My guest today is Dr. Ron Siegel. Ron is an author and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught for over 35 years. He is a long time student of mindfulness meditation and serves on the Board of Directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He teaches internationally about the application of mindfulness practice in psychotherapy and other fields, and maintains a private clinical practice in Lincoln, Massachusetts

Some of the topics we explore include:

-What process behind Dr. Siegel’s new book, The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary
-The science behind our pursuit of specialness and comparison
-How to focus on making connections, not am impressions with others
-How social media can amplify our suffering 
-How stressful early life experiences or trauma intersects with these processes
-The potential healing power of psychedelic-assisted therapy
-The connection between psychopathology and self preoccupation 
-And we end by discussing some practical tips to shift unhelpful evaluative processes

—————————————————————————

Dr. Siegel’s website: https://drronsiegel.com/

The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary: https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Gift-Being-Ordinary-Happiness/dp/1462548547

—————————————————————————
If you find value in the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It plays an important role in being able to get new guests. I also love reading them! 

Connect with me on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/

Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode. https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth