A mental health professional, and a professional trying to become mentally healthy, get real about what happens in that 50-minute hour.

A Chance in Hell, Pt 2 | Ft. Chance Burles

First contact with feelings

Episode description

In part two of this episode, we talk with Chance Burles, a former Canadian Army engineer, veteran advocate, and podcaster about his mental health journey, after he returned from serving in Afghanistan.

Additionally, we discuss the toxic side of maintaining the standard at all costs, the fear of "going soft" as a veteran, the misconceptions society and men alike have, in regards to talking about their emotions, and the importance of communicating with your loved ones.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(0:37) - Indoctrination
(11:49) - Stay hard
(20:47) - Local man discovers emotions
(23:15) - Making first contact
(26:27) - Closing remarks

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

A Chance in Hell ft. Chance Burles

Episode description

In part one of this episode, we talk with Chance Burles, a former Canadian Army engineer, veteran advocate, and podcaster about his mental health journey, after he returned from serving in Afghanistan.

Additionally, we talk about the way therapy is depicted in the media, common mental traps that veterans face in regards to seeking mental health, the prevalence of PTSD in the industrialised world, the insidious nature of sanctuary trauma and the importance of just being present.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(1:59) - Watershed moment
(9:47) - Therapists in the media
(13:42) - PTSD in the industrialised world
(17:26) - Sanctuary trauma
(26:06) - You're still a fucking sprog
(32:53) - Embrace the suck

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 14 – I beat therapy and so can you!

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear therapist cardigans.

In today’s episode, we get into a new segment, called “Post-Game Analyses,” where we examine events that happened during our week, in therapy, or otherwise.

In Olivia’s case, we talked about how tempting it can be to intervene when she sees a child seemingly in distress, as well as the legal and ethical boundaries of doing such a thing. It turns out, you can’t simply suplex people who are appearing to mistreat their children.

In addition to explaining why you can't go Judge Dredd on seemingly-crappy parents, Olivia drops some incredible gems of wisdom and knowledge in here, as well as revealing how she regulates her emotions, in order to use her powers only for good.

Tanya discusses how she stumbled upon her latent Daddy Issues, and how frustrating it can be, to feel like there’s a whole new steaming pile of healing to wade through, after having done the work for so many years.

Lastly, we discuss the parallels between the BJJ and therapeutic journey, especially in how the work never stops, how prevalent the blue belt blues are, and how levelling up requires a solid foundation.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:26) - The sound of silence
(4:06) - Post-game analysis
(15:36) - Reframing the good parent/bad parent dynamic
(23:42) - Therapy/BJJ blue belt blues
(31:37) - Performance vs process-based outcomes
(36:12) - My inner children are black belts

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 15 – Combat, Based ft. Alan Shebarro | Part 2

Episode Summary

In part two of this episode with Alan Shebarro, we talk about topics such as the question of whether or not to seek a therapist who’s qualified in treating veterans, the healing that comes from saying nothing at all with people who get it, the paradox of how curious we are for the welfare of others, but not ourselves, and how the mask we wear can suffocate us.

Once again, we are honoured that Alan took the time to take his mask off and be vulnerable, all in the name of spreading the word of mental health awareness for veterans.

Resources

Alan on IG
WeDefy Foundation for veterans mental health

Topics discussed:

Post-traumatic stress symptoms and destructive patterns
How all-or-nothing thinking can be a hinderance, when it comes to daily life
How healing can happen without words
How being considered "badass" can get in the way of seeking help
The pitfall of the "Asset or Liability" mentality
Challenges veterans face in finding the right therapist

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(1:13) - Are you qualified?
(3:44) - King of the Hill
(12:13) - Compassion for oneself
(20:49) - High/Low
(26:02) - Closing remarks

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 15 – Combat, Based ft. Alan Shebarro | Part 1

Episode Summary

In part one of this episode, we sit down with Alan Shebarro, who's a Special Forces veteran and BJJ black belt and talk about his post-service journey towards both mental health healing and finding purpose.

