Abby and Patrick are joined by philosopher Simon Critchley to discuss his new book, On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstasy. They discuss how, for Critchley, mysticism represents "a way of thinking about existential ecstasy that is outside and more than the conscious self.” Exploring the book’s survey of key figures and texts in the Western Christian tradition, the three unpack how accounts of mystical experiences can challenge our assumptions about the past, defy traditional philosophical ideas of subjectivity, and suggest new ways of thinking about the conditions of everyday life in the present, all with rich psychoanalytic implications. Their conversation ranges from the cognitive and affective dimensions of mystical experience to mystical accounts of embodiment, gender, and erotic jouissance to the biographies and autobiographies of mystics, and more. Plus: what it might have been like to travel with the constantly weeping Margery Kempe, Meister Eckhart’s inspired defense against charges of heresy, the ecstatic pleasures of your favorite playlist, and why absolutely everyone should read the Song of Songs.

On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstasy is available here: https://www.nyrb.com/products/mysticism

A pre-order link for Simon’s forthcoming Your Life is Not a (Fucking) Story is available here: https://everyday-analysis.sellfy.store/p/your-life-is-not-a-story-by-simon-critchley/

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A podcast about psychoanalysis, politics, pop culture, and the ways we suffer now. New episodes on Saturdays. Follow us on social media:

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