#725 - Seerut Chawla - The Problem With Taking Therapy Advice From Instagram
Dec 30, 2023
01:15:27
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Seerut Chawla, licensed psychotherapist and founder of The Trenches, discusses the problems with coddling, therapy advice from Instagram influencers, the impact of social media on mental health, and the true meaning of self-worth. They also explore the normalization of mental health and the importance of truth and authenticity in online communities.
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Quick takeaways
Overprotective parenting and safety culture hinder personal growth and resilience.
Identifying as a victim can belittle genuine trauma experiences and hinder personal growth.
Pathologizing every normal human emotion can lead to overdiagnosing and minimizing mental health issues.
Deep dives
The Impact of Overprotective Parenting and Safety Culture
The podcast highlights the negative consequences of overprotective parenting and safety culture. Overprotecting children and removing obstacles from their path can hinder their ability to develop resilience and overcome challenges. The extension of childhood and the trend of coddling for adults also contribute to a lack of personal growth and emotional regulation.
The Conflation of Genuine Trauma and Victimhood
The episode explores the distinction between experiencing genuine trauma and identifying as a victim. While individuals who have been through traumatic experiences often resist identifying as victims, there is a concerning trend of people adopting victimhood as an identity. This victimhood culture can belittle the experiences of those who have genuinely suffered and can hinder personal growth and resilience.
The Need for Mental Health Hygiene and Holistic Well-being
The podcast emphasizes the importance of mental health hygiene and holistic well-being. It highlights the need for purpose, meaningful social interactions, exposure to nature, physical exercise, and avoiding excessive use of screens and social media. The modern world has made it easy to disconnect from these essential factors, leading to increased mental health struggles.
Obsession with Pathologizing Emotions and Labels
The podcast discusses the current culture of obsession with pathologizing emotions and placing labels on our feelings. The speaker explains that this tendency stems from a desire to feel less objectified by our own emotions and to find comfort in knowing that others experience similar struggles. However, this constant need to label and pathologize every normal human emotion can lead to overdiagnosing and minimizing the true significance of mental health issues like trauma. The speaker emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between genuine mental health concerns and normal distress, and encourages a more nuanced and realistic approach to understanding and managing our emotions.
Pop Psychology and Therapy Culture
The podcast explores the rise of pop psychology and therapy culture in mainstream understanding of mental health. The speaker highlights how this culture has co-opted clinical language and diluted important concepts like trauma and PTSD, resulting in misappropriation and overuse of diagnostic labels. They express concern that this trend leads to avoiding personal responsibility and hindering genuine self-reflection. Furthermore, the speaker criticizes the excessive emphasis on validation and self-worth based on external factors, highlighting the importance of self-worth derived from personal growth, developing competencies, and taking responsibility. They caution against the dangers of prioritizing group identification and vilifying divergent opinions, advocating for honesty, intellectual exploration, and recognizing the complexity of mental health issues.
Seerut Chawla is a licensed psychotherapist and founder of The Trenches, an organisation focusing on mental health and social media dynamics.
There is a trend of online influencers who can identify your trauma and diagnose your attachment problems over social media. Is this an important new frontier for discussing mental health? Or cod-psychology over the internet.
Expect to learn the biggest problems with coddling how it enables victimhood, the difference between pain and trauma, why being triggered is your responsibility, what everyone gets wrong about self worth, why we spend so much time obsessing over emotion in the West, the biggest problems with self-healing and much more…