Technology and the Mind

Where are we now and where might we go from here with Dr. Nicolle Zapien Oct 23, 2025

Dr. Nicolle Zapien reviews all of the previous episodes of Technology and the Mind and muses about the future of psychoanalysis, technology and advocacy efforts as this relates to AI and the effects of technology products and services on us all. This is the last episode of the season.

Phenomenology, aesthetics and technology with Dr. Tone Roald Apr 15, 2025

In this episode, Dr. Roald discusses the importance of art and aesthetic experience and its relationship to freedom. We draw connections to technology and its impact on our experience of art and freedom as well as connections to psychoanalysis.

Teleanalysis, Telehealth and Teletraining with Dr. Leora Trub Feb 26, 2025

In this episode Dr. Trub discusses her research and experience training psychologists prior, during and after to COVID-19. She calls for more thinking about teleanalysis and teletraining and particularly questions about the analytic frame. In this episode we muse about the generational impact of tech use on schemata for thinking and on the future of our profession against the backdrop of AI and therapy apps.

User Experience Design Research and technology used to help with neurodevelopment Nov 27, 2024

In this episode Colleen Cotter, user experience researcher and designer discusses her work on projects of social value and in particular on technology products that support social good including neurodevelopment and that address neurodegenerative disease. She discusses incentives that motivate design and processes that are more beneficial to us all.

AI and the Unconscious: The Importance of Psychoanalysis in Tech Development with Dr. Luca Possati Oct 29, 2024

Dr. Possati describes he work at the intersection of philosophy, psychoanalysis and AI. He discusses the mutual influence of tech on humans and vice versa, the importance of unconscious processes and interdisciplinary collaboration across fields to produce ethical AI systems.

Critical Sexuality Studies and SexTech with Dr. Michelle Marzullo Jul 04, 2024

In this episode, Dr. Michelle Marzullo, chair of the Department of Critical Sexuality Studies at CIIS discusses her work and the importance of technology in sexuality studies. She provides a queer, intersectional and critical lens and shares a few projects she and her students are working on at the intersection of sexuality studies and technology.

Human Virtuality and Digital Life: Philosophical and Psychoanalytic Investigations May 18, 2024

In this episode long time friends and collaborators, Drs. Richard Frankel and Victor Krebs carry on a decade long conversation in person and in google docs resulting in the book, Human Virtuality and Digital Life, a delightful and rich discussion of the philosophical understandings of virtuality as well as implications for the psyche. Their discussions are far reaching and deep leveraging myths, critical thought, important philosophers and psychoanalytic theorists. In the end we discuss AI, thinking, dreaming, and the generational divide and post-truth political landscape that is fueled by technology. For additional resources please see: Dreaming in the Digital Age, Thoughts on the Technological Pharmakon. POLIGRAFI , 28 (109/110), pp. 59-82.: http://ojs.zrs-kp.si/index.php/poligrafi/article/view/404 Digital Animism. Towards a New Materialism, Religions 2023, 14(2), 264; https://www.mdpi.com/2140582 The Power of Ghosts, Jung Journal Culture and Psyche September 2013 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272120809_The_Power_of_Ghosts Frankel, R. “Dreaming Life in the Digital Age” in Goodman, D and Clemente, M. (eds). (2024) The Routledge International Handbook of Psychoanalysis, Subjectivity, and Technology. London: Routledge. Frankel, R. "New Introduction to the Classic Edition of The Adolescent Psyche” in Frankel, R. (2023) The Adolescent Psyche: Jungian and Winnicottian Perspectives. London: Routledge. Frankel, R. “Digital Melancholy” in Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche. 2013, Vol. 7, No. 4.

The Importance of Professional Advocacy for Mental Health Treatment Choice in the Times of Ubiquitous Technology Apr 02, 2024

In this episode Dr. Linda Michaels, Chair and Co-Founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAn) discusses grassroots efforts to provide public information and advocacy for therapies of depth, insight and relationship. She discusses the role of marketing as a major source of information to the public about treatment options for mental health. Further she emphasizes that psychoanalysts and psychodynamically-oriented clinicians should advocate and educate the public, particularly while there are significant strategic interests in among tech apps, investors and insurance companies in shaping the marketplace for consumers.

