Art Hochberg
After receiving his doctorate in Psychology in 1969, Dr. Art Hochberg proved himself to be a dynamic teacher and innovator in the field of psychology. Within a year of receiving his degree, he became the Psychology department head at St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, and also taught at Notre Dame University where he initiated several new courses and program changes toward the field of Humanistic Psychology. Dr. Hochberg was one of the earliest members of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and gave several talks on the subject at their annual conference.
While continuing to develop his own ideas in the field over the next nine years, he taught experientially-oriented psychology courses, travelling in Uganda, Ceylon, Israel, and Switzerland, among other countries. All the while, he was deepening his spiritual focus. He visited religious centers, spent a year in a Zen Buddhist monastery and has spent thirty-nine years studying with the Sufi Master Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.
Dr. Hochberg’s vision was transformative on an organizational level as well. Wherever he worked, it was common for him to revamp the institution’s existing program, hire new staff, and take part in presenting the new program to the general public. Such examples in the late 70’s include Urbana College in Ohio where he was the Division Chairman of Social Services; in Fort Dix, NJ, where he was the Clinical Director of the Drug and Alcohol Program, supervising twenty drug and alcohol counselors, developing treatment programs for the patients at Walson Army Hospital, and conducting seminars around the base for commanders, soldiers, and their dependents. In 1979 at the newly established Fordham-Page Clinic in Radnor, PA where he was Clinical Director, responsible for counselor training, teaching nutrition, and presenting the clinic’s holistically-oriented program to the public.
In the early 80’s, Dr. Hochberg established his private practice. In the early years of his practice, he was known as a nutritional psychologist, since he was one of the few psychologists in the country at that time using nutrition in their practice. He appeared on television and was a radio guest numerous times speaking about the nutritional approach to the treatment of psychological problems. Several national magazines and newspapers also covered his groundbreaking work. He trained under such notable practitioners as Dr. Paavo Airola, a Finnish Nutritionist; Dr. John Christopher, a leading herbalist; and Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, who was the foremost orthomolecular psychiatrist at the time. Dr. Hochberg joined the International Academy of Preventive Medicine and spoke at several medical conferences about the role of Psychology and the body, appearing with Dr. Linus Pauling, and Dr. Jeffrey Bland, among others.
In addition, Dr. Hochberg had a practice at the Center for Preventive Medicine in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania for eleven years, and published fifteen articles on stress and nutrition. In November, 1981, Prevention Magazine wrote a feature article about his work on nutrition as he combined it with Psychology which was included in Prevention’s Complete Book of Vitamins in 1984. Dr. Hochberg also wrote a chapter in The Metabolic Management of Cancer — A Physicians Protocol and Reference Book. In 1993, he became the Director of the Holistic Health Program at Rosemont College in PA, and was also on the Adjunct Psychology faculty at Widener University. He also worked as a prison psychologist in southern New Jersey, and in several outpatient mental health clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Currently, Dr. Hochberg continues to maintain his own private practice as a licensed psychologist, and mainly deals with the transformational process that people can experience as they go through the various “changes” in their life. These “changes” serve as the Process for each individual’s transformation, and greater self-awareness. In addition, Dr. Hochberg serves as an intake psycho
“Some people say they're afraid about dying. Noooo ... it's the fear of living totally in the moment, living fully engaged, and independent at the same time. That's the real fear.”
“The thing is to live fully, all the time knowing that it could be your last breath. That takes some powerful faith.”
“Everybody, everybody, no matter what their position in life, has to give it up. Eventually, we have to let it all go - all we have accumulated - money, titles, family. In the end, it all has to go. In the meantime, don't be so attached to the parts you play and focus mainly on your sanity in playing those parts.”
“You have as many burdens on your shoulders as you choose to place there.”
“Time does not pass - only events pass. Where do they go? Hmmmmmmm.”
“What you experience is your reality, for the time being anyway. It's a mind-blower because, at a certain level of awareness, that's not real either.”
“Really, when you think about it, how can God speak through everybody? Hmmmmmm.”
“Everyone here now is going to die. But really no one knows what death is really like. Maybe we just take on another part in this neverending play of life as it unfolds. There is no end to the journey.”
“If you set up your life so that the people you need you, that's ok. If you set up your life so that you don't need anyone - then you need to be prepared for the experience of aloneness.”
“There is no sense of worshipping a Guru - or anyone for that matter.”
“Don't play the reels of your life backwards - play them forward.”
“There is no precognition - there is only cognition.”
“Today, like any other day, is totally incomprehensible. It's good to be in a state of wonder and be alive to what's happening.”
“You absolutely don't know what's going to happen next - that's surrender.”
“Prayer comes through grace, and grace comes through surrender.”
“A prayer is not what you think - it's what you experience.”
“If you keep little decisions small - then big decisions will even be smaller.”
“You know, you're never going to be late for a scene - the scene you're designed to be in.”
“Don't try to be like the Guru - be yourself.”
“You can't serve God without serving the people.”
“Sometimes it's best to keep things to yourself - if you know what I mean. That's wisdom.”
“You know, when you look into the Guru's eyes you're just seeing yourself. If you see the Guru, then you're missing the point of the Guru.”
“The point is you gotta be ready for anything. You have to honor every part of your life - all the parts you've played - that's about forgiveness and love.”
“God doesn't punish you - period!”
“We might have the most beautiful words and thoughts - but it's actions that count.”
“The thing is you cannot imagine what is going to happen next. If you're imagining it - it's from your imagination.”
“Why would we want to take on anyone else'take on reality when we have our own?”
“Sometimes, just sit down and have a cup of coffee with yourself. That can be a cool experience - of hanging out with yourself.”
“Insanity is refusal to stay in the present as other people experience it. You see, insanity is really like getting caught in a time warp. You can't find your way out. So at some point, people make a decision that they'd rather be with the insanity as others have defined it, then to play in the game that most other people have accepted as reality.”
“There really is only one question, "What is going on here?" There really is only one answer - whatever is up for you right now.”
“Some people think they have to marry someone just like themselves. Well, if you want to do that, it's ok. It might be more interesting though if you marry someone who is not just like you. Hmmmmmmm.”
“Never mind what God is doing. What are you doing? That's called interspection.”
“How do you learn not to take things so seriously? Don't take them.”
“Some people say, "I only want to do God's work." How do you know what God's work is??”
“You can't know what you need to know until it's up for you to know it.”
“Don't let your schedule rule you - just do what you gotta do - or don't do it if you don't want to do it. The paradoz about schedules is that they can either help keep you sane, or drive you insane. It's your choice.”
“The thing is we can't be attached to anything we've experienced up to this point in our life - any person, any situation, any outcomes, any happiness, any pain - any of it.”
“Everything comes from nowhere. Where is nowhere? An, that's the mystery of our lives.”
“Intention to pray is even more powerful than physical prayer - but it's good to do both.”
“What a trip life is.”
“Life with the Guru - there is no manual.”
“Be your own independent film channel.”
“Dying is simply showing up for your time of departure – from this realm.”
“A big part of wisdom is to learn which situations to get involved in, or not get involved in – it really is as simple as that.”
“Everything on the planet receives life from one source – isn’t that amazing? Our purpose here is to go to that source, and use that gift, for the good of everyone.”
“Do what you gotta do – see what happens.”
“Don’t do things because you think you ought to – do them because you want to.”
“Happiness is a tricky business. It may not have as much to do with doing as it has to do with not doing.”
“What about when you miss someone? Where does that come from? It comes from love.”
“How do the eyes see? I don’t think the scientists have a clue about that one. There is a science within science – that’s where the answer lies.”