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.
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 and shift instantly into mutual understanding.
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 from maladaptive personality traits. It’s always a good idea to help people be more flexible, adaptive, and appropriate. This is both especially difficult and crucially important with personality disorders.
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.
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.
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 transformed by their struggles. We are on different Hero’s Journeys all the time.
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.
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 merely objects for gratification—can also hunger to enjoy the suffering of others. This is where narcissism sinks into psychopathy.
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 merely objects for gratification—can also hunger to enjoy the suffering of others. This is where narcissism sinks into psychopathy.
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 everyone concerned—those dealing with narcissism as well as those suffering from narcissistic wounds.
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.
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 unhealthy versions of each.
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 understand trauma more than ever before, and have many approaches to help resolve trauma into growth and development.
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?
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 interaction in a sequence more heavily defines the whole social encounter.
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 I knew then what I know now, so I could have behaved better and caused less damage.”
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 potential ramifications for other types and world views.
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 punish the sicker you get.
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 either cooperation or domination. This dynamic of tension is the subtext of most human activity.
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 adaptive unconscious–our Shadow selves.
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 response, where the client has some form of compassionate witness activated, thus making numerous healing moves possible.
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.
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, love, courage, and commitment to people and goals. Our wisest self is our best interior guide to the universe of relationships.
[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 actually grow through these times.
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 Integral to be a great parent.
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 they explore the topic of …
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 remember the past and to …
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 lot of fun exploring these and other topics with Jayson, and I think you might enjoy the conversation too!
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 lot of fun exploring these and other topics with Jayson, and I think you might enjoy the conversation too!
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 is our willingness to engage with it. Not a pleasant task in the best of circumstances, let alone when we’re in the defensive states that arise when our shadows are activated. We have to trust others to help us—our partners, friends, support groups, and of course, our therapists. It takes courage to be vulnerable and open enough to confront these lost parts of ourselves. And since the world is our mirror, it’s always going to happen in relationship. That is the difficulty, and it’s also what saves us.
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, depression. They consider not just the suffering, but also the wisdom and growth potential that depression offers. They look at the qualities of modernity that magnify the condition, the mixed blessing of pharmaceuticals and neuroscience, and how depression is experienced and best treated at different stages in the developmental journey.
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 spiritual. Listen as Keith Witt and Ken Wilber take you on a guided tour through the Five Stars of Healthy Relationships, helping you to love more passionately, to relate more authentically, and to bring more care, compassion, and consciousness into your relationship.
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 and his site, please do check it out. Our discussion, entitled “We Are the Catastrophe, We Are the Salvation” is now available for audio streaming or download for members of this site. It’s 2 hours in length and covers a lot of ground!
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 as a practice. We discuss the different levels of lying, how lying becomes part of our lives in development and how lying can be socially acceptable or expected.
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 picture and also zoom in to a precise address.
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 Podcast.
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 a world where deception, denial, and lying are, unfortunately, a part of the fabric of life? Socially, we exist inside of a kind of numbness that keeps us asleep to the impact lies and deception.
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 truths today.
The 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 can we LOVE BETTER?
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 shadow which we do not or can not perceive and which has the biggest and most powerful impact in our lives.
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 the difference between trans-rhetorical practice and integral trans-rhetorical practice, how to engage with other people in looking for a deeper truth that neither side knows yet, and letting yourself be influenced and led by the power of the we-space itself.
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 the basic pattern of the great myths, and which turns out to be a guide for our own lives.
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 left un-checked can be destructive, but if channeled appropriately can be a constructive force. Below you will find the podcast as well as an excerpt from the DailyEvolver.
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, but this conversation covered some pretty exciting ground, namely “How to Have Integral Sex.”
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 hypervigilance. Natural selection favors people who see a saber-toothed tiger behind every bush because occasionally one is actually there. And we experience the effect of this programming today within ourselves, showing up as anxiety, worry and a bias for seeing the negative in a situation.
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 opportunities for us in our interpersonal relationships.
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.
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 martial artist, father of two, married to the same woman for 30+ years … and an integral psychotherapist extraordinaire.