Dr. Peter Ulric Tse is a Professor of cognitive neuroscience and chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. He also directs the NationalScience Foundation’s EPSCoR Attention Consortium.
He is the author of The Neural Basis of Free Will, CriterialCausation; and his two part book: A Neurophilosophy of Libertarian Free Will; and Free Imagination: the deep roots of creativity, freedom, and meaning in the human brain and mind. Needless to say He is a modern pioneer in the defense ofand offense for free will.
Today we begin by discussing by definingimportant terms such as free will, and Libertarian free will, further clarifying the position he defends. We subsequently move in to debunk the interpretations of common studies used when arguing for determinism, and the error in Sapolsky’s arguments for determinism. Dr. Tse follows by discussinghis core idea of criterial causation, and free will from neurons to neural circuits. Then we move into a discussion of consciousness, intelligence, and physicalism. This transitions into the evolutionary account for free will, and why it emerged and the importance of imagination. We wrap up with our rapid fire questions to more deeply understand who Dr. Tse is as a person.
Dr. Edward Shafranske he is a Professor of Psychology,Muriel Lipsey Chair in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and director of the Psy.D. program at Pepperdine University. He is published widely and conducts clinical research in the fields of clinical supervision and the applied psychology ofreligion. Dr. Shafranske is board-certified psychoanalyst and has published over 75 articles/chapters and 10 books, is a member of eight editorial boards, and maintains a clinical practice in Irvine, CA. Dr. Shafranske is recognizedas a fellow in 3 divisions of APA (Divisions 12, 29, 36) and the International Psychoanalytical Association, and twice served as president of APA Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. As a bonus, he was oneof my supervisors during my time at Pepperdine. He was a fountain of wisdom, knowledge, humility and inspiration.
In todays discussion, we begin by exploring the differencesbetween religion and spirituality. We subsequently dive into the science behind their relationship to mental health. We follow by investigating its relationship to positive psychology before entering deeply into its connectionto Psychoanalysis, and how psychoanalysis may interpret or approach religion and spirituality. We talk about god concepts vs god representations, how earlychildhood experiences may reflect our relationship to the transcendant, and even touch on mystical and religious experiences. The work of Christopher Bollas,and Wilfred Bion, amongst others are also included and his own reflections on themes within this transcendant dimension of experience. We then touch onsuggestions for clinicians who may be interested incorporating this domain into their work. Finally we end with some rapid fire questions to better acquaintourselves with who Dr. Shafranske is as a person. If any of these sound interesting to you, feel free to skip around.
Websites:
Dr. Shafranske: https://gsep.pepperdine.edu/about/our-people/faculty/edward-shafranske/
Personal: www.drchancnc.com
Dr. Kirk J. Schneider is a leading spokesperson for existentialism and pioneers the existential-integrative approach to therapy. He has authored or coauthored twelve books, with his latest book called Life-enhancing anxiety: key to a sane world. Several of his works have been translated into multiple languages. He is the president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI), adjunct faculty at Saybrook University and Teachers College at Columbia University. He is also the recipient of Honorary Diplomas and Memberships from The Society for Existential Analysis, The East European Association for Existential Therapy; and the Living Institute.Today we begin by touching on the Dr. Schneiders definition of existentialism, as well as elaborating on the Existential-Integrative or EI approach. We talk about the evidence behind it. Then we then delve into his idea of presence, and invoking the actual. This is followed by a comparative analysis looking into how EI incorporates psychoanalytic ideas and techniques into its framework. We then discuss how conditions may be viewed through the lens of constriction and expansion, as well as their associated dreads. We talk about anxiety as an example and transition into his idea of life-enhancing anxiety, and how to cultivate awe. We further chat about his views of meaning, metaphysics, new projects he is working on and reflections on his time with Rollo May and James and Elizabeth Bugental. As is CNC tradition, we end with rapid fire questions to learn more about Dr. Scheider as a person. Feel free to skip around if any of these are of interest to you.Personal website: www.drchancnc.comGuest website: https://kirkjschneider.com/ https://www.corpsofdepthhealers.com/
My next guest is Dr. Dan Siegel, he received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his medical education at UCLA. Dr. Siegel is the executive director of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is one of the founders of interpersonal neurobiology and has lectured for the King of Thailand, Pope John Paul II, His Holiness theDalai Lama, Google University, and London’s Royal Society of Arts (RSA).
Dr. Siegel has published numerous book, many which became New York Times bestsellers. my personal favorites are the mindful therapist and the handbook of interpersonal neurobiology. His 2 latest publications include intraconnected and Personality and wholeness in therapy. He played a major influential role in my life and remains a great colleague and I’m proud to say, my friend.
In this episode we begin by defining the mind through the lens of science. We then discuss differences between the mind, the self and consciousness, further diving into how our understanding of the self diminishes our experience. Usefulacronyms and the origin stories to many of the ideas central to his thinking were revealed in this episode. When talking to Dan, Meditation, quantum physics, neuroscience, psychology and mathematics are seamlessly knit togetherto bring about the nature of mental life. Finally, we end on exciting rapid fire questions to better understand who Dan is as a person. If any of these topics sound interesting to you. Feel free to skip around.
My next guest is Darcia Narvaez, she is a Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. She has published dozens of academic journal articles and chapters and over twenty books. Her latest books include Restoring the Kinship Worldview, The Evolved Nest: Nature’s Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities and Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom which won the 2015 William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association and the 2017 Expanded Reason Award. Today we begin by discussing the mismatch between the environments we evolved to be in, and the modern society in which we exist in today. We talk about cultural differences in hunter gatherer society, such as rearing practices and general values and how this may contribute to many of the struggles we currently face. We then move on to discuss the importance of attachment in moral development touching on some of her original ideas. We subsequently shift to talk about the evolved developmental niche, which includes the ideal parenting practices that developed from her interdisciplinary research on hunter-gatherer societies, psychology and neuroscience. More practical questions are asked of her, before we talk about wisdom, its definition, different types, and how to foster moral development. We end on the CNC rapid fire question tradition. If any of these topics are of interest to you, feel free to skip around.
Dr. Colin Depp is the Director of Research Education and Training at the Clinical and Translational Research Institute at the University of California San Diego. In addition, he is a professor and psychologist at the VA Hospital in UC SanDiego. He mentors many students and clinical scientists in multiple training programs. One of his specialties is the development of technologies and strategies to assess, manage and treat Bipolar-Disorder.
In todays discussion we begin by defining Bipolar disorder.Dr. Depp then addresses and debunks some myths about it. We subsequently talkedabout the evolutionary theory behind Bipolar disorder and move into diagnoses often confused with it, further touching on how depressive phases may beslightly different from those with MDD, in addition to the biological theories behind it. We then talk about its impact on cold cognition, social cognition, and creativity. We discuss the best treatments and practices currently known, before ending with some of his future projects and reflections on what he has learned from his work. If any of this is of interest you, feel free to skip around.
Dr. Depp: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/colin.depp, also look up cognitive dynamics lab team at UCSD.
My website: drchancnc.com
My next guest is Dr. Terry Marks-Tarlow, she received a degree in psychology from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UCLA. She is the author of numerous books, my two favorites of which are: psyches veil: psychotherapy, fractals and complexity, and clinical intuition inpsychotherapy. She is a Research Associate at the Institute of Fractal Research in Kassel, Germany and For over a decade, she has been studyinginterpersonal neurobiology and regulation theory with Allan Schore. She has taught at several institutes, with the most recent one being at Pacifica. She is a well known Psychologist in Los Angeles teaching workshops and classes toother therapists.
In todays discussion we begin by defining fractals and how they appear in nature and everyday life. We talk about how it can model paradox, and evendive into how it may be used to understand synchronicity. We then talk about chaos theory, the limits of linear thinking and certainty and follow through by defining and discussing the importance of complex systems theory. She then shares a linear, and non-linear interpretation of the famous myth of psyche and eros,. We then dive into intuition, discuss what it is and how it differs from impulse. She provides concrete advice on how to awaken intuition and subsequently discusses her next book. As is usual, we end with a series of rapid fire questions. If you are interested in any of these topics feel free toskip around.
Steven C. Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. He is best known for developing Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT). He is the author of 47 books and over 675 scientific articles, his career has focusedon an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding towards the alleviation of human suffering. Dr. Hayes has been President of APA divisions 25: or the Applied andPreventive Psychology, as well as president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.Google Scholar data ranks him among the top 935highest impact living scholars worldwide in all areas of study and Research.com lists him as the 63rd highest impact psychologist in the world.
In todays discussion we take a deep dive into the foundations of ACT, and subsequently, newdevelopments, such as its integration into process based therapy and the extended evolutionary meta-model. We then explore some of its core sub processes, such as defusion, acceptance, and values. We further discuss theirrelationship with trauma and addictions. Many other topics are talked about throughout, before ending on rapid fire questions providing a new angle unto who Steven Hayes is as a person. Feel free to skip around if any of these topics speak to you!
My next guest is Dr. Pat Ogden, she is the creator of the SensorimotorbPsychotherapy method, and founder of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute. Dr. Ogden is trained in a wide variety of somatic and psychotherapeutic approaches, and has over 45 years of experience. She is co-founder of the Hakomi Institute, past faculty of Naropa University (1985-2005), a clinician,consultant, and highly sought after international lecturer. Dr. Ogden is the first author of two groundbreaking books in somatic psychology: Trauma and the Body: ASensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment (2015).
In todays discussion, we talk about why humans have become disconnected from their bodies, and why its becoming again of mainstream importance. We dive into thebody, and ways of experiencing it from the inside out. Dr. Ogden then discusses cases elucidating how our bodies express our life stories, and how therapy mayengage the body to change our internal narratives for the better. We touch on trauma, body image, anddissociative challenges. We complete the dialogue by touching on specific interventions from sensorimotor therapy. Finally we end with a round of rapidfire questions.
My next guest is Dr. Iain McGilchrist, he is a psychiatrist, scholar and a writer. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, former Oxford Literary Scholar and author of the groundbreaking books: The Master and His Emissary: the divided brain and the making of the western world and more recently, his two volume book: The Matter with Things.Dr. Mcgilchrist was elected as fellow at All Souls college at 21 years old, and was further re-elected 2 more times. HE went on to train as a psychiatrist, taking on position of clinic director at BEnthlem Royal and Maudsley hospital in London. He trained in many units including becoming a research fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins. In todays dialogue we begin by discussing the divided brain, further highlighting how and why the left hemisphere has become more dominant in our culture, and why that is an issue. We focus on particular cognitive functions such as language and attention to further illustrate their differences and importance between hemispheres. Finally we plunge into a deep conversation about moral intuitionism, consciousness, asymmetry, truth, beauty, goodness, values and conscience. We end with a series of fun rapid fire questions to gain a greater picture of who Dr. Iain Mcgilchrist is as a person. Feel free to skip around if any of these topics are of interest to you.My website: drchancnc.comInstagram: @draldrichanGuest website: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/Books: Reassembling Models of Reality: https://a.co/d/7VFzUJ4Master and his Emissary: https://a.co/d/4Jk0zMpThe Matter with Things: https://a.co/d/8UBMbOb
Scott Fisher, M.D. is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist and Lead Facilitator & Clinical Program Manager at Segal Trials’ Center for Psychedelic Research located in Lauderhill, FL. His work has included Phase 2 and 3 FDA clinical studies of psilocybin, LSD, and 5-MeO-DMT for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. He received his medical degree from The Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in 2009 and is one of only few licensed psychiatrists in the country with advanced certification in Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy from California Institute of Integral Studies, the only accredited institution of higher learning in this field.In todays discussion we take a trip through magic mushrooms, LSD and DMT, touching upon how they impact the user at the level of psychology, then biology, specifically: neural networks and neurotransmitters. We discuss his role as a facilitator in psychedelic trials, what one might expect if they were to join a study and the progress their trials are making in relationship to their use in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Several interesting subjects are discussed, such a Mckennas stoned ape hypothesis, Meetings with machine elves, and whether psychedelics enable us to view reality with more accuracy. As usual we end with a round of rapid fire questions. Feel free to skip around if you find any of these topics of interest to you. If you are interested in participating in trials: www.segaltrials.comMy website: drchancnc.comInstagram: @draldrichanBooks: Reassembling Models of Reality: https://a.co/d/9s6Qu2J
Dr. Emmy van Deurzen is a world authority on existential psychotherapy. She is a philosopher and existential therapist who founded, directed and developed both Regent's College and the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London. In 2005, she became an Honorary Professor with the University of Sheffield and is currently a Visiting Professor with Middlesex University.
She founded the Society for ExistentialAnalysis (SEA), its Journal Existential Analysis and co-founded the World Confederation of Existential Therapy (WCET) and the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE). She was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. She hasauthored over 20 books and amongst her books is the bestseller Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling in Practice (3d edition Sage, 2012), and mypersonal favorite Everyday Mysteries: A handbook of existential psychotherapy.
In todays discussion, Emmy begins by providing her definition of existential psychology. We then discuss some common misconceptions, like whether existentialism is only appropriate for some populations, and whether its anti science – news flash its not. We then jumpinto the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Heidegger, as Emmy skillfully applies their lessons to everyday life and practice. We talk aboutthe application of time and space in practice, how an existentialist might view the unconscious and dive into her personal approach, the existential-phenomenological approach. Finally we discuss meaning, paradoxes,modern day issues and end with a round of rapid fire questions.
Todays guest is Dr. Donald Hoffman. He is a cognitivepsychologist and professor at the department of cognitive sciences at University of California, Irvine with joint appointments in the Dept of Philosophy, Logic and Philosophy of science and school of computer science. He is well known for his TED talk entitled do we see reality as it is? And is the Author of the book the case against reality: how evolution hid the truth from our eyes, where he lays out his popular interface theory of perception alongside theory of consciousness bridging together modern day physics, math and psychology. He is an iconoclast, and an inspiration.
