It's More Complicated Than You Think

Elaine S. Belson, LCSW-C
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  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

There’s nothing more essential to social progress than mental wellness. How we function as a society is inextricably linked to how we think, feel, communicate, and cope. Yet, we live in a country that stigmatizes mental health and dismisses its relevance. Fact is, you’re way more complicated than you give yourself credit for. If you weren’t, you would have solved all your problems by now. With 30yrs combined clinical, military, legislative and teaching experience, Elaine offers life-altering solutions you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune in as we tackle the problems of our times.

  1. 07/07/2023

    Episode 16: Healing a Nation - Part 2: How to Fix It

    This week, Phyllis Leavitt rejoins the show to cover part two of our conversation on "Healing a Nation." She has been a psychotherapist for 30 years, and the Co-Director of a sexual abuse treatment program before going into private practice treating children, adults, couples, and families. She also has a new book coming out, “America in Therapy.” The answers to the country’s turmoil are already known and used effectively in psychotherapy – and most of it contradicts the beliefs and interactions that dominate our country today and continue the cycle of abuse, discrimination, violence, and war. We talk about this and many other interesting things on this episode so tune in! Find Phyllis on social media: Website: https://phyllisleavitt.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRMX8JYZZm4wpzFbcFIV13w Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisLeavitt2

  2. 06/30/2023

    Episode 15: Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health

    In this episode, I'm joined by mental health advocate, Momma Foxfire. She is the host of the live show, “Even Tacos Fall Apart,” promoting honesty and support for mental health. The show is inspired by Momma’s own experiences with depression, anxiety, and PTSD from an abusive marriage. Momma is a single mom, maintains a full-time job, and spreads non-toxic positivity through various social media, mental health and gaming communities. More than focusing on psychiatric conditions, Momma mostly helps people with self-improvement issues: anger management, chronic pain, domestic violence, grief/loss, low self-esteem, parenting, etc. And she came to the show today to talk to us a little bit about her journey and her experience. Find Momma on social media: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mommafoxfire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mommafoxfire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MommaFoxFire/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/momma-foxfire-3667a1262

  3. 05/12/2023

    Episode 14 - Consult with Erin Riley

    This episode's guest, Erin Riley, worked in the music industry for 40 years, choosing hit records for America’s #1 rock & roll radio station, WMMR-FM, serving as Executive Director for the GRAMMY organization, and hanging out with rock stars like Keith Richards, Steven Tyler, James Taylor, and Jon Bon Jovi. But her colorful, raucous, rock & roll life hid dark secrets. Growing up with an alcoholic father and fashion model mother, Erin was an emotionally neglected child. She had no experience with love and healthy relationships. The marriage she thought would be her happily-ever-after led to 20 years of confusion, heartbreak, anger, and betrayal, which she describes in a compelling book, A Dark Force: 20 Years with A Covert Narcissist. Erin never saw herself as vulnerable to an emotionally abusive partner. But the reality is there is no profile to the type of person who ends up in an emotional, verbal, and/or physically abusive relationship. We talked about how that can happen and how to avoid these relationships.

  4. 05/05/2023

    Episode 13: What Unites Us

    The Covid pandemic reminded us that, regardless of where in the world we come from, we are all human. We need air to breathe, and food and water to sustain us. And there's one other thing all human beings have in common: emotions. Unfortunately, we live in a society that minimizes mental health, so most people go through life driven by emotions they’re not even aware of. When you acknowledge your feelings, you can be proactive rather than reactive. This is how you make healthy decisions. Wesley Jackson is a phenom of the human condition. At a relatively young age and without any formal training in psychology, Wesley Jackson has pinpointed the source and solutions for our individual and collective suffering. He is now channeling his knowledge into “Surviving Humanity: A Self-Help Podcast,” which he co-founded with Andrew Gillie. The podcast helps listeners overcome obstacles in their lives through what they call “authentic narrative.” Quoting the podcast, “Humanity has never been more connected yet divided.” Exactly. Thanks to the internet and digital devices, we can educate and collaborate across the globe. However, digital devices also isolate and distract us, and unconsciously impair our mental health. In this episode, we talk about the power of connection, authenticity, and shared humanity. Wesley shares his personal story and how, through self-exploration, ancient philosophy and therapy, he began to heal.

