Preventing Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue with Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
With so much suffering going on in the world that’s worthy of our compassion and engagement, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by it even as we have the desire to remain engaged. Secondary traumatic stress is the stress we are exposed to when we interact with other people’s stress, and it manifests at both an individual and societal level. When not managed effectively, it wears us down and diminishes our ability to contribute in a positive way. On this episode of Being Well, Forrest talks with trauma expert Laura van Dernoot Lipsy about how we can better manage secondary traumatic stress, how to avoid burnout and overwhelm, and what it looks like to stay hopeful and live fully in the face of daunting societal challenges. About Our Guest: Laura van Dernoot Lipsky is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others and The Age of Overwhelm. She is a widely recognized pioneer in the field of trauma exposure and has worked locally, nationally, and internationally for more than three decades. Laura is also the host of Future Tripping, a podcast about navigating overwhelm. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:35: Laura’s personal experience 4:10: How secondary trauma shows up for people 6:45: Martyrdom and the responsibility of organizations to create sustainable environments 10:30: Concern with how trauma is normalized within communities 14:10: Internalized oppression and overwhelm in the broader culture 17:40: The broader systemic context and the ineffectiveness of burning yourself out 21:50: The necessity of taking breaks 26:40: How to feel okay taking time to unplug from discourse on charged topics 33:35: Differentiating between spheres of control and acknowledging grief 37:45: Finding ways to stay hopeful 40:35: What Laura is grateful for and stressed about 44:35: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Have a question for us? Email: contact@beingwellpodcast.com to submit questions or potential topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes. Sponsors: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Try Splendid Spoon today and take meal-planning off your plate. Just go to SplendidSpoon.com/BEINGWELL for $50 off your first box Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
25 Huhti 202252min
Rumination: How to Disrupt Obsessive Thoughts
It’s normal and healthy for us to try to process our experiences emotionally, but sometimes during that process we find ourselves getting stuck on the same painful memory, anxiety, or disturbing thought. This frustrating experience, known as rumination, is a common psychological challenge that is both discouraging and unhelpful. On this episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson spell out what rumination is, where it comes from, and how it functions in the brain. They then explore what practices and strategies we can use to identify rumination when it comes up, and move through an obsessive thought compassionately and effectively. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:25: How do we define rumination? 7:45: What do we get out of rumination? 13:30: Distinguishing rumination from grieving 16:30: Where rumination comes from in people 18:40: The default mode network 22:30: Ways to disengage the default mode network 25:50: Strange attractors, Krishna, and the Gopis 30:35: Thought acceptance and noting 33:15: Recurring themes of your rumination 37:10: Novelty 38:45: Self-constructing invites rumination, self-acceptance undermines it 47:05: A quick walkthrough for dealing with a negative thought 53:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Have a question for us? Email: contact@beingwellpodcast.com to submit questions or potential topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes. Sponsors: Make Woven Earth a part of your nightly routine, and use code BEINGWELL20 for 20% off your purchase of Single Products. Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Try Splendid Spoon today and take meal-planning off your plate. Just go to SplendidSpoon.com/BEINGWELL for $50 off your first box. Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Huhti 20221h 2min
Navigating Modern Dating with Logan Ury
We’ve spent a lot of time on the podcast exploring how we can improve our skills in romantic relationships, but for many people one of the most difficult parts of a relationship is getting into one in the first place. On this episode, Forrest talks with Logan Ury, Director of Relationship Science at the dating app Hinge, about the psychology of dating. They explore chemistry, romance, apps, and how to reframe our self-limiting tendencies so we can find love that is fulfilling and brings out the best in us. About our Guest: Logan Ury is a behavioral scientist turned dating coach, and the author of How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love. She is the Director of Relationship Science at the dating app Hinge, and former head of Google’s behavioral science team the Irrational Lab. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:40: Why is modern dating so hard? 4:15: Romanticism 6:20: Being in a relationship for self-actualization 8:25: Romanticizers, Maximizers, and Hesitators 11:15: Reframes for the Romanticizer 14:20: What kind of shared qualities actually matter? 19:25: Reframes for the Maximizer 26:35: The tendency to externalize problems and avoid vulnerability 32:25: Reframes for the Hesitator 36:50: Information vs. emotion - appreciation for romance 41:05: Bids, and turning towards 43:05: What other things do people tend to underestimate in relationships? 47:20: The aspect of you that is brought out by your partner 48:45: How to use apps in more effective ways 51:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Have a question for us? Email: contact@beingwellpodcast.com to submit questions or potential topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes. Sponsors: Visit Pendulumlife.com and use code BEINGWELL for 20% off your first month of membership. Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Huhti 202258min
Understand and Manage Stress: Causes, Biological Basis, and Increasing Resilience
On this episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson take a deep dive into defining stress, how it functions, how it impacts our lives and bodies, and what we can do to repair from its effects. We discuss how to distinguish stress from effort, the influence of the modern world on how stressed we feel, the various biological mechanisms involved in stress, and the challenges presented by chronic exposure to it. We then consider what we can do to increase resilience, including positively responding to stressors even in the midst of limitations and uncertainty. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:50: What is stress exactly? 3:30: Distinguishing stress from effort 7:25: Circles of concern and what we can actually influence 10:15: Zebras, and different levels of allostatic load 15:30: How the Endocrine System and Nervous System respond to stress 21:45: The amygdala response 23:20: What are the costs of stress? 35:30: The story so far 36:25: How do we positively adapt to stress? 41:35: The influence of basic lifestyle factors 43:50: Questions to ask yourself 45:30: Claiming agency while accepting limitations and uncertainty 51:05: What we can do to repair from the effects of our stress 57:40: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Try Splendid Spoon today and take meal-planning off your plate. Just go to SplendidSpoon.com/BEINGWELL for $50 off your first box Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Huhti 20221h 5min
