Matthias Barker, a psychotherapist and CEO of the Trauma Institute, discusses the complexities of family estrangement and the emotional dynamics at play. He sheds light on the deep impacts of spiritual harm, emphasizing the need for healing and understanding patterns inherited from parents. The conversation also dives into the ethical dilemmas of using AI in therapy, highlighting concerns about maintaining human connection amidst technological advancements. It's a thought-provoking exploration of relationships and the future of mental health.

As the year draws to a close, the hosts reflect on 2024, highlighting community engagement and personal growth. They introduce the Vitality Series, focusing on creating safe spaces for tough conversations. Insightful discussions cover unlearning harmful patterns, integrating trauma into therapy, and the power of authentic connections. Emphasizing vulnerability and resilience, they celebrate the podcast's milestones while encouraging listeners to foster meaningful change. The importance of community support against social issues is also a key takeaway.

Explore eco-village living, tantra, and death Lee Warren shares her experience of living in an intentional community and how it opened the door to exploring tantra and the sacredness of death. Alongside co-host Sue Marriott, they explore tantra as a way to connect with the divine within ourselves and others, using tools like breath, sound, and movement to navigate the energy in our bodies. They also discuss death as a sacred process and the importance of preparing for it—both practically and spiritually. Learn how tantra and death preparation share a common goal: helping us embrace the impermanence of life and find joy in the present moment. “The deep practice of tantra helps consciously engage with the inevitability of death.” – Lee Warren Time Stamps 00:00 Exploring Eco-Village Living and Intentional Community 08:23 The Mysteries of Tantra: Cultivating pleasure and sensuality 16:36 Embracing the sacredness of death 21:10 Preparing for death: A journey of self-discovery 31:32 Having hard conversations with family 38:57 Exploring the mystical with psychedelics About Our Guest – Lee Warren, Death & Tantra Educator Lee Warren, founder of Reclaiming Wisdom, helps people embrace life more fully by preparing for death. She sees life and death as inseparable partners, guiding individuals to transform fear into acceptance and empowerment through heartfelt conversations, mindfulness practices, rituals, and personalized care plans. As a mystic, Lee views death as a sacred portal for the soul, and as an embodiment practitioner, she supports the emotional and practical realities of the dying process. Lee believes that contemplating mortality deepens our connection to life, fostering awe, wonder, and a profound sense of purpose. Lee’s mission is to help others achieve clarity and peace about end-of-life wishes while embracing the sacredness of existence and the mystery of the human journey. Resources for Embracing the Sacredness of Death  ReclaimingWisdom.com – Lee Warren’s website & course information “Tilda Swinton Would Like a Word with Trump about His Mother” – NYTimes Article “The Doctor Who Helped Me Understand My Mom’s Choice to Die” – NYTime Article And of course, our book is also a great resource – it’s for professionals and life-long learners of all kinds. If you’ve read it we’d love to hear from you and if you support it, PLEASE leave a review on either Amazon or Goodreads. Tk you!! Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!   Events, Announcements & Resource Links for Secure Relating & the Election Psychotherapy Networker Symposium – March 20-23, 2025 Rethinking Attachment – Using the Attachment Spectrum in Clinical Practice Learn More & Register Here Integrative Attachment Therapy Course Information Therapists: THIS is our recommended class for the most comprehensive training on attachment out there. It just so happens it is also Dennings recommended program as discussed in this. episode!   Use our link for a discount!  Trauma Therapy Directory – Resources for Trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD – Created by our friends at the Trauma Therapy Network! Check out our other past and upcoming events here!!  Our Sponsors for this Episode –  Our favorite skin quencher. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code TU at https://www.oneskin.co/  #oneskinpod   Coffee alternative powered by mushrooms!  Listeners get 20% off plus a free starter kit.  Piquelife.com/tu Thanks for listening, friends, & for being on this journey with us! 

Dr. Diana Hill, a clinical psychologist and co-author of the ACT Daily Commitment Therapy Journal, shares her expertise on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She highlights how ACT can transform conflict into connection by focusing on personal values. Diana discusses cognitive diffusion, the family body analogy, and practical journaling techniques to navigate life's challenges. Listeners learn the importance of acceptance in enhancing relationships and how to turn regrets into growth opportunities while fostering a 'yes mind' in conversations.

