David Sloan Wilson is one of the world’s foremost evolutionary thinkers and a gifted communicator about evolution to the general public. He is a SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University in New York. In addition to his teaching and research work, David is President of Prosocial World – an organisation which aims to catalyze positive cultural change to consciously evolve who we are, how we connect with each other, and how we interact with the planet. He is passionate about making evolutionary science more accessible to a wider audience, and in 2019, he was invited to speak with the Dalai Lama about his work. David is the author of several books on evolutionary theory, including: “This View of Life”, “Evolution for Everyone”, “Darwin’s Cathedral”, “Does Altruism Exist?”, and the co-author of “Prosocial”, along with Paul Atkins and Steven Hayes. In this conversation, we discuss some of the key insights and themes from David’s first novel: Atlas Hugged. This book is a must read for anyone interested in evolutionary theory and its implications for how we can best understand human nature, and also how best to live in this world. In the novel, David weaves together a lifetime’s worth of research and academic work into an engaging narrative, which offers science based solutions to some of life’s biggest questions, including how we can solve the problem of excessive individualism, how to create a ‘meaning system’ that is both highly motivating and based on scientific truth at the same time, and how we can use a managed process of cultural evolution to consciously evolve as a society. You can get the novel at: www.atlashugged.world, and learn more about David’s work at www.darwinianrevolution.com. Links: Get a copy of Atlas Hugged: https://atlashugged.world/​ This View of Life: https://amzn.to/323MrWA​ TVOL Magazine: https://thisviewoflife.com/​ Prosocial World: www.prosocial.world David’s books: https://amzn.to/3s31jiN​ Follow David on Twitter @David_S_Wilson Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5​ Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/​ The Invention of Tradition - Eric Hobsbawm: https://amzn.to/3mxBQNe​ The Goodness Paradox - Richard Wrangham: https://amzn.to/3wJBaJt

Roman Krznaric is a bestselling author and one of the UK’s leading philosophers, who is passionate about the power of ideas to transform society. He is a TED speaker, a founding faculty member of the School of Life, the Creator of the World’s First Empathy Museum, and a Research Fellow at the Long Now Foundation. Roman's books include: 'How to Find Fulfilling Work', 'Empathy', 'The Wonderbox' and 'Carpe Diem Regained', and have been published in more than 20 languages. In this conversation, we discuss his most recent book: ‘The Good Ancestor’, which focuses on how to think long term in a short term world. In a wide ranging discussion, we explore: - Why long term thinking may hold the key to solving large scale societal issues such as climate change - How small groups of ‘time rebels’ are slowly starting to influence culture and public policy to the protect the rights of future generations - The psychological barriers to long term thinking, and how to overcome them - Practical ways we can start widening our time horizons And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Roman’s work at www.romankrznaric.com, and follow him on Twitter @romankrznaric. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5​ Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/​ Roman’s book: https://amzn.to/3qTv30L​ Roman’s website: www.romankrznaric.com

Have you ever wondered what exactly DBT is? What are its essential components? What exactly are dialectics and why are they relevant to a psychological therapy? In this presentation, Professor Michaela Swales, an international expert in DBT, introduces you to the essential elements of DBT: underlying theories, treatment structure and treating clinical cases. This presentation is aimed at those who know very little about DBT and who may be considering whether or not it is an appropriate intervention for their context, or for those who have heard about DBT and are curious to know more. There will be an opportunity to discuss the presented material and to assess whether DBT would be a good fit for your organisation or your clinical context. --- Michaela Swales, PhD, is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with BCUHB and Reader in Clinical Psychology on the North Wales Clinical Psychology Programme at Bangor University. She trained in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in Seattle in 1994 and 1995 with Marsha Linehan and for twenty years ran a clinical programme for suicidal young people in an inpatient service. After completing specialist supervision in DBT, she became one of the founder members of the UK DBT Training Team in 1997 and Director of the Training Team in 2002. She has trained more than a thousand professionals in DBT, seeding over 400 programmes, in both the UK and further afield. She is the co-author of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: Distinctive Features, which had its second edition published by Routledge in 2016 and Changing Behavior in DBT: Problem-Solving in Action, published by Guilford in 2015. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Professor Michaela’s website: https://www.dbt-training.co.uk/trainer/michaela-swales/ - Professor Michaela’s book: https://amzn.to/3mgG2iG

