Shows
The Positive MindLearned Optimism"The main ingredient of success isn’t positive thinking it’s non-negative thinking," says Kevin following up on last week's show on Learned Helplessness. Do you have a sense of your explanatory style? Do difficult things ALWAYS happen to you? It turns out that shifting a helpless explanatory style to an optimistic or deserving explanatory style is not as hard as it seems.When something difficult happens, take the time to notice how you are thinking about it. Are there resources available to you that you can reach out to for help? What do you have control over...
2022-04-1757 minThe Positive MindLearned HelplessnessWhen things happen, do you first think, "this always happens to me," or, "next time I'll try another way." Your reaction to the way things happen to you is called your "self explanatory style."In his books, Learned Helplessness, and Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman, breaks down your explanatory style as being either "deserving," or "hopeless." It is a style learned in childhood, most likely adolescence. If you felt you were not valued or felt your help was not needed, or you felt left out very often, you are most likely to have a "hopeless" explanatory style.
2022-04-1058 minThe Positive MindThe Art of Saying NoAsk yourself, "What am I saying "YES" to that I want to say "NO" to but don't?"Saying "NO" is an important tool in setting boundaries for yourself, and establishing your own identity. We invite you to look at where you can say "NO" in your life that might help increase your feeling of being free while maintaining your mental and emotional health in a positive way.------------------------------For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. You can sign up for our we...
2022-04-0358 minThe Positive MindHidden Wounds of the Enneagram, Part 3What do Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Dalai Lama, and Michelle Obama have in common? It is possible that in their younger lives they were encouraged to attune to the feelings and needs of others to the detriment of themselves. When these personality types are unbalanced, they can prove to be difficult and challenging partners because they become seemingly impossible to get close to. Functioning always from a gut instinct perspective can often result in self-created conflict, chaos, and rigidity. However, because of these very wounds, their search for stability through equality, peace, and improving society on a s...
2022-03-2758 minThe Positive MindThe Hidden Wounds of the Enneagram, Part 2Our personality, temperament, and relational style are complex and sometimes can feel like a trap. The search for safety is one that starts from a young age, especially if the home you grew up in was somehow dangerous, unstable, or unsafe. The hidden wounds of the Investigator 5, the Loyalist 6, and the Enthusiast 7, reflect a deep, relentless fear, based in insecurity. Kevin and Niseema continue the journey with the Mind Triad Types, and show how we adopt certain behaviors as children to manage the fear and insecurity of our environment. When you recognize the type of person you h...
2022-03-2057 minThe Positive MindHidden Wounds of the Enneagram, Part 1Are you someone who gives of themselves but never really feels like you can receive? Do you relish achieving goals and then feel a kind of emptiness?Kevin and Niseema explore the effects of childhood trauma on adult patterns of behavior and self defeating habits. Using the Enneagram personality typing system, they review the 9 Types and go into depth about the wounds of the 2 (The Helper), and Type 3 (The Performer/Achiever). Understanding the core essence that got lost under the pain is a way to transform your relationship to yourself and others. Tune in next week to...
2022-03-1358 minThe Positive MindThe Awakened Brain with Dr. Lisa Miller Ph.D., Part 2Our guest, Dr. Lisa Miller, Ph.D., author of, "The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest For An Inspired Life," returns this week to explain how depression can be the key to a spiritual awakening. Dr. Miller says that the hallmark experience of depression is marked by a loss of connection to self and others but it is also a sense of not being held by a force or presence greater than yourself. Depression can be treated as something we wrestle with, or it can be viewed as an invitation to a reigniting of our "...
2022-03-0657 minThe Positive MindThe Awakened Brain with Dr. Lisa Miller Ph.D Part 1Following up on the last week's show on Hygge, the Danish art of feeling good, Kevin and Niseema welcome Dr. Lisa Miller to talk about how the brain responds to Hygge and other pleasurable experiences. In her book "The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest For An Inspired Life," Dr. Miller shows us that when a person talks about a spiritual experience or a feeling of connection, fMRI scans show an increase in blood flow and the brain takes on a reddish color. Conversely, when participants were asked to tell a sad or depressing story, bl...
2022-02-2758 minThe Positive MindHygge: The Danish Art of Feeling GoodThis week Kevin and Niseema talk about the Danish word "Hygge," which is a way of creating comfort and ease in your life. It is amazing how many ways we can create more comfort and ease in our daily rituals, from how we wake up in the morning, to how we live our day, to how we go to sleep.In the winter season, there are so many ways to add pleasure to our lives, like wearing cozy wool socks, to making a cup of hot apple cider or hot chocolate. For the Danish, Hygge is a w...
2022-02-2058 minThe Positive MindLove and Zen and Interview with Dr. Brenda Shoshanna Ph.D.,Part 2Kevin and Niseema welcome Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D. back to discuss her book, “Zen and the Art of Falling in Love.”Following up on last week's show, Dr. Shoshanna talks about how everyone says they want to be in love but are addicted to the habit of staying separate. Brenda talks about the practice of "Zazen," which is simply sitting still, noticing your breath, watching and not reacting to your passing thoughts. Similarly, in love, Brenda teaches us not to react to our passing feelings and emotions of the moment, but to simply commit your spirit to a flo...
2022-02-1358 minThe Positive MindLove and Zen: An Interview with Dr. Brenda ShoshannaThis week Kevin and Niseema welcome Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D, psychotherapist, Zen practitioner, speaker and author of the book, “Zen and the Art of Falling in Love.” Brenda shares with us her journey and understanding of how every person we meet can teach us how to love. In sharing this, she shows us ways that we can love without judgment, shame, or blame._________________________________________________For more information or support contact hosts Kevin O'Donoghue LMHC or Niseema Dyan Diemer SEP at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. You can sign up for our weekly n...
2022-02-0657 minThe Positive MindResilience and the "good child syndrome": Part 4In this week's show, Kevin and Niseema talk about how "programming" in childhood can lead to inflexibility as an adult and a low level of resilience. Most often, children are programmed through negativity: "Don't do that. Don't touch that. Don't complain." This can force a child to create a "good child" persona that causes them to detach from a feeling self. They will carry this "good child" persona into adulthood, and lose the capacity to be real to themselves or any future partner. Kevin and Niseema talk about ways to undo this terrible and destructive syndrome.----------------------------------------------
2022-01-3158 minThe Positive MindResilience: Stress and Strain, Part 3In part 3 of our series on Resilience, Kevin and Niseema talk about the difference between "stress" and "strain." Are you "strained out?" Notice what happens when we change a familiar word like "stress" into a more accurate description like "strain." Most of us have been dealing with a lot of strain since COVID began. How are you doing with your "strain?"____________________________________________For more information or support contact hosts Kevin O'Donoghue LMHC or Niseema Dyan Diemer SEP at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter at www...
