SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Like most of us, I have wished many things were taught to me at school that were not on the curriculum. While so much of what we need to learn can only be taught through experience, many skills that could be taught in school aren't. Please know I am not faulting teachers or even the education system. There is so much to be taught and the laundry list of items could be endless!   Yet, what are some...

Comedians use their genius to give us joy, laughter, and even to help us think about things differently. And yet, those same people who bring so much pleasure often are people who experience deep levels of depression, anxiety, and histories of trauma.  I have taken great interest in the way comedians think and their lives. And that is why I am so happy to have had the opportunity to speak with a p...

It’s summer as I write this and, for many of us, it’s high season for leisure reading. It causes me to think of my all-time favorite novel… the one I couldn’t put down and the one I keep re-reading over the years. That book is none other than Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s brilliant first of the brilliant Cemetery of Forgotten Books series and its alluring title is The Shadow of the Wind. In addition to it b...

With the Ted Lasso series finale in our rearview mirrors, I felt the need to record a solo episode tribute to the brilliant creator, Bill Lawrence, and to this incredible show. As a psychologist, I have seen a few shows that have illustrated what humanity could look like at its finest. For me, Ted Lasso is one of the list-toppers of shows that have. I decided to name a few things that this show ha...

Without sex, pretty much none of us would be here. And yet, merely talking about the thing that brought us here makes many of us squirm with discomfort. We’re told it’s not polite to talk about it. It’s taboo. And we can even feel shame about it and not even let ourselves know who we are when it comes to our identities and preferences. As a result, that thing we don’t talk about becomes kind of a...

We all know that when we invest a dollar well, over time with compounding interest, the dollar blossoms in value. Yet, the same can be said for our habits and behaviors. When we cultivate good habits and behaviors, over time they can pay us back with compounding interest as well. And this idea relates perfectly to what my guest is working on with children—fostering skills that may pay dividends fo...

We all know the expression that we are what we eat. Yet few have devoted their lives to the science behind this idea more than the guest of this episode. Dr. Michael Jacobson earned a Ph. D. in microbiology from MIT and, shortly after, devoted his expertise to the budding field of nutrition science. Michael is the founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and he spent nearly five d...

Have you ever had with the belief that you were only as good as your results at work? Perhaps, if this is the case, you can identify with your work so much that if you aren’t crushing it, you believe you’re nothing. Of course, thinking about this rationally, we all can eventually come to recognize that we are more than our work. But on an emotional level, we can become so identified with our work...

Perhaps the most magical and hypnotic words ever uttered in sequence are, “Once Upon a time.”  Don’t believe me? Let’s look at one of the most successful movies ever, Star Wars. While it’s not “once upon a time” verbatim, it’s a theme and variation: how does Star Wars begin? Say it with me, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” Turns out, those magical words don't just relate to works of...

Dating is one of the most talked about topics in my office. And for good reason: Romantic love plays such a big part of happiness for so many of us and, if life were a pie chart, the love component would take up a large slice. And dating can be tricky and bring lots of vulnerability at any stage of life. But what happens when we are dating later in life? Perhaps an unexpected divorce or the traged...

Very frequently in my office I hear from parents struggling with their child's college application process. The range of their emotions can be anywhere from anxious to utter heartbreak. Yet, does getting the golden ticket to the top university mean a good outcome for everyone? What do we need to know about the realities of what we’re gunning for? What are the myths and realities of the process and...

Anxiety is generally thought of something to avoid—especially when we catastrophize—you know that thing our brain does when we imagine worst-case scenarios. For most of us, these scenarios generally have no real value and the images rendered in our minds can be horribly frightening and even toxic. It calls to mind a great quote from Mark Twain who said, “I've lived through some terrible things in...

When I was growing up, psychedelics like LSD and mushrooms were considered quite taboo. Sure, they were talked about in stoner circles but pretty much nowhere else. These days, things have changed dramatically. Psychedelics, while still illegal in most places, are being recognized for their potentially powerful role as an adjunct component to psychotherapy. There is even evidence though numerous c...

