Anxiety Book Club

Episode 48 - Internal Family Systems Therapy for Shame and Guilt

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Martha Sweezy, IFS therapist, author and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. We discuss her book, Internal Family Systems Therapy for Shame and Guilt. These topics are covered:
The multiplicity hypothesis of IFS
The difference between some Buddhist traditions and IFS
The ontology of IFS 
The shame cycle 
Soothing parts
Shaming parts
Outward shaming parts
“Scouting” managerial parts 
The kinds of burdens of parts
How children are self-referential 
Karlen Lyons-Ruth’s research
The usefulness (or not) of shame

Episode 47 - Healing Trauma with Frank Anderson

In this episode, I talk with trauma specialist Dr. Frank Anderson about his book Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems. We discuss:
- What is complex post traumatic stress disorder?
- How widespread some kind of trauma or overwhelming experience is
- The usefulness of empathy vs compassion, especially in clinical settings
- The importance and non-importance of distance between client and clinician
- The difference between IFS and other modalities with regard to the clinician’s mental capacities, or “therapist parts”
- The multiplicity hypothesis of internal family systems 
- The difference between grasping the tools of IFS while learning the model and grasping the core message 

Episode 46 - Real Life with Sharon Salzberg

In this episode, I chat with Sharon Salzberg about her latest book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom.
We discuss how useful self compassion is, the difference between remorse and guilt, urge surfing, the limits of mindfulness, the practice of looking directly at difficult feelings, why we might not label hardships as gifts, and the difference between equanimity and resignation, among other topics. Enjoy!

Episode 45 - Teaching Mindfulness in Public Schools

In this episode, I chat with Amy Edelstein, author and creator of the Inner Strength System -- a program for teaching mindfulness to high school aged students. We discuss her book, The Conscious Classroom, and about the impact of her program (over 20,000 students in Philadelphia), the intricacies of its implementation and the special challenges facing teenagers today. 
 
https://amyedelstein.com/
https://innerstrengtheducation.org/
The Conscious Classroom
 

Episode 44 - This Extraordinary Moment with John Astin

In this episode, me and John Astin discover what everything is made of; or we give it a real college try! John works in the field of effortless mindfulness, an approach to present moment awareness that is truly amazing. Enjoy!
 
John's Website: https://www.johnastin.com/
The book: https://a.co/d/i0jJ7U4
 
My email: joshuamalina@gmail.com
Podcast website: https://anxietybookclub.com/

Episode 43 - Anticipatory Anxiety with Sally Winston

In this episode of the podcast, guest Dr. Sally Winston and I discuss a component of anxiety she has identified as "Anticipatory Anxiety" -- which can be a bear to root out. Enjoy!
 
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Anticipatory-Anxiety-Indecisiveness-Catastrophic/dp/1684039223

Episode 42 - Psychedelics and Grief with Stuart Preston

In this episode, I interview stand up comedian, dad, and psychonaut Stuart Preston about his one man show -- The Stoned Ape Show -- and his booklet, The Grief Trip, about the death of his son and how psychedelics have helped him to heal with loss. We have a frank discussion covering psychedelics -- including mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca -- as well as suicide, how to talk about it (spoiler: we should), shame, privacy and other mental health concerns.
 
Find Stuart here: https://stonedapecomedy.com/

Episode 41 - Woebot

In this episode, I speak with Chief Clinical Officer Athena Robinson at Woebot Health. Woebot is a therapist in your pocket; a conversational agent; someone to tell your woes to! I've been using Woebot for the last few months, and it honestly has helped me -- to reframe unrealistic thoughts, get grounded, and feel supported. Give it a whirl -- it's free. And I hope you enjoy the episode.
https://woebothealth.com