Mind Tricks Radio

I enjoyed a lively conversation today on the topic of Rejection, with Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps.  She discussed how people can better understand their reactions to rejection and ways they can develop strategies to cope with these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Dr. Becker-Phelps is dedicated to helping people understand themselves and what they need to do to become emoti...

I enjoyed interviewing Dr. Amy Lappen, a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Long Beach, California. She specializes in the treatment of PTSD, and has expertise in in using Prolonged Exposure Therapy for trauma and PTSD. Aside from PTSD and Trauma treatment, Dr. Lappen specializes in the treatment of depression, anxiety, intimate partner violence, anger management, disordered eating, mate...

I enjoyed meeting up with Dr. Roxy Zarrabi, a Clinical Psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping women struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, or dating/relationship challenges to feel confident about themselves and the future of their relationships. Dr. Zarrabi spoke with me today about many reasons why people have difficulty letting go of unhealthy relationships, and things t...

I enjoyed a lively and informative interview with Dr. Rachelle Scott, Medical Director of Psychiatry at Eden Health, who spoke with me on the topic of Workplace Burnout. Dr. Scott discussed how employers and individuals can identify signs and causes of burnout, and how they can address burnout through better communication and attention to employees' needs. This topic is particularly timely as indi...

It was an honor to interview Harvard Professor Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a luminary in the field of Psychiatry and Medical Anthropology.  When I was a college student, Dr. Kleinman's work was a major inspiration for me to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology with a research emphasis on the intersection of psychology and culture. During the interview, we discussed Dr. Kleinman's most recent book, The...

I enjoyed a fascinating interview with author and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. John Cottone, on the ways that Buddhist thoughts and practice intersect with practices in Western psychotherapy.  Since I became a psychologist, I have always noticed parallels between Buddhist thinking and psychotherapy and I was delighted to read a post by Dr. Cottone in Psychology Today on the topic.  Specifically, Dr....

I enjoyed a lively conversation about Spotting Good Therapy with best selling author, screenwriter, and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Noam Shpancer.  Dr. Shpancer has written on topics about the therapeutic process and describes elements of what makes therapy a positive and beneficial experience for clients.  Dr. Shpancer's bestselling novel, The Good Psychologist was translated into six languages. A...

Today I interviewed Stanford Psychiatrist and best selling author, Dr. Anna Lembke, about her book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. We discussed the neurophysiology of addiction that can lead to overconsumption and how Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a crucial role in the system. Dr. Lembke also discussed how individuals need to try and recalibrate themse...

Today I interviewed Dr. Jackie Ogega, a champion for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.  We discussed her book Home Is Us: A Story About Hope & Resilience, a memoir of her experiences growing up in Kenya. Dr. Ogega describes the love and guidance of strong women in her childhood who gave her a sense of safety, security, and purpose in light of rampant community violence and oppres...

Today I had an interesting conversation with UCLA Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre on the timely topic the Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and False Beliefs.  Dr. Pierre explained how conspiracy theories often arise as a means of coping with fear and uncertainty, especially as the world has certainly experienced a mage-dose uncertainly in recent years. He talked about how and why people succumb to...

Today I had a conversation with  Dr. Bonnie Zucker, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, about managing health anxiety and panic attacks. This is a timely topic as many mental health professionals have seen a huge increase in patients presenting with anxiety because of the pandemic.  Dr. Zucker discusses the phenomenology of panic attacks and health anxiety, and gives helpful suggestions on how...

I had a lively conversation with Dr. Marty Nemko, a career and personal coach to over 6000 individuals.  The conversation was inspired by Dr. Nemko's Psychology Today blog post: Beware the Temptation to Indoctrinate your Children. Dr.  Nemko, who considers himself a "moderate," discussed how he sees the world becoming increasingly polarized along political, religious, and lifestyle-choice beliefs....

Today I interviewed Dr. Avrum Weiss about his important and thought provoking, best-selling book, Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men's Fear of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. We discussed several ways in which men fear women, often stemming from socialized expectations of "what it means to be a man" and how these expectations are tested in intimate relationships.  Dr. Weiss explains that, no...

I enjoyed an upbeat conversation with Dr. Denise Fournier on Calling Out Irrational Beliefs. Dr. Fournier described how people develop maladaptive belief systems about themselves, others, and the world around them. These beliefs can cause people to suffer and impede them from taking risks and making changes in life. While many beliefs serve functional purposes earlier in life, they become "outdate...

I enjoyed interviewing Dr. Robert Whitley, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, about Men's Issues in Mental Health. Dr. Whitley is the author of his recently released textbook, Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health. We talked about about some important concepts in Social Psychology such as Gender Stereotypes of Men and how these affect mental health outcomes and treatment; the G...

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Israeli Philosopher, Dr. Iddo Landau on the topic of Finding Meaning in Life.  Dr. Landau discussed many keen and intriguing arguments from his popular and thought provoking book, Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World. He also discussed ways in which people can recognize what's valuable and meaningful within their own lives.  Dr. Landau grew up and lived mo...

I enjoyed an informative interview with Dr. Ronald Riggio, a Social/Personalty Psychologist and researcher at Claremont McKenna College who specializes in research on Leadership and Non-Verbal Behavior. Dr. Riggio talked about the psychology of leadership -- what makes a good leader, how a leader can develop his or her leadership skills, some behaviors of "bad" leaders, and the concept of good fol...

I enjoyed a lively interview with Irish Cognitive/Social Psychologist, Dr. Christopher Dwyer about critical thinking and cognitive biases.  As a Clinical Psychologist, when working with my patients, I often examine irrational thoughts and how they affect the person’s perspective on what’s going on in their lives. Dr. Dwyer explained how people can easily tend toward cognitive biases that undermine...

Today I interviewed Dr. Hal Shorey, a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Attachment, adult personality development, and relationship dynamics.  Dr. Shorey helps people harness their personalities, maximize their personal and professional relationships, and reach their best possible life outcomes. He has published widely in scientific journals on applying personality theory to dealing with re...

I'm excited to announce Mind Tricks Radio, Episode 24: Anxiety in Achievers: Fear of Failure/Fear of Success, with Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris.  Dr. Tsatiris specializes in the field of anxiety management. We had a lively and engaging discussion about anxiety related thinking and behavior among Achievers, and how Achievers often over-focus on fears of failure and fears of success.  Dr. Tsatiris is a cl...

In this Episode, I interviewed Dr. Brock Eide about The Dyslexic Advantage, a bestselling book written by him and his wife, Dr. Fernette Eide.  The Dyslexic Advantage opened my eyes to the unique cognitive strengths of individuals with dyslexia that are often overlooked.   As children with dyslexia develop, they often feel punished for their struggles with reading and writing without the acknowled...

With the most recent round of conflict in Israel, I wondered what it was like for Israeli psychologists who treat war related trauma and PTSD on the front lines. I reached out to Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Seifan Weinberg, who is the Deputy Director of the Clinical Unit at NATAL -- an apolitical nonprofit organization that specializes in the field of war and terror related trauma.  He treats veter...

Today I met with Dr. Ronald Riggio, a Social/Personalty Psychologist and researcher at Claremont McKenna College who specializes in research on Leadership and Non-Verbal Behavior. Dr. Riggio explained the ways people understand each other and communicate non-verbally.  When one has a greater awareness and cultivates such skills, he or she can gain a great advantage at interacting and dealing with...

I enjoyed an engaging interview with Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo, a pioneer and leader in the development and use of Virtual Reality in psychotherapy and other medical applications.  We discussed the history of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT), and current uses for treating everything from anxiety disorders to autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Rizzo really blew my mind with his newest innovative VRT project...

At 8:07 am Hawaii Standard Time, on Saturday, January 13, 2018, the residents of Hawaii were alerted via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert System by television, radio, and cellphones that an incoming ballistic missile was on its way to the islands. Text messages on cell phones read: “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek Immediate Shelter. This not a drill.”  What...