Edward W. L. Smith

The pagan mythology of the Vikings offers a rich metaphor for consciousness. This book presents the cosmography of Norse mythology as a landscape of human inner life. Each of the nine worlds of this cosmography is viewed as a symbol of a distinct type of consciousness that is emblematic of a particular perspective or way of relating to others. Individual gods and goddesses are considered nuanced personifications of their worlds. The philosophy of pagan mythology is explored by comparing and contrasting the Sayings of Odin from the Norse Edda with the Christian Ten Commandments.

This book offers the first comprehensive examination of the psychodynamic theories of artistic creativity and the arts. Neither oversimplifying the complexity of these theories, nor bogging down in pedantic discourse, it honors the depth and richness of the work of Freud, Adler, Kris, Reich, Jung, and several lesser-known theorists, while making their theories readily accessible to the educated reader. After discussing the role of theory, the work offers each concept as a readily usable template for describing and understanding a work of art, whether painting, sculpture, music, dance, film, poetry, or prose. With these theories at hand, anyone interested in the arts will possess a far richer vocabulary for describing the artistic experience and a deeper understanding of the artist's creativity.

This book examines a seemingly simple and absolutely essential topic: learning how to enjoy every aspect of your life on a daily basis. All of us look for happiness, well-being, and positivity throughout our lives, but for most people these goals are abstract and the processes established to achieve them ambiguous. The Seven Sources of Pleasure in Life: Making Way for the Upside in the Midst of Modern Demands focuses attention upon the concrete, specific, and everyday sources of pleasure that are within the grasp of almost everyone. Prolific author Luciano L'Abate, PhD, ABEPP, examines at all kinds of pleasures, investigating where we find them, why they appeal to us, and what benefits they provide in terms of both mental and physical health. He explains how to increase our sensitivity to everyday opportunities for pleasure, and then gives tangible techniques to focus upon these moments in order to fully experience them. The author employs personal memories from his childhood in Italy, more recent stories from his travels abroad, and the findings of most recent scientific research on the benefits of pleasure-seeking to further illustrate his points.

The techniques of psychotherapy are often given undue emphasis, slighting the importance of the psychotherapist. Research suggests that the same techniques are differently effective when used by equally trained and supervised therapists. Not only are some therapists more effective, irrespective of the type of therapy they practice, but some, because of their personal qualities, may actually harm those with whom they work. This research reflects the vast importance of the personality of the therapist, evoking the question of how a therapist may develop personhood. Aimed at training as well as practicing psychotherapists--social workers, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists--this scholarly exploration of personhood includes various models for classifying the types of psychotherapy and the place of personhood in this context, as well as a review of existing theory and research literature on specific personal therapist variables as they relate to therapy outcome. The role of traditional spirituality in the development of personhood is given particular emphasis.

This acclaimed work, first published in 1985, presents in full detail, the most effective aspects of bioenergetics, Gestalt therapy, psychomotor therapy, Reichian orgonomy, and many others, are fully detailed, along with a wealth of practical therapeutic techniques. This book is divided into four parts: the historical and theoretical perspective; the body as the locus of personality assessment; the body as the locus of psychotherapeutic intervention; and personal and ethical considerations.