Arash's World Podcast

Alienation and Lingering Effects and Trauma that Bad Parenting Can Cause in Children with Lisa Goodpaster

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Childhood Trauma Educator and Founder of the Stephood Project Lisa Goodpaster who is the author of “Alienated: When Parents Won’t Parent”. We talk about her personal experiences as a stepdaughter of being purposely and intentionally alienated from her parents by a narcissist and what divorce and abandonment look and feel like to a child.

Lisa also explains the various steps needed to reach awareness and then how to deal with her traumatic childhood past. Childhood trauma sticks with us and shapes and influences us profoundly as negative experiences affect our brains. Yet as adults, we have the chance and opportunity to make a conscious decision to change that by opening up to our feelings and being honest about what has happened instead of being led and driven by anger and victimization, which tend to trap us in victim mode, but which can be difficult to let go of.

This awareness and course of action take a lot of courage, effort, and hard work and will be very uncomfortable, but it is all necessary for healing and feeling whole again and there is no shortcut to emotional healing. But it is of great importance to dissolve negative love patterns lodged in our body and mind, which would make us feel less alienated and less lonely and will help us see the future more clearly and more brightly on our path ahead.

Be Different and Think for Yourself: On Psychoanalysis, the History of Brainwashing and Thought Control with Sigourney Award Winner Daniel Pick

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Sigourney Award recipient Daniel Pick who is a Historian, Psychoanalyst, and Author of the thought-provoking book “Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control”! His historical perspective combined with a psychoanalytic approach adds wonderful insights and helps us see connections between various issues and matters that are of extreme relevance and importance for today’s world.

Brainwashing is an often charged and loaded word, but it was interesting to see that the term itself has evolved out of post-war tensions and during the Cold War, although it had been previously given other names and had been referred to as possession or mesmerism.

Nonetheless, the practices have changed since the 1950s and 60s by including and appropriating insights from psychoanalysis followed by a variety of projects and experiments aimed at creating resistance and resilience on one hand as well as influencing and manipulating others by changing thought patterns and belief systems. This was done on both sides of the political spectrum, and it is assumed that the term itself brainwashing may have come from a Chinese literal translation of “cleansing the mind”.

Moreover, we talk about Freud and his opposition during the heydays of psychoanalysis, his revolutionary insights combined with a new therapeutic approach that has been altered and modified throughout the years and has led to different and diverse methods, theories, and approaches in the rich and fertile psychoanalytic field.

Finally, we look at the drive towards rigid dogmatic thinking while following and embracing charismatic leaders alongside the dangers of groupthink, peer pressure, and totalitarianism. We also discuss the unique psychological and historical underpinnings and undercurrents of Nazi Germany but also what experiments and research in the “psy” disciplines have shown us regarding obedience and authority. We finish off with the example of road rage and how previously sweet docile people can quickly and briefly turn into monsters of sorts.

Attaining Optimal Health, Maximising our Potential and Unleashing our Superpower with Biohacker and Coach Dr. Mike Van Thielen

In this episode, I have the great opportunity to talk with Dr. Mike Van Thielen about the Izod Method, attaining optimal health, and even going beyond by maximizing it and fulfilling our life's goals and dreams. Dr. Mike is the author of "The Izod Method - Unleash Your Superpower" and apart from being an international keynote speaker, he is also a physical therapist, a biohacker, a coach and mentor, and a world record holder!

We discuss the importance of not getting stuck and comfortable in the illusive safety of the comfort zone but stepping out of it to find meaning and purpose in our personal lives while visualizing and manifesting long-cherished dreams and goals. To do so, we must first reach optimal health and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This can be reached via various methods and could include meditation, breathwork, intermittent fasting, and regular daily practices.

It is essential to adopt a mindset that will push us forward toward our future as opposed to being held back and down by our past and previous experiences. In adopting a holistic approach that encourages overall and balanced healthy lifestyles in body, spirit, and mind, we can indeed upgrade our body, mind, and life by unleashing our unique superpowers into the world to the benefit of everyone, including ourselves!

Healing Depression with Belonging, Mattering, Creating, and Soaring: Dr. Ardeshir Mehran on Claiming and Reclaiming Your Own Individual Emotional Rights

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ardeshir Mehran, a psychologist, psychoanalyst, transformation leader, and leadership coach who has the mission of bringing a cure to depression and whose book “You are not depressed. You are un-finished” works as a guide, a resource, and an inspiration to ease the emotional and physical pain and suffering of people worldwide.

It comes down to respecting, honoring, and fulfilling your seven emotional needs, which are in fact rights and not privileges and that many of us either neglect, do not know about, or are not familiar with. It ranges from the need to belong and to matter up to the need to soar and go beyond self-actualization. This bill of emotional rights also includes the need to create.

We also talk about how men and women often try to compensate for this lack and how even executives and senior managers experience not only stress but depression and are simply not aware of it. Their emotional lack is often manifested in symptoms of the body ranging from headaches, neck, and back strain to gastrointestinal issues to cardiovascular ailments and conditions. While we tend to run to medication for relief, they do not treat the root causes and cannot possibly heal us. Since depression is a consequence and not the cause, medication can merely make us functional at best.

