Grief as a Catalyst: The Philosophical Dimensions of Mourning with Jonathan Lear

The weight of grief descends upon us all at some point in life. It arises from loss, whether of people or parts of ourselves we can no longer recognize. 

When it comes to the unbearableness of grief, our primal instincts may be to swallow the feelings and push forward. But it is only when we allow the feelings of mourning and embrace what loss means that we can unmask the transformative nature it holds.

Through his extensive body of work teaching philosophy, practicing psychoanalysis, and publishing a series of books on the topic, Jonathan Lear has taken all he has come to know and study about grief and used it to analyze his own deeply personal confrontation with the mourning process.

In this episode of the Art of Listening, Jonathan will take us on a historical journey from ancient times to modern day as he discusses his studies that tie together the practices of philosophy and psychoanalysis, the importance of dialogue in thoughtful discovery.  We’ll also learn how these studies provided Jonathan with the foundation to form his own philosophical findings on the process of grief and mourning.

Chapters

1 - Jonathan’s international philosophy studies (3:24)

2 - How philosophy led Jonathan to psychoanalysis (6:19)

3 - Where ancient philosophy and modern psychoanalysis intersect (8:59)

4 - The role narratives play in the psychoanalytic setting (14:01)

5 - Grief and mourning, and maintaining hope in human life (25:22)

Links

• Jonathan Lear
• Jonathan’s Books
• The Art of Listening
• Eileendunnpsyd.com