Bear Psychology Podcast

Holidays  can be a stressful time of year. There is pressure to make the perfect dinner, give a great gift, spend time with family members you don't see frequently, and plan fun family festivities. All of this can leave you feeling stressed, depressed, lonely, fatigued, and underappreciated. The holiday blues is a term that accurately describes the mixture of unpleasant emotions one feels over the...

Happiness  is something many of us strive for using all the wrong approaches. We distract ourselves looking for the next big excitement, numb ourselves so we won't feel emotional pain, seek pleasure in purchases, chase status in position or gaining influence or power and treat ourselves with food that we are not hungry for. Anyone who has achieved fame, fortune, status eventually recognizes that m...

What is Addiction? Did you know that in the United States alone,  40 million  people ages 12 and older abuse or are addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs? The percentage among the Canadian population is similar. Addiction is a disease that's usually chronic in nature. It affects how the brain and body function, and it's characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use e...

Core Relational Blueprints Are Affected by Traumatic Events Have you noticed that traumatic events, like a physical injury, emotional threat, the loss of a loved one, or a life crisis, can often awaken or enhance your sense of fear, anger, isolation, or helplessness? Dr. Diane Poole Heller , an expert in the field of Adult Attachment Theory and Models, trauma resolution, and integrative healing te...

Dr. Anna Baranowsky completed an interview with Ande Anderson from Avaiya.com , a company that focuses on personal and spiritual growth. The gifts of your traumatic past interview is part of a program called Healing from Childhood Trauma.

Every day around the world, one suicide attempt is reported every 40 seconds. Sadly, there is a  contagious aspect  to suicide, especially in the wake of high-profile deaths. For example, the back-to-back deaths of world-renowned celebrities Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain was not only shocking, but also had a trigger affect on others who experience suicidal thoughts. In fact, when a public traged...

This episode discusses a key facet of recovery: self-compassion. Joining Dr. Baranowksy is guest speaker Frank Pasquil who offers practical self-help videos to aid in healing with trauma. For more information on his work or to access these free resources, go to his website: http://www.emotionaltuning.com/ Dr. Anna and Frank have collaborated before with an entertaining video about shaking to relea...

Have you ever felt yourself leaning away from relationships when things are hard? This tendency to pull away from partners, spouses, and friends leads to severe isolation which is a gateway to depression, anxiety and stress. This episode discusses how important it is to lean in towards relationships in life as they are a buffer against mental health issues. It is important to choose better, more m...

What Does Sleep Mean for Your Emotional, Physical, and Overall Well-Being? Forming the right habits around sleep is known as sleep hygiene , and although there is no single "best" routine for sleep hygiene, there are some general principles to follow: Go to sleep and wake up at consistent times, even on weekends. Always follow the same bedtime routine. Limit the number of naps you take in a day. R...

In this episode Dr. Baranowsky discusses shame, why it is formed and what we can do to overcome it. Shame is a universal experience, where we believe that we are defective or incapable in some way. However, shame can provide the opportunity for growth and evolution in your life. To overcome shame, it's essential to be honest with yourself about who you are and to acknowledge your past. Just becaus...

Have you ever felt coerced or threatened at your workplace? Isolated or even mobbed by coworkers? You could be experiencing workplace bullying, and you are not alone . We hear from people everyday from all walks of life who are struggling with the impact of being bullied. Oftentimes you'll feel ashamed and apply self-blame for negative outcomes, but you must remember that you are not in the wrong...

Holiday stress can whip us up into a tense frenzy, forcing us to confront demons and leaving us feeling drained and exhausted. Have you experienced this? Did you argue with friends/family or find yourself isolated, over-pleasing and underwhelmed? The key to managing holiday stress is to focus on our relationship with ourselves and listen to that internal dialogue. We have a responsibility to grow...

In this episode Dr. Anna Baranowsky spoke with Psychologist, Dr. Robert T. Muller,  a well-known clinical psychologist, author and professor. Together Dr. Baranowsky and Dr. Muller will discuss the therapist-client relationship and the tools available to therapists when helping their clients to feel safe and unpack their story . For Dr. Muller's recently published book, you can find it on Amazon:...

In the first episode of Dr. Anna Baranowsky's radio show she explains how individuals can become isolated when they experience trauma, and the importance of reaching out to the community as a crucial part of recovery. The example highlighted is the "van attack" in Toronto, Ontario that occurred on April 23rd, 2018, and the community outpour of love and support in North York following that event. '...

Understanding habits is the key to breaking or building them. We can set goals and be aware of the need for change, but how do you go about making that change? This episode discusses how habits are formed in the body and brain, and how to channel the power of habits for good. Emotions form an incredibly important tool at our disposal as long as we sit with them and experience what is happening wit...

In this episode Dr. Baranowsky engages with guest speakers Dr. Daniel Fisher and Shontelle Prokipcak, proponents of the E-CPR approach to building real, human connections, strong communities, and a broader life.   Emotional-CPR Emotional CPR ("E-CPR") stands for Connection, emPowering, and Revilatizing. It is a meaningful new approach for dealing with crisis and emotional struggles that was develo...

In the many relationships that you navigate in life, do you find that one is significantly tougher to manage? This could be because a partner, spouse, friend, or co-worker has a personality disorder. There could be times where you are uncertain as to whether their moral compass truly points North. The focus of this episode is a few personality disorders, namely narcissism and anti-social personali...

The focus of this episode which aired on June 28th, 2018 is on the stress experienced by First Responders and the tools that one can use to bolster your resilience to that stress. This episode has two guest speakers, Gary and Andrew. Gary is a retired paramedic who shares insights on how he increased his resilience to the inevitable on-the-job stress he experienced. The second guest speaker is And...

In this episode Dr. Anna Baranowsky discusses the issue of bullying and harassment in the workplace. On a weekly basis 40% of Canadian workers experience bullying - it can happen in any workplace, even yours! Seemingly regular procedures become major dilemmas and erupting events that can leave individuals feeling alienated and in danger, leading to high degrees of stress. The toxic environment tha...