Types and the Enneagram I’ve found that any coherent typology system is useful. Find yourself somewhere in the system and then discover more of who you are using the...Read More Integral Expands Systems One of the delights of the Integral system is how it illuminates and improves other systems....Read More Compensatory and Integrative Motivations, Goals, and Cultures We all begin as egocentric infants. We all must grow through conformist stages where we’re motivated to please others and fit in....Read More 4 Foundations I believe everything has consciousness, from cosmic strings to matter, to life, to our cells and organs, to the most complex phenomena in the known...Read More We Need Healthy Contact! We are an ultra-social species that needs intimacy/contact to survive and thrive....Read More Transference / Countertransference in Integral Psychotherapy One of the foundations of Freudian theory is that within the therapeutic relationship the patient and therapist both project previous relationships onto each other....Read More Cybernetics, Integral, and Post-Issue Relationships Cybernetics, coined by Norbert Wiener in the 1940s, is the study of how systems regulate themselves through feedback loops....Read More The Heart of Abiding Love Every day seems to bring a new shock to the heart. Violence and division, cruelty framed as policy, dishonesty celebrated, truth dismissed. Connecting with the...Read More Dopamine Boosts Woke Up Humanity 80 Thousand Years Ago I love the evolution of consciousness! Every time I learn more about how we became who we are, I end up learning more about who...Read More Catalyst Moments: Sometimes One Insight Changes Everything Psychotherapists help people change to become more purely their best selves. Most change happens gradually but once in a while something life-altering happens. The insights...Read More AI is a game changer AI is a game changer like written language, the printing press, the radio, the personal computer, and the internet. AI will democratize creativity and challenge...Read More The Gift of Shame (with Dr. Keith Witt) Shame isn’t something to get rid of—it’s something to work with. And when we do, it can become one of the most powerful tools for...Read More The Gift of Shame – Introduction My book, The Gift of Shame, was written to explore the importance of shame in normal development and human functioning. Today’s blog is the first...Read More Community Matters The dialectic is the heart of healthy relating. Two or more people, on purpose, open to influence, pursuing deeper truths collaboratively are engaging in the...Read More Radical Acceptance and Compassionate Understanding Radical acceptance is taking responsibility for everything you experience and do while being as fully present as possible. This is easy for fun stuff....Read More An Interview for The Practical Enneagram In this interview, we speak about the stage-based model for healing trauma as well as parts work, the Enneagram and the development of the Wise...Read More What is a life well lived? The idea of a life well lived takes us to transpersonal psychology, which always leads to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Moving forward on relevant...Read More An Integral approach to trauma involves enriching autobiographical narratives. Autobiographical narratives are the ongoing stories we have of ourselves as man, woman, child, teen etc. Much of the healing that comes from trauma work...Read More A turquoise meta-psychology is all about vitality, intimacy, and vibrant health A 21st meta-psychology is a mode of discourse. Informed practitioners stable at multiperspectival teal engaged in a dialectic to enhance and clarify the human experience...Read More Progressive motivation systems, criterion velocity, and samadhi All of us are constantly influenced by many motivation systems, but especially by “Never-good-enough” or “Effort-and-progress-is-always-good-enough,” systems. As we mature, we tend to move towards...Read More Common features of Integrally informed meta-psychotherapies An Integrally informed psychotherapy is a meta-psychotherapy that provides coherence and organizing principles for multiple psychotherapies. ...Read More The Warrior and the Man of Wisdom Authenticity, integrity, open-heartedness, and radical acceptance guide a man from Warrior to Man of Wisdom....Read More 21st Century Integral Monasticism I told Jeff Salzman that I tell my clients I’m a therapy monk, and he and I began to discuss the monastic qualities of our...Read More Integrally Informed Sex Therapy Integrally informed sex therapy blends naturally with other systems. Tom Habid just presented his five relational stages to our Soultank group and I’ve expanded his...Read More Integration Of Defensive Line Of Development Defenses are how we automatically and consciously protect ourselves. Most relevant to the integration-of-defenses line are defensive states, which happen to all of us daily....Read More Mirroring the Integral Awakening Giving our attention to the most beautiful, good, and true helps grow all of us....Read More Orienting Questions for the Eight Zones of the Four Quadrants The following are orienting questions about relational friendships, love affairs, and problem solving in each of the eight zones of the four quadrants....Read More IFS Part 2: How IFS and Dr. Keith Crossed Paths The whole system is organized to constellate and strengthen Wise Self in charge and caring for all parts....Read More An Integral take on Internal Family Systems (IFS) People respond well to the idea that we have different selves, experienced as separate personalities, generally divided into exiles, managers (of which there are two...Read More A Turquoise Psychology Turquoise psychology is a meta-psychology. In the Integral epistemology, progressive developmental stages are characterized by colors, and turquoise is where wise people bond with like-minded...Read More Cancel Culture and Freedom of Speech Is there any newscaster, journalist, or politician you dislike enough that you dismiss anything they say? You are cancelling this person....Read More Splitting and Borderline Personality Disorder Psychological splitting is shifting to a distressed state with a distorted story. We all do this daily…...Read MoreThe Cambrian Explosion and Riding Evolution’s Whirlwind Something strange is happening with evolution—it’s speeding up. Every few years we’re doubling the volume of human knowledge....Read More Panic Attacks Panic attacks can happen at stressful moments. They occur suddenly, peak in the first 10 minutes, and are usually gone in 30 minutes. If you...Read More How Deepest Consciousness Often Means Most Responsibility In many social settings, the person with the deepest consciousness (the most compassionate understanding) has a special responsibility to help things go well. Deeper consciousness...Read More Alcoholism or Problem Drinking? All alcoholics are problem drinkers, but not all problem drinkers are alcoholics. I’m going to show you how I encourage people who report any kind...Read More Toward an Integral Meta-Psychotherapy Imagine a therapy where everything is interconnected, where every moment is a golden opportunity, and where the journey is as transformative as the destination. Whether...Read More Integrally informed meta-psychotherapy Within the scaffolding of an Integrally informed meta-psychotherapy, all theories/approaches self-organize into multidimensional living structures, always undulating, growing, and integrating through four quadrants....Read More The Art and Science of the Intentional Love Affair Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos delve into the intricacies of intimate relationships, exploring the concept of “intentional love affairs” and how they can be...Read More When Therapists Go Woke Dr. Keith and Corey examine a troubling new trend in psychotherapy, where woke ideologies are being imposed in the therapist’s office and interfering with client-based...Read More The Intentional Love Affair The three foundations of satisfying relationships are the friendship, the love affair, and problem-solving. An intentional love affair sustains eroticism and expanding love....Read More Are The Kids Alright? Dr Keith Witt, integral psychotherapist extraordinaire, joins me to take a look at our next generation: the kids, teenagers and people entering their twenties....Read More Ideology and Psychotherapy Not surprisingly, the current political polarization has worked its way into psychotherapy and psychotherapy grad programs. As usual, there are healthy and unhealthy aspects to...Read More Mastery, Collaboration, and Finding Your Unique Healing Style Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos explore the multifaceted nature of integral psychotherapy, emphasizing the importance of therapists finding their own healing style and the...Read More What Makes Us Happy? Growing Toward Anti-Fragility Join Keith and Corey in this enriching dialogue, as they bring forth an integral perspective on the pressing issue of mental health and resilience among...Read More Resilience and fragility in iGen teens There has been news recently of increasing depression in young people, and particularly anglo teen girls, whose rates have risen the most....Read More How Self-Hatred Can Lead to Self Transformation Dr. Keith and Corey explore how feelings of self-hatred and self-loathing, when combined with compassionate self-awareness and the natural resilience of Witness consciousness, can help...Read More Self-attack as a tricky defense against change Self-attack is a common defense against change. Someone disgusted with a mistake or moral failing might feel intense anger or shame and lash inwards, as...Read More How Attachment Theory Can Improve Your Relationships As Dr. Keith often reminds us, “Everything is relationships.” And the earliest relationships we form in our lives often set the tone and cadence for...Read More Escaping the Comfort Zone: Motivation, Shame, and the Will to Transform Dr. Keith and Corey explore the complex psychology of motivation — the various sticks and carrots we use to get out of bed in the...Read More Criterion velocity and samadhi We navigate the present moment through our accumulated learning, habits, intentions, and evolutionary drives responding to other people and the world....Read More Psychedelic Therapy and the Politics of Consciousness In the recent 2022 midterm elections, Colorado