Shrinks Rap

Live From Boulder Colorado, an Interview with Dr. Paul Bretz

Jim catches up with his long-time friend and colleague from his halcyon days at the University of Chicago. Dr. Paul Bretz (a.k.a. Reverend Paul). Paul is still prolific after all these years —and is still doing his part to make the world a better place. Paul is the CEO of Centus Counseling Center (Centus.org). He is passionate abut high quality, cost effective, spiritually integrative behavioral healthcare. He is also a surveyor for the Joint Commission, whose mission is to continuously improve healthcare. (A real slacker…)

In this episode, Paul discusses the stages of psychological, moral, and spiritual development and its impact on individuals and couples. He compares a cosmic consciousness framework with a dualistic framework. Paul delves deep into the importance of Imago Therapy for doing couples work, and shares how it improved his own relationship. Paul makes a strong case for how spiritual development and Imago therapy can be combined to conduct highly effective couples therapy. Paul believes the intensive format is particularly efficacious for doing deep work. Paul is the embodiment of emotional, psychological, spiritual, and intellectual sophistication. He continues to be an inspiration and teacher for me and many others.

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A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Dr. Jim Bramson interviews Charlie & Linda Bloom

The Blooms are back. They tuned in from a writing retreat to discuss their latest book “An End to Arguing.” They also introduce their forthcoming book project on exemplary relationships. (In sharp contrast to their slacker podcast host who has been toiling over one book for over five years, the Blooms are churning out incredible books in rapid fire.)

In this interview we explore some spicy content areas in their “End to Arguing” book: transforming desire into intention; why winning doesn’t work; why it’s better to say nothing sometimes, who’s got the power?; and why it’s never too late have a happy childhood. The book devotes a chapter to each of these topics.

The Blooms also opine in this episode about the nexus between arguing, sex, and intimacy. They go into some detail about how the cessation of arguing can lead to greater intimacy and connection. 

Charlie and Linda Bloom will be featured presenters at the upcoming Human Potential Conference” Sex, Love and RockNRoll (Nov 1st, 2024 at the Hillside Club, Berkeley, CA from 5pm - 9:30pm). Go to Eventbrite for ticket information on the conference and visit Bloomwork.com to learn more about the Blooms.

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Robby Kendall not only spearheads the nonprofit film production company Fishnets & Film, Inc.  He is also a psychologist. Indeed, Robby is an educator, entertainer, writer, director, connector, humorist, and consummate problem solver. In this podcast episode, Robby shares his drag origin story as well as his psychologist origin story. Apparently he “therapized” his mother for years before becoming a shrink. And now he helps students and individuals solve their own problems. The conversation offers a fascinating look into sex education, the queer community, and the travails of wardrobe malfunctions as a drag queen.

Robby has created an impressive collection of short films and feature length film projects.  His filmography includes: “Victoria Place, Sweet Nothing, (Un)Free Will, The Other Side of Eden: A Modern Testament, and Drag Queens Must Die.” Yours truly (Dr. Jim) will be on a panel for Robby’s Queer Film Festival on March 2nd, 2024 at the New Parkway in Oakland, featuring the film, Sexplanation (Alex Liu). This film offers a humorous look at the dearth of comprehensive sex education in our country, what we know, and perhaps most significantly what we should know.

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A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Panel Discussion Interview with Louie Kangeter and Christine Benvenuto

Louie Kangeter and Christine Benvenuto are both experts in their respective fields. They participated in a live panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on the field of psychology and the human psyche. This WCMI (West Coast Mindfulness Institute) sponsored event is part of the annual Human Potential Conference series.

Louie and Christine both took a bold look at the impact of AI on the human experience. Louie covers myriad topics including AI and surveillance, laws, regulation, transparency, etc. Christine explores the confluence of psychedelics and AI on human potential.

