Stay ConnectedThe Think Act Be podcast features conversations about finding happiness, peace, and connection. Clinical psychologist Seth Gillihan talks with his guests about ways to nourish your mind, body, and spirit.
For one-on-one sessions with Seth Gillihan: sethgillihan.com/1-1-sessions
For individual psychotherapy (in CA or DC) with Joel Minden: cbtchico.com
My guest this week is Dr. Raymond Moody, who brought the phenomenon of near-death experiences (NDEs) into the mainstream with his landmark 1975 book, Life After Life. In this episode we explored how the field of NDE investigation has evolved in the past four decades, and discussed some of his latest thoughts about the boundary between this world and whatever is beyond. It was a fascinating conversation about the biggest questions facing each of us.
My guest this week is Dr. Yonder Gillihan, a professor of Theology with special expertise in the Dead Seas Scrolls. He's also my older brother, so our discussion included some of our personal history with religion and the Bible, and what it was like growing up as preacher's kids in a fundamentalist Christian home. Yonder describes how his relationship with the Bible has changed over the past four decades, and how he not only made peace with the Bible but even made friends with it.
My guest this week is Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon who had a near-death experience (NDE) about a decade ago. You may be familiar with Eben's story from his New York Times number one bestselling book, Proof of Heaven. I found this to be a surprising and thought-provoking discussion about some rather controversial ideas—for example, that memories aren't actually stored in the brain! We discuss his most recent book, Living in a Mindful Universe, which grew from his NDE.
My guest this week is Doug Holt, who is best described as a holistic executive coach. Doug specializes in helping people move toward their most important life goals. We discussed Doug’s philosophy on life and coaching, and the intimate connection between the different parts of our lives, like who we are as people and the work we do. We explored ideas that overlap a lot with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), such as how we identify and change our self-limiting beliefs.
My guest this week is Lisa Smartt, whose recent book, Words at the Threshold, examines what those who are dying say as they approach the end of their life. This is a really important topic, as Lisa reveals that the dying are often communicating much more to us than we might realize. By paying attention in the ways she recommends, we can hear more of what’s being said.
This week we’re going to go all the way back to the roots of cognitive behavioral therapy—back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. My guest is philosopher Dr. William Ferraiolo, who recently wrote a book called Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure: Stoic Exercise for Mental Fitness. The big idea of Stoicism is that we don’t have to let external events and our unruly minds determine our well-being. Instead, we can save our energy for training our thoughts and actions to serve us well. Sounds like CBT! Bill is passionate about these ideas and explains how they can make a major difference in our lives when we put them into practice—just as he discovered for himself.
Have you ever felt frustrated by money? Most of us have. Maybe you feel like you’re not paid enough, or there’s barely enough to cover your expenses, or your bills seem unmanageable. Whatever the case, my guest today can help you develop a healthier relationship with money.
Ken Honda is known as the “Zen Millionaire” in Japan, and he’s written a new book called Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money. Learn what it means to create what Ken calls a healthy flow of money.
My guest this week is Gregg Krech, a leading authority in North America on Japanese psychology. We focused on the principles of Morita therapy, which emphasizes taking action that brings meaning to one's life. This approach contrasts with our tendency to dwell on how we feel and what we feel like doing, and to get lost in self-focused attention. By asking instead, "What needs to be done?" we can build a life defined by meaning and usefulness.
My guest this week is yoga instructor Tim Senesi, host of the popular “Yoga with Tim” YouTube channel and a teacher of yoga classes near his home in Southern California. I’ve done countless of his online videos myself and haven’t found any better instruction than what Tim offers every week. In this episode, Tim offers many insights into yoga practice and philosophy.
My guest this week is Jules Blaine Davis. Jules is helping people to reconnect—with themselves, with their needs, with what it means to nourish and be nourished, and what it means to really relate to another person. She also shared about her medical diagnosis within the past year, and the unique perspective she brings to that experience.
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