The Seize The Moment Podcast On Philosophy And Anxiety

Last week (or so), I appeared on the Seize the Moment video podcast, thanks to an invitation from Leon Garber (a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Psychotherapist, specializing in existential psychotherapy, who manages a blog exploring death, self-esteem, love, freedom, life-meaning, and mental health/mental illness) and Alen Ulman (who manages Ego Ends Now, a growing community for expanding consciousness about science, medicine, self actualization, philosophy and psychology.)

Leon and Alen were wonderful hosts; this led to an eclectic and wide-ranging discussion–which beginning from my essay at Aeon on anxiety, ranged over the following topics, as summarized by Leon and Alen:

The importance and utility of anxiety in self-discovery.
The influence our beliefs have on our perceptions and conceptions of the world.
Why emotional intensity should be redirected rather than suppressed.
The universality and inevitability of existential anxiety.
Human diversity and our inherent inability to fully capture an individual’s essence.
The fluctuating history of our understanding of mental illness.
How normality is used to sustain power structures.
Overcoming false dichotomies to see the strengths in our weaknesses and vice versa.
The sense of relief and freedom accompanying one’s acceptance of the inherent meaningless of the universe.

Do give the podcast a whirl, and please do leave comments and questions!