My guest this week is Dr. Joseph Luciani, author of a book called Unlearning Anxiety & Depression: The 4-Step Self-Coaching Program to Reclaim Your Life. Joe and I explored some of his background in more depth-oriented psychology, especially a Jungian approach where we explore symbols and dreams and archetypes, and his transition to a more action-oriented style.

We got into some pretty interesting territory, especially about the spiritual implications of psychotherapy. As Joe said, if we truly learn that we can handle whatever life throws at us, everything changes. That’s good news, of course, because you can handle any challenge, just like you have already to make it this far. Other topics we covered included:

• What self-coaching is, and its relation to motivation
• How traditional talk-therapy may be too passive at times, and not the most empowering approach
• The difficulty in giving up therapy after investing a lot in it
• The view that anxiety and depression are learned, and can be unlearned
• Worry as the quintessential defensive strategy
• Dissociating from the reflexiveness of worry
• The fantasy of what-ifs
• Our innate superstition
• The distinction between problem solving and worrying
• Humans as survival machines
• Trusting that we will find what we need when we’re on the path
• Managing anxiety and depression as a spiritual practice
• Liberation as the overarching goal of psychotherapy
• My guest’s spiritual impressions
• The faith and trust needed to let go of certainty
• The neurosurgeries of Wilder Penfield
• The distinction between coping and healing
• Coping strategies as ways of controlling fate
• Anxiety and depression as possible coping mechanisms
• Dealing with the stress and anxiety of the ongoing pandemic
• Separating emotional fictions from facts
• The power of trusting that we can handle what life throws at us

Joseph Luciani, PhD, has been a practicing clinical psychologist for more than 40 years.

He’s the international bestselling author of the Self-Coaching series of books, published in ten languages.

Joe’s articles have been featured in many national magazines and newspapers, including Redbook, Cosmopolitan, O The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, Health, Shape, and others.

He appears regularly on national TV, radio, and online.

Find Joe online at his website and on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

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