A Swim in Denial
What we can't think about and how it shapes us.
Kirby Farrell Ph.D.
Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. A new theory aims to make sense of it all.
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Kirby Farrell, Ph.D., is the author of The Psychology of Abandon. He teaches at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
We're impossibly conflicted creatures. We're biological animals, but also symbolic creatures who can conceive of the Higgs boson, the Mona Lisa smile, the yo-yo, and infinity. To keep your mental balance we use denial to manage these creaturely contradictions. Whether it's healthy or toxic, funny or crazy, denial is built into us. It protects us from the undercurrents of terror and insanity that course through life. We joke about Da Nile to raise our spirits to explore it.
Take a paddle and let's put some back into it.