The Weekend University

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 85 scientific papers and 14 books. He is a leading researcher into anomalous phenomena and was named among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders for 2013. He studied biology and biochemistry at Cambridge University where he earned his Ph.D., followed by a fellowship at Harvard where he spent a year studying philosophy and history. In this session, we discuss Rupert’s latest work on scientific approaches to spirituality, why they work, how they improve psychological wellbeing, and how you can use them - even if you do not identify with any kind of religion. Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5

Human beings have evolved to be highly adaptable creatures, psychologically and physiologically. From moment to moment we continually monitor the social and physical environment in order to assess opportunities or threats that lie ahead; and we change the face we present to the world accordingly. In this talk I’ll explain how these adjustments to personality, mental and physical health can occur without our knowing it, as we respond instinctively to environmental cues. But of course we may sometimes get it wrong. We may be deceived by accidental or deliberate disinformation into forming a false picture of our prospects. Or we may be misled by information that – in evolutionary terms – is simply out of date. I’ll show how this explains not only the placebo effect, but much else about the misfit between human nature and the modern environment. --- Nicholas Humphrey is a theoretical psychologist, based in Cambridge, who is known for his work on the evolution of human intelligence and consciousness. His interests are wide ranging. He studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey in Rwanda, he was the first to demonstrate the existence of “blindsight” after brain damage in monkeys, he proposed the celebrated theory of the “social function of intellect”, and he is the only scientist ever to edit the literary journal Granta. His books include Consciousness Regained, The Inner Eye, A History of the Mind, Leaps of Faith, The Mind Made Flesh, Seeing Red and most recently Soul Dust. He has been the recipient of several honours, including the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize, the British Psychological Society’s book award, the Pufendorf Medal and the International Mind and Brain Prize . He has been Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford, Assistant Director of the Subdepartment of Animal Behaviour at Cambridge, Senior Research Fellow in Parapsychology at Cambridge, Professor of Psychology at the New School for Social Research, New York, and School Professor at the London School of Economics. --- 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 Humphrey’s website: http://www.humphrey.org.uk/ - Professor Humphrey’s books: https://amzn.to/2TQVGWp

Your personality is the set of basic traits that makes you you, influencing your habits of thought and behaviour. But how fixed are they? The great American psychologist William James said that our personality is set like plaster by age 30. But new findings show that while there is a degree of stability in our traits, we also continue to change in meaningful ways through our lives – our personalities are more like plastic than plaster. In this talk, psychologist and author Dr Christian Jarrett will explore the pros and cons of the main personality traits, the role they play in shaping our lives, how your traits are likely to change as you age and in response to different experiences. But we don’t have to be passive: you’ll also discover evidence-based ways that you can deliberately change your personality. Dr Christian Jarrett is a psychologist and author of Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change. A cognitive neuroscientist by training, Christian is currently the Deputy Editor of Psyche Magazine, and was the Editor of the award-winning BPS Research Digest Blog for sixteen years until July 2019. He writes regularly for the BBC, 99U and his TED-ED lesson has been viewed over 500,000 times. He writes regularly for the BBC, 99U and his TED-ED lesson has been viewed over 1.8 million times. Links: Get a copy of Dr Jarrett's new book "Be Who You Want: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change": https://amzn.to/2Q8XFGX Get early access to our latest psychology lectures: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 - Dr Jarrett's website: https://psychologywriter.org.uk/ - Follow Dr Jarrett on twitter: @Psych_Writer - Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/

The Science of Diversity is a method of teaching universal, scientific reasoning as a tool to overcome dialog barriers and move forward in polarizing conversations. This method addresses fundamental weaknesses in the way we communicate and provide learners with the necessary skills to approach conversations about diversity issues scientifically. People do not always think of scientific reasoning as a path to understanding in emotionally charged conflicts. However, the nature of scientific reasoning causes us to pause, reflect, look to data for insight and reach scientific consensus. The Science of Diversity method recognizes that in order to comprehend the complexities of our biases, it is necessary to understand their biological and psychological underpinnings. Many of the current agenda driven diversity and racial sensitivity programs have failed to recognize that people have biases deeply rooted in their personal memories and histories. The Science of Diversity method stands out from such programs by recognizing that commanding people to get rid of their biases is often akin to asking them to shed their very legacies and identities. Diversity issues are nuanced, but without the ability to have truly open discussions, people will not feel safe to express their ideas, and real understanding and growth cannot be achieved. This session will help participants to: - Differentiate between the Science of Diversity method and traditional diversity approaches - Understand the psychological process of the intergenerational transmission of injustice - Examine the legacy of injustice & polarization. --- Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark is an award-winning professor, researcher, and author. Her work on the science of diversity® has received global recognition, and she is widely recognized as a leading expert on diversity, inclusion, and polarized groups. Dr Weissmark is best known for her groundbreaking social experiment of bringing together descendants of slaves and slaveowners, and descendants of Holocaust survivors and Nazis at Harvard University. She teaches the ‘Psychology of Diversity’ course and conducts research on the science of diversity at Harvard, and her work has been featured in major publications such as the New York Times, The Guardian, JUF News, Harvard Magazine and many others. Marcelle Giovannetti is a full time Assistant Professor in Messiah University’s Graduate Counseling Program in Pennsylvania, and also works part-time as a clinician in private practice at Purposefully Soaring LLC. She has presented on numerous occasions at national, regional, state and local conferences. Marcelle serves as a Teaching Assistant to Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark in the Psychology of Diversity course taught at Harvard. Brian Chin, one of Dr. Mona Sue Weissmark’s research and teaching assistants, is a current graduate student at Harvard University. Brian graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and also served with distinction in the U.S Army (2011-2019) as an enlisted soldier specializing in Psychological Operations, a branch of the U.S Army focusing on Psychological Warfare. --- 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 Weissmark's website: https://www.weissmark.com/ - Dr Weissmark's book: https://amzn.to/38GiRuY, https://amzn.to/3eWwkQk, https://amzn.to/36sBi3q

Professor Marc Lewis is a neuroscientist, professor, bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading experts on the neuroscience of addiction. In his academic work, he has authored or coauthored more than fifty journal articles, and for many years was a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Toronto before retiring. In recent years, he has focused on making his work more accessible to a wider audience through public talks and interviews. He is the author of two bestselling books on addiction: “Memoirs of an Addicted Brain” and “The Biology of Desire”, a book which Dr Gabor Mate argues “effectively refutes the disease model of addiction.” In this wide ranging conversation, we cover: - Marc’s background and his own early struggles with addiction - Why traumas (particularly in early life) often lead to addictive behaviour - What happens in the brain during addiction - Why internal family systems therapy offers an effective solution - How developing a stronger connection to your “future self” can help overcome addiction And a whole lot more. You can learn more about Marc’s work on his website: www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/ Links: Get our latest psychology lectures emailed to your inbox: http://bit.ly/new-talks5 Check out our next event: http://theweekenduniversity.com/events/ Marc’s website: www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/ The Biology of Desire: https://amzn.to/3aBhVsB Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: https://amzn.to/2ZGBjy5

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