Category: Blog

Depression: Notes on Life

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Currently reading various materials on depression and EA (existential analysis) approach is very life affirming.

Depression is defined as a blockage on the level of Second Fundamental Motivation, when it becomes impossible to see and experience the value of life, or fundamental value.

Life is then considered as an ability to build and keep relationship with “being here”.

Depression the can be viewed as complicated relationships with life.

Life is young, vigorous, connected with nature and body.

When we consider ‘life’, then it is dynamic and strong images, filled with desire. Depression on the other hand, when a person can not plug into life, enter into life, then he/she misses it, is not part of it.

What is life for me? How are we part of our own lives? How do we enter it?

Life – means to relate to what is. Life – as a force, connection to movement and change. Life brings us to relation.

The inner experience of life strengthens the attitude “I like to enter life and be in relation with it”. It makes it possible to understand a deeper level of “the value of life as it is”  – the fundamental value, how it is showing up in own biography and biographies of other people.

A few questions to consider:

“Do I like to live?”

“How I am here? How this relatedness impacts me?”

***

These are notes based on the article:

Existential Analysis of Depression. Origin, understanding and phenomenological approach to treatment by Alfried Längle.

Published in Moskowskij psichoterapewtitscheskij zhurnal 48, 1, 2006, 53-82

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Should you have complicated relationships with life and would like to strengthen your subjective “like to live” – get in touch – I have some availability currently.

Info on my approach.

What Am I Working On Now – April 2020

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Time Talks

A series of online Time Talks – open lectures and discussions by the researchers and practitioners on various aspects of the concept of time in psychology. Run by Time Perspective Network, Denmark and Creative Time Studio. All the upcoming zoominars are listed on the Facebook page and website. All are recorded and further available on the youtube channel.

Teaching

Psychology of Time – at DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Psychology of Endings– at DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Learning

Logotherapy and existential-analytical psychotherapy with at The Viennese School of Existential Analysis, London, UK.

Hindustani Classical Music and how to play on Bansuri flute.

Researching

Linking the time awareness, future thinking and sustainability across disciplines: Futurization of thinking and behavior. Time Perspective Network, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Planning a study to address different observations made during the COVID-19 pandemic and reactions to it.

Cleaning up

Creative Time Studio is undergoing a spring clean-up, both in terms of revising various objects that collected there, but also revising the projects and courses it offers. I have a few ideas I’m developing at the moment and I am also opening up for individual consultations. More info to follow soon.

The 100 days project

This time around I have decided to join the #the100dayproject with short sound clips from my flute practices. You can follow my progress on Instagram – I post a minute clip daily in my story.

Joining the research project on global risks

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The short visit to Moscow, Russia this April has been very productive. I have given a talk at the Department of Psychology at Moscow State University on April 19th, 2019: “Psychology of Time: Before, After and In-Between”. I’ve shared my latest research results from the Futurization project, but also talked about the Balanced Time Perspective construct and related research.

Additionally I have been invited to join the research project coordinated by Timofey Nestik:

Dear Anna Sircova,
On behalf of the Institute of psychology, Russian Academy of Sciences, we are happy to invite you to become part of the research group of the project “Psychology of human beings in conditions of global risks”, that is supported by a grant of the Russian Science Foundation (project № 18-18-00439).

I am really looking forward to contribute to this very important issue and project. Some of the first insights of which will be presented at the XVI European Congress of Psychology in Moscow, Russia this July during our symposium: Exploring various aspects of futurization.

What I Am Working On Now: February 2019

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During February 2019 I am:

Developing:

Concept for the arts part of the Time Perspectives Network meeting in Vilnius 2020, more info to follow soon.

Teaching:

Psychology of Time – at DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Psychology of Endings– at DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Guest lecture “Time and Trauma” at the Psychology of Crisis course, DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Workshops:

Where is My Time – at my Creative Time Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dealing with Endings in a Creative Way – at my Creative Time Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark.

