Wisdom for Wellbeing: Mind-Body Psychology and Somatic Skills for Healing and Growth

This episode provides a very brief introduction of the therapeutic power of breathing. You will learn how breath connects to your Autonomic Nervous System, top-down and bottom-up paths of influence, and a particularly well-researched breathing pattern that supports your body finding a state of resonance.

Free Breathing Basics handout and shownotes at www.drkaitlin.com

Ebony Butler, PhD, a native of Mississippi, is a Licensed Psychologist and Food Relationship Strategist who has made it her mission to help women of color heal and thrive in the areas of trauma and diet recovery. In fact, she created the My Therapy Cards to ensure women of color could see them self in this brilliant psychological resource - and to make therapeutic skills broadly accessible. She shares all about this journey and the wisdom behind her creation in today's episode.

Dr Tom Nehmy is an award-winning clinical psychologist with a passion for preventing psychological problems while also enhancing resilience and wellbeing. His university research produced the world’s first prevention program to prevent the onset of symptoms of depression and anxiety while also reducing risk for eating disorders. His book Apple's For Your Mind shares his everyday wellbeing tips, which is the focus of today's episode. You can expect to better understand your emotions, wellbeing domains, and how to take evidence-based action to thrive in your daily life.

Shownotes: www.drkaitlin.com

In today's episode you hear from Kelly G. Wilson is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Wilson shares about his journey to self-care, how yoga parallels Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and his Lifestyle Medicine framework which considers the rise of chronic illness from an evolutionary perspective. You will learn about ACTs of love and how little changes and habits make a big difference in wellbeing.

In today's episode you hear from Kelly G. Wilson is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Wilson shares about his journey to self-care, how yoga parallels Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and his Lifestyle Medicine framework which considers the rise of chronic illness from an evolutionary perspective. You will learn why it is so hard to engage in healthy behaviours, even when we 'know' they are good for us, and get some how-to tips from Dr. Wilson.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview next week!

Shownotes: www.drkaitlin.com

Being a parent is hard! New mum's are particularly vulnerable to postnatal depletion, depression and anxiety as they navigate the continuum that is the adjustment to new motherhood. In this episode I will discuss this journey, the impact of societal expectations (read "shoulds"), and how to clarify your values as a parent. You will be introduced to a psychological flexibility framework, and learn some strategies for accepting this wonderful new reality.

Shownotes: www.drkaitlin.com

Justine Spencer is a Registered Psychologist and Certified Wellness Coach based in Western Australia. In today's episode Justine openly talks you through her fertility struggles and how this lead her on a mission towards self-care and wholistic wellbeing. Justine highlights the importance of giving yourself permission to take care of yourself, and describes how self-care is an act of self-love needing to be practiced. This is such an important episode as we are globally experiencing one of the most stressful events of our lifetime, and we know how disconnecting and disempowering this experience can be.

Shownotes at www.drkaitlin.com

Manuela O’Connell is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice and teaches at universidad Favaloro in Buenos Aires, Argentina.She is a Peer reviewed ACT trainer and Fellow of ACBS (Association of Contextual Behavioral Science) and trains clinician in South America. Manuela uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness, Functional Analytic Psycotherapy (FAP) and Compassion. She is also trained in a body awareness technique called Eutony develop by Gerda Alexander and has been a practitioner of different body techniques for the last 30 years. 

In this episode Manuel introduces you to embodied metaphors and the benefit of this in terms of connecting with your inner compass, regulating emotions, cultivating empathetic connection in relationships, and empowering your body as a guide to your healing. This episode is brilliant in supporting you to cultivate an embodied awareness practice and includes a 10 minute embodied metaphor mindfulness practice at the end.

Shownotes at www.drkaitlin.com

Dr. Jennie Rosier is an associate professor of interpersonal communication at James Madison University and an expert on relationships and parenting. She is married to her best friend and has four children herself. You'll find this relevant as she couples research evidence with her lived experience, and shares some amazing stories stories to illustrate.

Drawing on the wisdom of her newest book The Who Does More War, Dr. Rosier specifically introduces you to the very real challenge of parenthood: both in terms of the common arguments and maintaining connection and empathy through one of the most stressful periods of a relationship. Dr. Rosier speaks to those of you with children, but highlights how extremely important this conversation is for those thinking of having children.

Shownotes at www.drkaitlin.com

Erin Matthews is a Clinical Social Worker who supports individuals who have experienced racial trauma, and who facilitates small groups aimed at supporting white people to move towards allyship and live in empathy.

Shownotes: www.drkaitlin.com