The Pitfalls of Using Astrology to Justify Poor Behaviors Ft Shahem McLaurin

because you have some sense. I like being able to see licensed clinicians actually speak about, you know, things from an appropriate perspective. You also center marginalized voices, which a lot of people do not do or don't know how to do, and I think you very much have a good aspect of accountability within your content space. I very much appreciate it. Plus, you make me laugh, because you'd be so shady. Sometimes I love it. I love it. Hey, everyone. Just a reminder that mind, your mental

is not just a podcast. It is also a amazing community. If I do say so myself, it's phenomenal. I mean, you get more access to me. What more could you want in this life if you want to join the community. If you're not already on the community, go to my social media. My social media is the same Raquel Martin, PhD, and DM me the word community, so you can get details on joining this amazing, flipping community. You get more access to me. Y'all like, I'm a delight. All right.

All right. Hope to see you there. That makes a world coming from you. I literally shout you out in every I'm so serious I don't think you understand. You are, like, my favorite therapist, creator like I literally shout you out on every podcast I do, and always, oh, who do you aspire to be like in the space I'm like, doctor, rocket, minor like, that is that's the pinnacle. You are the standard to me. I think you are literally eons ahead of like me, and I just admire and support everything that

Dr. Raquel Martin: you do. When I first started following you, it was, I forget what the video was, but it just made me laugh. And when you know with me, you make me laugh. I'm a phone, you know, like, I think somebody had said something crazy to you, and you realize you know the textbook calls and you be like, so Imma, Imma say something and y'all gonna be mad. I was like, Ooh, anger me, and I just crack it. I like it just very good but, but I love the fact that you center marginalized voices.

I love your best friend, even though I have not met your best friend, but in my opinion, not your best friend, and how there's also, I think you do a fantastic job of combining the aspect of mental health and content creation and talking about what you're sacrificing as well as I love seeing your hobbies to this day, your your cheesecake cups and stuff. I made yours and mine at a party. And my friend's best my husband's best friend said, yours are better than my your

snickerdoodle cheesecake cups. He was like, made both of them, but he didn't know they weren't both my recipe. So I gave him the chocolate one, and he was like, Oh, this is good. And then I gave him the snickerdoodle recipe, and he told my husband. He was like, Yo, you gotta try this one, though. And my husband was like, Oh, look, I do have a lot of hobbies. My main goal in everything that I do is to humanize like being a therapist, because there is we will get into it when we talk about what

inspired me to be a therapist, because it was a long story. I didn't even want to be one, but I am a human being first. Yes, I'm a person first, everything else second. And I know like that, there's this, like, weird wall that is created through society where people like view, like, often view us as these, like, big, mighty figures. And I'm just a person. I'm just a girl. You know, I'm one of the worlds. That's it, the girl standing in front

Dr. Raquel Martin: of me. Okay, so tell me about what made you decide to want to be a therapist, because I. I decided to wanted to be a psychologist because I just it was psyched in black history, or like, one of the few classes that didn't bore the heck out of me. So what made you decide to want to be a clinician? So I really didn't want to be a therapist at all. I was actually vehemently against it. It was I went into so it's such a long and windy story, but there's this thing where, if you

believe the universe just guides you where you need to go. I was a community organizer since I was in high school. Like, I was co founding organizations. Like, I, like, ran, like, community like, cleanups, I did. I was a organizer in Baltimore first, and that was, like, the main, my main focus, like, I wanted to be, like, the best community organizer I could be. So I was connected to so many people when I was organizing in the southeast of Baltimore that I came across this one woman. I'll

never forget her. She's got her down ago, and she was a social worker, and I saw her get a bus full of people and took them down to DC so they can protest for DACA rights. And I was like, so mesmerized at that. I was just like, how do I do this type of work at this scale? Like, I wanted to be the best community organizer possible. And she was like, I'm a social worker. And she was specifically a community social worker. I a macro social

worker. And I was like, okay, whatever. And then another friend of mine had a social worker friend who was a therapist, and they were just like, you have everything it takes to be a social worker. You will be an excellent social worker. You need to apply. And I went to go apply for NYU, which is where I went for grad school, for social work, and it was I went to go open a website to apply, and it was two weeks past

the deadline. And this is how I knew it was like something that was supposed to be, because my friend I was like, oh, it looks like I can't. And my friend was like, email them and see if they can make an exception for you. I did. Lo and behold, they made an exception. I got into NYU, and won so many twists and turns in grad school, but I went to grad school on a macro track. I was

trying to be a macro social worker. In fact, I beefed with so many classmates of mine because I really did not like the way that they had viewed the macro lens, because they lacked so much of it because they went for an easy route to being a therapist, like, which I thought was like, you know, I know you probably isn't like, I'll just have you have your own opinions on social work, therapists, Dr. Raquel Martin: social worker, like a lot of my social

workers, did listen, I grew up going on, what am I supposed to on home visits, you know, no. Like you know, that was when it wasn't illegal to keep your child in the car, but it was always illegal, but, you know, but no. Social Worker, I think that's why my lens is always so different. Because I think some people, when it comes to psych they stay in the I've always been brought up when it comes to wraparound services, I think that's why I see stuff way differently than most

clinicians. There's community psychologists. I didn't even know about them beforehand, but apparently what I do, the way I see stuff, is actually more like a community psychologist than a clinical psychologist, and that's because I was reared by a social worker. I know I'd be like, okay, yeah, this is all, well, a good depression. Do we have a social program or something? Or what are we? Can we have some tan can we have something about oh, they're depressed. Yeah, they're

depressed. They can't eat, yo, let's get some food. Can we get some tokens back in the day when they were tokens, but that's how I always see stuff. If I had no there was a such thing as community site. I probably would have went to a community psych program, but I went to a medical and clinical psych program, and I just bring my mom with me in every single room. So social workers love my classmates were not those type of social

workers. They were very much so the kind that were white and very much oriented towards white supremacy, which was a big problem for me, and just I also had my own the fact I was that I was in school for social worker, I was in foster care at some point as a kid, so I already had my contention with the state, and like being a social worker, I never saw myself working for like ACS, which is what I wound up doing eventually, which is like Child Protective Services in New York, for those who don't

know. And it just was like such a wild turn. I went through so much racism at NYU googleable fact, actually, it's really, it

was a lot. But because of that, I was put in the purview of my mentor, slash one of the greatest women I've ever met in my life, Dr Linda LaSalle Bryant, who I started working with as her graduate assistant, and she connected me with so many people, like her friends, who actually ran ACS like she did so much wonderful work in her day, and like when it came time for me to graduate, I was already doing like my you know, you have to do your clinical track no matter what when you go

to school for social work. So I was already doing like my practice. And stuff like that. And she was, I was gonna graduate and go into like, admin, or go into more community

social work stuff. And she was like, No, you should get your boots on the ground, see if you like it before you jump and do the more macro stuff I need you to get your individual micro stuff onto and I was like, whatever listening to her, I was dragging my feet the whole time, and lo and behold, like when I got my first job, which she helped me to get, because she connected me with her friend out of grad school, I was doing family therapy, and it just I took to it like a fish and

water. Like it was just such a natural click for me. And I just fell in love with the practice of doing, the practice of therapy. It was, like, such a beautiful, like, experience. And I noticed, like, even my colleagues, like my supervisor, like, everybody was just like, Wow, you are. Like, naturally. Like, good at this. It's just been a marriage since I cannot leave it alone. I did not want to be this, though it's funny

how some sometimes the universe work. Everything that I said I would avoid I became, and I don't regret it, because I feel like my voice in this space makes sense, and I think we need more people like you and like me and so many other people I can name, like in this space, and I use social media like, part of why I got into using social Tik Tok specifically was because I was like, if I'm going to be doing all this micro work, I'm

more of a macro leaning person. If I'm going to be doing more more micro work, like, I need to be trying to, like combat, like something, some type of system. And my goal was to, like, try and bring down the ivory tower a little bit more, or that paywall between people and mental health resources and anything I could do. So that's how I got here. But I definitely did not want to

be a therapist. That was not my goal at all. My undergraduate degrees are in political science and women and gender studies, like I and no way it was not like I came into school, like I'm gonna be a therapist. It just happened, and I'm glad that it did, because, you know, I love it. I actually love what I do. I

Dr. Raquel Martin: love that. And I think it's obvious. I think one of the differences between I see more people on social media like as licensed therapists, and I think you have to be more, I don't know, like, more jazzed about what you do, but you can tell that you love what you do, versus when I go to, like, conferences, or if I go to some kind of things, these people miserable. These are the clinicians. And I'm like, I

mean, crack a smile, yo. What are we doing here? I feel like the reason why I did social media because I one, I wanted to make resources more accessible, because I totally get there's not enough resources. But two, I wanted to humanize the aspect of space. That's one of the that's one of my favorite things, is, yes, I love the fact that you are very good at translating something that are pretty complicated concepts into something that somebody can get in, like a three minute video.

