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In this interview, I'm joined by two leading thinkers who are helping to reshape our understanding of consciousness, the nature of reality, and the pursuit of meaning in life: Dr Iain McGilchrist and Dr Bernardo Kastrup. Iain is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, author, and philosopher perhaps most well known for his Hemispheric Hypothesis and his books: The Master and his Emissary and The Matter with Things. Bernardo is an author, scientist, philosopher, and the Director of the Essentia Foundation. He holds two PhDs - one in philosophy and the other in engineering. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. In this conversation, we explore: — Their views on what consciousness is, the common ground in their thinking, and the differences — The extent to Iain and Bernardo believe we live in a purposeful and intelligent universe, and their perspectives on the question of God — Why they both consider truth to be the most important thing in life — Where they see human life fitting into the larger whole and what case can be made that each of our individual subjective experiences do matter. I hope you get as much from this fascinating discussion as I did from recording it. You can learn more about Iain's work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com, and Bernardo's at https://www.bernardokastrup.com. -- Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. Dr McGilchrist has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and numerous podcasts, and interviews on YouTube, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He published his latest book: The Matter With Things, a book of epistemology and metaphysics. You can keep up to date with his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com. Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has been leading the modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism, the notion that reality is essentially mental. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy (ontology, philosophy of mind) and another Ph.D. in computer engineering (reconfigurable computing, artificial intelligence). As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Philips Research Laboratories (where the ‘Casimir Effect' of Quantum Field Theory was discovered). Formulated in detail in many academic papers and books, his ideas have been featured on Scientific American, the Institute of Art and Ideas, the Blog of the American Philosophical Association and Big Think, among others. Bernardo's most recent book is Science Ideated: The fall of matter and the contours of the next mainstream scientific worldview. For more information, freely downloadable papers, videos, etc., please visit https://www.bernardokastrup.com. --- Interview Links: — Dr McGilchirst's website - https://channelmcgilchrist.com — Dr Kastrup's website - https://www.bernardokastrup.com
In this episode, we welcome Dr Iain McGilchrist back to the show. Dr McGilchrist is a psychiatrist and writer, who is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context. He is the author of several books, including the international bestseller: “The Master and His Emissary”, and most recently: “The Matter with Things”. In this conversation, we explore: — The limits of idealism — Why the term “unconscious” is a misnomer and why we should be referring to it as the “superconscious” instead — The extent to which it can be said that we are “co-creating” reality — Why values are not relative — and Dr McGilchrist's thoughts on how they may be built into the structure of being itself — Iain's response to skeptics who say life has no meaning and his view on the root causes of the major crises facing our world. And more. You can learn more about his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com/. --- Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. Dr McGilchrist has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and numerous podcasts, and interviews on YouTube, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He published his latest book: The Matter With Things, a book of epistemology and metaphysics. You can keep up to date with his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com. --- Interview Links: — Iain McGilchrist website - https://channelmcgilchrist.com
In this insightful episode, Dr McGilchrist discusses how his hemispheric hypothesis may help to account for the widespread addiction in our society. Dr McGilchrist is a psychiatrist and writer, who is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context. He is the author of several books, including the international bestseller: “The Master and His Emissary”, and most recently: “The Matter with Things”. In this conversation, we explore: — The extent to which we may be entering into the third major decay of Western civilisation and how Dr McGilchrist's hemisphere hypothesis may help to account for this — The differences in how the two hemispheres attend to the world and how we are becoming an increasingly left-hemisphere dominated society — The three most important ingredients for holistic human flourishing — Dr McGilchrist's views on the “sacred” and whether or not we can view values such as goodness and truth as being embedded into the structure of being itself. And more. You can learn more about Dr McGilchrist's work by going to: www.channelmcgilchrist.com --- Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. Dr McGilchrist has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and numerous podcasts, and interviews on YouTube, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He published his latest book: The Matter With Things, a book of epistemology and metaphysics. You can keep up to date with his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com. --- 6 Books Dr McGilchrist Recommends Every Therapist Should Read: — The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World - Dr Iain McGilchrist - https://amzn.to/3IUXPKn — The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World - Dr Iain McGilchrist - https://amzn.to/3oOSFIW — Madness and Modernism: Insanity in the light of modern art, literature, and thought - Louis Sass - https://amzn.to/3qpm5Og — The Paradoxes of Delusion: Wittgenstein, Schreber, and the Schizophrenic Mind - Louis Sass - https://amzn.to/3N6ct3Q — The Creative Mind: An Introduction to Metaphysics - Henri Bergson - https://amzn.to/43DMC8O — Lived Time: Phenomenological and Psychopathological Studies - Eugène Minkowski - https://amzn.to/45IyuNG
Bedlam: a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion. Or, the unfortunate monicker for Bethlem Hospital. From patients being chained to a pipe in a cramped, dirty cells, to becoming a tourist attraction for the general public to gawk at and taunt the residence, second only to St. Pauls Cathedral in popularity, Bethlem has a morbid and sordid history. One that still echos through the hospitals halls today. . https://www.horrorhousetruecrime.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hhpod https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnRxsDiL0pfuHLhYIWjtYug Come hang with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/JNHwXV3y Insta: @horrorhouse_pod . Promos from Twisted & Uncorked and Dark Adaptation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
To access full episodes and our conference library of 200+ fascinating psychology talks and interviews (with certification), please visit: https://twumembers.com. Embark on a profound exploration of consciousness with Mark Solms, Anil Seth, Iain McGilchrist, and Donald Hoffman in this captivating compilation. Delve into the perplexing question of how conscious experience emerges from the intricate dance of neurons and synapses, challenging conventional notions. Join these esteemed minds as they unveil the brain's role as a predictive engine, crafting our perceptions instead of passively processing external inputs. Traverse discussions on perception, time, emotions, and the intricate interplay between matter and consciousness. Discover the universe of creativity and resistance shaping our reality. Engage in conversations about the deep connections between life, intelligence, and consciousness, gaining insights into our existence as both individuals and integral parts of the broader cosmos. --- Bios Iain McGilchrist Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. You can keep up to date with his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com. Anil Seth Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and the Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science. He is a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow, and a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Professor Seth is Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience of Consciousness, sits on the steering group and advisory board of the Human Mind Project, and was President of the British Science Association Psychology Section in 2017. You can keep up to date with his work at www.anilseth.com. Donald Hoffman Prof. Donald Hoffman, PhD received his PhD from MIT, and joined the faculty of the University of California, Irvine in 1983, where he is a Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Sciences. He is an author of over 100 scientific papers and three books, including Visual Intelligence, and The Case Against Reality. He received a Distinguished Scientific Award from the American Psychological Association for early career research, the Rustum Roy Award of the Chopra Foundation, and the Troland Research Award of the US National Academy of Sciences. You can watch his TED Talk titled “Do we see reality as it is?” and you can follow him on Twitter @donalddhoffman. Mark Solms Professor Mark Solms is best known for his discovery of the forebrain mechanisms of dreaming, and for his pioneering integration of psychoanalytic theories and methods with those of modern neuroscience. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital (Departments of Psychology and Neurology). His other positions have included: Honorary Lecturer in Neurosurgery at St. Bartholomew's & Royal London School of Medicine, Director of the International Neuro-Psychoanalysis Centre, London, and Director of the Arnold Pfeffer Center for Neuro-Psychoanalysis at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. Professor Solms' books include: Clinical Studies in Neuro-Psychoanalysis (winner of the NAAP's Gradiva Award Best Book, Science Category in 2001), The Brain and The Inner World (2002), and most recently: Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness (2021).
