Welcome!
I'm creating this blog as an outlet for my ideas on a new concept in mental health: that of cultivation of mental states. Just as a forest or garden is impinged upon by a multitude of forces which interact with each other to cause a particular state of health or vibrancy to come about, so our minds are effected my many causes and conditions from in utero physical exposures to our habitual relationships to certain emotions to the impact of intimate relationships.
We all have the potential to work with our inner ecology to cultivate states of mind, just as we might weed and fertilize a garden. This is a potent metaphor for the kind of mental work that must be done to shift from habitual states of unhappiness created by mindlessly allowing our minds to follow media, advertising, dominant cultural ideas of the good life (e.g. being a good consumer, good provider, good person). These influences on the mind act to draw us away from our own knowledge of ourselves; our inner landscape. To cultivate happiness one must find ways to bring different forces to bear on the mind. This is the main thrust of my clinical interest and will be the main thrust of this blog.
About Me
- Bradley Engwall, MD
- Albany, CA, United States
- A psychiatrist dedicated in bringing science and world-class training along with wisdom and compassion to help relieve suffering. I work with children ages 7 and up, adolescents and adults. I especially enjoy doing psychotherapy with young adults, teens and mediation work couples.