Search Results for: Polyvagal Theory

Dr. Sheldon Solomon on the Current Philosophical Climate in the United States: Exclusive Interview

…d candid style, Dr. Solomon discusses the development of Terror Management Theory, the ways in which people form defenses against death anxiety and the concept of life affirming death awareness, arguing that we can “accept the reality of the human condition and parlay that into bringing out the best in us. ” He also addresses the societal effects of death awareness, including the social nature of human beings, the role of education and government,…

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What is Mindsight? An Interview with Dr. Dan Siegel

…following interview, Dr. Dan Siegel discusses and defines the fundamental theory of Mindsight as a way to focus the mind on the nature of the internal world. These exclusive video clips are part of a featured interview series with Dr. Dan Siegel, an expert in the theory of Mindsight, an empowering action-oriented way of describing the power of the mind to actually change the structure and function of the brain. WHAT IS MINDSIGHT? Mindsight is the…

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The Psychology of Violent Television: Why We Watch and How it Affects Us

…act violent television has on us. Drawing on insights from both Separation Theory and Terror Management Theory, Solomon and Basset explain how our attraction to watching fictional violence is rooted in sensation seeking, a desire for mastery over perceived dangers, and a need to believe in a just world. They also offer a novel interpretation that views the need to manage existential anxiety as an important force underlying the consumption of viole…

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Understanding Attachment: A Webinar Series

…nderstanding Attachment” offers a free introductory overview of attachment theory followed by three CE webinars that take a deep-dive into each of the patterns of adult, insecure attachment. Participants will be invited to gain a richer understanding of their own attachment pattern, how it was shaped, how it affects them in their current lives, and how they can challenge negative patterns and begin the process of developing earned secure attachmen…

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How to Overcome Insecurity

…e will draw on insights from attachment research, concepts from Separation Theory, and principles of self-compassion to shed light on the roots of self-doubt and offer individuals and therapists powerful tools for overcoming insecurity. Learning Objectives: Apply techniques to identify and challenge destructive thinking in clients Distinguish between self-compassion and self-esteem Describe the roots of insecurity Recognize the role of attachment…

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What History Tells Us About the Dangers of Separating Children from Parents

…after, John Bowlby, who would come to be known as the father of attachment theory, began to travel the world studying childhood deprivation. Having allegedly been separated from his own main attachment figure as a child, his nanny who’d been like a mother to him, and later being sent to boarding school at the age of 7, Bowlby had a personal sense of the pain that can come from being parted with a primary caretaker. As a researcher, Bowlby had a pa…

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The Voice (The Enemy Within)

…f the deep division that exists within all of us. The voice and attachment theory The voice acts to bind individuals emotionally to their parents by supporting an internal, parental point of view that continues to advise, direct, control, and punish them. There are distinct similarities between the voice concept and the internal working models described by attachment theorists. In both cases, critical views of the self, distrust of others, and exp…

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The Fantasy Bond or Primary Defense

…n a series of blogs describing my theoretical approach known as Separation Theory. It represents an integration of psychoanalytic and existential systems of thought and describes how early interpersonal pain and separation anxiety and, later, death anxiety, lead to the formation of powerful psychological defenses. The primary defense is the fantasy bond, an imaginary connection formed in early childhood with the parent or caretaker that serves to…

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Free Yourself from the Pain of Your Past

…of our past, so we can live fully in the present. Drawing upon attachment theory, psychological differentiation and Separation Theory, this Webinar will teach tools to identify and liberate ourselves from the old, unresolved traumas that limit us today. It will show how we can create a coherent narrative of our experiences, so they no longer hold the power to affect us in the same way. Order Now Ordering Information: Once payment is received, you…

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Should You Feel or Flee Your Emotions?

…in our adult lives. My father, Dr. Robert Firestone, in his comprehensive theory of human behavior, Separation Theory, contends that the core conflict for all human beings is whether to live a life of feeling or to attempt to suppress our feelings in an effort to block out pain, from both interpersonal relationships and from existential issues. The problems that arise from attempting to deny our pain are many fold. For one, we cannot selectively…

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