This is episode 4 of a 4-part special series on mental health with Stanford and Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Paul Conti, M.D. Dr. Conti explains what true self-care is and how our mental health benefits from specific self-care and introspection practices — much in the same way that our physical health benefits from certain exercise and nutrition habits. He describes how the foundation of mental health is an understanding of one’s own mind and the specific questions to ask in order to explore the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves. He describes how this process can be done either on our own, through journaling, meditation and structured thought, or in therapy with the help of a licensed professional. He also explains how unprocessed trauma can short-circuit the process and how to prevent that, and the role of friendships and other relational support systems in the journey of self-exploration for mental health. People of all ages and those with and without self-introspection and therapy experience ought to benefit from the information in this episode.

For show notes and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Self Care

(00:02:37) Sponsors: BetterHelp & Waking Up

(00:05:34) What is Self-Care?, Foundation, Self-Understanding

(00:13:18) Life Narratives

(00:15:24) Journaling, Self-Inquiry & Therapy

(00:24:41) Unconscious Mind, Salience & Journaling; Panic Attacks

(00:28:20) Self-Inquiry; Grief & Death

(00:33:23) Sponsor: AG1

(00:34:39) Self-Harm, Hopelessness & Therapy

(00:37:27) Apprehension of Unconscious Mind Exploration

(00:42:34) Mental Health Map: Cupboards, Agency & Gratitude, Generative Drive

(00:54:18) Structure of Self, Unconscious Mind, Abscess Analogy

(01:01:57) Exploring the Unconscious Mind, Curiosity, “Question the Givens”

(01:10:48) Conscious Mind Exploration; Self Curiosity, Busyness

(01:19:20) Exploring Defense Mechanisms, Character Structure

(01:24:54) Self & Character Structure, “Tending the Garden”

(01:32:45) Function of Self Cupboards

(01:35:50) Self-Awareness Exploration, Mirror Meditation

(01:38:34) Defense Mechanisms in Action & Self-Inquiry, Patterns

(01:47:15) Salience Exploration, Grounding Meditation

(01:52:37) Behavior & Self-Reflection; Phantom Driver Analogy

(02:00:14) Self & Strivings; Empowerment & Humility

(02:09:07) Challenges in Certain Life Domains

(02:17:49) Friendships & Support, Social Media

(02:23:50) Anger & Self-Care

(02:34:18) Self-Care & Challenges

(02:38:43) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

GUEST SERIES | Dr. Paul Conti: Tools and Protocols for Mental Health