Practical Tools for a Less Anxious Life - Donald Robertson - #1050
Modern Wisdom
Learning Defusion and Postponement Skills
Donald discusses cognitive defusion, third‑person framing, and the coaching needed to master postponement techniques.
Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, an author and an expert on ancient philosophy.
Why are we so anxious in the safest time in human history? Our brains evolved for real danger, predators, hunger, survival, not notifications and deadlines. So what are the modern tools for calming our primitive nervous system in a modern world? And is the answer something our ancestors already knew?
Expect to learn what Donald wishes more people knew about anxiety, how it works and what causes it, how CBT might be the best therapy to combat chronic anxiety, what the main problem with the major psychoanalytic theorists is, why CBT is just a modern extension of Stoicism, why modern American culture has become extraordinarily passive aggressive, how people can keep their life in alignment with their values and much more…
Timestamps:
(0:00) How Anxiety Actually Works (15:40) Is Self-Help Actually Helpful? (25:55) Why Avoidance Makes Anxiety Worse (39:22) Useful Skills to Tackle Your Anxiety (48:47) Top Down vs Bottom Up: What’s the Best Approach? (01:03:08) Were the Stoics the Original Psychotherapists? (01:11:14) Why People Fear Exposure Therapy (01:26:42) Should We Prioritise Targeting Anger? (01:41:01) Why Donald Quit Psychodynamic Therapy (01:52:24) Where to Find Donald
Sponsors:
See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals
Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10)
Get up to $50 off the RP Hypertrophy App at https://rpstrength.com/modernwisdom
Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom
Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom
Extra Stuff:
Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom
Episodes You Might Enjoy:
#577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins
#712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson
#700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: lnkfi.re/SN-Huberm
-
Get In Touch:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast
Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact
-
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The AI-powered Podcast Player
