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Robert Saltzman
[edit]Robert Saltzman, Ph.D. (born 1945), is an American depth psychologist, author, and artist noted for his works integrating phenomenology, psychotherapy, and explorations of consciousness, including dialogues on artificial intelligence.
Early Life and Career
[edit]Saltzman initially began his career as an artist and gained recognition in the New York art scene, with international exhibitions and publications including features in Aperture magazine. Over time, he transitioned from art to psychotherapy, becoming a depth psychologist specializing in psychotherapeutic practice. He is now retired from clinical work.[1]
Contributions
[edit]Saltzman has authored several notable books on consciousness, psychotherapy, and philosophy. His four major published works include:
The Ten Thousand Things (New Sarum Press, 2017)
Depending On No-Thing (New Sarum Press, 2019)
Understanding Claude: An Artificial Intelligence Psychoanalyzed (New Sarum Press, 2025)
The 21st Century Self: Belief, Illusion, and the Machinery of Meaning (Clear Mind Press, 2025)
These works collectively address the fluidity of self, consciousness, and human experience, merging psychotherapy insights with philosophical inquiry.[2][3][4][5]
Saltzman has also authored insightful essays on consciousness and selfhood, such as "The Self That Never Was," published in Hedgehog Review, in which he explores the nature of selfhood as a fluid, constructed phenomenon rather than a fixed entity.[6]
Artistic Work
[edit]Alongside his work in depth psychology and writing, Saltzman is a lifelong artist and photographer. His photographic work has been widely exhibited and published internationally, earning recognition independently of his psychotherapeutic contributions.[1]
Philosophy and Thought
[edit]Saltzman is distinguished by his grounding in a phenomenological perspective, which focuses on the direct, first-person experience of consciousness and phenomena exactly as they appear, without interpretation or theory-imposition. Rather than abstract metaphysical speculation, his exploration of awakening emphasizes the lived experience of awareness in the present moment.[7]
He highlights the importance of transience and transitoriness, arguing that depth and beauty emerge from recognizing impermanence. This appreciation of fleeting moments is essential for encountering genuine depth and aesthetic richness.[7]
Central to Saltzman’s teaching is the theme of finding your own mind. He proposes that awakening involves breaking free from dependence on the so-called "truth" of spiritual masters, religious traditions, or external authorities. Instead, awakening consists of discovering and trusting one’s own direct experience of mind and reality.[7]
Saltzman stresses the importance of seeing things as they are, not as one wishes them to be. In this light, the goal of awakening is not happiness; rather, if it can be called a goal, it is to flow harmoniously with all aspects of existence—the so-called good and bad—moving with the rhythms of the universe instead of resisting them.[7]
He also emphasizes that the self is not a fixed entity. According to Saltzman, the self is composed of ever-changing thoughts, feelings, sensory perceptions, and mental phenomena. Because these are constantly in flux, there is no permanent self, challenging conventional notions of identity.[7]
Saltzman also focuses on the concept of human limitation. He emphasizes that while humans have evolved to be effective at survival and reproduction, we possess significant cognitive and existential limits. For example, although we are intelligent enough to ask ultimate questions about meaning, existence, and consciousness, we are not necessarily equipped to find definitive or final answers to these profound inquiries. According to Saltzman, such questions lie beyond human comprehension or “beyond our ken,” highlighting an important humility in the human condition and a recognition of mystery in life and consciousness.[7]
In recent years, Saltzman has written extensively on artificial intelligence (AI). He explores the idea that, although AI may appear conscious or person-like, it is not; rather, AI functions as a mirror reflecting aspects of human experience back to us. This notion interacts meaningfully with his perspective on the non-fixed self, presenting an intriguing interplay between human consciousness and AI as a reflective entity.[8]
Reception and Controversy
[edit]Within the “non-dual” spiritual community, Robert Saltzman has both admirers and detractors. The spiritual teacher Joan Tollifson provides a candid and unvarnished critique of Saltzman on her blog.[9]
Saltzman was interviewed by Rick Archer on the popular podcast Buddha at the Gas Pump (BATGAP). The interview was subsequently removed by Archer following a controversy over fake Einstein quotes that Saltzman had pointed out Archer had posted on Facebook. However, the interview remains accessible on Saltzman’s Substack page.[10]
Online Presence
[edit]Saltzman shares his insights on psychotherapy, philosophy, consciousness, and AI through YouTube talks and a Substack newsletter.[8][11][7][12][13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Dr. Robert Saltzman, Ph.D. Official Website". dr-robert.com. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "The Ten Thousand Things". New Sarum Press. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Depending On No-Thing". New Sarum Press. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Understanding Claude". New Sarum Press. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "The 21st Century Self". Clear Mind Press. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ Saltzman, Robert. "The Self That Never Was". Hedgehog Review. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "WHAT IS LIFE? #23 Tim Freke and Robert Saltzman". YouTube. August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Saltzman, Robert (May 29, 2025). "Conversations With Claude". Hedgehog Review. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Joan Tollifson Recommends". Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ "The Banned Saltzman Interview". Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ "Robert Saltzman Author Page". Goodreads. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Simon Mundie Interviews Robert Saltzman". Substack. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "The Naked Guru Experience: Robert Saltzman Interview". ListenNotes. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Interview with Robert Saltzman and Daniel Matt". YouTube. Retrieved August 20, 2025.