Christine and her husband Dr. Pepper (featured on a previous Podcast with Christine) spoke at this conference, but did not participate in the recorded panel discussion. David Pepper, M.D. and Christine run the DBT center in Oakland, California. Christine and David believe plant based medicine and Ketamine can be an effective treatment approach. They do not believe in the “pharmaceutical industrial complex.” Hence, their interest in psychedelics and psychotherapy.

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Dr. Ken Dychtwald is an entrepreneur, author, lecturer, gerontologist, and psychologist. He is the co-founder and CEO of Age Wave. In this live recording Ken presents his memoir “Radical Curiosity” at the Human Potential Conference in Berkeley, California, sponsored by WCMI (West Coast Mindfulness Institute). You will find yourself mesmerized and inspired by Ken’s story — and will want to run, not walk, to buy one of his books.

Ken artfully discusses his meetups with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jimmy Carter, along with some luminaries in the field of psychology. You will learn about his storied (and often humorous) journey form Jersey to Big Sur and beyond. Very much like Forest Gump (the movie), Ken always seems to be at the right place at the right time to “influence or be influenced by the influencers.”

Ken is an expert on aging and mind-body healing. His seminal book Bodymind has been translated into countless languages over the years (so if you speak Mandarin like his son Zak, also a thought leader in his own right, you are all set). Interestingly, there were some naked illustrations or pictures in the original edition that have been edited out (sorry Marjorie Taylor Greene). So I guess my original copy of Bodymind is a collectors item, much like my cherished Draymond Greene T-Shirt. 

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Rafael and Jim join forces after catching a 49’ers victory over Seattle at Levi Stadium to tackle the topic of what makes this time of the year particularly challenging (and not just for Lions fans). Football is only discussed at the “kickoff” of this episode. Instead, Rafael and Jim focus mainly on managing the holidays, demanding relatives, shorter days, and your bulging waistline practical tips.

Jim and Rafael share some of the strategies that have helped their clients stay resilient and hopeful. According to NAMI, 64% of individuals living with mental health challenges reported that their conditions worsened during the holidays. If Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) was not enough to contend with … how about being stuck with annoying relatives and guests? Clearly, this is when mindfulness strategies really come into play. Rafael and Jim emphasize setting realistic expectations and boundaries upfront. And when all else fails, they encourage you to learn to sidestep acrimonious discussions with grace. After all , “what you resist persists.” There is a lot of pressure to make the holidays perfect, to be perfect, and to overextend yourself. Don’t drink the eggnog (Kool-Aid)

The dinner table can be fertile ground for discourse and acrimony versus a much-needed time for community, restoration, peace, nurturance, and love. Inevitably, you will meet up with your archetypal family member or guest. These holiday-goers may come in the form of pleasers, placaters, agitators, bulldozers, blowhards, pontificators, advice givers, guilt trippers, know-it-alls, and/or dramatists. Whatever form they take (or you take), it’s important to be ready to handle whatever and whoever comes your way. ‘Tis the season!

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Rafael and Jim interview Andre Decary

 Andre Decary, “The Seeker of Untruth,,” returns for another stellar discussion, this time about  his new writing project.  In this episode, Andre makes an important distinction between pain and suffering. He references Jung and Einzelganger’s work to illustrate his point: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” 

There is the Buddhist story of the two arrows that come toward you on the mountain path. When the first arrow hits, you know it hurts. Worse still, in the distance, you see a second arrow coming your way. Will you avoid it or let it hit you? How will you respond?  

The second arrow represents your reaction to the first arrow. The piercing of the first arrow is inevitable, while the second arrow presents an opportunity. Andre conveyed how by the time the second arrow comes your way you have more experience. And you have a choice. You can respond as you did to the first one, and experience suffering. Or you can opt to respond with hope or joy, or dodge it altogether. Andre references this story to distill the difference between pain and suffering. He discusses how we can be injured by someone’s words and actions (the first stinging arrow). However, we can learn to anticipate the second arrow and respond differently (which can give us hope). Nothing can change the fact we got hit by the first arrow that caused us inevitable pain or what Buddhists call “Duhkha.” But we can chose how we respond to the subsequent arrows we encounter on our path.

