This episode sits very deliberately at the “how do I deal with this?” level. It’s for people who find themselves repeatedly destabilised in relationships marked by manipulation, emotional volatility, and confusion — and who are tired of being told to simply communicate better, be more empathetic, or search for faults that aren’t actually there. As the year comes to a close, I wanted to write a brief note about Psychobabble. What many of you have responded to most strongly, and how I’m shaping the project going forward. What I’ve enjoyed most over the past weeks, especially through the live sessions, is how concrete and personal these conversations have become. When people bring real situations, real patterns, real moments of confusion, the psychological mechanisms stop being abstract. They become recognisable. And once they’re recognisable, they become manageable. That experience has pushed me to think carefully about how Psychobabble should evolve. All essays and podcast episodes will remain free on Psychobabble — orientation pieces, cultural psychology, and broader analyses that help make sense of what’s happening around us. I want the ideas themselves to circulate widely, and that won’t change. Paid Psychobabble, however, is becoming the place where we go deeper together. This is where we’ll work carefully through psychological mechanisms as they actually present in real life. Going forward, you’ll have access to twice‑monthly live clinical case sessions — a single, ongoing space where we work through real (composite and anonymised) cases tied to recent essays and episodes, take questions, and focus on precision. You’ll have access to the full recording after, in case you missed the session. In addition, the paid tier will include in‑depth, members‑only interviews with academics and authors that expand on the clinical and cultural themes, but differ from the regular public episodes. If you’re a paid subscriber, nothing is being taken away. What’s changing is focus and intentionality. I want to create a clearly defined space for shared investigation and practical understanding. Where clinically specific material — the kind that helps people orient themselves in difficult, personal situations — can be handled properly, with context and care. I’m genuinely excited about this direction! The live sessions have shown me what becomes possible when this work is done in a more contained, collaborative way and I’m looking forward to building that out further in the coming year. To those of you who read, comment, restack, share, challenge, and support this work — whether as free readers or paid subscribers — thank you! I wish you a thoughtful and steady start to the New Year. Warmly,Hannah This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hannahspier.substack.com/subscribe
