Tawhid & Modern Imaginations

In this session, we will explore “Nafs and Psyche: Two Mentalities’ Conception of the Human Being,” looking at how the concepts of psyche and nafs (self/ego) help us understand human nature, and how they relate to the faculties of intellect (ʿaql), spirit (ruh), heart (qalb), and will (irada). We’ll also reflect on the methodological and ontological differences between these two approaches and how they shape our understanding of the human being.

The session is led by Nursena Balatekin, a clinical psychologist, analytic psychotherapist, and author whose work connects modern psychotherapy with the Islamic intellectual tradition. Trained under Dr. Mustafa Merter in ʿIlm al-Nafs, she brings together classical perspectives on the self with contemporary clinical practice, particularly through dream-based psychotherapy and her published work on healing and meaning-making.