Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick Podcast

Catastrophic events can trigger fight-or-flight responses, so steading ourselves and staying connected to grounding routines, such as meditation, therapy, and recovery, is essential, if possible, when responding to emergencies. Here is a list of Resources compiled by a Group of Los Angeles Therapists:As I write, the fires in Los Angeles continue to rage. I’ve canceled a trip home to New York City, even as I worry about my 94-year-old mother’s health. Over 100,000 residents are under evacuation orders, and this crisis is affecting everyone. Friends, patients, and neighbors are displaced, some with bags packed and emergency plans in place. At a 12-step meeting on Tuesday night I attended with a friend, several attendees—gathered in a virtual windstorm in Culver City—had just lost their homes and came seeking support to avoid relapse. It was a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. In a world where political leaders often deflect responsibility, these individuals—who faced struggles they could not overcome alone—embody Freud and Jung’s insights: the ego is not the center of our being but a part of something far greater, shaped by instincts, judgment, society, and, yes, even climate change. In psychology, we often call this "Higher Power" the psyche.Red flag warnings remain in effect for L.A. and Ventura counties, and new fires continue to threaten neighborhoods. This is no distant tragedy—over 10,000 structures have been destroyed, families have lost their homes and histories, and artists have seen their life’s work reduced to ashes. With rents already sky-high and recovery efforts hindered by an unsupportive administration, the road ahead will be long and challenging. Where will everyone go? How will they rebuild? The impact of this devastation will be felt for years to come.There are moments of calm—we had Obama, we have Biden. But I also remember the turbulence: the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and Harvey Milk, and the shadow of Vietnam. At 22, fresh out of Columbia College with a BA in English (and a thesis on Middlemarch—what was I going to do with that?), I faced a different storm. Close friends, not much older than me, began falling gravely ill. It was the dawn of the AIDS crisis, and we were already frightened by Reagan. His inaction on HIV led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. I cared for Michael Callen, the falsetto-voiced AIDS Diva and creator of Safer Sex Guidelines—a story you might find in Martin Duberman’s history books.I share this not just to claim my place in history not because I’ve endured hardship, but because I’ve witnessed it. Not sure what is worse, suffering or watching someone you love suffer. Whether what’s coming will be worse, I don’t know. The other night, I dreamed Adolf Hitler entered an elevator I was in—a relic from my Bronx childhood. He wore a tan uniform and could read my thoughts. I interpreted this terrifying dream (I woke in fright) as a confrontation with my inner split: the pull of my id (to be a child, to love, to hate, to be fully gay) and the condemning judgment of my superego. Even perhaps my capacity to do harm? But if one sees each aspect of the dream as reflecting an inner complex, could this be about my wholeness or ours? I’m reminded of a patient who recently said of his INNER child he had discovered in a DREAM, “I hate him.” After the initial shock for his brutal honesty, I congratulated him for uncovering and even illuminating the inner split that had drained him for much of his life. He responded, “I feel as if I have arrived in my life for the first time.”Perhaps our collective split from our inner nature explains why we’ve kept kicking Mother Nature’s warnings about the symptoms of a heating planet down the road. Maybe the right wing’s divisiveness will eventually turn inward towards the eating of its own—we’re already seeing cracks between the pro-deportation MAGA crowd and the Tesla guy’s faction. But whatever grim entertainment that spectacle abetted by the likes of Laura Loomer may provide, the deeper issue of splitting won’t be resolved unless we face it personally. For better or worse, this philosophy led me from street activism to clinical practice.Wholeness. Maybe that’s another way to say: “Psychology for the People.” We might be reminded of the story of the Round People, told by the playwright Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium. In the next few days, I will roll out a Podcast of Payton Young reading from his memoir, “Live for Today or Tomorrow,” which details what it’s like to be a 25-year-old Black man surviving a racist world and also a podcast with Krys Harrison, a comedian who gave a great interview about being a Black woman surviving therapy and two failed marriages. I will also share sneak previews and readings from my new book, “Gay Sex and Love: One Group Learns How to Heal Itself” (which includes a ribald reading of Plato’s Symposium), and my memoir, “Education of the Heart. " I will discuss how I am freeing myself from mainstream publishing this time to publish the book myself. I will create Stack Sections on “Health and Parenting,” “Gay Stuff,” “Self-Publishing,” and “Podcasts with Important People.”For those of you generous enough to support this work for a monthly subscription of $5 per month, I will Read to You, Talk to You about Your Writing, Answer your Psychological Questions on Relationships and Parenting, Offer Gay Guidance, and hold a monthly Zoom Session on and ALSO: provide these E-books: Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

