Why in the World

Episode 18 - Bryan Nixon - Therapeutic Fish in Relational Waters

Welcome back and thank you for listening! Before I jump into the content of this episode, I have a request as well as some exciting news to share. My request is, if you enjoy this podcast and have found it to be useful, please consider heading to iTunes and offering a rating. It is super helpful with getting the podcast in front of more people who might enjoy it. Additionally, please consider sharing the podcast with others whom you think might be into it. I w...

Episode #17 - Dr. Galit Atlas - Emotional Inheritance

“The people we love and those who raised us live inside us; we experience their emotional pain, we dream their memories, we know what was not explicitly conveyed to us, and these things shape our lives in ways that we don't always understand.” - Dr. Galit Atlas (2022, p. 11)

Dr. Galit Atlas is a psychoanalyst and clinical supervisor in private practice in New York City. She is on the faculty of the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis. Dr. Atlas has published three books...

Episode #16 - Dr. Steven Kuchuck - The Relational Revolution

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Why in the World. If you know anything about me, you know that I tend to be a bit of a nerd when it comes to reading and learning about psychoanalysis. I’m particularly drawn to what is known as Relational Psychoanalysis, which emerged in the 1980’s and has continued to evolve ever since. So when Dr. Steven Kuchuck agreed to be a guest on my podcast, my inner nerd started break dancing! 

I’m excited about this episode! It was a...

EPISODE #15 - Dr. Karen Maroda - The Analyst's Vulnerability

Every once in a while, as a psychotherapist you come across an author who’s work really resonates with you. It challenges, inspires, and makes a mark on your own way of practicing. For me, Dr. Karen Maroda is one of those authors.

Dr. Maroda is a psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Milwaukee, WI. She is the Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is the author of four books including:

This is an interview I did for the Humanity’s Values Podcast with David Teachout. David is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington State. He is the founder of Life Weavings where he offers both counseling and coaching services. We had a really good conversation about my personal struggles and development as a therapist and what I have learned as a result. We discuss various therapeutic philosophies as well as the nature of the client/therapist relationship as the primary agent of change as to why therapy works. We also discuss the importance for therapists to remain committed to...

In this episode I had a fun and honest conversation with Erin & Stephen Mitchell about their work with couples! They are both trained therapists and they are a couple themselves. They are honest about their own relationship struggles and have dedicated their work in the world to helping other couples to explore the story they are living together. In other words, for those of you who are partnered, you and your partner are telling a story through your relationship. Erin & Stephen help couples discover old stories from your past that might be causing many of your relational conflicts, and...

ANGELA NIXON - Marriage: What is going on here?

In this episode I have a chat with the one and only Angela Nixon! Angela Nixon is a breathwork facilitator and embodied movement guide with the Vitalist Institute. Drawn to the complexity of what it is to be human, she possesses a deep curiosity about the sacred path from suffering to freedom.

Through her own journey, Angela has discovered the power of working with the breath and the body to reignite the inner life force, bringing healing and balance to the mind, body and soul. Utilizing...

Why Does Therapy Work?  by: Bryan Nixon

Welcome, Good People! Woo, has it been a year, or what?! We are quickly coming to the end of 2020 and back in January when I launched this podcast,like all of us, I had no idea what this year had in store for us. COVID wasn’t even on the radar yet (can you even remember what that was like?!). I remember having a deep sense of optimism and even some creative energy as I looked forward into what 2020 might hold. And, in spite of a global pandemic, some really gre...

BENJAMIN REISTERER - Step Into the Mess

In this episode, I sit down with my friend, colleague, and fellow psychotherapist, Benjamin Reisterer. Benjamin is the founder of the Metafi app, is a psychotherapist and the clinical director at Mindful Counseling GR’s Claystone location. We have a hearty conversation exploring what it looks like to step into the mess of life with less certainty and more inquiry. We parse out the difference between solitude and isolation. We talk shop a bit about being therapists and what it means to show up with therapeutic courage, and rel...