And not many people can do that. I've seen people try and they suck at it, and I'd be like, let's stick to the articles. But also, I like being able to see different aspects of your life, like you making rugs and like the snickerdoodle cups and Afro punk I like being able to see that clinicians are people, because it makes it less daunting to see these individuals. There's no, you know, you don't have to feel like there are, there's a hierarchy, because we both know

that therapy is like a collaborative relationship. I don't think people realize, you know, I think it's because I think I'm good at this too, but, like, we make it look so simple. I don't think people realize that they're taking in pretty complicated concepts, or, like, really well researched and thought out things when it comes to psycho education, because you just happen to put your judge on it, and you were able to make it into a minute and 30 seconds, but it's like, Yo, I went to

school for this. Yo, like, I know, I make it look easy, and I mean to me, but, you know, like, this is actually you share very good concepts. And I think people, I think it's why people sometimes get it messed up. When it comes to therapy, it comes to social media. Oh, it's, you know, it's like folk ism and it's not, I just do that. I do this very well, so I make it look simple, but it's not. That's an honor. I cannot emphasize. I've learned so much

from you. And yeah, I do try and make that's, I'm glad that you brought that up, because, as a hood, but myself, like somebody who comes from, you know, I'm a first generation student, like I, like first gen graduate, like I, I had to learn a lot of these concepts from the from scratch. I had to learn how to go to school and be in higher education from scratch. It was really important for me to have people translate a lot of these things that were inaccessible to me for so long and to make the

transition into higher education and stuff easier. So I definitely try my best to make this information as accessible to people as possible. But I also know I will add this pin. I also know that there are some concepts that are complicated and they have to be. Complicated because they're complex concepts. And that is another thing that, yeah, I try not to do as much about challenging these misconceptions around or oversimplifications of these very daunting or like heavier

concepts. I hate pop psychology so bad. It really irks my nerves. Like the older over pathologizing, like simple behavior like, really irks me. You know, we all fight in that battle. Dr. Raquel Martin: I think so too. There are certain words that I just never thought I would just be so sick of. I don't really like the word self care. I don't like triggers. I don't like, you know, all the words that have to use all the time if I hear a narciss. Oh, my God, Lord have mercy.

Oh my God, that's that one. Everybody. Narcissist with, like, Dr. Raquel Martin: you know, with mother wounds, I just be like, alrighty, yo. This is, this is a lot. And you know, what's even, you know, as two people on social media, pop psychology, like, It's sexier, so like, it makes it stuff seem simple. And I'm like, it'll get clicked on more. And I just feel like, That's ridiculous, because people will want simplify. Simplification for stuff is not simple. Like, people are simple.

We're not black or white, we're gray. And it could be frustrating, because I'm surprised I popped up on social media because, to be honest, I ain't doing that. Listen, I'm talking. My students one time were just like, Dr Martin, I know you. Was Tiktok famous. I gotta listen to you now. I said you gotta listen to me now. I am your professor. Listen to me anyway. The clout machine, clout is one hell of a drug and make people go crazy.

Dr. Raquel Martin: It does, especially my students, that I do derogatory sense. Dr. Raquel Martin: That's another thing about social media, people telling me what I can't say. I said, somebody was like, you can't say the C word. I said, first of all, I can. But I look back at my head, I said, Did I say the C word? What the freak? Did I say that? And they said, crazy. I said, you don't get out my face. If you don't get out my face, oh my god, oh my god, oh my God. That's another thing

too. Specifically, as a black clinician like this is one of my goals, right? They try so badly to divorce us from culture like specifically black culture, because it's viewed as inappropriate in the mental health space. I have to say this, because if you grow up in a black space, you know as and I don't want to dismiss and flip it use of terms that are just no

longer appropriate. But you know, crazy isn't always gonna be like, it's gonna flip in from time to time, but it's not always directed at somebody or describing someone's mental health. I don't know. It's just, it is, it's, we might have to edit that one out, because I don't feel like going back and forth about that. You know, people have tried to, people tried it with me, and it's just, baby, we come on. You know, I don't mean it in a derogatory sense. And I'm not like, it's

just, yeah, I say it on time. I Dr. Raquel Martin: do. I really, one of the most common things I say is that's crazy just like that. Like, as I say, it on time, you know, like, I'm very much saying all the time, and I've had people say that. I've had one or two people and be like, Do you think that's a negative statement? And I'm like, do I What crazy I you know, crazy isn't a clinical diagnosis. I'm not, I'm not diagnosing anyone. Also, this

isn't therapy. And you don't want to hear me say crazy. God, don't get me excited. Dr. Raquel Martin: You don't want to hear me say crazy. You should probably go so like, when it comes to license therapy, being online, I think people one have an issue confusing therapy and just we're providing psycho education. And I always say, you wanna know the difference between being in session with me and psychoeducation because you didn't receive an invoice and

you're not my patient. I remember someone saying, you know, I would just think that you would be better. You know, equipped to somebody said something to me crazy. Of course, I said something to a crazy girl, because I'm like, really, I really want you to realize I'm not the one, and I do this for fun. Please. It's my time to shine. Thank you all. My goodness, this is amazing. I needed a break. No, and they're like, I would expect more from you. And I said, I don't know

why they're like, What if you hurt their feelings? I said, I hope I did. I hope it stinks, because sometimes the reason why people act like they don't have any sense is because you there are some people who just have never been custody, and you can tell, because what makes you think that's an appropriate thing to say to me? Well, I mean, a psychologist is what I do. It's not who I am, but the pay scale, honey. My degrees ain't changed, nothing but the pay scale. But I'm from North

Philly all day. Listen, I'm from down the hill. And I tell people I am a I'm a Bucha queen, a gay from the hood, like baby who grew up with a lot of sisters. I have a very nasty mouth. Please, don't I like to keep it respectful, but I can get, I can get in the garden with the mess. So please leave me alone, and I leave you alone. That's why, every time somebody Dr. Raquel Martin: say something to me. Crazy. I started to reply by laughing, because I'm like, Oh, this about to be so fun.

