Mind your Mornings

Welcome to the final episode of Season 2 of Mind your Mornings. This season we took a break from psycho-education. Instead we decided to look at mental health journeys from within. We spoke to therapists and their clients. People just like you and me. People with stories and secrets. Their transformation is not one off, and neither is it complete. Each of them is on their own unique journey to know themselves better. To discover what really matters to them. And to carve a path to achieve it.They were kind enough to give us their time. But more importantly each of them was brave enough to share their personal story with us. Each of them decided to wear their vulnerability with authenticity.As we bring this season to close, let’s look back at the journey – the why, and the how of Season 2.With me I have Anna; host, therapist, and founder of Anna Chandy & Associates. Today we will unpack the key takeaways, and discuss our key learnings.

What happens when you are young and queer? When you begin to sense attraction before you even have the vocabulary for it? When everyone around you mocks you for the way you talk, or the way you walk? You internalize the shame and begin to resent yourself. This is not a story from the past. This is the reality of today. While some of us our fortunate to get support, many still struggle to express themselves.

Today, we have a special guest. Arjun is a advocate lawyer and brilliant photographer.

Growing up queer, he has faced the anger and ridicule of society. Today, he would like to share his journey, his experience with us. With Arjun we have Padma, his therapist. Padma is an unbiased listener and sees herself as an enabler on the journey of individuals to healing. She has over 20 years of experience in counselling. She specializes in working with adolescents, parents of children and young adults.

In this episode we will talk about the inner lives of two generations who are rarely understood and often labelled fickle. Millennials and Gen Z – the ones who grew up in digital spaces, but long for greenery. The ones who find it difficult to stick to a job, but are committed to long term resource conservation. The ones who are desperately seeking love, but are often inhibited by their own search for meaning.

The urban Millennials and Gen Z – for whom the world is a buzz of success, acquaintances, socializing, but also immense loneliness.

What is going on with the young people and how does it impact them – their mental health, relationships and friendships? We get a window into this with Farah, our associate.

Today, we are going to get a preview into the connection between mind and body. The concept is not new; it is well understood since ancient times. Neuroscience is proving it today.

Most of us have experienced feeling good after a workout. Some of us have felt a certain heaviness when we are sad. And others might have noticed feeling unsettled in the stomach before a flight or exam or presentation.

Well this is because our thoughts and feelings don’t function in isolation. They make themselves at home in our organs, in the gut, chest, legs.

These are some common experiences we have noticed. What else is our body trying to tell us? And how do we discover it? Let’s ask Komal who is a counsellor with Anna Chandy & Associates with a Certification in Mind Body Medicine.

In today's episode, we’ll discuss a phenomenon which is lesser known: Intergenerational trauma and The family secret. What is the unsaid message that lurks in families? How does it travel through generations?

Shedding light on this today we have Sudha along with her client Rina. Sudha is a senior therapist with Anna Chandy & Associates. She comes with decades of experience working with clients across age groups. Sudha grew up in a highly interdependent family. There were strong power structures at play. Her journey, observing these dynamics, informed her beliefs about the hierarchies within families. At some point this led to a breakdown. She found her answers in therapy. Therapy offered insights which then led her to explore family systems and intergenerational messages.

In today’s episode we have Reshma Prakash, an accomplished therapist and an integral part of the team at Anna Chandy & Associates. With her we have Gopica, Reshma’s client. Gopica is a long-term client and she has been seeing Reshma for the last 4 years. She is a young, ambitious professional driving her own success. Like many of her generation, she is figuring out relationships, especially romantic relationships. In this episode Gopica will talk about the patterns she has discovered and what changes therapy has brought to her life over the last few years.

In this episode Anna Chandy gets candid in conversation with her client, Sanjay.

Sanjay hails from a business family, and started seeing Anna as part of family therapy. He has met Anna several times over the last 4 years – both in individual sessions and together with his family.

Systemic therapy is rarely discussed in India. It is ironic, since several families could benefit from it.

Today, we have two very special guests with us.

Deepti Chandy is an associate counsellor at Anna Chandy & Associates. She has been practicing therapy for the last 2 years and is a TA trainee. And with her, we have Varun. Varun is on his mental health journey and Deepti is his therapist. He has graciously accepted our request to be on this podcast and share his experience with us.

In today’s times, when therapy is still a taboo, Varun has chosen to come forward and speak. We hope this creates a domino effect that leads to more acceptance and transparency around therapy.

In this season of Mind your Mornings we will unpack Mental Health from within. People just like you and me will recount their journeys – as therapists, as clients, as facilitators and as caregivers.

The last decade was about bringing mental health to light. This decade should be dedicated to uncloaking the so-called monster. So let’s take a peak into conversations from a closed room. Let’s explore some forms of the shape-shifter.

From then, to now, we have come a long way. And we have a path ahead of us to cover.

The most common association with a chameleon is its ability to change color. What can we learn from it and how does it reflect the human mind? Discover how the Chameleon Effect plays out in our interactions. Listen on to learn more.