Simply put, our primary relationships play a big part in how happy we are. Yet our brains are not really designed to be good at relationships; instead, our brains are designed for our survival and energy conservation.  So, although our brains are the most complicated structures in the known universe, they need training to be good in relationship. And, as anyone in relationship will tell you, they...

There are oh, so many myths around the topic of negotiation and conflict. Some of us believe that we have to be hard, shrewd, and that it’s a zero-sum game with a winner and a loser. Some of us even believe that negotiation must hurt or it’s not a negotiation. And some of us believe that negotiation isn't a relevant part of our lives. Turns out that’s untrue. All of us must negotiate and probably...

Have you ever left a social event and, after talking all night to various people, felt like nothing real was said? Sure, if a transcriptionist followed you, there was lots of dialogue. But as you considered the meaning of the dialogue, it felt empty. This would not be problematic if we humans didn’t chase meaning throughout our lives. As SuperPsyched guest, mythologist, Michael, Meade says, “We ar...

Many people fantasize about what it would be like to be an actor. And what many of us don't know is just how long the long game is in pursuing that dream. And we have ideas about what that life might be like. But how accurate are those ideas? What does it take to succeed in the business? And what does it take to play 224 different characters and stretch into the realities of each of those indi...

Like many people in my generation, I was rock music-obsessed when I was growing up. My wall was covered in posters of Zeppelin, Rush, Van Halen, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and others.  And I constantly fantasized about becoming a rockstar. Obviously, that was not my path. Yet, I still wonder, what would it actually be like to become a rockstar? And, regarding this episode, what would it be like to...

Ok, tell the truth—there’s gotta be a project you started but didn’t finish. For me, I’ll admit, there are lots of those. Sometimes, I realized the need to quit, which may have been legit. But in other cases, it was due to my not having had the tenacity to go all in Rocky Balboa-style, and stay in the ring for the long haul. Our brains are wired for NOW and not as much for LATER. While this has be...

I’m guessing that in grade school at some point you played the game of Telephone. You know, that game where you and your classmates or friends get in a circle, and one person whispers a statement to the next person and continues like this until it gets to the original person. And we all remember the results: the statement is generally so distorted that everyone in the circle starts laughing. Which...

Talking about death and grief is not easy, and it’s especially challenging to talk with children about them. Given social conventions, we tend to speak about these two heavy topics euphemistically or indirectly, if at all. Turns out that, for many reasons, not talking directly about death and grief is not such a great idea. One reason is that, as painful as they are, death and grief are inventible...

Alisa Shownotes Startups are popping up all over the globe and, having been at one during my corporate days, I can attest to the fact that they are very exciting. Yet, as exciting as they are, they can be very stressful and, at times, chaotic. The founders of such companies—many of whom are clients I serve— tell me that they are often baffled by the complexities and the multiple roles they must pl...

Suddenly, we are at episode 150 of the SuperPsyched Podcast. To celebrate this milestone, I thought I would interview the most influential man in my life. In fact, he was the guy who gave me the idea to start this podcast in the first place! If you haven’t guessed already, that person is my father, Dr. Richard Dorsay. My dad worked as a physician who spent the bulk of his career as the chief of ra...

You may have heard terms like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or psychoanalysis that describe different schools of thought or orientations for therapy. At last count, there are a few hundred validated orientations to psychotherapy. Which may cause you to ask, “With so many to choose from, which one is the best for me?” For most of us who are considering entering therapy, the therapist’s orientation t...

If I were to ask you what skill matters more to our physical and mental health than just about any skill out there, what would you say? Well, since you’ve seen the title to this episode, I imagine you know the answer! Of course, I’m referring to sleep. Sleep is a big deal. I refer to it as the hub airport through which all airplanes must pass, so to speak, because every hormonal, immunological, ph...