#imagination

#imagination

We recently participated in a weekend symposium focused on the intersections of imagination, neuroscience, art, and psychedelics at the UC San Diego Imaginarium. Viewing our couples' therapy work from this perspective was exciting and inspiring, and it reaffirmed something we have always known: The couples that stay vibrant, resilient, and deeply connected are the ones that remain curious about each other and creative and imaginative about their relationship. They don't just love one another. They are present and mindful, and they imagine and play together.

She could have told me the truth, that the paint was graffiti. Instead, she told me the rocks were a species of monster called bloodsuckers, and that at night they came alive to eat children who were foolish enough to stray outside after dark. I believed her with all my heart. Why wouldn't I? She was my nan!

In that sense, it's not so different from a lab experiment, where researchers set the stage and observe what unfolds. The aim of these often fantastical scenarios is just as serious: to test, stretch, or even shatter our intuitions about how the world works.

Bill Watterson captured the private derangement of the average 6-year-old boy, creating an imaginative world filled with monsters, adventures, and absurdities that resonate deeply with readers.

"Endora from Bewitched was real and could see me through the TV, so I had to clap and act super grateful for Bewitched or she would curse me." - IntrudingAlligator

Sometimes we can call these moments sticks in the ground. The bets we make on people, places, and what could be made possible.

Dante's Vita Nuova illustrates how love is shaped by both memory and imagination, emphasizing the complexities of affection and the qualities we seek in others.