Topic: Toilet Training

Using Pavlov’s dogs as an analogy, Dr. Lieberman describes how human beings are conditioned from infancy to prioritize social norms over natural impulses. He explains that "oceanic bliss" is lost when children are taught to monitor themselves for safety and acceptability. This constant monitoring becomes the "thinking" or "worrying" mind, which creates a barrier between the individual and a direct, unmediated experience of life.