2026-07-30
IOMCD
Dr. Madeleine Kassab conducted an interview with Dr. Afaf Rabee on the theme “Consciousness Between the Atom and the Soul: Toward a New Cosmic Psychology.”
In an era where scientific discoveries accelerate as though the universe is unveiling its layers one after another, human crises multiply, and systems of human communication are restructured in ways that compel us to reconsider even the simplest assumptions. The question of the boundaries of the self becomes an epistemic necessity, and reflecting on the meaning of the individual and the collective turns into an existential need. Meanwhile, concepts of mental health shift to become political and social issues rather than merely individual ones. Within this context, psychology and social counseling emerge as existential compasses—disciplines that do not merely seek to understand human experience but strive to reshape it, grounded in a vision that integrates experimental science with metaphysical inquiry, individual experience with collective consciousness, and psychological reality with cosmic reality as two expressions of the same continuum of matter and energy.
Within this horizon, Dr. Madeleine Kassab conducted an in‑depth dialogue with Dr. Afaf Rabee, a researcher and psychological–social specialist who holds a PhD in psychology from Hassan II University in Casablanca, and serves as a part‑time assistant professor at An‑Najah National University in Nablus. Her experience spans more than twenty‑eight years in psychological and social counseling, addiction prevention and treatment, awareness programs, capacity building, community training, and psychological support. She has also participated in local and international programs in cooperation with organizations such as UNODC and UNRWA.
1. Consciousness Between the Brain and the Cosmos: Toward a Cosmic Psychological Field
Dr. Afaf begins by deconstructing the concept of consciousness from a perspective that transcends traditional interpretations. Consciousness, in her view, is no longer merely an echo of chemical processes within the brain; it is a vital field intertwined with the fabric of the universe, where the awareness of the “observer” becomes part of the process through which reality manifests. This perspective opens the door to a new understanding of psychological experience as a state of existential connection in which the frequencies of the Self interact with the cosmic network—making psychological resilience a capacity to recalibrate these frequencies rather than a simple behavioral skill.
She adds that the human being, according to existential psychoanalysis integrated with quantum physics, is not a static entity but a continuous growth project, and that the individual experience is merely a wave within a vast cosmic ocean. Any shift in an individual’s consciousness—such as overcoming addiction or building psychological immunity—creates a “quantum‑like” ripple that elevates collective consciousness. In this sense, human development becomes a cosmic process, and the opportunity for growth a fundamental existential right rather than a psychological luxury.
2. Spiritual and Mystical Experiences: Between Science and Metaphysics
Dr. Afaf addresses spiritual and mystical experiences, affirming that psychology views them as deep subjective states of consciousness characterized by transcendence and the dissolution of self‑boundaries. Neuroscience studies these states through changes in brain activity, while cultural psychology interprets them as experiences shaped by religious and ethnic contexts without any essential difference in their psychological structure.
As for intuition, she describes it as ultra‑fast unconscious processing, in which the brain scans stored patterns and produces an immediate conclusion before it reaches logical awareness. Quantum physics may describe it as sensing informational fields that precede the event.
Dreams, in her perspective, are windows into the unconscious—neural discharges carrying deeply personal symbolic meanings. The soul represents the eternal essence, while the self is its psychological manifestation in the material world. In this framework, psychological counseling becomes a bridge between experimental science and metaphysical inquiry: science answers “how,” while metaphysics seeks “why.”
3. Digital Individualism and the Anxiety of Isolation: The Human Between Group and Self
In the age of artificial intelligence, Dr. Afaf explains the growing tendency toward individualism through the concept of "digital individuation", where technology amplifies the ego yet fails to satisfy the biological need for belonging. Humans flee the constraints of traditional groups only to fall into the anxiety of isolation, turning to virtual communities that lack emotional depth and thus intensify alienation.
To balance the uniqueness of individual experience with the universality of human concerns, the psychological specialist relies on an integrative approach that combines personal history and cultural context with shared human needs. Practically, counseling manifests in repairing family dynamics, developing emotional intelligence, and rebuilding trust within fragmented communities.
Global ethics, she argues, become possible through strengthening human citizenship, dismantling ego‑centrism, and grounding values such as dignity, acceptance, and solidarity as a minimal ethical threshold.
4. Social Media and the Fluid Identity
Dr. Afaf clarifies that the dominance of modern communication platforms reshapes the psychological and social identity of younger generations through constant comparison, unrealistic standards, multiple affiliations, and rapid adoption of beliefs and identities without sufficient critical maturity. Algorithms have become primary sources of knowledge, making identity more fragile and increasing the need for critical thinking and familial support.
5. Mental Health in the Arab World: Between Oppression and Resilience
Dr. Afaf views mental health in the Arab context as contextual health, not merely a chemical imbalance in the brain. In conflict zones, anxiety and depression are natural responses to unnatural conditions. Social counseling in distressed Arab environments functions as psychological first aid and a form of resistance—through building collective resilience, managing intergenerational trauma, training local leaders in psychological support, and rebuilding trust in fragmented communities.
Counseling here is not adaptation to oppression but empowerment—helping individuals regain control over the small details of their lives and search for meaning within suffering to protect them from collapse or violence.
6. Addiction in Fragile Societies: Between Medicine and Social Context
Dr. Afaf describes the study of addiction in distressed societies as one of the most challenging fields, because addiction becomes a forced coping mechanism with painful realities. Separating psychological variables from structural ones is unrealistic; thus she relies on the bio‑psycho‑social model and multi‑level analysis that treats poverty, violence, and unemployment as explanatory factors rather than mere background conditions.
Medical models focus on the brain and pharmacological treatment, while social‑cultural models view addiction as a response to oppressive circumstances and emphasize prevention, empowerment, and community support. Combining both models is essential for effective intervention.
She identifies key skills required for specialists: systemic thinking, cultural competence, crisis intervention, trust‑building, professional flexibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community communication.
7. Research Gaps and International Challenges
Globally, the most significant research gap lies in digital and behavioral addiction and its relationship to loneliness in the age of artificial intelligence. In Palestine, the gap centers on understanding addiction as a political or escapist act linked to structural violence and occupation. International organizations face challenges such as lack of longitudinal data, insufficient cultural adaptation of imported models, and difficulty ensuring equitable access to services.
8. Art and Literature: Symbolic Healing and Reconstruction of Meaning
Dr. Afaf concludes by emphasizing the profound role of art and literature in psychological and social counseling, especially in Arab environments affected by trauma. Art becomes a safe medium for expressing pain, and literature a framework for understanding suffering within a broader human context. Examples include drawing with refugee children, therapeutic writing, interactive theater, and popular poetry and music.
In Palestine, this role has evolved into academic programs that use dabke, folk songs, and resistance literature as tools for restoring identity and strengthening resilience.
+The full text of the interview is available in Arabic at the following link: https://iomcd.org/php/viewInterview.php?id=82&lan=1
