What is this place?
Welcome to A Mindful Monkey. A blog/newsletter of a psychiatrist in training. Topics will likely relate to medicine, philosophy, science, human behavior, and mental health. To be fair though, I’ll probably also talk just as much about parenting, rationality, physics, meditation, cults, technology, drugs, the trolley car problem, and everything else. But I don’t have formal training in these things (especially the parenting part). It’s broad, but the focus is pretty simple: try to be a little more mindful and a little less monkey.
Mindful? You mean that spookiness-infused marketing term that's become a billion-dollar self-help industry?
No. I mean being cognizant and aware of our psychological pitfalls, emotional biases, and moral blind spots.
Monkey? Wait- am I reading the works of an actual monkey? Do you have a personal vendetta against monkeys?
No. Well, not that I'm aware of. I'm trying to highlight that we should have a sense of humor and humility in our lives because even in our most earnest attempts to be more rational, mindful, and cognizant, we often end up walking in the wrong direction. Even a noble monkey is a monkey.
Posts take the form of short essays, book reviews, link-lists, creative writings, and brain dumps.
Where should I start?
The best starting point is the Explorer’s Guide because it discusses the spirit of this endeavor. As time goes on (and my writing improves), I’ll add some of the more popular posts here.
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Disclaimer
Note, nothing here is medical advice. Emailing bloggers who say they are doctors is a bad way to deal with medical and psychiatric emergencies. Particularly with mental health crises, seek help. You are not alone. Talk to your doctor and/or go to the hospital instead. This isn’t just medico-legal jargon. What you read online does not replace the individualized, carefully crafted care you deserve.
