Towards Participatory Thinking with David Bohm: Manifest Creative Forms of Being and New Shared Realities  

On-demand web class, PART 1.

Powerpoint presentation and video recording.

Online From August 4, 2026

Presenter: Sara Ekenstierna, PhD, LPsy.

Description:

This web class examines the interplay between agency and participation in the continuous process of co-creating meaning in- and beyond the consulting room.

From the concept of participation mystique to Dasein (being-there), the class introduces philosophical perspectives on participation, which emphasize the interconnectedness of mind and matter; hidden and overt; inner and outer reality. Linkages are made to psychoanalytic concepts presented in the works of William James, Carl Gustav Jung, Otto Rank and Wilfred Bion. Additionally, the lecture highlights insights from modern physics, including relativity and quantum mechanics, suggesting that, while these two distinct frameworks are irreconcilable in many aspects, both indicate that a deeper relationality and wholeness underlie the manifest world.

Physicist and philosopher David Bohm saw how human cognitive fragmentation obstructs this holistic understanding, leading to dualistic thinking and a divided notion of reality. While being expressions of an intrincic human urge towards wholeness and meaning, philosophy, science and religion, paradoxically also contribute to fragmentation, by misrepresenting thought as identical with reality. Ultimately, Bohm warns that the idea of separateness fuels conflict and crises in contemporary society. 

The presentation envisions a path towards renewed participation in the form of creative dialogue. Rooted in existential philosophy, modern physics, and participation mystique, Bohm’s notion of dialogue allows for a hidden stream of meaning to flow through everything where “the spirit of the dialogue” is present, fostering new emergences and shared meanings both through individual contemplation and within communities.

In this online web class you will:

• Grasp the basics of David Bohm’s theory of participation and fragmentation.
• Know about and compare to other relevant philosophical as well as psychoanalytic usages of the idea of “participation”, and begin to think about how it relates to therapeutic encounters.

Structure & system requirements:

Online, on-demand. We recommend that you watch the video on desktop to get a good view of the power point and speaker window, but this is entirely optional.

Level:

Introductory, part 1.* For psychologists, therapists, analysts, mental healthcare professionals, philosophers and those interested in:

• The philosophical (and scientific) foundations of the concept of participation.
• History of ideas with relevance to psychoanalytic, dynamic and existential psychology.
• ^{_{*Part 2 expands on psychoanalytic tinking and applies the theory to the consulting room. You may register for that class separately.}}

Registration:

Anyone who is a premium member (donations between $8 – 60) of our Substack has free access to this web class (and much more*):

Option # 2: Watch on YouTube, one time purchase:* $39 via Zelle or PayPal (students, candidates or financial hardship $25):

Questions? We are happy to hear from you! send us a message

^{_{* No refunds once you have purchased and received the YouTube link.}}

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About the presenter:

Sara Ekenstierna, PhD, LPsy, is a psychologist and philosopher, and the author of The Part-Whole Relation and The Therapeutic Third: Otto Rank, David Bohm and Contemporary Psychoanalysis (Routledge, forthcoming). With two decades of experience in interdisciplinary research, psychodynamic therapy and consultation, her work spans public health, mindset research, mind-matter relations, therapeutic relationships and history of ideas. Sara has written articles for Journal of Consciousness Studies, Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), American Philosophical Association (APA), and she was a columnist for the Swedish professional magazine Psykologtidningen. She is the founder of Oakstar Invest and The Third Place Society and she hosts the Bohmian Dialogues podcast.

Further reading:

For those interested in the topic, you may also sign up to get notified of the release of Ekenstierna’s book The Part-Whole Relation and The Therapeutic Third: Otto Rank, David Bohm and Contemporary Psychoanalysis.

Otto Rank and The Art of Creative Participation 

Otto Rank Workshop # 2 Facilitated by Sara Ekenstierna, PhD, LPsy.

Online 4 Saturdays | May 2, 9, 16, 30 May, 2026. 

Additional information & registration:

Event ended. If you have questions send us a message.