Recorded on September 21, 2022, and published in Rattle #78, this conversation is a deep dive into the divided brain, exploring the role the two unique hemispheres play in creativity. We also discuss how the modern world has come to be dominated by the left hemisphere's narrow focus and how poetry might be an antidote to “the matter with things.” Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the Royal Society of Arts, as well as a former Clinical Director of the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. His previous book, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World reached international recognition and acclaim and has marked him out as one of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of our time. His latest publication is a two-volume work, The Matter with Things, which was published in 2021 by Perspectiva Press. A sustained critique of reductive materialism, it concerns the questions of who we are and what is the world? What do we mean by purpose, value, and the divine? And how do we most reliably set about finding out? Find more at: channelmcgilchrist.com
Find out more about this event on our website: https://bit.ly/3ESrkva Stress at work is something everyone talks about - in the press recently was even the idea that Clifford Chance the famous 'magic circle' Law firm was to appoint a well-being officer! But the problem with that idea is most stress at work boils down to dealing with difficult people. The difficult person may be a demanding or bullying or neglectful boss or a lazy co-worker etc etc. Difficulty comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. Maybe you are a manager struggling to get a team to gel or achieve the firm's goals. Dr Raj Persaud will reveal the three essential psychological and emotional tools you need to deal with difficult people and survive them or even bend them to your will. Speaker: Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked as a Consultant at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Hospitals in London from 1994-2008, and as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. These are the premiere research and training institutions for Psychiatry in Europe. He was also Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA and Institute of Neurology at Queens Square. His training in psychiatry since leaving UCH medical school in1986 was entirely at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals. Unusually for a psychiatrist, he also holds a degree in psychology, obtained with First Class Honours, and 8 other degrees and diplomas including a Masters in Statistics. He was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Research Prize and Medal as well as The Maudsley Hospital's own Denis Hill Prize, and The Osler Medal. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' recently also awarded him the Morris Markowe Prize. In 2004 he was appointed Visiting Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry at Gresham College, and he was asked by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to edit its first book aimed at educating the public on psychology and psychiatry. 'The Mind: A Users Guide' was published in 2007 and reached the top ten best-seller list. All of his 5 previous books have been top ten best-sellers. He has contributed a chapter to the Royal College's latest book - 'The Female Mind - A Users Guide'. His writing is in several established textbooks, including the Oxford Companion to the Mind and he has contributed a chapter in the latest comprehensive textbook of psychiatry for trainees: Psychiatry – An Evidence Based Text. He has approaching 100 publications in Journals such as The British Journal of Psychiatry, British Medical Journal and The Lancet. Recently he was elected Fellow of University College London and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is patron or supporter of numerous mental health charities including OCD-UK, The Manic Depression Fellowship, Association of Post-Natal Illness, Childline, ActionAid and The Samaritans. The Independent on Sunday Newspaper conducted a poll amongst members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Institute of Psychiatry to discover who were the top ten psychiatrists in the UK as rated by fellow psychiatrists. Dr Raj Persaud was the youngest doctor to make it into this esteemed list. The Times Newspaper also recently placed him as one of the Top Twenty Mental Health Gurus in the world. He is now podcast editor for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and also now has a free app on iTunes and google play store entitled 'Raj Persaud in conversation', which includes a lot of free information on the latest research findings in mental health, plus interviews with top experts from around the world. Download it free from these links: GooglePlay iTunes See Raj's Ted talk with over 3.4 million views Visit The Psychology Today blog
Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 In a previous two-hour lecture for TWU, I argued for the nature of consciousness as a foundational element in the cosmos, not derivative from anything else. In this talk, I will not attempt to repeat that argument, but start from where I left off. In a new book, The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World (Perspectiva Press, November 2021), I ask how we come to know anything at all, and move on to consider what we can say about the irreducible ‘building blocks' of reality: time, space, matter, consciousness, values, purpose and the sense of the sacred. I take value and purpose to be implied by the very nature of consciousness itself; constitutive of reality, not ‘invented' (though obviously particular values and particular purposes may be); that although science is popularly thought to contradict such a view it does not, rightly understood, do so at all; and that reason and evidence strongly supports such a conclusion. I hold that our failure to understand this lies at the heart of our global predicament. --- Dr. McGilchrist has published original research and contributed chapters to books on a wide range of subjects, as well as original articles in papers and journals, including the British Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He has taken part in many radio and TV programmes, documentaries, and numerous podcasts, and interviews on YouTube, among them dialogues with Jordan Peterson, David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom, and philosopher Tim Freke. His books include Against Criticism, The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning, and Ways of Attending. He published his latest book: The Matter With Things, a book of epistemology and metaphysics. You can keep up to date with his work at https://channelmcgilchrist.com Dr Iain McGilchrist is a Psychiatrist and Writer, who lives on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of North West Scotland. He is committed to the idea that the mind and brain can be understood only by seeing them in the broadest possible context, that of the whole of our physical and spiritual existence, and of the wider human culture in which they arise – the culture which helps to mould, and in turn is moulded by, our minds and brains. He was formerly a Consultant Psychiatrist of the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Trust in London, where he was Clinical Director of their southern sector Acute Mental Health Services. -- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events - Dr McGilchrist's website: https://channelmcgilchrist.com - Dr McGilchrist's books: https://amzn.to/3eU89TF -- The Weekend University's mission is to make the best minds and ideas in psychology more accessible, so that you can use the knowledge to improve your quality of life. We release 95% of our content for free and don't run any ads during the show. That said, we'd love to expand our reach and get the knowledge shared by our speakers into the hands of more people so they can benefit too. So, if you're in the mood for doing a random act of kindness today, and helping others improve their lives in the process, it would make a huge difference if you could take just 30 seconds and leave a short review on your favourite podcast provider - whether that's iTunes (https://bit.ly/iTunes-podcast-review), Stitcher (https://bit.ly/stitcher-podcast-review) or Spotify (https://bit.ly/spotify-podcast-ratings). In addition, we'll pick one review each month and that person will get a free ticket to our monthly online conference, which usually costs £50. Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy the show!
