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MMO

M M Owen

Author

M. M. Owen is a British nonfiction author. He obtained his PhD at the University of British Columbia, and now lives in rural Portugal.

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Written by M M Owen

A surfer in a wetsuit emerging from a large turquoise wave with white foam crashing around.

essaySports and games

The secret

At the heart of surfing, whether you’re a kook or a famous charger, is the pursuit of moments so pure they clean you out

M M Owen

Abstract painting of a man with a pipe and a woman seated. The background includes a pink wall, yellow couch, and a small table with a potted plant.

essaySelf-improvement

The art of listening

To listen well is not only a kindness to others but also, as the psychologist Carl Rogers made clear, a gift to ourselves

M M Owen

Abstract painting of a human figure with arms outstretched against a vibrant background with a prominent red circular shape.

essayStories and literature

The inward gaze

In Hermann Hesse’s novels, as in his life, self-discovery walked a tightrope between deep insights and profound solipsism

M M Owen

Diver with mask underwater in the ocean, surrounded by blue hues with light rays filtering down from the surface.

essayWellbeing

Breathtaking

From first cry to last sigh, we do it without a thought. Yet the benefits of conscious breathing are truly remarkable

M M Owen

A family photo of an older man, an adult man, and two children standing in front of a wooden door in rustic clothing.

ideaThinkers and theories

Erik Erikson knew that self-invention takes a lifetime

M M Owen

Two mummified bodies dressed in deteriorated but ornate, colourful robes against a dimly lit wall.

essaySocial psychology

Our age of horror

In this febrile cultural moment filled with fear of the Other, horror has achieved the status of true art

M M Owen

A distressed woman with closed eyes being comforted by others, showing empathy.

essayThinkers and theories

I and Thou

When we encounter another individual truly as a person, not as an object for use, we become fully human: Martin Buber

M M Owen

Illustration of Sigmund Freud with his brain partially visible, standing in front of an MRI scanner, drawn in black and white.

essayNeuroscience

Freud in the scanner

A revival of interest in the power of introspection and thought has brought Freud’s ideas back into the scientific fold

M M Owen

An illustration of an outline of a person floating on their back in calm blue water. The image uses light lines and soft shading.

essayConsciousness and altered states

Into the deep

Just when you crave one more sensual hit, the void of the float tank stops time, strips ego and unleashes the mind

M M Owen