The Weekend University Making the best psychology lecturers available to the general public.

Ken Wilber is a philosopher and the author of more than 25 books which have been translated into 30 languages.

His work attempts to integrate all fields of human knowledge into one “theory of everything”, which he calls Integral Theory. This draws connections between fields as far ranging as: systems theory, evolutionary biology, anthropology, quantum mechanics, Jungian psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and eastern mysticism.

This interview introduces some of Wilber’s key ideas, including: stages of development; waking up, cleaning up, and growing up; and the 4 quadrants. If you’re interested in a “deeper dive” after listening to this, you can get a copy of Ken’s new book by visiting: https://bit.ly/radical-wholeness

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Ken Wilber, a visionary thinker of inspired genius, is the developer of an integral “theory of everything” that embraces the truths of all the world’s great spiritual, scientific, and philosophical traditions. He is the most widely translated academic writer in America, with 25 books translated into some 30 foreign languages. Ken Wilber currently lives in Denver, Colorado, and is still active as a philosopher, author, and teacher, with all of his major publications still in print. Often referred to as the"Einstein of consciousness studies", Ken Wilber is a preeminent scholar of the Integral stage of human development.

He is also the founder of the Integral Institute, which is the first organization fully dedicated to advancement and application of the Integral Approach in relation to contemporary global issues. It was formed in collaboration with over 200 scholars and experts, specializing in education, politics, business, medicine, psychology, spirituality, as well as, law and criminal justice.In 2007 Wilber co-founded Integral Life, a social media-hub dedicated to sharing the integral vision with the world wide community, as well as documenting and catalyzing the progress of the integral movement.

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Interview Links:

— Ken’s website: https://integrallife.com/who-is-ken-wilber/

— Ken’s books: https://amzn.to/3uJYx9a

Dr. Andrew Tatarsky and Professor Marc Lewis — two individuals who have been reshaping the global conversation around addiction towards a more compassionate and scientific view.

Marc is a bestselling author, Developmental Psychologist, and the developer of The Learning Model of Addiction. Andrew is a Clinical Psychologist and the creator of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy.

In this conversation, we explore:

— The power of parts work, compassion, and harm reduction for healing addiction

— The limitations of the disease model and why it may be causing more harm than the drugs themselves

— Marc and Andrew’s views on the future of addiction treatment

And more.

You can learn more about Marc’s work at: https://memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com and Andrew’s at https://www.andrewtatarsky.com.

As a heads up, Marc and Andrew will be teaching the foundational modules on our upcoming Holistic Recovery Course. If you’re interested in learning more about this, make sure to sign up for our email list at https://theweekenduniversity.com/

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Andrew Tatarsky is an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of problematic substance use and other potentially risky behaviors. He has specialized in the field of substance use treatment for 35 years working as a counselor, psychologist, program director, trainer, advocate and author. He has devoted his career to developing a comprehensive psychobiosocial understanding of the broad spectrum of substance use problems and an integrative harm reduction psychotherapy approach to treating this spectrum. This treatment is described in his book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems, and several professional papers that extend the approach. The book has been released in paperback and Kindle, published in Poland by the Polish Office of Drug Prevention and has been translated into Spanish and is available in a free pdf.

Dr. Tatarsky is the Director of Clinical Programming at Freedom Institute in NYC. He is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Optimal Living in NYC, a treatment and professional training center based on Integrative Harm Reduction Therapy (IHRP) for the spectrum of substance misuse and other high-risk behaviors. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and is a graduate of New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. He is a member of the medical and clinical advisory panels to the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services of New York State. Dr. Tatarsky is a founding member and twice past-president of the Division on Addiction of New York State Psychological Association.

Prof Marc Lewis, PhD is a neuroscientist, professor, bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading experts on the neuroscience of addiction. In his academic work, he has authored or co-authored more than fifty journal articles, and for many years was a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Toronto and then Radboud University (Netherlands) before retiring.

For the last decade, he has focused on making his work more accessible to a wider audience through books for lay readers, pop science articles, public talks, and interviews. He is the author of two bestselling books on addiction: “Memoirs of an Addicted Brain” and “The Biology of Desire”, a book which Dr Gabor Mate argues “effectively refutes the disease model of addiction.” He is currently practicing psychotherapy as a clinical psychologist in Toronto, working with clients with addictive problems and other difficulties.

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Interview Links:

— Marc's website - https://memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/

— Andrew's website - https://www.andrewtatarsky.com/

In this insightful episode, I’m joined by world leading addiction treatment experts — Jan Winhall and Cece Sykes. Jan has been working closely with Stephen Porges to develop a Polyvagal informed model for treating addiction, while Cece is one of the world’s foremost experts on leveraging Internal Family Systems for healing addictive processes, having recently co-authored a book with Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy on this subject.

Both Jan and Cece will be teaching a module on our upcoming Holistic Recovery Course, which provides mental health professionals with an evidence-based and multidimensional framework for re-humanizing and healing addiction at its core.

If you’re interested in being part of the first live cohort which launches in the final week of July, make sure to sign up for our email list at https://theweekenduniversity.com.

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Jan Winhall, MSW, FOT is an author, teacher, and psychotherapist in Toronto, Canada. She is author of “Treating Trauma and Addiction with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model”, by Jan Winhall, Routledge, 2021. Jan is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Social Work, University of Toronto and Co-Director of Borden Street Clinic, a psychotherapy and teaching centre. She is a Coordinator with The International Focusing Institute and Director of Focusing on Borden, a psychotherapy and training centre. Jan presents internationally on trauma and addiction.