Are the Kids Alright? Motivations, Decisions and Values Embedded in Educational and Consumer Technologies Mar 09, 2024

In this episode Catherine Saldutti, founder of EduChange, an innovative EdTech firm that is re-engineering formal secondary academic systems for increased equity describes the values and motivations that drive her team's design of The Integrated Science Program. This program creates the conditions for expert STEM learning. She discusses the power of systems thinking, circular economic principles, sustainable practices and the value of the unknown, creativity and a focus on process. In this episode we philosophize about what technology is, how it is impacting us, we discuss its implications for teaching and learning and for adolescent development and we draw connections to psychoanalytic theory. For additional reading please see: Study on Social Media ad revenue earned from teens in 2022: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295337 How to ban phones effectively [in schools]: https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/how-ban-phones-effectively The 2024 National Educational Technology Plan: https://tech.ed.gov/files/2024/01/NETP24.pdf By Sarah Lewis: The Rise: Creativity, The Gift of Failure and the Search for Mastery: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Creativity-Failure-Search-Mastery/dp/1451629249 Common Sense Media’s Impact of AI on Kids: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ai EDSAFE AI Alliance: https://www.edsafeai.org/ EduChange on Assessment https://educhange.com/functional-assessment/

Dr. Alexander Stein on Psychoanalysis as a Technology for Positive Change and Influence at Scale Jan 23, 2024

Dr. Stein discusses his work consulting with executives and teams as a psychodynamic strategy consultant. He discusses the impact psychoanalysis can have on people and dynamics between people within business contexts. He centers decision making and caring in his work and muses about AI and the future from the perspective of the C-suite advisor role. His work is ultimately about how psychodynamic strategy consulting can be used as an intervention for social good and business success at scale. Introduction 2:58 — Professional Trajectory + Origin Story 7:33 — From Practice to Deployment 8:10 — Call to Retire Idea of Applied Psychoanalysis 11:25 — Considering the Social in Working with Leaders 13:35 — Differences Between Clinical Psychoanalysis, Conventional Consulting, & Psychodynamic Consulting 18:03 — Value + Benefits of a Psychoanalytic Approach with Executives and Teams: Creating Optionality 23:12 — Scaling Expectations + Meeting Goals 25:09 — Organizations as Human Ecosystems 26:03 — Approaching Varieties of Problems + Issues Across an Array of Practice Areas 27:47 — The Nodal Axis in Multiple Domains: Focused Delivery of Expertise in Decision-Making 29:14 — Human Architecture + Psycho-Social Dimensions in Cybersecurity 31:38 — Multidisciplinary Collaborations in Fraud Matters 33:11 — Psychoanalysis as a Technology to Solve Complicated Problems: Overcoming Challenges + Leveraging Value 35:30 — Building Solutions + Mitigating Risks in Socially Responsible + Commercially Profitable Technologies 40:05 — What Will the Future Hold? Barriers + Upsides to Bringing Psychological Expertise into the Technology Space at Scale 44:33 — AI: Risks, Benefits, Potentials 46:15 — A Critical Assessment of AI as a Project to Replicate + Computerize Human Thought 50:10 — Countering the Deficiency of Care in Developing Technological Applications & Services: Balancing the Psychological + Philosophical 52:25 — More on AI: Implicit Disdain for Humanity as a Driving Force 55:32 — Adverse Consequences of Divestiture of Human Connection 58:02 — How to Course-Correct: Technology Issues are Fundamentally Human not Technological 1:00 — The Value of Care: Shared Moral Responsibilities for Harms & Benefits 1:02:42 — Concluding Remarks + Calls to Action You can find Dr. Stein at: Dolus Advisors: www.dolusadvisors.com/ LinkedIn (individual): www.linkedin.com/in/alexandersteinphd/ LinkedIn (company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/dolus-advisors/ Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexanderstein/#1c06a3246220 The Dolus Advisors Briefing (a periodic newsletter providing analysis, counsel, and firm updates): https://www.dolusadvisors.com/subscribe + https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7025507656970694656/?displayConfirmation=true

Morgan Venable on big tech, its consequences and the future Dec 05, 2023

Morgan Venable, inventor, product developer and former Ideo, Google, Microsoft and Amazon senior tech product developer discusses his current projects including his work on the Datahand, an ergonomic keyboard that prevents and heals repetitive stress injuries from keyboarding and the future of tech including its impact on our mental health and social landscape.

Dr. Paul Slovic on feelings and decision making at the societal level including Technology and Political Applications Nov 16, 2023

Dr. Paul Slovic, decision scientist and accomplished academic and researcher discusses human decision making, judgements, and risk with an emphasis on the role of feelings as applied to genocide, war, smoking, advertising, addiction and nuclear arms.

