ALAN D ENTIN, PhD, ABPP
Psychologist and photographer Alan D Entin, PhD, ABPP, has explored the intersection of creativity, art and psychology for many years in his work as a family psychologist and in his writings and presentations at professional meetings. His leadership in psychology and arts was recognized by receipt of the Rosalie Weiss Award from the American Psychological Foundation and APA Divisions 29 and 42. Most recently his artwork, featured on the cover of the July - August issue of the American Psychologist, was included in Mirrors of the Mind in 2022. Entin was a founder of the field of phototherapy, the use of photography in therapy. He uses a Bowenian lens to look at family photographs to help families understand the family dynamics. As an artist, Entin has been in many solo and group exhibitions, the covers of books, newsletters and journals and a CD of Arlo Guthrie for APA. Entin’s professional writings have most recently focused on the impact of family secrets and trauma in the lives of individuals and families. The importance of recognizing uncomfortable truths and integrating them into our lives and our families is a hallmark of my work.
Scipion Veillant con Ave, Tarragona, Catalunya, Espana, 2013-2014
(Digital color photograph archival mounted and framed. (The image is 14"X14” and framed 20"X20”))
Prior to the pandemic I visited Spain on many occasions to pay homage to the brave men and women who volunteered to go to Spain to join the Spanish people in their fight against Franco and fascism, for freedom, worker’s rights and a democratic form of government, and to avert the start of a second world war. While it was the called the Spanish Civil War, many, including my uncle who was a Union organizer and activist, went to Spain and died in Spain, called it an “international war,” not a civil war, and it is often described as the first battle of World War II. Homages and reunions of families, friends and organizations of related associations were curtailed.
The current photograph, while taken on one such homenaje before the pandemic isolation, struck me as the perfect metaphor and antidote after years of Covid 19 lockdowns, isolation and the lack of social interaction — freedom of the bird taking flight. It was a gift; as I was about to take a photograph of the giant sculpture of an ancient ruler in the Roman ruins in Tarragona, one of the largest collections outside of Rome, the bird flew into view and was perfectly centered as I clicked the shutter. A gift from my Uncle Bernie, the Union organizer, fighter for social justice, whose remains are forever in the Spanish soil as a remembrance of his gift to the Spanish people. The freedom of the bird taking flight is the perfect metaphor and antidote after years of Covid 19 lockdowns, isolation and the lack of social interaction.