Alan reveals when he realised that he carried mental scars from serving overseas, and how they impacted his daily life.

We hope this podcast gives insight to those who serve their country, and to echo Alan's words, to seek help sooner.

Resources

Alan on IG
WeDefy Foundation for veterans mental health

Topics discussed:

Post-traumatic stress symptoms and destructive patterns
How all-or-nothing thinking can be a hinderance, when it comes to daily life

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(4:50) - Prelude to rock bottom/li>
(15:15) - Ranger is the best boy/The Night
(24:42) - Asset or liability
(31:45) - Walker Booth, MSG

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Olivia Pruznick is a Licensed Professional Counselor who graduated with a Masters from Monmouth University, specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has over 5 years of experience working in the mental health field.

Tanya Lam is an unlicensed human being, just trying to go pro at mental health. In her off-time, she's an illustrator, designer, and photographer.

Episode 14 – Emotion is Lotion - Miles Pruznick | Pt. 2

Maxin' your relaxin'

Episode description

This is part two of our episode with Miles Pruznick, certified strength and conditioning coach, massage therapist, occasional strong man, bjj brown belt, and neurospicy kinesthetic adventurer. In this episode, we talk about the fragility narrative in both mental and physical wellness spaces, the benefits of pelvic floor therapy and breathwork, polyvagal theory, and the last segment, Miles answers a few of our listeners’ questions.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed by guests on this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast’s hosts, producers, or affiliated parties. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and seek independent professional advice before making any decisions based on the content discussed in this podcast.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:16) - Fragility narrative
(10:29) - Polyvagal theory
(18:55) - Ask Miles Anything
(24:40) - Question #2
(30:15) - Final remarks

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Dead Grandma's Society

What's a segue?

Episode Summary

Olivia and Tanya got together in early 2024 to recap all that happened over their hiatus. And boy, did things happen.

In this episode, we discuss:

What happens when your client is going through it, and how that impacts therapy.
Post-game analysis: How oftentimes, we just need someone with us, as we experience hardship.
What a mature client-therapist relationship can look like
Move of the day: That feel when you hit a therapy skill in real life.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(2:50) - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(5:16) - Therapy training wheels come off
(8:25) - Post-game analysis
(18:53) - Training wheels come off, pt. 2
(28:26) - Bad vibes only
(32:00) - Repression? Or just changing gears?
(34:00) - Move of the day
(44:28) - Empathy/Compassion
(45:54) - Ender's Game

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 13 – Emotion is lotion - Ft. Miles Pruznick | Pt 1

Maxin' your relaxin'

Episode description

This is part one of our episode with Miles Pruznick, a certified strength and conditioning coach, massage therapist, strongman, jiujitsu brown belt, and all around movement enthusiast.

Also, he’s Olivia’s brother.

In this episode we talk about his background, his experience with physical and mental healing after injuries had him sidelined for over a year, and how the healing journey for both body and mind look virtually identical.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:05) - Mile's background
(3:05) - Mind-body connection
(5:35) - Why do you stand funny on a basketball?
(8:13) - A year off of training
(21:07) - Mental health journey
(23:45) - First session
(33:11) - You can't heal what you hate
(36:14) - The buy-in
(43:56) - Brilliant at the basics

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Groundhog Day

Fuck, marry, kill: Waffles, pancakes, or French toast?

Episode Summary

In this episode, Olivia and Tanya get into what it means to build trust with others. Oftentimes, we want to fast-track intimacy, and that often ends in pain and hurt. Olivia explains how she applies Brené Brown's concept of the "Trust Marbles" into her real life, and they also get into the beauty that is small talk. We even play a game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill" with breakfast foods!

Lastly, Olivia answers some reader questions about confronting one's abuser, and how to combat loneliness.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(2:08) - Guanxi
(3:30) - The Trust Marble Jar
(13:40) - Fuck, Marry, Kill: Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast
(21:40) - AMA Question #1: Loneliness
(30:20) - AMA Question #2: Confronting your abuser

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co