Videos
At Middlebury College, Polly’s TED talk presents her theory of “negative self-importance”: our narratives and preoccupations with the ways we have failed or not succeeded – in our attractiveness, mothering, intelligence, earnings, creativity – keep us mired in comparisons with others and self-hatred. She also talks about the self-conscious emotions and how moment-by-moment awareness opens the door to happiness. On this same theory, listen to Episode #14 of her podcast, Enemies: War to Wisdom. It’s called “Love and Hate of the Self.”
C.G. Jung, Death & Covid-19 as the Teacher: Polly Young-Eisendrath conversing with Stefano Carpani
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. presents “The Journey from Personal Love to True Love” at the "In the Balance with Susan Lambert" Facebook live panel discussion.
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. looks at the transformation of marriage over the past century from a traditional contract between families to one that celebrates idealization in the form of "true love," and suggests why the latter may be harder to fulfill than many thought.
Solace in social media in which dramatist John Patrick Shanley finds a new audience for his writing through Facebook. Interviewed by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. Produced by the Rubin Museum of Art.
Excerpt of a panel with Katie Couric at the Aspen Ideas Festival. By trying to provide the perfectly happy childhood, a generation of parents may be making it harder for their kids to actually grow up.
PSYCHOANALYSTS AND BUDDHIST TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT IDEALIZATION AND AWAKENING
Enlightening Conversations is a non-profit organization sponsoring conversational conferences between psychoanalytic scholars/practitioners and Buddhist teachers, as well as scientists doing research in areas relevant to the conversations between these two traditions. These include researchers in the areas of attachment theory, mother-infant communication, unconscious defenses, emotion theory, and some aspects of cognitive neurosciences.
The topics of conferences will range from the enlightenment sciences and healing practices of the two disciplines, to the relational contexts that undergird their practices, to the obstacles and pathologies that prevent the realization of the goals of the practices, and sociocultural topics that impinge on the two disciplines.
Founded by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. in 2014, this series of conferences continues her work in promoting dialogue as a means to deeper understanding.