Cece Sykes, LCSW, ACSW is an IFS Senior Trainer, US and international. Contributed to Levels 1 and 2 IFS training manuals and teaches L1 as well as L2 Trauma and Addiction. Cece has over thirty years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples and families, specializing in work with the effects of trauma and addiction. Her chapter on compassionate approaches to addictive process appears in IFS: Innovations and Elaborations, 2016, Routledge. Cece also has special interests in spiritual practices intersecting with therapy and in the impact of psychotherapy upon the life of the therapist and she lectures, consults and leads workshops on all of these topics. Cece lives and works in the city of Chicago.

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Interview Links:

— Cece’s website - https://www.cecesykeslcsw.com

— Jan’s website - https://janwinhall.com

Daniel Kirby is a serial entrepreneur, podcast host, and coach who has founded and exited a number of companies.

In addition to being named as one of the most innovative people in Europe in 2018, he is also the creator of the Getahead Festival and has raised more than 14,000 for a children’s charity by completing 6 marathons in 7 days in the Sahara Desert.

Recently, Dan has pressed the “reset” button on his life, choosing to focus on helping founders master the inner game of entrepreneurship.

In this conversation, we explore:

— How the practice of active journaling can transform your life

— How to distinguish between deep creative callings and shallow passing wants

— Thinking tools to for creating mental clarity

And more.

You can keep up to date with Dan’s work on Linkedin by going to: bit.ly/dan-kirby

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Dan Kirby is an award winning entrepreneur who lives in the UK's Peak District with his wife, 3 teenage daughters, 4 cats and 2 dogs. He is a partner in the New York based coaching program CounterpartOS and a top 2.5% global podcaster with Honey I Blew Up The Business. You can connect and know more about Dan by following him at bit.ly/dan-kirby.

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Interview Links:

— Dan’s Linkedin - bit.ly/dan-kirby

Dr Bruce Alexander is an internationally recognised author and psychologist perhaps most well known for his “rat-park” experiment and dislocation theory of addiction. Few people on the planet have contributed more to our understanding of the social and contextual factors driving addiction, so it was a real privilege to have this conversation.

In this episode you’ll learn:

— Why psychology is only one piece of the addiction puzzle and the importance of taking a wider view

— The extent to which belonging to a culture can be thought of as a basic human need; as essential to our wellbeing as food and water, and what happens in its absence

— The historical factors driving the addiction crisis

— Bruce’s famous rat park experiment and how this is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how we see addictions

And more.

You can learn more about Bruce’s work by going to: www.brucekalexander.com

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Dr Bruce K. Alexander is a renowned Canadian psychologist and professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. He is best known for his groundbreaking work in the field of addiction and his influential theory known as the "Rat Park" experiment.

Bruce Kenneth Alexander was born on December 13, 1939, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Oregon, earning his Ph.D. in experimental psychology.

Throughout his career, Alexander focused on studying addiction and its underlying causes, challenging prevailing theories that viewed addiction as solely a result of chemical dependency. He sought to explore the social and environmental factors that contribute to addictive behavior.
Alexander's work highlighted the importance of social connections, environmental factors, and personal fulfillment in preventing and treating addiction. He argued that creating supportive communities and addressing the root causes of addiction, such as social isolation and psychological distress, are crucial for effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Beyond his research, Alexander has been a vocal advocate for drug policy reform and has been critical of the war on drugs. He has called for a shift toward harm reduction strategies and the implementation of evidence-based approaches to address substance abuse. Bruce K. Alexander has published numerous articles and book chapters on addiction, psychology, and drug policy. His work continues to inspire researchers, clinicians, and policymakers in the field of addiction studies.

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4 Books Dr Alexander Recommends for Every Therapist Should Read:

— Scenes and studies of savage life - Sproat, Gilbert Malcolm, 1832-1913 - https://bit.ly/SSS-UBC2023

— Addiction and Devotion in Early Modern England — Rebecca Lemon - https://amzn.to/3XIBCW7

— Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice — Craig Reinarman and Harry G. Levine - https://amzn.to/433VtQE

— Coming Clean: Overcoming Addiction without Treatment — Robert Granfield and William Cloud - https://amzn.to/3ppAqKN

Dr Samuel Wilkinson is a professor at Yale, a psychiatrist, and the author of the new book: Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About The Nature of Our Existence. His book makes a compelling and provocative case that life (particularly human life) is inherently purposeful, drawing from evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience in order to do so.

In this conversation, we explore:

— Dr. Wilkinson‘s view that life is fundamentally a test and the implications this has for how we live our lives

— How each of us have the potential for both good and evil contained within

— Why relationships are the number one variable in happiness, our sense of purpose, and mental health.

— The cognitive illusions that cause us to search for happiness in the wrong places, and how to overcome them.

And more.

You can learn more about Dr. Wilkinson‘s work and get a copy of the book at https://samueltwilkinson.com

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Samuel T. Wilkinson is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. Dr. Wilkinson received his B.S. in mechanical engineering, summa cum laude, from Brigham Young University and later his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Yale, where he joined the faculty following his post-graduate medical training.

His primary research has focused on depression and suicide prevention and has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

His research and articles have been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He has been the recipient of many awards, including Top Advancements & Breakthroughs from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (2017 and 2020), Top Ten Psychiatry Papers by the New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch, the Early Career Scholar Award from the American Psychiatric Association, the Samuel Novey Writing Prize in Psychological Medicine (Johns Hopkins), the Seymour Lustman Award (Yale University), and the rank of Eagle Scout.

As a young man, he served a mission for his church in Nevada from 2002-2004, where he learned to speak fluent Spanish and to enjoy a variety of Latino cultures. He continues to serve in his church and community in as many ways as he can. He lives with his wife and their five children in southern Connecticut.

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— Samuel Wilkinson’s website - https://samueltwilkinson.com

— Samuel Wilkinson’s books - https://amzn.to/4aZgtNq