Ideas on Mental Health & Meaning
“Wolverine Spirituality” in a World of “Toxic Masculinity”
The University of Michigan just won the National Championship in football behind their start quarterback, JJ McCarthy. JJ is a great football player in a world of great football players - 100's of them playing in the NCAA. But what set him apart recently, was his...
The Meaning in Alcohol, Cannabis, Psylocibin, Substance Use & Abuse
I've been reading a lot lately about the history of alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs - like the psychedelics ergot, psylocibin, & LSD - and their impact on the formation of modern civilization and the religions of today. Interesting, but heavy stuff. But not so...
Happy New Year!! Now What Will You Do With It?
Happy New Year!! New Year, NEW YOU, Right?!?! WRONG!!! You know we don't subscribe to that nonsense here at The Meaning Project or at The Viktor Frankl Meaning Academy. What about, new year, TRUE YOU? Or, there are a multitude of ways to use the beginning of a new...
Merry Christmas!!
I was thinking about this the other day - what if we took "Merry Christmas" with us into the new year? What if we saw people's genuine kindness and well-wishing in those words, rather than being offended they did not know our exact preference? What if we had more...
The Meaning in Holiday Traditions
Why do we do what we do during the holiday season? How do we choose where to spend our time and energy - what do we do with the resources we are given? Dr. Frankl wrote on the idea of 'traditions' - suggesting that traditions are diminishing and leaving us to feel...
The Meaning of The Season
What is the Meaning behind different celebrations during this time of year? Why do we celebrate different Christmas or Chanukkah traditions? What about other spiritual or cultural traditions today, or throughout history? In this episode of the podcast, my good friend...
Your Search for Meaning
Your Search for Meaning is the flagship course from The Viktor Frankl Meaning Academy scheduled to start in January 2024. This will be a 6-month program, working with the team of logo-philosophers from The Meaning Academy, to work through your personal journey to...
Meaningful Holiday Gift Giving
For the past 10-15 years, every year that I have been in private practice; I have written or recorded a "Holiday Gift Guide" on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Back when I started, I don't even think it was called "Cyber Monday" yet. In the beginning, it was a few...
Gun Violence and the Mental Health Industry’s Responsibility
This was definitely not a topic I ever intended to cover. However, when a good friend calls and says he needs your opinion for a paper he is writing - well, I decided to hit the record button to see where it went. And, in my opinion, it went pretty well. In this...
“Thank” Your Fear & Anxiety
The 12-Step industry says FEAR is "False Emotion Appearing Real". However, for many of us FEAR, and the related emotion ANXIETY, can feel VERY REAL. Sometimes, they can be debilitating. In this episode of the podacst, Dr. B. and I discuss the modern manifestion of...
Cold & Flu, Seasonal Affect Disorder, & Holiday Season
It's that time of the year again! The time when many of us clinicians get early morning calls to reschedule or cancel appointments due to "cold", "flu", or "feeling terrible", and we graciously accept so that we may keep those particular ailments out of our offices....
So Many Forms of “Addiction” and Compulsion & How the Three Pillars of Logotherapy Can Help
With everything growing so quickly at The Meaning Academy, Dr. B. & Dr. D. crossed paths and calendars this week, and somehow missed each other's schedule. So, after many weeks, I return to share a solo podcast!! I thought some recent research into Frank's "The...