We live in a challenging age. With the death of George Floyd, the subsequent marches across the world against racism, the struggles of the #Metoo movement, campaigns for equal rights for the LGBTQ community, and the rise of Disability theorists. Yet, all these efforts towards equality in the face of varying types of oppression speak loudly of the voices of the others and their need to be heard and acknowledged. Within psychotherapy and psychology though, difference and diversity trainings have been slow in turning their considerable talents towards exploring or understanding the experiences of the other, often doing no more than to mirror the wider societal oppressions we all witness daily. This morning session is designed to give facilitators, supervisors, lecturers, and markers an insight into the latest thinking around privilege and otherness within the profession. Drawing upon the idea of intersectionality, this taster presents a more nuanced, psychotherapeutic understanding of difference and diversity. --- Dr Dwight Turner is a psychotherapist, Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the School of Applied Social Science at Brighton University. Dr Turner casts an intersectional lens on privilege, supremacy, otherness and social justice. He was invited to deliver the keynote presentation at the BACP’s ‘Working with Diversity’ Conference in 2019. His recent blog post – “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” addressed the anguish and the action that has risen from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and has been widely read by UK and US therapists. Dr Turner’s new book: ‘Linking Intersectional Theory of Privilege and Otherness to Counselling and Psychotherapy’ will be published by Routledge. You can keep up to date with his work and latest blog posts at: https://www.dwightturnercounselling.co.uk/ and follow him on twitter @Dturner300. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Dwight’s website: https://www.dwightturnercounselling.co.uk/ - Dr Dwight’s books: https://amzn.to/38IRb8W, https://amzn.to/2UnYM4n, https://amzn.to/35uCDYj

Ever wondered why identical twins become less alike as they age, even developing different diseases? Why are the cells of your skin so different from the cells of your kidneys, even though they contain exactly the same DNA? The answer lies in epigenetics, an extra layer of information on top of genes, that controls how the genetic script gets used. It’s the link between nature and nurture and it’s important in a huge range of biological processes. It explains why tortoiseshell cats are almost always female, and why global warming is leading to catastrophic skewing of the sex ratios in turtle populations. Drug companies are investing billions of dollars in creating new therapies for cancer, using their knowledge of how epigenetic problems can drive this disease. Most weirdly of all, the epigenetic system can be a means by which responses to the environment get passed down through generations, without any change in DNA. It’s a wonderful, strange, fascinating and sometimes controversial science, and it affects us all. --- Dr Nessa Carey is a biologist working in the field of molecular biology and biotechnology. She is International Director of the technology transfer organisation PraxisUnico and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. With expertise in the field of epigenetics and in technology transfer, she promotes the movement of scientists between academia and industry, lecturing often to school students and early career scientists. Dr Carey writes books and articles for a scientifically interested general audience, and contributes to the Huffington Post. She is the author of The Epigenetics Revolution and Junk DNA: A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome which explore advances in the field of epigenetics and their implications for medicine. You can find out more about her work at www.nessacarey.co.uk. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Carey’s website: http://www.nessacarey.co.uk/ - Dr Carey’s books: https://amzn.to/3mAdwcm

Professor Jean-Louis Monestès is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Grenoble in France, and a leading thinker into the application of evolutionary principles in psychology. He has published several chapters on evolutionary processes in clinical psychology with Steven Hayes and David Sloan Wilson, as well as articles and books on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory. In this conversation, we explore: - Why evolutionary theory can be a powerful model for effective psychotherapy - How evolutionary principles can be applied for improving outcomes in clinical work - The link between evolution, acceptance and commitment therapy and the psychological flexibility model And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Jean Louis’ work on his website: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/ Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Jean Louis’ website: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/ Jean Louis’ workshop: https://www.flexibilitepsychologique.fr/en/darwin-as-your-clinical-supervisor-2/ Evolution and Contextual Behavioural Science: https://amzn.to/3d4qjlQ

This will be the first in a series of ‘meeting of the minds’ discussions, where we bring together leading thinkers to share perspectives on a topic of mutual interest. In this discussion, we explore the relationship between evolutionary science and clinical psychology and psychotherapy, why there needs to be greater integration between the fields, the crossover between ACT and CFT, and the role psychology can play in informing our approach to wider scale societal issues such as COVID-19 and climate change. Professor Paul Gilbert, OBE is a British clinical psychologist, the founder of compassion focused therapy (CFT), compassionate mind training (CMT) and author of books such as The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life’s Challenges, Overcoming Depression. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology for over 40 years with a special focus on the roles of mood, shame and self-criticism in various mental health difficulties for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. Professor Gilbert has written/edited 21 books and over 200 papers. Professor Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada. The author of forty-three books and more than six hundred scientific articles, he has served as president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and is one of the most cited psychologists in the world. Dr. Hayes initiated the development of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and of Relational Frame Theory (RFT), the approach to cognition on which ACT is based. Dr Dennis Tirch is a Founding Director of The Center for Compassion Focused Therapy, the first clinical training center for Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) in the United States. Dr. Tirch has been described as one of the country's foremost leaders in compassion training in evidence-based psychotherapy. He is an internationally acknowledged expert therapist, supervisor and trainer in CFT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Buddhist Psychology (BP). Dr. Tirch is an author of 6 books, and numerous chapters and peer reviewed articles on mindfulness, acceptance and compassion in psychotherapy. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Evolution and Contextual Behavioural Science - Prof Steven Hayes: https://amzn.to/3d4qjlQ Living Like Crazy - Paul Gilbert: https://amzn.to/2LMvn3a The Reith Lectures: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9 Donate to: http://nokidhungry.org Learn about the Prosocial process: https://prosocial.world Prof Hayes’ website: https://stevenchayes.com Prof Gilbert’s website: https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/ Dr Tirch’s website: http://www.mindfulcompassion.com/