joined the state of Oregon in its decriminalization of psychedelic substances for therapeutic use. Here Dr. Keith and...Read More How Change Works: Supporting Vertical Development Dr. Keith and Corey explore some critical strategies to help support ongoing growth to increasing wholeness in ourselves and in other people: finding a psycho-spiritual...Read More How Healthy Relationships Manage Conflict Dr. Keith and Corey discuss “post-issue relationships” — relationships where both partners have the awareness and skill to stay connected in warmth and acceptance all...Read More Playing and Fighting: The Keys to Sociability Keith introduces me to his theory of human sociability. As he sees it, human relationships can be seen on a spectrum of playing and fighting....Read More HEXACO: The Quality that Leverages All Others Dr. Keith and I marvel at an exciting new (to us) typology system developed by Kibeom Lee and Michael Ashton: the HEXACO system....Read More The Three Sources of Suffering There are at least three distinct sources of human suffering, all related, and none reducible to the others....Read More The Enchantment of Science Dr. Keith and I notice a growing attempt in the culture to bring meaning and purpose into the realms of science....Read More Transgenderism and Abortion In this episode, Dr. Keith and I take on two hot-button issues in the culture wars, each of us coming up on different sides of...Read More Conflict in Post-Issue Relationships The ideal goal in any conflict is to get back to love in seconds. This requires both partners to immediately recognize conflicts as they arise...Read More Personality as the Base Note of Change Work Watch as Dr. Keith offers a “Psychotherapy Masterclass” that helps us work with various personality types as a foundation for healing, change, and self-actualization. While...Read More Personalities are the base notes of change work Whatever mode of therapy you’re using, it’s beneficial to keep influencing clients to install missing capacities in their personalities and take responsibility for problems stemming...Read More Making Sense of Madness: Personality Disorders and Mass Formation Delusions Dr. Keith and Corey explore an Integral understanding of personality disorders, and how they fit into the mass formation distortions that currently seem to be...Read More The triple threat model of human suffering In the 57 years I’ve been studying psychology there have been three schools of thought about where psycho/emotional/social suffering comes from—nurture, trauma, and nature....Read More Personality disorders and mass formations An Integral understanding of personality disorders, and how they fit into the mass formation distortions that currently seem to be happening everywhere....Read More Authoring Your Life Story: The Hero’s Journey and You Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey take a deep dive into the human superpower of self-authorship, and how we can use that superpower to construct...Read More How to Teach Kids About Sex and Gender What exactly are “developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate” ways to teach kids about sex, gender, and identity, not only for kids in kindergarten through third grade, but...Read More The Hero’s Journey Joseph Campbell studied 114 cultures to find common mythic themes, and a central one was the Hero’s journey—how people are challenged, meet challenges, and are...Read More How Self-Love Progresses Through the Life Span One of my favorite definitions of love is to be at-one-with. Developmentally, when it comes to self-love, we progress through stages....Read More An Integral Understanding of Narcissism and Gaslighting In this episode, Dr. Keith and Corey take a careful look at the strategies and intended results of gaslighting (the effort to make you question...Read More An Integral Understanding of Narcissism and Gaslighting, Part 3 Narcissism is characterized by self-absorption, self-centeredness, the objectification of others, and a constant hunger for attention and praise—narcissistic supply. People with pathological narcissism—seeing others as...Read More An Integral Understanding of Narcissism and Gaslighting, Part 2 Narcissism is characterized by self-absorption, self-centeredness, the objectification of others, and a constant hunger for attention and praise—narcissistic supply. People with pathological narcissism—seeing others as...Read More Trauma to Transcendence: Using Life’s Wounds to Grow Dr. Keith Witt and Jeff discuss a powerful realization emerging at the leading edge of culture regarding the role of trauma in our lives. Dr....Read More Trauma to transcendence: Using life’s wounds to grow In this episode of the Shrink and the Pundit, Dr. Keith Witt and I discuss a powerful realization emerging at the leading edge of culture...Read More An Integral Understanding of Narcissism and Gaslighting An Integral understanding looks for deeper dynamics and practical approaches to identifying and addressing narcissism and gaslighting, and positions these problems as developmental challenges for...Read More The Awakened Brain: The Neurobiology of Spiritual Experience Dr. Keith takes a close look at the physiology of spiritual experience. What parts of the brain are being activated when we are having one...Read More The Neurobiology of Spirituality How relevant is spirituality to normal development? According to a number of epidemiological findings and much neurobiological research, spirituality is of central importance to healthy development....Read More From Codependence to Interdependence Codependent relationships — those relationships where one person needs another, and the other person needs to be needed — are surprisingly common in our lives,...Read More Codependence: what it is and how to deal with it Humans are ultrasocial, and most of our interactions fall into three categories, dependent, independent, and interdependent. Just like most everything else, there are healthy and...Read More Transforming Trauma Into Resilience Watch as we take a look at several different kinds of trauma — micro-traumas, big traumas, “pre-verbal” traumas, generational traumas, etc. — and explore how...Read More Stages of trauma into transcendence Trauma is an increasingly popular field in psychology, psychotherapy, and the world in general. Through countless studies in interpersonal neurobiology and social psychology, we now...Read More Finding Resilience in a Flood of Disinformation Dr. Keith and Corey explore multiple strategies to help us maintain our mental and emotional well-being as our informational terrains become increasingly disrupted and distorted...Read More Radical generosity Excerpt: Have you ever been bored with your partner and think that the solution is him or her becoming sexier or more interesting?...Read More Influence and discernment We tend to respond better or worse—and be influenced more or less—by different sequences of social engagements. For example, first impressions stick, and the last...Read More Honesty, Humility, and Reality Distortion Fields Dr. Keith and Corey discuss “the H Factor” — a variation of the Big 5 personality typology that adds a critical sixth trait, honesty and...Read More Shame into regret The challenge of therapy (and development) is to turn shame which trashes our worth and moral fiber, into regret which has more of “I wish...Read More The H Factor In the HEXACO 6-factor personality system, the H factor reflects how humble/honest or arrogant/dishonest a person is. I find this fascinating, with a lot of...Read More How to Manage Passive Aggression Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey explore the many ways passive aggression, anger, and codependence create more separation between people and degrade our capacity for...Read More Forgiveness and radical acceptance It’s astonishing how many human miseries can be resolved through forgiveness and radical acceptance. Never forgiving is taking poison to punish someone else—the more you...Read More[VIDEO] Psychotherapy as a Martial Art Blending the principles of martial arts with the practice of psychotherapy was central in my early development as a clinician, and I still find the...Watch Video Martial Arts and Psychotherapy Dr. Keith and Corey explore the fertile intersection between martial arts, psychotherapy, and integral living. Watch as Keith shares the deep wisdoms he has received...Read More Post-Issue Relationships: Interpersonal development at teal and turquoise Today’s topic is what Dr. Keith calls the “post-issue relationship”, and here’s how he describes it: In a post-issue relationship, each problem is an opportunity...Read More Happy yes: Part 1 One great principle of happy relationships is to say “Yes” as much as possible. Couples who do this are happier, healthier, and have better sex....Read More Post-Issue Relationships Post-issue relationships are the goal of all psychotherapies In a post-issue relationship, each problem is an opportunity to grow and love. A post-issue relationship still...Read More Escaping Narcissism In this episode of Witt & Wisdom we take a careful look at these narcissistic tendencies and how they express themselves in all four quadrants,...Read More How Enchanting Stories Can Reshape Your Reality “Observe with interest” is one of the nuggets of wisdom I say repeatedly thanks to my guest joining us today, Dr. Keith Witt. He teaches...Read More Into the Dreaming Our dreams are often drenched in meaning, significance, and symbolism. But it is often very difficult for us to make sense of our experiences in...Read More The Meaning of It All: An integral look at grief and loss In this episode, I take a look at the “ultimate questions” of religion and philosophy: Who are we? Where are we going? How does one...Read More Overcoming Confirmation Bias Dr. Keith and Corey explore the two primary forms of reasoning — confirmatory reasoning, otherwise known as “confirmation bias”, and exploratory reasoning, which considers multiple...Read More The Shrink & The Pundit: Fighting and Friending Our Way Forward Dr. Keith Witt on the psychological mechanisms that animate evolution. All living processes exist in a rhythm of opposing forces which create conflict, resolving into...Read More Fighting and Friending our Way Forward All living processes exist in a rhythm of opposing forces which create conflict, resolving into either cooperation or domination. This dynamic of tension is the...Read More Love, Conflict, and Play Keith and Corey talk about how all play is an abstracted version of fighting, and how we can always draw upon our evolutionary capacity to...Read More The Invisible Audience Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey have a fascinating discussion about the “Invisible Audience”, helping you make these unconscious observers just a bit more visible...Read More Myths from the pair bond We humans take the drives and turn them into art, and arguably the oldest art forms we have are the mythic stories beginning with the...Read More PUKE HIM OUT! Last Wednesday we saw a mob assault the US Capitol Building in an attempt to stop the certification of November’s presidential election....Read More Invisible Audiences We feel observed all the time. We feel observed by our conscious selves and our inner critics. We feel observed by others–by our real and...Read More Putting the Pieces Back Together Corey and Keith discuss the psychological and cultural aftermath of the 2020 Presidential Election, and the integral work ahead of us to help put the...Read More Illuminating Shadow: Family, Community, and Relationship Corey and Keith are joined by a very special guest, Keith’s daughter Zoe Witt, for this tremendously touching exploration of shadow in family, in relationships,...Read More Breath and Body Vitality Dr. Keith and I rage against the dying of the light....Read More Just Breathe: How to Manage Your Stress and Find Your Flow Your breath is a direct channel to the flow state. Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey explore this elegantly simple practice, one that can bring...Read More The Warrior, the Healer, development, and Shadow The Warrior, the Healer, and the Man of Wisdom are universal archetypes that inform our personal evolution in countless ways. They are intertwined in our...Read More Life Beyond Outrage In our personal relationships we are pretty good at harmonizing differences. But when it comes to politics and culture it is a much harder task....Read More The Integral 3-2-1 process expanded into a 1-2-3-1 process In sessions, therapists use the power of the lower left quadrant intersubjective relationship to help clients make transitions from defensive states into states of healthy...Read More Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, and Politics Dr. Keith and Corey lead a fascinating discussion that brings us to the heart of psychotherapy, mindfulness, and spiritual awakening, and then apply this transformational...Read More Integral Mastery The mastery process has been heavily researched — from the initial ignition of passion that makes us want to excel is some area, to embracing...Read More A new paradigm for developing mastery in psychotherapy Let’s focus mostly on therapists’ growth as human beings. I believe that such an emphasis is a new paradigm for developing mastery in psychotherapy....Read More Supporting Development in Adolescents Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey take a close look at a critical phase of our own development, noting all of the things that can...Read More The Light in the Covid Tunnel Dr. Keith Witt and I have way too much fun discussing the consequences, in all four quadrants, of life in the time of COVID-19....Read More From Trauma to Transcendence This practice will help you cultivate the courage to face your trauma, discover an unbreakable source of resilience and empathy within yourself, and find deeper...Read More Working With Collective Trauma Collective trauma is more than the sum aggregate of all our our individual traumas. It is a trauma that exists between us, rather than within...Read More How Defensive States Prevent Self-Knowledge Dr. Keith and Corey navigate the psychological minefield of defensive states and shadow impulses that often diminish our capacity for wisdom, empathy, and self-knowledge....Read More Why Not to Have a Secret Affair Keith explains the reasons people have secret affairs (and how they justify them), how to recognize and derail the cascade of behaviors that lead to...Read More The Meaning of Coincidence Dr. Keith and Corey take an integral look at synchronicity, exploring this elusive phenomena through the lenses of the four quadrants, the major states of...Read More Time, Consciousness, and Development Dr. Keith and Corey discuss how our relationship with time lies at the very root of consciousness, and explore how our perceptions of time affect...Read More Integrating Shadow Up and Down the Spiral Dr. Keith and Corey shine some light on the many sorts of shadow material we can encounter during our developmental journey, and how we can...Read More Cultural Evolution Goes Mainstream In this episode, Dr. Keith Witt and I discuss evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson’s latest book, This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution....Read More 100 Reasons Not to Have an Affair Dr. Keith and Corey discuss why extramarital affairs happen, what the consequences of infidelity are to your relationship, your family, and your own mental well-being,...Read More Your best self — your wisest and most compassionate self — exists right now in you You may be embodying your wisest self as you read this. Your wisest self is a fundamental part of you that wants to choose goodness,...Read More Creating a Coherent Life Story Dr. Keith and Corey discuss the primary goal of psychotherapy — to help people experience themselves every day as living a happy ending to their...Read More We live in a relational universe. Everything is relationships. We live in a relational universe. Our lives revolve around relationships with others, nature, the world, the past/present/future, and our countless interior selves, memories, and...Read More Considering Otto Scharmer’s “Axial Shift” political theory Many integralists are fans of Otto Scharmer, MIT professor and developer of “Theory U”, a brilliant tool for activating higher stages of consciousness that has...Read More Considering Otto Scharmer’s “Axial Shift” Political Theory Many integralists are fans of Otto Scharmer, MIT professor and developer of “Theory U”, a brilliant tool for activating higher stages of consciousness that has...Read More The One Moment That Can Make or Break Your Relationship Dr. Keith and Corey explore how to better manage conflict in our relationships, focusing on one critical moment in these conflicts — the moment a...Read More A Critical Moment in Relationships If you want enduring bliss, you need to know how to repair injuries back to love! This of course begs the question, “What are the...Read More The Other World: Integrating Psychological and Spiritual Health Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos explore the bottomless source of deep wisdom that exists at the intersection between the spiritual and psychological realms....Read More Befriending Emotional Pain What makes our distress difficult to accept, Keith says, is that we live in a culture that preaches zero tolerance for emotional pain....Read More Shadow Work for Couples Dr. Keith and Corey explore how shadow practices can help couples resolve conflict and deepen their intimacy....Read More How Emotional Coaching Makes Us Better Parents Dr. Keith and Corey explore how the integral approach and emotional coaching can profoundly transform our ability to show up as parents for our children....Read More The Quadrant Lens: How to See Your Blind Spots I talk with Dr. Keith Witt about what he calls “the seductive power of quadrant absolutism,” riffing on the quadrant model (part of the AQAL...Read More Affluenza and the College Admissions Scandal Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey explore the recent college admissions scandal through the lens of integral psychology, typology, and the intimate interplay between culture,...Read More The Beauty of Evolved Conflict Keith Witt and I discuss the evolution of human conflict, how it is manifesting in today’s world and what might be next as emerges into...Read More Conflict as a Driver of Evolution and Intimacy Dr. Keith and Corey explore the central role that conflict plays in the ongoing evolutionary process, from the big bang to today, and in our...Read More The Psychology of Kink: Transforming Sexual Drives Into Art LOT of adults are into kink, and studies show those people are happier, more resilient, and more conscientious. Join Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos...Read More Is Masculinity Toxic? Jeff talks with Dr. Keith Witt about an evolutionary approach that liberates masculinity and femininity into a new integration that features the best of both...Read More Is Masculinity Toxic? In this podcast Jeff talks with Dr. Keith Witt about an evolutionary approach that liberates masculinity and femininity into a new integration that features the...Read More Integral Mindfulness and the Evolution of Shame Integral mindfulness gives us the tools to make our moral discernments more visible and influenceable. Integral mindfulness can organize our relationships with shame and moral...Read More Year-round Holiday Spirit? Yes, Please. I always love the worldcentric vibes of the holidays. Peace and love for all, New Year’s Eve around the world, and the brotherhood of man...Read More Staying Attuned in an Entangled Universe Dr. Keith and Corey explore ways that people can stay attuned with one another even while our defensive states are being activated....Read More Thanksgiving and our ancestral voices It’s a running gag in America that holidays generate emotional conflicts like the Caribbean generates hurricanes. Red/blue political arguments, intoxicated relatives, old family wounds exposed,...Read More Post-Election Peptalk The morning after this week’s US midterm election I got a note from Dr. Keith Witt, my Shrink and the Pundit podcast partner, suggesting we...Read More The Art and Practice of Happiness Watch as Dr. Keith Witt, Jeff Salzman, and Corey deVos take an in-depth look at the art of happiness, exploring some of the central perspectives...Read More An Integral Look at Happiness Dr. Keith Witt and Jeff Salzman take an in-depth look at the art of happiness, exploring some of the central perspectives and practices that can...Read More The Art of Happiness Embracing happiness-producing perspectives like an optimistic explanatory style and growth mindsets help us become more joyful and wise....Read More Loving Completely – Integrating Science, Heart, and Spirit – a