PODCAST · society
ISSUE
by Jan-Willem Dikkers
ISSUE explores awareness, emotion, and integrity — how we stay connected to what’s real in a culture built on distraction. The episodes grow from themes that surface in therapy, dialogue, and reading, through the use of emerging creative technologies.
Episodes
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DISCUSSION: Seen and Unsafe: How Visibility Triggers the Wounds We Haven’t Healed
"Seen and Unsafe: How Visibility Triggers the Wounds We Haven’t Healed" explores the complex, often negative reactions people have to others' bold self-expression as a reflection of their own unresolved trauma. Discomfort with overt displays—whether sexual or creative—frequently stems not from...
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DISCUSSION: Stop Living for Tomorrow
We outline a philosophy of internal architecture, arguing that true well-being is a daily practice rather than a destination reached through future achievements. By contrasting the trap of constant busyness—often used as a coping mechanism to avoid stillness—with the power of grounding and...
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DISCUSSION: When the Ego Takes Over
We explores the psychological transition from a life governed by the ego’s survival instincts to one led by the authentic higher self. We frame the ego not as a flaw, but as a protective mental structure that relies on outdated safety strategies because more integrated ways of being were never...
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DISCUSSION: The Psychology of Certainty: How Fear, Identity, and Grief Shape Our Beliefs
The Psychology of Certainty explores how seemingly rigid beliefs are often defensive responses to unprocessed fear, shame, and grief. The central argument is that when people feel overwhelmed or their core identity is threatened, they retreat into simplified worldviews to maintain a sense of…
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DISCUSSION: Small Inner Shifts
We outlines a transformative approach to global change that begins with internal nervous system regulation rather than external reaction. By prioritizing grounding and presence over fear-driven responses, individuals can interrupt cycles of chaos and influence the emotional field of those around...
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DISCUSSION: When Fixing Replaces Feeling
We explore the profound psychological impact of the presence gap, a phenomenon where children are safely protected and loved but lack emotional attunement from their caregivers. We argue that when parents prioritize fixing over feeling, they inadvertently bypass the child’s need for emotional...
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DISCUSSION: Avoiding the Empathy Trap
We explore the critical transition from empathy to compassion, warning that absorbing another person’s pain creates an empathy trap where both individuals become emotionally overwhelmed. We outline a framework for emotional anchoring, suggesting that while empathy serves as an initial doorway to...
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What Keeps Emotional Pain Alive: Avoidance and Meaning-Making
We all carry pain that runs deeper than words—pain from moments too overwhelming to process when they first occurred. Often, this pain doesn’t scream. It waits. Buried in the body and nervous system, it surfaces when we least expect it—often as anxiety, shame, grief, irritability, or a vague…
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DISCUSSION: What Keeps Emotional Pain Alive: Avoidance and Meaning-Making
Emotional pain persists primarily due to two common, yet counterproductive, strategies: avoidance and meaning-making. We explore how buried pain, originating from overwhelming past experiences, resurfaces as distressing sensations, and how our natural impulse is to avoid these feelings through...
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DISCUSSION: Discomfort is Not the Enemy
We advocate for consciously embracing physical and emotional discomfort as the primary mechanism for personal growth and nervous system regulation. Rather than relying on intellectual insight or avoidance, the material emphasizes that true healing requires intentional action and the willingness…
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DISCUSSION: Their Mask Your Grief II
We explore the psychological burden and hidden virtues of being someone who cannot easily adopt a social mask in a world that rewards performative charm. We reframe the resentment and grief felt toward “effortless” socializers not as a character flaw, but as a valid response to the unfairness of…
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DISCUSSION: Their Mask Your Grief
We examine the psychological distinction between longing and intimacy, explaining why the intense ache of pursuit is often mistaken for genuine love. While longing is organized around absence and the projection of meaning onto unavailable partners, intimacy is built on the sustained presence and...
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DISCUSSION: Why Blaming Parents Is Sometimes the First Step Toward Healing
We explore how the path to emotional healing often necessitates the act of acknowledging and placing blame for childhood wounds onto parents, rather than beginning with immediate forgiveness. The central argument is that difficulties faced by adults, such as low self-worth or anxiety, stem from...
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DISCUSSION: Why Longing Feels Live Love
We examine the psychological distinction between longing and intimacy, explaining why the intense ache of pursuit is often mistaken for genuine love. While longing is organized around absence and the projection of meaning onto unavailable partners, intimacy is built on the sustained presence and...
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DISCUSSION: Navigating a World in Crisis: A Spiritual Perspective on Chaos, Power, and Hope
"Navigating a World in Crisis: A Spiritual Perspective on Chaos, Power, and Hope," serves as a grounding reflection for individuals overwhelmed by systemic instability and societal decline. We explore how the current global turmoil is rooted in a deep imbalance and the illusion that power is…
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Weekly Update 2/20
The most persistent struggle showing up across sessions right now is the gap between deciding to get better and having the capacity to act on it. Basic functioning stays offline — energy, self-care, motivation — while practical pressures pile on top: unpaid work, housing uncertainty, legal costs,...
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Weekly Update 12/17
This week, a recurring theme is how easily anxiety and overwhelm escalate when the body is already stretched thin. Sleep disruption, health stress, and performance pressure amplify emotional reactions before anyone realizes what’s happening. Across sessions, there’s a growing recognition that...
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DISCUSSION: The Man in the Sky
We explore the exhaustion inherent in clinging to traditional, flawed concepts of God—such as the punitive judge or the cosmic vending machine—which fail to align with observable reality and ultimately intensify suffering. Many coping mechanisms, from addiction to people-pleasing, follow a...
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DISCUSSION: The Man in the Sky: Addendum
As an addendum to "The Man in the Sky", we offer practical triage for readers struggling with concepts like acceptance in the face of suffering. Individuals facing hardship are "actively on fire," attempting to evaluate life's value while overwhelmed by pain and destructive coping mechanisms.…
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Weekly Update 12/06
This week’s sessions echoed a deep tension: the fear that our needs might push others away. Clients shared how quickly self-doubt or shame can take over, especially when trying to navigate closeness without losing themselves. But again and again, we saw how slowing down created room for clarity....
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Weekly Update 11/26
This week, many clients found themselves wrestling with emotional reactivity in relationships—trying to stay present even when they felt dismissed, overwhelmed, or flooded with shame. Others noticed how hard it was to stay grounded without external reassurance, especially when loneliness or...
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DISCUSSION: Economic Democracy: How to Move Beyond Capitalism
We explore economic democracy as a structural alternative to capitalism, asserting that the current system is defined by exploitation and extraction where wealth flows upward at the expense of people and the environment. The core idea is that the economy should serve life, not the other way…
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Weekly Update 10/27
This week, many sessions circled around emotional overwhelm, disconnection, and the tension between action and pause. Clients named how exhausting it can be to care deeply or show up consistently when outcomes remain uncertain or when their effort goes unseen. Beneath frustration, there was often...
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Weekly Update 10/20
Across this week’s sessions, emotional burnout, relational confusion, and identity tied to achievement stood out as key struggles. Many clients named the toll of over-functioning or romantic uncertainty, especially when self-worth was shaped by performance or connection. A core theme was...
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DISCUSSION: The Doing Trap: Achievement as Emotional Avoidance
We explore the concept of the "Doing Trap," and how modern achievement culture is fundamentally a system of emotional suppression disguised as ambition. The central thesis is that relentless productivity and the "performance mandate" function as an avoidance strategy, allowing individuals to bury...
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DISCUSSION: Trusting the Shift
We explore the profound commitment to personal alignment, and how choosing internal integrity over external comfort is the only path that will not betray you. Pursuing alignment may involve short-term disruptions, such as letting go of misfitting jobs, relationships, and identities, these...
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Weekly Update 10/13
This week, many sessions revealed the cost of over-functioning—taking on too much in order to feel valuable, needed, or emotionally safe. Without clear limits, this role leads to depletion, emotional confusion, and disconnection from self. Several clients explored what it means to let go. When...
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Weekly Update 10/5
Weekly Update Series, highlighting top struggles, lessons, breakthroughs, and more. This week carried a thread of exhaustion meeting awareness. Across sessions, people described pushing through fatigue, holding impossible standards, and realizing that effort alone can’t guarantee peace. Naming...
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DISCUSSION: Rethinking SSRIs: A Critical Look at Long-Term Use, Efficacy, and Impact
"Rethinking SSRIs: A Critical Look at Long-Term Use, Efficacy, and Impact" challenges the widespread practice of prescribing Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) for long periods, highlighting that there is limited long-term research supporting their extended efficacy. We scrutinize…
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DISCUSSION: Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Collapse: Why Opting Out Isn’t Enough
We explore why individual efforts to "opt out" of AI, while potentially offering personal clarity, are ultimately insufficient to address the rapidly escalating environmental toll caused by the technology’s physical infrastructure. The core environmental harm is driven not just by initial model...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
ISSUE explores awareness, emotion, and integrity — how we stay connected to what’s real in a culture built on distraction. The episodes grow from themes that surface in therapy, dialogue, and reading, through the use of emerging creative technologies.
HOSTED BY
Jan-Willem Dikkers
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does ISSUE have?
ISSUE currently has 38 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is ISSUE about?
ISSUE explores awareness, emotion, and integrity — how we stay connected to what’s real in a culture built on distraction. The episodes grow from themes that surface in therapy, dialogue, and reading, through the use of emerging creative technologies.
How often does ISSUE release new episodes?
ISSUE has 38 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to ISSUE?
You can listen to ISSUE on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts ISSUE?
ISSUE is created and hosted by Jan-Willem Dikkers.
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