2022-01-2357 minThe Positive MindThe Art of Resilience, Part 2In part 2, Kevin and Niseema talk about defense mechanisms and this internal mechanism called The Engineer, which wants to keep us from changing. In this month of resolutions, it is important to understand how a part of us does not want to make any changes but wants us to stay the same. "The Engineer" will work to sabotage any kind of change you might want to make. This week's show is centered around learning how to have a dialog with, and make friends with, The Engineer, so you can make the changes you want to make._________________________________...
2022-01-1657 minThe Positive MindThe Art of ResilienceToday kicks off our four-show series on resilience. In the time of COVID, people's sense of resilience is very low. How are you doing with your resilience? Do you feel tapped out, that you cannot handle one more demand? Tune into today's show where Kevin and Niseema talk about ways to refill your resilience tank.-------------------------For more information or support contact hosts Kevin O'Donoghue LMHC or Niseema Dyan Diemer SEP at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter at www.tffpp.org.The...
2022-01-1057 minThe Positive MindMindfulness and Neuroscience with Dr. Jen Wolkin PhD.New Year's Resolution #1 - Listen to more ocean waves and relax. This week Kevin and Niseema talk with Dr. Jen Wolkin PhD., Neuropsychologist, and author of the book “Quick Calm: Easy Meditations to Short-Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience.” We start the show with the sound of ocean waves that helps illustrate how quickly we can achieve a sense of calm when we just focus our attention on a particular sound.Dr. Jen shows us how to start a mindfulness practice by teaching diaphragmatic breathing that can have the same effect as the sound of the ocean. We ta...
2022-01-0258 minThe Positive MindThe Vagus Nerve ConnectionThis week Kevin and Niseema talk about the Vagus Nerve, a major nerve in the body that begins at the brainstem and travels all the way through the vital organs to the sacrum. The Vagus Nerve has been shown to have a very strong connection to how you manage stress. A weak Vagus Nerve is a major indicator that you have been suffering from prolonged and chronic stress.Niseema introduces a powerful tool for healing and balancing the Vagus Nerve called The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). SSP delivers a passive stimulation of the Vagus Nerve to hel...
2021-12-2658 minThe Positive MindLove and Trust: Why We Fear ClosenessThis week Kevin and Niseema talk about the fear of letting people get close to you. How many people really know you? How many people do you feel close to? Closeness is often a trigger for most people. What happens to your body when people get too close?Kevin and Niseema explore the common fears that consciously or unconsciously keep relationships at an arm's length. The fear of being controlled, the fear of losing independence, the fear of vulnerability, all work to sabotage the desire for real closeness. This week's show talks about THE REWARD of letting...
2021-12-1958 minThe Positive MindLove's MemoryThis week Kevin and Niseema follow up on the past two shows with Attachment Theory specialists Drs. Howard and Miriam Steele. Attachment Theory focuses on whether a child feels secure or insecure in their connection to, and "attachment to," the caretakers in their life. This early relationship influences the way a person will relate in their mature adult relationships. During the show, Kevin and Niseema ask some basic questions to help you determine whether you were securely or insecurely attached in childhood. See the attached questionnaire on the link below.Kevin and Niseema also talk about research...
2021-12-1257 minThe Positive MindA Secure Base: Attachment Theory and Parenting with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele, Part 2“The greatest fear we have is not the fear of our own deathbut the death of someone we love.” Dr. Howard Steele PhD. This statement speaks to the depth of our need to feel connected and attached to others with whom we can feel safe and enjoy life. In this week’s show, Kevin and Niseema continue to explore "Attachment Theory" with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele, Directors of The Center for Attachment Studies at the New School for Social Research in New York City. The Steele's answer questions from our audience about bullying and...
2021-12-0558 minThe Positive MindA Secure Base: Attachment Theory and Parenting with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele Part IWas there one person in your childhood who you knew you could go to when you were in distress? You knew they would listen and allow you to have your feelings, providing comfort and support. This person represented a "secure base" in a world that may have been chaotic, confusing, and scary.It turns out that having a "secure base" during your childhood makes all the difference in how you love, trust and engage in relationships.Kevin and Niseema welcome Drs. Howard and Miriam Steele, to discuss their book, Handbook of Attachment-Based Interventions. They have made it...
2021-11-2857 minThe Positive MindLove's EssenceEverything and everyone changes. What is revealed when the green leaves of summer turn so many varied colors? Each tree, each leaf, has specific traits to it. What if love's essence is an ability to see through the personality of our partner, to what is a completely unique constellation of traits that make them who they are. Kevin and Niseema explore the concept that it is this essence that delights us and makes us fall in love. Join us this week as we help you identify the traits of your partner that hint at their essence, and to also refle...
2021-11-2156 minThe Positive MindWhat Happens When "That" Feeling Goes?Falling out of love is a heartbreaking feeling. The expansiveness. warmth, and joy of being with your beloved is just gone. It may have happened suddenly or overtime, but there is no doubt that 'the loving feeling" is gone. This week Kevin and Niseema explore some of the reasons why what used be a "tuning in" to our partner, suddenly turns into a "tuning out." Expectations, lack of relationship skills, stress, personal history, our own body, etc., can turn that loving feeling into irritability and loneliness. If love is the antidote to loneliness, then what may be the antidote to t...
2021-11-1458 minThe Positive MindWhat Love is NotLove is a feeling, not a hallmark card or a box of chocolates. It is deeper and harder than that. Love is not unconditional, it needs the right conditions to be present, to be felt.This week Kevin and Niseema talk about love and how it is the antidote to loneliness. In looking at the questions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale it becomes clear that a lack of love, or the feeling of love, is at the core of why loneliness is so ubiquitous. In looking at love and the ways it shapes our experience of living, we...
2021-11-0758 minThe Positive MindFeeling FreeThe past few weeks we've been talking about loneliness and vulnerability and how universal and unseen these experiences can be. In naming your loneliness and seeing where you are vulnerable you can begin to know yourself on a deeper level. This week Kevin and Niseema talk about emotional and cognitive freedom, and how to find a way to be more compassionate about the critical thoughts we may have about ourselves.When we were young, we learned how to get our needs met by believing what our parents said about us and then giving them what THEY needed...