conversation with Neil Sattin Do you ever feel like there’s a barrier between what you know about how to have a good relationship, and what you actually do? How...Read More Loving Completely — How to Show Up More Fully in Your Relationships Wouldn’t you like to know — quickly, easily and succinctly — what the very best of science tells us about how to have amazing, life-changing...Read More An Integral Understanding of Suicide The gift of self-aware consciousness included the capacity for humans to anticipate and understand the inevitability of their own deaths, and all gifts come with...Read More An Integral Understanding of Suicide Dr. Keith Witt talks to Jeff Salzman and Corey deVos about bringing a more integral understanding and compassion to the topic of suicide....Read More An Integral understanding of suicide Suicide has been in existence as long as self-aware consciousness has been in existence. The gift of self-aware consciousness included the capacity for humans to...Read More Integral Intimacy: A Beginner’s Guide Dr. Keith and Corey explore the basic architecture of Integral intimacy in relationships, offering a simple roadmap for any couples who would like to level...Read More The Power to Serve Dr. Keith talks to Jeff Salzman about Integral Life’s recent “Tap Your Power” event in Denver, CO....Read More The Power to Serve Dr. Keith talks to Jeff Salzman about Integral Life’s recent “Tap Your Power” event in Denver, CO, which featured exquisite teachings from himself, Ginny Whitelaw,...Read More The Art of the Love Affair Dr. Keith Witt explores the art of the love affair — how they happen, how to avoid them from occurring outside of your committed relationship,...Read More Practical Scientific and Practical Romantic Schools of Therapy Since I began studying psychotherapy in 1966, I’ve noticed that therapists generally fall into two categories — theory-driven and practical-change driven....Read More Relational dead spots and how to deal with them An intimate love relationship is composed of a friendship, a love affair, and different abilities to repair problems when they arise. Relationships progress through attraction,...Read More Helping Kids Grow Strong: A Conversation with Dr. Keith Witt Dr Keith Witt talks with Jeff about how to better support children’s development....Read More Helping Kids Grow Strong Dr. Keith argues that the healthy expression of a person’s type (their preferences, gifts and built-in challenges) is based largely on their early relationships....Read More The Two Commitments – If you’re in a relationship, check your commitments If we feel that we want a life partnership with a person, the commitment needs to shift from, “I’ll stay as long as,” to “I’ll...Read More The Butterfly and the Hawk: How “Dual Focus” Can Help You Overcome Pain, Anxiety, and Trauma A common element of many trauma treatments, most psychotherapy, and much spiritual practice is something called “dual focus” — our capacity to anchor ourselves in...Read More The Care and Feeding of the Brain Dr Keith shares new research about brain health and specific actions we can take to maintain cognitive capacities into elderhood....Read More Peering into the Post-Privacy World Today Jeff talks with integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt about the arising of big data and its effect on our individual and collective psyches....Read More Depression is the great deceiver There is four times the rate of depression now than in 1987. We’ve essentially been doubling the amount of depression in this country for each...Read More Why Be Normal? Dr. Keith discusses how the concept of “normal” profoundly effects our development and functioning, and how he has dealt with these issues over the decades...Read More [Video] Finding Sanity in the Post-Truth Era Dr. Keith Witt talks about our shared emotional reactions to the election and ongoing cultural upheavals, and some strategies help us not only cope, but...Read More Explain and listen, don’t make excuses. Who is your closest relationship right now? Do you get along well all the time? Do you fight occasionally? To those who can’t think of...Read More Peering into the Post-Privacy World Jeff talks with integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt about the arising of big data and its effect on our individual and collective psyches....Read More Deeper Consciousness Means More Responsibility In my book, Waking Up, I maintain that Integral psychotherapists cultivate compassion and depth of consciousness to co-create healing cultures with their clients. Depth of...Read More The Three Foundations of Marriage Marriage is a garden: a couple’s friendship, love affair, and repair of injuries nurtures the marital garden Have you ever had a garden? You love...Read More How to Level Up Your Parenting Being a superior parent is the goal of pretty much all parents. Join us as we explore the many dimensions of integral parenting and the...Read More Integral Parenting Integral parenting is simply parenting mostly from integrally informed perspectives. Being Integrally informed helps you be a superior parent, but you don’t have to know...Read More Coaching and Psychotherapy I’ve looked with interest at the rise of coaching as a discipline over the last twenty-five years. I love the movement and admire all the...Read More Integral psychotherapy is redefining psycho/spiritual/physical healing in the 21st century Integral theory is a meta-theory that creates a scaffolding within which all other theories are organized. Integral psychotherapy is any therapy that takes into account...Read More Themes of Emergence: Awareness, Responsibility, and Mutuality Culture wars and cognitive dissonance. Consensus trance on climate change. #MeToo and emergent mutuality. Tantric sexuality and karma yoga. Self-awareness and personal responsibility. Join us...Read More For the Love of Chaos: What Does Complexity Theory Have to Do with Intimacy and Healing? Watch as Dr. Keith explains how chaos can be used as an incredibly effective driver of growth, healing, and love....Read More The Future of Sex: More Fun, Less Creepy Jeff talks with Dr. Keith Witt about the great consciousness raising our culture is going through regarding sexual harassment....Read More The Future of Sex: More Fun, Less Creepy Jeff talks with Dr. Keith Witt about the great consciousness raising our culture is going through regarding sexual harassment. Dr Keith’s prescription for a healthier,...Read More Finding Greater Resilience in the Trump Era Dr. Keith Witt talks to Jeff Salzman about the ramifications today’s polarized politics are having upon people’s psychological health, and the strategies you need to...Read More Heal Thyself: How to Repair Interpersonal and Cultural Injuries In this episode of Live with Dr. Keith we’ll talk about how we all become injured and the steps we often need to take for...Read More Conscious Erotic Polarity The loss of erotic polarity during intimate bonding is one of the main complaints of couples entering therapy. I’ve found many men and women to...Read More Normal Crazy vs. Extra Crazy: Disarming Your Defensive States When we feel safe, we are usually comfortably social with ourselves and others. When we feel threatened, our nervous systems (our adaptive unconscious, our Shadow...Read More The Invisible Audience Self-conscious is usually some version of feeling embarrassed in front of an invisible audience — an audience just waiting to find us ridiculous or unattractive....Read More Conditional Love The love of a husband and wife is in many ways our most important relationship. Strangely, it also is one of the most conditional loves...Read More Sexism is a Wicked Problem Sexism is a wicked problem–meaning it has many components and needs to be addressed from multiple directions. I believe the answers to sexism involve understanding...Read More Shaping the session with furniture I’ve found it useful to have chairs my clients and I can maneuver during the session, either on wheels or chairs you can easily slide....Read More Finding Sanity in the Post-Truth Era Dr. Keith Witt talks about our shared emotional reactions to the election and ongoing cultural upheavals, and some strategies help us not only cope, but...Read More Intimacy, Longevity, and Happiness Dr Keith Witt and I talk about how intimacy, longevity and happiness are programmed into the human genome, and accessible to all of us. But...Read More Growing, Relating, Connecting: An Integral Tour of Couples Therapy Dr. Keith and Dr. Mark dive into the wide world of couples therapy and relationships, using the Integral lens to locate some of the deeper...Read More Psychedelics in Psychotherapy Special guest Dr. Elliott Ingersoll joins Doctors Keith Witt and Mark Forman to share their personal and professional experiences with psychedelics while reviewing relevant research,...Read More Transforming Trauma Into Power – A two-part conversation with Dr. Keith Witt In this two-part podcast Transforming Trauma Into Power, integral psychotherapist Dr. Keith Witt explores what we now know about trauma and how it affects us....Read More Increase Your Erotic Polarity Renowned marriage and family therapist Dr. Keith Witt offers a short practice to reinvigorate your “erotic polarity” — one of the fundamental forces that sustain...Read More Dealing With Conflict Effectively: 6 Ways to Repair Your Relationships Conflict comes with the territory of any long-term relationship. It’s only natural that when you merge your life with another human being—someone with different tastes,...Read More Into the Void and Back Again: Understanding and Recovering From Depression Depression is a powerful mood disorder and – after anxiety – the most prevalent of all mental health challenges. In this episode of Psychology Now,...Read More Understanding Your Shadow: The Key to A Successful Marriage Why is it that you’re 35% happier if you live next door to a good friend, but only 8% happier when you live with a...Read More The (Positive) Power of Shadow “Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” – Carl Jung In a U.N. study, people rated...Read More Sexual Compulsivity Has Many Forms Sexual compulsives can have wildly different kinds and degrees of obsessions. I’ve helped men and women who were absolutely “Sexually addicted.” They urgently craved self-destructive...Read More Natural and Unnatural Selection For three and a half billion years on earth, the development of