You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist

Is therapy dead? Can it be revived? How can we move forward? What are the virtues and pitfalls of alternatives to therapy, like coaching or wellness related practices? Typically, therapists go to graduate school and complete postgraduate internships and exams to develop a particular set of psychological tools to address mental illnesses that many of us are faced with. But Bizzie has done something truly unique; she is the first person not licensed as a clinical therapist to have created a therapeutic program for mental health professionals. It’s common for relationships to have what Bizzie calls “Symbiotic Dysfunction” whereby the attraction pattern might be opposite, creating triggering and potentially toxic relationships. What can we do to battle this seemingly inherent trait? Do some couplings require some kind of polarity to ignite a relationship? And how therefore do children get socialized by their parents from the viewpoint of Bizzie’s Break Method? Bizzie Gold is a Behavior Strategist, author, speaker and creator of Break Method, an NASW accredited program for mental health professionals and an online program to help clients rapidly rewire the emotional response system. She has been a featured workshop presenter and speaker at some of the most prestigious wellness institutes including Omega Institute, Kripalu and 1440 Multiversity. Gold has also appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, TODAY, E!, Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post among others to discuss her unique approach to rapid emotional repatterning that has garnered widespread Hollywood and media praise. You can follow Bizzie on Twitter or Instagram @BizzieGold. Learn more about the Break Method on her website, or sign up for her program here. You can access a PowerPoint on Bizzie’s training to “Escape the Paradigm”.Are you interested in Rewiring your brain? Bizzie provides the resources to do so in “The Self Study”Recently, Bizzie had me on her podcast, The Modern Good, in an episode titled, “A Captured Profession,” which you can view here.In this episode I mentioned the book, “Hold On To Your Kids” by Gorden Neufeld and Gabor Maté which you can find in my bookshop or by visiting this Amazon affiliate link. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

As we discuss often on this podcast, “gender affirming care” can appeal to trauma survivors as an enticing way out of pain. Some of these people go through the entire process of medical intervention only to find themselves pursuing detransition. This week I am joined by Torren Danowski, a detransitioner who found himself in this exact situation. Torren and I discuss his unique story from his struggle with gender dysphoria, and his adventure with psychedelics, to the place of faith, religion, ministry and church in his life. Torren reminds us of the deeper work it takes to truly discover one’s identity, and urges listeners to align your journey first with learning how to suffer well. Torren Danowski is a detransitioned man living in Philadelphia. He attempted transition twice in his early 30s after struggling with gender most of his life. But once he realized that his gender dysphoria was actually the symptom of something deeper, he began addressing that deeper issue, and saw the pain of gender dysphoria begin to subside. Torren was involved in Libertarian politics and ran for Pennsylvania State Representative in 2022. He has since stepped away from politics and is seeking a career change, moving from corporate America to exploring counseling, psychology, and theology. You can follow Torren’s work on substack.In recent months, Torren has indicated that these books have been a great influence on him during his journey."The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk“The Divine Conspiracy Bible Study Participant’s Guide: Jesus’s Master Class for Life" by Dallas Willard"Try Softer" by Aundi Kolber"Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature" by Peter ScazzeroGender Dysphoria Alliancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs9lzh9l9wc&t=5s To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Is it possible to fall in love over the internet? Today I welcome two very special guests about to welcome their first baby, whose love story began on Twitter. This was my first time interviewing a couple, and it was utterly delightful. Zach Elliott and Cynthia Breheny of The Paradox Institute join me this week to delight us with their love story, touch us with the personal experiences that directed them to this work, inspire us with methods to assist in healing families, and guide us as to how to protect and consider the long term needs of children while providing comprehensive education and care for them.What has Cynthia learned about the needs of gender dysphoric youth from her own experiences of struggling with, and recovering from, hatred of her female body? How exactly are children impacted by “gender affirming care” in the current culture? Are they perhaps empowered by pitting parents against medical professionals? Are they vulnerable to harm as a result of that support? How exactly do we address the needs of children while acknowledging and recognizing the rightful concerns of parents?Zach Elliott is ​​an author of two books on sex and gender and the producer of 20+ animated videos on sex differences. His fascination with the biology of sex and desire to learn and educate led him to create the Paradox Institute in January 2020. Cynthia Breheny is a digital artist, animator, and author. Her lifelong experience with gender dysphoria and her professional design skills provide her with unique abilities to communicate sex and gender concepts. Together, they developed a pamphlet on the myths of “gender affirming care.” Additionally, Zach has a YouTube channel for the Paradox Institute where he posts audio essays, thoughtful video responses and animated videos. You can follow Zach on Twitter, along with Cynthia to stay up-to-date on their latest works. You can find Zach’s book, “The Gender Paradox: Discrimination and Disparities in the Postmodern Era,” and Alan Gordon’s book which I mentioned in today’s episode, “The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing and Chronic Pain” in my bookshop!In my discussion, I mentioned a recent episode of the Some Kind of Therapist podcast: 47. The Scapegoated Body: Transition Regret in Psychotherapy with Bob WithersI also mentioned a substack, Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT) that you can access here. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In a recent past episode of this podcast, we discussed issues related to fertility care. But what about maternity care? In this week’s episode, Kallie Fell and I discuss the nuances of informed consent in reference to maternity care along with the in’s and out’s of risk mitigation during pregnancy, physician concerns and pressures, the what may be best for children in the long run. This is an especially sensitive topic for families and Kallie Fell does an amazing job of providing context and understanding for the various decisions that parents are faced with during pregnancy. Kallie began her professional career as a scientist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center utilizing a Master of Science degree in Animal Sciences with an emphasis on Reproductive Physiology and Molecular Biology from Purdue University. While assisting in the investigation of endometriosis and pre-term birth, Kallie simultaneously pursued a degree in nursing with hopes of working with women as a perinatal nurse. Kallie has worked with the CBC since 2018, first as a volunteer writer, then as a staff Research Associate, and now as the Executive Director. Kallie is, and always has been, passionate about women’s health. She continues to work, as she has for the past 6 years, as a perinatal nurse. In 2021, Kallie co-directed the documentary, Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender? and in 2022 she co-produced and co-wrote the CBC's newest documentary, Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters. Kallie also hosts the popular podcast Venus Rising and is the Program Director for the Paul Ramsey Institute. She is in the process of co-authoring her first book. You can contact Kallie through her email. You can follow Kallie Fell on her podcast, Venus Rising on all podcasting platforms or follow her work at the Center for Bioethics and Culture.In this episode, I mention a past episode with Jennifer Lahl: 52. Surrogacy: Liberation or Exploitation? with Jennifer Lahl To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Cat Cattinson is a detransitioned woman who was featured in our documentary, Affirmation Generation. Cat shares her experience in reclaiming her singing voice after realizing that medicalizing her gender dysphoria was not the right path. For Cat, the loss of her singing voice became the catalyst that led her to detransition. Now, Cat is thriving as a musician again, while serving as the spokesperson for Transition Justice, an organization that helps detransitioners who have been harmed by “gender affirming care.”Cat Cattinson is an activist, detransitioned woman, and spokesperson for Transition Justice, a nonprofit connecting survivors of experimental gender medicine with legal attorneys. After starting to transition in 2019, Cat realized her singing voice, music career, and health were more important to her than masquerading as a man. It took her 2 years to retrain her voice and begin to perform again. Cat is passionate about dispelling myths about detransition and educating the public about the unique challenges that detransitioners face. You can follow Cat’s work on her Twitter, LinkedIn, or on her YouTube channel. If you need assistance from Transition Justice you can visit the website here.In this episode I mentioned a past episode: 36. Is American Education Broken? with Deb Fillman To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What happens when we die? Do we go to a great beyond somewhere? Are we punished for what we’ve done wrong? Many religions have tried to tackle this problem for as long as humans have recognized the significance of death. What we know for sure is that someone will have to take care of our remains. This week, Josh Slocum provides a realist vision of what happens when we die, flowers are purchased, caskets are bought and loved ones are faced with the tough task of how to say goodbye. Join us as we discuss perhaps one of the toughest topics with smiles and laughter as a calling to remember death, but maybe not to take it too seriously. Josh Slocum is the host of the weekly show Disaffected, available on YouTube and all usual podcast platforms. Disaffected examines politics and culture through a psychological point of view. Josh's experience coming from an abusive childhood informs the show's working premise that the psychological narcissistic abuse found in families now structures our public life. You can access Josh’s work through his Substack, YouTube channel, or Twitter.In this episode I mention a recent interview with Christin Sefein: 51. Wokeness Versus the Counseling Profession with Christine Sefein To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Has Critical Social Justice completely captured clinical psychology? So many people seek out therapy in hopes of improving their lives and the lives of those around them through traditional therapeutic practice. What happens when those practices are no longer taught and therapists are instead activists seeking to derail the normative behavior of others? In this week’s episode, I am joined by British psychotherapist Dr. Carole Sherwood to get her perspective on how critical therapy has captured psychology by overhauling psychology training courses worldwide. Dr. Sherwood offers her advice to see through the fallacies of Critical Social Justice in hopes that therapists can return to their traditional roles of helping patients cope with mental illness. Dr. Carole Sherwood is a psychologist. She worked for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, specializing in sexual health, chronic pain, cancer, palliative care, and trauma. Dr. Sherwood has grown increasingly concerned about the incursion of Critical Social Justice into clinical psychology. In 2022 she co-authored an independent report, The Politicization of Clinical Psychology Training Courses in the UK, with Dr. Kirsty Miller. She also contributed to the book Cynical Therapies: Perspectives on the Antitherapeutic Nature of Critical Social Justice, edited by Dr. Val Thomas. Dr. Sherwood is on the steering committee of Critical Therapy Antidote, an organization that is committed to preserving the healing ethos of therapy. She is also on the Advisory Council of Don’t Divide Us, the UK’s common-sense voice on race. In this episode I mention a recent episode: 51. Wokeness Versus the Counseling Profession with Christine Sefine To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How does life transform after questioning everything you thought you knew about the world? As we grow into adulthood and consider the axioms we live by, we are sometimes left to adjust to a world we see radically differently than before, and must find new ways of being. In this week’s episode, Meghan Murphy discusses how she came to view the world after confronting her biases, and what she has discovered since launching her podcast, The Same Drugs, in March 2020. Life after Covid is decidedly different for Meghan as she is finding happiness in a foreign country while still dealing with the backlash of her heterodox views online. Join us in this week’s episode as Meghan and I explore a new way of being.Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer now based in Mexico. She founded Feminist Current, Canada's leading feminist website, in 2012. Meghan testified against Canada's gender identity legislation in 2017, and was one of the first and only women to articulate a feminist challenge to gender identity legislation in Canada. She is the host of the Feminist Current podcast and of The Same Drugs, on YouTube or Rumble and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Meghan was famously banned from Twitter in 2018 for referring to a man as "he" and for saying that "men aren't women." Her Twitter account was restored four years later, in November of 2022. You can follow her @meghanemurphy. Find more of her work at https://meghanmurphy.substack.com.In this episode I mentioned Jonathan Haidt’s Book, The Righteous Mind available in my bookshop. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How does discomfort drive the therapeutic process? Is it required to successfully navigate our uniquely difficult stations of life? This week, I am joined by Tessa Jacques, LMFT to discuss how therapeutic solutions are being harshly impacted by the instant gratification of the modern era. Join me as Tessa and I discuss the nuances of how modern culture creates a weakness in patients by discounting the need to face yourself on the quest to heal. Tessa pursued her undergraduate education in child development and spent several years serving underprivileged families and children in the Head Start program. She later decided to obtain her MA in Clinical Psychology specializing in Maternal Mental Health. Tessa has been working in private practice since 2016 helping new moms adjust to motherhood. Recently Tessa has noticed the mental health industry has been progressively leaning left, watching most clinicians follow suit. Tessa founded Motherlode Counseling in Auburn, CA in 2019 where she currently works with individuals and couples as well as supervising pre-licensed therapists and training them to build their own practices. Recently, Tessa has shifted her focus to advocating for clients and clinicians who do not feel served by this new trend on her Instagram @theuncensoredtherapist. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