2021-11-0358 minThe Positive MindVulnerability: The Unseen WoundThis week Kevin and Niseema follow up last week's conversation about the nine personality types, and how they protect against some type of inner wound. As we have been discussing, loneliness can be such a wound.The story of Achilles is appropriate. Achilles' mother heard a prophecy that her son would be killed at a young age. So she did what any mother would, she dipped him in the River Styx to give him immortality. He grew up strong and beautiful, creating all kinds of havoc believing he was invulnerable. Little did he know he had a...
2021-10-2458 minThe Positive MindLoneliness and Your Personality TypeIn this final show on loneliness, Kevin and Niseema talk aboutthe personality system called the Enneagram, and the nine different ways people can hide their own loneliness from themselves. What if all human beings could be described as one of nine personality types? Knowing your own personality type/style might help you solve many problems in your life, including any loneliness you might have. Kevin and Niseema talk about six of the nine types, how they lead to a sense of isolation and loneliness, and how one might get out of it.______________________________For more information o...
2021-10-1758 minThe Positive MindLoneliness: The Other Pandemic, Part 2Following up Armand's 2009 interview with the author, John Cacciopo, about his book, "Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection," Kevin and Niseema talk about the idea of having a "high" or "low" tolerance for loneliness based on your family heritage or genetic makeup.When you look at your own family, your own heritage, can you see whether or not you have a high or low tolerance for loneliness? Does this make it easier for you to talk about loneliness in a non-judgemental, less shameful way? We hope that it does.In the second pa...
2021-10-0358 minThe Positive MindBehind the Mask: An Interview with Kate WalterIn last week's show, we discussed loneliness as “the other pandemic.” This week Kevin and Niseema welcome Kate Walter, author/essayist /journalist/educator, whose new book, "Behind The Mask: Living Alone in the Epicenter," takes us inside daily living in New York City during the pandemic. Her essays reveal her neighborhood, her neighbors, their isolation and fears as well as their strength and resilience as a community.Kate credits the power of writing as helping to cope and keep her sanity. We share some examples of writing prompts in the book that help you reflect on and clarif...
2021-09-2658 minThe Positive MindLoneliness: The Other PandemicThis week Kevin and Niseema talk about the other pandemic happening during Covid: Loneliness. How do you react when you hear the words, "I am lonely?" How do you feel when you feel that you are lonely? How hard is it for you to tell somebody, "I am lonely?" "Lonely" has become a dirty word in the English language. We are not allowed to say the words, "I am lonely." Why is that? Loneliness is almost as pervasive as Covid-19. In the 1970s, 11% of Americans reported feeling lonely within the last 6 months. Pre-pandemic over 40% reported feeling lonely w...
2021-09-1957 minThe Positive MindNew Interview with Charley Wininger LCSW, Listening to Ecstasy, Part IIListening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA is now on audio books. To celebrate that release, we asked Charley back for a more in-depth personal view of how he continues to "listen to ecstasy" in both his professional and personal life. Charley talks about a recent New York Times article that discusses FDA approval for the use of medical MDMA for treatments of PTSD, substance abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, eating disorders, depression, end-of-life anxiety and social anxiety in autistic adults. The FDA is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials that are expected to clear the way for lega...
2021-09-1257 minThe Positive MindListening to Ecstasy with Guest Charley Wininger LMHC Part 1Our last shows with Dr. Jennifer Wolkin and Dr. Lisa Miller focused on finding our "awakened brains" and mindfulness, while connecting to our spiritual selves and the world around us in new ways. Charley Wininger, LP, LMHC takes the science of MDMA and applies it to the same fundamentals of exploring and accepting ourselves with love. Commonly known as Ecstasy or Molly, controlled MDMA studies report improved self‐knowledge, sleep regulation, accuracy in perceiving mental states of others, coping strategies, emotion regulation, and cognitive insights as well as aiding Autism and PTSD. We look forward to havi...
2021-09-0558 minThe Positive MindThe Awakened Brain with Dr. Lisa Miller PhD, Part 2In Part I of our interview with Dr. Lisa Miller, PhD, we discussed her new book "The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life," and discovered how depression can be an opportunity for what we call in Positive Psychology, Post-Traumatic Growth. Dr. Miller discussed two types of awareness, "awakened awareness" and "achievement awareness." In part I of our discussion, Dr. Miller talked about the downsides of our "achievement awareness" society. In Part 2, we discuss the empirical data available from fMRI studies on the "awakened brain." Dr. Miller leads us through two v...
2021-08-2957 minThe Positive MindThe Awakened Brain with Dr. Lisa Miller PhD, Part 1Does depression hold the key to spiritual awakening?Our guest, Dr. Lisa Miller, PhD, thinks that it does and she tells us why in her new book, "The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life." The experience of depression is marked by a loss of connection to self and others. Dr. Miller says that it is also the loss of a sense of being held by a benevolent force or presence greater than yourself. How often have you felt that you, "had to get the job", "had to get i...
2021-08-2258 minThe Positive MindThe Salubrious Benefits of Going for a WalkDid you know that many executives do their interviews while walking with a potential employee outside? Research has shown that walking is good for your mental and physical health, but that walking outside, in nature has the added benefit of increasing the mind's ability to think creatively. If you have a problem that you need to solve, going for a walk will help you solve it in many more ways than if you didn't go for a walk.Tune into this week's show as Kevin and Niseema talk about the salubrious benefits of going for a walk. A...
2021-08-1658 minThe Positive MindMagical Thinking : A Wish for SafetyWe follow up on our recent show on "Home" with this week's show on "magical thinking," which is a way to create home/safety in spite of incredible odds. Magical thinking is a psychological error that attempts to create an effect with an improper cause. You do not win the lottery just because you believe you have the winning lottery ticket.Magical thinking becomes problematic and pathological when you become blind to the consequences before thoroughly examining the causes. The measurement in psychology practice is "significant distress in professional, social, inter-relational, financial, and other areas of one's life."...
2021-08-0858 minThe Positive MindWays of Connecting: Encore EpisodeThis week we visit the idea of connection as important to our sense of well being and mental health. Take a moment, and ask yourself: Where do I feel connected in my life? Am I connected? Do I feel disconnected? We recap the key concepts of three authors we have had on, and all who have a unique take on "connection." We revisit Charley Wininger's, "Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA", Dr. Warren Farrell's, "The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It,” and Bethany Saltman's, "Strange Situation: A Mot...