Stephen Cognetta on working in tech and the future Oct 11, 2023

In this episode we interview Stephen Cognetta, CEO of Exponent, a firm that helps tech workers land their dream job. We discuss his career development including running HackMentalHealth, the world's largest mental health hackathon, his thoughts on the future of tech and the role psychoanalysis might play in helping tech workers to develop.

Second Season Trailer Episode Jul 28, 2023

This the a short trailer describing the focus of season 2 of Technology and the Mind. In this season we broaden our discussions by interviewing leaders in the tech sector, techno ethicists, business consultants, venture capitalists, politicians, philosophers and academics in dialogue with psychoanalysts about consumer tech products and services and the impacts these may have on our minds, relationships and society. We will consider the unconscious dynamics we may be participating in individually and socially via technology and whether or not these are important to analyze.

Dr. Kimberlyn Leary on Race, Bias, Belonging, and Consumer Technology Jun 10, 2023

In this episode Dr. Leary discusses psychoanalytic ideas about race, bias, equity and belonging and how technology may play a role in how people and our communities experience race and belonging.

Dr. Jeremy Soh on Creativity, Dreams and Technology Jun 05, 2023

Dr. Jeremy Soh discusses creativity and dreams - what they are, why we should care about them and how technology may impact our capacity to be creative and to dream.

Dr. Isabel Millar on AI, Consciousness and Sex May 04, 2023

Dr. Millar shifts the question of is AI conscious to the question of does AI enjoy. She explores areas of sexuality, consent and suffering in AI and suggests that Kantian ethics and Lacanian notions of jouissance may be helpful in understanding how we might secure freedom and privacy as we relate to AI.

Dr. Patricia Gherovici on Perversion and Porn Apr 10, 2023

Dr. Patricia Gherovici discusses perversion, sexuality and porn. She discusses the use of technology and muses about its impact on our ability to dream and imagine.

Dr. Mitchell Wilson on materiality, embodiment and proximity in psychoanalysis Mar 07, 2023

Dr. Mitchell Wilson discusses a few cases that illustrate the importance of materiality, embodiment and proximity in psychoanalysis and muses about the meanings for our profession and the future.

Dr. Todd Essig on teleanalysis and tech-mediated relating Jan 25, 2023

Dr. Todd Essig discusses the differences between teleanalysis and traditional in person psychoanalysis and how this may be useful in understanding tech-mediated relating outside of the consulting relationship.

Professor Jan Abram on Winnicott, playing, the use of an object and video games Dec 22, 2022

In this episode, Professor Jan Abram discusses the Winnicottian notion of playing and the use of an object and how these ideas apply to our thinking about video game addiction and liveliness in our relationships.

Dr. Tom Wooldridge on Narcissism and Consumer Technologies Nov 01, 2022

Dr. Tom Wooldridge discusses narcissism and how consumer technology can influence our sensitivities to narcissistic injury in both positive and negative ways. He offer several interesting examples of the use of technology in clinical cases.

Dr. Stephen Lugar on the Kleinian Notion of the Depressive Position and the Cruel Optimization Mindset Sep 23, 2022

Dr. Stephen Lugar discusses the Kleinian notion of the depressive position, why it is of value and how consumer technology may facilitate a mindset of what he calls cruel optimization which then impacts our capacities to value and achieve the depressive position.

Dr. Catherine Mallouh on Negative Capability in the Context of Ubiquitous Technology Sep 22, 2022

An interview with Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst Dr. Catherine Mallouh about negative capability, what it is, why it is important and how it is developed. Dr. Mallouh will also consider how consumer technology may impact the development and maintenance of negative capability and creativity.

Dr. Fernando Castrillon on Desire, Lack, Jouissance and Consumer Technology Sep 01, 2022

An interview with Lacanian psychoanalyst, Dr. Fernando Castrillon about the Lacanian notions of desire, lack and jouissance and how these ideas can help us to think about our use of consumer technology.

Dr. Nicolle Zapien on Why Psychoanalysis and Technology Sep 01, 2022

Guest host, Dr. Susi Ferrarello, a philosopher, and ethicist, will interview the host of Technology and the Mind, Dr. Nicolle Zapien about what psychoanalysis might have to do with technology and how both disciplines might benefit from being in dialogue.

Introducing: Technology and the Mind May 03, 2022

Technology and the Mind is a podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection between contemporary psychoanalytic theory and consumer technology use. Each month we interview a practicing psychoanalyst who will explore and apply what we know about key psychoanalytic concepts of the mind and relationships to technology use cases. We will get underneath the conscious, obvious dimensions of these issues and we hope to stimulate your imagination and help you to become more curious about your relationship to the technology products and services you use. We hope you will join us on Technology and the Mind.

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