Ep. 201: Seth & Joel — What If You Don't Need to Fix Yourself?
My guest this week is Dr. Joel Minden, a regular on the Think Act Be podcast. This time we switched roles and Joel interviewed me, mostly about my approach to therapy that I describe in my latest book, Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (affiliate link). This conversation is the first in a series of several episodes with Joel, so stay tuned for more to come.
Topics we touched on included:
- The traditional approach in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- The medical model of therapy
- My background in mindfulness
- The book Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (affiliate link)
- Parallels between my religious practices as a kid and my early experiences with meditation
- Mindfulness practice as more than another “technique” for feeling better
- Allowing oneself to experience difficult emotions instead of trying to get rid of them
- The challenge in not fighting against our experience
- The manageability of the moment
- How cognitive work can support mindfulness practice
- Contentment that doesn’t depend on one’s circumstances
- Letting go of the struggle against the struggle
- Feeling bad about “not being mindful enough”
- My decision to self-disclose about my own struggles
- The necessity of honesty in any healthy relationship
- Humor in the context of mindfulness, and taking things less seriously
- Mindfulness in action, and the value of finding stillness
Joel Minden, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related disorders.
He is the author of Show Your Anxiety Who’s Boss (affiliate link), founder of the Chico Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, diplomate of The Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Chico.
Find Joel online at his website, follow him on Twitter, and read his blog on Psychology Today.
This is such a brilliant episode. Thank you. I’m a CBT therapist (in the NHS, in the UK), most drawn to the ACT-CBT approach. But is concernes me that some (not all) ACT teachers/writers/therapists dispense with all or most ‘cognitive techniques’. I love your blending of CBT and ACT – Mindful CBT. I often say to colleagues that ACT is “not NOT about alternative perspectives: if we can defuse/detach from our unhelpful thoughts a little, then alternative, more balanced and compassionate/self-conpassionate thoughts often emerge”.
I love this podcast. I’ve been listening for years. I’ve supported you financially before (but then stopped, simply as money can be tight for me with two kids), but I’m going to start supporting you again now.
I often recommend this podcast to CBT colleagues and to clients, and I also love and recommend your excellent series on Mindful CBT on the wonderful Waking Up app.
I’ve not commented here before, but, well done Seth, you are doing beautiful work.
Wow Daniel, what a lovely message to read first thing on a Monday morning! Thank you so much, truly. I’m really glad to hear that the mindful CBT approach resonates with you. I greatly appreciate your financial support, too, and am glad you redirected those funds when other commitments took priority! I wish you all the best in your work and the rest of your life, and I thank you again for your thoughtfulness and kind words.