2021-08-0158 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Finding Home: It's a FeelingThe feeling of home is as universal as it is personal. Home can be a place of safety and refuge, or chaos and instability. No matter which, home is the place you identify with in some way, it carries meaning, memories and shapes your identity.Homesickness is a powerful feeling that something just isn't right, coupled with a longing for things to be stable, predictable, familiar and safe. But, it is a fact of life that everybody has to leave home; how a person manages that stress can say a lot about their relationship with themself and...
2021-07-2557 minThe Positive MindMindfulness and Neuroscience, with guest Dr. Jen Wolkin PhD.This week we welcome our guest for the hour Dr. Jen Wolkin PhD., Neuropsychologist, and author of the book “Quick Calm: Easy Meditations to Short-Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience.” We start the show with the sound of ocean waves that helps illustrate how quickly we can achieve a sense of calm when we just focus our attention on a particular sound.Dr. Jen shows us how to start a mindfulness practice by teaching diaphragmatic breathing that can have the same effect as the sound of the ocean. We talk about other mindfulness exercises, even how to bring...
2021-07-1958 minThe Positive MindThe Art of Saying NOWe follow up last week's annual show on Freedom and Independence, by talking about the importance of saying the word "NO" in maintaining your mental and emotional health.Last week we talked about five ways to help you discover your true self and so true freedom. One of the tools was to ask, "What am I doing every day in my life that is not me?" This week we ask, "What are you saying "YES" to that you want to say "NO" to but don't?"Saying "NO" is an important tool in setting boundaries for...
2021-07-1158 minThe Positive MindFeeling FreeFor our annual July 4th show, we ask 5 critical questions to help you discover your true self and so true freedom. As children, we learned how to get our needs met by believing what our parents said about us and then giving them what THEY needed. In this show, we separate out the negative messages our parents would have us believe about ourselves from what really could be our true strengths and our true liberation. Tune in this week as we explore more ways to live a free and independent life.----------------------------------For m...
2021-07-0458 minThe Positive MindThe Single Focused MindThis week we ask, "How long did it take you to finally accept the pandemic and then try to make the best of it?" Isn't it remarkable that we humans can make the best of something if we put our mind to it?We focus this week on three traits from positive psychology that people can intentionally bring to mind to help them get through a difficult situation. We find that if you take just one trait like Hope, and make it your anchor for the day, you can experience hardship in a totally different way. We e...
2021-06-2757 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Re-Emergence, Re-Imagined: Part 1Exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between, possibilities are the stages of "emerging adulthood." In this week's episode, Kevin and Niseema explore how these stages are paralleling people's feelings about emerging from the quarantine. The Age of emerging adulthood is 18 - 29 and signifies a transition into a knowing of self, one's direction, and purpose. During this time in life we lay the groundwork for what we hope will be an expression of our inner nature. What was your emergence into adulthood like? Did you have a clear vision and work towards it, or did you flounder and move from job to job...
2021-06-1358 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Getting Through the Day, Interview with Nancy J. Napier LMFTIn this encore episode Kevin and Niseema talk with Nancy J. Napier, the author of "Getting Through the Day: Strategies for Adults Hurt as Children." This landmark book appeared 30 years ago and has served as a resource and guide for anyone who was exposed to or experienced chronic stress or trauma in childhood.Nancy illustrates such classic mechanisms such as dissociation, where a child will use their mind to pull out of their body so as not to endure the terror and abuse; and, "numbing" where the child can choose to not feel anything and allow themselves t...
2021-06-0758 minThe Positive MindGood Mourning: Grief and Loss, Post-Pandemic, Part 2This week Kevin asks, "If crying weren't so embarrassing would you cry more often? Are there tears in there you can't even get to?" To grieve we need to share what we've lost. What have you lost to the Pandemic this year? Is your body carrying a grief you may not know about? Do you feel the same way physically, emotionally, mentally now as you did before March 2020? It is important to stop and take a self assessment. One way the body manages multiple traumatic events is to go into a psychic shock. As we all begin to...
2021-05-3058 minThe Positive MindGood Mourning: Grief and Loss, Part 1Have YOU experienced grief during this pandemic? What losses have you experienced? Can you number them? Maybe they are beyond number. Originally aired at the beginning of the pandemic, we examine the importance of grief in a time of pandemic. Often to grieve well, means to have lived well and loved well. We identify classic symptoms of grief and mourning. This can deepen the understanding of what is known as the five stages, they are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Later in the show, we walk you through an exercise to help you access g...
2021-05-2356 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Dysthymia, When the Blues Become the GreysHave your emotions been in quarantine? Dysthymia is more than "feeling blue". People who struggle with Dysthymia are more than just pessimistic. They have a muddled outlook, and can rarely remember the last time they were happy or inspired about something. It is difficult to have fun, and their self-criticism revolves around persistent sense of shame, failure and low self-esteem. Many become "comfortable", taking on the gloom as an identity. "I am not worthy of happiness so why bother". Dysthymia is a persistent mild or chronic depression, and one if it's biggest triggers is stress. The stress of a...
2021-05-1657 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: At a Loss for Words and TouchNot knowing the words to describe how you are feeling is called Alexithymia. It can feel like seeing the world in black and white. No Color. The ability to accurately communicate feelings is one of the ways human beings can feel safe and connected. During this extended quarantine, social distancing has caused many of us to see the world in black and white. We are not sure how we feel. When we recorded this show last year we were having a hard time knowing how to find the words to express how we felt. 16 months later we are still h...
2021-05-1058 minThe Positive MindA Secure Base: The Science of Attachment with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele, Part 2“The greatest fear we have is not the fear of our own deathbut the death of someone we love.” Dr. Howard Steele PhD. This statement speaks to the depth of our need to feel connected and attached to others with whom we can feel safe and enjoy life. In this week’s show, Kevin and Niseema continue to explore Attachment Theorywith Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele, Directors of The Center for Attachment Studies at the New School for Social Research in New York City. The Steele's answer questions from our audience about bullying and how learning th...
2021-05-0258 minThe Positive MindA Secure Base: The Science of Attachment with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele, Part 1Was there one person in your childhood who you knew you could go to when you were in distress? You knew they would listen and allow you to have your feelings, providing comfort and support. This person represented a secure base in a world that may have been chaotic, confusing and scary. It turns out that having a secure base during your childhood makes all the difference in your whole outlook on life and relationships. Kevin and Niseema welcome Drs. Howard and Miriam Steele who have made it their life's work to study the benefits of having a s...
