“At origin aggressiveness is almost synonymous with activity.” — D.W. Winnicott This quote opens the chapter “The Astrology of Aggression” by Howard Sasportas in the book The Dynamics of the Unconscious. In it, the author reveals through astrological examples how the aggressive impulse is naturally embedded within us (the energy of the planet Mars) and […]
This is a story from the Vedas, retold in the book “The Dynamics of the Unconscious” by Howard Sasportas and Liz Greene—leading authors in the psychological branch of astrology. “There was once a serpent that struck terror into a village. It bit and killed people. A sage arrived there, preaching his philosophy of love and […]
There is an experiment I remember from my student years – the one through which the phenomenon of “learned helplessness” was discovered. It was conducted with dogs that were subjected to a series of electric shocks under the condition that they could not control them. Whatever they did, they always received the dose of the […]
On the Difference Between Short-Term and Long-Term Success We all want to succeed, but what is success, really? At first glance, the answer seems obvious – but only at first glance. Because the way we answer this question determines another one as well: how to achieve success. Different means lead to different kinds of success. […]
This is one of my favorite stories by Gianni Rodari. I have remembered it in moments when things were difficult, and it has helped me. To me, it is a truly healing tale, which I now share with pleasure. *”Once upon a time, in a distant city, a transparent child was born. One could see […]
I. I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost… I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. II. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see […]
A friend of mine told me a parable about bamboo that she had translated from a book by Olivier Clerc. Deeply moved by this story, I decided to pass it on, adding my own commentary. The parable is brief: “They say that in China, there grows a very special variety of bamboo. If we plant […]
“Certainly, the human being is finite, and his freedom is limited. It is not freedom from conditions, but freedom to take a stand toward the conditions. As I once formulated it: ‘As a professor in two fields – neurology and psychiatry – I am fully aware of the degree to which the human being is […]
Here are more reflections shared by the founder of logotherapy, Viktor Frankl, from his book Man’s Search for Meaning. This time, the theme is the choices we make in difficult situations, because it is precisely then that we discover whether we live what we preach. “Sigmund Freud once claimed: ‘Let someone try to subject a […]
Viktor Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, was once asked by an American physician what the difference between psychoanalysis and logotherapy was – in a single sentence. Realizing how impossible it was to answer such a complex question in one sentence, Frankl replied that he would tell him, but only if the doctor first told him, […]
Logotherapy is a method of psychotherapy created by the Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl. According to him, the search for meaning is the primary motivation in human life, and when this need is not fulfilled, human beings suffer. In order to describe the specificity of this form of suffering, and to distinguish it from […]
“*Remember: you are constantly in the process of self-creation. In every moment you decide who you are and what you are. You decide this primarily through the choices you make about what you feel passion for… To be ‘in the spiritual game’ means to devote your entire consciousness, your entire body, and your entire soul […]
