Edge exploration
Essay and conversation
Unpsychology Magazine’s 10th anniversary issue is on the theme of EDGES. The magazine is published in digital and print formats.
This is the first of a series of multimedia pieces and collaborations to be published on this Unpsychology Substack offering further content and context to their original articles in the magazine.
You can download a FREE copy of EDGES from HERE, and will soon be able to order a print copy from HERE.
Edge exploration by Dr. Weston Robins
followed by a conversation on the edge with Unpsychology editor, Julia Macintosh…
To be a psychologist on the edge means having to push yourself, your colleagues and the field to explore more…
What does it mean to live on the edge? Often we are told by our western cultural indoctrination that this means to live haphazardly and without regard of caution — a life of debauchery and destruction, taking risks that are negative and brush you against death. Yet what if living on the edge meant exploring the possibilities of existence as a whole? A new exploration of expansion, beauty and growth in our thinking and way of being!
To live on the edge in this regard is a political statement of sorts, a true freedom from the imprisonment of the mind. When we reflect upon how our thoughts are shaped by our culture, upbringing and society, we empower ourselves to evaluate and explore our beliefs, our perceptions and our lives and existence at large.
To be a psychologist on the edge means having to push yourself, your colleagues and the field to explore more: more exploration, examination, curiosity about the mind/ body and soul holistically. We far too often fall unconscious to the myriad false preconceived notions that have been conditioned in our thinking since we were born. It is crucial that we challenge and search for more information about ourselves, the psyche and society.
Countless youth enter my private practice and my mental health youth center struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self harm and suicidality. As my team and I sit with them and their families it becomes more and more apparent that they have been indoctrinated and conditioned to believe they are mentally ill, damaged, broken and sick. The narratives of psychological disorders, syndromes, deficits and ailments consume much of the stories of their lives. Many parents fixate upon a formal diagnosis that will explain the arena of adolescent, teen and young adult growth in regards to “mental health”:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Involves excessive and uncontrollable worry about various aspects of life, often accompanied by physical symptoms such as restlessness or muscle tension.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Social Anxiety Disorder: Involves an intense fear of social situations and scrutiny by others, leading to avoidance of social interactions.
Substance Use Disorders (SUD): Includes disorders related to the misuse of substances such as alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): A childhood and adolescent behavioral disorder characterized by persistent patterns of defiant disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures.
Eating Disorders (e.g., Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge-Eating Disorder): Involve disturbances in eating behavior, body image concerns, and often lead to severe physical and emotional consequences.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Results from exposure to a traumatic event and is characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, negative changes in mood and cognition, and heightened arousal.
Bipolar Disorder: Involves episodes of mania or hypomania and depressive episodes, with significant mood swings.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Marked by persistent, unwanted thoughts
(obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) intended to alleviate anxiety.
Listed above are some of the most common diagnoses I encounter in the youth and families we see aged 10-25. Many of them have woven a diagnosis narrative into their own and their child’s life. What is critical to recognize is that the above symptomatology is merely behaviors observed by people categorized by other people. And although these behaviors may be apparent in their occurrence, it is we as humans who have chosen to label, categorize and diagnose individuals displaying these features.
When diagnoses help people understand their behavior and seek positive ways to help with challenges they are having, we often see a humanistic and person centered approach to healing and support for the individual and their family: An exploration of self, behaviors, thoughts, emotions and phenomenological lived life.
When diagnoses hurt people and dehumanize them, we see a complex array of neuroticism and increased pain, anguish and suffering for the individual. We see a broken, unethical, money-hungry mental health industrial complex perpetuate this false narrative of illness/ sickness to youth and their families. Charging exorbitant fees for treatment, funneling families through a cyclical treatment roller coaster comprised of psychiatric stabilization hospitals, residential treatment centers, wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, intensive outpatient facilitis and partial hospitalization programs, alongside various psychologist andpsychiatrists working in collaboration with them.
