The Love Theorist

This is a reading of chapter 3 called ‘Eco injustice’ from my book, Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. It is the first part of a big chapter which relates how my personal and professional experiences intersected with a growing awareness of harm and injustice against Nature. In so doing I show an aspect of what is called a wicked problem where Australia’s economy is dependen...

This is a reading of chapter 7 from my new book, Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. It is published by Revolutionaries which is a small independent book company that promotes ideas and ways of being for a more loving and peace filled world. This is a perfect fit for me as I show in this chapter how desire for peace and love necessitates the upholding of a key moral principl...

This podcast focuses on the end section of the Chapters 5, 6 and 7 respectively entitled, ‘Love’; Nonviolence’ and; ‘Ecojustice’ from my book Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. These end sections give a range of examples of how to practice love, nonviolence and eco-justice. Many of the ideas and ways will be familiar to listeners. In this sense I aim to affirm and cheer you...

This is a reading of chapter 8 of my new book Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice , published by Revolutionaries. Here I draw the threads of the book together to provide a succinct statement of a theory of love. The theory is revolutionary because it explains how anti-oppressive ethics and critical analyses of society can lead to actions for peace, justice and love for all be...

This is a reading of Chapter 6 entitled - ‘Nonviolence’ - from my new book, Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. It stands as a testimony to the power of love and shows how love and nonviolence can be drawn upon to address violence of all kinds. Nonviolence first and foremost is about not being violent, which requires a critical analysis of how power is used. As I have argued...

This is a reading of the second part of chapter 2 called ‘Violence’ in my new book Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice. In the earlier part of the chapter, I explored the idea of dominance hierarchies (ie pecking orders) and how they can involve vertical and horizontal violence. This is where people hurt people in workplaces such as mental health facilities which are supposed...

My new book, Broken-heartedness: Towards love in professional practice, is available now. To make it as accessible as possible I am sharing chapters from it as podcasts. This offering is chapter 5, entitled “Love” and is one of 3 chapters which outline the main ethics needed to build a theory of love. These 3 interlinked ethics are: love, nonviolence and eco justice. Earlier chapters of the book h...

This podcast is a reading of the fourth chapter of my new book by the same name, Broken-heartedness. I outline how I came to realise that the idea of broken-heartedness encapsulated so many experiences over my career and personal life. When heart-ache occurs it can take many forms and intensities. People can die of broken hearts. Animals can die of broken hearts. Nature shows us many examples of h...

This is a sharing from my new book - if interested you can purchase it on this link https://revoltbooks.com/ The podcast is a reading of the first section of Chapter 2, entitled Violence. This term is very complex and means different things to different people. The chapter starts to unpack how I understand what violence means, starting with my childhood experience of domestic violence. I then move...

My new book is now available for purchase. If interested, please go to https://revoltbooks.com/ You might prefer to listen to large parts of it in these episodes. I add extra commentary at times but endeavour to stay close to the original book text. In this reading, I share about my experiences as a young girl and how I now understand much of my childhood as being about broken-heartedness caused b...

My new book is now available for purchase. This is so exciting for me as its the culmination of what I have learnt from being a social worker for nearly fifty years. It interweaves my pertinent personal and professional experiences with a critical analysis of some of the wicked socio-political issues of our time. The purpose of this exposition is to show how I’ve come to understand love as multi-f...

Michael Burbank is a mental health lived experience trainer. He speaks of his own life lessons from his journey through heartbreak and loss to a compassionate and relational approach to his teaching. The people he engages with in the classroom will go on to help others who grapple with their lives being interrupted by mental ill health. The podcast begins with a poetic statement from Michael that...

At the time of writing his book in 2012, Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, was a Palestinian physician who specialised in infertility issues caring for both his own people in Gaza and Israeli people. When Israeli soldiers killed his daughters and a niece, he chose not to hate but to dedicate his life to peace and justice. His story at the time was a powerful call for ceasing war and violence through love, fo...

Johnathan Link is a descendant of the Kuku Yalinji Tribal clan group from the Daintree River region in far North Queensland. He also has connections to Marble Bar in WA through his grandfather and family ties in Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). Johnathan grew up in Brisbane. He is a father and grandfather. Johnathan’s mental health career started in 2003 with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Cai...

Peter is a social worker and community development practitioner at Nambour Community Centre.  Peter works directly with community members to facilitate connection, relationship and participatory action. He integrates his inclusive approach into his work with some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our communities, reflecting his belief that community-driven responses are crucial to...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

This is the first episode of my sub-series called Revolutionary Love Stories . I am interested to know what other people think about love and how it guides their work. I am joined in this episode by Wallea Eaglehawk who is the CEO of book publishing company Revolutionaries, author of Idol Limerence, and also is my daughter. We talk about all things love, revolution, and BTS. You can find out more...

This podcast gives an account of Dr Dyann Ross' experiences from a childhood of mining impacts on her family, other people, places, and Mother Nature. Filtered through her own connection with or disconnection from Mother Nature, sometimes referred to as the environment, this podcast details devastating, compounding losses and harms that extend far beyond human communities. You will hear the story...

I've previously argued that the use of seclusion and restraint in Mental Health facilities is a moral wrong even though it is legally sanctioned. It is very harmful to the person who is secluded and coerced and can increase, not reduce, violence on the ward. This offering explores best practice research for how to act to stop the use of these restrictive practices. I identify 5 ward-based strategi...

This podcast focuses on my continuing concern about the harm caused by restrictive practices of seclusion and restraint in public mental health facilities. I start by highlighting the influence of societal norms that can stigmatise people with a lived experience of mental illness. I do this by referring to Ken Kesey's book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest . It was written in 1962 at the height of...

A theory of love needs to be inclusive of all beings, all our Kin, because our well-being and liberation is interconnected with others in the tapestry of who Nature is. Even so, from an ethical view, other animals have the right to be and to live by virtue of their own 'isness', not by virtue of their use value to humans. Peter Singer is credited with starting the other animals' liberation movemen...

Dr Dyann Ross in this podcast argues that the restraining and secluding of mental health patients is a moral wrong. The problem of violence involved can be understood as torture according to the international convention on cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. That seclusion occurs in the name of care makes it one of the most troubling examples of what is demanded of society. A theory of love n...

In this week’s From my bookshelf , I am talking about the writings of Anne Poelina. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

Join me in this supplementary segment called From my bookshelf wherein I share books that inspire me and my work. This week I am talking about The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelovetheorist.substack.com

Hi, Dr. Dyann Ross here! I’m the love theorist!  It's really good to have you with me today. I'm wanting to make another set of fairly full on comments, about how I'm thinking at the moment about what's important to consider in building a theory of love. For a theory of love to be relevant to you and everybody else who might want to draw on it for some guidance, it needs to be quite nuanced and qu...