A Psychological Journey: A Podcast About Relationships and Personal Growth.

These are ideas were originally created in the podcasts with my friend Illan yifrach. link in hebrew: https://youtu.be/QzuVdTkYN-4?si=iwge12kZuyYyq27qMy name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor (M.A) and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by email at [email protected]

Most people believe boredom is merely the byproduct of routine, familiarity, or fading chemistry. However, psychoanalyst Stephen Mitchell—in his groundbreaking book Can Love Last?—offers a completely different perspective: boredom is not a passive state, but an active defense mechanism against the vulnerability of deep intimacy.In this video, we explore Mitchell's profound insights on: • Why we unconsciously choose boredom to protect ourselves from anxiety and emotional risk. • The psychological dynamics of short-term flings vs. long-term committed partnerships. • How creating an overly predictable view of your partner suffocates mystery and desire. • The courage required to bring new, unexpressed parts of yourself into the relationship to reignite vitality. • A practical question you can ask yourself whenever boredom surfaces in your life or love.Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: The Paradox of Boredom & Stephen Mitchell01:08 - The Case of Burt: Why Passion Fades as Attachment Grows03:28 - Boredom as a Psychological Defense Mechanism05:25 - Short-Term vs. Long-Term Relationship Dynamics07:50 - Safety vs. Vitality: The Illusion of Total Predictability10:15 - The Solution: Embracing Uncertainty & Self-Disclosure13:28 - Key Takeaway & Practical ExerciseMy name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor (M.A) and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by email at [email protected]

Has social media made us too quick to see forgiveness as weakness or self-betrayal?What if forgiving our parents is not about excusing them, but about changing what continues to live inside us?What can Melanie Klein and Object Relations Theory teach us about the healing power of forgiveness?

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected]

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected].

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected]

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clinical MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected].

What can we learn from August Kubizek’s account of Hitler’s early personality- and were signs of extreme narcissism already visible?Where is the line between confidence, grand ambition, and pathological narcissism that distorts reality?To what extent do childhood experiences, rejection, and failure shape a narcissistic personality—and what does this mean for ordinary people today?

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clincal MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected].

When does caring become self-repair?
Can the wish to heal others grow from an unhealed childhood?
When does empathy become a need to matter?

In this episode, I explore the psychological idea introduced by Alice Miller in The Drama of the Gifted Child. Miller suggested that some children survive emotionally by becoming exceptionally attuned to the needs and feelings of their parents. This sensitivity can later develop into a remarkable ability to understand others-but it can also remain tied to an early need to secure love, recognition, or approval.

In the world of therapy, this raises an uncomfortable question. The same qualities that make someone a gifted therapist-empathy, emotional intelligence, and deep sensitivity- may sometimes grow out of an earlier attempt to justify one’s existence in the eyes of others.

In this episode, I examine the tension between genuine care and the subtle psychological need to feel indispensable. Drawing on Miller’s work and the broader psychoanalytic tradition, we look at the shadow side of helping: when the desire to heal others is intertwined with unresolved wounds of one’s own.
My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clincal MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected].

This chapter is based on the Hebrew podcast ‘Journey into the Soul’ by Akiva Ragan and Ilan Yifrach. The insights are shared by both Ilan and Akiva.

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clincal MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected]://www.akivaragen.com/

My name is Akiva Ragen, and I am an certified counselor and a clincal MSW in training. dedicated to guiding individuals through their personal growth, both online and in my clinic in israel. I also host the podcast "Journey to the Soul," (In Hebrew) which delves into psychology and relationships. Additionally, I am the author of the book "The Secret of the Encounter." In my clinic, the therapeutic space is crafted to support and nurture key life processes, helping individuals to deeply reflect, process, and heal from the challenges they face, ultimately enabling meaningful growth. The issues I address are wide-ranging and encompass anxiety, relationship problems ,trauma, professional and family crises, addictions, unresolved past experiences, lack of clarity, creative blockages, loss of passion, depression, and overwhelming emptiness.To schedule a session online, please contact me by phone at 972+547688338 (WhatsApp is also available) or by email at [email protected]://www.akivaragen.com/