The Vegas Therapist - Ryan Wynder

In this episode I sit down with my fellow colleague Lauren Schloss. Lauren is a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor and CPC Intern. She has been practicing as a therapist for 10+ years. As a therapist Lauren has great perspective and specializes in working with individuals who struggle with addiction, trauma, low self-esteem, and depression. Over the course of the last year, Lauren lost both of he...

In this episode, I discuss the details of a new book I have been reading by Terrance Real, called "US." It was a great follow up to my previous episode with my wife Sonia as we shared secrets to our successful 25 year marriage. In Real's Book he identifies a rhythm in relationship - Harmony, Disharmony, and Repair. This rhythm is cyclical and we move through it multiple times within the term of ou...

In this episode, I welcome a special guest to the show! My wife Sonia joins me, as we recently celebrated our "Silver" anniversary. I wanted share with you what has worked for us in our relationship and the things that we feel can lead to a successful marriage. In the episode, we share our story of how we met and then delve into some of the keys to marriage. Topics include: Love & commitment, time...

In this episode I sit down with Dr. Randall Bell, who recently came out with the book Post-Traumatic Thriving. Dr. Bell has specialized in disaster recovery and has been involved in such events as the World Trade Center, Flight 93, Sandy Hook, Hurricane Katrina, OJ Simpson and Heavens gate to name a few. In his book he lays out the academic research about trauma as well as discusses his own PTSD a...

Dr. Anna Lembke received her undergraduate degree in Humanities from Yale University and her medical degree from Stanford University. She is currently Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also Program Director of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is a di...

In this episode I welcome in my guest September Frogley, she is the founder of Connection is the Cure. The goals of this foundation include: 1. Normalize and encourage ongoing conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, 2. Equip people with prevention strategies, 3. Connect people to resources in the community and each other! September shares her personal story with losing her brothe...

In this episode I approach the topic of Emotional Maturity. I really have connected with this concept because I think we can all use work in this area. Each of us have areas we can improve on when it comes to our emotional maturity. An emotional immature person will find it hard to communicate or process their emotions and can appear selfish or aloof, it also is the lack of ability to regulate our...

In this episode I continue the to discuss working with The Shadow. In particular I focus on the most common manifestation of the Shadow, the inferior shadow. I reference the book The Tools, by Stutz and Michels. Discussion includes why its so important to understand your shadow, how we become dependent on outside sources for approval and validation, and the hiding place for our garbage becomes our...

In this episode I tackle the topic of the Shadow Self. This concept was introduced early in Psychotherapy history by Carl Jung. The Shadow Self is the part of us we want to hide from the world. For some it is our dark side, others it may be a hurt or trauma they have experienced, it can also be a feeling of unworthiness or less than, or evan a behavior. According to Jung, "there could be no light...

In this episode I explore the concept of self-gaslighting. I found this to be a very interesting concept and wanted to do a show specifically about it. One reason I did this show was that I feel we all can relate in someway to having done this to ourselves. In the episode I break down 5 ways we may be self gaslighting. I also help identify people who may struggle more with the specific types. In a...

In this episode I tackle the topic of comfort zones. Much of the episode is based on the book by Jordan Tarver, You Deserve This Shit. Our comfort zone can be both safe and toxic at the same time. Our evaluation of where we sit in that is needed constantly. Complacency is the obvious way we get stuck in our comfort zone, but even complacency has numerous forms we need to be aware of. Breaking free...

In this episode my guest Anita Monodu shares with us her 5 step process for helping clients live a shame free life! Those steps include sharing your story, manifesting who you want to be in life without shame and embodying and living a shameless life. A key component to letting go of shame through sharing our story first and foremost with ourselves. Many people stay in denial of their story becaus...

In this episode I welcome Tony Overbay to the show. Tony is a fellow therapist and podcaster, he host the Virtual Couch and Waking up to Narcissism podcasts. In addition he offers his Magnetic Marriage course to couples. We discuss pitfalls couples fall into and Tony talks about his 4 pillars of communication. While discussing his pillars we also break down how self protection and a lack of vulner...