Thank you for this. I was bored. I was, you know, I was in the dark, but now I see that this is about to this, you're such a Sagittarius. Oh, my God, you're such a Sagittarius. You gotta stop. Okay, Dr. Raquel Martin: this is a very good point talking about astrology, which anyone who knows me knows it's not a thing. I do not believe it's a thing. However, I will say one of the one of the things I love about your page is that I will actually watch your astrology post. You one of my favorite

series. Y'all need to watch this series. One of my favorite series is when you do, you're like, treating each side, and I don't, I don't know specifically with the individual signs, but how they act. But either way, like, as a clinician, I relate, and it just cracks me up where each Okay, you'd be like, thank you so much for that 50 page dissertation. In a response to me just asking, how was your day? But you also didn't answer the question, and I didn't ask for this, you know, like, even

that, I'll be like, I totally get it. And one of the reasons why I was like, we want to talk about this, because one of you, one of your one of your posts, said, Listen, I'm not saying if you Is anything wrong. Would not be believing in astrology, but I think you said I would really look at you. I don't really know if I could trust you. And I said, I mean, look at the numbers. You know, Jay Z said, men lie, women lie. Numbers. Don't lie.

Dr. Raquel Martin: Where are the numbers in astrology? Saying, where are the numbers? Tell me where the numbers in astrology. I mean, even statistically, if you look at like, full moons, like coincide with and it's correlation, I know correlation, not causation, but like, coincides with, like, more violence. Like, that's literally a statistic that is

provable. There are more calamities during eclipses. Like that is a thing you can literally Google that they're like, you know, we could get into it every day. Dr. Raquel Martin: I just, I don't. I just, I never have. And you said, it's very much a professor thing, but I, before I was a professor, I just, was just like, You need to tell me, oh, okay, like, you're a Sagittarius. You were born a professor. That's the That's the reality. Like, I just, I can't Sagittarius rules

over the ninth house of higher education. I Dr. Raquel Martin: don't even know. I don't, I don't know you even mentioned, what did you say? You said that you're a Sagittarius rising, even though anyone who looks at Shaheen page, you tell me that they do not hate Sagittarius like anyone. Listen, I like legit when I when I do the reel for this, I want y'all this is gonna be the clip. This is the sound bite. You go to their page and you tell me that they don't,

that they just, they can't stand such a kid, you know, why? Why did you tell? Why did you tell, you know, go through I spoke to your page and be like, this is an example. This is an example I'm happy to every time it'd be like, what are the top five worst signs, and why are they? Sagittariuses, what are the what are the people? I mean, what are the people that will, you know, try to destroy your life and say, Get over it. And why are they? Sagittariuses, what are like?

I just feel like, oh, no, are we? What are this? What no sagittariuses wouldn't do that. Wouldn't do what? That's more of a Capricorn trait. Dr. Raquel Martin: What are my traits? You tell me my traits, because I'm a Sagittarius My birthday is December, 19. Okay, look so look sad. Just are so much more than just like a loud mouth and not wanting to be tied down. I know that's what y'all are pegged down at, but it's true. Like y'all are like people who are very flighty. Y'all don't like being

controlled whatsoever. Your freedom is very important. Yeah, y'all are very brash. You will say the you will say the thing that nobody wants to hear, but meet the people need to hear. Y'all are very honest and very blunt. Y'all know it isn't, I think you know that. You know that's not everyone. But look, it's so much more. So the ninth house in astrology, like every sign rules over. In modern astrology, every sign rules

over, like a house is just like a different area of life. And Sagittarius rules over the ninth house of like, higher education, international travel and business dealings, philosophy, things like that. So like, you being a Sagittarius and a professor is just kind of like on the nose. And it's hilarious, because that just makes a lot of sense, okay, but Dr. Raquel Martin: what's the other thing? Because you said you're rising what's the rising thing? What's my rising thing?

Okay, we need to do your birth chart. That's it. We need to do your birth chart. Do you know what time you were born? I Dr. Raquel Martin: do. I was born in 351 Yeah. We gotta do your your birth chart. We can't just keep so I just sent you. You gotta. On there and do your neighbors, because you you can't not know your chart, at least your big three is really important in this day and age.

