Loop of Familiarity
I went out for a walk today. The air was still, heavy with that strange quiet that sits between reflection and loneliness. I thought of him—the person who adds activity to my life but not depth. We run together, try new restaurants, and share banter that fills the silence. He pushes me out of my physical comfort zone, but not my emotional one.
An Analyst Does Yoga
Warrior two is a strong, balanced, yet flexible pose–a neutral stance, grounded to reality, allowing for grace.
I first need to root down but not be locked in. I must be able to straighten and bend. By imagining that I am pulling my feet toward each other, I enter the isometric, generating force while remaining still. Ideally, I become immovable in the face of distractions. With my arms I reach in both directions and encompass. I face forward but bend backward to be greeted by a heart-opening surprise.
W. H. Auden on Sigmund Freud: A Eulogy and a Warning
W. H. Auden’s 1938 poem, “In Memory of Sigmund Freud,” takes on renewed relevance today. He extolls Freud as “no more a person now but a whole climate of opinion.” Yet he also warns that this “climate” is vulnerable to powerful interests who see it as a threat.