In this talk Dr. Hayes argues that human beings evolved for compassion and cooperation, based in part on the impact of eusociality on human language. This view has extraordinary implications for how we can achieve peace of mind, placing perspective taking and compassion at the center of psychotherapy itself. Such a view has the exciting possibility of bringing together different traditions in psychotherapy that often consider themselves rivals.
All children are born with the capacity to develop and use all of the aspects of the organism to live healthy, productive, joyful lives. We know that trauma interrupts the healthy development of the child. There also are some very basic developmental aspects that further thwart healthy development. An understanding of these hindrances is the first step toward helping children heal.
In the age in which psychotropic medications have largely replaced psychotherapy, or medications are primary when psychotherapy is included, this presentation will demonstrate how psychotherapy alone can take precedence over medications, and achieve better outcomes than are currently being seen in our failing mental health system.
By not looking at brain function in complex psychiatric cases, physicians often miss important information, which leads to erroneous diagnoses and missed opportunities for effective treatment. This lecture will explore how using functional brain imaging tools improves diagnoses and opens a new world of understanding and hope for many patients.
Ms. Ackerman will be speaking about love in a time of illness, something she has lived with for many years, and has written about in her most recent book, One Hundred Names for Love. One day, Ackerman’s 74-year-old husband, a gifted author and professor, suffered a savage stroke. When he regained awareness he was afflicted with “global aphasia”—total loss of language—and could utter only a single syllable: “mem.” The standard therapies yielded only frustration. Diane soon found, however, that by harnessing their deep knowledge of each other, and her understanding of language and the brain, she could guide Paul back to the world of words.
Prevalent views of higher brain functions are based on the notions of computation and information processing. Various lines of evidence appear to be incompatible with this position and suggest instead that the brain operates according to a set of selectional principles. A theory addressing these principles, called Neural Darwinism, will be discussed. This theory has a direct bearing on our understanding of the neural basis of consciousness, a key issue in psychotherapy.
Dr. Minuchin will be interviewed by Dr. Zeig about key concepts in his approach to family therapy. We will compare and contrast approaches. We will discuss developments in family therapy.
Dr. Yalom will discuss those aspects of therapy that he has discussed in his stories and novels, especially focusing on group therapy and existential issues in therapy. He will focus on the content of his new novel, The Spinoza Problem. Dr. Yalom will read and discuss two of his new psychotherapy teaching tales.
The discussion will center on the evolution of the cognitive model of psychopathology and psychotherapy since its earlier stage. The expansion of therapy has included all of the common disorders and many of the medically related disorders will be explored. Finally, we will focus on the future of cognitive therapy and psychotherapy in general. Special attention will be paid to the relationship of other psychotherapies.
Positive Psychology measures and attempts to build PERMA: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. I present recent findings from individuals, the clinic, organizations, and nations, as well as evidence-based techniques for building PERMA.