The mental health industrial complex is comprised of some amazing, incredible, ethical and beautiful clinicians and youth workers, but it is also comprised of some unethical, abusive and neglectful clinicians, youth workers and business owners. Many clinicians are working with their clients to explore the edges, encounter the fringes, dive in and explore in collaboration together — processing pain, trauma, neglect, abuse and life and existence as a whole with their clients. They truly join with their clients in sharing and collaboratively working on exploring the self, identity, and relationship to diagnosis. These are the humanistic edge workers who truly meet their clients where they are and help to develop a deep understanding of what they are seeking in their growth journey.
However, this field is far too often not operating this way. Many clinicians are overwhelmed, burnt out, exhausted, despondent and unhealthy in their own lives and in their conceptual narratives about life and existence, and they work in a system where they are strangleheld to practice in a dehumanizing manner. It is often difficult for them to walk with clients on a journey, as they have yet to go on this journey themselves. We can only take our clients as far as we have gone ourselves in our risk taking and edge-seeking, in our own examination of how we think, what we think and our own false narratives and limiting beliefs.
In the field of psychology, practitioners, researchers and professors speak so assuredly of concrete definitions of mental health, depression, anxiety, mental disorder, etc. Yet the truth of the matter is that we don’t know the real answers and are asking many of the wrong questions to begin with. Humans are rich and complex nuanced souls that can never be fully understood through any compartmentalized and myopic lenses such as “psychology”, for we are an orchestra of magnificence, physiologically, spiritually, psychically and energetically.
We must break down the walls that tell us we are broken, sick, damaged and ill. We must fight for our minds and explain to the mental health system that we are beautiful, unique, creative, expansive and amazing human souls with unlimited potential. I am in no way minimizing things like pain, suffering, addiction, grief, sorrow and psychosis. However, I am ready for us to break down the walls of dehumanization in psychology once and for all.
And this takes a movement, a revolution, a psychic and energetic wave of truth, beauty, art, writing, poetry, music: a movement to give all human beings an opportunity to express their phenomenological lived experiences so that we can betterunderstand what it means to be human. This is not a question begging for an answer, but rather a question begging to be pondered eternally. To be human is to be on the edges and fringes of all arenas: epistemologically, ontologically and phenomenologically.
What if we were to give the people their voices back and understand this human experience together, not as therapist-teaching-client or client-learning-from-therapist, but rather collaboratively learning from each other as we share this lived experience together. If you really listen to people closely enough you will see a part of them that is not limited in their self. We all hold this piece of pure potentiality to curate our lives in a meaningful and beautiful manner. Some of us have a raging fire inside already fully lit, while some of us have a small kindling waiting to be fanned into giant flames. This internal fire is the source from which we may live on the fringes, to take our lives into our own hands and build a life of beauty, meaning and purpose.
We must repeat as our mantra: “I am human, you are human, we are human; I am human, you are human, we are human”and “I love myself, I love you, I am love; I love myself, I love you, I am love.” It may seem silly but this holds the key to our healing as a humanity. Many have said it before in more grandiose and fancy ways, but I prefer the simple gut bomb: All You Need Is Love!
So here’s to the explorers of the edges: those willing to say “I don’t know.” — those who are willing to keep learning, growing and expanding in themselves and their relationships with others.
… A edge conversation between the author, Weston Robins, and Unpsychology editor, Julia Macintosh
We are all beautiful human souls with a desire to live in wellbeing, to express ourselves and to thrive accordingly. We are perfect in our imperfections.
JULIA
Hello Wes. We're singing from the same hymn sheet, you and I, regarding the pathologisation of human suffering. I too believe that “We must break down the walls that tell us we are broken, sick, damaged and ill. We must fight for our minds and explain to the mental health system that we are beautiful, unique, creative, expansive and amazing human souls with unlimited potential .” However, I don't think that explanations are enough to satisfy the mental health system. The psy-industries are intwined with capitalism and its project of extraction and exploitation, and the need to establish the 'other ' in order to justify 'us.' Micha Fraser-Carroll writes extensively about this is in her book Mad World.
So how do we change the current paradigm? Personally I don't believe that we can orchestrate social movements. All we can do is offer the world different stories, and live with integrity. If others are inspired, and this grows and impacts upon the dominant narratives: great. But it's outwith our control. Once we try to control the outcome, we become complicit in the same paradigm.
