Life Weavings

02/23/2026

"Seeing ourselves through an evolutionary origin does not lead to an easy or simplistic view of human nature. We must give up a narrow single-variable causation and embrace an integral model, recognizing that as perspective shifts what was once a cause can be an effect of something else at the same time."

Celebrating Naturalism or Limiting Ourselves through Dogma

02/18/2026

"Let’s view cognition through the analogy of baking cookies, with the need for specific ingredients for a particular outcome. For our first ingredient, consider the basic essential biological need of all organisms to direct limited resources towards goals. Now, add being in social environments, whereby those limited resources are organized, provided meaning or importance, and everyone in those environments is jostling for those same limited resources. Lastly, we’re creatures that, like all organisms, take the path of least resistance."

And yes this is a rational thing to do

02/18/2026

A reminder that when people, often therapists or psych professionals who really should know better, start talking "System 1" and "System 2" in the sense of the image below as two separate things, they in fact are not actually understanding Kahneman at all, and are simply perpetuating the non-biological nonsense of emotion being distinct from reason.

It's an unfortunate use of the term "system" when really it's one system, appraisal, that has two general processes within the whole. Much of your "reason" is very much unconscious, since you don't ever choose the thoughts you have, and to call one "slow" is only in comparison to "automatic." What takes effort is not reason, but the social process of criticism and evaluation using various tools.

From Kahneman:

"System 1 and System 2 are so central to the story I tell in this book that I must make it absolutely clear that they are fictitious characters. Systems 1 and 2 are not systems in the standard sense of entities with interacting aspects or parts. And there is no one part of the brain that either of the systems would call home."

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow (p. 29).

12/03/2025

Highly recommend this book. Stewart-Williams is a great writer and I’ve deeply appreciated following and reading his material on Substack. Want to nerd out on evolutionary role in cultural development, this will be sure to make you uncomfortable in a good way.

The Ape that Understood the Universe is the story of the strangest animal in the world: the human animal. It opens with a question: How would an alien scientist view our species? What would it make of our s*x differences, our s*xual behavior, our altruistic tendencies, and our culture? The book t...

11/28/2025

Let’s kick of my first Substack live Q/A this Sunday the 30th. I’ve always enjoyed hanging out with people after online presentations answering questions on all things related to psychology, religion, and philosophy, or if I’m looking to get into trouble, politics. So here we go. Open to all subscribers.

https://open.substack.com/live-stream/83077?r=v5x29&utm_medium=ios

11/12/2025

In this conversation, SC Nealy and I discuss the impact of beliefs and oppressive systems on the creation of trauma, emphasizing the need for healthier approaches to spirituality and community involvement. We discuss their work in the LGBTQ+ community, with their dedication to the intersection of mental health and social involvement, where the role of the therapist doesn’t just exist in the therapeutic space, but extends into advocacy for civil rights and support for minorities. Rather than promoting a binary choice of religious or secularism, we discuss the need for resources that support individuals who choose to remain within religious and/or spiritual communities while avoiding harmful ideologies.

https://open.substack.com/pub/lifeweavings/p/navigating-spirituality-without-harm?r=v5x29&utm_medium=ios

11/11/2025

"Embrace the new relationship. That starts with acknowledging that the only person you have to answer to is you. This doesn’t mean morality doesn’t exist, as the old canard concerning atheists and what’s keeping them from murdering people ridiculously attempts to show. No, what centering ethics within the human does is highlight our responsibility in service of values like integrity, self-reflection, and skepticism, among so many others."

A human beginning to ethics rather than a divine

11/10/2025

To help people in the midst of insurance price absurdities, I'm now offering my online classes for only $10. Currently there's a class for working through anger and another on humanistic principles to explore when leaving authoritarian religion. The first of a set of classes on communication principles will be coming shortly.

These are fully online, with presentations, worksheets and behavioral change principles for your personal development.

https://life-weavings.thinkific.com/

10/29/2025

We discuss the importance of allowing children to express themselves through costumes, the need for curiosity in parenting, and the value of setting boundaries in relationships. We also touch on the evolution of family traditions and the necessity of reevaluating what works for families as they grow and change. Ultimately, we encourage people to embrace change, explore new experiences, and prioritize authenticity in their lives.

https://open.substack.com/pub/lifeweavings/p/exploring-identity-in-the-spirit?r=v5x29&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Evolving parenting traditions

10/25/2025

Psychotherapy: any psychological service provided by a trained professional that primarily uses forms of communication and interaction to assess, diagnose, and treat dysfunctional emotional reactions, ways of thinking, and behavior patterns.
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DT: A reminder that whether the therapy you're receiving is good or not, it's still considered therapy by the APA, merely if it's being done by a licensed/trained person. This is why it's so important to be critically aware of the ideological framework that the "professional" is bringing to the relationship. If a therapist spouts some nonsense that they don't bring their worldview to sessions and simply meet the client where they're at, run away. The person is either poorly informed to near malpractice levels, or they're lying to you.

A trusted reference in the field of psychology, offering more than 25,000 clear and authoritative entries.

10/24/2025

Writing for "The Humanist" about the great work being done by Recovering from Religion and their Secular Therapy Project, helping connect people to therapists who will focus on the person not the religious indoctrination.

https://thehumanist.com/news/secularism/the-secular-therapy-project-a-celebration-of-humanity-instead-of-dogma

Learn more about Recovering from Religion's new project.

10/21/2025

There are many questions that come up when leaving a fundamentalist religious background. Concerns about how to think about others, ethics, and one's identity. Without getting into the weeds of dogma, this class offers principles based in humanism and psychology to address those difficulties and move forward with a greatera appreciation of your humanity.

https://life-weavings.thinkific.com/products/courses/reclaim-your-life

Join our course designed for former religious believers struggling with trauma, seeking to rebuild their lives, ethics, and relationships. Start your transforma