Let’s talk about all things AEDP Sue Marriott and Diana Fosha explore the key principles of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and its transformative impact on the field. AEDP begins with the premise of “healing from the get-go,” and fostering change from the first session. It emphasizes “undoing aloneness” by building a supportive therapeutic relationship, while encouraging clients to engage deeply with emotions. Join us as we highlight techniques like metatherapeutic processing, where clients reflect on their healing experience, and integrating neuroscience into clinical practice. “The basic quality of emergent experience is a surrender to the experience of flow, of being in the zone.” – Dr. Diana Fosha Looking for extra community and connection post-election? Join us for our second free, live virtual holding circle on Friday, November 22nd at 3 PM CST – Click here to learn more  Time Stamps for AEDP 02:55 The importance of healing from the get-go 06:06 Understanding “Undoing aloneness” 28:34 Dropping down into the body and connecting with emotions 33:28 Explanation and application of Metatherapeutic processing 35:28 Creating a safe and transformative relationship with clients 51:20 The societal impact of AEDP About our Guest – Dr. Diana Fosha  Diana Fosha PhD is the developer of AEDPTM, a healing-oriented, radically relational experiential psychotherapy to transform trauma, heal attachment wounds and help people connect to their vitality. She is Founder and Director of the AEDP Institute. Her “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” recognized, she has been also described as having “an extraordinary gift for hope.” For the last 20 years, Diana has been active in promoting a scientific basis for a healing-oriented, attachment-emotion- and transformation-focused trauma treatment model. Fosha’s work focuses on integrating neuroplasticity, recognition science and developmental dyadic research into experiential and transformational clinical work with patients. Her most recent work, Undoing aloneness and the transformation of suffering into flourishing: AEDP 2.0, (APA, 2021), focuses on flourishing as a seamless part of the process of transforming emotional suffering.  She is the author of The transforming power of affect: A model for accelerated change (Basic Books, 2000); co-author, with Natasha Prenn, of Supervision essentials for Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (APA, 2016); 1st editor, with Daniel Siegel and Marion Solomon, of The healing power of emotion: Affective neuroscience, development & clinical practice (Norton, 2009), and editor of the soon to be released AEDP 2.0: Four DVDs of her live AEDP clinical work, including one documenting a complete 6-session treatment, and one on clinical supervision have been issued by the American Psychological Association (APA). Described by psychoanalyst James Grotstein as a “prizefighter of intimacy,” and by David Malan as “the Winnicott of [accelerated experiential] psychotherapy,” Diana Fosha’s writing style is powerful and precise, yet poetic and evocative. Her phrases —“undoing aloneness,” “existing in the heart and mind of the other,” “rigor without shame” and “True Other”  — capture the ethos of AEDP.  Resources for AEDP www.aedpinstitute.org  – View some of Dr. Fosha’s papers here  Metatherapeutic Processing Supports the Emergence of Flourishing in Psychotherapy – by Dr. Diana Fosha How to be a Transformational Therapist – by Dr. Diana Fosha Speculations on Emergence: Working the Edge of Transformational Experience and Neuroplasticity – by Dr. Diana Fosha Healing Attachment Trauma with Attachment (& then some!) – by Dr. Diana Fosha Click here to learn more!!           And of course, our book is also a great resource – it’s for professionals and life-long learners of all kinds. If you’ve read it we’d love to hear from you and if you support it, PLEASE leave a review on either Amazon or Goodreads. Tk you!! Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!   Events, Announcements & Resource Links for Secure Relating & the Election Psychotherapy Networker Symposium – March 20-23, 2025 Rethinking Attachment – Using the Attachment Spectrum in Clinical Practice Learn More & Register Here Integrative Attachment Therapy Course Information Therapists: THIS is our recommended class for the most comprehensive training on attachment out there. It just so happens it is also Dennings recommended program as discussed in this. episode!   Use our link for a discount!  Trauma Therapy Directory – Resources for Trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD – Created by our friends at the Trauma Therapy Network! Check out our other past and upcoming events here!!  Our Sponsors for this Episode –  Coffee alternative powered by mushrooms!  Listeners get 20% off plus a free starter kit.  Piquelife.com/tu Our favorite skin quencher.  Use the code TU when you checkout at oneskin.co Thanks for listening, friends, & for being on this journey with us! 

Michael Hilgers, a Licensed Professional Counselor with a knack for helping creatives, joins the hosts to unpack the emotional turmoil surrounding the 2024 election. They tackle the deep divide in families and friendships, promoting the power of empathy and vulnerable conversations. Hilgers emphasizes the importance of patience and curiosity to bridge political gaps. The discussion also explores the impact of respectful discourse and the need for unity in a divided society, urging listeners to take small, thoughtful actions toward understanding.

Political tension can be overwhelming, but understanding our nervous systems can help us navigate emotional responses. Fear and anxiety often divert us from connection, exacerbating polarization. The discussion highlights the significance of empathy and community, emphasizing how recognizing diverse viewpoints can promote dialogue. They advocate for accountability from leaders, encouraging a resilient approach to personal relationships amidst division. By fostering connection and compassion, we can move beyond hostility and work toward healthier interactions.

Pam Benson Owens, President and CEO of Edge of Your Seat Consulting, Inc., joins the conversation to discuss secure relating. They tackle the neuroscience of relationships, emphasizing attachment styles and the creation of safe spaces for dialogue. The discussion highlights generational trauma's impact on relationships and the significance of emotional regulation. Personal stories reveal the transformative power of self-awareness and the importance of pausing and practicing curiosity in tough conversations, enhancing emotional intelligence in a diverse society.

James Ochoa, a licensed professional counselor with over 30 years of experience in ADHD treatment, dives into the nuances of adult ADHD. He discusses the emotional toll of late diagnoses and highlights various subtypes of ADHD. Ochoa offers practical techniques for symptom management, including breathing exercises and micro-meditations, while emphasizing the importance of self-care and personalized strategies. He also shares insights on supporting loved ones with ADHD and the significance of effective communication in fostering understanding.

Margaret Martin, an expert in Experiential Dynamic Therapies, and Dr. Deb Pollack, who specializes in mental health therapy science, dive into the intricacies of recognizing and challenging psychological defenses. They discuss the importance of distinguishing between ego-syntonic and ego-dystonic defenses for emotional healing. The pair emphasizes how turning against these defenses can facilitate change, explore advanced therapeutic models, and highlight the transformative journey clients experience by confronting their past traumas.