Ep. 18 with Edward Shafranske, Ph.D.: Psychoanalysis and Spirituality

Dr. Edward Shafranske he is a Professor of Psychology,Muriel Lipsey Chair in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and director of the Psy.D. program at Pepperdine University. He is published widely and conducts clinical research in the fields of clinical supervision and the applied psychology ofreligion. Dr. Shafranske is board-certified psychoanalyst and has published over 75 articles/chapters and 10 books, is a member of eight editorial boards, and maintains a clinical practice in Irvine, CA. Dr. Shafranske is recognizedas a fellow in 3 divisions of APA (Divisions 12, 29, 36) and the International Psychoanalytical Association, and twice served as president of APA Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. As a bonus, he was oneof my supervisors during my time at Pepperdine. He was a fountain of wisdom, knowledge, humility and inspiration.

In todays discussion, we begin by exploring the differencesbetween religion and spirituality. We subsequently dive into the science behind their relationship to mental health. We follow by investigating its relationship to positive psychology before entering deeply into its connectionto Psychoanalysis, and how psychoanalysis may interpret or approach religion and spirituality. We talk about god concepts vs god representations, how earlychildhood experiences may reflect our relationship to the transcendant, and even touch on mystical and religious experiences. The work of Christopher Bollas,and Wilfred Bion, amongst others are also included and his own reflections on themes within this transcendant dimension of experience. We then touch onsuggestions for clinicians who may be interested incorporating this domain into their work. Finally we end with some rapid fire questions to better acquaintourselves with who Dr. Shafranske is as a person. If any of these sound interesting to you, feel free to skip around.

Websites:

Dr. Shafranske: https://gsep.pepperdine.edu/about/our-people/faculty/edward-shafranske/

Personal: www.drchancnc.com