RESEARCHING:

Linking the time awareness, future thinking and sustainability across disciplines: Futurization of thinking and behavior. Time Perspective Network, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Learning:

About the Hindustani Classical Music and how to play on Bansuri flute.

***

How do I manage all of the above and a few things that were left out? I love working with my version of the bullet journal and I also follow my own medicine regarding taking the creative breaks.

I am available for giving workshops on how to deal with culture shock, using creativity as a resource or how to find your time. I would be thrilled to develop a tailored talk / workshop regarding time, creativity and your field of interest.

Best ways to keep up with my progress and stay in touch with me:

  • subscribe to my newsletter with my recent discoveries and updates & invitations to my exhibitions / pop-up galleries openings, events I’m organizing / hosting, talks & workshops I’m giving, etc.
  • see my visual explorations on Instagram

Find out more about me on my about page

Page inspired by Austin Kleon and nownownow community

Page was updated in June 2018.

What I am Working on Now – June 2018

During June 2018 I am:

Preparing:

Futurize Me performance for Berlin Soup International Festival of Arts – a multi-media project with live music and storytelling, based on the research results from Futurization project. In collaboration with Alex Choub, Bruno Rigobello and Laureline Demonet; Berlin, Germany, July 19 – 21, 2018

Dream Guardians and Jah Time installation for the 4th International Conference and Festival on Time Perspective – a multi-media project aimed to create a special place within the space of the Conference, a space to take a moment for one-self, to slow down, unwind and stop for a moment, to take a break, to breathe, to let go of the speed, to listen to the music and to others. In collaboration with Fernanda Poblete. Nantes, France, August 27-30, 2018.

WRITING:

A book chapter on Futurization for the “Managing Screen Time in an Online Society” to be published by IGI Global edited by Lídia Oliveira. Linking the time awareness, future thinking and sustainability across disciplines: Futurization of thinking and behavior. Time Perspective Network, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Playing music:

Every Sunday and some other random days of the week I join the Freetown Social Club, a charity jam orchestra. Come and see us or play with us!

***

How do I manage all of the above and a few things that were left out? I love working with my version of the bullet journal and I also follow my own medicine regarding taking the creative breaks.

I am available for giving workshops on how to deal with culture shock, using creativity as a resource or how to find your time. I would be thrilled to develop a tailored talk / workshop regarding time, creativity and your field of interest.

Best ways to keep up with my progress and stay in touch with me:

  • subscribe to my newsletter with my recent discoveries and updates & invitations to my exhibitions / pop-up galleries openings, events I’m organizing / hosting, talks & workshops I’m giving, etc.
  • see my visual explorations on Instagram

Find out more about me on my about page

Page inspired by Austin Kleon and nownownow community

Page was updated in June 2018.

Rediscovering yourself: Creative flow as a resource

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After many years of being in-between the research and creative activities that I do, I have decided to try to blend them in together. And thus the Creative Time Studio was born. I’m not completely sure which direction it will go and which direction it will take me, but I would like to combine what I theoretically know about psychology of time and what I learned by doing all sorts of creative activities (photography, ceramics, mosaics, playing some instruments, my interest in arts – history of arts, visual arts, theater, architecture, and many others). I’m grateful to Maria Vegesh, who organized an online course where we followed Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” – it gave me courage to try out a few things on my own and start the group – Rediscovering yourself: Creative flow as a resource.

We had a kick-off meeting today, November 1st, but there is still an opportunity to join in if you think it is something for you. The course is designed for 8 weeks. More information about the course is here.

Please get in touch if you would like to join the group.

Visualizing time

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Time is such an interesting concept. However, we do not have a dedicated bodily organ to register it – we don’t have ‘nose’ that is dedicated to ‘smelling’ time, or ‘skin’ to ‘feel’ it. It always escapes, but it is always there at the same time. Here is one of my half-joking projects that aims to explore the notion of time. We can ‘see’ time when we witness change upon something constant. Table in this project plays that role. The photos were taken on the iPhone and are left as is. The original idea was to take photos every day for at least a year. But it didn’t really work out. Here are about 3 months of a life of a table. Enjoy!