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Language

SESSION 1 OF 23

Duration 10mins 6secs

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In this fascinating webinar, Dr. Iain McGilchrist investigates language, examining its strengths, limitations, and the ways both hemispheres of the brain contribute to communication. He explores the diverse ways humans—and even animals—express meaning beyond speech, highlighting the importance of non-verbal communication across cultures and societies. Dr. McGilchrist also emphasizes the role of silence and mindfulness, showing how cultivating these practices can deepen understanding, connection, and presence in daily life. This session invites participants to reflect on the full richness of communication, encouraging a broader, more mindful appreciation of language, expression, and the subtle ways we connect with the world.

Responses

ALL SESSIONS IN THIS MODULE: The Divided Brain Clinic

01

Language « you are here

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores language, its power, and its limits. He examines how both brain hemispheres contribute to communication, highlights non-verbal and cross-cultural forms of understanding, and reveals the profound importance of silence and mindfulness in enriching how we connect with the world and each other.

02

Openness

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores openness through the dynamic tension between the brain’s left and right hemispheres. He reveals how a culture dominated by left-brain thinking can stifle creativity and vitality, and offers pathways toward balance, imagination, and a more open way of being.

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03

Happiness and Fulfilment

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores happiness and fulfilment through the distinct perspectives of the brain’s left and right hemispheres. He challenges self-oriented, competitive models of success and reveals how social connection and deeper values are essential to lasting well-being.

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04

Intuition

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores intuition and its vital role in human understanding. He reveals how intuition complements reason, develops through embodied experience, and underpins expertise, showing why dismissing it in favor of pure logic overlooks the subtle, time-honed ways our minds guide perception and decision-making.

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05

Abstraction and Context

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores abstraction and the vital role of context in understanding meaning. He examines how the brain’s hemispheres shape perception through language and philosophy, and offers strategic therapeutic approaches for engaging with patients in the fullness of their lived context.

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06

Control

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores our relationship with control in modern culture. Discover why we have—and need—less control than we think, how it influences mental health, and learn a practical mental exercise to reduce anxiety tied to the left-brain’s urge to dominate and manipulate.

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07

Love and Relationships

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores love and relationships, revealing how the left and right hemispheres perceive connection differently. He introduces the concept of “betweenness” and explains the delicate balance between individuality and union, showing how relationships are a vital source of fulfillment and happiness in life.

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08

Mechanism

Explore the limits of mechanistic thinking with Dr. Iain McGilchrist. He reveals why equating the whole with the sum of its parts can be destructive, sharing insights from philosophy, psychiatry, and science, and examining how physicists and biologists perceive the world differently.

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09

Sadness

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the vital role of sadness in our lives. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, and Buddhism, he examines grief, attachment, and loss, and reveals how sorrow fosters growth, empathy, and emotional depth, while highlighting what happens when the brain cannot experience these essential feelings.

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010

Implicitness

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the power of the implicit in life and therapy. He reveals how metaphors, narratives, and myths convey deep meaning where explicit language falls short, showing why analogy and story are essential tools for understanding and connecting with the inner world.

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011

Perfectionism

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he examines perfectionism, a challenge frequently encountered in therapy. He explores its black-and-white nature and reveals how this rigid mindset affects individuals, shaping not only personal well-being but also wider culture and society.

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012

Life and Death

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he reflects on life and death, exploring how the brain’s hemispheres perceive them differently. He examines their inseparability, the balance between order and spontaneity, and society’s evolving attitudes, offering profound insights into the rhythms, patterns, and “betweenness” that shape human existence.

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013

Guilt

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the complex role of guilt in our lives. Drawing on Jungian psychology, the Shadow self, and brain science, he reveals how self-examination and embracing the parts of ourselves we dislike are essential for psychological and spiritual growth.

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014

Purpose

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the nature of human purpose. He distinguishes instrumental from intrinsic purpose, challenges the claim that science can disprove meaning, and reveals how the left hemisphere’s limitations shape our understanding of purpose, offering deeper insights into what gives life significance.

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015

Responsibility

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the challenges of responsibility. He examines how cultural and societal pressures influence our ability to take ownership of our lives, and highlights the importance of balanced boundaries for the well-being of individuals, families, and society.

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016

Reason

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the nature of reason and its many forms. He examines how the brain’s hemispheres understand reason differently, distinguishes rationality from reason, and discusses how modern bureaucratic and machine-driven processes are shaping—and often limiting—our ability to think reasonably.

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017

Spirituality

Explore the depths of spirituality with Dr. Iain McGilchrist. He challenges the limits of science and the machine model, revealing the universal qualities found across world religions—humility, compassion, and reverence for nature—while emphasizing the importance of acknowledging how little we truly understand about the spiritual realm.

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018

Trauma and Resilience

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores trauma and resilience. Tracing the origins of PTSD and the foundations of the Trauma Model, he examines its strengths and limitations, while offering hopeful pathways that emphasize human agency and practical approaches for rebuilding resilience after trauma.

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019

Imagination

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores imagination and why it is often misunderstood or distrusted. Distinguishing imagination from fantasy, he reveals how the brain’s hemispheres engage with creativity, and why imagination is not an escape from reality but a deeper way of truly understanding it.

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020

Trust

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the vital role of trust in personal relationships and society. Discover how the left and right brain hemispheres respond differently to trust, and gain insights into fostering deeper connections and a more cohesive, resilient community.

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021

Knowledge

In this session, Dr Iain MJoin Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the nature of knowledge and how we come to know anything at all. He reveals why not all knowledge is the same, examining how different forms of knowing—often collapsed into one word in English—are shaped by the brain’s two hemispheres.Gilchrist investigates knowledge. He...

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022

Certainty

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores certainty and our desire for it. He reveals why the pursuit of control and absolute certainty can be damaging, distinguishes precision from accuracy, and examines how the brain’s hemispheres shape our understanding of certainty in therapy and life.

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023

Suffering

Join Dr. Iain McGilchrist as he explores the meaning and necessity of suffering. Drawing on personal experience, language, and psychology, he reveals how pain can deepen compassion, enrich life, and give it meaning, while offering thoughtful pathways for supporting patients through their suffering.

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