The Franz Bardon Podcast

Jamie Cannon, MS, LPC, has an extensive background in mental health and wellness consultation. She received her AA from Cottey College, an independent prestigious women’s college. She went on to receive her BS in psychology and MS from the University of Wyoming. As a mental health professional, she has specialized in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and grief with special populations ranging from...

Beverly Engel has been a practicing psychotherapist for thirty-five years. She is the author of 22 books, including the bestsellers The Emotionally Abusive Relationship , The Right to Innocence , and Healing Your Emotional Self . Her latest book is entitled, It Wasn't Your Fault: Freeing Yourself from the Shame of Childhood Abuse with the Power of Self-Compassion. In addition, Beverly lends h...

Social Anxiety arises from deeply rooted beliefs about ourselves, others, and the conditions of life.  In this episode,  I go over the beliefs behind social anxiety and offer a counter-framework  to shift us out of social anxiety. If this topic interests you, you might be interested in the book Three Minute Therapy , by Dr. Michael Edelstein. Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light...

Secondary disturbances are the cause of much of our discomfort and many symptoms of mental illness.  They are basically a second layer added on top of our uncomfortable emotions: being upset about being upset, anxious about anxiety, distraught about depression, depressed about a problem that arises, etc.   In this episode, Clint offers the solution to shifting out of our secondary disturbances. Cl...

Let's face it.  Some parts of life are grim and difficult.  Expecting things to be perfect and hassle-free sets us up for frustration and emotional difficulty.  Knowing that there are going to be dark aspects to life and accepting those fully can give us more peace of mind. Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He s...

I give an overview of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.   It is a useful practice and tremendously powerful for healing mental illness and uncomfortable emotions.  It was started in the 1950s by Psychologist Albert Ellis and was the first form of CBT therapy.  I think it's much more effective than most forms of CBT though.  Enjoy! I'm Creative Director and host of the podcast.  I am now...

Andrea F. Polard, Psy. D., founded and teaches Zen Psychology and Zen Psychology Therapy . She derived the approach from her book, A Unified Theory of Happiness . Her work is rooted in science and Western thought as well as in Eastern thought, especially Zen Buddhism, reflecting her multicultural background. After having started with humanistic approaches, she subsequently trained in self-psycholo...

Mark Zaslav, Ph. D., is a clinical psychologist who practices psychotherapy and forensic psychology in Marin County, California. During his career as a V.A. psychologist, he served as a Training Director and Clinical Team Leader. He has also been a faculty member at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, and the University of California, San Franc...

In this episode,  I talk about the core belief that the past has to define our today.  The techniques and disputing of this core belief comes in part from the work of Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy that involves challenging irrational beliefs.  Here, we go through the reasons that past programming does not have to dominate us, and I offer ways in which we can reprogram ourse...

Learned Helplessness and Learned Optimism comes from the work of psychologist Martin Seligman.  Learned Helplessness is a serious condition that can occur from trauma, abuse, or just the stresses of life.  But there is a way through, and that is Learned Optimism.  Even though trauma, anxiety, and the painful mental and bodily effects of learned helplessness seem so deeply ingrained in our nervous...

In this episode, I talk about the key to reducing worry and OCD.  Yes, the key.  If you suffer from worry or OCD, this brief episode is a must listen.  I talk about the way to conquer it, which is simple, but takes practice.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he li...

In this episode, I give some helpful tips on how to reduce anxiety in the face of confronting fears.  And I offer some examples of how to use these insights to our benefit.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he lived for six months in a silent monastery.. He holds...

We aren’t always good at talking ourselves out of anxiety, but we can use the body to relieve anxiety, especially before stressful situations.  Drawing from evolutionary biology, I give some examples of body postures and movements that can decrease stress. Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish,...

In this episode, I talk about working towards goals, fearing failure, and the anxiety that can come from trying to get things done.  Some conventional thinking is challenged and given a more practical lens.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he lived for six months...

In this episode, I talk about the power of arriving before we are there.  I draw from an example from my own life that yielded great results.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he lived for six months in a silent monastery.. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Religious...

In this episode, I talk about a concept from Buddhism which can work to take the pressure off, release attachments, and decrease anxiety.  It’s a bit mystical, but if you can wrap your head around it, it can be a powerful way to rebalance your body, mind, and spirit.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks Engli...

In this episode, I give a simple breathing exercise which, if used regularly, can do wonders to shift our mental and emotional state.  This exercise has helped me for many years, and I continue to practice it.  Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he lived for six mon...

In this episode, I talk about how the concept of self-esteem is bound to mislead us.  Good self-esteem and bad self-esteem alike are recipes for turmoil, because they both rest on the same fallacy – self-judging.  It’s impossible to give ourselves a universal report card and overall rating.  While specific actions of ours might be able to be evaluated, our overall worth as a person can not be.  We...

In this episode, I talk about how lots of emotional tension results by holding onto some form of perfectionism, whether it’s perfectionism of self, others, or the conditions of life.  We want to be approved of by others; we want others to treat us nice; and we want the conditions of life to be smooth and easy.  But sometimes these wants turn into rigid demands, and our expectations of perfection p...

The Influence Matrix  is a map of the architecture underlying the way humans process social information, develop social goals, and are guided by emotions in navigating the social environment. The Influence Matrix posits that the core social motivation is social influence, and that there are universal characteristics associated with high relative to low social influence and that humans have built i...

Psychotherapist Mike Leary discusses Dependent Personality Disorder.  Dependent personality disorder (DPD) is a type of anxious personality disorder . People with DPD often feel helpless, submissive or incapable of taking care of themselves.   People with DPD tend to display needy, passive, and clinging behavior , and have a fear of separation. Other common characteristics of this personality diso...

Kathy Blumentritt and I talk about attachment disorders and interpersonal neurobiology.   To learn more about Kathy's practice, visit The Front Porch Counselors . Clint Sabom is Creative Director of Contemplative Light. He lived in Budapest, Hungary in 2003 as a Gilman Scholar. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In 2007, he lived for six months in a silent monastery.. He holds bachel...

Aviana shares her story with me about living with schizotypal personality disorder.  We talk about the various symptoms, her experience in group therapy with others suffering from STPD, and the disorder in general.   She has a popular blog at skizotypical.com Shortly before receiving her BA, Aviana decided to seek psychiatric help . By then,  she was suffering from panic attacks, couldn’t sleep at...

Alison and I discuss perspectives from biological anthropology on mental disorders that offer a more hopeful approach to mental illness. Alison Escalante, M.D. has developed a unique parenting method that helps worried parents reconnect with themselves and their kids. Anxiety rates are skyrocketing in kids and their parents, and Dr. Escalante understands because she is a recovering worried mother...

Swamy G and I dive deep into Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder. He talks about his own experience and suffering, what didn’t work, what did work, and the key to healing it.  We address many questions.  Is DP/DR chronic or temporary? Is there always anxiety and trauma underlying it?  How does it relate to other mental illnesses?   Swamy G has a website and online resources to help those who...