Hat Tip
I have been intrigued by the mysteries of the human heart and mind since I was young. That led me to the world of psychotherapy and its multitude of ways to think about suffering and healing. Certain voices resonated with me in a deep way and became so much a part of how I think and work I would be remiss not to acknowledge at least some of them, along with a taste of what I most admire:
Donald Winnicott—holding, play, his gift for clinical observation and insight
Eugene Gendlin—stay close to experience, the felt sense
Ron Kurtz—importance of the body, do not force change, mindfulness
Carl Whitaker—okay to be a little crazy and have some fun, learning by doing
Alice Miller—the realities of early childhood trauma
Martin Buber—the centrality of relationship in mental sickness, the between
Erving Polster—person as a population, acceptance, engagement, spontaneity
Lynne Jacobs—kept me company
Mark Epstein—the lens of eastern thought, suffering as a teacher
Viktor Frankl—the ultimate freedom to respond, the human need for meaning
John Welwood—relationship between spirituality and psychotherapy
Ernest Hartmann—how dreams are useful, making connections
George Atwood—relational context, even psychosis can make sense
Milton Erickson—the power of suggestion, everything can be utilized
Irvin Yalom—his warmth, humility, and willingness to reveal himself