Depression may be classified as a mood disorder, but it is rather a signal, a symptom, and a warning sign with much deeper root causes in effect and at work. It often points towards missing or neglected emotional needs and experiences in our lives and is a reminder that "mental health" affects the whole and entire body and not just the head. In fact, the opposite of depression is not happiness but personal fulfillment, which can be attained by focusing on your body and mind with their unexpressed and unfulfilled emotional needs and rights.

 

The Work, Insights, Influence and Legacy of Otto Rank with Robert Kramer and Kirk Schneider

In this episode (more of a webinar really!), I have the distinguished pleasure of talking with Robert Kramer and Kirk Schneider, two of the organizers as well as upcoming speakers for the long-awaited and fascinating Otto Rank International Conference to be held online via Zoom on November 4th and 5th!

We talk about the amazing work and wonderful and profound insights provided by Otto Rank, whom theologian Mathew Fox considers a “saint” and who has left a long-lasting legacy, influence, and mark upon various fields and disciplines across time and space. Rank's ideas are still valid, pertinent, and relevant today and, in fact, more so than ever, but sadly, Otto Rank was “canceled” by psychoanalytic circles and was not given the credit and merit he would have and should have deserved.

Failing to acknowledge and consider the life-changing and transformative ideas of this great thinker has been to the detriment of psychoanalysis. Therapy could have been tweaked to help clients not only discover themselves but also to strengthen their "creative will" and to become not only less neurotic and more efficient in life but to enjoy it much more fully and wonderfully. Moreover, Rank has influenced social work and various movements that lead towards greater justice and more peace, compassion, and empathy in the world. His psychology of difference could help many to bridge their differences and become more peaceful and encompassing in their views, opinions, and lifestyles.

Rank’s views were holistic and even cosmic in nature as opposed to the narrow-minded, specialized, medicalized, and mechanistic neuroscientific behavioral model that many in the field of psychology are following nowadays. And though Rank was silenced in his heyday and for various decades thereafter, his presence is still felt in various disciplines and his voice can be heard. You can find out more about this amazing and unique person at the upcoming Otto Rank International Conference 2023 on November 4 and November 5 presented by the Existential Humanistic Institute!

 

Letting Go of the Ego and the False Self: John Purkiss on How and Why to Drop Everything to Find Pure Consciousness

In this podcast, I have the great pleasure of speaking with John Purkiss who wrote the bestselling book “The Power Of Letting Go: How To Drop Everything That’s Holding You Back” which focuses on “letting go” and how it can bring you not only better health, happier relationships, more creativity, and greater prosperity but how it can also connect you with pure and supreme consciousness.

We talk about the different notions and conceptions of the ego both in the Western and Eastern traditions, how as a body-mind we tend to identify with our job titles and roles, with what we do instead of who we are deep inside as well as the role and the importance of intuition. As John explains, spiritual practices like meditation, mindfulness, and yoga not only clear our minds and help us better read, understand, and follow our intuition but they give us also a glimpse of a state of consciousness that is not bound and limited by the limiting and false self or ego.

Moreover, he provides a three-step process that starts with simply being present and leads to immersing and merging oneself with pure consciousness on one’s path to enlightenment. To do so, John combines analysis with a more intuitive approach by unclutching thoughts, reliving and completing, and hence releasing and freeing ourselves from childhood trauma and emotional pain patterns.

The Science with Personal Experience on the Evidence-Based Intermittent Fasting Revolution with Neuroscientist Mark Mattson

In this episode, I have the great pleasure and honor of speaking with the eminent neuroscientist and renowned expert on Intermittent Fasting: Dr. Mark Mattson. His book “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance” covers his research and findings as well as the background and explanations of the processes in addition to the many health benefits of this practice. In fact, Intermittent Fasting is not only beneficial for anyone suffering from various ailments and chronic illnesses (like I have), but also for anyone who would like to optimize their overall functioning, enhance performance, and live a longer and healthier life!

We talk about how to get started and what to watch out for, the metabolic switch with its different effects on the brain and the body, and how it can not only help alleviate or cure cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma, and sleep apnea but also reduce inflammation and anxiety and lead to weight loss as well. Moreover, engaging in intermittent fasting is a great way of preventing future health issues and complications and boosting one’s overall health. 

Finally, Mark also explains how and why breakfast is not the most important meal and how pharmaceutical companies and the health care system tend to be geared toward profit-making and more interested in treating illnesses as opposed to preventing them in the first place. Finally, we discuss how mild stress or eustress can build resistance and make us more resistant as long as it is followed by enough rest and a recovery mode.

Transcending Stress and Anxiety via TM with Meditation Teacher Bob Roth CEO of the David Lynch Foundation

In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Bob Roth, meditation teacher, author, and CEO of the non-profit David Lynch Foundation. We talk about the wonderful evidence-based meditation technique of Transcendental Meditation introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and which Bob Roth has practiced and taught for over fifty years!