2021-04-2557 minThe Positive MindRevisiting the Science of Attachment with Bethany SaltmanRevisiting The Science of Attachment with Bethany Saltman Bethany Saltman, author of, "Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey into the Science of Attachment," introduces us to the Strange Situation Procedure developed in the 1970's as a way to observe the attachment styles of children between the ages of 9-18months. In one stage of the procedure the mother, or primary caregiver, and a stranger sit in a room with the child, and then mother leaves the room. The way the child reacts to the mother's leaving and her return is carefully observed and information about the attachment bond is categoriz...
2021-04-1857 minThe Positive MindThe Vagus Nerve ConnectionWhat is it like to feel unsafe? What goes on in your body, in your mind, in your emotions when you don’t feel safe? This week Kevin and Niseema talk about the Vagus Nerve, that starts in the brain stem, in the back of the head, and connects all the way down into our vital organs. When there is an imbalance in your nervous system, specifically in the Vagus Nerve, you can have a very hard time connecting to a feeling of safety. You might feel chronic anxiety, hyper-vigilance, exhaustion and disengagement with the world.. Niseema takes us t...
2021-04-1258 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Preventing PTSD with Thayer Case, pt2Last week, Kevin and Niseema spoke with Donnelly Wilkes, M.D., author of "Code Red Fallujah, a Doctors Memoir at War," about his experiences on the front lines. PTSD and trauma are usually associated with extreme situations faced by first responders, soldiers, and firefighters.Having lived through Covid this past year the traumatic stress that we all have been experiencing in one form or another has taken its toll on almost all of us. Tine into our rebroadcasting of one of our most popular interview shows, "Preventing PTSD with Thayer Case, LMCHC-SW,SEP Part 2". We go i...
2021-04-0458 minThe Positive MindCode Red Fallujah: A Doctor's Memoir at WarThe promise of having medical school paid for in return for seven years service in the Navy was an easy choice for Donnelly Wilkes when he started medical school in 1998. That all changed on September 11th, 2001. After just one year of residency in Family Medicine at Camp Pendleton, Dr. Wilkes was called to active duty in the Iraq War. Choosing to be stationed with the Marines, he knew he'd be close to the front lines, but not as close as 200 yards away.In his memoir, Code Red Fallujah: A Doctors Memoir at War, Dr. Wilkes gives his...
2021-03-2957 minThe Positive MindHidden Wounds of the Enneagram Pt. 3 of 3What drove Martin Luther King Jr. to push against the most entrenched systems of racism in the United States? Why was the Dalai Lama chosen as the next link in the centuries old lineage of Tibetan Buddhism? What abilities enabled Michele Obama to be effective and remain serene through her 8 years as FLOTUS? What makes these types driven to heal and transform our world? What wounds did they experience to bring them to their adult convictions?It is possible that in their younger lives these types were encouraged to attune to the feelings and needs of others...
2021-03-2258 minThe Positive MindHidden Wounds of the Enneagram Pt. 2 of 3It's a gallery opening for The Artist who is known for their unique and captivating work. The Investigator looks at the details of the art, being an expert in all the artists of this genre, his critique is highly regraded. The Loyalist has been following The Artist since they were showing at University, believing the profundity locked in the art will finally quell their doubts about life. The Enthusiast is also there with two lovers on their arm and a martini in hand as they flit from guest to guest with a certain joie de vivre. Do any...
2021-03-1557 minThe Positive MindHidden Wounds of the Enneagram Pt. 1 of 3Are you someone who gives of themselves but never really feels like you can receive? Do you relish achieving goals and then feel a kind of emptiness?If so you may have a wound of neglect that may not seem like a wound but it is what you organize your sense of yourself around. "I'm a helper", "I'm an achiever or a performer" but I never get the attention I really want or need. This may be because you just didn't get the right attention or mirroring that would help you discover who you are and that you...
2021-03-0858 minThe Positive MindVulnerability: The Unseen WoundAchilles' mother heard a prophecy that her son would be killed at a young age. So she did what any mother would, she dipped him in the river Styx to give him immortality. He grew up strong and beautiful, creating all kinds of havoc believing he was invulnerable. Little did he know he had a spot on his body that didn't get covered in the water. It was this unseen wound, this unseen and unknown part of himself that ultimately caused his demise. What we don't know or see can be the cause of a lot of pain...
2021-03-0158 minThe Positive MindHELP is a Four Letter WordShame, rejection, helplessness, fear of failure, surrender, no wonder why it seems so hard to ask for help. The inner dilemma that prevents you from making that call, sending that text or leaning on that shoulder has all the hallmarks of a culture that prides itself of self sufficiency. The real shock is that when help is received it can feel like, "Why didn't I ask for help sooner?" This week Kevin and Niseema look at how the simple act of asking for help has layers of complexity and feeling that originated in your childhood. ----------------------------------...
2021-02-2358 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Sleep, Dreams and VulnerabilityDreaming of familiar places with masked faces? COVID dreams are real reflecting our vulnerability in a time of uncertainty and anxiety. Kevin O'Donoghue LMHC and Niseema Dyan Diemer LMT, SEP discuss the sleep, dreams and vulnerabilities we have been experiencing during these months of living under a pandemic. Our environments have changed and so have our sleep patterns and dream content. Kevin and Niseema focus on the wisdom of vulnerability as an antidote to disconnection. -----------------------------------------------------For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. Y...
2021-02-1556 minThe Positive MindThe Salubrious Benefits of Going for a WalkWho knew that going for a walk could make you more creative and help you solve your problems. Kevin and Niseema follow up the last three episodes with this exploration of the benefits of walking on the mind and body. Depression, anxiety and stress are relieved by this natural gentle exercise.----------------------------------------------------------------------------For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at: info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. You can sign up for our weekly newsletter at www.tffpp.org.These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to...
2021-02-0858 minThe Positive MindIrritation Can Lead to ComplusionDuring this time of COVID are you finding yourself irritable, blaming, focusing on the negative? When we are feeling mildly depressed, our minds are subject to cognitive distortions like magical thinking, catastrophizing, black and white thinking etc. These "distortions" can lead to an uptick in compulsive and addictive behaviors.Being aware of these "distortions" can help you to realize that you need to spend time doing self care practices. Tune in to this weeks show as Kevin and Niseema explore the many ways our thoughts can be distorted. _____________________________________________________For more information or support c...