I think that your professional practice is inspiring and offers an alternative, one which taps into love, compassion and communication rather than diagnostic labelling and overmedication. So much of mental health 'care' involves shutting people down and keeping them subdued — rather than exploring what is actually happening for them and causing the distress or disruption. I 'm reminded of the Power Threat Meaning framework, which suggests that rather than asking 'what is wrong with you?' we instead ask 'what has happened to you?'
Because, as you say, we are all beautiful human souls with a desire to live in wellbeing, to express ourselves and to thrive accordingly. We are perfect in our imperfections.
Although my heart and spirit know that a social revolution can never be molded or orchestrated, however, tell that shit to my mind and addictive nature, lol.
WESTON
Julia, first and foremost thank you so much for your heartfelt and excited praising of my writing! Feels really good to have someone resonate with your words, thoughts and emotions and for you I am grateful, I can definitely see we are singing the same tune! Although my heart and spirit know that a social revolution can never be molded or orchestrated, however, tell that shit to my mind and addictive nature, lol. I tend to swing between the non-attachment presence work of Ram Dass, Be Here Now style and also the vigilanty, non-compliant street bandit, Banksy.
I will sing revolution from the mountain tops and encourage the youth to do the same, but want to work for it to be grounded in a revolution of love, consciousness expansion and acceptance woven alongside healthy critical discourse and dialogue as we all listen to one another, yet challenge each other in healthy ways. And even though this is a tall and impossible order, I will still place my energy towards a social movement of sorts. I am deeply grateful because I have begun teaching at University again and just taught Culture and Psychology to a undergraduate class of thirty students at the University of West Georgia and this coming fall, I will be teaching a Masters of Clinical Counseling Counseling Theories course at the University of North Georgia.
So with each arena that I focus on in my field, be it teaching, supervising other clinicians, consulting with colleagues and providing individual, family and group therapy, I hope to make systemic change, no matter how small, that can ripple out in various arenas. Maybe kinda like Tupac said: “I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” At least that's the goal, to inspire as many youth as possible to live their truth and see their beauty!!!
This is one of the things I love about the mad movement – there are prominent voices, but no leaders as such. Rather than setting out a manifesto and a flag around which to rally there is instead a commitment to inquiry and to the diversity of voices within its ranks.
JULIA
I love where this is taking us! And by no means do I want to shut down your urge for a joyful and holistic revolution. I feel energised reading your words, and able to see my own work in a different light. I agree with you that each little ripple in the fabric of the system makes a difference. But I do want to tease this out a bit more because … I'm myself currently invoking, in my work, something that I refer to as 'the mad movement.' This term refers to the growing discourse and activism that interrogates and critiques the hegemony of the psy-complex, eg psychiatry and Big Pharma. The mad movement invites those who have been psychiatrised to redefine their role in society, to resist marginalisation and to maintain that their mad knowledge is a gift to the wider community.
And yet – I can't help but check myself. This is my reservation with the ideas of revolution and movements: that they eventually become what they seek to replace.
I'm reminded of this conversation between Antonio Dias and Jeppe Graugaard (many years ago now) in which Tony observes that:
Movements bring distraction and discord. They are intimately tied to coercion, perpetuating shared illusions instead of helping us engage with reality. Everyone’s focus devolves into defending preconceived notions. An ideology develops. Its needs become paramount.1
In my experience, the mad movement has already clocked this. For example, in the academic (un)discipline of Mad Studies, there remains a non-commital approach to setting out its goals and stances. As a fairly young field in academia, much of its current focus is on itself and its lack of an agreed definition and purpose – rather than on consolidating any official position.
Mad Studies understands itself not as fixed but as an evolving in/discipline where no one individual, school, institution, or local community holds authority or ownership over its definition and the directions it may take.2
This conundrum arises when I try to explain to anyone what exactly Mad Studies is about. It's not really about for/against in the issues it examines; it's more about inquiry, critical thinking, dialogue, widening participation and mutual learning.
