My guest this week is Kristen Manieri, author of the new book Better Daily Mindfulness Habits: Simple Changes with Lifelong Impact . This was a really interesting conversation that went some directions I hadn’t expected—especially on the topic of mindfulness—that I found really clarifying. One intriguing question we considered together: Should it be relaxing to practice mindfulness and meditation? As Kristen described, it’s not necessarily a comfortable or safe process to fully wake up, and yet ...
Sep 29, 2021•54 min
My guest this week is Dr. Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco. She’s a clinical psychologist and she has a new book called Mom Brain: Proven Strategies to Fight the Anxiety, Guilt, and Overwhelming Emotions of Motherhood—And Relax Into Your New Self . We talked about what mom brain actually is—which is very different from the pop culture ideas about it. She also shares about how to deal with the resentment that many moms feel about all the invisible work they do for the family, and how to manage the common tho...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 3 min
My guest this week is clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Saporito. Karen has a particular interest and specialty in diagnosing and treating kids and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. We focused in this conversation on ADHD. I know from my own clinical work that this is a really important topic that doesn’t get enough attention. There are so many people who are struggling to finish assignments in school, or organize their home lives, or meet...
Sep 15, 2021•48 min
My guest this week is Dr. Carmen McLean, who specializes in treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD. She recently co-authored a book called Retraining the Brain: Applied Neuroscience in Exposure Therapy for PTSD . It was great to get Carmen’s take on how effective treatment works and how we can support the body and brain’s natural ability to heal following a trauma. I shared some about my own experience recovering from a traumatic assault, and we explored how powerful it can be to fa...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr
My guest this week is Dr. Kathryn Gordon. Katie’s a clinical psychologist and she recently wrote The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook , so our discussion centered around suicide. This is a painful topic that touches so many of us, and it leaves such a hole in our lives when we lose someone to suicide. A friend of mine took his own life a few years ago, and I still think about it nearly every day, and wonder what was going on in his mind and in his heart that led him to that place of desperation. I’ve ...
Sep 01, 2021•56 min
My guest this week is Regina Louise, author of a new book called Permission Granted: Kick-Ass Strategies to Bootstrap Your Way to Unconditional Self-Love . I know I’ve often tended to seek permission from other people to do the things I want to do. The first time I had a book contract, for example, I felt like colleagues and past supervisors were looking over my shoulder, and like I had to clear everything I wanted to say with them in my head before I wrote it. But obviously that’s not a great p...
Aug 25, 2021•57 min
My guest this week is Dr. Regine Galanti, a clinical psychologist and author of the recent book, When Harley Has Anxiety . (As you’ll hear in this episode, I somehow thought the name was “Harlan” instead of “Harley,” but we got that straightened out.) If you’re a parent of an anxious child, or you’re wondering if your child might need to see a therapist, or even if you’re dealing with anxiety yourself, there’s a lot to take from this discussion. A central message in Regine’s work is that difficu...
Aug 11, 2021•44 min
My guest this week is Dr. Judith Ruskay Rabinor, a psychologist who recently wrote a memoir about making peace with her mother. We talked primarily about the mother-daughter relationship, but these are issues that are relevant for all parents, and for both daughters and sons. Judy has a wealth of knowledge and experience that she shares in this episode, including specific techniques for healing our relationships. And she’s confident that it’s never too late to make peace with our mothers. Get fu...
Jul 28, 2021•50 min
My guest this week is Dr. Jessica Bodie, a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy. We talked mostly about a topic that sadly is all too familiar for so many people, and that’s childhood sexual abuse. Jessica and I both treat adults who have lived through this form of trauma, and are still dealing with the after effects decades later. So this is a painful topic, and also such an important one. We talked about the shame and self-blame that sexual abuse survivors ofte...