I was curious to know what Transcendental Meditation is, how it is done, and what its effects and benefits are on overall health including the body and the mind. Bob Roth gave us the ocean analogy and how the body and mind are not just connected but that they are basically one and interacting on a spectrum. Furthermore, he explained that TM is a very simple, natural, effortless, enjoyable meditation technique and how TM does not bring or carry with it an agenda, nor is it a philosophy or a religion, and how you can be 100% skeptical and the technique would still work perfectly well for you.

Then, Bob Roth goes over the three major types of meditation and explains how with TM, once you learn it, you can use and practice it for the rest of your life. Scientific studies have demonstrated that it reduces stress and anxiety, increases performance and creativity, and optimizes the brain with restful alertness via alpha 1 brainwaves. In fact, with each session, you can reach a state and level that is twice as deep as the deepest part of deep sleep according to research at Harvard Medical School.

In many ways and manners, we often rely on medication to deal with our health issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and insomnia despite the inherent and potential dangers and side effects of pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, TM is non-pharmaceutical and brings with it additional health benefits to our body by tuning up our nervous system while also giving both of them the rest and deep relaxation they need and require. As a matter of fact, we often spend more care, time, and attention on our cars and vehicles than on the maintenance, upkeep, and improvement of our health and well-being.

Finally, as Einstein has said “Life should be filled with magic and wonder” and with the ability to turn and dive deep within, we can not only heal deep-seated trauma and tap into the body’s internal healing self-repair mechanism but also connect with our inner core self, lead a calmer, more centered, and more productive life, make better and wiser decisions, and live and enjoy our existence much more fully and deeply.

Not Your Fault: How Trauma, the Inner Child, and Subconscious Reasons Lead to Self-Sabotage with Trauma-Informed Coach Laura Connell

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of talking with trauma-informed Author and Coach Laura Connell about her fascinating book “It’s Not Your Fault: The Subconscious Reasons We Self-Sabotage and How to Stop”.

Laura explains that at the root of many issues in our personal and professional lives is childhood trauma often stemming from dysfunctional families and unhealthy environments in which children were not cared for adequately and their needs were not met in addition to often being ignored, abused, and rejected by parents and caregivers.

This then shapes and forms the nervous system priming its fight-and-fight survival mode while at the same time creating the inner child within us that is trying to protect us by using and adhering to maladaptive coping skills that often include self-sabotage.

In these situations and under these circumstances, we lack the joy and enjoyment of life as we remain in a perpetual state of hypervigilance defending ourselves against threats and trying to keep us safe from harm. Moreover, we often subconsciously overreact to minor incidents and engage in negative thinking when someone phones and contacts us by expecting the worst or believing that we have done something wrong or are in trouble now.

But as Laura points out, we can practice and learn how to set boundaries because, without boundaries, it's impossible to have an authentic life. She also presents ways of reducing if not eliminating negative self-talk. These remedies need to be somatic in nature as CBT and behavior modification do not address the deeply held problems and issues, and often it is not due to a lack of willpower but rather a lack of self-knowledge. This is also why affirmations tend not to work in these cases and may even make things worse.

Finally, it is important not to be driven by external validation but rather to allow and give yourself some time and space for self-care as well as hobbies and activities you enjoy alongside real sensory delights. In this way, you are showing yourself appreciation and it impacts your self-esteem because you are telling your brain that you value and appreciate yourself for the valuable and beautiful being you already are both within and without.

 

On Individual and Collective Trauma, Holistic Healing, and the Difference between Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth with TikTokTraumaDoc Christy Gibson

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with the versatile and multi-talented TikTokTraumaDoc Dr. Christy Gibson who wears many hats including but not limited to being a physician, speaker, trauma clinician & specialist, and the author of “The Modern Trauma Toolkit: Nurture Your Post-Traumatic Growth with Personalized Solutions”!

We talk about the prevalence of trauma, how it can affect each one of us on different levels and at different places and workplaces, and how it often goes unnoticed and is not processed to the detriment of one’s own health and well-being as well as to that of others.

Dr. Gibson wrote the book to provide us with simple and useful body-based somatic tools to manage and deal with stress. Her approach is holistic in nature and includes a variety of personalized solutions and activities that are evidence-based and based on neuroscience and that reach and address the subconscious, preverbal memories and experiences encoded in our implicit memory.

Moreover, she talks about the current hesitation of changing and updating approaches, methods, and systems that are not or are no longer beneficial to our overall health and wellness. Since trauma is a reality and has affected and continues to affect all of us in different ways and manners, ranging from the pandemic to political conflicts and climate change, it is more than necessary to use the proper and effective tools to not only attain resilience but to tap into the new and more encompassing realm of posttraumatic growth.

Finally, with more research and more openness to innovation and respect for the individual’s lived experiences, the medical system would see dramatic shifts and improvements in healing trauma and disease while at the same time maintaining, fostering, and boosting overall physical, mental, and emotional health with a holistic paradigm at heart and in mind.