Category
Articles in Bilim ve Ütopya
21 articles
Articles I wrote between 2018 and 2024 for the print editions and web portal of Bilim ve Ütopya. A series on EMDR, psychological trauma, trauma therapies, personality, schizophrenia, evolutionary psychiatry, perception, and groups. Since the portal has been taken offline, I am republishing the texts here.
September 7, 2026
Mental Well-Being Can Protect You During the Coronavirus Pandemic
We entered 2020 amid an unrelenting stream of news of disasters. Reports of earthquakes, war, and epidemics keep coming, both nationally and globally. All of them leave their mark on our psychological world, too.
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September 7, 2026
The Brain’s Illusion: The Neurobiology of Extraordinary Experiences
Our daily lives follow a monotonous course, except for the stumbling blocks life puts in our path.
Read more →September 7, 2026
The Price of Happiness: Part 1
This article explores the relationship between happiness, money, and psychology, a topic widely discussed in the media recently.
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June 9, 2025
Traumatic Stress and Psychological Trauma Therapy in Bipolar Disorder
Comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder in bipolar disorder and the role of trauma-focused psychotherapies, particularly EMDR.
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January 11, 2024
İnsanlığın Direksiyonu: Teknoloji, Hız ve Ruh Sağlığı (Steering Humanity: Technology, Speed, and Mental Health)
What is technological acceleration doing to the human mind? On humanity's journey and who is at the wheel.
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April 20, 2021
Self-Help Tools When Direct Access to Therapy Is Unavailable
Evidence-based self-help books, websites, and apps for when access to therapy is difficult — with recommendations from a psychiatrist.
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November 10, 2020
The Psychology of Those Interested in Parapsychology: “Norms” Become “Normal” Over Time
How do group norms and context distort perception? A social psychological perspective on parapsychology through Muzaffer Sherif's autokinetic experiment.
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November 1, 2020
Earthquakes and Their Psychological Effects
Symptoms of psychological trauma caused by earthquakes, their evolutionary background, and approaches to coping and treatment.
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October 18, 2020
Daring to Look into the Darkness: Psychoanalysis
The discoveries and theoretical frameworks of psychoanalysis from Freud to the present, and criticisms of its scientific validity.
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October 9, 2020
From Temperament to Personality: Genetic Codes and the Burden of Trauma
What determines personality: inherited temperament or childhood trauma? A review spanning neurobiology and personality disorders.
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October 5, 2020
Suicide: Talking About It, Hearing About It, and Reporting It
Common misconceptions about suicide, the media's responsibility in reporting suicide, and the Werther effect: how can suicide be prevented?
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October 5, 2020
Biology, Antidepressants, and Psychotherapy
The biological origins of psychiatric disorders: where, why, and how do medication and psychotherapy come into play?
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October 5, 2020
Schizophrenia and the Evolutionary Perspective
Why does schizophrenia occur at similar rates across all societies? An attempt at an explanation through evolutionary psychiatry and the concept of the “social brain.”
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April 1, 2020
EMDR Therapy and Its Effects on the Brain
How does EMDR promote recovery? Three theories explaining bilateral stimulation and recent research published in Nature and Molecular Psychiatry.
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July 26, 2019
Trauma and Theory of Mind
What is theory of mind, and how does psychological trauma affect our ability to understand other people's mental states? Insights from our own research.
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May 5, 2019
Groups and Social Interaction 3: Respect Your Perceptions, Tip Your Hat to Them, but Don’t Take It Too Far
From sensory signals to mental representations: we discuss how the brain constructs the world and how much we can trust our perceptions.
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April 8, 2019
Beden Kayıt Tutar (The Body Keeps the Score) — Bessel van der Kolk (Book Review)
A psychiatrist’s review of Bessel van der Kolk’s classic work on trauma, “Beden Kayıt Tutar” (The Body Keeps the Score).
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March 8, 2019
Groups and Social Interaction 2: Our Perception of Reality
From cognitive psychology experiments to psychiatry: how our perception constructs reality, where it goes wrong, and what this means for therapy.
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February 21, 2019
Groups and Social Interaction 1: “Tell me your friend's strengths, and I will tell you yours”
Mirror neurons, group norms, and social learning: how do the people around us shape our mental health and our beliefs about ourselves?
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December 24, 2018
Psychological Trauma and Its Evolutionary Nature
Why do PTSD symptoms exist? What do the amygdala, hyperarousal, and avoidance as a defensive strategy tell us from an evolutionary perspective?
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December 12, 2018
Trauma Therapies, Recovery, and Survival
Why does post-traumatic stress disorder develop, and how do EMDR and CBT work? On the nature of trauma and the mechanisms through which therapies promote recovery.
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