A second example lies in the movement's unwillingness to pin down individual leaders. I wrote about this several years ago, concluding that:
Our world’s complex problems cannot be solved through the quick fix of a messiah-led Mad Pride movement; the challenges we face involve everybody on earth and demand that we all of us own up to our personal involvement within a shared reality and to our individual connection within the interdependent whole.
This is one of the things I love about the mad movement – there are prominent voices, but no leaders as such. Rather than setting out a manifesto and a flag around which to rally there is instead a commitment to inquiry and to the diversity of voices within its ranks.
Anyway, I have digressed into the topic of movements – when really what you're celebrating is that what we put into the world makes a difference. Your work with young people and families sits alongside this, where you inspire those who have been hurt and diminished to instead see life through a lens of love, joy and trust. And that I can most certainly get behind.
These humans…may not have been seeking to create a “movement” or “revolution” so to speak, but their passion and intrigue was burning bright and their intentions were pure
WESTON
Thank you once again for such an awesome reply. I absolutely love Mad Studies and the Mad Pride movement and the work they are doing. You are correct, they are such a cool collaborative initiative that continues to explore, examine and better understand the human experience, human psyche, psychology, the mind, pathology, diagnosis, medication, counseling and treatment as a whole. Mad Studies is definitely pushing the field and bringing a healthy critical lens to the arenas of psychology and psychiatry, and to your point, the larger and current manifestations of the industrial psy-complex / psy-industry.
I am also very grateful for some of the recent work from Dr. Bruce Levine, Dr. Lucy Johnstone and Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, all critical and anti-authoritarian psychologists (in my book) and brilliant thinkers, helping us push the field of psychology to see its blindspots and dark underbelly, which can oftentimes cause much more harm than good for people. We have more and more edge-worker psychologists pulling from past movements as well.
I am still deeply inspired by the anti-psychiatry movement of the 60’s and the humanistic psychology movement of the 70’s, both profound and impactful. Free thinkers and explorers such as R.D. Laing, who offered a perspective that began to more fully consider the social and familial context of mental health, always advocating for a more humanistic and empathic depth understanding and approach to working with human souls. Franco Basaglia’s implementation of practical reforms that began to shift mental health care from institutional settings to community-based support, always emphasizing patient dignity and integration. Fernand Deligny’s work on creating supportive environments for individuals with severe developmental disorders, constantly highlighting the value of understanding non-verbal communication and the lived human subjective experience. And finally, Gregory Bateson’s profound and continually influential work on a systems-oriented prospective that examines how we are all connected in a vast web of relationality, always seeking to better see the relationships at play in all of life and existence.
These humans mentioned above may not have been seeking to create a “movement” or “revolution” so to speak, but their passion and intrigue was burning bright and their intentions were pure… to better understand and help fellow humans, no matter how complex the adversity or challenge. To see the heart and soul of people and never reduce a human being to a disease, label, illness, pathology or deficit of any manner. Rather, can we see one another as brothers and sisters and recognize anything we do to another human soul we are simultaneously doing to ourselves, hence the web of relationality. I have always loved the rebels, the seekers, the fringe workers, those with the motto “not afraid to fail, as long as the pursuit is pure.”
The real goal is human dignity, relational connection and deep true relationships with self and others, which if we are honest, all begins in the small space in our heart and radiates out. But you don’t need to be megalomaniac, waving a flag or shouting from the rooftops for revolution. In my opinion mini-movements and revolutions happen all around us all the time, we just don’t recognize it. People beginning to consciously think about things in different ways, i.e. education, health, wellness, love, purpose, etc. The true consciousness revolution begins in the mind and I feel strongly that our youth are ripe and ready to begin constructing new visions, new modes of existence and being, and new ways of interacting with ourselves, others and the world at large.
Letting go of pain and moving towards beauty as you continually grow the divine light within your own soul…you will begin to want to help others do the same, should they wish.
I believe we are all energy, vibrating with electric light! And this energy is so powerful when we join forces. Alone we can only do so much, but together with focus, vision, character and good intention we can send mini-movements and revolutions that don’t seek to be gigantic, rather just seek to get a large positive energetic flow going. As the buddha said “if you are facing the right direction, all you have to do is walk.” So I guess getting as many youth, young adults, families, and professionals on board to collectively seek a world where humanistic therapeutic care isn’t a hope, it is a reality. A world that strives to see people as trees, like Ram Dass talks about, recognizing their differences and immediately moving to appreciation of these differences - not judgement, shame, ridicule or pity.
