Dr. Josh Mark, PhD

04/10/2023

You’ve probably noticed that I have a distinctive way of saying Yehay Shemay Rabba. Some people have told me that I yell it. Others have told me that it’s bothersome to them. So the question is why do I say it the way that I do. What do I hope to accomplish by saying it as I do? Is it worth bothering people?...

You’ve probably noticed that I have a distinctive way of saying Yehay Shemay Rabba.  Some people have told me that I yell it.  Others have told me that it’s bothersome to them.  So t...

22/06/2023

As we all travel through that vector known as Gimmel Tammuz, the day that the Rebbe, left this world, my thoughts come forth in the form of a brief appreciation: I share them with you in the form of a short list The Rebbe’s death and life, redefined death. And life. While I have little doubt that the Rebbe’s body is interred a burial plot of ground in Queens, New York, he still lives on....

As we all travel through that vector known as Gimmel Tammuz, the day that the Rebbe, left this world, my thoughts come forth in the form of a brief appreciation: I share them with you in the form o...

26/08/2022

It's pretty hard to enjoy life when I play this catastrophe. Thanks J. Keeler, whoever you are.

http://jewishmind.org/2022/08/the-balancing-act-of-misery/

It's pretty hard to enjoy life when I play this catastrophe. Thanks J. Keeler, whoever you are.

19/08/2022

hddwss

http://jewishmind.org/2022/08/hy-there/

hddwss

29/03/2022

Long ago, when I was still in graduate school. one of my professors used a metaphor that has stayed with me to this day. Imagine, she said, a pool of water. It's still and quiet. The water is clear. Then someone throws a large stone into the middle of the pool. A large plop noise starts a rippling out of waves and stirring up the water and silt....

http://jewishmind.org/2022/03/what-happens-when-someone-is-traumatized/

Long ago, when I was still in graduate school. one of my professors used a metaphor that has stayed with me to this day. Imagine, she said, a pool of water. It's still and quiet. The water is clear...

20/03/2022

We commonly think of trauma as a terrifying, life threatening event. Examples are car accidents, traumatic medical emergencies, crime, and terror. In fact that's the definition of trauma given by the authoritative manual of psychiatric disorders, the DSM V: 'The person was exposed to: death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, in the following way(s):...

http://jewishmind.org/2022/03/what-is-a-jewish-idea-of-trauma/

We commonly think of trauma as a terrifying, life threatening event. Examples are car accidents, traumatic medical emergencies, crime, and terror. In fact that's the definition of trauma given by t...

19/03/2022

We commonly speak of sexual abuse as murder. Some perhaps go even further: they say that sexual abuse is WORSE than murder. That's because in the case of physical murder the victim, now dead, no longer suffers the ignominy of the crime committed against them. In the case of sexual abuse, the victim goes on living but with all of the psychological and social damage hobbling them....

http://jewishmind.org/2022/03/why-is-sexual-abuse-like-murder/

We commonly speak of sexual abuse as murder. Some perhaps go even further: they say that sexual abuse is WORSE than murder. That's because in the case of physical murder the victim, now dead, no lo...

06/12/2021

Raised as I was in that confusing 'mess' of post war American suburban materialism I learned well how to hate myself. I learned to think that everyone was better than me. I learned that whatever blessings I had were nothing in comparison to those titans of opulence, the Rockefeller's, the movie stars, the celebrities of the day. I learned that the only logical position to be in was in being someone else, somewhere else, and something else....

http://jewishmind.org/2021/12/if-you-learn-to-sit-with-yourself-you-can-sit-with-anybody/

Raised as I was in that confusing 'mess' of post war American suburban materialism I learned well how to hate myself. I learned to think that everyone was better than me. I learned that whatever bl...

08/08/2019

As of this moment, come this Saturday night many of us will be sitting on the floors of synagogues reciting kinot. Someone long ago translated kinot as elegies for the tragedies that have shaped and punctuated the unfolding of Jewish history. While the word elegy seems about right as translations go i think it obscures the deeper meaning of kinot. [ 331 more words ]
http://jewishmind.org/2019/08/what-are-kinot/

As of this moment, come this Saturday night many of us will be sitting on the floors of synagogues reciting kinot. Someone long ago translated kinot as elegies for the tragedies that have shaped an...

01/03/2017

24/07/2015

Tisha B'av, the day of universal hope, fall out of Sunday. We're here in Jerusalem and if all goes well, we'll see you all here soon! Shabbat Shalom to everyone! You'll enjoy my latest Cognitive Parent post. http://wp.me/p5jE3N-kb

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Chazon because of the first word of the Haftorah which we read in shul. You can read more about that here. The word 'Chazon' means vision. While the Haforah re...

03/06/2015

Musical ideas from the parsha. Check out today's blog post. http://wp.me/p5jE3N-hQ

Music is life; life is music. I simply cannot conceive of life without the energy and wisdom of music wrapping me in it's embrace. So wheneve...

02/06/2015

Ask me a question about recovery from depression or trauma or any other of a zillion questions of existence and psychology and I'll give you a pretty good answer. Ask me about setting up a page and, well, you'll get a bit of confusion. Bear with me as I figure out this whole social media thing.