I’ve spoken with many guests about the harms of marketing invasive, experimental, life-altering procedures to children in the name of so-called “gender affirmation.” But the cosmetic surgery market’s thirst for young blood doesn’t begin and end with its exploitation of gender dysphoria. Simon Esler exposed the connections between adolescent angst, self-harm, body image, and this sociopathic industry in his new film, “Cut: Daughters of the West,” which examines the rapidly growing manufactured demand for labiaplasties and other surgeries based on the lie that female bodies should be altered in pursuit of the latest trends.Simon Esler is a seasoned actor, writer, filmmaker, unschooling father and longtime truth teller on a mission to win the ongoing war against free thought & human liberty. With over 15 years of experience as a theater maker, 5 years as a professional content creator and a background as a former minister, I uplift hidden truths using deep insight and laughter as weapons. You can follow Simon’s work on Twitter, YouTube, and his website. His podcast, Finding Free Thought, is available anywhere podcasts are found. You can now watch his latest film, Cut: Daughters of the West.In this episode, I mentioned some books available in our bookshop:“The Master and His Emissary” by Iain McGilchrist“This Is Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences” by Sarah HillWe also mentioned the Badlands Media Substack and my appearance on the “Dangerous Rhetoric” podcast, which you can find here. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What is the overarching perspective of a detransitioner as they move through their awakening journey? This week I am joined by Laura Becker, a detransitioner turned influencer who is featured on the recent documentary Affirmation Generation to talk about her journey through the detransition process and her recent experiences providing a safe space for others to do the same. Laura Becker is an artist and writer known for her funkedelic artist persona, "Funk God,” and her essays and speaking appearances describing her experiences as a detransitioned woman. She has been a notable voice of insight within the detransition movement, exploring ideas of gender, existentialism, spirituality, and psychoeducational concepts based in her personal journey healing from C-PTSD, identity, and mental health struggles. As a self-described "archetype of the eccentric artist", Laura promotes the values of her creative Funk God philosophy across all domains of her life and work: awareness, acceptance, balance, unity, love, and being groovy.You can follow Laura @funkgodartist on Twitter and Instagram. You can find her art on her website and her writing is featured on substack. You can also support her on YouTube or Etsy, and she accepts donations for her work. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In recent years, surrogacy has become a staple in the medical field with little regard or thought of the impact surrogacy has on the human reproductive and evolutionary process. This week, I am joined by Registered Nurse Jennifer Lahl in a conversation about the lesser known tribulations that surrogate mothers face in contemporary society including health risks, contractual exploitation, and family breakage. Jennifer Lahl has been studying surrogacy for over 15 years and has assisted in the production of nearly as many films surrounding this highly contentious topic. Join us in our exploration of what surrogacy’s greater impacts are on the human race’s reproductive and evolutionary process.Jennifer Lahl, MA, BSN, RN is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking.In 2009, Lahl was associate producer of the documentary film Lines That Divide: The Great Stem Cell Debate, which was an official selection of the 2010 California Independent Film Festival. In 2010, she made her writing and directing debut producing the documentary film Eggsploitation, which has been awarded Best Documentary by the California Independent Film Festival and has sold in more than 30 countries. An updated and expanded version of Eggsploitation was released in the fall of 2013. She is also Director, Executive Producer, and co-writer of Anonymous Father’s Day (2011), a documentary film exploring the stories of women and men who were created by anonymous sperm donation. In 2014 she completed what is now a trilogy of films on the ethics of third-party reproduction with Breeders: A Subclass of Women?, which focuses on surrogacy. In July 2015, she released a documentary short Maggie's Story, which follows one woman’s egg donation journey. Compassion and Choice: Denied (2016) is a short documentary on physician assisted suicide. Lahl’s next feature film, #BigFertility was released in the fall of 2018. Her most recent film, Trans Mission: What’s the Rush to Reassign Gender? was just released in June of 2021. Always using film as a way to communicate and educate, her forthcoming film, The Detransition Diaries: Saving Our Sisters, is set to release Fall 2022. All of her films are available for FREE streaming on The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network's YouTube channel. You can follow Jennifer and her work on Twitter @jenniferlahl or on the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network website, here.In this episode, I mentioned previously aired episodes with Amy Sousa:9. Amy Sousa Emotional Empowerment Through Embodied Awareness I also mentioned Jonathan Haidt’s Book, The Righteous Mind and Jennifer Lahl’s recent book, Broken Bonds: Surrogate Mothers Speak Out,which you can find by following these Amazon affiliate links or in my bookshop. Either way, your purchase supports the show. Thank you!Join Jennifer and I in person for a showing of both Affirmation Generation and The Detransition Diaries in Austin Texas on April 21, following a conference hosted by Partners for Ethical Care April 20! Please visit the Partners for Ethical Care event page here for more information. To register for the free film showing on April 21, register to [email protected]. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas

Does woke ideology in psychotherapy education damage the field of professional counseling? Therapists are being evaluated more and more on the fundamental axioms that underlay critical social justice theory instead of the traditional principles that empower counselors to effectively and respectfully treat their patients. In this week's episode, I am joined by Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Christine Sefein to discuss her experiences in higher education that led her to a deep questioning of critical social justice and its anti-human sentiment.Christine is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in grief and trauma work. She has worked most extensively with grieving adults and children in a variety of communities and settings including dual-diagnosis residential facilities, intensive outpatient treatment, homeless shelters and in private practice. Christine has held positions such as Clinical Director of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center, Clinical Supervisor of the Interpersonal Violence programs at California Lutheran University, and grief specialist. Christine Sefein is also Professor of Clinical Psychology, and most recently taught at Antioch University Los Angeles, in the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Program. Christine is currently co-hosting a podcast for Critical Therapy Antidote which will premiere soon, coinciding with the release of the book, Cynical Therapies: Perspectives on the AntiTherapeutic Nature of Critical Social Justice, which features an essay she authored. You can find this book in my bookshop or via this Amazon affiliate link; either way, your purchase supports the show. Thank you!As a public speaker and formal educator, Christine dedicates her time to educating others on the harms of Critical Social Justice in the field of Psychology. You can contact Christine at [email protected] this episode, I mentioned previously aired episodes with Amy Gallagher, Leslie Elliot, James Esses, and Andrew Hartz. Those can be found below: 50. The Battle Against Discrimination in Psychotherapy with Amy Gallagher33. Therapists or Activists? The Ideological Capture of Counseling Education, with Leslie Elliott 23. Gender Updates Across the Pond with James Esses24. Counseling in a Cluster B Culture with Andrew Hartz, PhD To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Is Christianity responsible for racism? According to Amy Gallagher in her fight against the UK’s NHS, the answer is no. Two years ago, Amy Gallagher was told she was unfit to engage with her patients since she disagrees with Orwellian principles foundational to woke ideology that view white people as the “problem of our time.” Today, I am joined by Amy Gallagher to discuss the shortcomings of this subtly vicious ideology with inherently detrimental impacts on psychotherapy as a profession along with the unparalleled negative outcomes for patients who are subjected to it. Amy Gallagher is a Mental Health Nurse who has been working in the UK National Health Service (NHS) for seven years. She has worked with adolescents and adults with a range of issues such as eating disorders, personality disorders, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Amy has a postgraduate diploma in psychodynamic psychotherapy and is currently suing the NHS for suspending the final part of her training to become a psychotherapist because she disagreed with Critical Race Theory. You can follow Amy Gallagher’s work on Twitter @standuptowoke and can donate to fund her legal fees and application for judicial review in her Travistock discrimination lawsuit on GoFundMe, here.In this episode we discuss how the death of religion on a social scale has created an environment rife with discrimination against thought diversity in therapeutic treatment. Amy argues that psychotherapy as a profession has been hijacked by an ideologically-driven oppression of viewpoint divergence, threatening the professional development of therapists, and as in Amy’s case, open discrimination against Christian counselors and their patients. Amy sheds light on how the profession of psychotherapy suffers as a result of ideological principles lacking in an evidence base being taught as fact, and we discuss the negative effects and experiences patients endure as a result. Amy’s case presents a unique point in time where people of certain demographics are discriminated against by progressive puritanicals who believe that simplistic and divisive narratives are the only answer to the complexities of the human condition. In this episode, I mentioned previously aired episodes with Leslie Elliot, James Esses, and Andrew Hartz. Those can be found below: 33. Therapists or Activists? The Ideological Capture of Counseling Education, with Leslie Elliott 23. Gender Updates Across the Pond with James Esses 24. Counseling in a Cluster B Culture with Andrew Hartz, PhD To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Canada is front and center of the growing controversy around its expansion of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) policy as heated debates on the euthanization of children, trans identifying people and the mentally ill have swept its legislative bodies. I am joined by writer and host of the podcast Our Canadian Journey Darshan Maharaja, who is sounding the alarm on the increasingly contentious nature of Canada’s MAiD program. In this episode, we discuss Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) policy expansion efforts and how they impact those seeking state-sanctioned suicide in Canada. Darshan explains how expansion of this program is creating controversy in the otherwise supported position that terminally ill patients suffering from excessive pain deserve dignity in death. Mr. Maharaja is seeking to call attention to the harm that expansion of this policy is creating for all Canadians from mothers, to disaffected youth, and even infants. As of the enactment of this law in 2016, the rate of those seeking assistance in death has skyrocketed from 1,000 patients to 10,000 annually. This astonishing increase brings up the utility of medical assistance in dying, government responses to such policies, and the larger societal harms associated with it. Growing up in India, Darshan witnessed the transitioning of that country’s economy from an avowedly socialist one, with the government owning outright certain sectors of the economy and excessively regulating what private enterprise existed, to a significantly much freer market economy. This experience has given Darshan some unusual insights into the role of the government in an economy, as also the consequences of government policy on the populace. On the political front, Darshan saw the evolution of Indian politics from the overwhelming dominance of one party to a splintering among many regional and ideological parties. The authoritarianism of the earlier decades was replaced by deal-making and compromises. This transition has had a profound impact on the exercise of political power. Darshan is of the opinion that his experiences on these two fronts are very relevant to the Canadian landscape of the 21st century. After becoming a Chartered Accountant, Darshan worked in India, Africa and the Middle East, with some exposure to Central Asia as well, before moving to Canada. The years of living in many different societies and cultures were of invaluable educational value that helped Darshan understand the nuances of integration as well as the points of divergence between diverse cultures. These two aspects are of immediate – and increasingly urgent – importance in today’s Canada. Darshan is not a member of any political party or any other social or ideological organization. You can follow Darshan Maharaja’s work on twitter @TheophanesRex, on his website, http://darshanmaharaja.ca or follow his podcast, “Our Canadian Journey,” here. In this episode, I mentioned a previously aired episode with Robin Atkins: 27. Robin Atkins, LMHC: Two Therapists Debate Abortion. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In their desperation to protect their children from lifelong medicalization, parents of trans-identifying youth are often at risk of losing sleep, jobs, and even marriages. In this episode, I talk with life coach and ROGD parent, StoicMom, about how ROGD parents might save their sanity and develop pathways forward in support of healthy family dynamics. StoicMom presents solutions to parents outlined by her view of stoicism. She encourages parents to see trans-identifying children as life’s invitation for self assessment. She urges parents to present children with optional roadmaps to enter adulthood that provide alternative ways of being to mainstream cultural views. StoicMom encourages listeners to reclaim resilience in the face of struggle and restore deep meaning in life by motivating parents to model the best examples possible for their children. She inspires parents to detach from outcomes as children navigate the muddy, but normal, waters of individuation through adolescence. StoicMom reminds us that life is rich when we accept the invitation it offers us to provide emotional support to our loved ones as they embark on their journey of self discovery. StoicMom is a certified life coach using her daughter's trans ID as inspiration to become a better human. By adopting the Stoic principle of "the obstacle is the way," StoicMom transformed this incredibly destabilizing circumstance into an opportunity to create healing and discover wholeness. She now coaches other moms with trans-identified children who are looking to recover solid ground, create inner peace and restore quality of life. StoicMom also offers a private online learning community for growth-oriented, non-affirming parents of trans-identified humans. For more information, visit The StoicMom Project at stoicmom.substack.com In this episode, StoicMom mentioned two previous podcast episodes. The first was with Sasha Ayad and Stella O’Malley on their program, “Gender: A Wider Lens” where they discussed personal individuation called, “Using Her Child’s Trans Identity for Personal Individuation.” Additionally, on “The StoicMom Project” StoicMom was interviewed by Jessie Mannisto on an episode called, “Perceiving a Higher Path.” Those podcast episodes can be found here:Gender: A Wider Lens - “Using Her Child’s Trans Identity for Personal Individuation"Perceiving a Higher Path -Jessie Mannisto interviews StoicMomI also mentioned my interview with Jessie Mannisto: 13. Jessie Mannisto - Brains and Bravery: Turning Breakdowns into Breakthroughs. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

If you appreciate conversations about detransition, you’re not going to want to miss this episode. Today we are graced by an elder psychotherapist who has been helping people with transition regret, including men who have had irreversible surgeries, revert to living as their biological sex ever since I was a child. Bob Withers is a Jungian analyst with over 35 years’ experience as a psychotherapist. During that time he has worked with several transgender people in various stages of transition and detransition. He has written a series of articles about that work including the 2020 article ‘Transgender Medicalization’. Bob is a former senior lecturer on the University of Westminster’s master’s program, where he specialized in the history and philosophy of the mind/body relationship in medicine. He is also co-founder of The Rock Clinic, a charitable, community based psychotherapy and counseling service in Brighton England, where he lives. In this episode, we explore from a depth psychology perspective the various reasons people seek “transition,” ranging from internalized homophobia and auto gynephilia, to abusive fathers and fear of toxic masculinity, to insecure attachment and even psychosis. Plus: what are therapists trying to avoid in ourselves by colluding with trans medicalization? And what can we learn from therapists who worked during the era of lobotomies?In this conversation, Bob mentioned two books, both by Michele Moore and Heather Brunskell-Evans, which Bob wrote chapters of. You can find these books and many more in my bookshop or using these Amazon affiliate links below. Either way, your purchase supports the show. Thank you! Transgender Children and Young People: Born in your own bodyInventing Transgender Children and Young PeoplePLUS: early access to the documentary I’m proud to be a part of, Affirmation Generation, is now available! Stream now for free, check out the trailer & more at affirmationgenerationmovie.com. Follow Affirmation Generation on Twitter @2022affirmation or Instagram @affirmationgeneration. Please consider making a small donation to support the costs of production. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Once upon a time, Jason loved his job facilitating social and emotional learning in public schools. Then, in 2017, a new ideological framework began to take root in school SEL programs that eroded the foundation of goodwill that his work was based upon. But instead of giving into nihilism or despair, Jason forged a new path. He developed a new philosophy rooted in his values of dignity, integrity, and humor. From that, Empowered Humanity Theory was born. In this episode, Jason and I explore values-based, ideologically and politically neutral alternatives to such contentious topics as Social and Emotional Learning, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion curriculums. Jason Littlefield is a lifelong learner and longtime educator. In 2021 he left public education after 21 years because his job (SEL Specialist) evolved to advance an ideology rather enhance the human experience and condition. He now promotes Empowered Humanity Theory to schools, workplaces & communities that seek to build empowering and dignified communities. He is a co-founder and board member of Free Black Thought; a Director and board member of The Institute For Liberal Values; and host of the Reformation Radio podcast. In this episode, I mentioned several other episodes: my conversations with Leslie Elliott, Jessie Mannisto, Mike Belcher, and Deb Fillman. I also mentioned books by Leonard Sax and Donna Hicks, which you can find in my bookshop. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Pamela Garfield-Jaeger, aka The Truthful Therapist, empowers parents with the knowledge necessary to navigate the world of therapy infected by the deceptively-named so-called “social justice” lens. Working in the field for over twenty years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she understands the importance of choosing the right therapist, especially for vulnerable children. In this episode, we examine the current state of the institution and the potential consequences for families needing help. How is woke therapy promoting victim mentality? What should parents know before finding a therapist for their child? We also dive into the dangers of gender affirmation and what impact it can have on families. The creator of Parent’s Guide to Mental Health, Pamela provides invaluable insight into the state of the profession today. Therapy should be a healing process that is tailored to the needs of the individual, not as a collective intervention. Join us as we discuss how to find what you need in the mental health system. Pamela Garfield-Jaeger is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with over 20 years of experience. She has worked in a variety of settings including NY community-based agencies, residential programs for foster youth, schools and mental health clinics in California. She has been a clinical supervisor for up-and-coming therapists for 10 years. In 2017, she had to leave her profession due to a severe disability and when she returned, so much in the mental health profession had changed, particularly when it comes to treatment of gender dysphoric patients. In the teen clinic she was at in San Mateo County, California in 2021, 3 out of 10 kids identified as trans. Since she had been in the field with vulnerable youth for over 20 years, this was a drastic change. Pamela has spoken to many therapists who agree that instant affirmation of young people with complex mental health conditions is inappropriate, however, they're being heavily silenced. Because Pam continues to cope with chronic pain and receives disability, she has been emboldened to speak out on these issues and build her own program.Pamela is taking her 20 years of experience and building a comprehensive online parents' guide to mental health with the tag line "therapy not indoctrination". Since so many families need mental health support, Pamela's vision is to provide information for parents so they are empowered to know what to expect, the questions to ask the therapist, understand what skilled therapy looks like, know how much they should be involved (answer: a lot!) and information on numerous current mental health topics. The program will include pre-recorded lessons, live workshops and she will be providing consultations for parents so they can ask personal questions about concerns about the therapy their child is receiving.You can find her on Instagram at @the.truthfultherapist, on Twitter @redpilledlcsw, and her website is www.thetruthfultherapist.org. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What impact does an identity-focused culture have on children with autism? Teva Johnstone is a licensed clinical social worker in California who works as a parenting coach for the respectful care of "spirited" and autistic youth. Teva believes all children are worthy of developing life skills that are not predetermined by an identity defined by a mental health diagnosis. In this conversation, we dive into how the characteristics of autism are presented differently in males and females. When and how is it recognized in children? Is autism over or under-diagnosed? And what role does school culture and social media play in forming their worldview? Teva explains children with autism have amazing qualities that flourish in ideal environments. She works with parents on creating a space of acceptance while appropriately challenging their children. She emphasizes how important it is for children to understand that building a character and understanding their identity is a lifelong process.Teva Johnstone is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California and a Children's Mental Health Consultant. Her areas of focus are autism, "spirited" kids, and supporting parents of gender-questioning youth. Teva is passionate about Unschool, free speech, and all things parental rights. Content creator on Instagram @rebel.parentsOnline Courses & Parent Community: tevajohnstone.com To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Conflict in intimate relationships is a problem as old as time. While men are often perceived as the more privileged of the sexes, their lifespans are actually getting shorter. When it comes to intimate relationships, men often feel at a disadvantage. And male behavior that might come across to their female partners as angry, cold, or dismissive, is driven by fear more often than we might guess. Joining us today is Dr. Avrum Weiss, psychotherapist and author of Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men’s Fears of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. Together, we explore: why is it important to understand men? What makes it hard to see male behavior in terms of fear and vulnerability? How do our perceptions and definitions of masculinity contribute to communication breakdowns? Dr. Weiss articulates men’s #1 complaint in relationships, their 7 fears of women, and his most tried-and-true psychotherapy interventions for rekindling intimacy.Dr. Weiss is a psychotherapist, an award-winning author, and speaker. His decade-long work on understanding the internal lives of men culminated with his recently published bestseller “Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men’s Fears of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships.” Dr. Weiss is a regular contributor to the Psychology Today website and offers workshops nationally about psychotherapy with men and helping men and women understand each other. He practices psychotherapy online from his home on an island in Midcoast Maine, specializing in psychotherapy groups for men and psychotherapy consultation. For more information, visit AvrumWeissPhD.com. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Many listeners in their 30’s and beyond fear losing their well-established careers, reputations, or livelihoods should they risk speaking out over controversial issues. But what’s it like for the odd 20-something heretic who dares to dissent from their peers straight out of college? If anyone has “lived experience” of this, it’s Sasha. In 2020, she was fired from her first full time job. Her reputation in the publishing industry was instantly destroyed, stopped before it could start. This wasn’t for lack of talent or dedication, but because she tweeted her opinion that men cannot be women.Sasha didn’t let that crumble her. Instead, she took it as an opportunity to recognize a missing need in society, and got to work creating the Plebity Free Speech Fund, a sort of “cancellation insurance” offering security to those who fear threats to their livelihoods.In this conversation, Sasha and I explore what she’s learned over the past three years and why she still finds it worthwhile to take such risks. We demystify common projections we’ve both faced as public figures who’ve survived in a post-cancellation world. Plus, we examine: who gets to determine what constitutes “hate speech?” Is “free speech” really nothing more than a conservative dog-whistle? Why does censorship backfire? And what can we learn from the cautionary tales of tyrannies past?In this episode, we mentioned Abigail Shrier’s book, Irreversible Damage. You can get that and support the show through this Amazon affiliate link or from my bookshop.We also mentioned episode 13 with Jessie Mannisto, Brains & Bravery: Turning Breakdowns into Breakthroughs. You can watch that on YouTube here or find it on any audio platform of your choice here.And we discussed Sasha’s investigations into the famous TikTok surgeon who “yeets the teets,” Dr. Gallagher. Read Sasha’s article on Gallagher here.In our conversation, I also mentioned I was thinking of writing a book. This episode was recorded back in August 2022, before I decided to write the Dear Detransitioners series. Since then, I did begin writing that book, but then I got busy with Affirmation Generation, so the book is on hold. I do intend to return to it when things settle down.Sasha White co-founded the Plebity Free Speech Fund after getting fired for her tweets in 2020. The Fund awards grants to those who have been severely/materially punished for their speech. She is a columnist at Tablet Magazine and writes on Substack at Notes from the Underground and at Sasha White. Her interviews on gender identity, free speech, and censorship can be found on her YouTube channel. You can follow her on Twitter @iamGrushenka. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Parents are the ultimate authority in their child's emotional and mental well-being. Sexuality and identity are delicate, personal matters fraught with social and cultural baggage, best discussed in the home. Yet increasingly, K-12 public schools are taking on the invasive role of indoctrinating children into belief systems that have major consequences for their health, sometimes triangulating children by keeping secrets from their parents and otherwise overstepping psychological boundaries. Alvin Lui helps parents find both the emotional strength, and the logistical strategies, to defend their children from indoctrination. In today’s episode, we discuss how the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has been working against the public interest, and what concerned citizens can do about it.Alvin Lui is a “political refugee” from California. He moved his family to the Midwest only to find the same ideologies that ruined his old home are now spreading across the country. He founded Courage is a Habit to create actionable education and strategies for the average parent, school board candidate, and legislator to take action in defending children from indoctrination in K-12. The twitter account @CourageHabit has been suspended for speaking out about abusive behavior. Please encourage Twitter Support to bring back Courage is a Habit. In the meanwhile, you can find resources courageisahabit.org. You can also follow Courage is a Habit on Facebook and Instagram.In this conversation, we mentioned Episode 3, How Jennifer Helped Her Daughter Desist, and Episode 8, Helena Kerschner: Peaking Trans. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Early childhood relational experiences play a vital role in laying the foundation for health, happiness, love, security, and emotion regulation. Laura is an expert in this, as a CASA (court appointed special advocate) who has taken an oath to advocate for the needs of vulnerable children.In this episode, we explore how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is limited in its ability to reach these deeper layers of the brain formed by our early attachments. Laura makes a case for the value of "right brain therapies," such as Dr. Laurence Heller's Neuro Affective Relational Model (NARM). We discuss the need to re-parent those who have experienced complex/severe developmental trauma, and how mind-body lifestyle therapies such as physical activity, nature, ocean therapy, volunteering, and fostering animals, can all help develop "earned" secure attachment in adulthood. Laura Wiley Haynes grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a degree in English and American Literature from Brown University in 1983, and later her Master of Fine Arts, in Poetry, from The Bennington Writing Seminars. She worked in film in her early career, first in production and development and later as a screenwriter. After having children, she wrote part time from home, and over time became active as both a La Leche League Leader and a Bradley Childbirth Teacher. In 2015 Laura became a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Foster Youth, a trained paraprofessional role which combines advocacy, mentoring, and friendship for each foster youth, for as long they remain in the system. She has studied developmental psychology, neuroscience, and C-PTSD, to better understand the needs of this population, as well as the most effective ways of healing from early trauma.She has been suspended from her Twitter account, @haynes_wiley. Please contact Twitter Support to encourage them to un-suspend her. You can reach Laura at [email protected] mentioned the Twitter account “Read Some Piaget, Please!” which you can follow @prof_curiosity1, and Darcia Navarez of Notre Dame University, who you can follow @MoralLandscapes. Laura recommends the following books:Dr. John Bowlby: AttachmentDr. Allan Schore: Affect Regulation And The Origin of The SelfSebern Fisher: The Use of Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Developmental TraumaDr. Bessell van der Kolk: The Body Keeps The ScoreDr. Laurence Heller: Healing Developmental Trauma (NARM)Dr. Peter Levine: Healing TraumaDr. Peter Levine: Waking The TigerDr. Pat Ogden: Sensorimotor PsychotherapyDarcia Narvaez: Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When Matt was 15 years old, he was told that he was an “Indigo Child” with a special “aura.” Today, he is an atheist who attributes his most mystical experiences to rock’n’roll. In this episode, we compare our observations of how quasi-mystical belief systems can rush to fill the religious voids left by our secular society, leading to magical thinking that idealizes children while neglecting their true psychosocial developmental needs. In what ways are today’s “trans children” similar to the “indigo children” of 30 years ago? This conversation covers a lot of ground. Matt assuages my ego, explaining why it wasn’t my fault that history was my worst subject in school. Later, I explain what I miss about being a quasi-Hindu hippie, as we compare my peak experiences drumming in call-and-response kirtan circles with the ecstatic joy he found in mosh pits. We also discuss the elements of ritual, transcendent unity, heuristics, adolescent development, social status, negative partisanship, historiography, subtypes of narcissism, family dynamics, parenting, our disconnection from nature, Jazz Jennings, spectral harms, the vital role of hardship in life, the long term mental health risk factors today’s trans youth are likely face as they age, and what might happen when we realize: the kids aren’t alright. Buckle up!Matt Osborne is a US Army signals intelligence and electronic warfare veteran, political scientist, and historian. He spent ten years in "netroots" as an online progressive activist. In 2012, he went from covering wonky policy topics and "movement news" to the strangest political "scene" in America upon the death of Andrew Breitbart, becoming the first "blogger" to write about Ali Alexander of 1/6 infamy. Later in 2016, he was one of the first people to write about Cambridge Analytica, Donald Trump, and all things Russia, but with the warning that it was too easy to lose direction in a "wilderness of mirrors." He was featured in the HBO documentary "After Truth" about his role in online information spaces during the 2017 special US Senate election in Alabama. Now disenchanted with the state of liberalism, and a repeat victim of "Cassandra syndrome," he has given up politics and become a conflict historian. His website Polemology.net is focused on the intersection of human minds and military revolutions. As an editor for The Distance, he puts the "gender identity" phenomenon in historical context as an emerging American New Age religious movement.In this episode, we mentioned Matt’s conversation with Graham Lineman. You can watch that on YouTube here. My interview with Gurwinder Bhogal also came up. Watch episode 18, Gurwinder Bhogal: Hubris, Heuristics, and Human Error, here, or listen to it wherever you get this podcast.I mentioned Kelly McGonigal’s book, The Joy of Movement. You can find that in my bookshop or directly on Amazon. Your purchases made through my affiliate links help support the show. Thank you! To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Long-time listeners of this show have heard from numerous voices in the post-trans community, all of whom feel that the beliefs and medical practices surrounding transgender identification have been harmful to them. Today’s guest, on the other hand, has a different perspective. Zander Keig is a "trans man” with no regrets after 17 years on testosterone. As it turns out, though, Zander and I have a few things in common. We’re both mental health professionals who share practical concerns about how certain culturally sanctioned ways of thinking and relating to others impact wellbeing. We’ve both been accused of bigotry for expressing concerns about whether “transitioning” is right for everyone. And we’re both world-bridgers, who respect viewpoint diversity, and see the need to help society collectively navigate sensitive issues more gracefully.In this episode, Zander debunks the myth of the "trans monolith,” arguing there is no consensus in his community about the right way to approach certain issues. We exchange ideas about how certain prevalent mentalities, narratives, and dialectics impact behavioral health and social wellbeing. Zander articulates his pragmatic understanding of how and why emotional health should not be taken for granted, nor can it be catered by the outside world, but must be actively cultivated by the individual. We share our mutual concerns for the welfare of trans-identifying people in general, whether or not they will eventually desist. And we debate important questions for which there are no easy answers, such as: what should the future of healthcare for trans identifying people look like, and how should it be governed? Plus, Zander shares about his own personal history. Zander began his “transition” in his late 30’s, after a lifetime of facing discrimination as a gender-nonconforming butch lesbian. Zander had no history of dysphoria earlier in life, yet he felt as though a weight had been lifted the moment he started taking testosterone. What does this tell us about the relationships between sexism, homophobia, social pressures, and transition? Zander also tells us about how counseling would have been helpful during such a disorienting time in his life, and how, despite the horror stories we’ve all heard, his marriage survived his transition just fine.If I do say so myself, I believe we had an excellent discussion. We each represented a different voice with which many others will find themselves agreeing. I believe an ongoing dialectic between these two different perspectives is necessary in order to help move society forward constructively while navigating unprecedented challenges.Zander Keig is an award-winning licensed clinical social worker, educator, and author who served in the US Coast Guard. Zander serves as an Advisory Board member and Senior Fellow for the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) and helps develop and deliver FAIR's corporate diversity training, emotional wellness, and interpersonal growth courses. As a trans man and first-generation American of Mexican heritage with subject matter expertise in transgender health, social care, and mental wellness, Zander brings a unique perspective to all aspects of his work. You can find Zander’s work at ZanderKeig.net, Zanderology on Locals, or FairForAll.org.A note on pronouns and my choice of guest: My audience comprises many thoughtful people with a wide range of viewpoints on controversial issues in the field of gender. Many open questions are up for debate in the broader community, such as the notion of “true trans;” conceptualization around “dysphoria” and social contagion; and of course, the question of pronouns. Perhaps you recall how I spoke with Jayme in episode 28, and what I stipulated in that show’s notes and introductions, or how I spoke with Corinna Cohn in episode 31. Given that I have grown increasingly comfortable over time with sticking to biology-based pronouns despite social pressures to do otherwise, some listeners who favor this approach may find themselves disappointed or frustrated that I reverted to calling Zander, a biological female, “he.” I understand this frustration. The erosion of truth in language has real consequences for the human psyche, and broader cultural implications as well. On principle, I remain committed to speaking truth, and honesty is one of my topmost guiding values. I don’t want to be manipulated, coerced, or frightened into denying reality. However, many social situations challenge us to strike a balance between competing values, and selecting one guiding principle above all others may come across as rigid, inflexible, and imbalanced. For instance, those who choose brutal honesty in all situations, without incorporating kindness as a counterbalancing virtue, can often come across as insensitive jerks, and have difficulty making friends with anyone but the thickest-skinned.In the case of my conversation with Zander, it simply would have felt stilted to remain comm