Dr Paul Atkins, PhD is an organisational psychologist, author and the co-developer of The Prosocial Process along with Steven Hayes and David Sloan Wilson. This unique approach draws from the Nobel prize winning economic theory of Lin Ostrom, evolutionary science, and the psychology of behaviour change to offer a practical framework for creating highly effective, inclusive and cooperative teams - in all walks of life. In this interview, we cover: - The evolutionary science behind why human beings are fundamentally a cooperative species - Lin Ostrom’s 8 Nobel prize winning core design principles and how you can apply them to increase the effectiveness of the groups you are a member of - A practical tool for creating a strong sense of group purpose and identity in any team and why this is vital And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Paul’s work and the Prosocial Process at www.prosocial.world and you can get the book here: https://www.newharbinger.com/prosocial Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Perceptions Matter: the Common Cause UK Values Survey: https://valuesandframes.org/values-in-action/survey The Personal Noticing Matrix discussed in the interview: http://bit.ly/prosocial-matrix ACBS: https://contextualscience.org/ Prosocial book: https://amzn.to/3hA9Cyb

Dr John Vervaeke Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the author and presenter of the YouTube series: Awakening from the Meaning Crisis. The depth and breadth of John’s knowledge are extensive which is reflected in the wide range of subjects he teaches. His courses include cognitive science, Buddhism, psychology and mental health, cognitive development, the psychology of wisdom, and many others. Over the past few years he has focused on taking his knowledge outside of academia and making it more accessible to the wider world, mainly via his hit YouTube series ‘Awakening from the Meaning Crisis’, which explores the historical causes of the meaning crisis our culture is currently experiencing, and offers some solutions too. John believes strongly in the power of dialogue to transform both individuals and culture, and spends a lot of his time engaging in meaningful conversations with other key thinkers in the field, including Jordan Peterson, Iain McGilchrist, Tim Freke, and others. He is the author of the book: Zombies in Western Culture: A 21st Century Crisis, which integrates Psychology and Cognitive Science to address the meaning crisis in Western society. You can learn more about John’s work on his website: www.johnvervaeke.com and follow him on Twitter @vervaeke_john. Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Zombies in Western Culture - John Vervaeke: https://amzn.to/3rgcftl The Perennial Philosophy - Arthur Versluis: https://amzn.to/2YHW37Q Platonic Mysticism - Arthur Versluis: https://amzn.to/2YHcz84 Transformative Experience - L.A. Paul: https://amzn.to/3rmduY7 Voices with Vervaeke: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh8TPRarb1FpwP7FSaUILC9 John’s Awakening from the Meaning Crisis Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND1JCRq8Vuh3f0P5qjrSdb5eC1ZfZwWJ John’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/johnvervaeke Diagnosing the Current Age: A Symptomology of the Meaning Crisis: http://bit.ly/3oJlSPA

Online social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be seen as a virtual extension of our psychological and emotional selves. They also happen to be an essential technology that mediates our relationships in contemporary society. The architecture of different online social networking sites enable certain aspects of self-expression while inhibiting others. The consequence is that self-expression and online relationships are necessarily altered by what different online social networking sites can or cannot do. Drawing on insights from his book The Psychodynamics of Social Networking: connected-up instantaneous culture and the self, Dr. Balick will be exploring how online social networking mediates self-expression and interpersonal relationships today. This seminar is an application of contemporary relational psychoanalysis and other related disciplines to modern technology. In this model, online social networking is seen as a product and deployment, however, faulty, of the basic human unconscious motivation to relate to others. The way in which this motivation is mediated through these platforms has important consequences for individuals, relationships to others, and society as a whole. --- Aaron Balick, PhD is a psychotherapist, cultural theorist and author applying ideas from depth psychology to culture and technology. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Department for Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies at the University of Essex (UK). He is a founding member and former executive chair of The Relational School UK. His books include ‘The Psychodynamics of Social Networking: Connected-up Instantaneous Culture and the Self’ and the illustrated children’s self-help book: ‘Keep Your Cool: How to Deal with Life’s Worries and Stress’. ‘The Little Book of Calm’ was released in January of 2018. Aaron is the director of Stillpoint Spaces, a psychology, co-working, therapy, and events hub in London. --- Links: - Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ - Dr Aaron Balick’s website: https://www.aaronbalick.com - Dr Aaron Balick’s Book: https://amzn.to/32QzXTr