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
The Creative Process in 10 minutes or less · Arts, Culture & Society
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
"The heart also reports to the brain and receives from the brain. So our bodies are in dialogue with the brain. And we don't really know where consciousness is, we sort of imagine it's somewhere in the head. We have no real reason to suppose that it's just we identify it with our sight and we, therefore, think it must be somewhere up there behind the eyes, but it's something that takes in the whole of us and to which the whole of us contributes.”“We think in the west of resistance as something negative but it's actually part of the creative process. Without resistance nothing new can come into being, so the very things that we think of as perhaps obstructing or negating are the very things that will lead to something new and greater. We need to get over this idea. For example, we're only able to move in space because there is friction. Friction is a force that stops you moving but without a degree of friction, you cannot actually move. You wouldn't have anything to move in relation to. So perfection is itself an imperfection. And in a number of traditions, this is memorialized by the idea that when you create something there should deliberately be some imperfection in it.”Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books, including The Matter with Things, and The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World.· https://channelmcgilchrist.com · www.creativeprocess.info · www.oneplanetpodcast.org
In this episode, Greg and Dr. Iain McGilchrist discuss the left and right brain hemispheres, attention, meaning, and the necessity of intuition and science, reason and imagination, as well as Dr. McGilchrist's new book: The Matter with Things. #therespondent Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher, and literary scholar. He is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and a former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Stellenbosch. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine, and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books but is best known for The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World (Yale 2009). His new seminal book, The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World, published in November 2021, and described by Professor Charles Foster as ‘the most important book you will ever read' has already received international acclaim.Show Notes: [0:00] Respondent introduction[1:00] Welcome back to The Respondent with Greg Ellis. Greg introduces Dr. Iain McGilchrist to the listeners[1:10] Question: Greg asks Dr. Iain McGilchrist if it's fair to label him as a science heretic because he “dared to question” commonly held beliefs by testing and retesting the emergent truths[2:50] Greg recounts how he shared his poem “Our Pharma” with Matt Ridley https://youtu.be/vtcXBjuXGUI[5:10] Question: How do human beings uncover, discover, or rediscover meaning?[8:10] Question: How do we know who we are? The fundamental question in Dr. McGilchrist''s new book, The Matter with Things [11:00] Greg recalls Dr. McGilchrist's conversation with Dr. Jordan Peterson regarding the left and right brain[12:00] Greg describes how the works of Brené Brown and Esther Perel influenced the model he built comparing the functions between the left and right hemispheres [12:30] Question: Where are you at about the left brain hemisphere and the right brain hemisphere? [13:00] “...attention changes the world, it also changes ourselves who do the attending.” Dr. Iain McGilchrist[18:35] Exploring the relationship between the right versus left brain and the emotion of feelings with memories [24:10] “...the left hemisphere is a very important servant, but a very bad master.” Dr. Iain McGilchrist[30:10] Dr. McGilchrist discusses how the emotional intuitive side of the brain no longer works as a guide to rationalizing for those who have schizophrenia[35:05] “The modern disease is our need to control. It's through trying to control that we have destroyed the world, and we are destroying society through this passion for, ‘I know how it should be, and this is how it must be'.” Dr. Iain McGilchrist[38:25] Greg discusses the subheader: “truth as a thing or a process” in Dr. McGilchrist's book: The Matter with Things [40:00] Dr. McGilchrist suggests that “time is a core reality of the cosmos” and that philosopher Timothy E. Eastman and physicist Lee Smolin would agree that “time is absolutely fundamental.” [41:55] Dr. McGilchrist discusses the influence Alfred North Whitehead had on him, and his idea “that all the things that we call things and therefore make them sound static and material are, in fact, processes.”[43:30] In Greg's second book NoThing in Between, he asks, “What is the thing? How do we define the thing?”[45:45] Question: How do we develop emotional logic?[46:20] “A gardener cannot make a plant, can't make a plant grow. What a gardener does is to create the circumstances in which a plant will flourish…” Dr. Iain McGilchrist [47:30] Dr. McGilchrist discusses in the second part of his book, The Matter with Things, the question of epistemology[49:20] Dr. McGilchrist describes the recipe for the collapse of civilization and the planet[55:50] How reading Modern Man in Search of a Soul as a teenager started Dr. McGilchrist on the path of working in the “interface between neurology and psychiatry.” [1:02:00] Question: What is “the field of me”?[1:07:00] Dr. McGilchrist explains how the hemispheres find out what something is by taking it apart[1:11:45] Question: What's the most meaningful moment of your life that you can recollect in this moment?[1:23:50] Listeners can learn more about Dr. McGilchrist and take part in debates and discussions at https://channelmcgilchrist.com/Join our Community: https://www.community.therespondent.comListeners can find Dr. Iain McGilchrist at his website https://channelmcgilchrist.com/
This week, we dive into the first ever hospital to treat mental illness. Or at least that's what they said they were doing. Instead, their "treatments" amounted to little more than state sanctioned torture. It's a rough one this week. But as the old NBC public service announcements used to say: The More You Know.
Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3pGxdDJ Following the last great recession of 2008 there was a dramatic increase in suicides in North America and Europe: an extra 10,000 people in those regions killed themselves between 2008 and 2010 and the latest estimates from the experts is that the Corona crisis could result in 50,000 extra suicides worldwide. While the media and public health officials pay lip service to the fact the pandemic's most dramatic impact is likely to be on global mental health, there has been woefully little practical advice on how to cope with covid-19. This is partly because for a once in a century event, it is difficult for any field to develop specific coping strategies. However, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud, author of the new forthcoming book, The Mental Vaccine for Covid-19 - The Streetwise Guide to Coping with Corona, will be discussing practical steps you can take to build resilience and nurture well-being through the various predicaments of the pandemic. Speaker: Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked as a Consultant at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Hospitals in London from 1994-2008, and as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. These are the premiere research and training institutions for Psychiatry in Europe. He was also Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA and Institute of Neurology at Queens Square. His training in psychiatry since leaving UCH medical school in1986 was entirely at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals. Unusually for a psychiatrist, he also holds a degree in psychology, obtained with First Class Honours, and 8 other degrees and diplomas including a Masters in Statistics. He was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Research Prize and Medal as well as The Maudsley Hospital's own Denis Hill Prize, and The Osler Medal. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' recently also awarded him the Morris Markowe Prize. In 2004 he was appointed Visiting Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry at Gresham College, and he was asked by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to edit its first book aimed at educating the public on psychology and psychiatry. 'The Mind: A Users Guide' was published in 2007 and reached the top ten best-seller list. All of his 5 previous books have been top ten best-sellers. He has contributed a chapter to the Royal College's latest book - 'The Female Mind - A Users Guide'. His writing is in several established textbooks, including the Oxford Companion to the Mind and he has contributed a chapter in the latest comprehensive textbook of psychiatry for trainees: Psychiatry – An Evidence Based Text. He has approaching 100 publications in Journals such as The British Journal of Psychiatry, British Medical Journal and The Lancet. Recently he was elected Fellow of University College London and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is patron or supporter of numerous mental health charities including OCD-UK, The Manic Depression Fellowship, Association of Post-Natal Illness, Childline, ActionAid and The Samaritans. The Independent on Sunday Newspaper conducted a poll amongst members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Institute of Psychiatry to discover who were the top ten psychiatrists in the UK as rated by fellow psychiatrists. Dr Raj Persaud was the youngest doctor to make it into this esteemed list. The Times Newspaper also recently placed him as one of the Top Twenty Mental Health Gurus in the world.
Today we are taking the train to a wonderful little building… Actually scratch that… This place was once so crazy( no pun intended) that its nickname became a common word. The definition of the word is "A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails. " The word is Bedlam. The place is Bethlehem Royal Hospital. The hospital is considered the first lunatic asylum. The word "bedlam" is derived from the hospital's nickname. Bedlam is a bastardization of the word bethlem, which in turn was a corruption of the name Bethlehem. Although the hospital became a modern psychiatric facility, historically it was representative of the worst excesses of asylums in the era of lunacy reform. We're gonna get into all that craziness tonight and see what kind of "Bedlam" actually went on there. Bethlem Royal Hospital's origins are unlike any other psychiatric hospital in the western world. As a formal organization, it can be traced to its foundation in 1247, during the reign of King Henry III, as a Roman Catholic Monastery for the Priory of the 'New Order of St Mary of Bethlem' in the city of London proper. It was established by the Italian Bishop of Bethlehem, Goffredo de Prefetti, following a donation of personal property by the London Alderman and former City-Sheriff, the Norman, Simon FitzMary. It bears its name after its primary patron and original overseer. The initial location of the priory was in the parish of Saint Botolph, in Bishopsgate's ward, just beyond London's wall and where the south-east corner of Liverpool Street station now stands. Bethlem was not initially intended as a hospital, much less as a specialist institution for the mentally ill. Rather, its purpose was tied to the function of the English Church; the ostensible purpose of the priory was to function as a centre for the collection of alms to support the Crusaders, and to link England to the Holy Land. Bishop De Prefetti's need to generate income for the Crusaders, and restore the financial fortunes of his apostolic see was occasioned by two misfortunes: his bishopric had suffered significant losses following the destructive conquest of the town of Bethlehem by the Khwarazmian Turks in 1244; and the immediate predecessor to his post had further impoverished his cathedral chapter through the alienation of a considerable amount of its property. The new London priory, obedient to the Church of Bethlehem, would also house the poor, disabled and abandoned; and, if visited, provide hospitality to the Bishop, canons and brothers of Bethlehem. The subordination of the priory's religious order to the bishops of Bethlehem was further underlined in the foundational charter which stipulated that Bethlems's prior, canons and male and female inmates were to wear a star upon their cloaks and capes to symbolize their obedience to the church of Bethlehem. During the 13th and 14th centuries, with its activities underwritten by episcopal and papal indulgences, Bethlem's role as a center for the collection of alms for the poor continued. However, over time, its link to the mendicant Order of Bethlehem increasingly devolved, putting its purpose and patronage in severe doubt. In 1346 the Prior of Bethlem, a position at that time granted to the most senior of London's monastic brethren, applied to the city authorities seeking protection; thereafter metropolitan office-holders claimed power to oversee the appointment of prios, and demanded in return an annual payment of 40 shillings from the coffers of the order. It is doubtful whether the City of London ever provided substantial protection, and much less that the priorship fell within their patronage, but dating from the 1346 petition, it played a role in the management of Bethlem's organization and finances. By this time the crusader bishops of Bethlehem had relocated to Clamecy, France under the surety of the Avignon papacy. This was significant as, throughout the reign of King Edward III (1327–77), the English monarchy had extended its patronage over ecclesiastical positions through the seizure of alien priories, mainly French. These were religious institutions that were under the control of non-English religious houses. As a dependent house of the Order of Saint Bethlehem in Clamecy, Bethlem was vulnerable to seizure by the English crown, and this occurred in the 1370s when Edward III took control of all English hospitals. The purpose of this appropriation was to prevent funds raised by the hospital from enriching the French monarchy, via the papal court, and thus supporting the French war effort. After this event, the Head Masters of the hospital, semi-autonomous figures in charge of its day-to-day management, were crown appointees, and Bethlem became an increasingly secularized institution. The memory of Bethlem's foundation became muddled. In 1381 the royal candidate for the post of master claimed that from its beginnings the hospital had been superintended by an order of knights, and he confused the identity of its founder, Goffredo de Prefetti, with that of the Frankish crusader, Godfrey de Bouillon, the King of Jerusalem. The