2021-02-0158 minThe Positive MindAmbivalence: It's not what you think.Are you "of two minds" or "two feelings" about any one thing? Can you see both sides of an argument and find it difficult to land on either side? Maybe you are ambivalent, and that's not all bad. Culturally, the decisive and single minded person is held up as the the one to admire in life. The availability of so much choice in today's world leaves many of us feeling ambivalent. What if being ambivalent speaks to a deeper understanding of life and the world? When ambivalence becomes pathological you can feel paralyzed, avoiding the feelings that underlie having t...
2021-01-2558 minThe Positive MindMagical Thinking: A Wish For SafetyFollowing up on our show on Home, and that, “all sickness is homesickness” we discuss the phenomena of magical thinking as a way to create safety when what one really wants is a sense of home.Magical thinking is an error in causation, attributing a cause and effect relationship when there isn’t one. We all engage in magical thinking, buying a lottery ticket is testimony to that, it only becomes a problem “pathological” when it creates significant consequences/distress viz., betting your house in a poker game. Join Hosts Kevin O’Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer as they talk...
2021-01-1857 minThe Positive MindFinding Home: It's a FeelingHome is a powerful word. It evokes a sense of belonging, acceptance, safety and stability. Whether this was your childhood experience or not the idea and concept of home is a universal one. In this weeks episode Kevin and Niseema talk about how you can feel at home in your self, your body and a physical place. Homesickness is what happens when we move away from home, like in college or young adulthood and it can be a difficult time filled with grief and longing. These feelings are a sign of wanting to connect to home, no matter how you c...
2021-01-1157 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Feel Good AgainThese have been very serious and challenging months. Many of the things we loved to do are closed and inaccessible. Things that used to energize us are out of reach, even thinking about them seems to use too much energy. When the objects/subjects of our pleasure are gone we can lose a sense of there being any enjoyment in life at all, which is a mental health condition called Anhedionia. We are experiencing many of the symptoms on some level collectively through the pandemic. Kevin and Niseema discuss the loss, and reclaiming, of pleasure for your mental and...
2021-01-0458 minThe Positive MindThe Single Focused MindKevin O'Donghue LMHC and Niseema Dyan Diemer LMT, SEP close this year talking about focusing on one particular strength and how with practice that strength can improve mental and emotional health. They focus on three of the 24 positive psychology strengths of gratefulness, hope and appreciation of beauty as vehicles for transforming depression or anxiety into a sense of well being. ______________________________________________________For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you...
2020-12-2858 minThe Positive MindEncore Episode: Resilience for 2020 and Beyond"At the core of resilience, there is trust" states Kevin O'Donoghue. And, as Niseema Dyan Diemer points out, "resilence is built through adversity."In this year of unprecidented events from wildfires, COVID and lockdowns to school reopenings and politics, we are faced with many unknowns. How are you bouncing back from the daily anxieties plaguing us both socially and personally? What is your resilience level, have you adapted to adversity pivoting your thoughts to "what can I do today to be ready for tomorrow?"This week's Positive Mind Radio Show Podcast invites us to examine...
2020-12-2158 minThe Positive MindWhy Complaining Doesn't WorkWhy Complaining Doesn't WorkWhat's really going on when a person is complaining? Hosts take the hour to discuss the hidden motives of complaining and look at the effective and ineffective ways of griping.At what point do complainers look for attention or seek connection on a deep level but haven't found a way to get there? We can listen to the complainers in our lives by asking, "What is this person really feeling, and what is it that they really want?" To move beyond complaining requires courage and vulnerability.______________________________________________________F...
2020-12-1457 minThe Positive MindWays of ConnectingConnection is key to good mental health. The ability to connect in relationships of all kinds is what will support us getting through this time of social isolation and distance. Kevin and Niseema review some of the key concepts that lead to feeling greater connection shared with us by our most recents guests, Bethany Saltman, Author of "Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey Through the Science of Attachment", Charley Wininger LMHC, author of "Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA" and Dr. Warren Farrell author of "The Boy Crisis". We also share listener questions and r...
2020-12-0758 minThe Positive MindStrange Situation Interview with Bethany Saltman Part TwoBethany Saltman returns to our show to go a little deeper into the science of Attachment Theory and how it impacts adults navigating relationships. She also introduces some simple techniques to start to heal the attachment wounds that often keeps people from having the relationships they want and need. Our discussion about her book, Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey into the Science of Attachment, also covers how the understandings gained from the Strange Situation Protocol are being introduced to caregivers in typically underserved communities to help build relational resilience from the beginning of life. ______________________________For more...
2020-11-3058 minThe Positive MindStrange Situation: Interview with Bethany Saltman In part one of their conversation with Bethany Saltman mother, author and journalist, Kevin and Niseema get into the details about attachment theory and how to understand the implications revealed in the Strange Situation Procedure created by Mary Ainsworth in the 1950's. Bethany Salzman's most recent book Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey Into The Science of Attachment was named one of the best science books of 2020 by The New Scientist and seeks to normalize the parenting experience by sharing her own experiences and understandings thought the lens of the Strange Situation. For more information and to contact Beth...
2020-11-2358 minThe Positive MindListening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA Part IIContinuing our conversation with Charley Wininger about his new book Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA. Part II of II. Guest - Charley Wininger LP, LMHC, is a licensed psychoanalyst and mental health counselor specializing in relationships and communication skills. Recognized as The Love Doctor by the New York Times and Newsday, hes been treating couples and individuals in his Manhattan and Brooklyn offices for 30 years. "Wininger's book can throw open cosmic windows in even the most mundane reader", Tom Robbins, author of nine novels including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues__________________For more...
2020-11-1657 minThe Positive MindListening to Ecstacy with Guest Charley Wininger LMHC Part 1Hosts speak with Charley Wininger about his new book Listening to Ecstasy: The Transformative Power of MDMA. Part 1 of II. Guest - Charley Wininger, LP, LMHC, is a licensed psychoanalyst and mental health counselor specializing in relationships and communication skills. Recognized as The Love Doctor by the New York Times and Newsday, hes been treating couples and individuals in his Manhattan and Brooklyn offices for 30 years. "Wininger's book can throw open cosmic windows in even the most mundane reader", Tom Robbins, author of nine novels including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues__________________For more information and...
2020-11-0958 minThe Positive MindThe Boy Crisis : Why our boys are struggling and what we can do about it.In honor of November's Men's Health Awareness Month, Dr. Warren Farrell joins hosts Kevin O'Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer to examine The Boy Crisis. The crisis, in brief, is that boys are growing up without fathers leading them to not only miss out on the father/son bond but, Dr. Farrell believes, leading to lack of social skills, a likelihood to drop out of school, use drugs and experience mental health issues on a broad scale. The roles of men have changed in society: we need to adjust our thinking to encourage fathers and sons to be valued for t...
2020-11-0258 minThe Positive MindFear and the 9 Types of the EnneagramDo you know someone who is still traumatized from watching The Exorcist or any of the top 10 horror films? For Halloween we thought we'd look at the role of fear in the 9 Enneagram types. These fears can occur very early on in life and one could unconsciously spend a lifetime avoiding what caused the initial fear. Some lives based on fear avoidance could have positive outcomes, others not so much. Hosts describe nine personality traits and their underlying fears. __________________For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757...
2020-10-2757 minThe Positive MindRe-Run - Seeing/Not-Seeing: Cognitive DissonanceKevin and Niseema discuss the effects of cognitive dissonance on human psychology in the context of conflicting information related to treatments and guidelines during the pandemic. Hosts talk about examples of early childhood cognitive dissonance and how that applies to the larger more politically based episodes. Ideas for compassionate treatment and ways to process through self awareness. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you may...
2020-10-1955 minThe Positive MindPreventing PTSD with Thayer Case LCSW, SEP Part 2One of the leading modalities to help people heal from trauma is Somatic Experiencing or SE. This is a therapy that focuses on body sensations and to relieve symptoms of PTSD in addition to related psychological and physical problems.Part two of our interview with guest Thayer Case LCSW, SEP will go through each letter of the S.C.O.P.E. acronym, which is a helpful way to remember how to use SE treatment on yourself in real time. Thayer Case is co-director of Maverick Psychotherapy Group and works with children adults and families. H...
2020-10-1258 minThe Positive MindPreventing PTSD with Thayer Case LCSW, SEP Part 1One of the leading modalities to help people heal from trauma is Somatic Experiencing or SE. This is a therapy that focuses on body sensations and to relieve symptoms of PTSD in addition to related psychological and physical problems. Part one of our interview with guest Thayer Kyusan Case LCSW, SEP details how he uses this technique with his patients. He joins us today to tell us about his work and how this healing therapy works. He also introduces us to SCOPE, 5 exercises to build resiliency and prevent PTSD. Thayer Case is co-director of Maverick Psy...
2020-10-0558 minThe Positive MindAsking for Help: Suicide PreventionSeptember is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and CDC reports show a steady increase in suicide prior to the pandemic. Conditions associated with suicide include anxiety, social isolation, substance abuse, depression and psychiatric disorders. As current data points to an increase in the population vulnerable to suicide, hosts discuss hidden yet recognizable signs and ways out through therapy or counseling. __________________________________________________________________________For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about wh...
2020-09-2859 minThe Positive MindResilience for 2020 and BeyondMany people are talking about how difficult 2020 is turning out to be. The challenges of Pandemic, Protests, Elections, Hurricanes, and Wildfires are testing our personal and community resilience. In this episode Kevin and Niseema explore way some people are resilient and some are not, how to increase your own resilience and how to create it in your community. Resilience is how we will come through the multiple traumas of 2020 and become better for the journey. _____________________________________________________________________For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are c...
2020-09-2158 minThe Positive MindFrom Trauma to Transformation, Richard Smith Interview Part 2Meet our guest this week Richard D. Smith: he's gone from childhood trauma, imprisonment and school drop-out to national motivational speaker, social activist and trauma specialist. He has a degree in Africana studies from SUNY Albany, is the national director of healing works at Common Justice, a college professor at LIU New York and a workshop presenter. Richard joins Kevin and Niseema discussing techniques to address systemic and personal trauma in all areas from home, prison, education and society sparking an awakening both in the self and the community at large. Part 2 of a 2. Follow Richard D...
2020-09-1457 minThe Positive MindPost Traumatic Growth with Richard D. Smith Pt.1Join us for our interview of Richard D. Smith, national speaker for the African American Community on mental health issues and intergenerational trauma. Asking "what happened to you?" as opposed to "what's wrong with you?" is the beginning of understanding and diffusing aggressive behaviors, all of which are rooted in trauma response. When you stop and ask this question it can be an awakening to self-awareness. As a speaker, professor, community advocate and childhood trauma survivor Richard teaches us about the revolutionary act of self love. Follow Richard D. Smith on Instagram @rsspeaks, www.rsspeaks.com
2020-09-0756 minThe Positive MindLearned Helplessness/Learned Optimism: Part 2 of 2In the second part of a 2 part series, hosts Kevin O'Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer discuss Learned Optimism. This episode covers information based on Martin Seligman's book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Hosts highlight useful techniques that help stop depreciating and self-defeating thoughts, moving you toward developing your full potential and durable happiness in this time of COVID and beyond.For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and e...
2020-08-2457 minThe Positive MindLearned Helplessness / Learned Optimism Pt. 1In Part 1 of a 2 part series, Hosts discuss learned helplessness, a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness. It can arise from traumatic events or consistent failure. Its considered an underlying cause of depression. Kevin and Niseema help untangle potential connections with pandemic fallout such as job loss and blaming oneself for being a bad employee. This usually happens very fast. Most people don't catch it until the feeling of anxiety is present. Do you attribute external events to some personal shortcoming and what is your explanatory style? For more information or...
2020-08-1658 minThe Positive MindChoosing Love with Scarlett LewisHosts speak with Scarlett Lewis, the mother of Jesse Lewis who was one of the 20 children killed during the Sandy Hook School shootings. She has since founded The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation in honor of Jesse and to spread a message he left on their kitchen chalkboard shortly before he died, Nurturing Healing Love, the formula for choosing love, and to promote social and emotional education in schools as well as a consistent message of compassion in our communities. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-7...
2020-08-1057 minThe Positive MindSeeing/Not-Seeing: Cognitive DissonanceKevin and Niseema discuss the effects of cognitive dissonance on human psychology in the context of conflicting information related to treatments and guidelines during the pandemic. Hosts talk about examples of early childhood cognitive dissonance and how that applies to the larger more politically based episodes. Ideas for compassionate treatment and ways to process through self awareness. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you may...
2020-08-0355 minThe Positive MindWhat's Your Emotional Temperature?Have you taken your emotional temperature lately? Are you finding spikes of anger or settling into a continuous state of feeling a "little of something" or nothing at all? Does it take you back to a time as a child when anger, frustration, sadness or fear were not allowed or dismissed?As we start to look back at lifestyle changes and social upheavals from the last 6 months, we can see how we are operating at about 50% of our emotional level. It just seems to be the easiest place to be: flatten the curve, flatten the feelings.
