• New research challenges a long-held assumption about relationship satisfaction in couples. 

• Richard Reeves, author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It is interviewed. 

• Understanding the adolescent brain: why the prefrontal cortex develops more slowly than the limbic system. 

• Neuroscientist Anil Seth, author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness, on the construction of the self and “controlled hallucinations.”

Please check out the library of available blog articles and podcast recordings.

• The Placebo Effect and Mindset



• Needs

The Men's Group Seminar: Richard Reeves’ “Of Boys and Men”

A social scientist and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Richard Reeves is the author of numerous books, most recently Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It. In this effort, Reeves evaluates a body of economic and social data and concludes a “genuine male malaise” -- the consequence of numerous social, political and cultural factors and developments that now appear to negatively impact boys and men. Reeves contends that evolving social structures, most notably in the educational system, labor market, and marital/family system, are failing to support male development and may ultimately “bench” men. One reviewer of the book summarizes Reeves’ main observations: “men have fallen behind at work” (academic success and degree attainment, wages, entry into HEAL professions) and “men have fallen behind in life” (shifting social mores leave men “adrift existentially,” often lacking social connection and challenged by ambiguous social roles including that of fatherhood). Another reviewer suggests that while “toxic masculinity” and patriarchal structures are consistently less endorsed by men, the result is very “little consensus on what constitutes a healthy conception of manhood.” This confusion, for Reeves, is even more problematic amidst heated political debate about the constructs of gender and gender equality, and about the ongoing imbalances of changing social systems. Notably, reviewer Ellen Coyne recognizes the controversial and potentially polarizing fervor Of Boys and Men could arouse, but values Reeves’ broaching of these trends and his recommendations for how to attempt to alleviate some of the struggles boys and men face. In the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, November 19, 2022 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will consider Reeves’ ideas. We will focus our discussion on a conference presentation by Reeves in which he introduces intriguing data sets and two interviews of Reeves, one with Coleman Hughes and the other with Andrew Kelly. These interviews feature Reeves’ proposed and admittedly utopian solutions to the social trends he documents, including universally delaying school entry for boys (“redshirting”) and supporting the social institution of fatherhood. 

To register for this upcoming virtual seminar, please see the directions below.

The Relationship Group Seminar: The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma



Trauma is perhaps the most complex and consistently studied phenomenon in psychology and psychiatry, with knowledge from this growing body of scientific research increasingly being transferred into clinical settings including the psychotherapy office. While PTSD and Complex-PTSD characterize the symptomatic profiles of individuals exposed to singular or repetitive traumatic experience (including, but not limited to, violence, addiction, or poverty), trauma also impacts entire communities and systems of people and may do so vicariously (i.e., without direct exposure to the trauma itself) and long after the trauma has occurred. Research on the children of Holocaust survivors is often cited as the initial and most profound example of the “intergenerational transmission” of historical trauma, i.e., data indicate that subsequent generations of Holocaust survivors manifest a range of psychiatric, social, and emotional effects linked to trauma. This transmission of trauma has been found in other communities exposed to diverse types of trauma, broadly, and within families, specifically, concerning a host of experiences including incest, childhood sexual abuse, and suicidality. Numerous mechanisms appear to be responsible for the transfer of trauma from one generation to the next and seem to include both “nature” and “nurture” pathways. “Nurture” pathways suggest, for example, that the ways traumatized parents parent are associated with negative effects on their children. In contrast, “nature” pathways implicate the involvement of biologic and genetic factors. For example, exposure to trauma negatively affects the intrauterine environment and the mother’s and/or infant’s brain and nervous system, and also may activate new epigenetic trends (heritable changes in gene expression caused by trauma). In the next virtual meeting of the Relationship Group Seminar on Saturday, November 19, 2022 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM), we will explore the intergenerational transmission of trauma, with a focus on how childhood experiences within the family may be linked to the quality of one’s contemporary adult relationships. How experts approach “breaking the cycle of trauma” will also be considered.

To register for this upcoming virtual seminar, please see the directions below.

The Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Group

A new psychodynamic psychotherapy group (for women and men) is currently forming in my practice. Referrals are welcomed (please contact me at 949-338-4388 or at jt@jamestobinphd.com). This therapy group will utilize the emerging dynamics among group members as a basis from which to examine characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others. This group will be a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview and preparation phase. As of now, the time and location of this new group are TBD.