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The Psyche Is Not Inside the Skull
Challenges neuro-reductionism by framing psyche as relationally distributed rather than solely brain-bound.
Moving Beyond Interiorist Psychology Toward a Relational Model of Mind
Research Focus
We critique the traditional psychological view that the human mind is contained entirely within the brain, arguing instead that the psyche is a relational phenomenon sustained by connections to the world. Drawing on Indigenous Australian ontologies like Kanyini and kurunpa, we illustrate how mental vitality is inseparable from a lawful responsibility to land, kin, and ancestral continuity. While some Western theories explore non-local or field-based models of consciousness, we suggest they often lack the deep ethical accountability found in Indigenous frameworks. Consequently, psychological trauma is reframed as a rupture in these vital relationships rather than a strictly internal dysfunction. Ultimately, we advocate for a radical reorientation of clinical practice that treats the environment and social structures as constitutive elements of the self.
