Ash Compton is a licensed psychotherapist and cultural theorist, while Rachel Monroe is a writer at The New Yorker and co-host of Bad Therapist. They dive into the rise of therapy speak, exploring its evolution and influence on culture, especially via social media. The discussion critiques how therapeutic language can be misused, oversimplifying complex emotions. They also examine the implications of therapeutic terms in personal relationships and the workplace, raising vital questions about authenticity and meaningful communication in our fast-paced world.
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insights INSIGHT
Online Therapy Speak and Defensive Posturing
Therapy speak on the internet often blends accusatory and defensive tones.
This mirrors the online posture many adopt, being both on offense and defense simultaneously.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Effective Boundary Setting
Instead of voicing boundaries, enact them through actions.
Boundaries are best when silent, shifting based on individual bandwidth, not declarations.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Celebrity Use of Therapy Speak: Ashlyn Harris Example
Ashlyn Harris discussed disassociating in her marriage during a public interview.
This illustrates celebrities using therapy speak publicly, potentially weaponizing vulnerability.
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This book by Julia Kristeva explores the notion of the 'stranger' or 'foreigner' in various cultural, historical, and philosophical contexts. It delves into the experiences of foreigners and the internal sense of strangeness, contrasting cosmopolitanism with xenophobia. Kristeva analyzes the legal and social status of foreigners throughout history, drawing examples from Greek tragedy, the Bible, and literature from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. She also reflects on her own experience as a foreigner in France and discusses how recognizing the foreigner within ourselves can lead to a deeper understanding of our own identities and the loss of boundaries between self and other[1][3][4].
No matter where you spend your time, online or off, you’ve encountered some form of therapy speak. Maybe it comes from a friend who loves processing their therapy with others; maybe it suffuses your TikTok FYP; maybe your friends or family members have been using it to try and describe how they’re trying to foster and maintain healthy relationships; or maybe you’ve just been keeping up on the latest celebrity gossip. It’s everywhere — and as you’ll find in this episode, tracing its proliferation will lead you in so many fascinating (and complex!) directions. I’ll be real: I knew this episode would be interesting; I didn’t know it would be this interesting.
As soon as I heard about the new podcast Bad Therapist — cohosted by psychotherapist Ash Compton and New Yorker journalist Rachel Monroe — I knew they’d be the perfect people to help answer all of your questions about therapy speak. This is complicated s**t! We’re talking about language that is often super useful to people… but can also be weaponized (GAH, THERAPY SPEAK) to inoculate those using it from critique. Weirdly, I feel like it’s the perfect New Year’s Day episode? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about all of it.
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