Join Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (aka Cody and Dan) as they discuss the various levels of mindfulness and the effects that consistent mindfulness have on the default mode network, attention control, and emotion regulation. Evidence suggests that there are immediate positive effects on mindful meditation practices but, further, that effects on long term chemical interactions in the brain and on brain structures occurs with consistent participation. Learn more about some of those specific effects and what you can expect with consistent participation in mindful meditation practices.

Join Maverick and Goose (aka Cody and Dan) as they explore attachment theory. Maverick and Goose look at the definitions of attachment theory, introduce John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth as early developers and contributors, define the various attachments styles, and summarize how to utilize your awareness of your attachment style.

Helpful Attachment Quizzes:
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079587715/whats-your-attachment-style-quiz

https://www.verywellmind.com/attachment-style-quiz-7562460

Resources:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9547888-attached

Join Click and Clack (aka Cody and Dan) as they explore the difficult topic of grief to open up 2024. This episode has special guest Dorrie Beckley, LPC, join Click and Clack to provide clinical examples and expertise. The history of stages of grief, ideas about meaning making, and strategies for coping with grief are introduced. Lastly, don't tune out too quickly as Dorrie concludes this episode with a poem entitled "December, Good Company"

December

On the days when it all feels heavy
When the inner swirl matches the December bleak
I feel adrift
My gaze,
untethered.

Although not alone,
And often in good company,
gratitude will not bring back the things that have disappeared.
When grief and loss are real, too
What then?

I walk along the forested path
of tall straight Ponderosa Pines.
I come upon a slanted one
maybe 15° off a direct line to the sky.

I approach this slanted tree
Like an old friend
With a smile and a longing.

I lay my weary bones to it.
As my belly softened to the butterscotch bark
I turn my cheek to rest,
and my ears to listen.

Of course this tree here does not speak,
but we understood each other.
Maybe words fail anyway,
when it comes to grief.
And perhaps being simply held
here
today
On this gray, breathless morning
is the language of love and loss.

I smile again.
I hear the birds and squirrels scuffling about
More good company.
The mourning dove takes flight
again.

Dorrie Beckley, 2023

Join Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key (aka Cody Bayles and Dan Phillips) as they discuss defense mechanisms, the often unconscious strategies people use to protect themselves from distressing thoughts or feelings. Jordan and Keegan explore the early history of concepts around defense mechanisms, different types of commonly used defense mechanisms, and strategies for becoming aware of our defense mechanisms and how to use that information.

Join Colin Jost and Michael Che (aka you pick who is who) as they explore the burgeoning field of Ecopsychology. This episode is an introduction to what is a growing and multifaceted discipline exploring humans interdependence with the rest of nature and the implications for identity, health, and well-being. Colin and Michael provide a brief history, an overview of 8 core principles defined by Theodore Roszak, and 3 actions described by Andy Fisher. This episode provides a launchpad for further exploration into how our psychology is interconnected with all that is around us.

You won't want to miss this episode as Bea Arthur and Betty White (AKA Cody Bayles and Dan Phillips) cover the important intricacies of breath. Bea and Betty introduce how important breath work is for Wim Hof in his feats of endurance and how learning to control his breath and his physiology has led to improved well-being despite some difficult life experiences. Bea and Betty then address how changes in diet and norms over the course of time have compromised full, deep breathing. Lastly, strategies for how to assess your own breath and improve breathing are covered.

Take a quiz to gauge how well you are breathing:

• https://www.thebreathingiq.com

Apps that provide guided breathing exercises:

• UCLA Mindfulness: https://www.uclahealth.org/ucla-mindful
• ACT Coach: https://www.uclahealth.org/ucla-mindful

James Nestor addressing questions related to breathing:

• https://www.mrjamesnestor.com/faq

Join Maverick and Goose (AKA Cody and Dan) as they dip into flow. First and foremost, many thanks to all those working on the fires in an around Flagstaff! After expressing gratitude to those first responders, Maverick and Goose introduce Mihalyi Czitksentmihalyi, the psychologist who coined the term and concept of flow. Have you ever been so engaged in an activity that it felt like time slipped away and you felt absorbed by the activity and the elements of the activity? You may have been in a flow state. Maverick and Goose define flow, discuss the factors that correlate with a flow state, outline the benefits of flow, and discuss how to achieve a flow state for yourself.

Find out more about flow at the link below:
https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-flow/