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THERAPEIAEUDAIMONIAPOIESIS

Altered states

Creativity and the artsSpirituality and transcendence
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A person walking a dog along a tree-lined path during sunset, with a warm orange glow illuminating the scene. The person wears a white and green top with a blue jacket tied around their waist. The dog is walking slightly ahead on a leash.

Emerging therapies

idea

Could dreams during anaesthesia help to heal life’s trauma?

Scientists are studying the dreamlike states produced by anaesthesia – and their potential benefits for people with PTSD

by Shayla Love

A marble figurine seated in a chair plays a harp

Music

idea

Ancient Greek ideas of attunement can breathe new life into music

In Athenian philosophy, attunement is important not only in music, but also for moods, attitudes and states of mind

by John Bagby

Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.

Dance

film

Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?

Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani

A stained-glass window depicts two figures: one with a bowed head and white face, and another with a halo, dressed in blue and holding a book.

Altered states

idea

William James was right about our strange inner experiences

Rather than Freud’s cynicism or Jung’s enthusiasm, we need an inquisitive approach to unusual forms of consciousness

by David Yaden

A woman seen from behind and bathed in dawn light is looking out through a window to a forest

Altered states

idea

The small pleasures in life can produce moments of rapture

Rapture is a delight that turns us both towards the object of attention and towards oneself, resulting in a sense of freedom

by Christopher Hamilton

A moody cityscape with dark buildings and bright yellow-lit rooms, featuring silhouetted figures inside.

Altered states

film

An odyssey into the Parisian night reflects the allure and anxieties of cities

Directed by Adrien Mérigeau

A joyful woman in a white hat and blue dress laughs with others playing drums and people watching in the background at an outdoor event.

Dissociation and detachment

idea

The therapeutic potential, and addictive lure, of losing yourself

In ketamine therapy and other contexts, dissociation is seen as an unwanted side-effect. But what if there’s more to it?

by Shayla Love

Close-up of a cracked oil painting depicting a man’s face in profile, showing the texture and age of the artwork.

Consciousness

idea

What happens to the brain during consciousness-ending meditation?

Psychologists are studying a form of meditation known as ‘nirodha-samāpatti’ that reportedly ceases all mental function

by Shayla Love

Abstract image of multiple blurred figures with outstretched arms forming a symmetrical pattern on a black background.

Music

film

Enter an operatic world of prismatic imagery and vivid emotion

Directed by James Darrah and Adam Larsen