Culture

May 2, 2013 "Radically accepting the poverty of one’s own life and community while simultaneously depersonalizing it makes possible a certain kind of growth/development – especially if one is simultaneously involved in activities that engage the underdevelopment that accompanies poverty." [caption id="attachment_1506" align="alignleft" width="204"] Lenora B. Fulani[/caption] So says Dr. Lenora Fulani in...

April 23, 2013 A few years ago while doing some teaching in Brazil, I was interviewed (in English) for Internet radio on where social therapeutics comes from and where it’s going. The interview was rich and far-reaching, as I recall—radical therapy,  social constructionism, politics, philosophy, culture, community...

December 19, 2012 “A lot rides on our capacity to be who we’re not.” So remarked Christine LaCerva, director of The Social Therapy Group and the East Side Institute’s clinical training. Christine was one of six who I assembled to address the topic, “The Therapeutic Power of Performance,” at a plenary session...

September 24, 2012 Today I’m going to do some more promotion for Performing the World 2012 (PTW 2012)—because I’m so excited about it! The opening reception on Thursday evening October 4 will be a community welcome to New York—featuring food prepared by dozens of New York City friends; greetings by myself and...

September 13, 2012 It's the last few weeks leading up to the 7th Performing the World gathering taking place October 4-7 at the All Stars Project headquarters on 42 St in NYC. Amidst all the details and fine tuning of schedules and staffing, there's the bigger picture—the historicity of the activity,...

[caption id="attachment_1329" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Poster of the Japanese Society of Developmental Psychology Workshop in Tokyo[/caption] September 10, 2012 “You said performance is an untapped human resource, but Japanese people are reclusive…how can we work with that?” Can we redesign public schools to be ZPDs?” “If little children aren’t aware they’re performing and adults are,...

June 19, 2012 I’ve been immersed in PTW—that’s Performing the World, an international festival/conference/happening I launched eleven years ago. This October, we’re hosting the 7th PTW, “Can Performance Change Save the World?” (recasting the 2010 PTW theme, “Can Performance Change the World?” because of the  increasing intensity of the challenges facing...

May 15, 2012 Check out my guest column in Psychology Today's Rethinking Psychology (Eric Maisel's column) "Cosmetic Changes to the DSM-V (Did the DSM-5 Task Force Really Back Down?)" Recently the DSM-5 Task Force of psychiatrists dropped two diagnoses from its new manual—“attenuated psychosis syndrome” (proposed to identify people at risk of developing psychosis),...

May 9, 2012 The Institute jumped into the free webinar field at the beginning of this year. It's much simpler than I would have thought! We give people access to an audio or video. After listening/viewing, they can join an hour-long live chat, email questions and comments, or do nothing. I’ve led the...

February 23, 2012 I don't usually promote activities here but now is an exception. Recent posts on the DSM-5 and all that it reveals about the ways our culture relates to human emotionality have drawn new readers (much thanks to everyone who’s reposting!). I've been introduced to many others who are...