Jul 21, 2021•50 min
My guest this week is Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard, a clinical psychologist and specialist in treating kids and teens. We focused in this episode on extremely picky eating in kids, also known as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This was a fascinating topic for me and one I wasn’t that familiar with. But Katherine is extremely knowledgeable and does a great job describing the principles of treating ARFID, so I know you’ll find a lot of interest here. Get full access to Think Act Be ...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr
My guest this week is Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, author of the new book, Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life (affiliate link). Jill has quite a story to tell, which you may have heard the beginning of in her bestselling book, My Stroke of Insight . In this conversation she describes how she recovered from a massive stroke, and is now able to share the powerful lessons she learned about the brain, human nature, and ultimately love. Get full access to ...
Jun 30, 2021•47 min
My guest this week is clinical psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein, bestselling author of The Anxiety, Depression, & Anger Toolbox for Teens (affiliate link) . Jeff specializes in treating kids and teens. In this episode we talk about how the pandemic has affected young people, and the warning signs parents can look for that could indicate their child is having a mental health crisis. We also explored how to talk with our children about their mental health, and how Jeff’s powerful blend of mi...
Jun 23, 2021•43 min
My guest this week is clinical psychologist and author Dr. Mitch Abblett. We focused our discussion on Mitch’s recent book called Prizeworthy: How to Meaningfully Connect, Build Character, and Unlock the Potential of Every Child (affiliate link). In this episode you’ll find out exactly what prizing is, what it feels like to be prized, and why it's the cornerstone of everything Mitch does as a therapist and a parent. Mitch also offers many helpful tools for handling the challenges that we all fac...
Jun 09, 2021•48 min
My guest this week is Dr. Daniel Kinderlehrer. Dan is a physician and author of the recent book, Recovery From Lyme Disease: The Integrative Medicine Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Tick-Borne Illness . This was a great discussion about a topic that’s important for a lot of people. Dan is extremely knowledgeable and has a great deal of experience treating Lyme Disease. Some of his experience is personal, as you’ll hear him describe, since he recovered from Lyme himself. We discuss many of the p...
Jun 02, 2021•48 min
My guest this week is Martin Lee, the primary author of the recent book The Essential Guide to CBD (affiliate link), which offers a solid introduction to the many possible benefits of CBD. Martin and I explored how it is that a single substance can have such wide-ranging effects, and got into specific conditions like anxiety, depression, and sleep. If you're new to CBD, or interested to learn more about the science behind its effects, I think you'll find a lot of good information here. Get full ...
May 26, 2021•45 min
My guest this week is Shelley Buck, co-author of the recent book Leave Your Light On about her son, Ryder Buck. (Shelley’s co-authors include Kathy Curtis and Ryder.) This is a conversation about love, parenting, holding on, letting go, finding faith, and what happens when we die, among other things. I think you’ll get a lot out of our discussion. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe...
May 12, 2021•48 min
I had a great conversation in this episode with Dr. Jonathan Schaefer. Jon is a clinical psychologist and an expert in psychiatric epidemiology, which addresses questions about how common psychiatric diagnoses are. As you’ll hear, it’s far more common to experience a mental health issue than was previously thought. The main takeaway seems to be not that mental illness is becoming more common, although that’s part of the issue, but that previous methods of measurement had probably undercounted, ...
May 05, 2021•57 min
My guest this week is Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. We discussed her new workbook entitled Living Beyond OCD Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (affiliate link), and what ACT adds to traditional CBT for OCD. We covered some really interesting territory about changing thoughts vs. making peace with them. We also discussed the latest research in how we overcome our fears, as well as increasing our ability to tolerat...
Apr 28, 2021•48 min
My guest this week is paramedic and podcast host Eoin Walker. I really loved this conversation. Eoin has an incredible amount of wisdom to share from both his professional and his personal experience, especially around managing stress and taking care of ourselves. We talked about ways to care for our bodies, minds, and spirits, especially through times of high stress, like many of us are experiencing now. I got so much from this discussion, and I think you will, too. Get full access to Think Act...
Apr 14, 2021•59 min
My guest this week is Dr. Richard Shane, developer of the Sleep Easy Method for getting better sleep. If you or someone you care about struggles with sleeping soundly, this conversation is for you. Richard and I talked about why many of the common approaches to treating sleep aren’t very helpful, and exactly why his approach works. You can follow along as he guides you through an easy way to start sleeping better tonight. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack....