all living creatures, plant or animal, happened more or less randomly in response...Read More No Institution is Immune to Corruption, Including Marriage Human nature corrupts all institutions. Any institution—bank, company, army, government, family, marriage, you name it—has been, is being, or will be corrupted. The institution of...Read More The Neurobiology of Willpower There’s been a lot of research done in the past fifty years on willpower. Willpower is our ability to decide on a course of action...Read More Intimacy and Evolution Are Relational I believe that humans—using conscious focus and intent—extend energetically even farther into direct communion with fields of subtle energies that comprise all knowledge and form...Read More The Physics of Mood We all want to feel better. Sometimes, this can happen instantly with insight, attention, loving acceptance, or shared understanding. But more often than not, feeling...Read More Dealing With Panic Attacks Panic attacks are not much fun. Hearts race, hands sweat, you feel like everything is going to hell, and you believe you are powerless, worthless...Read More Self-Love: Feeling whole in our incompleteness – An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] The Shrink and the Pundit is an ongoing discussion between Jeff and his longtime friend, Dr. Keith Witt, a leading Integral psychotherapist. In this podcast...Read More Loving Completely Dr. Keith Witt offers a taste of his Loving Completely practice program, an exceptional web course that helps deepen the whole relationship by acknowledging and...Read More Amygdala: Our Brain’s Emotional Fireworks Center Every time I review all this research, I’m reminded how important daily meditation practice–you know, the ten or twenty minutes you can’t seem to consistently...Read More Self-Love: Feeling whole in our incompleteness Dr. Keith traces the relationship that each of us has with our own “self-sense” from birth (actually gestation)....Read More Mid-life Crises: Disaster or Turning Point? The concept of a midlife crisis first appeared in a 1965 article by Elliot Jaques, entitled Death and the Midlife Crisis. He, like the psychoanalytic...Read More Let Her Inspire You to be a Better Man This blog post is for guys willing to learn to love women better. A couple come sits in my office at 1:00 on a sunny...Read More Loving Completely Web Course Loving Completely is a groundbreaking training program designed to help you and your partner improve your connection on every level: physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual....Read More The Universal Dream: Seeing Dreams In Multiple Perspectives Dr. Witt and Dr. Forman dive deeply into the world of dreaming, exploring the neurobiology and function of dreams, the history and basics of dream...Read More The Art and Practice of Self-Love Do you deeply and truly love yourself? What is preventing you from loving yourself completely? Is your capacity to love yourself contrained by poor self-esteem,...Read More Putting “Meta” Into Practice: A Look at Integrally-Informed Psychotherapy Here we explore the emerging art and science of Integrally-informed psychotherapy – an attempt to integrate the best of the major approaches to therapy into...Read More Relationships in Therapy, Relationships in Life In this episode of Psychology Now, Dr. Witt and Dr. Forman dive specifically into the therapeutic relationship and describe how it functions as the medium...Read More How to Regulate Anxiety – On The Shrink & The Pundit anx·i·e·ty (aNGˈzīədē/) noun 1. A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. The ability to...Read More The Psychology of Politics In this episode, Jeff and Dr. Keith look at the current presidential candidates through a psychological lense, and then turn it back on us....Read More THE SPECTRUM OF BROKENNESS: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE DEALING WITH A PERSONALITY DISORDER Jayson Gaddis and I recently had an extended conversation about marriage, evolution, and the responsibilities of intimacy on his Smart Couple podcast. I had a...Read More How to Create a More Fulfilling Sex Life In a healthy intimate relationship, the partners don’t have to be turned on by each other all the time, says Dr. Keith, “but they do...Read More The Spectrum of Brokenness: What to Do When You’re Dealing With a Personality Disorder Nearly 1 in 10 people possess some form of personality disorder. Which means there’s a very good chance that you will encounter someone with this...Read MoreParents In Psychotherapy – Therapist In The Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild opines on how parents get a bad rap in therapy, and how it’s best to just talk to...Watch Video From Midlife Crisis to a Deeper Sense of Self “The difference between a crisis that makes us stronger or one that makes us weaker and diminishes us is how we resolve it,” says Dr....Read More The Integral Guide to Divorce A higher divorce rate doesn’t necessarily mean there is something wrong with our society. It more likely indicates our changing expectations of a primary partnership...Read More CEO Empowerment — Find YOUR Superpowers We talked about CEOs, the special challenges they face, and the potential for growth and service inherent in being the top boss. The interface between...Read More The 3 Evolutionary Drivers in Relationship – Jayson Gaddis Podcast SC 12 Jayson Gaddis and I recently had an extended conversation about marriage, evolution, and the responsibilities of intimacy on his Smart Couple podcast. I had a...Read More TURNING DESTRUCTIVE SHADOW INTO CONSTRUCTIVE SHADOW – An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] On this episode of The Shrink & The Pundit, Dr. Keith tells us that the only difference between a destructive shadow and a constructive shadow...Read More WHAT DEPRESSION IS TRYING TO TELL US – An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] On this episode of The Shrink & The Pundit, Jeff and Dr. Keith talk about one of the oldest and most dreaded of human afflictions,...Read MoreNice Guys Finish First – Therapist In The Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild debunks the “Nice guys finish last” myth. Actually, nice guys finish first and Dr. Keith Witt will tell...Watch Video LOVING COMPLETELY: An Inside Look at the Five Stars of Healthy Relationships Loving Completely is a groundbreaking, self-directed web course designed to help you and your partner improve your connection on every level: physical, emotional, psychological, and...Read More No Really, Change DOES Begin with YOU – From Beyond Awakening with Terry Patten [AUDIO] On December 14, 2014 I had the honor and privilege of speaking with Terry Patten on Beyond Awakening. If you’re unfamiliar with his Community Blog...Read MoreDialed-In Marriage – Therapist In The Wild [VIDEO] More priceless advice from Dr. Keith Witt, the Therapist in the Wild. Too many marriages are clueless too much of the time, and that means...Watch Video Lying As Violence and Truth As A Practice, An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] This month my Integral Brother Jeff Salzman and I have a terrific conversation diving deep into the topic of lying as violence and using truth...Read MoreRegrets – Therapist In The Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild takes us on a trip to your deathbed and what regrets you might be able to avoid –...Watch VideoThe Myth of Unconditional Love – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild reveals some basic truths about unconditional love–a misunderstood concept that has been the basis of a lot of...Watch VideoSTFU Parenting Edition – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Anybody who’s a parent will tell you about times that talking to their kid was like talking to a wall. In situations like these, the...Watch VideoRuff and Tumble Play – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] We are a child centric culture with lots of respect for children, and that’s a good thing! One parenting skill that can get lost is...Watch VideoEmotional Intelligence and Emotional Stupidity – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild opines on emotional stupidity and emotional intelligence–two states we each inhabit every day....Watch VideoSecret Knowledge for Great Parenting – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This week the Therapist in the Wild shares a surprising fact about being a good parent — start with having a great relationship with your...Watch Video Getting In The Habit of Evolution, An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] An integrally informed mindfulness can give you a higher quality of self-awareness. Jeff often likens it to Google Earth, where you can view the whole...Read More Finding A Way Through To Love | What Makes A Happy Marriage [AUDIO] What Makes a Happy Marriage? I recently joined my good friend Jeff Salzman for another Integral Conversation on his regular The Shrink & The Pundit...Read More Lying as Violence – an Integral Conversation with Patricia Albere [AUDIO] I recently had the privilege of meeting with Patricia Albere to discuss the topic of Lying as Violence. What is the impact of living in...Read More Dune by Frank Herbert, A Modern Sacred Text [AUDIO] In this interview, KMO and I explore the intricacies of the Dune universe, and discuss how the characters and drama reflect enduring psychological and political...Read MoreThe Question of Love – The Conscious Change Agent Web Show [VIDEO] Keith Witt on The Conscious Change Agent Web Show, with Jack Butler. In this video take on the question of Love. What is Love? How...Watch Video Food for Thought: How Many Perspectives Can We Hold? One of the most reliable measures of development is how many perspectives of ourselves we can hold at any time. Can I observe myself observing...Read More The Neurobiology of Shadow – Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] In this conversation we cover The Neurobiology of Shadow, and how we handle the “shadow” in our own lives, in particular the bits of the...Read More Lying as Violence – How Your Lies Create Separations People lie all the time. Check out these stats from Little White Lies – The Truth About Why Women Lie: 12 % of adults admit...Read More Supporting Each Stage of your Child's Spiritual Growth We all want to support our children having a vibrant enlivening spirituality. How mother and father live their own spirituality, and