David Teachout is a licensed therapist specializing in religious abuse, as well as the host of Humanity’s Values podcast and author of Journeys of a Spiritual Atheist. In today’s episode, we explore: what differentiates a religion from a cult? According to David, there’s no clear distinction, but much of it comes down to mind control. How do people who have been indoctrinated into mistrusting their own minds and senses learn to regain trust in their inner guidance? And how does a fervent obsession with moral purity obscure well-intentioned people from recognizing true injustice?David Teachout is a mental health therapist and photographer, focused on and teaching how creativity intersects with mental flexibility in working through the inevitable difficulties in life. David grew up as a Christian fundamentalist, attending a bible college and receiving a bachelor’s in theology and psychology. During his studies there, David de-converted and has been on a journey of appreciating the many faces of humanity. David has a master’s in both forensic psychology and counseling psychology, and is currently at work on a doctorate in clinical psychology. David has been actively working within the field of psychology as therapist, social worker, advocate, and subject-matter-expert, for over fifteen years. In his spare time, David enjoys reading a copious amount, both fiction and non-fiction, exploring perspective through photography, and maintains a blog at www.lifeweavings.com and a podcast at www.humanitysvalues.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @lifeweavings.In this episode several books were mentioned. You can find each of these in my bookshop or by following the Amazon affiliate links below. A small portion of each purchase helps support the show.David Teachout’s own book: Journeys of a Spiritual AtheistJohn McWhorter - Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black AmericaSteven Hassan - Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and BeliefsKatherine Schulz - Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of ErrorFrancis Fukuyama - Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The twentieth century saw enormous gains in our understanding of children’s psychological development. So why is our school system still designed as if children are miniature adults? Education expert Deb Fillman fills us in on what’s broken in the American education system today. We examine the vital role of promoting embodied, experiential, naturalistic and age-appropriate learning that support the student taking ownership of their own mind. We explore the risks of teaching abstract concepts to concrete thinkers, enforcing one-size-fits-all curriculum, expecting children to sit still and be quiet for 7 hours a day, emphasizing reading and math at too young ages, and forcing everyone to be “friends.” We compare the different needs of male-typical and female-typical children when it comes to learning styles, socialization, aggression, and conflict resolution. Deb shares her concerns at how teachers’ roles are rapidly evolving into uncharted territory, such as taking on the role of untrained counselors, violating children’s emotional boundaries, and using inappropriate methods misleadingly called “social and emotional learning.” And we explore: should teens really be encouraged to think they can (and should) change the world?Deb Fillman is a homeschooling mother of three with a Masters Degree in Education, and a background in teaching and tutoring. After spending the past decade studying, and monitoring the impact of current trends and practices in American K12 education, Deb concluded parents needed an advocate; someone to help them take charge of their children’s education. Over the past three years, her knowledge, passion and experience have helped thousands of families to understand why their children are struggling, and to help them find effective, innovative ways to give their kids the best K-12 education possible.She offers private consulting for families of home-based learners, parent educator coaching, and custom course development for families committed to independently educating their children. Deb is also available for public speaking engagements and media appearances. She can most easily be found on her YouTube, Substack, Locals channel and website of the same name, The Reason We Learn. You can follow Deb on Twitter @deb_fillman and @reasonwelearn.Find Stephanie’s guest appearance on Deb’s channel here: Are We Pathologizing Childhood & Adolescence?During this episode Stephanie recommended several books by Leonard Sax. You can purchase those links and support the show through her bookshop or these Amazon affiliate links:Leonard Sax: Why Gender MattersLeonard Sax: Boys AdriftLeonard Sax: Girls on the EdgeStephanie also mentioned her conversation with Michael DC Bowen. You can listen to episode 16, The Wisdom in World-Bridging with Michael DC Bowen, here. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In today’s modern world, we are constantly fed mental shortcuts that can influence our thoughts and ideas. We aren’t required to do a lot of deep thinking into what we’re consuming, because all too often, an algorithm does that for us. Where does the responsibility lie? How reliant are we on mental shortcuts and the absence of deep thought? Are we satisfied with only being shown part of the whole picture? Are we getting full on what Xavier describes as the “junk food mental diet”? In this thought-provoking conversation, we investigate how topics such as social incentives, groupthink, and heuristics, can all have an impact on our mental health, behavior and relationships. We shift our conversation to explore different strategies and questions we can ask ourselves to counteract our natural cognitive biases.Xavier Bonilla holds a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) and has been a licensed clinician doing mental health work for 15 years. He has worked in various inpatient and outpatient settings and has numerous experiences working with individuals that have serious mental illness. He is a former seminarian and is also a podcaster. His podcast, Converging Dialogues, is a podcast designed to have honest and authentic conversations with a diversity of thought and opinions from a wide-range of guests. You can follow Xavier on Twitter @xavierbonilla87Xavier's podcast, Converging Dialogues: https://linktr.ee/convergingdialoguesXavier’s opinion pieces on centrism, nationalism, and Latinos: https://xavierabonilla.medium.com/ To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Society is divided over how to conceptualize “human rights,” particularly when it comes to transgender medicalization and school policies. Political scientist Leor Sapir is uniquely qualified to help us understand how we got here. He explains how the laudable legacy of the civil rights movement shaped Americans’ vulnerability to deceptive narratives about “social justice;” how the Office of Civil Rights’ attempts to address bullying in schools led to the erosion of Title IX protections for girls; and how the American Civil Liberties Union turned against its own mission. This comprehensive deep-dive then shifts from politics to philosophy and psychology. Leor and I explore matters such as virtues and values, rights and responsibilities, hubris and corruption, good and evil, the sexual revolution, and moral instincts. We also do a Q&A, presenting Leor with some of our Twitter followers’ questions. Leor Sapir is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute. A driven researcher with a Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College, Dr. Sapir previously completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Program on Constitutional Government at Harvard University. His academic work, including his dissertation on the Obama Administration’s Title IX regulations, has investigated how America’s political culture and constitutional government shape public policy on matters of civil rights.Similarly, at the Manhattan Institute, Dr. Sapir applies his knowledge of political theory and American government to policy issues, honing in particularly on issues of gender identity and transgenderism. His inaugural essay in the Winter 2022 issue of City Journal explores a series of recent court rulings surrounding transgenderism, demonstrating how bad ideas translate from fringe academic theory into law and policy. Previous web pieces for City Journal have explored evolving athletic guidelines and media coverage surrounding transgender issues. He discussed these pieces in a recent episode of City Journal’s 10 Blocks podcast.You can follow Leor on Twitter @leorsapir.Resources mentioned in the show:Leor recommended Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse, by Mary Ann Glendon I recommended The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century, by Louise Perry. We also mentioned my conversation with Robin Atkins, Two Therapists Debate Abortion (episode 27), as well as the episode I did with Oliver Davies, Healing Through Detransition (episode 22). I alluded to my conversation with Matt Osborne, but this has yet to come out; it will be released as a future episode. During the Q&A, I recommended listeners follow these Twitter accounts:@couragehabit - Alvin Lui, president of Courage is a Habit, will be a guest on a future episode of this podcast.@buttonslives - Christina Buttons@SEGM_ebm - Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When you entrust a therapist with your personal struggles, you expect her to see you as a unique individual, and greet you with non-judgmental curiosity. The last thing anyone wants in their counseling relationship is to be treated prejudicially, stereotyped on the basis of their immutable characteristics, or made to feel guilty for the color of their skin. And yet, to students like Leslie, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that that is exactly what is being taught in graduate programs.Therapy is a place you hope to be able to work through shame; learn to see your foibles with compassion; and internalize your locus of control, while releasing any undue sense of responsibility for issues you may have been scapegoated for. It is also ideally a process that helps cultivate peace, understanding, and perspective when dealing with people you find challenging. And in therapy, we expect to learn to recognize and correct for distorted ways of thinking that amplify our stress. Unfortunately, according to Leslie and whistleblowers like her, many modern counseling programs do just the opposite.Listen as Antioch University whistleblower, coach, and founder of the Radical Center Leslie Elliott describes the disturbing series of events that unfolded over the past two years. We explore ethical dilemmas and differences of opinion in how people in our field are conceptualizing complex matters such as “social justice,” victimhood, “allyship,” gender, the role of the therapist, politics and activism, racism and “anti-racism,” cultural competence, stereotyping, neutrality, individuality, and responsibility.Leslie Elliott is a holistic wellness coach in Washington State who works with clients from a person-centered, existential perspective, taking into account the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. She earned a BA in Psychology in 2008 and went straight to law school in 2009. During her second year of law school, she decided a legal career was not for her and went back to the drawing board.Leslie spent the next several years raising her 4 children and working part-time in the field of natural medicine before returning to higher education, enrolling in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s program at Antioch University in 2019. There she had the opportunity to learn and improve counseling skills and therapeutic approaches, but also encountered something deeply disturbing: the usurpation of traditional therapy values by Critical Social Justice ideology. Near the end of her Master’s coursework, she took a leave of absence after her courses began requiring students to sign a Social Justice “civility pledge.” Frustrated in her attempts to communicate her concerns to the university, she decided to go public in October of 2022 and expose how ideology is corrupting the fields of mental health and higher education.Undeterred from her work, Leslie began her coaching practice in late 2021, working in a non-clinical setting that allows her to use her counseling skills and her passion for natural health to support her clients. She works with individuals and families, and areas of interest include but are not limited to: life-span, aging, and fertility issues; parent coaching; spiritual growth and integration; technology and pornography addiction recovery; infidelity trauma and recovery; gender confusion and detransition; ADHD; institutional abuse & “DEI” discrimination; medical abuse trauma; and more.Leslie’s consulting practice, The Radical CenterLeslie’s blog, The Radical Center on SubstackLeslie’s YouTube channel, The Radical Center on YouTubeLeslie’s GiveSendGo legal fundIn this episode, I mentioned Jonathan Haidt’s work; in particular, his book “The Righteous Mind.” You can find that in my bookshop, or purchase it directly from this Amazon Affiliate link. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support