This episode is taken from a presentation I gave to a group of couples at church. I was invited to speak on strengthening our marriages/relationships. I talk about 5 things we can do to improve our relationships. Topics include: Intimacy, Goals, Caring, Expressing Love, and Expectations. I hope you enjoy! Follow me on Instagram @thevegastherapist or www.ryanwynder.com

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. In this episode I will discuss 5 things we can do to improve or maintain our mental health. Treat yourself with kindness, surround yourself with good people, learn how to deal with stress, set realistic goals, and get help when you need it. These will all be discussed, including the need to embrace our humanness with grace and kindness. Follow me on Insta...

This is a tutorial video to help youth develop a more positive mindset in connection with sport performance. Things like dealing with failure and disappointment, positive mindset tools, understanding expectations and identity, and the development of your why will all be discussed. The principals and ideas shared can be utilized in a number of different ways. Sports, school, and life all require a...

In this episode I discuss what trauma responses can look like, some of which may surprise you! In an article written by Dr. Melissa DeBose Hankins she talks about the correlation between Will Smiths reactive response at the Academy Awards and his personal trauma, making the connection that what we saw ultimately was a trauma response. She makes a compelling argument in sharing some of Will’s child...

In this episode I look at the benefits of seeing our survivor/story. There is a story in all of us and we need to honor that. Each of us had to overcome obstacles in our life, those challenges have given us strength and skill. Maintaining a victim mindset with our story keeps us stuck in our problems. Positive change is more likely to occur when we are able to do 3 things I discuss in the episode....

In this episode I “geek out” a bit over the topic of shame! Shame is a battle for each of us in some way! We all have our triggers for it and it tends to come from old core negative beliefs we have about ourselves. My hope for this episode is that we can all be better at managing our shame, rather than it control us. I discuss what our shame leveraging us looks like and 5 downsides to shame being...

In this episode I share with you my presentation I gave at the Hope and Healing Workshop. The workshop was dedicated to mental health and addiction recovery. It was a great event with many wonderful presenters. The first part of the presentation contains some overlap from the last episode, the difference being I share more case examples. Then I talk about how Radical Honesty helps to break down sh...

In this episode I tackle the topic of Radical Honesty. It is the practice of telling the truth about things both large and small, especially when doing so exposes our flaws and entails consequences. The first part of the episode is spent discussing the consequences of lying and what it does to our psyche and self esteem. Then I talk about the 3 Benefits of Radical Honesty. 1. Promotes Awareness of...

In this episode I share an interview I did for another podcast called Nunn Talks. There was so many great things we talked about I wanted makes sure as many people as possible heard the content. Topics include how anxiety can create apathy, and why apathy can be a dangerous state for teens. We also talk about building resilience and personal competence. What parents can do to help their kids in th...

In this episode I discuss a topic that is applicable to us all! Life Transitions, some are natural and some are thrust upon us. Either way we have to deal with them as they come. I personally have had several transitions this year: Moving, loss of a parent, 2 kids left home, and work transition. I discuss several ways we can improve our ability to have Life Transitions be a positive thing for us....

In this episode I pay tribute to one of my favorite shows, Ted Lasso. I do so by breaking down a important episode on mental health. Season 2 focuses a great deal on mental health and the idea we all have stuff and the importance of working through our pain so that it does not control us! I focus on three things from the episode; Our stuff and the importance of working through it, Secrets, in part...

In this episode I sit down with Mequell Buck, she is an author, speaker, suicide survivor, and hosts a Podcast with her husband Adam. The podcast is called Thriving with Mental Illness. Mequell shares her story of dealing her mental illness (bipolar II diagnosis). We talk about the process for her to get healthy, what was helpful and not helpful for her. She opens up about her suicide attempt and...