Alex Lickerman MD – The Path to true happiness via Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science
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Alex Lickerman is a physician, former assistant professor of
medicine, former director of primary care, and former assistant vice president
for Student Health and Counseling Services at the University of Chicago. He
currently leads a direct primary care private practice in Chicago called
ImagineMD.
Alex’s first book, The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of
Constructing an Indestructible Self, published in 2012, has received numerous
favorable reviews from many sources, including Publishers Weekly and his follow
up THE TEN WORLDS: The New Psychology of Happiness written alongside his friend
Ash El Difrawi has received critical acclaim from the literary psychology
movement in how it blends the latest scientific research with ancient Buddhist
philosophy.
Alex has extensive speaking experience, having given talks
at medical conferences throughout his career including a talk to an audience of
over 3,000 at a Pri-Med Conference put on jointly by the University of Chicago
and Northwestern University.
Alex has been quoted in Crain’s Chicago Business, The
Chicago Tribune, Men’s Health, The New York Times, and TIME, and has had
articles appear in Psychology Today, Crain’s Chicago Business, USA Today,
Slate, The Huffington Post, Counselor Magazine, and Medicine on the Midway.
He’s also been a guest on NPR’s On Point. He’s also written a television pilot
called Sessions that was optioned by DreamWorks Television, as well as several
movie screenplays, including an adaptation of Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Alex and I discussed
the following in our conversation:
How Alex was inspired to write his recent book
over 20 years ago after
getting involved in a secular form of Buddhism.The
philosophical idea he discovered around the 10 worlds and how we cycle through
these life states.How
Alex’s best friend Ash became very interested in the Buddist philosophy and
their joining together to write a book around happiness which is also linked to modern
psychology.The way in which they were looking to
hypothesize the Buddhist model, and create the notion that what creates these
different worlds are our beliefs.How people are frustrated by having more things than
ever before, but at the same time as being more unhappy than they have ever
been.Hedonic
treadmill effect, in acquiring new things and the short lived pleasure.Experience
stretching can make you very unhappy but only temporarily How belief systems work and are formed.A belief is an emotional feeling about a statement
that is true, we are born with beliefs about happiness but are also formed
during life.How we form these core beliefs or core delusions
as Alex calls it.The part dopamine plays in the reward mechanism
of our brains and how it is the wanting chemical.In people who are drug addicted the spike of
dopamine in their brains is far out of proportion to people who are not drug
addicts. The effect of dopamine in Parkinson’s patients and addiction.There is a difference between pleasure and happiness,
but without the feeling of pleasure you cannot feel happiness. We are wired to experience joy when experience
something good, but joy, pleasure and happiness fires different parts of the
brain.How you can influence the way in which emotional
beliefs work, and the difficult part of making the emotional shift in awareness
needed.Everyone has potential and awareness to reform
their beliefs which are often unconscious.The idea of attachment and why certain types of
attachment are healthier than others.10 worlds (in order of joy, low to high) are
Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquillity, Rapture, Learning, Realisation,
Compassion, Enlightenment.How we all cycle through the above worlds, and
what beliefs throw you into certain worlds.The realisation you can come to about the worlds
you spend a lot of time in and awareness.The process of interrupting yourself when caught
in a world you don’t want to be into.How the attainment of happiness in the first 9
worlds are dependent o
