How to Believe in Yourself: Carl Rogers and Humanistic Psychology
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore humanistic psychology, the mid-20th century movement that redefined how therapists relate to clients. It challenged the pessimism of Freud and the mechanism of behaviorism, offering a more hopeful alternative: that our nature is fundamentally good, and our job is to let it shine through. They discuss Carl Rogers’ work, including self-actualization, conditions of worth, unconditional positive regard, trusting your experience, and the central role of the therapeutic alliance. Throughout, they focus on what you can take from these ideas into your life.
Key Topics:
00:00: Intro
03:40: Humanism as a response to psychoanalysis
09:53: Humanism’s core principles: inherent goodness, wholism, self-actualization, agency, and subjective experience
21:35: What does humanistic therapy actually look like?
32:46: Congruence, conditions of worth, and authenticity
40:54: History and context: post-WWII and the civil rights movement
56:09: Critiques of humanism
1:02:40: Lessons we can all take from humanistic psychology
1:13:41: Recap
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1:21:17
AI Therapy Deep Dive: Can a Chatbot Be Your Therapist? w/ Dr. Nick Jacobson
AI chatbots may already be the largest providers of mental health services in the United States, raising big questions about safety, effectiveness, and oversight. Dr. Rick and Forrest are joined by Dr. Nick Jacobson to explore the risks and opportunities of AI therapy: Can a chatbot be good at therapy? Will it replace human therapists? What about AI psychosis? How should we think about privacy, bias, and regulation? Is this a silver bullet for mental health access, or are we just opening a new can of worms?
About our Guest: Nick is associate professor of biomedical data science, psychiatry, and computer science at Dartmouth, and directs the AI and Mental Health Laboratory there. He’s also the developer of Therabot, a generative AI therapy chatbot that predates ChatGPT, and he’s one of the first researchers to run a clinical trial on AI therapy.
Key Topics:
02:35: Is AI going to replace human therapists?
05:00: Risks of using ChatGPT as your therapist, and general vs. therapy-specific AI
14:30: What should people be worried about?
19:14: Is AI good at therapy?
29:58: Bias, values, and “who’s watching the watchers”
39:17: Is there something unique about a human therapist?
52:21: Oversight and the self-driving car analogy
1:00:51: Personhood, consciousness, and risks of anthropomorphizing AI
1:11:00: Recap
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
If you have ADHD, or you love someone who does, I’d recommend checking out the podcast ADHD aha!
Level up your bedding with Quince. Go to Quince.com/BEINGWELL for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.
Join hundreds of thousands of people who are taking charge of their health. Learn more and join Function at functionhealth.com/BEINGWELL.
Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Go to Zocdoc.com/BEING to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:25:50
How to Have a (Good) Life Crisis: Authenticity, Healthy Discontent, and the Anxiety of Choice
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how to use a life crisis productively, drawing on developmental stage theories, existential philosophy, literature, personal experience, and Rick’s clinical work. They examine the anxieties of death, freedom, responsibility, and choice that often underlie these crises, and discuss how we can not only cope with these anxieties but also harness them to build a more authentic life. Throughout, they simplify, summarize, and invite you to focus on not just the next 10 years, but the next 10 minutes.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
5:26: Life Stages: Erickson and Levinson
15:34: Healthy vs. Unhealthy Discontent
17:18: Inner Conflict and the Anxiety of Choice
24:18: Guidelines for Having a “Good Life Crisis”
29:36: Seizing Each Day
33:00: Coping with the Anxiety of Choice
35:17: Authenticity, Values, and Living True to Yourself
44:17: Roles and Life Transitions
46:28: Clarifying Your Values
52:09: Taking Action
57:28: Recap
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
If you are exploring whether you might be neurodivergent, check out Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson.
Level up your bedding with Quince. Go to Quince.com/BEINGWELL for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.
Join hundreds of thousands of people who are taking charge of their health. Learn more and join Function at functionhealth.com/BEINGWELL.
Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Go to Zocdoc.com/BEING to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
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1:12:02
People Pleasing and the Fawn Response with Meg Josephson
Forrest and therapist Meg Josephson explore the fawn response, a survival strategy where safety is sought by pleasing other people. They discuss how fawning can start as self-protection in childhood, but later morph into overthinking, hypervigilance, and self-abandonment. Meg shares her own experience, including how fawning creates resentment and makes it difficult to find a healthy relationship or figure out your authentic needs. Topics include becoming aware of unconscious habits, building distress tolerance, grief, self-compassion, healthy boundaries, and speaking up for ourselves.
About our Guest: Meg Josephson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of the new book Are You Mad at Me?
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:18: Self-sabotage as self-protection
4:01: Bringing the unconscious fawn response into awareness
9:51: Silencing wants and needs, conflict avoidance, and resentment
14:33: Rediscovering wants and needs after people pleasing
18:05: The healing arc: grief, anger, and relationship
25:30: Viewing people pleasing as a “part” rather than an identity
30:11: Nice vs. compassionate
51:36: Hypervigilance and the NICER practice
57:22: Authenticity as “uncovering” rather than “fixing”
1:03:02: Recap
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
If you have ADHD, or you love someone who does, I’d recommend checking out the podcast ADHD aha!
Level up your bedding with Quince. Go to Quince.com/BEINGWELL for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.
Join hundreds of thousands of people who are taking charge of their health. Learn more and join Function at functionhealth.com/BEINGWELL.
Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Go to Zocdoc.com/BEING to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:14:32
Anxious-Avoidant Relationships, Narcissism, and Insight to Action: Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag to answer questions about complex situations where good process really matters. They discuss whether to get back with an ex who has seemingly changed, relationships with someone with addictive tendencies, the difference between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and narcissistic tendencies, and why genuine change requires more than insight alone. Other topics include how much to tell your therapist, fears of being misunderstood, and how to approach meditation if you have an underlying vulnerability.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:00: Should I get back with my ex?
13:40: Dating someone with long-term substance use
19:30: Narcissistic traits vs. narcissistic personality disorder
32:40: How much research to bring into therapy
39:50: Fear of being misunderstood and hyper-rationality
47:40: Safe meditation practices for people at risk of depersonalization
55:50: Recap
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Level up your bedding with Quince. Go to Quince.com/BEINGWELL for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns.
Join hundreds of thousands of people who are taking charge of their health. Learn more and join Function at functionhealth.com/BEINGWELL.
Listen now to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Go to Zocdoc.com/BEING to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Forrest Hanson is joined by clinical psychologist (and his dad) Dr. Rick Hanson and a world-class group of experts to explore the practical science of lasting well-being. Conversations focus on the key insights from psychology, science, and contemplative practice that you need to build reliable inner strengths, overcome your challenges, and get the most out of life. New episodes every Monday.
Ireland