Alice Lombardo Maher - Author, Educator, Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst, Speaker, and Social Media Innovator

Make Words, Not War

Our species is brilliant at bridging divides in science and technology, but we’re terrible at bridging divides between one another. With all of the violent and fear-based battles of ideology and identity fought on the planet today, we humans are long overdue for an evolutionary leap.

We can change the fight-or-flee dynamic by changing the very wiring of our brains. What if we used words instead of wars; shared insights and transformational moments instead of battles between victor and victim; discovered creative solutions and new directions instead of “I’m right, you’re wrong”?

Begin now. Invite friends, “frenemies” and colleagues from different ideological centers to talk to—rather than at, about or against—one another. When impasses arise, look to language to build bridges. Ask new questions. Share what works and what doesn’t. Make it interesting and fun. Be on the frontlines of an exciting new movement. Pass it on.

-Alice L Maher

Read the transcript from Dr. Alice L Maher's talk at the 2023 Congress of the International Psychoanalytic Association:
Moving Toward a Theory of Difference

Praise for Catalysis

“In this book, a psychoanalyst shares her personal story that led her to come to new conclusions and convictions about human nature. She describes methods for slowing down or aborting humankind's leap to war. It has been a moving experience for me to read Alice Maher's book. Anyone who dreams about a better world should also read it.”

—Dr. Vamik Volkan, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee; Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia; author of Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Read what others are saying about Catalysis

Buy The Book

Catalysis: A Recipe to Slow Down or Abort Humankind's Leap to War

Available now at IPBooks and Amazon

Praise for Catalysis

“In this book, a psychoanalyst shares her personal story that led her to come to new conclusions and convictions about human nature. She describes methods for slowing down or aborting humankind’s leap to war. It has been a moving experience for me to read Alice Maher’s book. Anyone who dreams about a better world should also read it.”

—Dr. Vamik Volkan, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee; Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia; author of Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Read what others are saying about Catalysis