Intersubjective

DSM

French Literature’s Most Famous Detective Criticizes the DSM

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on February 28, 2024

Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret, a therapist manqué, criticized the principles undergirding the DSM decades ago. His insights are still relevant today.

Gender

How the “Barbie” Movie Explains the Psychology of Patriarchy

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on August 21, 2023

"Barbie," a super fun movie, superbly crafted and acted, locates the origins of patriarchy in human psychology.

Environment

Our Brains Have Evolved to Defeat Us: "The Echo Maker"

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on January 3, 2023

Will our greatest assets, consciousness and the ability to transcend our biology, be our undoing?

Depression

"The Midnight Library" and the Therapeutic Alliance

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on November 1, 2022

Matt Haig's fabulous (both excellent and fantastical) novel "The Midnight Library" portrays a heroine who heals from depression through a caring, empathetic relationship.

Captain Janeway empathizes and offers support.

Trauma

Where Too Many Have Gone Before: Trauma in "Voyager"

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on July 23, 2022

Watch the power of a therapeutic alliance in Star Trek Voyager.

Memory

"Still Alice": An Extraordinary Account of Alzheimer's Disease

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on April 20, 2022

What does it feel like to have Alzheimer's disease? Lisa Genova's novel offers some answers.

Persuasion

Examining Jane Austen's "Persuasion" and the Concept of Core Affect

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on January 25, 2022

The heroine of Jane Austen's "Persuasion" illustrates core affect, a key concept from Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP).

Trauma

When Complex Trauma is Writ Small: Sue Miller's "Monogamy"

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on August 16, 2021

Trauma can be small and cumulative rather than huge and obvious.

Artificial Intelligence

On Becoming Human: A Discussion of "Klara and the Sun"

Wendy Jones, Ph.D., LMSW on May 19, 2021

How should we consider beings that are made rather than born? Kashuo Ishiguro considers this question in his brilliant new novel, "Klara and the Sun."