Andre also makes another important distinction in this podcast. He describes the difference between intimacy and closeness. Part of this distinction involves the calibration of vulnerability, self-awareness, differentiation, and empathy. Andre explores how couples can work on both closeness and intimacy. When you have both it is optimal. Tune in to the podcast to hear how — just by discussing these themes — we experienced closeness and professional intimacy.

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Dr. Jim interviews Dr. Josh Wilson

Dr. Josh Wilson is the Co-Founder of EBMC, Psych Inc, WCMI, and Organizational Solutions. Prior to becoming a licensed psychologist and President of the aforementioned businesses (and all around cool guy) Dr. Josh worked with kids on the spectrum and their parents.

Dr. Josh worked at Quest Therapeutic Camp. While where he discovered his passion for working with children on the (Autism) spectrum, including gifted kids. It is also where he met his current wife. Two discoveries he is quite impassioned about.

In this episode Dr. Wilson discusses his passion for 2E kids (or twice exceptional children) who present with a high IQ and an accompanying cognitive challenge and/or learning disability, i.e. ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia. Dr. Josh helps us become more humane by understanding and esteeming this extraordinary population.

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Rafael highlights his journey from Poland to Croatia. While there he shared his Gestalt framework on trauma and hope. He also took a deep dive into the history, culture, beauty, and atrocities of the region. Rafael was particularly moved after visiting Auschwitz. He immediately thought about the resiliency of its survivors, including the original tour guides who were survivors themselves. Jim thought about the well-known psychologist Viktor E. Frankl and what he taught us about resiliency after he survived the camps.

Viktor E. Frankl invented Logotherapy which holds that “our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.”  Living a meaningful life can enhance one’s own resiliency.  Jim and Rafael share their own resiliency factors and how they have tried to impart resiliency skills and wisdom to their own clients. Rafael and Jim find themselves awestruck by the transformational power of resiliency and how it can be a learned skillset. They stressed the 7 C’s of resiliency and its potentiating effect. They noted that resiliency is a critical ingredient for transcending our own history. Resiliency also helps us transcend our own self-limiting thoughts and behaviors. Carl Jung once said the following about resiliency: “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” 

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here

Dr. Jim interviews Bryn Khan, Psy.D., Jessica Lim, AMFT, and Eti Valdez-Kaminsky, MFT

In this episode, three highly talented and impassioned clinicians from EBMC and the Samsara Intensive Therapy program discuss mindful parenting. Bryn who manages EBMC together with her associate Jessica, run a mindful parenting class, do intensive therapy sessions with parents, and provide executive functioning coaching and assessment services for children and adolescents through the Satori college prep and executive functioning program. Eti is the Clinical Director at EBMC and runs the Samsara Intensive Therapy Program. In addition to running the EBMC clinic, he supervises clinicians. He is also highly sought- after as a parent coach, music enthusiast, rock climber, and family therapist. 

As clinicians, they emphasize understanding a child’s point of view. Their approach centers on parenting from the inside out (Daniel Siegal’s model).  In short, they focus on mindfulness. 

But wait, there’s more— Bryn, Jessica, and Eti are all dedicated parents themselves who walk the walk and talk the talk. They utilize mindfulness tools with their own kids too. In this podcast, they discuss their own parenting and childhood experiences and how it has informed them as clinicians, and vice versa. 

Many contemporary topics are discussed in this episode including the impact of social media, electronics, cyber bullying, sexting, and oppositional behavior. Some tools parents can usefor self-regulation and co-regulation are discussed. The importance of being an ego-less role model is stressed - - along with the importance of empathy, acceptance, and emotional attunement. Key application of Attachment theory and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (A-C-T) is also detailed. 

As the adage goes “being a parent is like folding a fitted sheet, no one really knows how to do it.”  (Except for maybe these three . . .)

WCMI networking group
A networking group for mindfulness-focused clinicians dedicated to learning together & collaborating for more information click here