Living Fossils
The Living Fossils, Josh Zlatkus, Rob KurzbanThe purpose of The Living Fossils is to communicate how the application of evolutionary ideas can help explain the sources of psychological suffering and well-being, in the service of improving our understanding of mental health.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 168 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 5 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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thelivingfossils.substack.comLatest Issues
Material Stress, n.
On a Wednesday afternoon a few weeks ago, I had a fairly typical therapy session. The client arrived a few minutes late and spent the next ten minutes running through everything that had gone wrong that day. Her car was making a noise. Zoom...
Psychotherapy's Six Biggest Mistakes
The list below lays out six of psychotherapy’s biggest mistakes. These are not its only mistakes, but I think they are among the most common, consequential, and correctable.
- Overlooking the Obvious
Therapists tend to overlook two...
Natural Competences and Natural Incompetence
When I started my graduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, my advisor on the psychology side, Leda Cosmides, was a member of the group called Cognitive and Perceptual Science. The group included Russ Revlin and Rich M...
Field Note #3: The Cost of Doing Business
When people ask how many of my clients come in person, I usually say half. I say half because it was true three or four years ago, and I haven’t bothered to update my answer.
But the other day I checked, and it’s actually between a quarter...
Field Note #2: On the Origin of Duties
I like science fiction.
I also like the comic book universes, both Marvel and DC.
None of this will come as a surprise to people who know me. And let’s not talk about what’s “geeky” or “nerdy.” Both are in now. Neurotypical is out.
I’m a...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
The Living Fossils team consists of three people with expertise in psychology, evolution, and therapeutic practice. They believe that it is important to take science, but not themselves, very seriously.
Mental health counselor & Living Fossil who splits his time between providing therapy and writing about how to better provide therapy. Has been practicing for 8+ years. Other interests include literature, sports, and being outside.
Evolutionary psychologist. PhD in Psychology UCSB, MPA from Fels Institute of Government. Author of All the Feels (coming 9/30/2026), The Hidden Agenda of Political Mind (with Jason Weeden), and Why Everyone (Else) is a Hypocrite. Mostly retired.
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