Alice Lombardo Maher, M.D.

Dr. Alice Lombardo Maher is a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist and the author of
Catalysis: A Recipe to Slow Down or Abort Humankind’s Leap to War

Alice Lombardo Maher, M.D.

Dr. Alice Lombardo Maher is a psychoanalyst, psychiatrist and the author of
Catalysis: A Recipe to Slow Down or Abort Humankind’s Leap to War

Make Words, Not War

Our species is brilliant at bridging divides in science and technology, but we’re terrible at bridging divides between one another. With all of the violent and fear-based battles of ideology and identity fought on the planet today, we humans are long overdue for an evolutionary leap.

Starting immediately, we can change the fight-or-flee dynamic by changing the very wiring of our brains. It involves the emergence of a new language, an Emotional Literacy that will eventually be taught in the K-12-PhD track alongside other major subjects.

What if we used words instead of wars; shared insights and transformational moments instead of battles between victor and victim; discovered creative solutions and new directions instead of “I’m right, you’re wrong”?

Begin now. Invite friends, “frenemies” and colleagues from different ideological centers to talk to—rather than at, about or against—one another. When impasses arise, look to language to build bridges. Ask new questions. Share what works and what doesn’t. Make it interesting and fun. Be on the frontlines of an exciting new movement. Pass it on.


Praise for Catalysis

“In this book, a psychoanalyst shares her personal story that led her to come to new conclusions and convictions about human nature. She describes methods for slowing down or aborting humankind's leap to war. It has been a moving experience for me to read Alice Maher's book. Anyone who dreams about a better world should also read it.”

—Dr. Vamik Volkan, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee; Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia; author of Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Read more about Vamik Volkan

Read what others are saying about Catalysis

Praise for Catalysis

“In this book, a psychoanalyst shares her personal story that led her to come to new conclusions and convictions about human nature. She describes methods for slowing down or aborting humankind’s leap to war. It has been a moving experience for me to read Alice Maher’s book. Anyone who dreams about a better world should also read it.”

—Dr. Vamik Volkan, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee; Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia; author of Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Read more about Vamik Volkan

Read what others are saying about Catalysis


Projects

Changing Our Consciousness

Changing Our Consciousness

Imagining the emotional experience of the other
Emotional Imprint

Emotional Imprint

An innovative K-12 curriculum in emotional literacy
Divides

Divides

Students share their reflections on group conflict
The Hot Stove Project

Hot Stove Project

Thought and behavioral differences in a society of norms

Videos