Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

Clearly, most of our daily decisions are not earth-shattering, but you can imagine how paralysis in the decision-making process would render us virtually incapacitated every day if we let it.  We are called upon to be courageous, reliable, and trustworthy with regard to the outcome of our decisions (i.e., to make decisions consistent with our core values and beliefs).  Tune in and learn about how to make decisions and define your life.

Experts suggest that the negative feelings and experiences associated with prolonged isolation will come for us all. Humans are social creatures—yes, all of us. While the coronavirus pandemic is an extreme, largely unprecedented moment, the kind of seclusion that’s been eating at people over the last few weeks is not as uncommon an experience as you might imagine. The impacts of social isolation on our bodies and minds have been felt and studied in a variety of different groups, from astronauts to incarcerated people to immunocompromised children to Antarctic researchers to the elderly. The patterns that have emerged from their experiences with radical aloneness illuminate ways to understand and improve your own. Tune in and learn how to turn isolation into a health you!

Sleep paralysis can be a terrifying experience that is surprisingly common. It can involve the inability to move, auditory and visual hallucinations, a strong sense of presence, difficulty breathing, sensations of movement, and intense emotion. The causes and interpretations of sleep paralysis are described in this show, as well as some practical suggestions for coping with it. Tune in and learn about these frightening human occurrences.

Are you anxious or are you depressed? In the world of mental health care, where exact diagnosis dictates treatment, anxiety and depression are regarded as two distinct disorders. But in the world of real people, many suffer from both conditions. In fact, most mood disorders present as a combination of anxiety and depression. Surveys show that 60-70% of those with depression also have anxiety. And half of those with chronic anxiety also have clinically significant symptoms of depression. Tune in and learn how these disorders work and how to heal from them.

Though our need to connect is innate, many of us frequently feel alone. Even some people who are surrounded by others throughout the day—or are in a long-lasting marriage—still experience a deep and pervasive loneliness. Feelings of loneliness and isolation affect all types and ages of people. Tune in and learn how to improve your life!

In anticipation of an never-seen-before birth crisis after October 2020, a whole new set of zombies are about to inherit the earth. Robin LaCross is an absolute expert in birth control, women's health and the host of Holistic Sex Ed Radio on Voice America's Empowerment channel. I will interview her live about all topics SEX. Tune in and learn from Robin's dynamic expertise.

When a health problem like Ebola or coronavirus comes from abroad, we have poor information about it than we do about health problems in this country. Often foreign places have poorer surveillance capability, so they just gather poor information. Sometimes they have authoritarian regimes who suppress the information. We have greater uncertainty about things that come from places with poor information. Tune in and learn about the psychology of panic!

One thing is certain about coincidence. The phenomenon fascinates believers and skeptics alike. It's a porthole into one of the most interesting philosophical questions we can ask: Are the events of our lives ultimately objective or subjective? Is there a deeper order, an overarching purpose to the universe? Or are we the lucky accidents of evolution, living our precious but brief lives in a fundamentally random world that has only the meaning we choose to give it? Tune in and learn about coincidence and God.

The awareness of death is the downside of human intelligence. Life must end for all living beings, but only humans may grasp its existential meaning. Intellectually we may acknowledge our mortality, but deep down, we deny it. The fear of death is so overwhelming that we keep this knowledge unconscious. The repression of information about mortality results in several cognitive strategies that people use to avoid existential fear of death. Tune in and learn more about coping with death anxiety!

Despite popular opinion, anger issues aren't only of the loud/screaming/throwing things variety. Sometimes the signs are a lot more subtle, and may even go mostly unnoticed. Recognizing them, however, can mean saving your relationships, having an easier time at work, and even improving your health. All anger is a problem or a sign there is an issue to be addressed. If you work through and recognize this anger it could be very useful and lead to resolution. Conversely, if unrecognized, the ongoing anger will undoubtedly lead to a host of physical, social, professional, and psychological complications. Clearly, it's worth it to recognize subtle signs of anger in yourself, so you can get back to feeling better.