CNC Dialogues

Ep. 20 with Nikhil Chaudhary, Ph.D.

Dr. Nikhil Chaudhary is an Evolutionary Anthropologist at the University of Cambridge whose work applies evolutionary theory to explain the diversity of behaviour and cognition acrosshuman societies. His current focus lies in advancing the emerging field of evolutionary psychiatry. Much of his research has explored the evolution of social behaviour and cooperation in humans, drawing on extensive fieldwork among the BaYaka hunter-gatherers of the northern Congolese rainforest. To illuminate the role that socialrelationships have played in our evolutionary history, he has examined how individual differences in social integration and cooperative networks influence health, mating patterns, and fertility.

Ep. 19 with Peter Tse, Ph.D.: Not a Puppet: The Neural Basis of Free Will

Dr. Peter Ulric Tse is a Professor of cognitive neuroscience and chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_College]. He also directs the NationalScience Foundation’s EPSCoR Attention Consortium.  He is the author of The Neural Basis of Free Will, CriterialCausation; and his two part book: A Neurophilosophy of Libertarian Free Will; and Free Imagination: the deep roots of creativity, freedom, and meaning in the human brain and mind. Needless to say He is a modern pioneer in the defense ofand offense for free will. Today we begin by discussing by definingimportant terms such as free will, and Libertarian free will, further clarifying the position he defends. We subsequently move in to debunk the interpretations of common studies used when arguing for determinism, and the error in Sapolsky’s arguments for determinism. Dr. Tse follows by discussinghis core idea of criterial causation, and free will from neurons to neural circuits. Then we move into a discussion of consciousness, intelligence, and physicalism. This transitions into the evolutionary account for free will, and why it emerged and the importance of imagination. We wrap up with our rapid fire questions to more deeply understand who Dr. Tse is as a person.

Ep. 18 with Edward Shafranske, Ph.D.: Psychoanalysis and Spirituality

Dr. Edward Shafranske he is a Professor of Psychology,Muriel Lipsey Chair in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and director of the Psy.D. program at Pepperdine University. He is published widely and conducts clinical research in the fields of clinical supervision and the applied psychology ofreligion. Dr. Shafranske is board-certified psychoanalyst and has published over 75 articles/chapters and 10 books, is a member of eight editorial boards, and maintains a clinical practice in Irvine, CA. Dr. Shafranske is recognizedas a fellow in 3 divisions of APA (Divisions 12, 29, 36) and the International Psychoanalytical Association, and twice served as president of APA Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. As a bonus, he was oneof my supervisors during my time at Pepperdine. He was a fountain of wisdom, knowledge, humility and inspiration.   In todays discussion, we begin by exploring the differencesbetween religion and spirituality. We subsequently dive into the science behind their relationship to mental health. We follow by investigating its relationship to positive psychology before entering deeply into its connectionto Psychoanalysis, and how psychoanalysis may interpret or approach religion and spirituality. We talk about god concepts vs god representations, how earlychildhood experiences may reflect our relationship to the transcendant, and even touch on mystical and religious experiences. The work of Christopher Bollas,and Wilfred Bion, amongst others are also included and his own reflections on themes within this transcendant dimension of experience. We then touch onsuggestions for clinicians who may be interested incorporating this domain into their work. Finally we end with some rapid fire questions to better acquaintourselves with who Dr. Shafranske is as a person. If any of these sound interesting to you, feel free to skip around. Websites: Dr. Shafranske: https://gsep.pepperdine.edu/about/our-people/faculty/edward-shafranske/ Personal: www.drchancnc.com

Ep. 17 with Kirk Schneider, Ph.D. : Existential-Integrative Approach

Dr. Kirk J. Schneider is a leading spokesperson for existentialism and pioneers the existential-integrative approach to therapy. He has authored or coauthored twelve books, with his latest book called Life-enhancing anxiety: key to a sane world. Several of his works have been translated into multiple languages. He is the president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI), adjunct faculty at Saybrook University and Teachers College at Columbia University. He is also the recipient of Honorary Diplomas and Memberships from The Society for Existential Analysis, The East European Association for Existential Therapy; and the Living Institute.Today we begin by touching on the Dr. Schneiders definition of existentialism, as well as elaborating on the Existential-Integrative or EI approach. We talk about the evidence behind it. Then we then delve into his idea of presence, and invoking the actual. This is followed by a comparative analysis looking into how EI incorporates psychoanalytic ideas and techniques into its framework. We then discuss how conditions may be viewed through the lens of constriction and expansion, as well as their associated dreads. We talk about anxiety as an example and transition into his idea of life-enhancing anxiety, and how to cultivate awe. We further chat about his views of meaning, metaphysics, new projects he is working on and reflections on his time with Rollo May and James and Elizabeth Bugental. As is CNC tradition, we end with rapid fire questions to learn more about Dr. Scheider as a person. Feel free to skip around if any of these are of interest to you.Personal website: www.drchancnc.comGuest website: https://kirkjschneider.com/ https://www.corpsofdepthhealers.com/

Ep. 16 with Dan Siegel, M.D. : The Nature of the Mind

My next guest is Dr. Dan Siegel, he received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his medical education at UCLA. Dr. Siegel is the executive director of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center [https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc] at UCLA. He is one of the founders of interpersonal neurobiology and has lectured for the King of Thailand, Pope John Paul II, His Holiness theDalai Lama, Google University, and London’s Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Dr. Siegel has published numerous book, many which became New York Times bestsellers. my personal favorites are the mindful therapist and the handbook of interpersonal neurobiology. His 2 latest publications include intraconnected and Personality and wholeness in therapy. He played a major influential role in my life and remains a great colleague and I’m proud to say, my friend. In this episode we begin by defining the mind through the lens of science. We then discuss differences between the mind, the self and consciousness, further diving into how our understanding of the self diminishes our experience. Usefulacronyms and the origin stories to many of the ideas central to his thinking were revealed in this episode. When talking to Dan, Meditation, quantum physics, neuroscience, psychology and mathematics are seamlessly knit togetherto bring about the nature of mental life. Finally, we end on exciting rapid fire questions to better understand who Dan is as a person. If any of these topics sound interesting to you. Feel free to skip around.