Changeable Podcast

You are lived.Stuff occurs to you and you act on it, with very little input required by you.You see things. You know things.And, at the very same time that you’re being lived by life, your mind is narrating the whole thing in that opinionated way it often does. Your mind is making it all about you, telling you what should be happening, reminding you what did happen and what it means about you, and predicting what will happen.They are two separate events. You’re lived, and you think.When we look toward that fact that we’re lived, we see that a lot more.When we are tuned into the thinking mind, everything looks fragile, insecure, and scary. It looks like we have a lot of work to do. A billion choices to make. Tons of things to figure out, remember, and make happen.Your thinking mind makes it feel as if life is a riddle you need to solve. A puzzle you need to figure out so that you pass the test.It can’t be that difficult, can it?Here’s the link I mentioned in this episode to download a free copy of my book Being Human: https://www.dramyjohnson.com/beinghumanAnd here’s the link I mentioned about the upcoming workshop in Santa Monica: https://www.barbarapatterson.com/reset  The post EP50: We’re Lived. And then We Think. (Life is not a Riddle) appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

This episode is a little different than most.In this episode, I talk with Nicola Bird. And we’re not talking to you.Nic and I have a conversation, practitioner-to-practitioner, about what it’s like to do what we do. Our “jobs” are essentially to point people toward an invisible realm.To gently turn them away from the physical, psychological experience they are in—that might feel heavy and real and problematic—toward a space. A behind-the-scenes space where they are well and healthy, and where life and anxiety are not as they appear.Because we decided to purposely keep this conversation between the two of us, I think you’re likely to hear something new. (Sneaky, huh?)If you’d like to learn more about Nicola’s new book and what she’s up to, you can see that here: https://alittlepeaceofmind.co.uk/If you’d like to get a free pdf of my book Being Human, you can grab that here: https://dramyjohnson.com/beinghumanAnd if you’d like to come see me with Angus & Rohini Ross, Scott Kelly, and Barb Patterson in Santa Monica next month, you can see more about that here: https://barbarapatterson.com/reset  I’d love to meet you there! The post EP49: A Day in the Life of an Anxiety Coach with Nicola Bird appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

Our experience almost always looks like it’s about something, right?It looks to us like we think about stuff.We feel emotions over what happened or about what’s coming up.Human brains love stories. Human experience typically includes a logical storyline and a bunch of reasons for why we’re thinking and feeling the way we are.But how accurate is the “about”? What if I told you that the about part, comes after the fact?It’s not so much that you’re thinking about the upcoming trip, as that you’re thinking—first and foremost. Your thinking mind is wrapping its thought around the plot of an upcoming trip.Maybe that sounds the same as saying that you’re thinking about the upcoming trip, and in many ways it is the same, at least as far as your experience of it is concerned.But it’s also incredibly insightful and freeing to separate out the “about”. To see that we think and feel, always. And it’s not necessarily “about” what it appears to be about.You might see your experience in a whole new way after this episode.The post EP48: Your Experience isn’t About what it Appears to be About appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

It happens all the time.You hear something and your mind quiets. Maybe something falls away…a habit, a line of thinking, an obsession or worry is no longer there.Life looks and feels different and you’re thrilled. You’re changed! Cured! Fixed!And then--inevitably–thinking comes back.Why didn’t your insight last?!?If you’ve been there, this episode will help.Register for the free webinar about your midyear reset on June 12th, here: https://barbarapatterson.com/resetwebinar The post EP46: Why Your Insight Didn’t Stick appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

Horizontal change starts with what you know, and moves you toward a place you can see.jobs – central casting metaprime how to do a perfect burpee (plus, 2 next-level add ons)It’s linear. Incremental. Often effortful. Horizontal change is you bettering, or improving upon something.Vertical change isn’t about what you know and it doesn’t take you to some finish line you can currently see. It’s all about the “I don’t know”.Rather than coming about by effortful, incremental action steps, it’s a leap. Vertical change happens via insight, when you move from one consciousness to another.Horizontal is fixing; vertical is SEEING. Horizontal is personal; vertical is universal.Both types of change are awesome and we’re all experiencing both all the time. But what I’ve seen about vertical change is that we can have a lot more of it…like, a lot more of it….when we know about it. When we see that it’s possible and when we look toward how we work and what’s true of all people in a universal, impersonal way.I hope this episode opens you to a new level of curiosity about vertical leaps in your own life. And if you’d like to see much more about this, please join me at my US and UK workshops this year–Transformation Along the Vertical Dimension. I’d love to see you in Michigan or London this month for a truly vertical, insight-full couple of days.The post EP45: Horizontal vs. Vertical Change (and What They Mean for your Freedom) appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