Hello, friends. We’ll be exploring something that’s rarely discussed in the mainstream yet feels essential as we approach the election: the psychoanalytic roots of authoritarianism and fascism. This isn't just about politics; it’s about diving into the unconscious patterns, instincts, and fears that often drive us and even our leaders, shaping our societies in ways we may not realize. Later tonight, I will post a LECTURE on how psychoanalysis views fascism—and what we can do to change our Internal Structures (FREE POST)—and then a Small Group Discussion on Saturday from Noon-1:00 p.m. PST (PAID SUBSCRIBERS). The following Podcast details some “Food for Thought” before our Saturday NoonTeach-In.As Freud taught us with his free clinics, this ability to dig into the unconscious to address underlying aggression isn’t just for a few elite circles but should be available for everyone. The lack of accessible mental health resources—and the barriers to understanding our deeper selves—are part of a political and spiritual crisis that includes but also extends beyond capitalism and state power to the problem of evolution. When access to real help is limited — especially help that provides for psychoanalysis and the exploration of our unconscious motivations — we get farther from a society—and soul—rooted in empathy, truth, and justice.Psychoanalysis isn’t just traditional talk therapy. It’s the study of the unconscious and powerful because that self-study uncovers parts of us we may not even know are there. These parts emerge in our moods, dreams, fears, and habits – even the ones that logic and cognitive techniques like CBT can’t always resolve. The therapy I practice uses the unique relationship between the patient and therapist to reveal, process, and heal these deeper patterns. This involves bearing something we call “transference,” where old, unconscious expectations of others are placed onto the therapist, allowing us to gently, safely change the neural pathways that hold us back.So, why talk about this now? Because we’re in a time where authoritarianism is creeping back across the globe. Or said another way, we are experiencing the transference of child abuse’s tendency to make us into victims and abusers (perhaps as a cry for help). Political thinkers like Timothy Snyder have warned us that this isn’t just a problem for other places or people; it's a global and personal challenge. For over 70 years after WWII, nations have built democratic structures around shared values of liberty, and now, that stability is under strain. People are rightfully scared – we feel the stakes are high, and they are. However, perhaps the problem is that we have not yet created a Constitution to articulate the ideals needed to fight the Inner Despot and fashion an Inner Democracy of Free People and Feelings. This TEACH-IN is meant to provide context and resilience. No, our inner work alone may not change the election outcome – although depth psychological ideas suggest that personal transformation can ripple outward to affect the collective. At a minimum, understanding our unconscious fears and biases can ground us, helping us feel more at home and less vulnerable to manipulation by the “strong man” figures that authoritarianism depends on.When we get strong and know our own shadow, we build a stronger defense system against those who seek to control us by exploiting our fears. But suppose we do not face our shadows, where we hate ourselves and others. In that case, Fascism preys on the psyche’s dissociation and chaos, turning us into external “players” to manage our inner turmoil. When we do the work to know ourselves – integrating shadow and light – we resist this pull and take our place as agents of humanity’s evolution. In the words of 19th-century philosopher Nietzsche, we become “open people,” not in some false “superhuman” way, but as genuinely self-aware, resilient individuals.I’ll be hosting a free teach-in this Thursday, and on Saturday, I’m offering a small group discussion for paid subscribers. Together, we’ll explore how these forces live within us and what hope looks like today. At $6 a month, paid subscribers can access these monthly discussions and additional exclusive content, such as E-books, classes, and GROUP SEMINARS.As we go forward, let’s remember that voting is essential. But so does understanding why we’re vulnerable to authoritarianism. The roots of fascism lie in the psyche, in the unconscious. By exploring this terrain, we gain the power to resist for ourselves and future generations. I look forward to diving deep with you all.Let’s talk, let’s learn, and, as always, feel free to share your thoughts and questions. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

This is my first Substack Video. It's unscripted, and I have bad hair, but these are trying times. I thought I would give us something to think about this weekend. I am offering a new experience: Paid Subscribers get to experience a mini-course with me on the psychological roots of fascism. By Thursday at 3:00 p.m. PST—Halloween Eve—I will post an in-depth LECTURE as if I were giving a class at Antioch University, gathering some of the greatest psychoanalytic voices (Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, Herbert Marcuse; Jessica Benjamin; Fanny Brewster) on how the unconscious mind is structured as conflictual power centers. On Saturday, November 2, from Noon to 1:30 PST, I will host a Zoom for Paid Subscribers to discuss and process the lecture together! This could be a way of organizing! I hope you can come! I’d love to meet you!Tonight, I will share some ideas from the work of Alice Miller and Sándor Ferenczi.Key terms are “poisonous pedagogy” and “speaking in tongues.”For $6 per month, we will have at least one or two classes a month or topics of your choosing! Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