Dr. Raquel Martin: Yeah, I will tell you that's just the it's your page that actually one of my best friends, Katie, and she's been trying to get this chart. Thank you for a minute. And every time I'm like, Girl, no, I told you I'm the only person. I am, the only person around me who's just and every single time I say that, they say the same thing. No, she's a secretary, so just let her know her thing. This is how she's going to be. I don't like to do anything. Y'all not. Nobody can

tell y'all what to do. Trust me, and I'm a sad dresser, so I do get it like many, like I'm not one who's quick to listen to what other people have to say about what I should be doing. But look, here's my thing. Astrology is also a great tool when it comes to therapy and mental health. I don't use it a lot. The only time that I use it with my clients, because people ask me this all the time, do you like bring astrology into your sessions? I'm like, no, like, why would I do that? That's not

what I'm trying to do. But if a client comes to me, Hey, this is my birth chart. I would like for you to read it. We can look at it, and then we can assess it together, because it's a good tool to explore identity. Like, how do you feel about these things? Like, what it says about you? Do you agree with these things? Do you align with these things? How do you feel about like this area of your life. Do you think this lines up with the your chart? It's just a tool, and there are many tools that we

can use. I don't care if we use in a screwdriver or a bur chart. What matters to me is that we're being introspective and exploring the self. That's it. Dr. Raquel Martin: Okay, so I don't know much about it, but I thought you saw a burst through it, because it's not a thing. Dr. Raquel Martin: I just don't, I just don't, I just don't, I just don't, I just, I can't even I just don't, I don't, it's just

not a thing. You know, I'll be honest, I've answered this question many times, and it's never a real answer, because I'm just like, I just don't, it just I don't, it's not fake. To me, Dr. Raquel Martin: I'm like, oh, ooh, sagittariuses don't like to get punched in the face. That's how ambiguous It is to me. I'm like, doesn't everyone dislike getting punched in the face? But that's what I heard. That's what you said. That isn't everybody like blood

and no, everybody is not like that. I promise you, everybody is not like Dr. Raquel Martin: your reaction, because I will tell you, I do get the same reaction every single time I mention this. So my husband and my oldest, they're both Geminis. Oh, Lord, that's the same reaction every time. What is that? You know, I kid you not, every time I mention that, they're like, oh, what's your husband sign? I'm like, Oh, he's

a Gemini and they're like, What about your boys sister? Sign like, Oh, my husband, my oldest is a, is a, is a Gemini, too. And, oh, my God, you got two of them in the house. My youngest, I don't know what. I don't know what he is. His birthday is March 9. Oh, that's crazy, even if I don't believe it. Oh, I will tell you. Let me say something. Okay. Now this was the only time I was like, I might believe in astrology. My youngest is that's gonna be your emotional

Dr. Raquel Martin: I apologize. I showed your name. That's my nickname. That is my nickname. So needy. Dr. Raquel Martin: Oh, my like I had never experienced anything like it. And I tell my best friends, Katie, who is very much like she's very much into that gives me crystals, tell me all that she's just, oh yeah, I kid you not you. He will when he was little, he would be crying, even to this day, I'll be holding and they'll be like, Why is he crying? I'll pick him up, and

they're like, he's still crying. I have to put my face next to his face. His face has to be touching, very sensitive. I'm a Pisces moon, so I too, am a very sensitive being. I can tell you, your son is going to be very sensitive. That is going to be that's going to be your sensitive shot. Dr. Raquel Martin: I've never experienced anything like this. I have had patients as young as four. I've done family and child therapy. I've worked and I'm just like, and my mom was like,

why is he still crying? I was like, watch this. Put his face next to my it's sick. Did you? Did you see how? Before you even said anything, I said, Oh, that's gonna be a sense of, Dr. Raquel Martin: I mean, and nobody like he, he will, and has slapped his brother in the face to get to me. He don't play. Don't touch me. I want my mom. This is gonna be like, you know how we 101, is like star signs. This is gonna be like one, oh, it's gonna be like

103, because it's aspects y'all square each other. So he so in astrology, right? It's a wheel, you know, like the different degrees of a wheel, Sagittarius and Gemini are right across from each other on the wheel. They're sister signs, so they're like, right across from each other. So they oppose each other, meaning, there is. Y'all want the same thing, just in different ways.

And it's, it can be like sometimes translating the yo two sides of the same coin, but just two very different sides, like Geminis. Geminis are, and I actually love, like, the pairing of Gemini and Sagittarius, because Geminis are more like thought like they're they will contemplate things, they talk a good game. Like they're down, like, for they're always very busy social calendars and stuff. But like, they talk a lot, and Sagittarius is a very action like, so it's the dichotomy of

like, thought and action. A sad might get irritated with the Gemini, because the Gemini might talk a lot, and they're just like, can you just do it already and shut the hell up, sad. And Gemini are like this. Pisces and Virgo are like this. So they are, they make up a square at a 90 degree angle. And what that means in astrology is that there is tension between those