removal of the last symbolic link to the mendicant order was confirmed in 1403 when it was reported that master and inmates no longer wore the symbol of their order, the star of Bethlehem. This was exclusively a political move on the part of the hospital administrators, as the insane were perceived as unclean or possessed by daemons, and not permitted to reside on consecrated soil. From 1330 Bethlehm was routinely referred to as a "hospital" does not necessarily indicate a change in its primary role from alms collection – the word hospital could as likely have been used to denote a lodging for travellers, equivalent to a hostel, and would have been a perfectly apt term to describe an institution acting as a centre and providing accommodation for Bethlem's peregrinating alms-seekers or questores. It is unknown from what exact date it began to specialise in the care and control of the insane. Despite this fact it has been frequently asserted that Bethlem was first used for the insane from 1377. This rather precise date is derived from the unsubstantiated conjecture of the Reverend Edward Geoffrey O'Donoghue, chaplain to the hospital, who published a monograph on its history in 1914. While it is possible that Bethlem was receiving the insane during the late fourteenth-century, the first definitive record of their presence in the hospital is provided from the details of a visitation of the Charity Commissioners in 1403. This recorded that amongst other patients then in the hospital there were six male inmates who were "mente capti", a Latin term indicating insanity. The report of the 1403 visitation also noted the presence of four pairs of manacles, eleven chains, six locks and two pairs of stocks although it is not clear if any or all of these items were for the restraint of the inmates. Thus, while mechanical restraint and solitary confinement are likely to have been used for those regarded as dangerous, little else is known of the actual treatment of the insane in Bethlem for much of the medieval period. The presence of a small number of insane patients in 1403 marks Bethlem's gradual transition from a diminutive general hospital into a specialist institution for the confinement of the insane; this process was largely completed by 1460. In 1546, the Lord-Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city properly. This petition was partially successful, and King Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. Under this formulation, the crown retained possession of the hospital, while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when Bethlem was placed under the management of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 it was administered by the Governors of the city Bridewell, a prototype House of Correction at Blackfriars. Having been thus one of the few metropolitan hospitals to have survived the dissolution of the monasteries physically intact, this joint administration continued, not without interference by both the crown and city, until Bethlem's incorporation into the National Health Service (NHS) took place in 1948. In 1546, the Lord-Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city properly. This petition was partially successful, and King Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. Under this formulation, the crown retained possession of the hospital, while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when Bethlem was placed under the management of the Governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 it was administered by the Governors of the city Bridewell, a prototype House of Correction at Blackfriars. Having been thus one of the few metropolitan hospitals to have survived the dissolution of the monasteries physically intact, this joint administration continued, not without interference by both the crown and city, until Bethlem's incorporation into the National Health Service (NHS) took place in 1948. The position of master was a sinecure largely regarded by its occupants as means of profiting at the expense of the poor in their charge. The appointment of the early masters of the hospital, later known as keepers, had lain within the patronage of the crown until 1547. Thereafter, the city, through the Court of Aldermen, took control of these appointments where, as with the King's appointees, the office was used to reward loyal servants and friends. However, compared to the masters placed by the monarch, those who gained the position through the city were of much more modest status. Thus in 1561, the Lord Mayor succeeded in having his former porter, Richard Munnes, a draper by trade, appointed to the position. The sole qualifications of his successor in 1565 appears to have been his occupation as a grocer. The Bridewell Governors largely interpreted the role of keeper as that of a house-manager and this is clearly reflected in the occupations of most appointees during this period as they tended to be inn-keepers, victualers or brewers and the like. When patients were sent to Bethlem by the Governors of the Bridewell the keeper was paid from hospital funds. For the remainder, keepers were paid either by the families and friends of inmates or by the parish authorities. It is possible that keepers negotiated their fees for these latter categories of patients. In 1598 the long-term keeper, Roland Sleford, a London cloth-maker, left his post, apparently of his own volition, after a nineteen-year tenure. Two months later, the Bridewell Governors, who had until then shown little interest in the management of Bethlem beyond the appointment of keepers, conducted an inspection of the hospital and a census of its inhabitants for the first time in over forty years. Their express purpose was to "to view and p[er]use the defaultes and want of rep[ar]ac[i]ons". They found that during the period of Sleford's keepership the hospital buildings had fallen into a deplorable condition with the roof caving in, the kitchen sink blocked up and reported that: "...it is not fitt for anye man to dwell in wch was left by the Keeper for that it is so loathsomly filthely kept not fitt for anye man to come into the sayd howse". The 1598 committee of inspection found twenty-one inmates then resident with only two of these having been admitted during the previous twelve months. Of the remainder, six, at least, had been resident for a minimum of eight years and one inmate had been there for around twenty-five years. Three were from outside London, six were charitable cases paid for out of the hospital's resources, one was supported by a parochial authority, while the rest were provided for by family, friends, benefactors or, in one instance, out of their funds. The precise reason for the Governors' new-found interest in Bethlem is unknown but it may have been connected to the increased scrutiny the hospital was coming under with the passing of poor law legislation in 1598 and to the decision by the Governors to increase hospital revenues by opening it up to general visitors as a spectacle. After this inspection, the Bridewell Governors initiated some repairs and visited the hospital at more frequent intervals. During one such visit in 1607 they ordered the purchase of clothing and eating vessels for the inmates, presumably indicating the lack of such basic items. The year 1634 is typically interpreted as denoting the divide between the mediaeval and early modern administration of Bethlem. Although Bethlem had been enlarged by 1667 to accommodate 59 patients, the Court of Governors of Bethlem and Bridewell observed at the start of 1674 that "the Hospital House of Bethlem is very olde, weake & ruinous and to[o] small and straight for keeping the greater numb[e]r of lunaticks therein att p[re]sent". With the increasing demand for admission and the inadequate and dilapidated state of the building it was decided to rebuild the hospital in Moorfields, just north of the city proper and one of the largest open spaces in London. The architect chosen for the new hospital, which was built rapidly and at great expense between 1675 and 1676, was the natural philosopher and City Surveyor Robert Hooke. He constructed an edifice that was monumental in scale at over 500 feet (150 m) wide and some 40 feet (12 m) deep. The surrounding walls were some 680 feet (210 m) long and 70 feet (21 m) deep while the south face at the rear was effectively screened by a 714-foot (218 m) stretch of London's ancient wall projecting westward from nearby Moorgate. At the rear and containing the courtyards where patients exercised and took the air, the walls rose to 14 feet (4.3 m) high. The front walls were only 8 feet (2.4 m) high but this was deemed sufficient as it was determined that "Lunatikes... are not to [be] permitted to walk in the yard to be situate[d] betweene the said intended new Building and the Wall aforesaid." It was also hoped that by keeping these walls relatively low the splendour of the new building would not be overly obscured. This concern to maximise the building's visibility led to the addition of six gated openings 10 feet (3.0 m) wide which punctuated the front wall at regular intervals, enabling views of the facade. Functioning as both advertisement and warning of what lay within, the stone pillars enclosing the entrance gates were capped by the figures of "Melancholy" and "Raving Madness" carved in Portland stone by the Danish-born sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber. At the instigation of the Bridewell Governors and to make a grander architectural statement of "charitable munificence", the hospital was designed as a single- rather than double-pile building, accommodating initially 120 patients. Having cells and chambers on only one side of the building facilitated the dimensions of the great galleries, essentially long and capacious corridors, 13 feet (4.0 m) high and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, which ran the length of both floors to a total span of 1,179 feet (359 m). Such was their scale that Roger L'Estrange remarked in a 1676 text eulogising the new Bethlem that their "Vast Length ... wearies the travelling eyes' of Strangers". The galleries were constructed more for public display than for the care of patients as, at least initially, inmates were prohibited from them lest "such persons that come to see the said Lunatickes may goe in Danger of their Lives" The architectural design of the new Bethlem was primarily intended to project an image of the hospital and its governors consonant with contemporary notions of charity and benevolence. By the end of the 18th century the hospital was in severe disrepair. At this point it was rebuilt again on another site. As the new facility was being built attempts were made to rehouse patients at local hospitals and admissions to Bethlem, sections of which were deemed uninhabitable, were significantly curtailed such that the patient population fell from 266 in 1800 to 119 in 1814. The Governors engaged in protracted negotiations with the City for another municipally owned location at St. George's Fields in Southwark, south of the Thames. The deal was concluded in 1810 and provided the Governors with a 12 acres site in a swamp-like, impoverished, highly populated, and industrialised area where the Dog and Duck tavern and St George's Spa had been. A competition was held to design the new hospital at Southwark in which the noted Bethlem patient James Tilly Matthews was an unsuccessful entrant. Completed after three years in 1815, it was constructed during the first wave of county asylum building in England under the County Asylum Act ("Wynn's Act") of 1808. Female patients occupied the west wing and males the east, the cells were located off galleries that traversed each wing. Each gallery contained only one toilet, a sink and cold baths. Incontinent patients were kept on beds of straw in cells in the basement gallery; this space also contained rooms with fireplaces for attendants. A wing for the criminally insane – a legal category newly minted in the wake of the trial of a delusional James Hadfield for attempted regicide – was completed in 1816. Problems with the building were soon noted as the steam heating did not function properly, the basement galleries were damp and the windows of the upper storeys were unglazed "so that the sleeping cells were either exposed to the full blast of cold air or were completely darkened". Faced with increased admissions and overcrowding, new buildings, designed by the architect Sydney Smirke, were added from the 1830s. The wing for criminal lunatics was increased to accommodate a further 30 men while additions to the east and west wings, extending the building's facade, provided space for an additional 166 inmates and a dome was added to the hospital chapel. At the end of this period of expansion Bethlem had a capacity for 364 patients. In 1930, the hospital moved to the suburbs of Croydon,[211] on the site of Monks Orchard House between Eden Park, Beckenham, West Wickham and Shirley. The old hospital and its grounds were bought by Lord Rothermere and presented to the London County Council for use as a park; the central part of the building was retained and became home to the Imperial War Museum in 1936. The hospital was absorbed into the National Health Service in 1948. 1997 the hospital started planning celebrations of its 750th anniversary. The service user's perspective was not to be included, however, and members of the psychiatric survivors movement saw nothing to celebrate in either the original Bedlam or in the current practices of mental health professionals towards those in Mneed of care. A campaign called "Reclaim Bedlam" was launched by Pete Shaughnessy, supported by hundreds of patients and ex-patients and widely reported in the media. A sit-in was held outside the earlier Bedlam site at the Imperial War Museum. The historian Roy Porter called the Bethlem Hospital "a symbol for man's inhumanity to man, for callousness and cruelty." The hospital continues to operate to this day in this location. Ok so with that history out of the way let's drive into what really transpired to give this hospital it reputation and that drove Bedlam to strain it's current meaning in our lexicon. Early on Sanitation was poor and the patients were malnourished. Most of the patients were able to move about freely, but those who were considered dangerous were kept chained to the walls. Patients' families often dumped unwell family members in the asylum and disowned them. We've discussed other asylums and things dealing with them so we won't get into the fact that most of the patients were horribly misdiagnosed due to little to no understanding of mental health until relatively recently. Some of the treatments used ranged from barbaric and esoteric to just plain crazy. One of those crazy ass ones was called rotational therapy. Charles Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, began using “rotational therapy”, which involved spinning a patient around and around on a chair or swing for up to an hour. They would sometimes be spun over 100 times per minute. Obviously this would create issues for the patient. Many would get sick and vomit. Most would become very upset and distraught while becoming severely disoriented. The vomiting was seen as a good thing and progress in the treatment. Doctor Joseph Mason Cox was a doctor who actually picked up this type of treatment later on. The time spent spinning, and the speed of the spin, were to be determined by the good doctor. Considering the fact that the common side effect was fear, extreme pallor, vomiting, and voiding the bowels and bladder, the doctor evidently commonly overdid it. Of course he didn't think so at the time. He wrote happily that, “after a few circumvolutions, I have witnessed the soothing lulling effects, when the mind has become tranquillized and the body quiescent.” It's true that after being spun until fluid leaves the body via every available orifice, most people have had the fight taken out of them and are ready for a nap. There is one positive side effect of this kind of rampant torture of the insane. Scientists started noticing that vertigo has visual effects, and used the chairs to study them. These rotating chairs mark the beginning of a lot of visual and mental experiments done on perception. The early 1800s were a particularly grim time, and many patients were chained to the walls naked or almost naked, as the medical director felt that it was necessary to break each person's will. Some of the more barbaric and esoteric treatments included bloodletting, leeches and good old fashioned starvation and beatings. Ice baths would often be used to try and calm down hysterical patients. At the time, bloodletting was believed to be a completely acceptable and normal way to cure a patient of a variety of mental and physical ailments. Doctors thought that they could literally bleed a sickness out of a patient, which not only doesn't work, it extra-double doesn't work on mental illnesses. Many of the patients were forced to undergo treatment with leeches and the induction of blisters, which mostly just sounds unpleasant, but it often proved fatal. Reportedly, the physicians at the time at least understood that everyone needs blood, so only patients who were deemed strong enough to undergo treatment were allowed to have this "cure." Here's another fun one. A doctor named William Black