The Joy Reset: Rewiring our Brains and Discovering our Capacity to Cultivate Joy. With Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald
Untangle2 Joulu 2025

The Joy Reset: Rewiring our Brains and Discovering our Capacity to Cultivate Joy. With Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald

Our guest today is Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald, Trauma researcher and Author of the book, "The Joy Reset: Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get It Back.” Her book isn’t just about finding joy; it’s about rewiring our brains and rediscovering our power to cultivate joy EVEN in the darkest moments of life.

She describes the barriers that keep us from accessing joy—hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame—and then defines ways to tap into positive emotions that can become the very foundation of psychological resilience.

In our interview she shares some exercises that make joy, hope and gratitude both bite-sized and accessible and how they can show up even in our toughest moments.

I love how she weaves neuroscience into her exploration of trauma and joy, explaining how our brains are biologically wired to both adapt to trauma and heal from it. And…good news…we ARE always biologically capable of joy.

Quote from her website: "Joy does not exist only in the moments that are free of pain. In fact, the brightest, tiniest, most important pieces can only be found in the dark. I want to teach you how to harness and amplify the power of that glinting magic–because this sustainable, endless light source will do more than help you get through your darkest, scariest, loneliest times."

As always, we’re untangle, the podcast from Muse the brain sensing headband that helps to transform your brain. Use promo code untangle 15 at choosemuse.com for your discount.

Resource: https://www.drmcmcdonald.com/

Thanks, as always, to our sponsors. Rula. Quince. Born Shoes.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(572)

Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of The Most Misunderstood Emotion. With Dr. Wendy Suzuki

Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of The Most Misunderstood Emotion. With Dr. Wendy Suzuki

Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. She was also recently appointed as Dean of NYU’s College of Arts & Science. In...

31 Loka 202356min

Sleep, Unconsciousness and the Brain.  With Adrian Owen

Sleep, Unconsciousness and the Brain. With Adrian Owen

Guest Interviewer: Ariel Garten, Muse Co-founder. Encore.Dr. Adrian Owen, a renowned neuroscientist, discovered that individuals in a persistent coma could still communicate- and he went one step furt...

24 Loka 202345min

Want to Live a Meaningful and Mindful Life? Choose Where You Place Your Attention. With Mitra Manesh.

Want to Live a Meaningful and Mindful Life? Choose Where You Place Your Attention. With Mitra Manesh.

Todays guest is Mitra Manesh. She is a senior mindfulness educator at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, best known for her storytelling and innovative teachings. Mitra is also the creator of t...

17 Loka 202356min

What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid? Powerful, Practical Tools to Help Deal with Anxiety. Part 2 with Ellen Hendriksen

What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid? Powerful, Practical Tools to Help Deal with Anxiety. Part 2 with Ellen Hendriksen

Today’s guest is Dr. Ellen Hendriksen. This is her second appearance on Untangle to share her expertise on all issues related to anxiety. She’s a clinical psychologist who focuses on releasing anxiety...

10 Loka 202351min

The Art and Science (and Importance!) of Breath. With James Nestor.

The Art and Science (and Importance!) of Breath. With James Nestor.

Guest Interview with Ariel Garten.Did you know that the way you breathe can energize or relax you? That a simple hack can help with snoring and sleep apnea? That your lung volume can relate to your lo...

3 Loka 202343min

Explore a New Movement: A Moderation and Mindfulness Based Approach to Drinking (based on your own personal goals!)

Explore a New Movement: A Moderation and Mindfulness Based Approach to Drinking (based on your own personal goals!)

Today’s guest is Ian Andersen, cofounder of the Sunnyside app, Sunnyside is an app designed to help individuals discover and adopt a more mindful approach to drinking so they can reach their own perso...

26 Syys 202338min

Hardwiring our Brains for More Happiness. With Dr. Rick Hanson

Hardwiring our Brains for More Happiness. With Dr. Rick Hanson

Today’s guest is Dr. Rick Hanson — a Psychologist and NY times Best Selling author of several books, including the book we discuss in this interview “Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Con...

19 Syys 202336min

Creativity, Spirituality and Making a Buck. Possible to Do It All? With David Nichtern

Creativity, Spirituality and Making a Buck. Possible to Do It All? With David Nichtern

Today’s guest is David Nichtern, a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He is also a highly regarded, award winning composer, producer and guitari...

5 Syys 202345min

Suosittua kategoriassa Terveys ja hyvinvointi

unicast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-hanna-tikander
tiedenaiset-podcast
rss-pitaisko-erota
vakeva-elama-viisaampi-mieli-vahvempi-keho
rss-narsisti
puhu-muru
terapiassa
junnut-pelissa
meditaatiot-suomeksi
rss-kuumilla-aalloilla
aamukahvilla
selviytyjat-tarinoita-elamasta
rss-pt-paahtio
paaasia-podcast
paritellen
rss-uplevel-by-sonja-hannus
rss-kyykkya-ja-kuoharia