schulz’ comic strip, “Peanuts.” I played the part of a rather precocious intellectual child who at the same time was caught up in an infatuation with my […]
Posted in Autobiographical, Foolin Around | No Comments »
The Amplifying Unconscious (Part 4)
However plausible this idea may be in beginning to explain a number of mysteries in psychology and philosophy, it does face a significant obstacle: It doesn’t jibe with the “scientific” world-view of the mid-20th century. I put “scientific” in quotes because really the true spirit of science is not hampered by looking at things it […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
The Amplifying Unconscious (Part 3)
I ended the previous essay (Part 2) about the amplifying unconscious by noting the basic thesis: one of the functions of this type of psychic dynamic is that it amplifies the intensity and speed of the experiences associated with perception, meaning, importance, and the sense of will. However, just because it’s powerful that doesn’t mean […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »