self-inquiry

This is episode 4 of a 4-part special series on mental health with Stanford and Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Paul Conti, M.D. Dr. Conti explains what true self-care is and how our mental health benefits from specific self-care and introspection practices — much in the same way that our physical health benefits from certain exercise and nutrition habits. He describes how the foundation of mental health is an understanding of one’s own mind and the specific questions to ask in order to explore the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves. He describes how this process can be done either on our own, through journaling, meditation and structured thought, or in therapy with the help of a licensed professional. He also explains how unprocessed trauma can short-circuit the process and how to prevent that, and the role of friendships and other relational support systems in the journey of self-exploration for mental health. People of all ages and those with and without self-introspection and therapy experience ought to benefit from the information in this episode. For show notes and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Self Care (00:02:37) Sponsors: BetterHelp & Waking Up (00:05:34) What is Self-Care?, Foundation, Self-Understanding (00:13:18) Life Narratives (00:15:24) Journaling, Self-Inquiry & Therapy (00:24:41) Unconscious Mind, Salience & Journaling; Panic Attacks (00:28:20) Self-Inquiry; Grief & Death (00:33:23) Sponsor: AG1 (00:34:39) Self-Harm, Hopelessness & Therapy (00:37:27) Apprehension of Unconscious Mind Exploration (00:42:34) Mental Health Map: Cupboards, Agency & Gratitude, Generative Drive (00:54:18) Structure of Self, Unconscious Mind, Abscess Analogy (01:01:57) Exploring the Unconscious Mind, Curiosity, “Question the Givens” (01:10:48) Conscious Mind Exploration; Self Curiosity, Busyness (01:19:20) Exploring Defense Mechanisms, Character Structure (01:24:54) Self & Character Structure, “Tending the Garden” (01:32:45) Function of Self Cupboards (01:35:50) Self-Awareness Exploration, Mirror Meditation (01:38:34) Defense Mechanisms in Action & Self-Inquiry, Patterns (01:47:15) Salience Exploration, Grounding Meditation (01:52:37) Behavior & Self-Reflection; Phantom Driver Analogy (02:00:14) Self & Strivings; Empowerment & Humility (02:09:07) Challenges in Certain Life Domains (02:17:49) Friendships & Support, Social Media (02:23:50) Anger & Self-Care (02:34:18) Self-Care & Challenges (02:38:43) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

This is episode 2 of a 4-part special series on mental health with Dr. Paul Conti, M.D., a Stanford and Harvard-trained psychiatrist currently running a clinical practice, the Pacific Premiere Group. Dr. Conti explains specific tools for how to overcome life’s challenges using a framework of self-inquiry that explores all the key elements of self, including defense mechanisms, behaviors, self-awareness and attention. We also discuss our internal driving forces, how to align them and ultimately, how to cultivate a powerful “generative drive” of positive, aspirational pursuits. Dr. Conti also explains how to adjust your internal narratives, reduce self-limiting concepts, overcome intrusive thoughts, and how certain defense mechanisms, such as “acting out” or narcissism, show up in ourselves and others. The next episode in this special series explores how to build healthy relationships with others. For the full show notes, including articles, books, and other resources, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Improve Mental Health (00:02:19) Sponsors: BetterHelp & Waking Up App (00:05:26) Structure & Function of Healthy Self (00:16:25) Agency & Gratitude (00:21:14) Aggressive Drive, Pleasure Drive, Generative Drive (00:30:00) Physical & Mental Health Similarities, Verb States (00:37:05) Sponsor: AG1 (00:38:32) Lack of Motivation, Drives (00:43:06) Video Games/Social Media & Distraction, Generative Drive (00:51:46) Asking Better Questions, Psychiatric Medicine, Physical Health Parallels (00:59:10) Sponsor: Eight Sleep (01:00:30) Self-Reflection & Structure of Self “Cupboards”, Trauma & Agency (01:08:53) Feeling Stuck, Defense Mechanisms & Sublimation, Character (01:13:58) Self-Reflection & Function of Self “Cupboards”, Self-Awareness (01:19:24) Defense Mechanisms & “Acting Out” (01:26:43) Salience, Intrusive Thoughts (01:31:24) Self-Reflection, Behaviors & Strivings; Roadmap Forward (01:38:25) Internal Narratives, Childhood (01:44:44) Internal Narratives: Self-Scrutiny & Overcoming; Trauma (01:55:18) Time Required for Change, Understanding Intrusive Thoughts (02:03:13) Self-Reflection on Internal Drives; Envy (02:09:56) Generative Drive; Strong Aggressive Drive & Envy (02:21:50) High Aggressive Drive & Social Relationships, Narcissism (02:28:43) Narcissism, Destruction, Envy (02:37:18) Narcissism & Childhood, Change (02:41:26) Engaging with Narcissists, Disengagement (02:44:47) Demoralization, Learned Helplessness (02:49:34) Self-Inventory of Drives, Optimization (02:56:09) Social Media & Salience, Generative Drive (03:03:21) Rational Aspiration (03:13:16) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

At 43 years old, Byron Katie was unhappily married, suffered from depression and agoraphobia and was addicted to codeine and alcohol. In fact, she felt so much self-hatred, she slept on the floor believing she did not deserve a bed. Yet in the midst of her crisis, she awoke one morning in a halfway house, with a sense of pure joy. A switch had been flipped and all her suffering disappeared. It had become evident to her that her thoughts were causing all her emotional pain and she had finally broken free. Katie believes she has been given a gift and now spends her life trying to help end suffering for others. Plug Zone The Work of Byron Katie: https://thework.com/ Books: https://www.amazon.com/Byron-Katie/e/B001H6S8B4 Twitter: @ByronKatie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theworkofbyronkatie/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8dvufocK9zM6KnkronGbzA The Work App: https://thework.com/the-work-app/ ***VOICEMAILS*** Have a question for Dan? Leave us a voicemail: 646-883-8326 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.