placements. So if you have Pisces, for example, with a Sagittarius and a Gemini, there's going to be a natural tension there, because you aren't going to necessarily see exactly eye to eye. You share a modality, but you don't share an element, and you don't share, oh, my God, I'm blanking. You don't share. You don't share an element, and you it's the second thing that you don't share. But you get the point being like, there's tension. It's a natural tension. Like, God, he will

probably be and keep an eye out for this. He'll probably feel a lot of the times like the odd man out. So make sure you just give that baby some extra nurturance, because where y'all are like thought in action, he's going to be feeling like that's very much. So see what Dr. Raquel Martin: I always say and people and you know what I can always tell how people associate like, what their thought process is with feelings or emotions, because I always

tell people like, I'm a very emotional person. And people who get me and who see emotions as like a positive thing, will be like, I can see that. But people who see emotions as a weakness will be like, Oh, I could never see you as being emotional. And it's because they're like, Oh, you're such a strong person. And I'm like, I'm a very emotional person, and that's one of the

best things about me, is that I'm incredibly emotional. Like, I literally have to see people like, I can I was like, I'm very emotional. You think emotion is a weakness, and it's not like Being emotional is, like, one of the best things about me incredibly emotional. But I think that's positive, like, I can genuinely feel like, Oh, it's a lot of feelings in here.

I have to go with astrology, like with astrology specifically, I think, like, people process emotions differently and where, and it's mainly the moon sign, but where like fire, which is what you

are. You are more action oriented when it comes to emotion, like you would probably do more, do better, like being more expressive, like emotionally versus air, where they like analyze their feelings, they're more like, Okay, this logically doesn't make sense, so I'm gonna move on from this feeling for now, and I'll probably feel it later. That is how like air, which is Gemini, that's how they operate.

Water is very much. So I'm going to inundate myself in this whole emotion, and I'm going to let it like, encompass, like, my entire being. They're gonna sit in it, and they're gonna really feel it like deeply, especially Pisces. Pisces feels it the deepest. Some people will say Scorpio. I would say Pisces, but yeah, it's gonna be it's different. Dr. Raquel Martin: It's very different. It's a rock to our household, and everybody knows he does not want anybody but his

mom. And I'll just be like, Yo, this is excessive. That's gotta be the most the common thing I said, Oh, this is excessive. I can't fathom it. Yeah, I might look something up, but we'll see, because No, I It's a lot that I went I that is the first time I was like, Man, if I ever believe in astrology, it would be because I have never experienced anyone like this

child in my life. Like all I'm saying is, if you get into that synastry, that Family Center Street chart, you can see how all y'all overlap with each other, and how y'all can vibe out. That's all I'm saying. You ever Dr. Raquel Martin: seen that? Mean where the little boy is the teenager is texting his mom and he's what time was I born? And the mom texts back, get away from that girl.

You can learn so much about somebody if you believe in astrology, because I know we have non believers here, but like you really could learn a lot, like somebody's wounds, for example, like when I read my client's chart, my eyes zero in on the Chiron and the Lilith. And if you know those are asteroids that really talk about the wounds that we face in life, like the things that are the deepest wounds that we have. I think astrology is a beauty and aspects to the moon and Pluto,

but like both, astrology is a beautiful thing. And I think if you use it as an introspective tool, you either walk away, huh? This actually doesn't resonate with me in a Blad, or you walk away with Damn. This is like something that I can work. One I'll try and better in my life. And nine times out of 10, it's the second one. No shade. Dr. Raquel Martin: The shade was thick. The shade was thick around these parts, please. Okay, so what about? Because

this is a question that we got. What about when people try to use it to justify, like, poor behaviors? Oh, how do people, how do you deal with the people try to make it become their entire personality, and without, yeah, without doing the work needed to become their best self and stating that, I think from this question, they're kind of saying, if someone's just, oh, I'm a, I don't know. I'm a Sagittarius, I don't have to soften my delivery or something like that. Like, what?

Yeah, I was gonna say this might be problematic, well, but same thing I say about people who use their trauma to justify your trauma is an explanation. Dr. Raquel Martin: Yes, thank you, God, please to touch. I hate to bring up people pleasers, because the people pleasers are still mad at me to this day. They are not fans of mine. People pleasing, for example, is

something that is birthed out of trauma. Often is birthed birth out of trauma, and people often, when I say like people pleasing is a manipulative behavior, they're like, you can't say that because it's rooted from trauma. And it being rooted from trauma does not mean that the behavior that is a result of that is not any less like manipulative. Like a lot of the times people with pathological liars like, have trauma that caused them to lie

pathologically. It's not it's not a shocking like people who are actual narcissists, like they often have, like, really deep trauma and wounds that lead them to that behavior, that it's just an explanation. It's not a justification. It doesn't mean that you get to use that as a shield to do and perform any type of behavior you want. And it's important to be open to reflection and growth no matter what it is. It could be

astrology, it could be trauma. I don't care what it is. There's no explaining something is not the same as justifying it. That's my response to that. It's not because I think there's a, I don't care if you were Sagittarius, to watch your mind. I Dr. Raquel Martin: feel like it's different. Okay, even something such as, as simple as, oh, you know, I get overwhelmed when there's a bunch of people talking to me. It's difficult.