2020-07-2057 minThe Positive MindFOMO to FOGO - Phobias and Covid 19Remember when all our friends were Insta, Facebook, Tik Tok-ing " their best lives"? It seemed everyone had the perfect home/vacation/ children/pets. And feeling some Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) because you were on the outside looking in, uninvited.Then, the pandemic lockdown: the great equalizer! Everyone was living their shared COVID lives.Now things are starting to open up again...What/who is safe? Touch or don't touch? And therein lies Fear of Going Out (FOGO).Kevin and Niseema discuss the phenomena of phobias: how our early experiences in childhood set a pattern for...
2020-07-1358 minThe Positive MindDeclaring Your IndependenceWhat is freedom to you? Is it found in the memories of a carefree summer past, or recalling a time when you felt fully present doing something you love? How about Independence? Self-reliance, making your own decisions and timetables?These words carry a lot of weight in how we live our lives. Are we free of our past, upbringing, and inner critic? Are we independent if we are living in the shadow of our parents, our relationships or the all too familiar "codependency" with others?Hosts Kevin O'Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer expand on the concept of...
2020-07-0657 minThe Positive MindRe-Emergence Re-ImaginedAs society begins to re-open is phases, hosts discuss "emerging" in the context of quarantine and on a developmental level. The fundamental changes that occur for all of us at 18-29 years of age can be of value during this emergence. Those and a few more related concepts are explored in this show that offers important personal insights. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you...
2020-07-0558 minThe Positive MindDysthymia: When the Blues become the GreysDysthymia is more than "the blues". It is also known as "persistent depressive disorder". At some point every day becomes a gray blank slate. And that seems normal. Sufferers can experience symptoms for many years before it is diagnosed, if at all. As a result, people believe that depression is a part of their character, so they may not even discuss their symptoms with anyone. "I'll always be a Debbie Downer" or like Eeyore, always looking for something positive but already sure it won't be found.Living with Dysthymia, or with a dysthymic partner or relative, can be...
2020-06-2457 minThe Positive MindGetting Through the DayGetting Through the Day: Strategies For Adults Hurt As Children. Hosts Kevin O'donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer discuss the ways to recognize and treat the effects of childhood trauma and abuse that show up in adulthood with family therapist and author Nancy J. Napier. Her book Getting Through the Day: Strategies For Adults Hurt As Children focuses on solutions for adults to learn new strategies to meet the demands of daily living and those who find unresolved childhood feelings are blocking life's path.Guest - Nancy J. Napier is former president of the N...
2020-06-1057 minThe Positive MindFeel Good AgainThese have been very serious and challenging months. Many of the things we loved to do are closed and inaccessible. Things that used to energize us are out of reach, even thinking about them seems to use too much energy. When the objects/subjects of our pleasure are gone we can lose a sense of there being any enjoyment in life at all, which is a mental health condition called Anhedionia. We areexperiencing many of the symptoms on some level collectively through the pandemic.Kevin and Niseema discuss the loss, and reclaiming, of pleasure for...
2020-06-0457 minThe Positive MindAt a Loss for Words and Touch“What are you REALLY feeling?” Emotions seem to be jumbled due to isolation, lack of social interaction and suddenly we can't find words to express HOW we feel, if we feel at all. There is a word for that: Alexithymia.And when we are literally out of touch with others, we are out of touch with ourselves. We are, as a whole, suffering from "skin hunger" . Touch is essential to our wellbeing in every way. But all we hear is DON'T TOUCH: no wonder we are so confused.Kevin O'Donoghue, LMHC and Niseema Dyan Diemer, LMT teach us a...
2020-05-2758 minThe Positive MindSleep, Dreams and VulnerabilityDreaming of familiar places with masked faces? COVID dreams are real reflecting our vulnerability in a time of uncertainty and anxiety. Kevin O'Donoghue LMHC and Niseema Dyan Diemer LMT, SEP discuss the sleep, dreams and vulnerabilities we have been experiencing during these months of living under a pandemic. Our environments have changed and so have our sleep patterns and dream content. Kevin and Niseema focus on the wisdom of vulnerability as an antidote to disconnection. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These ar...
2020-05-1956 minThe Positive MindRhythm and Flow in QuarantineRhythms dominate our lives from breathing to moon cycles. Subtle patterns unconsciously guide us as we navigate through the day. The pandemic has rearranged our daily schedules, blended days and weeks together, blurred work/personal/family time. When rhythms change abruptly it can be difficult, even traumatic, to our lives and minds registering in our nervous systems.How has your rhythm changed? Have you slowed down or do you miss the go-go-go? Have you checked in with yourself and found a new rhythm calling you?Kevin O'Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer use music, movement and memory tools...
2020-05-121h 00The Positive MindQuarantine FatigueSelf-quarantine feeling like solitary confinement? Social distancing keeping you from yourself? You are not alone!Kevin O'Donoghue and Niseema Dyan Diemer bring you the why's and how's of turning this insightful time into an opportunity to expand your world through exploring your personal space. For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you may be experiencing. Please feel free to also suggest show ide...
2020-05-0554 minThe Positive MindIntuitive Eating with Dr. Sarah ChippsDr. Sarah Chipps is the founder and Director of Well Williamsburg and noted speaker on Intuitive Eating, who will discuss how you can eat for yourself and lose your anxiety over food. Whether vegan, keto, allergic or omnivore your body is the best barometer you have to becoming happy, healthy and satisfied. To contact and see more info about Dr. Chipps go to: http://www.drsarahchipps.com. For couples and family counseling contact Kevin@thepositivemind.com.For body centered therapy go to www.niseema.com. Please feel free...
2020-04-2855 min
The Positive MindCoping with Loss and Grief during Covid-19For more information or support contact Kevin or Niseema at info@thepositivemindcenter.com, or call 212-757-4488. These are challenging times and we hope this episode served to validate and ease your anxiety about what you may be experiencing. Please feel free to also suggest show ideas to the above email. Thank you for listening,Kevin and Niseemawww.tffpp.orghttps://www.kevinlmhc.comwww.niseema.comwww.thepositivemindcenter.comPRODUCTION CREDITSOpening Music : Another Country, Pure Shadowfax, ShadowfaxBreak Music : Ce...
2020-04-2555 min