Episode 07: Use It or Lose It - The Brain, Lifelong Learning, and the Courage to Stay Curious
“I am still learning.“ — Michelangelo, at age 87—Sandy Halperin was a Harvard professor so brilliant he could deliver two-hour lectures from memory. A decade into his early-onset dementia diagnosis, Steve Orfield says he was still sharper than most people who didn’t have the condition. When Steve asked CNN’s producers why their ongoing feature kept telling the story of Sandy’s decline rather than what he was still able to do, they refused. It’s the kind of story that runs through every part of this conversation. The founder of Orfield Labs in Minneapolis is a polymath in the old sense -- self-taught in acoustics, lighting, architecture, philosophy of science, and at seventy-something, he says he learns twice as fast as he did in his fifties. He and Michael walk through the principle that anchors his work -- that the parts of the brain you use grow, and the parts you don’t shrink -- and the design philosophy it has produced: facilities for people with dementia where residents start engaging, socializing, and moving like they’re ten years younger; autism buildings that look “boring” to architects because they are quiet and simple, and work for that exact reason; an entire body of evidence that what we call decline is often the environment failing the person, not the other way around. Along the way: the autistic artists whose gestalt perception has taught Steve more than psychology departments, his fractional self-diagnosis of HD without the AD, the international dementia research award his first project won outright, and the worry that AI is quietly making us less able to finish our own setences.If decline is not what we have been told it is -- if the right room can give a person with dementia ten years back, and the wrong room can take them -- then the harder question is what we have agreed to call inevitable, and who pays the price for it.—“In my 70s, I can learn twice as fast as I could in my 50s.“ -- Steven Orfield— —Follow uspsychophobia.com | Substack | LinkedIn | Instagram | YoutubeSend us a message: https://www.speakpipe.com/psychophobiaFollow SteveOrfield Labs | Steven Orfield on LinkedIn— —Steven Orfield is a pioneering polymath whose work spans acoustics, lighting, architecture, and sensory science. Founder of Orfield Labs in Minneapolis, he has spent decades designing environments that enhance human perception, from dementia and autism facilities to cutting-edge research in silence and sensory processing. Orfield combines rigorous science with a deep understanding of human experience, challenging conventional approaches to mental health and neurodiversity. He reframes cognitive differences as “filters” rather than deficits, using research and design to improve quality of life. A lifelong learner and innovator, his work demonstrates how thoughtful environments can unlock human potential and transform perception.—Dr. Michael R. Montgomery is an existential psychoanalyst whose work explores the far edges of human experience, including complex trauma, extreme states, addiction, and the psychological aftermath of conflict. Trained at Regent’s University London, the Tavistock and Portman, and the Anna Freud Centre, his clinical work focuses primarily on community-based care for individuals often excluded from traditional mental health systems. He is faculty, and a supervising analyst at the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis, CA. He is the founder of Logic23.com and Peacefire.us and a regular contributor to the Society for Existential Analysis, the R.D. Laing Symposium, and ISPS-US. He has published more than 30 peer-reviewed works and is currently developing a new book alongside the psychophobia* podcast.— —Episode Chapters00:00:05 – Intro & The Anechoic Chamber Challenge00:02:00 – Peace, Polymaths & A Mind Without Boundaries00:07:08 – 25 Years of Invisible Disabilities: Autism, Asperger’s & The Daily “Replay”00:15:44 – Schizophrenia, Stubborn Children & The Limits of Diagnosis00:18:44 – A Daughter Diagnoses Her Father: HD Without the AD00:25:42 – How Orfield Labs Began: A Storefront, A Chamber & A Building Prince Walked Away From00:34:51 – Use It or Lose It: The Brain at Seventy & The Sandy Halperin Story00:40:44 – Filters, Not Deficits: Designing for Autism & Dementia00:52:41 – Kumbaya Meetings, Veterans & Whale Sounds in the Chamber00:56:54 – Carl Beam, Ojibwe Art & The National Gallery01:01:32 – Objective Reality, The Frog & The Limits of Perception01:10:59 – Stupidifying the Population: AI, Education & The Loss of Liberal Arts— —Please note that while I am a therapist, I am not your therapist. This podcast explores mental health and the human experience, but it is not a substitute for therapy, medical care, or professional advice. Any decisions regarding your mental health, including changes to medication or treatment, should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare professional you trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit psychophobia.substack.com