I’m thrilled to share my latest “Get Psychological” Podcast episode, featuring an insightful conversation with Payton Young. Payton, a 25-year-old Black man from Inglewood, started as my trainer six years ago, helping me get into my best shape. Over time, our relationship deepened, evolving into a unique bond where a Jewish gay therapist and a Black straight young man found common ground in mentorship and mutual growth. We’ve explored psychological principles like trauma, defense mechanisms, unconscious dynamics, and feltness, turning our differences into powerful tools for personal and shared transformation.This past year has been particularly challenging for Payton as he faced the devastating loss of his mother, grandmother, and father within a single month. These experiences pushed him to seek treatment and fully integrate and expand on the peer therapy we’ve engaged in over the years. Payton now carries a profound understanding of trauma, addiction, recovery, the unconscious, and god-consciousness—and being Black in America.This episode is just the beginning of what promises to be a compelling series. Stay tuned for more, and don’t miss our upcoming content by becoming a Paid Subscriber at $5 per month, more interviews, and us sharing our memoirs.Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast episode, I dialogue with psychotherapist Kellum Lewis about the newly disruptive election and its high stakes in a four-part series we will be holding. We envision this series to focus a psychological lens on the menace an authoritarian regime might pose for civic and psychic life in the challenging years ahead—and what can be done electorally and politically. We will explore psychoanalytic concepts to help analyze the mental structures that produce the authoritarian personality and fascist group-mindedness.The news, however, disrupted our plans. The day we were to talk, Biden announced he would step down as a candidate, and Harris galvanized the long-suffering democratic movement to unify (on a full moon in Capricorn). A mixture of exhilarating excitement and foreboding worry fell upon our conversation as we announced how we might roll out the next series.Kellum and I have known each other for 30 years. Our bond is rooted in the intersection of psychology, history, and activism, the amalgamation of which aims to change the world from the inside out and outside in. To honor this tripartite model of psychological illumination, we will share insights from the Netflix documentary series “Hitler and the Circle of Evil,” which combines shocking footage, academic commentary, and dramatic reenactments to identify the roots of the authoritarian impulse.This preparatory episode discusses Freudian and other ideas to introduce how the psyche is structured at this point in the civilization process to be exploited by fascist impulses unless individuals and collectives work on their dark sides for the sake of “inner emancipation.” Perhaps the profound “descent into the underworld” over the last month—which broke just as we began recording!—is an object lesson of learning how to work collaboratively with the dark side of the psyche rather than trample it, as authoritarians are wont to do.Thank you for reading and for your support. If you’d consider becoming a monthly supporter at $5 per month and $50 per year, this will help me produce more content and offer special talks and group meetings for paying subscribers.Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Substack Friends,I am excited to return to my podcasts after a brief time away. During this period, I established a writing retreat in Palm Springs and dealt with some family issues while continuing to visit LA once a week to see psychotherapy patients.I am excited to share regular Election Insights from a Psychological Perspective. Let me go out on a limb and introduce some edgy stuff as part of this roll-out. I have always been intrigued by the work of Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957), an Austrian doctor of medicine and psychoanalyst who was part of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. Reich authored several influential books, including "The Function of the Orgasm" (1927), "Character Analysis" (1933), and "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" (1933). Known for his notions of "orgone" and the "biologic core," Reich is regarded as one of the most outstanding analysts of the psychological conditions contributing to fascism and the authoritarian personality. He also highlighted ways we can work on ourselves to overcome these psychic tendencies.Your feedback and questions are invaluable to me. I am committed to making this podcast a platform for open dialogue and learning. Please feel free to ask me any psychology questions.Your support means the world to me. By becoming a paid subscriber at $5 per month or $50 per year, you will contribute to this platform's growth and validate the importance of the Psychological-Activist perspective. You will receive previews from forthcoming books and access to psychological forums and personal chats. I will be introducing these offerings in August. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