understand a child’s inner...Read More Thank You For Seeing Me, An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] In this dialog Jeff and I talk a little bit about how we felt during and after The Integral Living Room gathering. We talk about...Read More Do NOT argue with Fundamentalists – and Here's Why Fundamentalism is believing something so deeply that new facts can’t sway your opinion. We all have fundamentalist beliefs. For instance, I believe that love heals....Read MoreDo NOT argue with Fundamentalists – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Today the Therapist in the Wild is here to talk about why you should not bother arguing with rigid-minded people. There is no reason to...Watch Video Developmental Engagement Field Theory, A paper by Dr. Keith Witt A Speculative Framework for the Practical Application of Integrally Informed Psychotherapy Abstract Psychotherapy has benefited from Ken Wilber’s all-levels, all-lines contribution of a developmental perspective...Read More In the Belly of the Whale, An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] In this dialog with my Integral Brother Jeff Salzman we discuss the gift of Campbell’s formulation of The Hero’s Journey, which is his name for...Read More In The Belly of The Whale: Joseph Campbell and The Hero’s Journey In this conversation with Dr. Keith Witt and Jeff Salzman we explore the gift of Campbell’s formulation of The Hero’s Journey — Campbell’s name for...Read MoreThree Types of Employees – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Due to popular demand and the continued interest in the 2 Rules for Bosses video, this week on Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith discusses...Watch VideoYou are the Hero in your Epic Journey – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] When you were conceived a universe came into being. At the center of that universe was a hero and that’s you. You were called into...Watch Video Ought We Be Ashamed? An Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] I recently connected with My Integral Brother Jeff Salzman, who runs the DailyEvolver. For this podcast Jeff and I approached shame, a force that if...Read MoreSTFU Self-loathing Edition – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] We all learn shame as toddlers responding to the disapprovals that parents regularly are compelled to try to control us with–the average 10 to 17...Watch Video The Hero's Journey, Our Journey Each of us is born into a unique universe with “me” at the center. That’s the “me” you have always been and always will be....Read MoreYou Are A Super Hero – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] What myths and archetypes are currently guiding YOUR life? Yes, everybody moves according to archetypes and myths. We all do this....Watch Video Checking In For Better Or Worse – Attunement and Trust Happy couples often enjoy checking in with each other throughout the day. They’ll text, call, email just to have contact—very much like monkeys who can...Read MoreChecking in with Your Partner: Happy or Unhappy – Therapist in the Wild [Video] There are unhappy “checking-in” couples as well, though, and while the words and mechanisms are similar, the energy is very, very different....Watch Video Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) 3 By some measures, 1% to 2% of the population suffer from borderline personality disorder—and I do mean “suffer.” Feeling alternately better than everyone, and then...Read MoreBorderline Personality Disorder – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Borderline Personality Disorder is the great unseen epidemic that causes a great deal of strife for people and their relationship to spouses, family, friends, and...Watch Video Inclusive boundaries – Exclusive boundaries Inclusive boundaries — behaviors, attitudes, adjustments, principles, or understandings that I need to be in joyful relationship with you. Honesty, willingness to listen, compassion for...Read MoreHealthy Narcissism vs Unhealthy Narcissism – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This week’s Therapist in the Wild and blog deal with narcissism–a big topic that we’re all familiar with to some extent. By many measures, pathological...Watch Video How to Have Integral Sex: A Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] It’s always terrific to connect up with My Integral Brother Jeff Salzman, who runs the excellent DailyEvolver site. As usual, our conversation involved integral psychotherapy,...Read MoreMature Sex – What happens to us in our 60s and beyond? – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] ...Watch Video Mature Sex – When we don't feel like BABES anymore – Don't worry it's not over Jennifer J. wrote to us on our Ask Dr. Keith page: “I’d love to see an episode on sexuality in older people…women who don’t feel...Read More Overloading In The Culture Of Urgency Here’s a great article by ELISHA GOLDSTEIN, PH.D. Do you live in a culture of false urgency? You think not? No? Everything is just fine? Well...Read More Fractals appear on the connecting edges of EVERYTHING – Food for Thought Fractals are recursive patterns–repeating but never the same–that appear on the connecting edges of everything. Objects, gasses, solids, ecosystems, relationships, and human consciousness all have...Read MoreFacebook is Good for Relationships – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] ...Watch Video Is Facebook Bad for Relationships? I Don't Think So Facebook has been criticized by bloggers and social media haters over the last four or five years, mostly in response to one study, by of...Read More It's a good time to be a father – Food for Thought When women pick up a baby, 80% of them hold it to their left, instinctively knowing that the baby’s hyperactive right hemisphere–sensing through the right...Read More Shakespeare's Million Monkeys – Food for Thought Everyone has heard the assertion that a million monkeys typing long enough would produce Shakespeare, but I don’t think people realize the fact that a...Read MoreHealthy Flirting and the art of the Enjoyable Attraction – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Dr. Keith Witt is here to talk about flirting and enjoyable attractions. We’re all sexual beings. Everyone of us. We have sexuality oozing out of...Watch Video Healthy Flirting vs Unhealthy Flirting – The Art of the Enjoyable Attraction Flirting often naturally happens when a more masculine person (usually a guy) and a more feminine person (usually a woman) connect....Read More Development Never Stops – Why Our Brains Can't Stop Learning Brains can’t stop learning because they’re constantly being conditioned by the world, inner experience, principles and intent. Even more, since we are compulsively social, we...Read More Fundamentalists make for horrible leaders – Food for Thought In reference to today’s article in the LA times on California republicans being grateful to Jerry Brown (previously contemptuously dismissed as “Governor Moonbeam” by them...Read MoreSex with Hookers: Nope! – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Dr. Keith Witt wants you to know that it’s a bad idea to have sex with hookers. That’s right. There are lots of reasons for...Watch VideoJust Say No to Drugs – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Witt weighs in on how to reduce harm from drugs for real. “Just say no!” popularized...Watch Video We’re Goodness, Truth and Beauty Machines – Integral Conversation with Jeff Salzman [AUDIO] My latest conversation with Dr. Keith Witt really gave me a lift! In evolutionary circles we often hear how the human brain is wired for...Read More Would You Share? – Integral Conversation with Jason Lange [VIDEO] In this 20-minute video call, Jason Lange and Dr. Keith Witt discuss the concepts explored in this upcoming short film, and the possible impact and...Read More If you don't feel beautiful, you haven't gone deep enough. Have you ever felt embarrassed, let down, less than, foolish, or ashamed? Have you ever felt like a fraud in your life, work, or relationships?...Read MoreHandling Bullies – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] The key to defusing a situation where you are being bullied is to meet it with assertive energy. That doesn’t mean bullying back. It means...Watch Video Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Integrating the Two Great Paths of Development [AUDIO] In May of 2013, Dr. Keith had the privilege to speak with Jeff Salzman about the integration of Spirituality and Psychotheraphy....Read MoreThe Importance of Eye Contact – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Witt speaks to us about the power of eye contact. Eyes are the window to the...Watch VideoHandling Telemarketers – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Witt approaches the dreaded subject of telemarketers. Most people can relate to a time when a...Watch Video Path With A Heart [83] Back in the 60’s there was a UCLA anthropology student named Carlos Casteneda who wrote his master’s thesis about his many conversations and psychedelic adventures...Read More Shame Death Spirals In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Witt asks us to contemplate shame death spirals. Yes, we know everyone’s favorite subject… Shame makes...Read More Pride Goeth Before… [82] I do a lot of meditations and practices each day, one of which is a mantra called “Green Tara,” where you repeat, “Om, tare, tutare,...Read MoreLong Distance Relationships – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt talks about the disadvantages of long distance relationships. If you live 45 minutes away...Watch Video Ten Rules That Will Improve Your Marriage Here’s a great list of ten rules that will help you attain long-term martial success! Study up and put them into practice, it might be...Read More We influence what we scan for, Part 2 [81] Let’s all become more optimistic and grateful. Last week we talked about how brains both consciously and unconsciously accumulate habits by scanning constantly, choosing what...Read MoreRegular Good Sex – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt explains that if you’re not having regular sex in your relationship you’re likely to...Watch Video10 Seconds – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt explains that we’re all sensitive. When it’s broken down and the machismo is put...Watch Video We influence what we scan for: Part 