George Atwood - Shattered Worlds, the Experience of Personal Annihilation

George Atwood - Shattered Worlds, the Experience of Personal Annihilation

This week on MIA Radio, we interview Dr. George Atwood. Dr. Atwood has devoted a substantial part of his life to the study and treatment of what he refers to as 'so-called psychosis'. He has authored or coauthored several books, including The Abyss of madness published in 2011 and more than one hundred articles.

In the episode we discuss:

  • The story of how Dr. Atwood came to be interested in "so-called psychosis," including what piqued his interest as a high school student, and his work under mentors Austin DesLauriers and Silvan Tomkins.
  • An overview of his more recent work on intersubjective theory with collaborator and friend, Robert Stolorow.
  • After studying what he refers to as "madness" for over 50 years, Dr. Atwood offers his perspective that madness is not a disease or illness existing within a person, but a subjective experience of self-dissolution or catastrophe.
  • How diagnostic classification systems can result in the false reification of mental diseases in a way that obscures individual realities.
  • The phenomenological approach, or the study of individual human subjective experiences, as offering a hopeful future in a shifting away from "illness" or "disorder" frameworks.
  • How psychotherapy, as a healing process, includes the relational context between clinician and patient, meriting a dedication to personal histories and contexts rather than overt symptoms.
  • The history of the term "schizophrenia," and how terms such as these are embedded in a Cartesian medical model.
  • A few of Dr. Atwood's clinical cases and particularly his perspectives on "so-called psychosis" and "so-called bipolar disorder."

Dr. George Atwood's Personal Website with Works and Lectures

To get in touch with us email: podcasts@madinamerica.com

© Mad in America 2017

Jaksot(290)

Mitochondria and Energetic Failures - A New Understanding of Antidepressant Withdrawal? An Interview with Chris Masterjohn

Mitochondria and Energetic Failures - A New Understanding of Antidepressant Withdrawal? An Interview with Chris Masterjohn

This week, we are joined by Chris Masterjohn, PhD. Chris is a nutritional scientist, a former professor, and the founder of Mitome. With a PhD in nutritional science and years of research in mitochond...

21 Tammi 43min

Why Critical Mental Health Knowledge Is Essential for Ethical Practice: An Interview with Jan DeFehr

Why Critical Mental Health Knowledge Is Essential for Ethical Practice: An Interview with Jan DeFehr

Jan N. DeFehr is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg and an associate of The Taos Institute and a member of the Faculty for Palestine, Manitoba. She is als...

14 Tammi 47min

ADHD Diagnoses, Examining the Psyche, Withdrawal and PSSD Risks, ECT Harms and More: Robert Whitaker Answers Reader Questions

ADHD Diagnoses, Examining the Psyche, Withdrawal and PSSD Risks, ECT Harms and More: Robert Whitaker Answers Reader Questions

In our first podcast of 2026, Robert Whitaker joins us to answer questions submitted by Mad in America readers and listeners. We discuss the validity of ADHD diagnoses, withdrawal and sexual dysfuncti...

7 Tammi 48min

Learning to Soar: A Conversation With Artist Kev G Mor

Learning to Soar: A Conversation With Artist Kev G Mor

Musician and artist Kev G Mor joins us to discuss his experience of psychosis, his daily support strategies, and the pros and cons of having a hundred-pound pit bull terrier for emotional support. Kev...

17 Joulu 202543min

Antidepressant Withdrawal: Finding an Astronomical Perspective - A Conversation with Safa Askeri

Antidepressant Withdrawal: Finding an Astronomical Perspective - A Conversation with Safa Askeri

Safa Askeri joins us to discuss his experience of antidepressant withdrawal and the gaslighting he was subjected to as he raised concerns with his doctors. "After this happened to me, I know that I ca...

19 Marras 202537min

Psychiatric Drugs: The Real World is Where the Harms Live

Psychiatric Drugs: The Real World is Where the Harms Live

Joining us for a roundtable discussion are Brooke Siem, David Antonuccio, Kim Witzak, Angie Peacock and David Healy. They discuss the challenges of openly discussing psychiatric drug withdrawal, the t...

29 Loka 202545min

Medical Organizations Turn Blind Eye to Harms of Maternal Antidepressant Use: A Conversation With Adam Urato and Joanna Moncrieff

Medical Organizations Turn Blind Eye to Harms of Maternal Antidepressant Use: A Conversation With Adam Urato and Joanna Moncrieff

On July 21st 2025, the FDA convened a hearing on maternal use of antidepressants during pregnancy and the impact this use has on fetal development. Around 400,000 children in the United States are bor...

8 Loka 202548min

Psychotherapy, Spirituality, and Democratic Socialism: A Conversation with Frank Gruba-McCallister

Psychotherapy, Spirituality, and Democratic Socialism: A Conversation with Frank Gruba-McCallister

Frank Gruba-McCallister is a clinical psychologist, educator, and scholar whose career spans more than three decades of teaching and academic leadership. He served as Vice President of Academic Affai...

24 Syys 202544min

Suosittua kategoriassa Terveys ja hyvinvointi

unicast
tiedenaiset-podcast
psykopodiaa-podcast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
rss-pitaisko-erota
vakeva-elama-viisaampi-mieli-vahvempi-keho
meditaatiot-suomeksi
junnut-pelissa
rss-mighty-finland-podcast
puhu-muru
rss-narsisti
terapiassa
paritellen
aamukahvilla
mielen-puolikkaat
rss-uplevel-by-sonja-hannus
rss-pt-paahtio
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
rss-adama-mindful-hetki
rss-nautinto