That's different than singing. I can't, you know, I can't control how I act when, you know, when I'm dealing with one of my anxious spirals, like, that's just how it is. You can't invalidate me. And I'm sorry, what? Well, that's, that's not the same thing, you know, the aspect of it's not something that controls you. And I also think it incredibly invalidates

the people who work on it every single day. Like, when people try to stay, like, specifically with Kanye West, it comes up all the time, and I'm like, you know, you still have, you have your mental diagnosis, which is a fingerprint, but that also intertwines with your personality, if you were a jerk beforehand, that's just intertwining with your you know, it really, it completely invalidates all the work that people with bipolar disorder or people with borderline

personality like it really disparages like the people who I know, I was like, I know a patient who works on this daily, and then, honestly, Kanye was being diagnosed with this makes them so pissed off. God, I don't even want to tell nobody my diagnosis, because they don't think I'm Kanye. And it's not

the same. You really have to understand that mental health diagnoses are intertwined with people's personality, and the same way you don't like certain aspects of people's personality, you can just go on chance, because I got chance because I got a diagnosis? No, that's who they are, all right, exactly which is ridiculous, and I do want to say I also with astrology, it's time

to turn it off. I won't be the first to say, because there have been times when I will be talking about something dead, dead serious, and somebody will be like, What do you think about this from an astrologer? I don't care about talking about world events. I don't give a damn about a goddamn astrology. So if you're listening to this, there should be a balance like you do have to turn it off, and often, even with the Megan thee stallion situation, when she was going through the Tory Lanez

thing, this is the best example I can think of. Somebody was like, you do know she's an Aquarius? I say you do know, you sound ridiculous. So there is. It's all a balancing act. That's my opinion on that. But yes to everything you said, it is very much so important for you to understand that, because, you know racist, racism will slap that. Oh, I have autism, I guess. Like, autism does not bipolar disorder does not make you racist. Depression doesn't make you racist. That's just not

how that works. Like, Dr. Raquel Martin: what does that have to do with this? Oh, I have a goldfish. What are you talking about? What are you? I thought we was just saying stuff that didn't matter. I thought we was just saying stuff that didn't have anything to do with this material. Since we're just saying stuff and people always, I'm not sure people expect the same thing for you. If you know, as a clinician, you should. As a clinician, I can suss out some

BS. Don't play with me, okay, as someone who has actually seen it. Yes, as someone who like, no, that's your racism, honey. I mean, you can be a person with ADHD and autism and you're racist, okay, like, I'm just, these are these are all things. But no, I don't think, I don't think it was your autism to decide that it was appropriate to call me the N word honey,

because I disagree with you. That's your racism. Yes, I think, you know is, I think a lot of people will be like, oh, you know, clinicians are and you may be different, so you tell me if you're different, but it's like the clinician aspect of it, as being a psychologist, be like, Oh no, you're more

understanding, and I am more understanding. And I actually my threshold for stupidity is, I think it's lower than most, because as someone who sees people go through the hardest things in their life, you using a diagnosis as a justification, you know, and I, the most basic thing that makes me upset is I really don't mean people, because I'm like, you just said this. I bet you somebody's in there. Such a crying about this.

And you just like, like, being a clinician, honestly, if anything, it makes me nothing you buff more, to be honest, because I'd be like, so you thought it was appropriate for you to just disparage somebody because, oh, because that's your journey. Because you healing, not healed, I'll knock you out. That's not how you treat people. Do you see it different? Do you feel like I'm no different? And that's what look that people

can't stand it. Sometimes I'll be like and they just expect me to they think that we're supposed to be like, Kumbaya, my Lord, for some reason I just this never gonna happen for me. In fact, I will probably be the first to tag you up if you say something that's just like, unnecessarily cruel. And I won't

match energy, you know. And I don't believe in letting too many people control your energy, but I will match it if you try to take me thinking, so I can guarantee you won't try to take it back thinking, Dr. Raquel Martin: it's gonna be cool by Yeah, and I'd be more like, I'm get that up. I'll be like, Look, seems like we're both here.

