The Philosophy and Therapy Podcast · John T Maier

Episode #23: Matt Lundquist

·47 min·3 clips

Depression was my guide to discovering what I actually cared about.

John T. Meyer opens by placing the podcast at the crossroads of philosophy and therapy. He introduces Matt Lundquist as the founder and director of Tribeca Therapy, a group practice with offices in Lower Manhattan and Park Slope, and as a clinician whose work is shaped by philosophy. The conversation starts with Lundquist's undergraduate study of philosophy. Meyer asks what drew him to the subject and what he was actually reading then. Lundquist responds by reflecting on the way life choices are sometimes chosen and sometimes seem to choose you. From there, the interview turns toward the history of a psychotherapy tradition with political and philosophical roots. The discussion touches on Newman and the political circles in which he moved. Meyer presses on the philosophical side of that lineage. He asks whether the philosophy was simply personal to Newman or part of the culture of the whole tradition. Lundquist says it shaped the culture broadly, even if Newman himself was, in his telling, an opportunist with Marxist commitments. Wittgenstein comes up alongside Marx as a major reference point. Lundquist says Wittgenstein was present in the writings on psychotherapy and in the surrounding training culture. He adds that Wittgenstein now matters to him more in how he understands psychotherapy than in how he conducts each session. Meyer then brings the conversation back to Lundquist's own practice. The interview returns to the clinical work he does now and the practice he leads. The tone stays measured rather than flashy. Meyer often restates a point before extending it, which gives the conversation a recursive, seminar-like rhythm. Lundquist is given room to build long answers with qualifications and examples. The episode closes with thanks, mention of show notes, and a reminder that listeners can learn more about him and his practice at Tribeca Therapy and through the podcast site. The result is an interview that treats philosophy as a working lens on psychotherapy rather than a decorative label.

As heard by us

A reflective interview about how philosophy shapes the way a therapist thinks about practice.

An interview with Matt Lundquist turns into a careful look at how philosophy can shape psychotherapy. John T. Meyer keeps the discussion steady and attentive, moving from Lundquist's undergraduate philosophy background to the development of his clinical outlook, and then into…

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Why you'd press play

Listen if you want philosophy and therapy in one slow, careful conversation that stays close to the ideas.

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