Eric Maisel is a psychotherapist, a PhD in counseling psychology, a creativity coach, and the author of over fifty published books. While I first discovered him through his “Rethinking Mental Health” blog for Psychology Today, his education and work in the field span back far before that — far before I was diagnosed with depression at ten years old, and far before I was born. Eric questions what he terms the “mental disorder paradigm,” and broaches controversial questions most would rather avoid:
Does mental illness actually exist? Are SSRIs medicine, or rather just “chemicals with strong effects?” What is medicine?
We addressed the first of those questions in a conversation with Eric back in 2017, and in this interview, I join Eric in-person in San Francisco to dig into the second question. Finally, on the eve before I journey into the Amazon to work with Ayahuasca, I share some reflections of mine on the third question. In this episode of Redeeming Disorder, those questions all prove to be fascinating launching pads into a discussion of labels, language, institutional (and psychiatric) authority, meaning-making and life purpose.
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#48: Unlearning to Know Love — Nykia Herron Ash
#47: Plants and Ancestral Wisdom — Catherine Melissa Calva Carrión
#46: Personal Shadows, Cultural Shadows — Nick Pharazyn
#45: Beginner's Mind — Maya Choi
#44: Happy World Mental Health Day! — Kailey O'Connor
#43: Eternaculture, Permaculture and the New Earth — Phil Larstone
Happy Summer Solstice and Father’s Day from this Crazy Ayahuasquero
#42: The Importance of Feeling Understood — Ṣadé (Elizabeth) Kammen
#41: Letting Down the Emotional Walls — Frank Ferrare
#40: Surviving Narcolepsy, Cataplexy and Sexual Assault — Nikki Moon
#39: Practicing Gratitude — Jonas Otsuji
#38: Living through Natural Disaster — Nicole Moore
Redeeming Redeeming Disorder
#37: The Love Story Born of Attempted Suicide — Michael McRay
#36: Age and Perspective — Devon VillaCampa
#35: Philosophy, Belief and Truth — AJ Mass
#34: What is Illness? — Dr. Amanda Rabinowitz
#32: Dreams, Addictions and New Beginnings — Todd Herzog & Kailey O’Connor
Guided Meditation 12: Review (40 min.)
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