RD Laing in the Twenty-First Century: What Is Healing?

Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic —  RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling clas­sics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others. 

Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psy­chology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.

One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.

In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.

Among the questions we will explore: 

1. What is the relationship between healing and treatment?
2. What experiences have we enjoyed that we believe were healing, and why?
3. Does healing require “treatment,” or can extra-clinical experiences be just as healing, or more so? 
4. Is love an essential aspect of healing, or does it get in the way?
5. Does healing reduce suffering, or does it simply increase our capacity to suffer with less distress?

Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living. 

Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.

Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson