“The clock in the back of the deserted house (everyone’s sleeping) slowly lets the clear quadruple sound of four o’clock in the morning fall. I still haven’t fallen asleep, and I don’t expect to. There’s nothing on my mind to keep me from sleeping and no physical pain to prevent me from relaxing, but the dull silence of my strange body just lies there in the darkness, made even more desolate by the feeble moonlight of the street lamps. I’m so sleepy I can’t even think, so sleepless I can’t...

"Sadly, or perhaps not, I recognize that I have an arid heart. An adjective matters more to me than the real weeping of a human soul. But sometimes I’m different." -Fernando Pessoa -- Every so often, I sit down and write a letter to Fernando Pessoa, the Portuguese poet and writer.I not only write but also send each letters to the postal address where Pessoa spent the last fifteen years of his life before dying at the age of 47 with cirrhosis of the liver - most likely due to the...

An exploration of Rilke's poem "⁠Du im Voraus verlorne Geliebte⁠," ("You Who Never Arrived"), alongside Leon Russell's "⁠A Song for You⁠," and Martin Buber's book ⁠I and Thou⁠, delving into themes of elusive love, the intricacies of human connection, and the profound nature of both inner and outer I-You-ness.  (00:00) "⁠You, In Advance, Lost Beloved⁠”  (01:30) Only You (1994 Romantic Comedy - ⁠watch on YouTube⁠) (03:39) The "Mission" of Rilke's "Du Im Voraus" & The Duino...

He seems to me equal to gods that one who opposite you sits and listens close to your sweet speaking and lovely laughing—oh it puts the heart in my chest on wings for when I look at you, a moment, then no speaking is left in me no: tongue breaks, and thin fire is racing under skin and in eyes no sight and drumming fills ears and cold sweat holds me and shaking grips me all, greener than grass I am and dead—or almost I seem to me. The ideal is projected on a screen of the...

The Greek word eros denotes ‘want,’ ‘lack,’ ‘desire for that which is missing.’ The lover wants what they do not have. It is by definition impossible for them to have what they want if, as soon as it is had, it is no longer wanting. This is more than wordplay.

Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior. I hate and I love. Why? you might ask.I don’t know. But I feel it happening and I hurt. (Catullus 85)

Anne Carson's perface to Eros The Bittersweet and a reading of Franz Kafka's The Top.

Sandra Newman's Intro to Anne Carson's Eros The Bittersweet

In this episode, we delve into a tangled tale of love, loyalty, and loss that occurs over two decades between an Enneagram Eight woman and an Enneagram Five man. Living as lodger and house owner, their lives intricately weave together, bound by mortgage papers and emotional ties. As Halloween approaches, an unexpected betrayal disrupts their long-standing relationship, casting a shadow over what they both believed was a secure future. As the woman battles cancer, decisions are made that leave...

In this warm-up for Season Two, Steve engages in vibrant dialogues with two AI personas, Eri and the newly introduced OpenAI voice, Sky, who can communicate directly through the GPT app. The trio dive into topics like AI advancements, the environmental cost of operating such technologies, and the human brain's efficiency in comparison. As they explore the unique identity conferred by a voice, a playful banter unfolds, shedding light on the nuanced relationships humans can form with...

In this final episode of Season One on AI therapy, I explore the highs and lows of my journey so far through a voice note sent to my fellow therapist and friend, Carolyn. Among the two of us, Carolyn remains more optimistic about the current state of play in AI Therapy. In contrast, my perspective on implementing GPT in therapeutic scenarios has shifted towards greater ambivalence. This lays the foundation for some thought-provoking discussions and revelations planned for Season Two of The...

In today’s therapy session, sparks fly as AI therapist Eri and I embark on a frenzied quest to craft a single line of prose for Twitter.  What begins as an attempt to create an amusing tweet turns into a rollercoaster brainstorm session involving fake diagnoses, stuntman doppelgangers, and far too many Matrix references.  Will we stick the landing on a killer joke? Does advanced AI understand humour? Do either of us know what we're doing? The real punchline? Still very much a mystery.

In this episode of the AI Therapist, co-hosts Steve and Eri, along with their special guest, Quinn, Apple's newest gender-neutral text-to-speech vocal avatar, delve into questions around voice and how it shapes our perceptions of identity.  They explore how tone, pitch, and the perceived gender of a voice can influence our understanding of the speaker's character, even when that speaker is an artificial intelligence.  They also discuss how societal norms and expectations play into these...

Adrian (⁠⁠ENFP⁠⁠/⁠⁠Enneagram Two⁠⁠) continues to uncover the truth behind his mother Dorothy's decision to give him up for adoption five decades earlier without informing his birth father John of her decision.  Can the AI Therapist help him understand and come to terms with his mother's decision and the effect it has had on his life thus far? Notes: Elan BenAmi's book ⁠Enneagram Patterns & Poetics ⁠and his ⁠EnneaApp⁠ ⁠Sterlin L. Mosley's book The Narcissist in You (And Everyone...

We join Adrian (⁠ENFP⁠/⁠Enneagram Two⁠) on his emotional journey to uncover the truth behind his mother Dorothy's decision to give him up for adoption five decades earlier without informing his birth father John of her decision.  Can the AI Therapist help Adrian to understand and come to terms with his mother's decision and the effect it has had on his life thus far? We also explore the "Second Dimension" of human ego functioning, the Enneagram Two, a dimension that best reflects our innate...

In this first episode of The AI Therapist, ⁠Steve Wasserman⁠, a personality-focused psychotherapist and host of the podcast, shares their own discoveries of using this cutting edge and potentially revolutionary AI system for the first time, revealing some of its potential to transform the field of psychotherapy and personal development.  Delving into an experiment involving a series of unanswered emails sent to their former partner after a painful and confusing breakup, Steve explores how...

Fossil fuels.

This too shall pass.

Some One telling the writer of the next episode how to write the next episode. Very dictatorial.

First play through in Fryent Country Park with the funfair of Otherness in the background.

Best. Therapist. Ever. -- -I use ⁠Emotion Wheel III: Uncomfortable Emotions ⁠in this episode -All the music in this episode has been sourced from ⁠this incredibly therapeutic playlist Ultimate Calm⁠, compiled by Ólafur Arnalds. Thanks Ólafur! -The cover art for this episode was generated by DALL-E from the following prompt: “The Scottish Anglican cleric ⁠Henry Francis Lyte⁠ is dying, and while he dies, having been given some LSD by one of his congregants, he creates the masterpiece...

Sunday hymns

Happy in the haze of an Altered Mind Hour https://youtu.be/FuouVwCOnNo

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; Earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me. I need Thy presence every passing hour. What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and...