“Addiction is not a disease. It's an attempt to solve the problem of emotional pain.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Gabor Maté, retired physician, author, and world renowned educator. Dr. Maté has more than 20 years experience in family practice and palliative care. He has worked for more than a decade at the Portland Hotel in downtown East Side Vancouver with patients who suffer from mental illness and addiction. He is a world renowned expert in trauma, addiction, child development, psychedelics, and the relationship between stress and illness. He is the best selling author of four books like When the Body Says No and The Realm of Hungry Ghosts, for which he won the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. And he is currently finishing his fifth book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture due out in April 2022. His works have been translated into more than 25 languages. And he also offers online video courses including Wholehearted's Healing Trauma and Addictions. His work now centres around educating the public on the impact of trauma and human development and training therapists in Compassionate Inquiry. Compassionate Inquiry is a therapeutic method developed by Dr. Maté whose focus is on helping the patient to “recognize the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.” He also just released The Wisdom of Trauma on June 8th, 2021, a movie about his life’s work. Dr. Maté and Dr. Joe spoke about: - Gabor’s personal history with trauma How traumatic experiences affect human development The effects of trauma and stress during pregnancy and childhood on human development How children adapt to trauma The relationship between modern society, parenting, and child development The wisdom of trauma The definition of addiction His view of the problems with the disease model approach to addiction His non-pathologizing approach to understanding and treating addiction The link between trauma and physical illness The role of psychedelics in healing trauma What he is optimistic about Connect with Dr. Maté on his site, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Stay up to date with the Mindspace Podcast by joining the newsletter.

“The best way to change an emotion is with another emotion.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Les Greenberg, a world renowned psychotherapist and researcher. He is one of the creators of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and professor at York University in Toronto. EFT centres around utilizing emotion to transform emotion. It is a different approach from the current major schools of psychotherapy like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. He is also the founder and director of the Emotion-Focused Therapy clinic where he provides therapy for individuals and couples and trains therapists in EFT. Dr. Greenberg is the author of 17 books like Changing Emotion With Emotion and Emotion-Focused Counselling in Action. And he has published over 100 scientific papers and has written over 80 book chapters. Dr. Les Greenberg and Dr. Joe spoke about: The role of emotions in our lives and how they’re implicated in mental health problems How to transform emotions How his background as an engineer influences his work as a psychologist and researcher Chair work The role of the therapist in EFT How EFT is different from other experiential therapies Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

"We have to design treatments that are fully biological, psychological, and sociological at their core. Psychedelics represent that, and psychiatry has started to take notice." In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Kyle Greenway. Dr. Greenway is a senior resident in psychiatry at McGill University. He runs a clinic in Montreal where he and his team treats patients using ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. His work centres around the intersection of biology, psychology, and sociology for the treatment of his patients. And he has a deep understanding of why psychedelics are so effective in the treatment of many mental illnesses. Dr. Greenway and Dr. Joe spoke about: How psychedelics differ from other psychiatric treatments and why they appear to be so effective The role of psychotherapy in psychedelic treatments The potential mechanisms in the therapeutic actions of psychedelic treatments The importance of integration therapy after a psychedelic experience How ketamine-assisted psychotherapy actually works

“Mindfulness is both gift and challenge at the same time.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Michael Bunting. Michael is a business leadership consultant with a focus on mindfulness in the workplace. He is the founder of The Mindful Leader, an online resource for developing mindful leadership skills and WorkSmart Australia, a leadership consultancy. His consulting work focuses on cultural transformation in organizations with mindfulness training at the core of his services. He has worked with companies like Novartis Pharma, Qantas, Hilton Hotels, and Rio Tinto. He is also the author of The Mindful Leader, A Practical Guide to Mindfulness Meditation, and a contributor to Extraordinary Leadership. Michael and Dr. Joe spoke about: The importance of mindfulness and changing the culture at organizations How mindfulness consulting actually works How to bring mindfulness into the workplace with ethics and integrity Leaders’ role in creating culture the promotes mental health and well-being The importance of honesty and respect in an organization’s health The most important characteristics of great leaders The connection between mindfulness, self-awareness, and behavioural change How organizations should approach remote work Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and his site. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

Dr. Julie Holland and Dr. Joe discuss the role of parasympathetic nervous system, benefits of connection, mindfulness, and psychedelics in accessing states, healing with MDMA, collective healing through psychedelics, challenges of internet relationships, and the future of psychedelic medicine.

