The Outer Space Astronauts of Artemis II Are Also Piloting Us to Inner Space
Key Takeaways
- Astronaut narratives frame diversity as additive, arguing that “bringing differences together” can mobilize collective strengths and serve as a pragmatic model for psychiatric teams and therapeutic alliances.
- Strengths-based clinical orientation is positioned as complementary to disorder-focused care, enhancing recovery by identifying capacities, values, and protective factors rather than privileging deficits.
What can the Artemis II astronauts tell us about both outer space and the inner space of our minds?
PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS
There is no question that the technology that the Artemis II astronauts are using in their unique mission into space is quite impressive. The awe many felt upon their takeoff is mentally beneficial in its own right.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the bonus is what these astronauts are telling us about what many think are the positive possibilities of human nature, even as war persists in the Mideast and Ukraine. Take these selective quotes from the astronauts to date.
Pilot Victor Glover on April 2, after the translunar injection burn, said:
“We call amazing things that humans do ‘moonshots’ for a reason because this brought us together and showed us what we can do when we not just put our differences aside, when we bring our differences together and use all the strengths to accomplish something great.”
Given that the 4 astronauts are diverse in their cultural, religious, and spiritual identities, this statement emphasizes the additional advantages of combining these strengths. I would venture the same principle is relevant for psychiatry.
Even take our clinical work. Looking and using the strengths of each patient complements and buoys addressing their weaknesses from their disorders.1
On a broader personal project level, emphasizing strengths was certainly essential for me in the process of putting together 5 interfaith volumes on the various religious and spiritual beliefs and their relevance for clinical psychiatry over the last decade.2-6 Moreover, the requested second edition of Islamophobia and Psychiatry was perhaps serendipitously published right before the recent proposed ceasefire in Iran.
Despite some differences in opinions, particularly about whether it is always preferable for someone of a given background to make decisions about their culture, our interfaith chapter writers and editors’ relationships were able to develop enough verifiable trust, compassion, and understanding to be a model for the benefits of combining diverse strengths. We had lead editorship that was both the same as the content and different from the content. I am not at all sure we can tell the difference in quality of the ensuing volumes.
This potential ability to successfully overcome cultural differences is essential for psychiatric patient care since it is practically impossible to mainly match clinicians and patients culturally and religiously, let alone whether that is always or usually the most helpful regardless. What it seems to take is curiosity, compassion, and a clear positive goal for all concerned.
Pilot Glover went on to say: “. . . the divisions of Earth are far out of view” and that humanity looks like “one thing” and “one people” from space.
That we have made progress, as limited as it may be, in putting together our diversity is reflected in this statement of his: “For the first time of 50 years, we’re going back—and this crew looks different. The first astronauts all looked the same.”
At the very least, the diversity model of these astronauts suggests that such opportunities are now felt to be available to astronomically more children. As the Artemis II crew observed the dark side of the moon for the first time, the Canadian Jeremy Hansen said this in discussing 2 newly observed craters. For one, he suggested the name Integrity, so fitting for our time of alternative facts and increasing moral injuries. His next suggestion was: “The second one, and especially meaningful for this crew, is a number of years ago we started this journey, and our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one.” Hansen said with his voice breaking, and I with my eyes tearing as I wrote this.
And he continues: “And so we lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie . . . It’s a bright spot on the moon.”
“Integrity and Carroll craters, loud and clear. Thank you,” back from Mission Control.
The astronauts then spontaneously and weightlessly hugged each other emotionally. If there is a better example of this capacity for humans to mourn and honor their loved ones over time and avoid a prolonged grief disorder, I do not know what that may be.
Another reaction to the far side was from Kelsey Young, the astronauts’ science lead: “This is discovery. We’re asking questions that we don’t always know the answer to, and that’s some of the value of what else Artemis missions bring.”
As they start heading home, maybe one of those answers can be how to get along better, a perennial concern and challenge for humans. Perhaps understanding the inner space of our minds is even harder than that of outer space.
Yesterday, the American Psychiatric Association’s daily Headlines started with a commentary about, “New M.R.I. Research Shows How Psychedelic Drugs Drive Activity in Various Brain Regions.” It suggests that psychedelics can temporarily reduce the separation of brain functions that usually separate how we think and perceive in a process of neuronal unification in addition to the usual separation.7 Perhaps we can go on an inner journey to reduce our human nature tendency to scapegoat others with the help of psychedelics.
As astronaut Reid Wiseman commented about the far side: “As we came around the near side of the moon, seeing all the sites that we’ve seen from Earth for all of our lives, but we’re seeing them from a different perspective.” We in psychiatry have the potential to contribute to such potential peace and prosperity with our different perspectives.
Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specializes in the social, cultural, ethical, spiritual, and religious aspects of psychiatry, and since 2012 is in retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekdays column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He has been an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physical burnout, and xenophobia, among other social justice causes, serving on many related local and national community and professional Boards. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.
References
1. Bateman H. Pathway to Treasure: Discovering the Hope Empowerment Can Bring Toward Recovery from Serious Mental Illness. Independently published, 2022.
2. Moffic HS, Peteet J, Hankir A, Awaad R, eds. Islamophobia and Psychiatry. Springer; 2019.
3. Moffic HS, Peteet J, Hankir A, Seeman M, eds. Anti-Semitism and Psychiatry. Springer; 2020.
4. Peteet J, Moffic HS, Hankir A, Koenig H. Christianity and Psychiatry. Springer; 2021.
5. Moffic HS, Gogineni RR, Peteet J, Aggarwal NK, Mahr N, Hankir A, eds. Eastern Religions, Spirituality, and Psychiatry. Springer; 2024.
6. Moffic HS, Peteet, J, Hankir A, Awaad R, eds. Islamophobia and Psychiatry, second edition. Springer; 2026.
7. Girn M, Doss MK, Roseman L, et al.
