Human Development

March 22, 2012 Today I read Joanne Cacciatore’s blog. She’s the founder of the MISS Foundation, an international nonprofit organization with 75 chapters around the world aiding parents whose children have died or are dying at any age and from any cause. (She’s also a professor and researcher at Arizona State...

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...

February 16, 2012 In yesterday’s Huffington Post,  Dr. Eric Maisel asks, “Does Depression Exist?” Why’s he asking? To show that sometimes what we call things can create false realities. To invite readers to consider that this is what’s happened to our mental life and our feelings. To add a critical political/philosophical dimension to...

January 23, 2012 A huge thanks to my friend Tony Perone for alerting me to a recent TED Talk by Stephen Volan, "Approaching Autism Theatrically." Diagnosed with Asperger's as an adult, Stephen shares how he experiences himself in the world, at one point likening it to just about constant stage fright....

January 4, 2012 I’ve been following the controversy over the latest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM-5. Compiled and published by the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM is the diagnostic bible for mental health professionals the world over—and a cash cow for the...

[caption id="attachment_1180" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Zdravo da Ste Weekend"][/caption] December 29, 2011 I returned from Serbia a few weeks ago, energized from six very performatory days with friends old and new. Nearly every year since 1997 as winter begins I’ve made the journey to work and play with the extraordinary people of Zdravo...

November 8, 2011 Please check out the latest issue of the East Side Institute’s newsletter, Reports from the Field, for news on what our friends, colleagues and alumni are up to. You’ll hear from Annalie Pistorius and her new social therapy practice in Pretoria South Africa, the synergy between Elina Lampert-Shepel and...