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Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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A child in a red shirt sits at a desk with a black and white cat. Sunlight and shadows create an intricate pattern through the window.

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Three ways to get in touch with your Shadow self

Jung believed we all have a Shadow self. Facing up to it could help you live more fully and be more forgiving of others

by Ruth Williams

An elderly man holding a pipe sits in a study with books and papers on the desk and stained-glass windows in the background.

Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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For Jung, architecture was a tool to represent the psyche

Carl Jung’s approach to architecture is a provocation: how are we creating spaces for the forgotten dimensions of our minds?

by David Borkenhagen

A dark, moody painting of a cloaked figure with a faint smile, partially illuminated, and a small, grimacing animal-like face on their shoulder.

Sex and sexuality

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My take on ‘Venus in Furs’ as a modern-day dominatrix

My experiences as a 21st-century femdom echo the gendered themes that feature in Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel

by Gia Marcos

Hands holding a vintage wristwatch with a white face, black numerals, and a mesh metal strap against a dark background.

Self-harm and suicide

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The violence of suicide reverberates in, and through, us all

A psychodynamic perspective on suicide can help us all reckon more honestly with the interconnectedness of psychic pain

by Kyle Boyd

Etching of five nude figures in a forest, with one lying on the ground and the others standing or bending in a body of water.

History of psychology and psychiatry

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How a Viennese genius (not the one you think) understood penis envy

Karen Horney’s challenge to Freudian psychosexual theory helped me say ‘penis’ without flinching in my Cairo classroom

by Heba Yosry

A person leans out of an open window on the second floor of an old brick building with ornate trim, near a fire escape and traffic light.

History and philosophy of mental health

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Can we diagnose suffering without knowing a person’s history?

Human bodies and mental states are always transforming. How can the DSM portray the full range of human suffering?

by Christos Tombras

Abstract painting of a seated woman, depicted with vibrant and bold colours, including red, green, blue, yellow, and purple.

Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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The power of slow therapy, revealed in two pioneering memoirs

Two therapy memoirs by Lucy Freeman, an overlooked mental health pioneer, remind us of the value of slow, convoluted therapy

by Elliot Jurist

Singer in black performs surrounded by dancers in red hooded outfits. Energetic atmosphere, vivid stage lighting.

Therapeutic relationships

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Either/or questions are part of psychotherapy’s language games

When a patient poses a binary question, it’s tempting to give a straight answer, but they are often seeking so much more

by Darren Haber

Silhouette of an adult and two children by a body of water during twilight, with one child on the adult’s shoulders.

Drugs and psychedelics

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To learn from a psychedelic trip, explore the dreams that follow

Psychedelic experiences, properly digested, offer opportunities for change – and the dreams that follow them can help

by Mackenzie Amara

Therapeutic relationships

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My failed analysis gave me confidence and taught me when to quit

What does successful psychoanalysis look like? I’d read all around Freud and I didn’t know, but then neither did my analyst

by Lisa Levy

History and philosophy of mental health

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For Donald Winnicott, the psyche is not inside us but between us

For Donald Winnicott, your psyche isn’t just in your head – it emerges from your relationships with others and the world

by James Barnes

Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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Dark feelings will haunt us until they are expressed in words

Continued mental growth requires dealing with alexithymia, or the inability to express emotions through words or images

by Tom Wooldridge