In this episode of Changeable, Jack and I talk about how life is an illusion.What does that mean?Jack and I explore what this great illusion means for our opinions of ourselves, our relationships, our habits…even those glimpses we catch of ourselves in store windows (you’ll see what I mean).Especially listen when Jack talks about his center line…I love that part…how this new paradigm we share doesn’t KEEP us centered, but it pulls us back to center.There was so much good in this conversation with Jack. I floated through the rest of the day after recording this one, and I hope you will after listening.  Find out more about Jack Pransky here:  https://insideoutunderstanding.com/  The post EP44: Life is an…illusion? With Jack Pransky appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

What is health? What is wellbeing? How do you know if you’re healthy and well?Turns out, the way we answer those questions has huge implications for how well we feel.I talk with John El-Mokadem in this episode about massively expanding our concept of what health and wellness really are.We talk about how we can be well…we are well…despite what we’re feeling.How health and wellness do not necessarily equal the absence of pain or anxiety. They do not necessarily equal a “cure”, or an external change at all.Wellness is the space beyond experience.John speaks about these big issues so clearly, with so much compassion and understanding. I know you’ll hear something helpful in this episode.If you want to learn more about John, you can do that here. And if you are interested in the health course that John teaches with Karen DiMarco, I highly recommend checking that out. Their newest course begins in late May.  The post EP43: Being Well is Not the Same as Being Cured with John El-Mokadam appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

Harry claims that all problems in life come from overthinking.All problems? Really?I play devil’s advocate a bit in this one as we discuss the single, common source of all suffering. I love Harry’s personality and the way he talks about this understanding. He is fun and light and always puts the feeling first.I hope you enjoy this episode!Harry works in Native communities and does a lot of work with people in addiction. His book Evolution of Addiction Recovery shares how this new paradigm paints a very hopeful picture of the future of addiction treatment.  Harry also co-hosts the show Addiction, Alcoholism, and the Three Principles. The post EP42: Do All Problems in Life Really Come from Overthinking? appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

There are so many safety nets built into our human design.Seeing more about how we work…the forgiving, safe, self-correcting, can’t-be-damaged design we’ve all been blessed with…does a lot for us. But perhaps one of the most notable things it does is that it allows us to feel secure.When we feel secure, we are free. Free to feel what moves through us because we know that we bounce back naturally. Free to think what our mind thinks, because it’s not ‘ours’ anyway. Free to have a big, varied life; to try things, to fail at things, to mess up, to experiment.It’s a lot like being raised by loving parents who allow you to feel safe and unconditionally cared for. You are free to go off and explore, knowing there is always a ‘home base’ where you can return.Home base is in all of us. Seeing that makes being human a much bigger, richer experience.The post EP41: Having a Secure Attachment to Life appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.

Jen had trouble sleeping for a long time.  Seeing something about how her experienced worked helped...a lot.In this episode, Jen and I talk about some of the things she came to see about how her mind and body work, and the role the “insomnia” label played in her sleepless nights.Life is fluid. You aren’t an insomniac or any other label you might innocently slap onto yourself. Seeing the moment-to-moment nature of things can change so, so much.I love the depth and simplicity in the way Jen shares. At the end of our conversation she looked at me and said “I can’t believe I just shared all of that in 20 minutes!” It’s not complicated. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to see our way out of what we’re in, but solutions are always simple.You can see more about Jen here: http://www.jenlucas.us/sleep The post EP40: A New Look at Sleepless Nights with Jen Lucas appeared first on Dr. Amy Johnson.