Podcast Summary: NCE Study Guide

Host: Glenn Ostlund
Episode: Calm Confidence: A 28-Day Meditation Journey for NCE Mastery
Date: September 16, 2025

Overview

This episode introduces listeners to a unique approach to preparing for the National Counselor Exam (NCE): a 28-day meditation journey designed to reinforce counseling knowledge while fostering calm confidence. Host Glenn Ostlund explains how the blend of content review, meditation, and innovative audio techniques can transform the study process into a deeply restorative experience. The episode serves as a guided orientation to the meditation series, helping listeners understand its purpose, structure, and how to engage for maximum benefit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Purpose and Structure of the 28-Day Meditation Series

• Glenn describes the creation and intention behind the meditation modules for NCE preparation.
  • Quote:
    "This 28-day meditation series is designed to prepare you for the National Counselor Examination in a way that is both effective and deeply calming." — Glenn Ostlund [01:12]
• Each session incorporates content review on essential counseling topics—ethics, confidentiality, supervision, multicultural competence, assessment, diagnosis, and therapy—interwoven with gentle, imagery-based meditation.
• The use of "Theta State Audio techniques" supports memory retention, focus, and deep relaxation.

2. The Philosophy of Learning through Meditation

• Glenn encourages listeners to approach studying as an act of presence, not pressure:
  • Quote:
    "Here, learning is not rushed. It is integrated with warmth, safety, and compassion guiding every step." — Glenn Ostlund [03:14]
• The meditations aim to reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality and clarity, and transform the NCE prep into a self-care practice.

3. Nervous System Reset and Guided Experience

• Glenn invites listeners to pause and experience the first moments of calm, underscoring the importance of rest in effective learning.
  • Quote:
    "Think of this as a way of befriending your nervous system." — Glenn Ostlund [06:05]
• He normalizes both calm and distraction, reassuring listeners that the meditation meets them where they are.

4. How Binaural Audio Enhances Study

• Headphones are required to perceive the binaural beats (174Hz in one ear, 180Hz in the other), creating a 6Hz theta state:
  • Quote:
    "Theta is twilight, the space between waking and sleeping. Perhaps you felt it just before dreaming… when thoughts loosen and images float." — Glenn Ostlund [08:10]
• Glenn explains the science behind theta waves and their benefits for relaxation, memory, and emotional regulation.

5. Dynamic and Interactive Listening

• Audio texturing (voices moving left-to-right, varied speeds) is intended to engage focus and simulate how clarity emerges from chaos.
• Meditative sound art is described as "a kaleidoscope of patterns, like a Rorschach inkblot of musical notes," inviting a playful attitude toward learning.

6. Evidence-Based Therapeutic Influences

• The meditations draw on Mindfulness, CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Hypnotic Language.
• Glenn is transparent about the distinction between this series and formal psychotherapy:
  • Quote:
    "What this is… is a creative practice, a wellness resource, an invitation to calm, to reconnect with values, to reflect and reset. What this is not: this is not psychotherapy, medical treatment, or a substitute for counseling, medication, or crisis care." — Glenn Ostlund [13:45]
• Listeners are encouraged to reach out to licensed professionals if they are struggling or uncomfortable.

7. Embracing the Study Practice

• Listeners are reminded to trust their own pace; some days are calmer than others, and both experiences are valid and welcome.
  • Quote:
    "The nervous system learns in spirals, circling, returning, resetting. Trust your own pace." — Glenn Ostlund [16:19]
• Glenn closes with a gentle reset and invitation to return awareness to the present, underscoring the message that growth is a process of “rewiring, not fixing.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “You are in control. You are always in charge. If something doesn’t feel right, pause, skip or stop.” — Glenn Ostlund [06:30]
• “As you listen, you may notice thoughts stretching like taffy or flexibly opening in body and mind. You and the sound shape one another, harmonizing together.” — Glenn Ostlund [11:40]
• “I use these meditations myself. They bring me back to center, to what matters. I’m not asking you to believe my words, but to notice your own. This is where the real reset begins.” — Glenn Ostlund [15:07]
• “Because you’re not broken, just rewiring. Always, even long after the this sound fades.” — Glenn Ostlund [17:24]

Important Timestamps

• [01:12] Introduction to the 28-Day Meditation Series for NCE study
• [03:14] Explanation of integrated, compassionate learning
• [06:05] Guidance on how to use the meditations (nervous system reset)
• [08:10] Science and purpose of binaural audio (theta state)
• [11:40] Meditative audio description and self-awareness
• [13:45] Differentiating meditation from psychotherapy and crisis care
• [15:07] Personal reflection and listener empowerment
• [16:19] Encouragement to trust personal learning pace
• [17:24] Episode close and affirmation of growth process

Final Thoughts

Glenn’s episode offers a practical and compassionate resource for NCE exam preparation, merging study with self-care through innovative meditation and focused review. By inviting listeners to slow down, reflect, and anchor knowledge with calm presence, the series supports both academic success and personal wellbeing.

Access to the full 28-day guided series is available on Patreon (see show notes for the link). Glenn encourages listener feedback and connection for future development.