Dr. Gary Bell's Absurd Psychology

We are becoming a nation of narcissists. We are so focused on superficial personal identity that it makes us obsessed with race, ethnicity, sex, and political ideology. Tattoos, body piercing ornaments, and body enhancement surgery have not been enough to satisfy our self-obsession. Like the legendary Narcissus seeing his reflection in a pool, we see and applaud ourselves because of our superficial external appearance. What matters most to narcissists and society at large, is their personal character, what they do and have achieved, and how they contribute to society. Tune in and learn how to identify narcissism , see it in the world around you and learn to respond!

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a disruptive behavior disorder that emerges during childhood or adolescence and is characterized by persistent angry or irritable mood, unruly and argumentative behavior, and vindictiveness. It frequently manifests in hostility toward authority figures. All children display defiant behavior at some point, especially when tired or stressed. Oppositional behavior is in fact normal in toddlers and in early adolescents. The behavior of a child with ODD is much more extreme and disruptive than normal, however, and occurs much more frequently than the type of childhood stubbornness and rebellion that children may display over the course of development. The oppositional behavior of ODD is not only persistent but occurs across a wide array of situations and interferes with children’s social, family, and educational life. Give yourself a break and tune in and learn how to identify and manage Oppositional Defiance Disorder!

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships. Burnout is not simply a result of working long hours or juggling too many tasks, though those both play a role. The cynicism, depression, and lethargy that are characteristic of burnout most often occur when a person is not in control of how a job is carried out, at work or at home, or is asked to complete tasks that conflict with their sense of self. Equally pressing is working toward a goal that doesn't resonate, or when a person lacks support. If a person doesn’t tailor responsibilities to match a true calling, or at least take a break once in a while, they could face burnout—as well as the mountain of mental and physical health problems that often come along with it, including headaches, fatigue, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as increased potential for alcohol, drug, or food misuse. Tune in and learn how burn out can stop your life in it's tracks and how to heal!

What does it mean to be Spiritual Beings having a human experience and how does it relate to our everyday lives? We are not human beings striving to be Spiritual; we are already Spiritual Beings. Meaning, we existed in spiritual form before we were born into this physical world. First and foremost, we are eternal Souls. In the very quiet moments of our busy lives, we can re-connect with this knowledge. Our Soul, that part of us that observes quietly behind what we do, think, believe, and feel, existed before this human life and will continue to exist after our present physical life transitions. Tune in and learn how life changing it can be to acknowledge and make room for your soul in your life!

Forgiveness is the release of resentment or anger. Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation. One doesn't have to return to the same relationship or accept the same harmful behaviors from an offender. Forgiveness is vitally important for the mental health of those who have been victimized. It propels people forward rather than keeping them emotionally engaged in an injustice or trauma. Forgiveness has been shown to elevate mood, enhance optimism, and guard against anger, stress, anxiety, and depression. However, there are scenarios in which forgiveness is not the best course for a particular person. Sometimes a victim of sexual abuse becomes more empowered when they give themselves permission not to forgive. Tune in and learn the gifts that forgiveness can bring and how to do. it!

Many of us whine for a minute when things don't go our way. We need a little grief time, a little time to gather ourselves back together again, renegotiate our hopes and dreams more in alignment with reality, and then we're back in the saddle again. The time it takes for us to do that varies with each individual. Many people feel a tad embarrassed when they whine this way because, well, it feels to us as if we are on the pity-pot. And, you know, maybe for a minute we are. But really, don't we all just need to go there sometimes? That temporary state of self-pity, however, is a drop in the bucket compared to what happens when we are dealing with someone with a full-blown victim identity. A person with a victim identity is someone who has identified with whatever crises, traumas, illnesses or other difficulties have occurred in their lives, particularly those that began very early in life. They did this as a survival technique. Better to go ahead and just realize that life is a long fight with City Hall that you always lose, than to get your hopes up that you just might win every now and then. Hopes can be smashed and a person can be devastated by such dashing. So, why not just avoid the whole mess altogether by just being a perpetual victim? Tune in and learn how to identify, heal and deal with people with victim mentality!

What do you think you look like? Body image is the mental representation an individual creates of themselves, but it may or may not bear any relation to how one actually appears. Body image is subject to all kinds of distortions from the attitudes of one's parents, other early experiences, internal elements like emotions or moods, and other factors. The severe form of poor body image is body dysmorphic disorder, where dissatisfaction over a slight or undetectable defect in appearance becomes a severe obsession. Tune in and learn how a person can. work with what they've got, change and heal!

We started our relationship with alcohol be­cause it made us less likely to starve to death. Over time we gained the ability to stand upright and, eventually, invent Netftix. Some­where along that timeline we also started getting drunk from al­cohol, and not just fat. Today, alcohol is the most widely consumed intoxicant on earth. We spend well over a trillion dollars a year worldwide to get our buzz on, and for more sacred purposes than mere drunkenness; Christian churches across the world use wine to represent the blood of their god.The ancient Greeks and Romans took the opposite tack, and turned their alcohol into a god, Dionysus. There's absolutely no drug on earth that our species has carried further or invested more creativity into than alcohol. Tune in and learn how to change your relationship with alcohol!

The most important and possibly universal quality for a “good man” is maturity. So many otherwise decent guys never seem to grow up. Maturity is not boring, btw; it basically means someone who is not emotionally stunted, childishly self-centered, or financially reckless. Other aspects of someone’s personality can be important and interesting and charming and irresistible, but maturity is the basis of an adult and long-term relationship. Women are desperately struggling to find a good man. This show will help you discover what is going on, what you need to adjust and how to make it happen!

Though more rare, rage can also be expressed inwards; and instead of external destruction, people who internalise their rage destroy themselves. It can lead to hate and self harm. Eventually though, this too will bubble up and be expressed externally in some way. It is never healthy to keep emotions bottled up; particularly one as extreme as anger and rage. Rage is extreme and scary when experienced from others; but we are all quite capable of it. For many people, they have likely experienced this and felt completely out of control afterwards. Some have described it as “seeing red” where conscious decision making goes out the window, and actions are no longer in your own control. So it is scary even when we experience rage ourselves. What exactly triggers rage is so specific to the individual there’s no way to list down anything specific. Each person has a trigger that can lead to anger and rage; and it is entirely up to them to try to figure themselves out. Maybe you’ve experienced excessive anger and rage. Did you understand why and did you know how to deal with it? Tune in and learn all about rage and how to deal with angry people and manage it yourself!