A World's Fair For Chicago?

I know it’s a crazy idea but… At the tail end of the 19th century Chicago picked itself up from the ashes of a devastating fire and proudly invited the world to pay a visit to the Columbian Exposition in what is now Jackson Park. If you ask me, it’s time to think about doing... Read more »
By nspira,
February 13, 2022 at 8:12 am
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Was Freud Right About America?

  Sigmund Freud was no fan of the United States. While he admired the aspirations of our founding fathers for liberty and justice for all, ,  he came to the conclusion that we Americans juts couldn’t pull it off.  “America is a mistake,” Freud said, “a gigantic mistake it is true, but nonetheless a mistake.” Was... Read more »
By nspira,
October 1, 2020 at 4:09 pm
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 Covid And Its Discontents

  A few months ago, reflecting on the problem we polarized Americans were having communicating with each other, I had the thought that it would take an attack by aliens from another planet to bring us together. While I’d had that  thought before (and felt guilty), this time I was thinking it wasn’t such a... Read more »
By nspira,
May 17, 2020 at 1:10 pm
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My Plan B

The next president elect of the American Psychoanalytic Association….. will not be me. I was defeated by Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz of New York City, a fine man who will do a fine job. To comfort myself in the aftermath of my loss I’ve been reading a book by another election non-winner, Mr. Andrew Yang. It’s... Read more »
By nspira,
February 27, 2020 at 7:13 am
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How Blogging Changed My Life- A Psychoanalytic Tale

Dear Readers, . Today I’m writing you as a candidate for President. Not POTUS, of course. I’m running to be President-elect of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Founded in 1911, the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) is the oldest national psychoanalytic organization in the nation. Our vision statement says “The members of APsaA envision a world in... Read more »
By nspira,
July 30, 2019 at 8:43 am
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Working Through the Van Dyke -McDonald Tragedy

They say that seeing is believing. Then again, sometimes you don’t want to believe what you are seeing. Here’s an example: the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. Despite initial efforts to keep this out of sight, we, collectively, brought it out of the shadows and dealt with it in the way that citizenship requires, through... Read more »
By nspira,
October 10, 2018 at 10:41 pm
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On Being Humiliated

Among the lessons to be learned from the Senate hearings on Judge Kavanaugh, one that should not be missed is the psychological power of humiliation. It wasn’t the sexual assault or the fear for her life that made the strongest impression on Dr. Blasey- Ford. It was the humiliating experience of hearing Kavanaugh and his... Read more »
By nspira,
October 1, 2018 at 8:19 am
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An Op-Ed About Forgetting

A few weeks ago my colleague Wendy Selene and I collaborated on a piece we hoped to get published as an op-ed in one of our local papers.  Since we haven’t received any word from them,  I’m putting it out here, before it’s forgotten.   THE PRICE OF FORGETTING As psychoanalysts and mental health providers,... Read more »
By nspira,
July 25, 2018 at 9:18 am
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On Complacency, Complicity and Moral Courage

In the wake of  what I’ve called the Trumpsformation that began on inauguration day last year,  one of my biggest fears was that my shock/rage/despair would turn into complacency. I worried that I would become a passive accomplice in maintaining a malignant status quo, one of those singled out in the quote often attributed to Dante... Read more »
By nspira,
April 15, 2018 at 8:49 am
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A Holiday Wish for America

This holiday season, my wish is that we, the people of the United States of America be given the gift of reflection, so we can admit that in our quest to be the land of the free we’ve made some big mistakes. Of course everyone makes mistakes- it’s the inevitable consequence of action. But the... Read more »
By nspira,
December 22, 2017 at 11:55 am
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