In todays talk we begin by discussing how perception evolved for fitness, and why this is important to know in our everyday lives, and in psychotherapy. We then dive into the concept of beauty, as we move into why wedo not see the truth of reality at all. After introducing the interface theory of perception, he shares his proposal for what lies beyond our interface. He follows by sharing why space-time is doomed, and provides his thesis of conscious agents, alongside providing examples of how his groups work has been successful in predicting certain ideas in physics. We talk about how his work mayimpact ones life philosophy, how it may impact psychotherapy, and touch on other special topics like meditation, free will, life after death, and ideals; endingwith another series of rapid fire questions to gain a deeper connection with who Don is as a person. Feel free to skip around should you find any of the topics of interest to you.
My guest today is Dr. Mark Solms, he is a psychoanalyst, neuropsychologist, and founder of Neuropsychoanalysis. He is the chair of neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and at the Departments of Psychology and Neurology at the Groote SchuurHospital. In addition, he is the President of the South AfricanPsychoanalytical Association and Research Chair of the International Psychoanalytical Association.
In todays discussion, we begin by clarifyingFreudian concepts before diving into the question what is the unconscious? And how does the Freudian unconscious compare to modern day neuroscience. We thenjump into a dialogue between psychoanalysis and affective neuroscience, further elaborating on the importance of homeostasis and its relationship to emotion.We subsequently talk about the major revisions and updates to Freudian theory before transitioning into special topics such as dreams, and mystical experiences.We conclude our academic discussion with his theory of consciousness, Fristons free energy principle, free will and why he believes AI will be conscious in the future. As is typical with many of my interviews, I end with a series ofrapid fire questions which gives us deeper insight into who Mark Solms is.
My next guest is Dr. Barry Nierenberg. He is a Presidents Distinguished Professor at Nova Southeastern University, a Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist and one of the Past Presidents of the American PsychologicalAssociation’s Division of Rehabilitation Psychology. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, has published several papers and is a highly sought after presenter both nationally and internationally.
In this interview, we begin by defining rehabilitation psychology, and common challenges people face. We talk about hope, how it may be operationalized, and its importance for coping with life altering changes. Wesubsequently discuss resilience and well-being therapy in the context of rehabilitation psychology. The topic transitions to pain, how to properly define it, and how to optimally cope with chronic pain. He shares noveltreatments with very strong outcomes that do not require medications. We further touch on special topics before landing on meaning and spirituality.
My next guest is Dr. Philip D. Harvey, he is a Professor of Psychiatry and director of the Division of Psychology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, as well as a senior Research health Scientistat the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was the Senior Author of "One of the top Fifteen most important papers of all time in clinical and appliedneuropsychology"and ranked by Thomson-Reuters as one of the most Highly Cited Researchers within the top 1% in the field). He has received a number ofawards, including the Inaugural Schizophrenia International Research Society Clinical Scientist Distinguished Contributions award and others.
In this interview we begin by covering whatschizophrenia is beyond it’s common associations with hallucinations and what delusions are. We further talk about the bicameral mind theory from JulianJaynes and evolutionary viewpoints to schizophrenia. We dive deeper into hallucinations, health conditions and it’s genetic and neuroanatomical basis.We also talk about the gut brain, and inflammation in the immune system. Moreover we discussed schizophrenia in children and it’s consideration as aneurodevelopmental disorder as well as its impact on IQ, the myth that violence is more prevalent in schizophrenia and how this condition may impact cognitive functioning from multiple perspectives. Finally we end by discussing the besttreatments for schizophrenia, as well as novel treatments in the works.
Website:drchancnc.com
Instagram: @draldrichan
Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD. She is a Professor of Psychiatry and the director of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research unit at the University of Western Ontario. She currently holds the Harris-Woodman Chair in Mind-Body Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine. She is considered a world renowned trauma specialist and her work deeply impacted my own research and work with trauma. She has authored more than 150 published papers and chapters in the field of traumatic stress and regularly lectures on the topic of PTSD nationally and internationally. Her published book with co-author Paul Frewen: ‘Healing the traumatized self: consciousness, neuroscience, treatment’ is a MUST for anyone who treats or experiences PTSD.website: drchancnc.cominstagram: @draldrichan
Website: drchancnc.comInstagram: @draldrichan Dr. Georg Northoff is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and philosopher holding doctorates in all three disciplines. In this episode, we begin by discussing the self, and consciousness. We then enter into a dialogue about what he terms the world-brain problem, in contrast to the mind-body problem. He shares what he means by the neuroecological approach, why space and time are central to understanding the mind, and how it has foundational implications to diagnosis, treatment and research. We then talk about the practical implications of his viewpoint, for laymen and professionals alike. We follow by pivoting to cover topics such as the importance of philosophy in science, his stance on free will, and a series of rapid fire bonus questions that you don’t want to miss out on. We end on a review of his journey into becoming an MD, Ph.D, his future projects and words of wisdom for anyone listening. I invite you to skip around if you find any of these topics of particular interest to you.