INGER BROWN - You Are Creative

In this episode, I sit down with Inger Brown and we riff on creativity, how it is innate in each of us, how it differs from being artistic, and how creative blocks can serve as a mirror for us to look inward in order to discover more about the fullness of who we are. 

Inger is an herbalist, writer, poet, artist, and teacher who has found healing in the natural world and with plant medicine. She writes, “Having such life affirming experiences with herbs, I wanted to help others fin...

PETER CAPPON - Existential Psychotherapy: Exploring the Four Ultimate Concerns

In this episode, psychotherapist Peter Cappon and I dive into the deep end of the pool exploring the realm Existential Psychotherapy and discuss how looking closely at one’s own fears of death, meaninglessness, isolation, and the need for freedom can lead to a more authentic, empowered, and integrated expression of one’s true self in the world. Peter is a wise and compassionate soul. Enjoy!

If you are in West Michigan, in search of a therapist, and this episode resonated with you, you can reac...

JOE HULL - Connection

In this episode I sit down with fellow therapist, Joe Hull to discuss the human longing and need for authentic connection. We touch on the Enneagram a bit as well as practicing a form of therapy that maintains a deep sense of curiosity about what is emerging in the relational space between the client and therapist as a way of making unconscious patterns conscious so that they can be mutually worked through. This is a good episode for any of you psychology or therapy nerds (like us) out there. 

Joe has b...

BILLY LANDFORD - Instagram Live Recording - Flip the Script

In this episode we go a bit unorthodox. My friend Billy Lanford from Eremos Performance reached out and asked if I would be interested in being interviewed by him on his Instagram Live feed. Neither one of us had done Instagram Live before so this was a shared experiment. Billy has a strong passion for helping others find where they are stuck in life and helping them tap into their own inner resources to go beyond where they are stuck to a more vibrant life. While the...

LAURA BURKETT - Healing the Split

“Life wants us to get on the beam, meaning that life wants us to live the life we are meant to live.” - Laura Burkett

This episode, while recorded prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, offers a lot of helpful insights that can serve us well during this crazy season. Laura Burkett is a deep well. She is a holistic nutrition counselor and certified eating psychology coach, these titles are her what in the world, but do not aptly capture the depth of her why in the world. While editing this...

In this episode I chat with my life-long friend, Dr. Scott Graves to discuss action, hope, empowerment, and love in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that currently has us all huddled up in a much more isolated way than we are typically used to. We explore how to care for ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually in such an unprecedented time. Dr. Scott is an acupuncture physician and holds a master's in counseling and theology. He is the founder of Triune Wellness Center in Orlando, FL and is the creator of the online course entitled Total Gut Transformation (www...

In this episode I sit down with my mentor and psychologist, Roy Barsness, PhD, and discuss the transformative power of relationship. We touch on the significance of knowing your why and part of what inspired this podcast to come to be as seen in Michael Jr's video entitled, Know Your Why. Roy is the author of Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis, and the founder of Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy, a post-grad certificate program for therapists, in which I am a teacher and facilitator. He is also a professor of psychology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.

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In this episode I sit down with my friend and fellow psychotherapist, April Kaiserlian. April is a Licensed Master of Social Work in private practice in Grand Rapids, MI and is a Mindfulness teacher and co-founder of the Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness. We discuss themes of turning towards suffering rather than numbing or avoiding. April references the poem Birdwings by Rumi that I wanted to post here for you to read. Let these words in:

Birdwings

Your grief for what you've lost lifts a mirror

up to where you're bravely w...

In this episode I sit down with my friend Jenny Bremer just days before she packed up her life in Grand Rapids, MI, jumped into her car with her dog and drove to Santa Fe. It was such a rich conversation exploring themes of self-awareness, unconscious patterns, suffering, freedom, and truth. 

Connect with Jenny:

Web:  Remembered Practice I’m Just Curious Podcast

IG:  https://www.instagram.com/rememberedpractice/ 

https://www.instagram.com/theimjustcuriouspodcast/

Bryan Nixon is a psychotherapist and the founder and clinical director of Mindful Counseling GR in G...