Mar 31, 2021•52 min
My guests this week are Pat and Tammy McLeod. They shared about their family’s experience of loss and healing, which they describe in their book Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was—and Learning to Live Well with What Is (affiliate link). You’ll hear them describe in this episode the traumatic brain injury that nearly killed their son when he was sixteen years old, and dramatically changed his life, and his family’s. We discussed the pain of ambiguous loss: when we have a lov...
Mar 24, 2021•52 min
I’m very pleased this week to have Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman back on the podcast. Scott was my guest about a year ago, and a lot has happened since then. We talked in this episode about the profound changes that Scott has experienced during that time, and the fact that a mindful awakening isn’t simply a blissful experience. Opening our eyes and being fully present can also be painful. And Scott has some good insights there. We also touched on racism and anti-racism, Scott’s forays into TikTok, and...
Mar 17, 2021•48 min
My guests this week are Aaron and Jocelyn Freeman, who specialize in helping busy couples communicate better with each other. We talked about their recent book, The Argument Hangover (affiliate link), including what an argument hangover is and how we can avoid them, or at least move through them more quickly. Other topics we explored included how to deal with our partner’s triggers, and our own, as well as the growth that often comes out of difficult conversations. Get full access to Think Act B...
Mar 10, 2021•42 min
My guests this week are Dr. David Yusko and Dara Lovitz. We talked about the book they wrote together called Gag Reflections (affiliate link), which describes Dara’s history of emetophobia—an intense fear of vomit—and her treatment with David. We discussed things like the difference between ordinary fear or dislike of something, and an actual phobia; why avoidance is the real problem, even though it’s so understandable that we want to avoid the things we fear; how to do exposure therapy effectiv...
Mar 03, 2021•57 min
My guest this week is Bunmi Laditan, author of a new book called Dear God: Honest Prayers to a God Who Listens . I really loved talking with Bunmi. She has a sincerity and an authenticity that are impossible to miss. We explored her moments of darkness and doubt, the difficulty we might have in relating to the concept of “God” as a male figure, whether God appreciates our irreverence, and the nature of divine love, among other topics. I don’t think Bunmi would mind my saying that she has a child...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min
My guest this week is Dr. Michael Stephen. He’s the author of a new book called Breath Taking: The Power, Fragility, and Future of Our Extraordinary Lungs (affiliate link). Michael and I talked about some really important ideas related to the lungs, including life itself, of course, and COVID, mind-body breathwork, the communal nature of our atmosphere, the extraordinary human feats our lungs make possible, and a lot more. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack...
Feb 17, 2021•40 min
My guests this week are Dr. Ted Brodkin and Ashley Pallathra, authors of the recent book Missing Each Other (affiliate link), which is about finding social attunement. I really enjoyed this discussion, where we explored the benefits of greater connection during our interactions with others, and how we can cultivate that connection. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe...
Feb 10, 2021•54 min
My guest this week is my brother, Malachi Gillihan. He’s currently doing graduate work in east-west psychology, studying the intersection of trauma and spirituality. So we talked a lot about that connection (which builds on my conversation with Jonah Paquette in last week’s episode). We also got into issues like Steve Porges’s polyvagal theory, the harsh self-judgments we often make after trauma, and what it means to say yes to all of life. It hope you find our discussion to be helpful. Get full...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 8 min
I’m very pleased this week to have Dr. Jonah Paquette back on the podcast for a second time. Jonah is the author of an excellent book called Awestruck (affiliate link), which we talked a lot about in our first conversation. This time we focused on a couple of main topics. The first was trauma, and especially posttraumatic growth. We explored the question of whether there is any contradiction between the pain and confusion of trauma, and the possibility that we can grow from our most difficult ex...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min
I have two important and enjoyable conversations to share with you this week. Both are about finding greater unity and harmony in our political conversations, even when we hold very different views. Tim Payton and Douglass Teschner are both to the right of me on the political spectrum, but we share a lot of similar values, and a deep concern about the corrosive division in our country. I really appreciate the perspective that each of my guests brings. The biggest overarching theme in this episod...
Jan 20, 2021•50 min
