Dr. Fred Clary's Podcast

Dr. Fred Clary

Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique, world record holding powerlifter and gym chalk covered philosopher offers thoughts on the life sciences, the philosophy of biology, society, athletic performance, theology and becoming a top at what ever you choose.

  1. Blind Spots: The Neuroscience of Unconscious Bias, Tribal Thinking, and Human Perception

    4H AGO

    Blind Spots: The Neuroscience of Unconscious Bias, Tribal Thinking, and Human Perception

    Unconscious bias often arises not from malice but from the normal functioning of the human brain. The brain is designed to conserve energy and process information quickly, so it relies on shortcuts such as pattern recognition, familiarity, and past experience. Structures like the hippocampus help the brain complete patterns from limited experiences, the amygdala rapidly evaluates familiarity and potential threat, and the reward system reinforces beliefs that feel correct. As a result, people may develop biases from small datasets of experience, limited exposure to different perspectives, incomplete information, or simple cognitive efficiency, leading them to assume that what they have seen represents the whole of reality. Because humans evolved in small cooperative groups, the brain also developed tribal and social identity circuits that instinctively distinguish between in-groups and out-groups. These automatic responses occur before conscious reasoning, but they can be moderated by the prefrontal cortex, which supports reflection, curiosity, and analytical thinking. Fortunately, the brain’s neuroplasticity allows these biases to be reduced through deliberate effort: slowing down judgments, seeking broader experiences, questioning assumptions, examining evidence carefully, and cultivating intellectual humility. By expanding our mental datasets and engaging thoughtful reflection, individuals can move beyond automatic assumptions and develop more accurate and compassionate perceptions of others. Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher talks about seeing beyond the nose on your own face.

    37 min
  2. Trauma Bonding at a Societal Level: Why Chaos Can Make People Emotionally Attached to What’s Hurting Them

    JAN 29

    Trauma Bonding at a Societal Level: Why Chaos Can Make People Emotionally Attached to What’s Hurting Them

    Trauma Bonding at a Societal Level Trauma bonding at a societal level occurs when entire communities become emotionally attached to ongoing stress, chaos, and threat through repeated cycles of fear and temporary relief. Constant exposure to crisis-driven narratives keeps the nervous system in a heightened state of activation, where cortisol remains elevated and the brain’s threat centers dominate decision-making. In this state, people often bond not to peace or truth, but to the very sources of stress that intermittently offer reassurance, identity, or meaning. Over time, this creates emotional dependence on narratives, movements, or media ecosystems that feel familiar and validating—even when they are harmful. Neurologically and physiologically, societal trauma bonding erodes clarity and resilience. The prefrontal cortex becomes less effective, nuance disappears, and group identity replaces independent discernment. Communities begin to mirror trauma responses seen in individuals: rigidity, hypervigilance, emotional reactivity, and fear of separation from the group. Healing begins when individuals restore nervous system regulation, reconnect to local reality, and reclaim rhythm, coherence, and embodied presence. Calm, grounded truth—rather than outrage—becomes the antidote that slowly dissolves trauma bonds and allows cultures to recover stability and compassion.  Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher talks about Community Gaslighting!

    19 min
  3. Community & Cultural Gaslighting: Protecting the Nervous System in an Age of Chaos

    JAN 28

    Community & Cultural Gaslighting: Protecting the Nervous System in an Age of Chaos

    Community & Cultural Gaslighting: Protecting the Nervous System in an Age of Chaos When communities are flooded with conflicting narratives—each emotionally charged and claiming exclusive truth—the nervous system enters a state of chronic stress. This phenomenon, known as cultural gaslighting, destabilizes our sense of reality by overwhelming the brain’s threat-detection systems while suppressing the prefrontal cortex responsible for discernment and reason. The result is widespread anxiety, polarization, and emotional exhaustion—not because people are weak or uninformed, but because prolonged exposure to contradiction and fear dysregulates the brain, vagus nerve, and stress response. What feels like confusion is often a physiological signal that coherence and safety have been disrupted. Protecting the mind and heart in such an environment begins with regulation before reaction. A calm nervous system restores clarity, allowing facts to be separated from emotional manipulation and complexity to replace binary thinking. Grounding in local reality, slowing the breath, limiting exposure, and refusing outrage-driven narratives help preserve both compassion and strength. True resilience is not numbness or anger, but the ability to remain embodied, thoughtful, and humane—anchored in truth without surrendering to chaos. Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher talks about Community Gaslighting!

    24 min
  4. Ancestral Echoes:  The Transmission of Collective Trauma

    JAN 15

    Ancestral Echoes: The Transmission of Collective Trauma

    Ancestral Echoes: The Transmission of Collective Trauma explores how trauma is not only a personal experience but a biological, neurological, and emotional legacy that can be passed through families and communities. Drawing on neuroscience and epigenetics, the episode explains how unprocessed trauma alters stress responses, emotional regulation, and nervous system patterns—often appearing generations later as anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, or unexplained fear. It also addresses modern forms of secondary trauma, showing how repeated exposure to violent or fear-based media can activate the brain’s threat systems, especially in children, and contribute to collective distress even without direct personal harm. The episode emphasizes that while trauma can be inherited, healing can be inherited as well. By practicing nervous system regulation, limiting harmful media exposure, restoring healthy rhythms of life, and modeling emotional stability, individuals can protect themselves and their children from carrying forward unnecessary psychological burdens. The central message is one of responsibility and hope: each person has the power to interrupt cycles of inherited trauma and replace them with legacies of resilience, peace, and grounded strength that benefit future generations. Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher talks about The Transmission of Collective Trauma.

    22 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique, world record holding powerlifter and gym chalk covered philosopher offers thoughts on the life sciences, the philosophy of biology, society, athletic performance, theology and becoming a top at what ever you choose.