I’m thrilled to present my THIRD PODCAST, focusing on an analysis of the movie “All Of Us Strangers.” I shared some initial thoughts here and received much positive feedback a while back. Warning: I suggest skipping this PODCAST if you haven't seen the movie and don’t want spoilers. However, if you're curious about a perspective that views the film as celebratory rather than tragic, you're in for a treat.People are confused about who is alive, who is dead, who is real, who is dream material? No one is physically dead in this movie, yet everyone is spiritually alive. It’s a living dream that follows a gay man's journey into his psyche to discover his missing EROTIC HOT STUD half. To embark on this transformative night-sea journey, he must confront the inner homophobia represented by his INNER PARENTS OF THE GAY MIND, engaging in what Jungian psychology terms “ACTIVE IMAGINATION.”During this podcast, I'll share insights gained from working with gay patients over the past 30 years. Recently, a thriving gay man sought my help as he felt his life falling apart. He sensed the need to address unresolved family issues. This approach sees the GAY CHILD as a reservoir of promise and potential, albeit often stifled by societal pressures and bullying. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!If you want to explore this therapeutic approach and jump-start your journey, consider joining “Writing to Explore Our Gay Humanity” workshops starting April 6, Saturdays from 10:30 AM to Noon, priced at $22 per class. This returns me to my roots, as I began leading writing workshops 30 years ago at Highways Performance Art Space, which I co-founded. Register here for a creative and gay experience!Additionally, don't miss a free talk with Dr. Enrique Lopez on Gay Latino Soul as part of my “Community Psychology In Depth” series via Zoom on Wednesday, April 3, live from Antioch University, 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM. Register here for a thought-provoking community discussion! Your support means the world to me. If you enjoy the content, please consider becoming a paid subscriber at $5 per month or $30 per year. Also, watch for my upcoming third book: “Healing Gay Sex and Love: Group Therapy, Plato, and All Of Us Strangers Come Together!” Sign Up for News at My Website, www.askdrdougphd.com.Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Dr. Doug interviews longtime colleague, scholar, and neuropsychologist Dr. Enrique Lopez on matters related to being Mexican, gay, psychological, and his path of individuation.The Dynamic Duo reviews the monthly talks they are giving as part of Dr. Doug’s Community Psychology. The next one is on Wednesday, April 1. Enrique tells the moving story of his challenge to his parents not to return to Mexico when he was 16 to pursue a new and gay life. He also shares some poetry from key homosexual Mexican figures.Please follow this podcast, write with your feedback, and RSVP in person or via Zoom for the next installment of Doug and Enrique live at Antioch or via Zoom on Wednesday, April 3, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. It’s free. If you come in person, we’ll feed you lunch. And if you come by Zoom, you’ll get savory food for thought. RSVP by clicking here!Also, suppose you would like to jumpstart your writing or work with a group of creative, innovative gay people? In that case, I am returning to my roots as a Gay Writing Teacher in a Saturday morning Series, “Exploring Our Gay Humanity Through Writing, Reading and Self-Publishing.” Starting Saturday, April 6, 10:30 to Noon, $22 per class (or $80 for the full four classes of Module A). RSVP here: Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the Get Psychological Podcast, the number one place to grow in your weak areas, jumpstart your latent creativity, learn about your shadow side, and stop making more trouble in your relationships than is necessary.Also, how to view the world, watch movies, interpret politics, raise kids, and have better sex.In each episode, I will share knowledge about psychology, counseling theory, history, and the soul, provide inspiring stories, movies, books, and art, and offer up what I've learned about founding the nation's first LGBT specialization in clinical psychology at Antioch University.We'll interview others working in the community to improve the world and its psychological state.I'll give you a peek preview of the new books I'm writing, “Healing Gay Sex and Love,” and my memoir, “Education of the Heart.”The goal is to ignite your capacity to develop a unique identity, inspire self-direction, improve relationships, and develop your capacity for empathy while living in this very, very complicated world of today. Maybe we can stave off a replay of history’s shadow by becoming psychological.And for those of you who are geeks, I will do what I can to pour my knowledge about counseling theory and LGBTQIA psychology into your brains.In Episode #2, I'm so excited to share with you that I will be giving an interview with Dr Enrique Lopez, a colleague of mine for the last 30 years.We're going to talk about the basics of gay affirmative psychotherapy, and we're going to also talk about implications for the Latino population.We've been giving monthly talks at Antioch University, and we'll be doing one on, I believe, April 3rd. You can RSVP here.Also, check out my new “Exploring Our Gay Humanity Through Writing and Publishing Classes,” starting April 6, 10:30-Noon, $22 per class. You can RSVP here.Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber to receive regular installments of these Podcasts and to Support my work as I hope to launch a new career sharing my work over the last thirty years as a professor, psychotherapist, and author.Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

What makes for a “good mother?” And also, a not-so-good?It’s that time for many of us to go home for the holidays or reflect on family, including “mothers,” as our biological mother and the archetypal one who lives in the psyche. Thanks for listening to my first podcast on “Therapy for the People.” Please let me know what you consider to be a good or not-so-good mother and how you feel about the holidays. I’d love to hear from you.These podcasts form some of the musings for my new book, Therapy for the People. It’s about the integrated therapy model I’ve developed over the last thirty years as a psychotherapist, author, and as professor of clinical psychology at Antioch University and founder of the LGBT Specialization. It focuses on storytelling and recovering the lost figures created in early life but stuffed down by trauma and the demands of life.Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe

Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe