That's one of the problems with phycology in general. Founders, and often even more the followers founders, believe their method is the best and the only one "good enough", while the approach should really be to use different teachings depending on the situation. For example: if it is true that cbt doesn't treat the root cause, it can still be really good. It might make you feel good enough to actually tackle the root course.

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Ok I won’t tell anyone else to think positive thoughts. I don’t want to go to jail.

Would you agree that being pro-choice is the most libertarian attitude to have, avoiding big government in your partner’s pants?

I've always wanted to ask this: why bother running? You know you're going to lose. Don't you have something better to do with your time?

In my experience when I see younger kids medicated I see a shift in personality for the worst. I work in healthcare and I wonder what your opinion on drugging kids is? Is it something you practice?

Wait, was it ever advertised as being able to heal it? Because I always knew that it's a coping mechanism.

What heals it is understanding where it comes from, psychosocially, and addressing it if possible.

I would look into Dr. Gabor Mate’s work. He was a doctor who decided to start looking at trauma, addiction and adhd. He himself had childhood trauma which imprinted into his body and he developed adhd. The Nazi’s were occupying Hungary and his mom was afraid he’d be taken so she gave him to a stranger to take care of him. He was a child and it was traumatic for him not to have his mother. He has so many talks and books which are very enlightening.

No, you’re not the subject matter expert. Out here you’re might misinforming people, and giving unqualified advice like you’re an licensed therapist; which you haven’t proven you are. Is not only unethical, but also ilegal in many countries. So please, stay in your lane and let the qualified expert speak. Just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean its a valid one.

I would look at Gabor Mate’s work on this. He is superb and is the real deal. He has a beautiful documentary “the wisdom of trauma”

Relax. It’s ok for people to have a conversation. OP can still respond.

Hello Dr. Lee. I am a psychology student who is applying to schools that have an emphasis in trauma and a lab with psychedelic work. Are there any books you recommend? I’m in love with biopsychology and the effects it has on the bodily systems. It’s amazing how much reoccurring stress can cause. I know this first hand as I have c-ptsd and a myriad of chronic illnesses which have made me disabled. Also, I have experienced so many micro aggressions while trying to join research labs and see that academia is very able bodied and prefers white males. Would you say it’s hard for a woman in academia?

Are you the subject matter expert?

😂 ok I’ll allow OP to answer

When do you answer these questions and queries?

Can we let the OP doing the AMA answer this instead? Thank you.

Do you think psychedelics are worth it for some individuals?

Thank you - Bob's Burgers also helps, but is not always available

I would rather live a long happy healthy life than “see reality”. If someone I cared about was pessimistic I would try to convince them to change their outlook so that they don’t die as soon.

Yes definitely. Most of your thought patterns are just habits. You can change your mental habits through repetition. One of the simplest forms of this is repeating a phrase.

Find a few triggers that will remind you to repeat a positive phrase (silently or out loud it doesn’t really matter). The triggers might be every time you brush your teeth, every time you notice yourself feeling stressed, while you’re in the shower, before and after sleep, and every time you check Reddit instead of working.

Every time these triggers happen, take a moment to repeat your phrase. It can be something like “I’m feeling really happy and optimistic” or “I’m pretty sure everything is going to work out great” or “I am so happy because of all the great things going on in in my life”. Smile really big and maybe do a big fake jolly laugh if you can.

It doesn’t matter if you actually believe these things or not. Simply thinking them trains your mind to be optimistic. It gets into the habit of thinking these positive thoughts.

This same thing works for all kinds of negative thought patterns. Whatever you wish your brain would think, just force it to think that a bunch of times on purpose and after a few weeks of training it will just be your genuine default thought pattern.

Yes. Everything said there reads like "study finds wealthy people have more stuff"

Hi Dr Lee! I have hypomania, which has a wonderful side effect of keeping me positive most of the time. I also take care to try not to stress about anything as much as possible. I keep trying to tell my friends that being positive and stress free gives me both longevity and better quality of life, long term, and that they should actively try to do the same. I know that stress can cause averse health consequences, but does a lack of stress cause "slower aging", for lack of a better term?

How does a psychiatrist use data that requires the individuals they're studying to be honest? How can a psychiatrist prove the people that their data is based on to tell the truth so that their data is as accurate as possible? If a psychiatrist can't do this, doesn't that mean that they're making educated guesses and assumptions?

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Thank you for this question. It is wonderful that you are trying to help others. Often times, especially when people are in distress, they may not be ready to change their way of thinking. When we offer a different way to think, the implicit message is that their way of thinking is not good (even if you don't mean it and are well-intentioned) - that may come off as judgmental and create additional distress for the recipient. Know that it is already a gift by being present, available, and expressing that you understand their difficulties.