The Dignity of Suffering

I thought it was important to take a closer look at the notion of suffering, particularly from the point of view of Buddhist thought, as many of the tenets and practices of Buddhism have progressively entered the Western popular imagination.

I found myself reflecting on what must be a misconception and oversimplification of Buddhist thought in the idea that "Life is Suffering." Upon further investigation, this is a quote erroneously attributed to the Buddha.

As a result of wanting to explore this further, I was inspired to reach out to an old friend. Dr. Sean Smith is now an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and I knew that he would have strong opinions on the matter. I also believed that our conversation would lead to an interesting exploration of the notion of suffering in general.

Sean did not disappoint. In our conversation, we delve into multiple facets of the art of suffering. We talk about the clinical issue I often face: the aversion to pain and the fierce resistance to the idea that suffering, sadness, and disappointment are normal parts of life. Tune in to hear all about this and more.

Show Highlights:

• Why the ability to tolerate disappointment is the hallmark of healthy development.
• How oversimplified Buddhist ideas have become.
• The radical orientation towards transcendence and rejection of the world in Buddhism.
• How death is understood through a cyclical existence in Buddhism.
• Where Buddhist beliefs about a cyclical world came from.
• How the rigidity of committing to our beliefs can lead to anxiety and isolation.
• The difference between the meaning of your life and the truth of your life.
• The 3 levels of suffering in Buddhism.
• The inevitability and irreducibility of suffering.
• How to give dignity to the countless failures going on every day.
• How being in touch with and aware of your body helps during therapy sessions.
• Why real progress doesn't result from hacks but hard work.
• Why things that seem to have gone wrong have actually all gone right.

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We'd appreciate you subscribing to this podcast and leaving an Apple Podcasts review. Reviews help others discover and learn what The Dignity of Suffering is all about. It only takes a second and helps us out a lot!

If you enjoyed this episode, we've also created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from it. Just go to the episode page at [enter podcast page here] to download it.

Supporting Resources:

http://mitchellsmolkin.com/

Mitchell Smolkin is a sought-after clinician, speaker, and author. For media and interview requests please contact his publicist Randy Phipps at [email protected]. For all other inquiries, please send mail to [email protected].

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In the late 19th century, a pivotal evolution occurred. It is one that still echoes today and underscores the entire field of psychology and a lot of the work I do as a psychotherapist.

During this time, it was discovered that major physiological diseases had a psychological basis. The French neurologist Jean Charcot was able to move physiological distress in the body through suggestion; you may know this phenomenon as transference. It is connected to the idea that much of our psychological life manifests itself in our physiological body, and that the body works to vehemently protect us against exposure, vulnerability, and humiliation.

This can be difficult for some when there is an increased need to reach out to others for help; one can go from vehemently protecting themselves one day to desperately needing others the next. This can cause a war between the part of us that longs to be comforted and the part of us that has warned us sometimes for decades against needing others too much. The energy expended trying to solve this conflict causes distress on the human body and manifests as fatigue, distraction, and a general feeling of being lost or disoriented.

Today's guest, Charlene Jones, introduced me to the power of our emotional life and the need for strong containers and embodied emotion. I was tremendously fortunate to meet her when I did. She came into my life at a time when I needed someone who had compassion for my situation while also providing the boundaries necessary to pass through it.

Charlene was also prompted in her life to dig deep and build a container for her own experience. She later poured those experiences and knowledge into her career as a writer, therapist, and teacher. Tune in to learn how to manage your grief and get through difficult life transitions.

Show Highlights:

• The story behind how Charlene and I met and why that situation still reverberates inside of me.
• Why emotional structures and containers are so important in life and how Charlene came to understand their significance.
• Why not fitting into your culture can sometimes be a sign of good mental health.
• How Charlene works with people who are resisting their negative emotions.
• How our emotions can physically manifest.
• Why our society needs a greater capacity for tolerating anguish.
• When Charlene decided to pursue psychotherapy.
• What has surprised her the most about her work.
• What the trauma of the present is and how to work through it.

Subscribe and Review

We'd appreciate you subscribing to this podcast and leaving an Apple Podcasts review. Reviews help others discover and learn what The Dignity of Suffering is all about. It only takes a second and helps us out a lot!

If you enjoyed this episode, we've also created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from it. Just go to the episode page at [enter podcast page here] to download it.

Supporting Resources:

http://mitchellsmolkin.com/

Charlene's podcast, Soulsciences: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soulsciences/id1529185344

If you believe in combining Western Reason with Eastern Faith and enjoy knowing the science behind how meditation works, you'll love Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind. Begin meditating with both sides of your brain. Buy Medicine Buddha Medicine Mind now! Available in print, ebook, and audio formats: https://www.amazon.com/Medicine-Buddha-Mind-Easy-Understand/dp/0993911412

My Impossible Life: Trauma, Travel & Transcendence is an inspirational exploration of never giving up, no matter how hard. If you like relatable people, luminous prose, and the intersection of Eastern and Western thought, then you'll love Charlene Jones's moving revelation: https://www.amazon.com/My-Impossible-Life-trauma-transcendence/dp/1987813324/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=my+impossible+life&qid=1619595461&s=books&sr=1-1

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Welcome to The Dignity of Suffering.

My name is Mitchell Smolkin, I am a registered psychotherapist, certified couples therapist, Jungian psychoanalyst, author, and speaker. I have been interested in the field of psychotherapy for almost three decades and have had the opportunity to walk through some of the hardest circumstances in life with people from all over the world.

On this podcast, we are going to take a candid look at the trials and tribulations that come with being alive. Specifically, I am going to focus on the dignity we must afford ourselves in our most vulnerable moments so that we can establish deeper and more meaningful connections in our relationships, parenting and through life transitions. Each week I will explore a different aspect of this process, either by going in depth into important research, ideas and examples from my clinical practice and/or in conversation with thought leaders and experts in their field. Together, we will create a space to elevate our most difficult but necessary moments so that we can move through them with the respect they deserve.

My hope is that this podcast will build on our shared desire for community and understanding, that we can create additional ways of talking about and feeling our way through our hardest moments, and that we can change the language around suffering and afford it the dignity it deserves.

Will you join me?

Show Highlights:

• What my grandmother taught me about the dignity of suffering.
• The importance of facing what makes us most uncomfortable about ourselves.
• Why human relationships are so hard.
• How I got interested in psychotherapy.
• Why many of us don't know how to respond to the suffering we encounter in our lives.
• What each episode of this podcast will look like.

Subscribe and Review

We'd appreciate you subscribing to this podcast and leaving an Apple Podcasts review. Reviews help others discover and learn what The Dignity of Suffering is all about. It only takes a second and helps us out a lot!

If you enjoyed this episode, we've also created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from it. Just go to the episode page at [enter podcast page here] to download it.

Supporting Resources:

In The Shadows of Memory: The Holocaust and the Third Generation

http://mitchellsmolkin.com/

[email protected]

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EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Have you ever been brought to your knees by the challenges of life? What if you could enter the world of the therapist, be a fly on the wall, and hear their stories and insights into life's biggest challenges; a place to learn from the experiences of others who have tried to find dignity in their suffering. That's what we do each week on The Dignity of Suffering. Hosted by Mitchell Smolkin –– registered psychotherapist, author, and speaker – every episode is a candid look at the trials and tribulations of being alive, and how slowing down and becoming curious about our human experience can enrich our perspectives and plant our feet more firmly on the ground.

[email protected]