Use the Enneagram to Rewrite Your Story with Ian Cron
One of the most effective ways to change how we show up in the world is to identify and change our underlying personal narrative. On this episode, Forrest Hanson talks with Ian Cron about how we can use the Enneagram personality typing system to aid us in this process. About our Guest: Ian Cron is a therapist, master Enneagram teacher, best-selling author of The Road Back to You and his latest The Story of You, and host of popular Enneagram podcast Typology. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:30: Ian’s narrative and how it has changed over time 5:45: Overview of the Enneagram and its uses 11:30: A few examples of common limiting narratives 19:10: A quick primer of how the Enneagram works and each type 26:00: How people can push back on their unconscious narratives 35:25: Cultivating awareness of how your old story is playing out in the present 37:10: Ian’s inflection point 41:30: Integration and levels of development 43:15: The link between your virtue and your fixation 49:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Try Splendid Spoon today and take meal-planning off your plate. Just go to SplendidSpoon.com/BEINGWELL for $50 off your first box Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Maalis 202255min
Hedonic Adaptation: Causes, Critiques, and How to Stay Happy
We’ve talked on this show about lots of ways we can be happier over time, but one of the hardest things to do is to STAY happy as the events of life wash over us. On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson explore "hedonic adaptation" - our tendency to return to a stable baseline of happiness - and discuss how we can get off the "hedonic treadmill." Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 2:25: What is hedonic adaptation? 6:25: Three factors of happiness 9:45: Survey of various research on hedonic adaptation and subjective well-being 19:55: Financial circumstances and relationships 27:35: How to sustain happiness - loving, knowing, growing 38:15: The single most effective intervention to fight hedonic adaptation 41:30: Forrest’s take on how lasting change happens 45:00: Antidote experiences and improving memory 47:50: Can we actually become happier? 51:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Visit athleticgreens.com/BEINGWELL to take ownership over your health, and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance! Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Take care of your long-term health, and get the probiotic rooted in the latest microbiome science from Pendulum. Visit pendulumlife.com and use code BEINGWELL for 20% off your first month of membership. Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Maalis 202259min
The Science of "Self" with Dr. Jud Brewer
One of the underlying threads that runs through many of our conversations on Being Well is our relationship with our “self”. On this episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson talk with neuroscientist, mindfulness researcher, and bestselling author Dr. Jud Brewer about where we can find the “self” in the brain, and the benefits of relaxing our attachment to it. About our Guest: Dr. Jud Brewer is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the School of Public Health and Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University. He is the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare, and a research affiliate at MIT. His bestselling books include Unwinding Anxiety and The Craving Mind. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 1:45: What is a “self”? 5:10: Distinguishing consciousness, person, and self 7:25: Can there be a unified sense of self in an everchanging psychological process? 11:50: Selfing and what triggers a sense of “me” 15:20: Evolutionary speculations about the origins of selfing 18:50: Predictive processing and personal associations 21:55: How Jud responds to selfing 28:10: The unicorn metaphor of self and relief in sensory experience 36:45: The experience of addiction and anxiety 40:50: Somatic markers and distinguishing healthy vs. unhealthy desires 41:40: Letting go vs. straining to create a self 45:40: Underlying neurological components of the self 56:30: The fluidity of awareness without self 58:30: When and how does the default mode network become functional? 1:03:00: Neuro-psychedelic research and unlearning 1:07:15: Having a self vs. taking ourselves personally 1:11:00: Recap Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Have a question for us? Email: contact@beingwellpodcast.com to submit questions or potential topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes. Sponsors: Visit athleticgreens.com/BEINGWELL to take ownership over your health, and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance! Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Maalis 20221h 17min
Supporting Yourself During Difficult Times
The tone of this episode of Being Well is a bit different. For context, we recorded it four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It feels like we've had more than our fair share of difficult times over the last few years. Like many people, we wish there were more we could do to support those suffering around the world. Today Dr. Rick and Forrest focus on what we can do, in our mind and in our lives, to relate to the challenging emotions – fear, grief, anxiety, anger, helplessness, and so on – that naturally arise during these times. The advertising revenue from this episode will be donated to charities dedicated to supporting the people of Ukraine. If you'd like to join us in donating, we’ve included links below to several charities. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00: Introduction 5:10: Anxiety calming exercise 12:40: Pause 18:55: Feel your feelings 23:45: Resource yourself 26:45: Compassion 29:55: Humor 32:00: Get educated 40:35: Make a plan 45:55: Move into action 52:35: Recap Make a donation to support Ukraine via one of the charities below:CARE's Ukraine Crisis Fund United Help Ukraine Global Giving Ukraine Fund Rescue.org A list of charities by subject for supporting the people of Ukraine. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Have a question for us? Email: contact@beingwellpodcast.com to submit questions or potential topics you'd like us to explore in future episodes. Sponsors: Visit athleticgreens.com/BEINGWELL to take ownership over your health, and pick up the ultimate daily nutritional insurance! Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Discover your full genetic potential by uploading your existing DNA test results at genomelink.io. No trial period, no credit card, and no hidden fees! Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Maalis 20221h