1 [80] Brains are wired to scan for threats, needs, wants, what’s familiar, and what’s novel. Brains monitor the environment like the National Security Agency monitors the...Read MoreParenting a Teenager – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt continues his series on parenting. After offering some wonderful advice to those parenting young...Watch Video Acting In Contradiction To Your Beliefs Have you ever found yourself acting in complete contradiction to your own beliefs? This is the important question in a theory of mind called Cognitive...Read More When Others Try and Stifle Dreams Optimism is a wonderful thing when following your dreams and it’s important to remember that that voice can get drowned out by certain forces that...Read More “Mr. Natural, what does it all mean?” Part 2 [79] Last week’s blog began with Mr. Natural (of Zap Comics fame) responding to Flakey Foont’s, “Mr. Natural! Mr. Natural! What does it all mean?” with...Read More Do You Feel Motivated in Your Marriage? If you’ve followed my blog for the past couple weeks you’ve noticed quite a few “Therapist in the Wild” videos. These videos are general rules,...Read MoreSpeed Development – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt reviews what it means to develop as a man. From birth till death, Dr....Watch Video2 Rules for Bosses – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt gives us the “2 Rules for Bosses.” Dr. Witt examines two vital principles for...Watch Video “Mr. Natural, what does it all mean?” Part 1 [78] If you grew up in the sixties and seventies, you probably are familiar with Zap Comics, the counterculture’s irreverent, risqué, and hip extension of Mad...Read MoreSTFU The Political Edition – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt examines another great opportunity for “Shutting The Fuck Up.” Dr. Witt reminds us that...Watch Video The Hobbit and married bliss [77] I first read The Hobbit in the late fifties when I was nine or ten. It completely blew my mind and instantly became a bible...Read MoreHandling a Depressed Partner – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Depression is hard, it affects everyone around the sufferer. Watch this video for priceless advice on how to help a partner or spouse get through...Watch Video The Enneagram and Helen Palmer [76] This past New Year’s weekend I had the privilege of presenting a talk called We are all Integral Psychotherapists at the Integral What’s Next conference...Read MoreWhen to Shut the Fuck Up – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Dr. Keith Witt provides another priceless piece of relationship advice, namely a skill that many of us have not yet learned to develop. That skill,...Watch Video How To Not Have Anxiety, Depression, or Killing Rage As Attractor States Each time we create a brain state, it’s more likely to come back. If we create it enough, we automatically go there in certain situations–it...Read MoreTone is Everything – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] Are you able to recognize your tone when talking to people? Is your tone the sort that soothes relationships or the sort that starts wars?...Watch VideoLate Night Relating – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt offers his priceless advice to a young couple who’ve lost their connection. Truth be...Watch Video Attractor States and Default Modes – Train Your Brain to Shift The first step in lightening up is accepting and managing our darkness. A big part of the price of feeling better turns out to be...Read MoreWho’s Driving the Bus? – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt points out that we are all many people throughout the course of our lives. ...Watch Video2 Rules for Women – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt follows up on his priceless “2 Rules for Men” session with the long-sought after...Watch Video Reducing Gun Violence: Part 2 [73] In Part 1 I detailed David Kennedy’s amazing success reducing street gang shootings all across America (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shoot-Fellowship-Violence-Inner-City/dp/1608194140). The conclusion he offered was: Study the problem....Read MoreTwo rules for guys: Dr. Keith Witt at TEDxAmericanRiviera 2012 Sometimes we can uplevel our lives with simple principles that apply to most situations. Two rules for guys offers men priceless guidance to happy living...Watch VideoFuck Me and Fix Things – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt talks about the true story of a beautiful woman who was sick of all...Watch Video Reducing Gun Violence: Part 1 [72] What has worked in America to reduce gun violence? If we look beyond bombast–“Longer prison terms for gun violence! Bring back the death penalty!”–and self-righteous...Read MoreConversation vs. Argument – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt talks about the differences in how we communicate our feelings. There are many types...Watch VideoAmerican Lifestyle – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt talks about the American Lifestyle and how out of touch it is with the...Watch Video False Beliefs Completely Suck [71] The fifty-something wife (Joyce) glares angrily at her husband, who first looks defiantly back, but then turns away in obvious discomfort. She is in the...Read MoreHow to Drink – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt talks to us about how to drink safely and maturely. By delving into this...Watch Video Freud missed the boat [70] People get very busy with their theories. Examples of this are all around us. Free Market true believers say any restraint of trade is bad...Read MoreWhat the Bleep? – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt, walks us through a parallel “bleep” universe where we are forced to respond to...Watch Video Let him inspire you to be a better woman [69] Men can be scary and infuriating. On the other hand, masculine depth of consciousness can deliver an effortless dance of romance and bliss. In each...Read MoreUnresolved Guys – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt explains how unresolved men are not living up to their full potential. Not to...Watch VideoPremature Ejaculation – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt guides a young couple through the problem of premature ejaculation. Dr. Keith Witt reminds...Watch Video Do it when you don't feel like it [68] Greg and Katy are in their early forties, sitting across from each other in my office, visibly uncomfortable with the conversation. They’ve been discussing each...Read MoreHandling a Dick Boss – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] In this episode of Therapist in the Wild, Dr. Keith Witt takes a fan submitted question: “How to handle a dick boss?” Dr. Witt teaches...Watch Video Masculine Challenge [67] “If you point your finger at me one more time, I’m going to slap you upside the head!” This was delivered with no humor and...Read More Supporting Each Stage of Your Child's Spiritual Growth Workshop Sponsored by Unity ChurchSunday, December 1, 201312:15 PMChapel in The Unity Church of SB, 227 E. Arrellaga We all want to support our children having...Read More Clueless to Dialed-In, How Integral mindful living makes everything better School of Love WorkshopWednesday, January 22, 20147 PMChapel in The Unity Church of SB, 227 E. Arrellaga Clueless living is dangerous—you miss signals, take idiotic risks,...Read More Why "Therapist in the Wild"? [66] You’ve probably seen one or two of the Therapist in the Wild episodes that my son Ethan and I are producing for our website. You...Read MoreParenting a Four Year Old – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This is for all the parents out there with small children. When parenting a four year old you have to remember that they’re driven by...Watch Video Asking Dr. Keith Witt: “What’s Next In Personal Relationship?” – Jeff Salzman Interview Great conversation here with another of my Integral Brothers, Keith Witt. Keith is a Central Casting Integralist, a California surfer as a young man, accomplished...Read MoreCheating and Lying – Therapist in the Wild [VIDEO] This is Dr. Keith Witt, The Therapist in the Wild, here to talk to you about lying and cheating and cheating and lying. The breakdown...Watch Video 2 Rules for Guys – Rule One is "Don't Be a Dick" – Watch the Video to learn Rule Two ...Read More The Dalai Lama and the suffering of change, conditioning, and suffering [65] The Dalai Lama gave a lecture at UCSB in 2009, and it was quite the occasion. He had a cold, but talked joyfully in heavily...Read More Approval and Disapproval Influence Us All the Time [64] Whether we know it or not, our social existence is dominated by feeling accepted or unaccepted, OK with the world, or ashamed of some mistake,...Read More Males Inherit More Intelligence from their Mothers [63] A lot of fathers are going to hate this, but genetic research has found guys probably get a lot of their intelligence from their X...Read More Hey! Good to see you! [62] Often when I walk into a room, Becky smiles up and says, “Hey! Good to see you!” while I say, “Hey! good to see you!” ...Read More Traditions guide and unite us: "You killed our iguana! You have to go catch us a new one!" [61] Four to ten-year-old kids increasingly wake up to, “I’m part of a family, tribe, and nation that I care about.” Most children eventually feel morally...Read More Do you want to go shooting? [60] “Do you want to go shooting?” asked Ray many years ago, while he and Judy were over for dinner. “Sure,” I said, intrigued with the...Read More Emotions are ancestral memories guiding us to deal with what's next — Part 3 [59] In this final installment, we look at the weird deal humans have– powers to consider past, present, and future, but also tendencies to worry about...Read More Emotions are ancestral memories guiding us to deal with what's next – Part 2 [58] In Part 1 of this series we talked about emotions as ancestral voices guiding us in dealing with the unique world we’re each born into....Read More Designer babies: what's not to like? [57] The Christian Science Monitor (6-25-12), in response to scientists for the first time mapping the DNA of a fetus, recently had a commentary questioning the...Read More Emotions are ancestral memories guiding us to deal with what's next – Part 1 [56] Famous affective neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp said in a 2010 lecture