wrote that patients were placed in straitjackets and given laxatives, which was seen at Bethlem as one of the "principal remedies." Hearing voices? Some explosive diarrhea oughta clear that up. Seizures? One diarrhea for you. Diarrhea for everyone! We all know the best thing for someone who may not be in their right mind is to be left alone… in the dark… for long periods of time… Like really long periods of time. Well we may know that's probably NOT the best, but Bedlam never got the message. Some patients were left alone in solitary for days, weeks, even months at a time. Seems very counterproductive. One of the worst ones was the example of the inhumane conditions was that of James Norris. Norris, an American Marine, had been sent to Bethlem on the 1st of February 1800. Her was kept in Bethlem's “incurable wing,” Norris' arms were pinned to his sides by iron bars. He was also kept chained to the wall by his neck. This fifty-five-year-old man had been continuously kept in this position for “more than twelve years.” The apathy of families abandoning their relatives to a hellish existence in Bethlem led to a new form of exploitation. From the 1700s to the 1800s, there was a marked increase in the dissection of bodies to learn more about human anatomy. In the 1790s, Bethlem's chief surgeon was Bryan Crowther, a man who saw opportunity in the search for corpses to study. Crowther would dissect Bethlem's dead patients in the name of medical science, believing that he would be able to find a difference in the brains of his mentally ill patients, compared to “normal” people. Of course, he did these operations without any kind of consent or legal right. One of the best ways to sum up the reasoning behind this torture is to let you know from the man who was behind the worst of it. John Haslam was one of the most sinister figures in the history of Bethlem, and it was while he was the head of management that the institution sunk to a new low in depravity. While Bryan Crowther was conducting illegal dissections as chief surgeon, Haslam used various tortures against the patients. He was adamant that the first step to curing the patients was breaking their wills first. So ya… They figured fuck em… Break their will and they'll be fine… Wow. Oftentimes patients would lack even basic amenities for living. That includes proper clothing and food. To make things even worse for the patients, from approximately the early 1600s until 1770, the public was able to go for a wander through Bedlam. Money was collected as entrance fees, and it was hoped that seeing the crazy people would make people feel sufficiently compassionate that they would donate funds to the hospital. Another reason for this is that they hoped it would attract the families of these patients and that they would bring those patients food and clothing and other things they needed so the hospital would not have to provide them. Oh if that's not bad enough, how about the mass graves. Modern-day construction of the London Underground unearthed mass graves on the grounds of Bethlem, created specifically to get rid of the corpses of those who didn't survive the hospital's care. Discovered in 2013, the mass graves dating back to 1569, and there are somewhere close to 20,000 people buried in them. Amazingly, authorities have managed to identify some of the deceased, but many others will likely never get a face and name. Anything about any of these areas being haunted? Yup we got that too. Although the first few sites have long been transformed into other things, the girls that happened there could have left tons of negative juju. We found this cool story. "The Liverpool Street Underground Station was opened in February of 1874 on the site of the original Bedlem Hospital. Former patients haunt this busy section of the London Underground. One compelling sighting happened in the summer of 2000. A Line Controller spotted something strange on the CCTV camera that he was monitoring that showed the Liverpool Station. It was 2:00 am in the morning and the station was closed for the night. This witness saw a figure wearing white overalls in an eastbound tunnel. He became concerned since he knew no contractors worked the station this late at night. He called his Station Supervisor to report what he was seeing on the screen. The Supervisor went to investigate. The Line Controller watched as his Supervisor stood nearby the mysterious figure. So he was confused when his Supervisor called to say he had not seen any figure. The Line Controller told his boss that the figure had stood so close to him that he could have reached out and touched it. Hearing this the Supervisor continued to search for the figure. Again the Line Controller saw the figure walk right passed his boss on his screen, but again his boss did not see the figure. The Supervisor finally giving up went to leave the station but as he did so he spotted white overalls placed on a bench that he had passed before. He stated that they could not have been placed there without him seeing who did it. Even before the Liverpool Station was built the area where the hospital stood was considered haunted. Between 1750 and 1812 many witnesses reported hearing a female voice crying and screaming. It is believed that this is a former patient from Bedlam. Rebecca Griffins was buried in the area. While alive she always frantically clutched a coin in her hand. Witnesses state they hear her asking where her ha' penny is." Fun stuff! The following comes from the old building that was turned into the imperial war museum. It is said that to this day the spectres of those who suffered in Bedlam still roam the hallways and rattle their chains in remembered anguish. During the Second World War, a detachment of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force was stationed inside the Imperial War Museum with barrage balloons. Much of the museum has parts that date back to Bedlam and it isn't hard to imagine them as cells full of the damned inmates. Many of the young girls who were garrisoned inside had never heard of the buildings sordid past, so had no reason to fear it. Yet soon complaints began to flood in as during the night many found they couldn't sleep, kept up by strange moaning and the rattling of chains. The long passed inmates of Bedlam made their displeasure well known. Eventually the complaints became so bad the entire detachment had to be rehoused nearby. Possibly the most famous ghost of Bedlam is the sad spectre of poor Rebecca. At a merchant's house by London Bridge lived a lovely young girl by the name of Rebecca. She fell head over heels in love with a handsome young Indian man who had come to lodge with the family. So besotted was she that when he packed up his bags to return to India she was shocked that he hadn't loved her quite nearly as much as she'd loved him. She helped him to pack his things, hoping all the while that he would change his mind and agree to stay. But all she received was a gold sovereign that he slipped into her hand before leaving forever. The grief of her spurning was too much for her mind to handle and she snapped, soon being admitted to Bedlam Hospital. The golden sovereign he had given her was gripped firmly in her fist for the remainder of her short life, the final token from her lost love, never to be given up. When she finally wasted away into death it didn't go unnoticed by one of the guards who prised the coin from her hand and then buried her without her most prized possession. It was after that the guards, inmates and visitors all began to report a strange sight indeed. A wan and ghostly figure began to roam the halls of Bedlam, searching for her lost love token, her spirit refusing to be put to rest until she had it back in her hand. It is said that she still wanders the halls to this day, looking for that stolen coin to make her whole once more. Well… There you have it, the history and craziness of Bedlam Asylum! British horror movies https://screenrant.com/best-british-horror-movies/ BECOME A P.O.O.P.R.!! http://www.patreon.com/themidnighttrainpodcast Find The Midnight Train Podcast: www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com www.facebook.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.twitter.com/themidnighttrainpc www.instagram.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.discord.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.tiktok.com/themidnighttrainp And wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Subscribe to our official YouTube channel: OUR YOUTUBE Support our sponsors www.themidnighttraintrainpodcast.com/sponsors The Charley Project www.charleyproject.org
Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3sGIiGQ How was lockdown love for you? In his new book, The Mental Vaccine for Covid-19: Coping With Corona - A Guide To Pandemic Psychology, Psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud explains why our seduction skills were tested by the virus and how we can learn to be better at the psychological life skill of igniting desire in others - which is as useful in the boardroom as it is in the bedroom... Speaker: Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked as a Consultant at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Hospitals in London from 1994-2008, and as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. These are the premiere research and training institutions for Psychiatry in Europe. He was also Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA and Institute of Neurology at Queens Square. His training in psychiatry since leaving UCH medical school in1986 was entirely at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals. Unusually for a psychiatrist, he also holds a degree in psychology, obtained with First Class Honours, and 8 other degrees and diplomas including a Masters in Statistics. He was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Research Prize and Medal as well as The Maudsley Hospital's own Denis Hill Prize, and The Osler Medal. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' recently also awarded him the Morris Markowe Prize. In 2004 he was appointed Visiting Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry at Gresham College, and he was asked by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to edit its first book aimed at educating the public on psychology and psychiatry. 'The Mind: A Users Guide' was published in 2007 and reached the top ten best-seller list. All of his 5 previous books have been top ten best-sellers. He has contributed a chapter to the Royal College's latest book - 'The Female Mind - A Users Guide'. His writing is in several established textbooks, including the Oxford Companion to the Mind and he has contributed a chapter in the latest comprehensive textbook of psychiatry for trainees: Psychiatry – An Evidence Based Text. He has approaching 100 publications in Journals such as The British Journal of Psychiatry, British Medical Journal and The Lancet. Recently he was elected Fellow of University College London and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is patron or supporter of numerous mental health charities including OCD-UK, The Manic Depression Fellowship, Association of Post-Natal Illness, Childline, ActionAid and The Samaritans. The Independent on Sunday Newspaper conducted a poll amongst members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Institute of Psychiatry to discover who were the top ten psychiatrists in the UK as rated by fellow psychiatrists. Dr Raj Persaud was the youngest doctor to make it into this esteemed list. The Times Newspaper also recently placed him as one of the Top Twenty Mental Health Gurus in the world.
Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3FAGcMh Why is happiness so elusive that there has to be so much advice, so many books, so many seminars on... how to be happy? Dr Raj Persaud a top Harley St Psychiatrist and Psychologist draws on the latest neuroscience research and also the ancient wisdom of Aristotle and Socrates to explain the true very simple secret behind happiness and how to attain it, plus he demonstrates the fatal flaw behind all the pop psychology advice you have been hitherto the victim of. Speaker: Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked as a Consultant at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Hospitals in London from 1994-2008, and as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. These are the premiere research and training institutions for Psychiatry in Europe. He was also Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA and Institute of Neurology at Queens Square. His training in psychiatry since leaving UCH medical school in1986 was entirely at the Institute of Psychiatry and the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals. Unusually for a psychiatrist, he also holds a degree in psychology, obtained with First Class Honours, and 8 other degrees and diplomas including a Masters in Statistics. He was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Research Prize and Medal as well as The Maudsley Hospital's own Denis Hill Prize, and The Osler Medal. The Royal College of Psychiatrists' recently also awarded him the Morris Markowe Prize. In 2004 he was appointed Visiting Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry at Gresham College, and he was asked by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to edit its first book aimed at educating the public on psychology and psychiatry. 'The Mind: A Users Guide' was published in 2007 and reached the top ten best-seller list. All of his 5 previous books have been top ten best-sellers. He has contributed a chapter to the Royal College's latest book - 'The Female Mind - A Users Guide'. His writing is in several established textbooks, including the Oxford Companion to the Mind and he has contributed a chapter in the latest comprehensive textbook of psychiatry for trainees: Psychiatry – An Evidence Based Text. He has approaching 100 publications in Journals such as The British Journal of Psychiatry, British Medical Journal and The Lancet. Recently he was elected Fellow of University College London and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is patron or supporter of numerous mental health charities including OCD-UK, The Manic Depression Fellowship, Association of Post-Natal Illness, Childline, ActionAid and The Samaritans. The Independent on Sunday Newspaper conducted a poll amongst members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Institute of Psychiatry to discover who were the top ten psychiatrists in the UK as rated by fellow psychiatrists. Dr Raj Persaud was the youngest doctor to make it into this esteemed list. The Times Newspaper also recently placed him as one of the Top Twenty Mental Health Gurus in the world.
Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks Strong motivation has to be part of any formula for achieving what you want in life. In this talk, Dr Raj Persaud will reveal the surprising science at the heart of motivation that can take you across the finishing line – no matter where that might be. To be compelled by a forceful drive is vital for a life worth living. It's the key tool you need for achieving your goals. But beyond that, above all its material benefits, motivation is advantageous because at a spiritual or transcendent level, it brings real meaning to our lives. However, motivation also has a dark side that can drive us to the deepest despair in the face of disappointment. The clinically depressed and suicidal are often the casualties of failed aspiration. Dr Persaud will examine this issue in the talk, and suggest ways of avoiding the pitfalls associated with a strong sense of being impelled forward. The key is to be in charge of your motivation, rather than for it to be in control of you. So, motivation is clearly a psychological conundrum because on the one hand it can take us towards what is most meaningful to us in life, but on the other, it can plunge us into the abyss of hopelessness when we encounter setbacks. I contend in this talk that the answer to the conundrum won't come from motivational gurus, but instead lies firmly in the scientific study of the psyche. Dr Raj Persaud is a Consultant Psychiatrist who has worked at some of the leading teaching, research and clinical institutions in psychiatry in Europe and the USA, including; the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley NHS Hospitals in London, and the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. He is a fellow of The University College London, and has been a Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA and the Institute of Neurology at Queens Square. Unusually for a psychiatrist, Dr Persaud also holds a degree in psychology has been awarded over 8 degrees and diplomas including a Masters in Statistics. He has been awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists Research Medal, The Maudsley Hospital's Denis Hill Prize and the Osler Medal. He is the author of several bestselling books, including ‘The Mind: A User's Guide', ‘Staying Sane', and ‘The Motivated Mind'.You can keep up to date with Dr Persaud's work on his website: www.drrajpersaud.com Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Support this channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theweekenduniversity - Dr Persaud's website: http://www.drrajpersaud.com/