At times it seems that the institution of marriage is crumbling. Yet a happy, trusting, long-term intimate relationship is one of life’s greatest joys, and the ideal environment for raising well-adjusted children. People who are happily married live longer, healthier, and more financially successful lives. Fortunately, it is possible to develop the tools to build lasting and fulfilling relationships. Dovid Feldman, LPC has dedicated his career to teaching these tools so that marriages can start strong — and stay that way.In this conversation, we discuss the essential values and virtues that form the building blocks of lasting love, as well as tools for rekindling intimacy when it has been dampened. Dovid brings his traditional Jewish values, while I bring my evolutionary psychology lens. Together we explore what men and women need from their significant others; how to protect relationships from resentment and mindsets that keep love thriving amidst the pressures of children and career.Dovid Feldman is a Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of Building Great Marriages, a private practice dedicated to helping couples recreate lost intimacy.After working with hundreds of couples, Dovid decided to share his marriage wisdom, inspiration and guidance on Twitter, and has built a large following since 2017. His website, dovidfeldman.com, hosts dozens of articles, classes and podcasts on creating a long-lasting and loving marriage, as well as showcasing his guest appearances on many other relationship-oriented programs.Happily married for 30+ years, Dovid, his wife, and their six wonderful children reside in Chicago, Illinois.Check out more of Dovid’s resources at DovidFeldman.com. Follow Building Great Marriages on YouTube and @dovidfeldman Twitter. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

“Why don’t you just detransition?” Corinna Cohn is tired of fielding this question, but gracious enough to address it with me on today’s episode. Corinna has lived as a transsexual woman for his entire adult life, and is over it. But the effects of cross-sex hormones and body modification surgeries cannot be reversed. In another frank and, at times, graphic discussion on the state of gender and sexuality in clown world, today we explore questions such as: is “detransitioner” the right word? How about victims of gender medicine, or survivors of gender malpractice? Given the facts that humans cannot actually change sex, and these medical procedures are experimental and often go horribly wrong, can postoperative transsexuals actually engage in pleasurable and painless sex? How on earth is this stuff getting sold to people when it causes so much damage? What do people expect from “transition?” Is there such a thing as “true trans?” What does Corinna think of the idea that “adults should be able to do whatever they want?” Does the existence of an underground market for niche body modification mean that doctors have an obligation to take a “harm reduction” approach and provide such “services” above-ground, and if so, should taxpayer dollars cover it? Finally, we address how Corinna manages to find joy, pleasure, and fulfillment, and review some listener Q&A’s from Twitter.Corinna Cohn writes about life having undergone the process of gender transition as a teenager in the 1990s and co-hosts Heterodorx podcast. Corinna’s writing has appeared in Quillette and the Washington Post. Corinna Cohn and Nina Paley co-hosted Stephanie’s guest appearance on Heterodorx in Episode 75, Stephanie Winn is Some Kind of Therapist.In this episode Stephanie mentioned Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art. You can find that book on Amazon or in Stephanie’s bookshop. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Ten years ago, at the tender age of 21, Brian needed professional help. He’d been severely bullied as a child, and the messages his father modeled about masculinity didn’t help Brian understand himself or accept his homosexuality. As a tormented young adult, Brian turned to drugs and pornography in futile efforts to escape his depression. A good therapist would have recognized that Brian had a lot to unpack, and made it a priority to help him get off of the drugs that were clearly wreaking havoc on his health and mental clarity. Unfortunately, Brian didn’t have a good therapist; he had… a “gender therapist.”Brian’s therapist didn’t challenge his drug use, unpack his internalized homophobia, or address his childhood trauma. Instead, she led him deeper into the delusion that he was really a woman trapped in a man’s body, an idea he had gotten from pornography during a very dark time in life. She made dangerous and destructive false promises that taking cross-sex hormones would magically resolve his drug addiction and suicidal ideation. She told him that his body’s own natal hormones were “poison.” Brian even felt that his therapist instilled a sense of urgency, indicating that if he didn’t transition as quickly as possible, he would feel worse, and that taking these life-altering medical steps was the only way to remedy his despair. Social and medical transition were never right for Brian. He was simply a gay man with depression, trauma, and addiction issues, who was overwhelmed by his problems, and didn’t know what narrative to ascribe to them other than what people on the internet led him to believe during a particularly dark time. He knows this now, and has a good therapist, thank heavens. But a year after making the decision to detransition, his body is still in the process of ridding itself of pregnancy-high levels of female hormones. Today’s episode addresses the painful topic of gender malpractice. Brian is one of numerous people I have interviewed on this show who has been horrendously mistreated by the mental and medical health professionals that were responsible for his care. If you’re familiar with my work then you know I am passionate about this issue. What you may not know is that I am actively working on developing other resources for detransitioners like Brian. I’d like to direct you to a few resources on my blog.I am currently in the early stages of writing one of the first self-help books for survivors of gender malpractice. It’s tentatively titled, The Detransition Survival Guide. And the way I’m writing this book is one letter at a time, through corresponding in writing with people like Brian. I invite survivors of gender malpractice to vent to me, in writing. Their raw, honest messages then serve as prompts for me to respond to in the most helpful way I can muster, and their feedback on how my responses impacted them will further help me in refining the messages that will end up in the book. Each of these letter exchanges are posted on my blog as I write them. I’ve had a few survivors of gender malpractice take me up on this, and more are on the way. I’m trying to write at least one letter per week on average. You can find these letter exchanges, as well as more information about the book project, on my blog, at sometherapist.com/read. There’s another important resource for detransitioners on my blog as well. I recently posted an article on this, How to File a Complaint About the Fraudulent ‘Gender-Affirming’ Therapy That Harmed You. If you have been harmed by so-called “gender affirming therapy,” and have thought about filing a complaint with your former therapist’s licensing board, please check this article out. It will walk you through everything you need to know in order to take action.If you have been harmed by gender malpractice and are interested in a letter-writing exchange, feel free to write to me at [email protected]. I’ll send you a contract to clarify expectations, making sure for example that you understand this is not a substitute for therapy, and then we can get started with writing each other. I do sometimes take a while to get back to people, but I will eventually write back.Please check out these projects and more resources for survivors of gender malpractice on my blog at sometherapist.com/read.Now back to Brian’s episode. At times we go into graphic detail, so this episode may not be suitable for all listeners. This is heavy stuff to listen to, but I hope that Brian’s courage in opening up so candidly is helpful to anyone who can relate to his experience, or who cares about the issues impacting people like Brian. As always, thank you for listening.Brian is a native Californian who had the misfortune of getting wrapped up in drug abuse and gender ideology in his early 20s. Upon getting off drugs, Brian realized he was not trans, and learned to accept himself as a gay male. Brian has decided to speak out about his experience, in the hope of saving somebody from mak

Before he reached 40, Corey was told he had a 27% chance of surviving stage 4 prostate cancer. Up until this point, he had been pushing through grueling 15-hour days in the film industry, despite his body’s painful attempts to alert him that something was wrong. Corey’s cancer crisis finally forced him to face deeply ingrained habits of people-pleasing, overwork, and self-neglect that he attributes to factors dating back to childhood. Corey followed Winston Churchill’s timeless wisdom: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” He learned to get through three years of misery, 15 minutes at a time. Through the process, he transformed his “emotional source code,” learned to say no, prioritized his wellbeing for the first time in his life, and came home to his body. Corey also discovered a revolutionary new treatment called Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), invented by Dr. Eugene Lipov, said to reset the nervous system after periods of "high allostatic (stress) load.” He felt that the SGB treatment helped him recover from the PTSD symptoms induced by his battle with cancer.Now cancer-free, Corey is back in action as a writer and cinematographer. He re-entered the world with a newfound commitment to being authentic, and soon discovered that the behavior of “woke progressives” in his community felt anything but, sparking a new phase of his creative career in which he speaks openly and honestly about the hypocrisy he sees in so-called socially progressive communities, such as Portland, Oregon, where we both reside. This episode includes verbal details of medical suffering, and may not be suitable for all listeners.Corey Drayton is a British-American fine artist, writer, producer and cinematographer, with 23 years in motion pictures across four continents, including work for Rolling Stone, WELT and The Times of London. He was notable crew on Academy Award Winner The Cove, The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg and the upcoming The Invisible Machine. Corey featured opposite Peter Boghossian in the independent docuseries The Woke Reformation. In it he leveled his fusion of Perecian observation and Gonzo-style immersive critique — learned from longtime friend Hunter S. Thompson — at the problem of wokeness in the film industry. He is a frequent guest on TNT Radio, a contributor to Alternate Current Radio and a regular in The Boiler Room. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jayme knows better than most people what’s like to feel “born in the wrong body,” and to be treated differently. Born premature with cerebral palsy, she had to grow up quickly, managing the pain, limitation, inconvenience, and treatment of her disabling illness. At puberty, she discovered she was same-sex attracted as well. Then came what she describes as “sex dysphoria,” a persistent feeling of deep discomfort with her female body, and a desire to be seen and treated as man. Jayme now lives and thinks of herself as a man, and those closest to her support this identity. She feels that social transition has helped her mental health. So why would Jayme talk to a biological realist like me? As we explore in this conversation, Jayme’s unique experiences of exclusion and discrimination, based on her disability, have cultivated a deep appreciation for human connection in its many forms, as well as a thick skin for tolerating viewpoint diversity. She also takes personal responsibility for how gender dysphoria affects her, rather than asking the world to change for her. Furthermore, as someone who has been affected by medical problems since day one, Jayme does not take health for granted. She shares many of my concerns about how gender is treated in today’s healthcare industry, and having done her research, she has chosen not to undergo medicalization. Listen as Jayme vulnerably and courageously shares her unique perspective derived from having learned how to thrive in spite of extraordinary hardship. This episode contains discussion of suicide, and may not be suitable for all listeners.A note about language: I entered this conversation knowing little about Jayme, and so I stepped delicately, initially using the term Jayme uses to describe herself, “transsexual.” It eventually became clear to me that Jayme has not chosen to undergo any hormones or surgeries to mimic the appearance of the opposite sex. I would therefore not use the term transsexual, in retrospect, as I reserve that term to describe people who’ve undergone such medical experiments. Rather, I would describe Jayme as a gay woman living with gender dysphoria. In stepping delicately, I also initially used the gender neutral pronouns “they/them” when talking with Jayme about herself. I understand it is Jayme’s preference to be called he/him, as social transition has been her way of managing dysphoria. I appreciate Jayme’s willingness to build bridges between people with different worldviews, including people like me, who avoid the use of “identity”-based pronouns and stick to classical language that accurately reflects biological sex. As with much of my work, there’s something in this episode to upset everyone... except those who appreciate an earnest attempt at bridging worlds; respect the vastness of the human experience; and don’t need to agree on everything in order to find value in someone else’s perspective.Jayme is a writer, speaker, and advocate. Jayme’s blog, Self-Made Renegade, addresses disability and gender issues. You can follow Jayme on Twitter @jayme_speaking. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Abortion is a fraught issue many people can hardly step near without turning red. I’m pro-choice, while my colleague, Robin Atkins, LMHC, is pro-life. Yet we’re not at each other’s throats. What’s our secret?The magic happens when we lead with what we agree on: that people need to get better at having nuanced, respectful dialogues about contentious issues. As professional communicators who spend many of our waking hours helping vulnerable people explore different subject matter, who better than Robin and I to give it a go?In this raw, nuanced, and sobering deep-dive, we examine the many facets of the issue of abortion, including conflicts of values such as care, safety, sanctity, compassion, protection, liberty, welfare, and bodily autonomy. We explore the needs of women and children, and the various ways in which these can be seen as at odds versus in harmony with one another. We explore existential dilemmas, including the meaning of life and when it begins; our understanding of sentience; our valuation of human and non human life forms; and our relationship with death. We talk explicitly about sexual assault and other situations involving trauma and violation of consent. Robin also bravely shares how her personal experience of traumatic abortion affected her views. And we illuminate how therapists can compartmentalize our own politics and morals while helping clients make choices that suit their own worldviews. Robin Atkins is the chair of the mental health subsection of AAPLOG. As a licensed mental health counselor, Robin has been in practice for over 15 years with a specialty in reproductive issues (including infertility, high-risk pregnancy, traumatic birth, postpartum depression and anxiety, perinatal hospice and palliative care, pregnancy loss, infant loss, adoption, and abortion) since 2015. Robin received her BA in Philosophy and BS in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University. While growing her family, Robin completed her MA in Professional Counseling from Liberty University and obtained licensure in the state of Indiana. Robin’s personal experiences with pregnancy and loss formed her passion for walking alongside women, men, and families experiencing complications during reproductive journeys. Robin opened her private practice, Charis et Veritas, in 2015 and began speaking on topics related to mental health and reproduction including perinatal hospice and palliative care, mental health complications after abortion, and post-abortive healing. Robin completed her Deeper Still retreat in 2019 to further her own healing from abortion.You can follow Robin on Twitter @truthagape. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Karl Marx famously declared religion to be “the opiate of the masses,” implying we’d be better off without it. But can human beings really live without a religion of any kind? Perhaps when we try to suppress the spiritual instinct so innate to our humanity, it doesn’t disappear altogether; rather, it gets channeled unconsciously into cultish behaviors and modes of thought where we least expect them to show up.In this intellectually rigorous discussion, I meet with writer and New Hampshire state legislature candidate Mike Belcher to discuss his heady piece, “A Resolution to Declare Marxism a Religion.” Mike explains what he means by “Marxism,” including an overview of related philosophers Hobbes, Rousseau, and Hegel, and why he believes Marx's seemingly outdated philosophy is alive and well today. He argues that social Marxism manifests not only as progressivism, structural determinism, applied postmodernism, idea laundering, and queer theory, but also in everyday, implicit aspects of the culture at large. We discuss the quasi- and pseudo- religious elements of these belief systems; their roles in psychological warfare and institutional capture; and Mike’s case for why making the religious aspect explicit is essential for maintaining separation between church and state. Along the way, we explore important moral, ethical and philosophical questions. Do words create reality? Is there such a thing as “the right side of history?” What do virology and meme theory have to teach us about the spread of ideas? How does one bolster their “psychological immunity?” How do we engage in “re-moralization?” And how can we reclaim the time-tested virtues of grace, forgiveness, and redemption in a ruthless social climate?If you’ve been following the work of James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, Peter Boghossian, and their ilk, you’re not going to want to miss this conversation.Mike Belcher lives in Wakefield, New Hampshire, where he is running for political office as a State Representative. He has been a paramedic, heavy industry laborer, and teacher. He now writes on philosophy, politics, religion, current events, and law at his Substack: A Path Through. You can follow him on Twitter @mikebelcher14.In this conversation, Mike referenced his draft legislation criminalizing destruction of minors sex organs, and a refutation of Postmodern relativism. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When our egos become entrenched in our views, life becomes stale, growth stagnates, and we lose out on valuable perspectives. Ada Akpala has made it part of her daily practice to challenge her pre-existing assumptions, as well as those of other people. She brings respect, curiosity, and discernment to her mission of providing a different voice and challenging the narrative. In this conversation, we explore big questions about race, culture, identity, responsibility, success, personal development, adversity, and what makes for a good life. Why is it scary to have our viewpoints challenged? And how can we build a culture that encourages people to evolve?Ada Akpala is a writer at The Different Voice Initiative and host of the podcast, Challenge the Narrative. Born in Nigeria, she now resides in the United Kingdom. She specializes in debunking sensationalist and inaccurate narratives about current and historical events, particularly in regard to race. She believes that we are the rulers of our own life and refuses to accept the victimization culture that has been sold to so many, particularly black people. She focuses on creating content that combats the victim mentality and empowers black people and others. You can follow her on Instagram @itsadaakpala or on Twitter @ada_akpala. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

When did it become okay to hate someone based on the color of their skin — as long as that skin is the color deemed the acceptable one to hate? More concerningly, when did it become okay for therapists, of all people, to openly endorse such race-based animosity?I invite clinical psychologist Andrew Hartz to explore how ideology has intruded into the practice of psychotherapy, posing ethical issues and threatening the integrity of our field. We discuss the barriers faced by many people in need of appropriate therapy for issues that do not fit “woke,” or critical social justice, narratives. Where does a white-skinned survivor of racially motivated violence go for trauma therapy when they have legitimate reasons to fear that a professional might merely school them on their so-called privilege? Where can a man seeking to integrate his masculinity go in a world where masculinity is too often written off entirely as toxic?As colleagues, we explore clinical issues we suspect are at play. Has the world increasingly normalized a climate of dysfunctional social and emotional patterns once considered psychopathological, as in Cluster B personality disorders? How do we, as therapists, help people work through psychological defenses such as splitting, projection, negative attention-seeking, and reaction formation when these are considered customary by the world around them? Finally, we answer a listener question from a therapist-in-training, and explore: where do we go from here?Andrew Hartz, Ph.D. is a professor of clinical psychology at Long Island University in Brooklyn and a psychologist in private practice in New York City. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Half of our listeners are in the US and more than a quarter are in the UK, while the news on gender matters is rapidly evolving in both countries. So the time is ripe for a check-in with a gender critical therapist friend “across the pond,” James Esses. Last year, James was on track to become a therapist when his masters’ program expelled him for expressing concerns about the impact of gender ideology and medicalization on youth. He is now taking the issue to court, and spends his free time further advocating for caution and common sense in the treatment of gender confused youth.In this collegial conversation, James and I touch on recent events in the UK — the Tavistock GIDS, Stonewall, Mermaids, Cass Report, Maya Forstater, Allison Bailey, and the Gender Recognition Act — as well as US news including the Biden Administration’s destruction of Title IX. We discuss the myth of the “trans toddler,” affirmative vs. exploratory therapy, how therapists’ worldviews impact treatment, self care for gender wars burnout, and what I call the Narrative of Pathology versus the Narrative of Depathology. We answer tickling as well as thought-provoking listener questions. Finally, we explore the questions: how do we heal from this as a society, and where do we go from here?James qualified and practiced as a Criminal Defense Barrister before holding a number of senior roles in the UK Civil Service, including Head of Policy at the Crown Prosecution Service and Head of Strategic Legislation at the Home Office. He is a trainee psychotherapist and co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists, a group of clinicians and trainee clinicians with concerns about the impact of gender ideology on counseling and therapy. James engages in advocacy, both written and oral, on the topics of sex, gender and free speech – particularly in relation to the medicalization of children and the wider cultural, health, legal and political implications. He has been featured in articles within mainstream newspapers, including the Telegraph and the Mail. He has appeared on TalkRadio, GB News and numerous podcasts, including Triggernometry and the New Culture Forum. He also writes for the online publication, Spiked. James is currently involved in high-profile litigation, following expulsion from his Masters’ degree in psychotherapy, after speaking out about the medicalization of children. He is suing his university course provider and therapeutic regulatory body for discrimination based on his beliefs and has crowdfunded over £100,000 towards his case from public donations. Please consider donating to his crowdfund.Follow James on Twitter @JamesEsses & Thoughtful Therapists @ThoughtfulTs. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Ollie had no history of childhood gender dysphoria. But he was lonely, nihilistic, troubled by a legacy of intergenerational trauma he hadn’t yet unpacked, and reckless with his health. In his 20’s, toxic social influences exploited this vulnerability, in combination with Ollie’s guilt over being a man in the #metoo era, naturally fluid gender expression, and increasingly radical political worldview. Several of Ollie's peers offered their opinion that he was trans. One day, an acquaintance asked an unsolicited question: "you're trans, right?" and he thought, "that makes sense.” Thus began several years of living an exhausting and regrettable lie that eventually fell apart, taking many aspects of his belief system with it.Now 34, his heart is healing and his worldview has matured. Ollie wants to have a family with the love of his life, but cross-sex hormones have permanently ruined his fertility. Yet the clinicians - psychiatrist, endocrinologist and general practioner - who enabled this expressed no remorse when confronted.Listen as Ollie bravely shares intimate details of his story that breaks and warms the heart all at once. This is one of the most touching conversations I’ve had on the podcast to date, and I am honored to be able to share it with you.Oliver Davies is an Australian man born in regional Victoria and now living Melbourne. He lives with his partner and two high-maintenance dogs. Oliver is passionate about history, computing, childhood development, and spirituality. He identified as a trans woman from January 2015 to early 2021. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

British psychoanalyst Marcus and his wife Susan were among the first whistleblowers at the Tavistock Centre’s Gender Identity Development Service program. Together, Marcus and Susan wrote the book Gender Dysphoria: A Therapeutic Model for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults. On July 28, 2022 - between this episode’s recording on June 13, and its release on September 5 - the Tavistock GIDS center was ordered to close by Spring 2023. This news came in the wake of the findings of the Cass Review, in which Dr. Hilary Cass systematically evaluated the clinic’s treatment protocols and found them unsafe. Marcus and Susan are part of the reason that Dr. Cass began her review.In this conversation, Marcus and I discuss the Tavistock’s long history of ignoring these alarms that have finally reached a turning point. We discuss appropriate, evidence-based, non-invasive approaches to treating gender-related distress, and how these compare with the politicized, experimental, invasive, practices that have become the norm. Marcus expresses his concerns about crucial lacks: of checks and balances, follow-up, honest conversations about suicide risk, and data on long-term outcomes. And we explore concepts from psychodynamic theory, such as the role that projective identification and the splitting off of cognitive dissonance play in power struggles between adolescents and the adults who care for them.Marcus Evans is a British psychoanalyst, author, and one of the first whistleblowers at the Tavistock GIDS clinic. Before retiring from the NHS, he was first a psychiatric nurse and then an adult psychotherapist in the NHS for 40 years. Marcus has a particular interest in the application of psychoanalytic thinking in mental health settings. He was a founding member of the Fitzjohn’s service for the treatment of patients with severe and enduring mental health issues and personality disorders, and a clinical lead in the adult and adolescent services for five years. He is the author of three books: Making Room for Madness in Mental Health; Psychoanalytic Thinking in Mental Health Settings; and Gender Dysphoria: A Therapeutic Model for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults, which he wrote in conjunction with his wife Susan Evans. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How can a culture obsessed with mental health be so unwell? Dr. McFillin and I explore the problems of diagnostic expansion and over-medicalization; secondary gain from identifying as ill; and the pathologization of normal human emotions. We discuss how evidence-based practices can be valuable, even as we challenge the flaws riddling the medical model of psychology. And we share practical knowledge about health, evolutionary psychology, and resilience to adverse experiences.Dr. Roger K. McFillin is a Licensed Psychologist, Executive Director of the Center for Integrated Behavioral Health, and host of the podcast “Radically Genuine.” Dr. McFillin has extensive experience and expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. He is Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy in Philadelphia PA. He earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was the recipient of the Deans Award for Academic Excellence. Follow him on Twitter @DrMcFillin, or Instagram or TikTok @RadGenPod. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Growing up without a father can leave voids to fill. Like so many other disadvantaged young people, Adam and I both struggled in our searches for meaning, safety, wisdom, and a healthy understanding of masculinity. In this interview, we exchange hard-won perspectives from our process of striving, confronting the problems with identity politics in the process. How does the victim mentality fail even those who have truly experienced hardship? Adam B. Coleman is the author of “Black Victim To Black Victor“, as well as an op-ed writer, public speaker, host of “A Good Faith Space” Twitter Spaces show, and the founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Adam was born in Detroit but raised in a variety of states throughout America. He writes openly about his struggles with fatherlessness, homelessness, and masculinity. He is always questioning the world around him, even if they are uncomfortable questions to ask. He strongly believes that we should all have the ability to speak freely and is now advocating for people who feel voiceless to be heard. He is attempting to help change the narrative and the way we discuss cultural narratives by being honest, humble, and resolute. His articles have been published in The New York Post, Newsweek, The Post Millennial, Human Events, The Federalist, Unherd, ScoonTV, Free Black Thought & Human Defense Initiative. He has also appeared on FOX News, Newsmax, The Hill’s “Rising”, Sky News Australia and numerous podcasts.Follow Adam on Twitter @wrong_speak. Find his book, Black Victim to Black Victor, on Amazon. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We evolved to take time-saving mental shortcuts. Split-second snap judgments can even save lives. But what are the pitfalls and drawbacks of such heuristics?Can we really see things as they are, or do we see them only through the filters our modern-day tribes have taught us to look through? If a concept is popular, does that mean it’s correct—or could it be merely contagious? What makes an idea viral, and what protects our mind’s psychological immune system from Trojan horse-styled invaders? And how can assuming we’re wrong help us get closer to the truth?In this thought-provoking interview, Gurwinder and I explore numerous topics related to the fallibility of human cognition and emotional reactivity: logical fallacies and cognitive distortions; Richard Dawkins’ meme theory and Gad Saad’s concept of the parasitic mind; empathy versus theory of mind; evolutionary psychology; modern day internet tribalism; scapegoating; the perception and quarantining of “dangerous” ideas; us-versus-them thinking; the safety-versus-freedom dichotomy, and other values clashes; how reckoning with cognitive dissonance helps us grow; the limits of knowledge; the dark side of compassion; attentional blindness; the Karpman Drama Triangle; Error Theorists versus Conflict Theorists; propaganda; Twitter bans and how to avoid them; how deliberate ignorance can be a skill worth cultivating; plus, Web 3 and the future of the internet. Whether you enjoy heady, mind-expanding conversations, or just love a good British accent, you’re not going to want to miss this one.Gurwinder Bhogal is a writer, programmer, and social media influencer based in the UK. His blog about the interplay between psychology and technology can be found at https://gurwinder.substack.com. Follow him on Twitter @G_S_Bhogal for epic mega-threads on cognition. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Lisa K Swallow is the co-founder and Executive Director of Crossing Party Lines, Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing toxic polarization by creating open dialogue between Americans with dissimilar political views. In this interview, she shares a wealth of wisdom derived from helping hundreds of people heal the political divide in their families and communities, exploring insights and tools derived from mindfulness, relational neurobiology, Nonviolent Communication, and Moral Foundations Theory. Trained in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Lisa hadn't considered bringing her work into the political arena until 2016, when politics became personal. That year, a long-awaited reunion with a conservative cousin turned contentious as soon as conversation became political, which it did regardless of what topic they chose. Then, on the second day of her visit Lisa thought to apply her active listening skills and the conversation shifted from toxic to respectful. On returning to her home in Portland, Oregon, Lisa set about identifying the specific skills that lead to civil, productive political conversations. She learned that the key to talking across differences lies in cultivating a curious, open mind and listening to understand why another person’s views make sense for them. Her nonprofit, Crossing Party Lines, provides two crucial services: workshops teaching the concepts and skills and weekly facilitated meetings where members can practice those skills. Her work is rooted in NVC, inspired by the work of John and Julie Gottman and Stephen Stosny, and draws from cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary psychology. Her workshops emphasize mindfulness, active listening, clear boundaries, and understanding the unspoken contracts at play in any conversation. Lisa has written two books on the subject: her memoir, No One Was Listening, and a workbook, Yes, You can Talk Politics, which makes it possible for anyone, anywhere, to learn the skills for listening and talking across differences. Find Lisa at www.LisaKSwallow.com. Learn more about Crossing Party Lines at Crossingpartylines.com. Follow CPL on Twitter @crosspartylines or Instagram @crossingpartylines. To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

A lifelong learner, heterodox thinker, and self-taught dabbler in many disciplines, Michael D. C. Bowen brings a wealth of wisdom on the many worlds he has traveled through. After building his career in data engineering and raising his family, he decided to undertake a “martial education” by joining the citizens’ police academy and being trained as a first-responder. What have his life experiences taught him about the process of becoming a fully self-actualized human being?Michael David Cobb Bowen is a writer, data engineer, and entrepreneur. He helped found Free Black Thought, Rights Universal, and the Conservative Brotherhood. Bowen considers himself a wry Stoic and tactical epistemologist. He has been published in Newsweek and was a regular NPR contributor as well as a host at Cafe Utne. His online writing projects on political, cultural and philosophical subjects reach back over 23 years. His latest project, Stoic Observations, focuses on matters of knowledge & power, global frameworks, information theory, and the practical aspects of moving from philosophy to philosophy. His mission is to document the journey of finding the true value of Western Civilization through Socratic dialogue.Follow Michael on Twitter @mdcbowen. Read more about him at mdcbowen.info and check out his blog, Stoic Observations, at mdcbowen.substack.comFollow Free Black Thought @freeblckthought & visit www.freeblackthought.com To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

During his career working in acute mental health facilities, Benjamin helped people in psychotic states. His professional and personal curiosities led him to developing a unique passion for interpreting and exploring dreams. Benjamin is one of those rare gems who’s calm and collected in a crisis, and comfortable exploring the edges of sanity. He believes his autism has aided him in developing his unique skillsets with logic and curiosity. In this episode, we explore the edges of the known, including hallucinations, misophonia, dementia, fantasy, substance abuse, autism, and parts work. Benjamin Davidson (aka “The Dream Wizard”) is a psychological professional. After over 20 years experience in mental health, he now offers eclectic dream analysis through Dreamscapes Podcasts, available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. He also curates, edits and sells historical dream literature. WEBSITE: ~ https://BenjaminTheDreamWizard.comBOOKS:~ https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08Y69ZSTWPODCAST (multiple platforms):~ iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dreamscapes-podcasts/id1540849884~ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3zkpNkshZwEHBoPBa0VKqd~ etc.SOCIAL MEDIA:~ Twitter https://twitter.com/WizardBenjamin~ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminTheDreamWizard/~ Locals https://benjaminthedreamwizard.locals.com/ To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Michelle always knew she was different. As a child, she was socially awkward, and got picked on. She never felt comfortable dressing or acting like other girls. Receiving a professional diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder was an important step in her process of coming home to herself with acceptance and understanding. But the explanation didn’t come soon enough to prevent her from getting lost down the wrong path in her search for the missing narrative. In the process, she was harmed both physically and psychologically.Like so many vulnerable, neurodivergent young adults, in her early 20’s, Michelle turned to the internet for comfort, distraction, belonging, and knowledge. That’s where she was introduced to the concept of questioning one’s gender, and therefore began to question her own. The advice of strangers; the sense of community that she found online and in a trans support group; and a complex ideology that fed her intellect, all led her down the path of cementing a trans identity and deciding to pursue medical procedures that were both irreversible and experimental. Michelle identified as transgender for a period of ten years, during which time she was prescribed testosterone and underwent two medically unnecessary surgeries (mastectomy and hysterectomy). Seven years after being prescribed testosterone, at nearly 30 years of age, she was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, and post-traumatic stress. She detransitioned a few years later.Now 34, Michelle considers writing to be her primary passion in life. She is currently working on her first book, but in the meantime, she blogs about her post-transition experiences on her Substack, "Some Nuance, Please."somenuanceplease.substack.com To support this show, please leave a rating & review on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe, like, comment & share via my YouTube channel. Or recommend this to a friend!Learn more about Do No Harm.Take $200 off your EightSleep Pod Pro Cover with code SOMETHERAPIST at EightSleep.com.Take 20% off all superfood beverages with code SOMETHERAPIST at Organifi.Check out my shop for book recommendations + wellness products.Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.Have a question for me? Looking to go deeper and discuss these ideas with other listeners? Join my Locals community! Members get to ask questions I will respond to in exclusive, members-only livestreams, post questions for upcoming guests to answer, plus other perks TBD. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★