Life is hard, life is beautiful, life is tragic, life is exhausting, life is boring, life is exhilarating, life is too short, life is too long, life is a mystery, life is so weird, life is pure, life is precious, life is fleeting, life is eternal. Can we simply recognize our beauty, see our connectivity and begin to work together towards more growth and beauty and less destruction and hate. Radical and simplified cliches for such a nuanced and complex world, but they radiate truth and beauty in the phrasings. However, if we quiet down and listen to our hearts, our souls, nature and the eternal stillness, we can hear the call, the call for greatness inside each of one of us. Not a greatness of being famous or worshipped by others in regards to personal ego or personal identity, no - rather a greatness of seeing what you are capable of in this life.
Letting go of pain and moving towards beauty as you continually grow the divine light within your own soul… you will begin to want to help others do the same, should they wish. Seeing each person you interact with as a universe and seeing all people collectively as one, seeing eternity in a moment and, well, you know, Blake said it best: “To see a World in a Grain of Sand and a Heaven in a Wild Flower, hold Infinity in the palm of your hand and Eternity in an hour.”
I think what I like most about the idea of a movement or revolution is that it can have the ability to be less about an individual figure and more about a collective cause. While your earlier point of Dias and Graugaard’s critiques of revolution, make a ton of sense, I still get that itch to do it anyway, lol. Something about flow! And movements to me have always felt like flow or ripples in the ocean, yeah they might not cause a Tsunami, but they can make some damn cool waves to surf.
I love the punk rock movement of the 80’ and 90’s, any consciously-aware trickster and satirical art, and any anti-authoritarian or anti-establishment art with powerful political statements that stand behind human rights, dignity and the hope for a better tomorrow. And for me, the artists are the vanguards of our species, just like Dr. Cornel West says: “Art connects us to what it means to be human and helps us find the truths behind superficial language. I believe that artists are the vanguard of our species, and that musicians are the vanguard of the artists.” Bands like Rage Against the Machine, Gang of Four, the Specials, they all spoke of freedom via revolution. Challenging the systems with the power you do have and if you have none, look closer, you have more ability and power than you recognize. Make stickers and buttons, write a poem, make your own clothing, start a band, leave your thumbprint on this world!
So here’s to the mini-movements and revolutions: an article, a song, a painting, a poem, an expression of any sort can in many ways be a small revolution for that person altogether. Now is where I’ll start to get sappy and emotional, but the next step is what Unpsychology is doing right now, allowing voices to emerge that are seeking dignity, justice, joy and peace in the lives they are living. All of us seeking, searching, learning and growing, trying to make sense of this insane existence! So I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to have my words on these pages Julia, seriously! And talking with you in this manner has been nothing but intellectually stimulating, heartfelt and personally joyful.
JULIA
Likewise, it is so energising and encouraging. I wholeheartedly agree with you that revolutions begin in the mind and heart of the individual, and that mini-movements of creative expression are as powerful and worthwhile as a million people marching the streets. And I love that vision of a wave to surf, that upswell of energy and hope and creativity and yes, love, which bursts out when we connect with one another, we relational beings who all – without exception – belong in this world of edges. That is the paradox, isn't it: we find texture and depth and frisson in the edges, and wholeness in the implicate order (as David Bohm put it.)
This dialogue we've shared has inspired us both to connect in real time and record a conversation, so I invite all our Unpsychology readers to watch out for this. When it has happened and is ready to broadcast, we'll publish it here on Unpsychology Voices.
Notes
Finding community – A conversation with Tony Dias (Part I), by Jeppe Graugaard: https://patternwhichconnects.com/blog/finding-community-a-conversation-with-tony-dias-part-i/
The Spiritual Gift of the Oregon Shooter by Julia Macintosh: https://medium.com/unpsychologymag/the-spiritual-gift-of-the-oregon-shooter-5ee7a33b6dfe
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