About Dr. George Eastman
My academic, personal, and professional paths have been shaped by a lifelong interest in the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and a number of other disciplines with a focus on human freedom. I hold a Doctor of Education (1963) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where I studied philosophy, linguistics, and social relations; and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1974) from New York University, where I focused on game and decision-making theories in the context of human freedom in psychotherapy. I spent 12 years teaching philosophy at the State University of New York, resigning from a tenured professorship to pursue my Ph.D. Since then, I’ve maintained a private psychotherapy practice in my home of Cambridge, MA for over 50 years.
My path has also been shaped by a wide range of lived experiences. I received a Rockefeller Brothers Theological School Fellowship at Yale Divinity School; spent 24 years teaching music therapists at Berklee College of Music; served as a legal officer in the Marine Corps, where I earned my pilot’s license; worked as an organizational consultant; and created a 501(c)(3) Institute of Media Research dedicated to studying the physiological effects of digital media. For several years, I also founded a vegetarian commune in Bar Harbor, Maine, built around the Sunflour Bakery. Each of these chapters in my life have added depth to my understanding of who we are as humans and the nature of the forces driving these connections in modern life.
Outside of my professional work, I’m a musician and devoted father of four. Music is an important part of how I understand and process the world, and my children have provided a significant part of my education as a more complete person, opening my heart and mind. Spending time in nature is central to my life, as well as protecting the rights of animals. My book, the Digital Revolution, has grown out of my concern for the effects of our digital world on our very humanness.
Other Works
Books
Freeing the Imprisoned Self: A Memoir | 2014
This memoir describes the life struggles of Dr. Eastman in a unique way. Each chapter is divided into two halves, the first half consisting of a description of his life in its various stages, and the second half consisting of applying his clinical skills of over forty years as a clinical psychologist to analyzing his life described in the first half. George's father was deeply damaged by his fundamental religious father who started a religious sect called The Gospel Workers of America, often referred to as "Holly Rollers" because they would role on the ground and speak in tongues. The Reverend would not permit schooling beyond the 9th grade. My father never fully liberated himself from his father's restrictions. With the death of my mother when I was 21 months old my father became the sole parent of me and my three brothers and two sisters. This is the story of my liberation from a restrictive childhood.
Selected Publications
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Freedom as Choice Making in Psychotherapy: A Preliminary Exploration | 1974
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Dissertation for my Doctor of Philosophy at New York University
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The Critical Need for a New Education — Part I: Philosophical Substructure | 1971
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The Critical Need for a New Education—Part II: Proposal for Implementation | 1971
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An Experiment in Bridging the Appollonian and Dionysian | 1969
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The Ideologizing of Theories: John Dewey's Educational Theory, a Case in Point | 1967
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Resistance to Change Within Liberal Arts Colleges: Diagnosis and Prognosis | 1967
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John Dewey: Philosophy, Psychology and Social Practice | 1965