Posts by Peter Goetz
PTSD: A Primer, Part 2
In the first installment of my Primer on PTSD, I laid out some of the aspects of PTSD from a diagnostic framework, as well as some of the forms it takes—how trauma actually impacts peopleʼs lives. Here Iʼll focus in on a few examples, painting with a broader brush some emotional and mental problems that…
PTSD: A Primer [Part 1]
By now, the letters “PTSD” have attained a well-known place in American culture. Most people know of PTSD from the media or from colleagues or therapists. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it’s the working name for a wide set of symptoms, responses, behaviors and conditions that people exhibit, arising from the experience trauma.…
Your Relationship With Alcohol
ʻYou never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enoughʼ -William Blake (from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell) Alcohol use is everywhere in our society. It’s socially sanctioned, easily available and a part of many social gatherings, particularly those starting after 5pm. Many folks drink to wind down…
Working With Your Life
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself” -Andy Warhol Once, a few decades ago, a meditation teacher I knew talked of the importance of ‘working with your life’. He said it casually, off-handedly, in the way that he said most everything. This from a guy who had been…
Deconstructing Mindfulness
Mindfulness is everywhere nowadays. Like so much else in American life, it’s become a commodity, a product. Not long ago I was looking over the 2013 course listings for an East Coast conference center and saw 19 courses being offered with the word mindfulness in the title. And that’s not counting the ones with mindfulness’s…
Zen Brain
“Zen Brain comes from a perspective of intersecting worlds of neuroscience and spiritual practice. What I heard were repeated metaphors of that hyper-connectivity of brain, mind, science as lived experience. By extension, the lessons of neuroscience are unfolding in our time, helping to redefine our minds, our world.” -Peter Goetz In February I participated in…