that emotions are ancestral memories, guiding mammals and birds to survive and thrive in a...Read More Relational Passwords [55] In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, director Stanley Kubrick had HAL the computer be an immature, petulant, super-powerful machine God who waged war on...Read More Three minutes of Zen [54] Boomers will remember the song, Afternoon Delight, by the Starland Vocal Band. I particularly enjoyed that song because for decades afternoon was my yummiest time...Read More Borderline Personality Disorder 2: Projective identification can transform into sacred tantric practice [53] Roxanne looks at Jason and narrows her eyes. “You let me down again. You don’t care about me, about us!” Jason looks at me hopelessly....Read More American Tantra 2: touching, cuddling, smooching, and sexing helps you lose weight! [52] A recent study revealed that a third of men have had fantasy sex with over one thousand women. Men are genetically wired to crave diversity...Read More Procrastination—Anxiously Trying to Hold Back the Future [51] Jason is a successful lawyer in his mid forties, sitting in my office in a frozen state of procrastination. In most of his life, Jason...Read More American Tantra [50] Eastern traditions have a long history of sexual/spiritual philosophies and practices, commonly referred to in the west as “Tantric.” Over the last century, many westerners...Read More If You Are a Therapist in Training, I Suggest You Develop Your Natural Healing Style and Lose Most of the “Musts” [49] I conducted my first therapy session in 1973 as a peer counselor working in the Student Counseling Center at UCSB. My client was a sophomore...Read More Emotional Dialysis [48] James Grotstein is a famous psychoanalyst/author who lives and works in L.A. He’s brilliant, funny, and can make dry psychoanalytic giants like Melanie Klein and...Read More Exploring and Understanding the Masculine and Feminine – An Introduction Some men have a more feminine sexual essence and some women a more masculine sexual essence. But there are also major genetic differences between men...Read More For Becky [46] Valentine memories I love to see you at a distance Walking, unmistakable, adorable I love to touch you in the morning Sleepy, vulnerable, infinitely desirable...Read More We Can Always See Farther Than We Can Be [45] Becky and I live on a street that runs near the top of small ridge right behind the Santa Barbara Mission. Since we moved here...Read More We Absorb the Personalities of Our Family [44] Steve and Karen—late thirties and married for nine years—are sitting, facing each other, during their sixth session. Steve says, “Karen never wants me to go...Read More The Quality of Our Sobriety Is What We Do, Not How We Think [43] Like most therapists, I’ve worked a fair amount with addiction and recovery. Therapists will tell you people practicing an addiction—whether alcohol, opiates, cocaine, gambling, compulsive...Read More Growth Mindsets Are So Much Better Than Fixed Mindsets [42] Lots of us make New Year’s resolutions, and most of us don’t follow through. Why is this? I believe it’s often because we have the...Read More Christmas and Our Collective Spirit: It Really Matters. [41] I love the holidays. I know people get stressed, and excess prevails around food and presents and stuff, but still, the holiday spirit of love...Read More The Resentment and Appreciation Exercise—an Oldie But Goodie [40] Ken and Doris are an athletic, attractive couple in their fifties, coming into my office for their fifteenth session. In the eighth year of a...Read More Lady Gaga and American Relationship Blind Spots [39] People often say America is a celebrity culture, but this seems unfair to me. All cultures are celebrity cultures! Humans are fascinated with extraordinary people...Read More Turning Points and Peak Experiences [38] I first meditated in 1965, kneeling in a line of karate practitioners facing our sensei (teacher), John Flaig. He was the only black belt in...Read MoreTEDxAmericanRiviera – Dr. Keith Witt – A Five Star Practice for Creating Beautiful Relationships Dr. Keith Witt is a psychotherapist, teacher, and author who has lived and worked in Santa Barbara, CA. for over thirty-eight years. He received his...Watch Video Adjusting From Misattunement Back to Attunement Is the Human Skill [37] I love to watch mothers and babies. A rosy glow seems to light up the room when they’re connected and attuned to each other. A...Read More Creating the Same Negative Patterns [36] My friend Barbara Ligeti asked me about this a couple of months ago. It’s an important question, since such patterns are ubiquitous in human societies....Read More A Five Star Practice for Creating Beautiful Relationships [35] Say you’re single and yearn for love. What’s the first step? “What do I do?” “How do I find someone where we’re both into each...Read More Secure Attachment in Adults [34] In the last blog we looked mostly at attachment in children. We ended with the hopeful news that secure adults raise secure kids, and all...Read More Secure Attachment—We’re All Wired For It [33] World War II was a catastrophe not just for the soldiers killed and traumatized, but also for their families. Millions of children lost parents or...Read More What are dreams anyway? Dreams are Pricesless Guides and Mirrors to our Souls Amazingly to me, and I imagine to anyone else who works with dreams, there is a lot of disagreement about what dreams are. Some believe...Read More What can you do to make your romantic/erotic relationship more fun for you and your partner? What can you do to make your romantic/erotic relationship more fun for you and your partner? Are you willing to change what you think and...Read More Tribal Leadership Is a Business System That’s Totally Useful in Therapy [30] Jim—mid-twenties, strong and good-looking, strides frowning into my office. He usually arrives bummed out and in a hurry. Jim loves hiking in the mountains behind...Read More Recommended Meditation – Through 4 States of Consciousness As I’ve done this meditation through each of the eight chakras, I’ve found that the different states have unique flavors, except that nothingness—Causal consciousness or...Read More Our Sixth Brain, the Coolest Thing Ever – Our Shared Social Brain I’ve written in previous blogs about our five brains (The Life Vessel, the Vagus Nerve, and Transcendent states). We actually have a sixth brain—our shared...Read More First You Need to Get Into the Game: Why Online Dating Is So Great [27] I love online dating. I think online dating services like Chemistry.com, Eharmony, Jdate, plentyoffish, and Match.com are among the most wonderful outcomes of the linked-in...Read More The Closer You Are, the Weirder It Gets [26] Cindy sinks down into the light brown armchair in my office on a sweet Santa Barbara Autumn day. The sun shines through the French doors,...Read More Yum/Yuck—Amazingly Reliable, Always Revealing [25] Jill—thirty-seven, an assistant District Attorney raising her ten-year-old son after a difficult divorce—sits across from me in my office, fretting about an invitation she just...Read More What It Really Means to Want It Too Much [24] One of my best friends in college was a dedicated womanizer. This was before the idea of sexual addiction, or sexual compulsivity, hit the mainstream,...Read More The Castle, the Gate, and the Threshold [23] In fairy tales, the Castle can be a fortress of strength or a prison of solitude, depending upon who is in charge. Castle as fortress-of-strength...Read More The Life Vessel, the Vagus Nerve, and Transcendent States [22] Becky and her friend Stephanie Badaci own Santa Barbara Life Vessel (www.lifevesselsantabarbara.com ), which—among other services like Soul Collage, the EVOX machine, Flower Essences, and Educational...Read More “I Am a Psychologist. Let Me Help.” [21] Psychologists show up all the time in jokes. “How many psychologists does it take to…?” “A guy walks into a psychologist’s office and….” The general...Read More Remembering the Future Is Usually Pretty Sunny, but Cracks Can Show Up in Our Rose-Colored Glasses [20] “You slept with your high school girlfriend and lied to me! How do I know you won’t cheat again?” Carrie, an attractive woman in her...Read More A Few Facts About Divorce – For Better and For Worse I read an outstanding interview in the LA Times this week (Saturday, July 30), where Patt Morrison was asking high profile divorce lawyer Laura Wasser...Read More Stephen Colbert, Dan Savage, and Why It’s a Bad Idea to Try to Negotiate with Biology [18] Recently on the 7-12-11 Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert interviewed advice columnist Dan Savage about monogamy and fidelity. Dan passionately advocated that sexuality in relationships can...Read More Evolutionary Relationships – Our Ability to Be Intimate GROWS as We Mature For the last two hundred thousand years, the human race has been growing into the capacities that we received with the FOXP2 mutations, and those...Read More A Warrior Does Not Let His Spirit Get Too High or Too Low [16] Everybody has sacred texts, and I don’t just mean the Bible or the Constitution. Once when I was a young teen and bullying my younger...Read More Sorry if I’m Making this Sound Easy! [15] I looked at Henry, my 52-year-old businessman client, and said, “I want to apologize for making this sound so easy.” He looked a little puzzled,...Read More Be Aware of Defensive States – The Instant That Can Change Everything Our emotional, reactive, defensive selves are programmed into our brains to react to threat instantly. Our mature, conscious, socially intelligent selves are based in the...Read More Britney Spears, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Palin as mythic symbols and regular women [13] Several years ago I did a one-day workshop on my book Shame: the Misunderstood Emotion for Santa Barbara Adult Education. During the presentation, I mentioned...Read More Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) – Are YOU Borderline? Borderline Personality Disorder is a complicated condition where people have unstable relationships, rapid shifts into rage and alarm, endless nasty dramas, and cycle in their...Read More Anthony Weiner shouldn’t resign, but he should seek help [11] An article about Anthony Weiner in the June 10, 2011 LA Times by Kathleen Hennessey and Michael Memoli (weirdly, on the “obituaries” page), quoted the...Read More