  5. 04/28/2023

    Episode 12: The Science of Feelings

    Society tends to treat feelings as a nuisance or weakness – something to talk yourself out of or “overcome.” Rarely do people stop to think about where feelings come from. After all, we know there aren’t little people in our heads telling us what to do. In fact, how you perceive the world around you and how you respond is determined by chemicals, circuitry, and electrical impulses: that is, the brain. If you doubt this, I have a question: have you ever had a dream so vivid you woke up thinking, “Wow that felt so real?!” That’s bc you believe whatever your brain tells you. Feelings are more complicated than you think. Ignoring the neurobiology of feelings is like trying to teach a class of students who speak a foreign language you don’t know. You will misinterpret and mismanage them. The more we understand the science behind feelings, the more empowered we are to make good decisions, personally and culturally. Our guest, Dr. Mark Williams, is a cognitive neuroscientist with over 25 years of experience conducting behavioral and brain imaging research on emotions, learning and human interaction. He runs programs on the neuroscience of learning and emotions, how our brains create our reality, and the impact of digital devices on our brains. He has a book coming out in August, called “The Connected Species: How understanding the evolution of our brain can change the world.”

  6. 04/21/2023

    Episode 11: Consult With Michael George

    Michael George has a fascinating background. Born in Syria, and grew up in Kuwait. As an immigrant, he was barred from attending public school or playing professional soccer. At the age of 17, he left his family to attend college in Dubai. A year later he launched his first business. His company, MGMarketing helps service-based businesses with customer service, sales, marketing, and business development. Not content w the success of his business, Michael shares how his ambition got the best of him. But the lessons he learned sparked two additional businesses, MGFitness and MGTrading. Elaine explains how to stay motivated and achieve success without being hard on yourself or hyper driven. She also explains how to use feelings to problem-solve and avoid making bad decisions.

  7. 04/12/2023

    Episode 10 - Healing the Nation with Phyllis Leavitt

    There is nothing more essential to human progress than mental health. How we function as a society is inextricably linked to how we think, feel, communicate, and problem-solve. But tragically, society stigmatizes mental health and dismisses its relevance. As a result, the country is depriving itself of vital information and guidance it needs to solve some of its most serious problems - information it can't get anywhere else. Elaine's guest, Phyllis Leavitt, explains it best: Americans are suffering the effects of national psychological dysfunction. The destructive actions of some of our most powerful institutions and leaders can be traced back to destructive family dynamics. Many of the answers of how to restore us to peace and safety are already known and used effectively in the field of psychotherapy. If society would welcome what therapists know about healing, most of it contradicts the beliefs and interactions dominating our country and continuing the cycle of abuse, discrimination, violence and war. Phyllis Levitt is author of a, “Light in the Darkness” and “Into the Fire,” available on Amazon.com. She has a third book coming out called, “America in Therapy." Ms. Levitt has been a psychotherapist for 30 years. She was Co-Director of a sexual abuse treatment program before entering private practice helping children, adults, couples and families. In this episode, we discuss why the country is in turmoil. We will have Ms. Leavitt back for a second episode to provide solutions.

  8. 04/12/2023

    Episode 009: Consultation with Kevin Palmieri

    Kevin Palmieri is the founder and co-host of the Next Level University podcast. Early in his life, Kevin had financial and social success but was still unhappy. He even contemplated suicide. Determined to overcome his anxiety and depression, Kevin became passionate about self-improvement. He now devotes his life to helping others. His podcast is a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement Podcast with more than 1100 episodes, and 650K+ listens in over 125 countries. Listeners can learn more on Kevin's website. ⁠https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/⁠ Kevin shares his personal journey from rock bottom to personal and professional success on his terms. Elaine shares insights and coping skills that listeners will definitely relate to, including how to harness uncomfortable feelings to problem-solve and make good decisions, the three common insecurities and how to overcome them, where that negative inner voice comes from, and how to stop it, and how to self-validate and "embrace your mistakes."

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There’s nothing more essential to social progress than mental wellness. How we function as a society is inextricably linked to how we think, feel, communicate, and cope. Yet, we live in a country that stigmatizes mental health and dismisses its relevance. Fact is, you’re way more complicated than you give yourself credit for. If you weren’t, you would have solved all your problems by now. With 30yrs combined clinical, military, legislative and teaching experience, Elaine offers life-altering solutions you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune in as we tackle the problems of our times.

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