"As we shift to going back to school during this pandemic, there is an opportunity for everybody to ask, 'what do you have control over in your life?'" In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Tamara Soles. Tamara is a psychologist specializing in child mental health and well-being. Her practice focuses primarily on coaching parents on how to best support their children in developing resilience. She is the founder and director of The Secure Child clinic, which provides therapy for children, coaching for parents, and workshops and classes. Her website DrTamaraSoles.com has lots of useful content for parents as well as links to her podcast, This Hour Has 50 Minutes. Dr. Soles and Dr. Joe spoke about: The challenges associated with back-to-school in general The unique challenges of back-to-school during the pandemic How Tamara helps parents cope with the anxiety through meaning-making The impact of government and school board safety plans Early warning signs of distress that parents and teachers should be looking out for Tamara’s best strategies to navigate back to school anxiety How to think about supporting and disciplining a child in difficult moments Connect with Dr. Tamara Soles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and her website. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

“Choosing the meanings that are consistent with the life that we would ideally like to live is the heart of the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Professor Norman Farb. He is a professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto. He’s best known for his research on the neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. He studies the mental habits that determine our sense of well-being. He is also a co-founder of the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory (MMT). MMT hypothesizes that the reason why mindfulness is effective is because over the long term it can change the foundational interpretations or meanings that we have about ourselves, the world, and the future. Dr. Farb and Dr. Joe spoke about: How mindfulness meditation changes our sense of self and how this plays out in the brain Our brain’s default mode network and its role in well-being The importance of balancing routine and creativity The role of mindfulness in helping us break out of rigid ways of thinking and being The meaning and relevance of Eudaimonic well-being And how psychedelics fit into all of this

“Relationships are the keystone of our lives. They are as important to us as our next breath.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Sue Johnson. Sue is a pioneer in the field of couples therapy. Alongside Dr. Les Greenberg, Dr. Johnson developed emotionally focused couples and family therapy (EFT), which is a couples therapy based on the newest research surrounding relationships: attachment theory. She is also the author of many books like Hold Me Tight, Created for Connection, and Love Sense and is the founder of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), which offers training to therapists in EFT. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Joe spoke about: What is emotionally focused couples and family therapy (EFT)? What is attachment theory? The importance of building a securely attached relationship rather than focusing on communication skills over emotions How we are bonding mammals The 3 factors that define the quality of intimate relationships The 5 stages that an EFT therapist guides their clients through The differences between EFT and more conventional therapies The state of the modern world and EFT’s perspective on it If you’d like to seek services in couples therapy and EFT, please visit our site for more information. Connect with Dr. Sue Johnson on Facebook, Twitter, and her website. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

“I don't think the fear of disease or the fear of adverse consequences is what gets anybody to make a long term change. I think it's connecting with the positive aspect of whatever it is you're choosing.” In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Kara Nance. Kara is a physician, double-board certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. She is the founder of WellessenceMD, a medical practice in Chicago with an innovative, integrative approach to primary care and weight management. Kara is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher and uses mindfulness with her patients to address the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components of diet. Kara takes Dr. Joe on a fascinating tour of nutrition science, clinical best-practices, and the wisdom she has gained from many years of practice. Their conversation covered: An analysis of several popular diets including the Ornish, paleo, ketogenic, and plant-based approaches The scary truth about sugar The challenges of managing our kids sugar intake The role of the microbiome How mindfulness can promote healthy eating And a variety of practical tips and tricks to maintain healthy eating habits If you’d like to learn how to practice mindfulness to help with your diet, eating habits or any other unhelpful habits, please reach out to Mindspace: mindspacewellbeing.com. Connect with Dr. Kara Nance on the Wellessence site and Facebook. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.

“While optimism is certainly associated with individual well-being, it’s what allows us to take action. If you’re a pessimist, then why bother?” In this episode, Dr. Joe speaks with Susan Clayton, Professor of Psychology and Chair of Environmental Studies at the College of Wooster. Susan is a globally-recognized authority on the mental health impacts of climate change. She is the lead author of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) report on Mental Health and Our Changing Climate and a contributor to the upcoming report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She is also the author and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology and Identity and the Natural Environment. Her work focuses on the intersection of mental health, environmentalism, and social psychology. In this episode, Dr. Joe and Professor Clayton explore: The basic scientific facts of climate change The mental health impacts of climate change, including eco-anxiety The economics and politics of climate change Recommendations for building resilience in the face of eco-anxiety The possibility of broad social and economic transformation to adapt to climate change If you’d like some support in coping with your concerns about climate change, Mindspace can help. We are launching an eco-anxiety support group in January and we have a few psychologists who specialize in this area. Please visit mindspacewellbeing.com/eco-anxiety for more information. For more information on eco-anxiety check out Dr. Joe’s article on the Mindspace blog and his interview on Radio-Canada. Connect with Dr. Joe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow Mindspace on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.