What you thought was gonna happen? Genuinely Dr. Raquel Martin: like, I genuinely like, when people are mean to people, I do a good job of checking with the person to be like, can I because I'm about to go off. If they're like, I'm not in the mood, fine. But if you're mean to someone around me, and I give them a look and they say, Fine, oh, I'm going off. First of all, how dare the gauze you legit want to be mean to somebody around me? It's a bad idea. Don't be mean to

someone around you, like everyone out there. Like, just don't. Because I just be like, I know you thought she was mean, but I bet you didn't think that the meanest person in the room was the psychologist, did you? And I'm so smart, it comes so quick, it surprises me. I'm in therapy too, guys, I'm in therapy too. I gotta be like, Yo, Doc. Actually, this was actually pretty bad. I'm also concerned it was also I'm concerned at how entertaining it was for me to

snap it though I'm no better. I cannot say anything. I can do nothing but justify it. Probably not the best. Have Dr. Raquel Martin: you come back? Because I still want to talk about I want to talk about social media and content creation. Okay, so if that's your, if that's your nickname, can I call you Sean? Now, am I like, I just shorten your name? Super real. No, that's my that's actually my nickname. A lot of people don't call me that, but like people who do, I'm like,

oh, cool, whatever. Okay, Dr. Raquel Martin: and one of the cool kids, guys, like, just, just the head, turn off those samples. So tell, okay. So tell everybody where they can find you. Because I guarantee you, anybody who can get Raquel to talk about astrology, people are going to want to find you. I guarantee you. Because I just say, Listen, I can. I'll be like, listen, every time somebody asks me my sign, I'll be like, please don't like,

please don't I don't want to do this. I'm not going to do it. I'm on Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube under the same name, Shaheen, but with a five, 5h, A, H, E, M, that's it. Dr. Raquel Martin: Yes, and be prepared to learn and laugh. I, you know, some of my favorite accounts are like edutainment, like education and entertainment. And I'm always like, you know, some people who be I'll be trying to encourage people, more people, to go on social media when they're

licensed therapists. And I'm like, you know, you can do it. You can really do this. But some people, I'll be like, nah, this was dry. You should, you know, I think there has to be, there has to be a combination. Okay, learning doesn't have to be boring. Like, I can legit break down a research article with a, I did a whole series with Megan East Fauci, and I'm like, this is, and this was some, this is some good stuff. Have to be

boring, you know. Like, I think more of us need to be out there, because you have whole accounts where people are just like, just think happy thoughts, and I just be like, and how many followers? 72 million child brand brand deals, where they get $100,000 brand deals to to play with a fidget spinner, and I we're. We over here trying to break down the Patriots. Provide voice to the historically excluded, provide psycho education, and they be like, Okay, so we want 27 videos, and we'll give you

some bloom tea. What do you say? Be like? What I'm like? What's your meat? I'm not the license. I'm a Taurus. I don't move. Don't be sorry. It won't be me. Listen, Dr. Raquel Martin: I remember this one time somebody sent me something about an affiliate deal, and I've been super tired, and I remember responding. I create content for cash, not merch. And after I sent it, I read it the next day, and I was like, dang, what time did I said this, this is, this is shorter than normal.

I do not work for, no, you, you're right. Though. I don't work for gifts. I don't work for for commission. I don't do any of that, baby you need. I need the money up front. Yeah, pay me my look, because it's at the end of the day. I don't, but that's the thing that they try to do with us and helping professionals. They try to make us like work for compassion. And you know all, no, my landlord, I don't know if you own I got landlord. He is not going to take Hey, they gave me some

bloom tea. Give that to you. Instead, I Dr. Raquel Martin: tell my students all the time, I'd be like, don't let anybody tell you that this is supposed to be solely about altruism, okay? Because nobody's gonna be compassionate when you have to work to do okay. And I was like, and this is actually typically my segue like, now, since I mentioned that, let's also talk about, let's talk about the intersection of the unhoused population, mental health and

the justice that's legit. My segue every time I'm like, since we're talking about this, and I'm like, you know, because, you know, I make a segue out anything. I'm like, tell me more about liberation within policy. Tell me. Talk to me more about abortion rights. I can make it. You know. Megan East variant, okay, I did a whole I did a video, when I did a video where they were like, Don't nobody want to hear about anybody's

pussy being depressed. I'm like, right? Well, one thing you need to understand is that when someone is upset, their entire body is upset. You know, someone is depressed. So in all actuality, what are we talking about when it comes to diagnostic criteria, libido? Make sure you guys also ask about libido during assessment. I'm like, Listen, give me another I'm like, you also need to ask about libido. And over, you know, talk about it, y'all. And they're like, she just, I'm

like, that's how it goes. You can also talk about numbing behaviors and hyper sexuality. And I'm just like, it could be their sex drive, or it's an aversion technique. Instead of them deciding to be present, they just imma, just hang everything, um, everything, and then I'm not going to have to deal with y'all. Can use everything for um, learning, guys. So once again, thank you for coming on the show. You're

definitely coming back. Because we have to do, I have to do a whole, I would absolutely do a whole like thing about now, I wasn't even saying birth chart. I was gonna say, sorry. I'm bullying you into doing Dr. Raquel Martin: licensed therapists on social media and the Bs they deal with. That's what I was gonna say. We needed an episode. Well, thank you for coming to the show everyone. You can see all the information on the show notes, and remember, be

kind to yourself. Two steps forward and one step back is still one step forward. That is just mad y'all so just chill a little bit. All right. Have a good one. Bye.