From Both Sides Of The Couch with Dr. Laurie Bruce

Dr. Laurie Bruce
  • 4.8 (18)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

I am Dr. Laurie Bruce, a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. For the last 25 years, I have had the privilege of providing psychotherapy, consultation and supervision to thousands of clients and students. My greatest form of self-care is to engage in my own personal therapy. I have had the privilege of working with some gifted therapists over the years. My investment in my own therapy has been the single most important gift I have given myself and it helps me to be the best therapist, mother and friend that I can be. If you are someone who is constantly striving to be the best version of yourself, then come join me. If you, like me, tend to be driven, perfectionistic and self-critical, then this is the show for you. I am here to share wisdom that I have learned over the last two and a half decades from my clients, my supervisors and my own therapists. Join me for discussions on mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, authenticity, vulnerability, healthy relationships and so much more. Visit me at www.drlauriebruce.com

  1. 3H AGO

    Episode 74: Feel, Release, Heal: The Emotional Power of Music

    Have you ever had a moment where words simply couldn’t capture what you’re feeling? In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we unpack how music can be a powerful tool for expressing and regulating our inner experiences—helping to soothe emotions and support our healing process. Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, as we explore the two primary ways people use music, how self-soothing can become a form of self-validation, and how music can help us access and process misunderstood emotions, such as anger. I’ll also share songs I personally turn to depending on what I’m feeling, along with practical ways you can begin to soothe your own emotional world. Instead of asking yourself, “What do I feel like listening to?” try asking, “What do I need right now?” When used intentionally, music can help regulate your nervous system and bring you back to a place of balance.   Listen to this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: Feel, Release, Heal: The Emotional Power of Music   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #MusicTherapy #EmotionalHealing #SelfRegulation

    18 min

  2. MAR 24

    Episode 73: When Empathy Becomes a Blind Spot: Understanding Therapist–Client Overlap

    Hey friends! Have you ever been in a session where a client shares a conflict, and something about their story feels deeply familiar—as though it is touching a part of your own? In this episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we explore one of the most challenging aspects of therapy: how our unresolved experiences can shape the way we listen and respond to our clients, and the strategies that can help us gently bring our attention back to the client’s work.   Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach, as we acknowledge that therapists carry their own struggles even as we hold space and compassion for others. We’ll explore what happens when our personal world intersects with our role as therapists, and how to recognize the warning signs that we may be feeling triggered.   A good therapy session requires the ability to discern what belongs to us and what belongs to our clients. Compassion is most effective when it is grounded in clarity.   Listen to this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: When Empathy Becomes a Blind Spot: Understanding Therapist–Client Overlap   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #TherapistLife #EmotionalAwareness #CompassionWithBoundaries

    20 min

  3. MAR 17

    Episode 72: Emotional Boundaries

    As a therapist, have you ever spent the day being fully present and caring deeply—yet something about the work you did feels heavier than it used to?   In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we dive into why therapists and coaches often experience burnout, emotional exhaustion, and overload when emotional boundaries with clients are not clearly established—and when we fail to recognize how much of others’ pain our nervous system may be trying to carry.   Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, as we explore therapist burnout, emotional boundaries, nervous system co-regulation, and emotional contagion. We’ll also highlight the importance of presence while understanding emotional over-identification and empathic distress, and learning to recognize the subtle patterns that can leave us feeling depleted.   Yes, it is possible to sit with profound pain without absorbing it. Notice your nervous system, and allow yourself the space to reset.   Listen as I talk about Emotional Boundaries in the latest episode of the From Both Sides Of The Couch podcast.   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #TherapistBurnout #MentalHealthProfessionals #EmotionalBoundaries

    19 min

  4. MAR 10

    Episode 71: How to Trust Yourself Again: Psychologist Explains Self-Trust & Intuition

    Used to trust yourself—but after painful or negative experiences, find that you no longer do? In this episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we’re exploring practical steps to rebuild self-trust, along with the key variables that foster trust in others—and, most importantly, within ourselves. Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, as we define what self-trust truly means and explore how trust is shaped by predictability, reliability, emotional safety, benevolent intent, competence, and perhaps the most powerful element of all—repair after rupture. This is your reminder that self-trust is built when our nervous system learns safety and consistency through repeated lived experiences.   Listen to this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: How to Trust Yourself Again: Psychologist Explains Self-Trust & Intuition   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #SelfTrust #EmotionalSafety #NervousSystemHealing

    23 min

  5. MAR 3

    Episode 70: Overcontrolled vs Undercontrolled: How to Master Your Emotions

    Hey friends! Do you keep blowing up in ways you later regret? Or do you pride yourself on being the calm one, yet quietly feel disconnected and alone? In today’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we explore how some people are chronically overcontrolled or undercontrolled, coping styles rooted in nervous system temperament and central to DBT and RO DBT.   Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, as we take a deeper look at Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Radically Open DBT, how early patterns and environment can reveal these temperaments, and the physical and emotional costs of living in undercontrol or overcontrol.   Neither style is right nor wrong. Both reflect the nervous system temperament we are born with. And strengthening our mindfulness skills can truly be a game-changer.   Know how to master your emotions, whether you’re overcontrolled or undercontrolled, here on the From Both Sides Of The Couch podcast.   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #DBT #RadicallyOpenDBT #NervousSystemHealth

    18 min

  6. FEB 24

    Episode 69: The Shame Spiral: How to Stop Negative Self-Talk & Build Self-Compassion

    Have you ever felt like you’re too much, too sensitive, too emotional, too flawed, or even too broken? In this eye-opening episode, we explore the spiral of shame and how it can quietly distort the way we see ourselves, the people around us, and the world we move through. Together, we look at why shame takes such a deep hold and how self-compassion can begin to soften its grip.   As we walk through how to notice and interrupt negative self-talk, understand how self-criticism can evolve into chronic shame, and learn practical ways to foster self-compassion that supports healing and emotional safety.   You are not your shame story. It can be acknowledged, understood, and rewritten. And remember, shame thrives in silence and secrecy, but healing begins when we bring it into the light.   Listen to this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: The Shame Spiral: How to Stop Negative Self-Talk & Build Self-Compassion   Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #selfcompassion #healingfromshame #emotionalwellbeing

    22 min

  7. FEB 17

    Episode 68: Why ADHD and Anxiety Go Hand in Hand

    Have you ever been in a situation where you try to calm down, but your thoughts just won’t slow down? In this episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we’re talking about why ADHD and anxiety often show up together, even though they can seem contradictory.   Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, as we unpack how the brain regulates, why so many people experience both ADHD and anxiety, and how understanding their connection can reduce shame, increase self-compassion, and support healthier coping.   An ADHD brain under stress is more vulnerable to anxiety. Over time, this shapes self-beliefs and keeps the nervous system in a state of hypervigilance. Calm doesn’t come from trying harder, but from responding with compassion. Learn more about ADHD and anxiety in this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch.  Enjoy this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #ADHDAwareness #AnxietySupport #NervousSystemRegulation

    16 min

  8. FEB 10

    Episode 67: When Trust Breaks: Healing Betrayal Trauma from the Inside Out

    Have you ever trusted someone deeply, only to have them become the person who hurt you the most? In this episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch, we’re diving into betrayal trauma — the kind that makes you question your self-worth, your memory, and even your own judgment. We unpack what betrayal trauma really is, why it cuts so deeply, and what healing actually looks like.   Join me, Dr. Laurie Bruce, clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach, as we explore the research behind betrayal trauma, how it lives in the nervous system, and why it creates cognitive dissonance and attachment injury. We’ll also talk through common symptoms of betrayal trauma, science-backed ways to rebuild self-trust, and the truth about forgiveness.   Listen to this week’s episode of From Both Sides Of The Couch: Betrayal Trauma: When Trust Breaks Your Nervous System & How Real Healing Begins.   Enjoy this episode? Follow us and leave a 5-star review!   Dr. Laurie Bruce is a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Her expertise is in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is a treatment that combines both traditional cognitive and behavioral strategies with Eastern Mindfulness practices. She is also a Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist and completed a year-long intensive training through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute. She’s passionate about the safe, legal, and ethical use of psychedelic medicines to help address trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders and for personal and spiritual development.    Follow her socials: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555258666969  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlauriebruce/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-bruce-psy-d-0201277/    Visit her website. Website: https://www.drlauriebruce.com/     #BetrayalTrauma #NervousSystemRegulation #TraumaRecovery

    26 min
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4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

I am Dr. Laurie Bruce, a clinical psychologist and mindfulness coach. For the last 25 years, I have had the privilege of providing psychotherapy, consultation and supervision to thousands of clients and students. My greatest form of self-care is to engage in my own personal therapy. I have had the privilege of working with some gifted therapists over the years. My investment in my own therapy has been the single most important gift I have given myself and it helps me to be the best therapist, mother and friend that I can be. If you are someone who is constantly striving to be the best version of yourself, then come join me. If you, like me, tend to be driven, perfectionistic and self-critical, then this is the show for you. I am here to share wisdom that I have learned over the last two and a half decades from my clients, my supervisors and my own therapists. Join me for discussions on mindfulness, self-compassion, resilience, authenticity, vulnerability, healthy relationships and so much more. Visit me at www.drlauriebruce.com

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