Best Rowan Mackey Podcasts (2024)

1
The Basics of Anger Management 59:38

2M ago59:38

59:38

Chris and Rowan continue their series on the themes related to domestic violence. This week we are discussing anger and anger management. Anger is a part of life and we will never be able to fully escape being angry, but there are many things we can do to ensure that our anger doesn't become harmful to ourselves and those around us.…

1
Dealing with Conflict 1:01:31

2M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Chris and Rowan begin a three-part series on some of the themes related to domestic violence. In this first episode, we will be looking at how to manage conflict in a healthy way.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Making Therapy More Flexible 1:05:05

2M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Chris and Rowan discuss how therapists can individualise therapy with their clients through a process that mirrors the process of evolution. We discuss how people can vary their approaches, sometimes in novel ways, to get the most out of therapy and maintain their wellbeing beyond any mental health challenges they have faced.…

1
The Role of Meaning in Mental Health 1:11:21

3M ago1:11:21

1:11:21

Chris and Rowan discuss the role of meaning and purpose in mental health and modern psychology. We talk about how positive psychology has reintegrated the importance of meaning and purpose into the field of psychology and how some of the latest research has backed up the importance of meaning for our mental well-being. We look at why meaning and pu…

1
From Surviving to Thriving with Dr Ken Harris 1:05:59

3M ago1:05:59

1:05:59

Chris and Rowan speak with Dr Ken Harris. Ken is an author, educator, keynote speaker, lecturer and chiropractor, as well as the lead author of the book Second Chances - From Surviving to Thriving, which included a chapter written by Chris. Ken has spent decades dedicated to the exploration, understanding and promotion of the mind, body, spirit con…

1
Logotherapy and the Search For Meaning 1:03:53

4M ago1:03:53

1:03:53

Chris and Rowan discuss the contribution of Victor Frankl to psychology. Frankl is the founder of logotherapy, a therapy approach that focuses on meaning. We discuss Frankl's life and the experiences that he had that led to his ideas, including spending time in 4 different concentration camps during the Second World War, and why Frankl's ideas are …

1
Part 2 - Socrates to Stoicism - Modern Meaning from Ancient Greece 1:03:03

4M ago1:03:03

1:03:03

Chris and Rowan finish off the series on ancient Greek philosophy with a look at how stoicism developed out of Socrates' practices in ancient Athens. We look at the cynics and their influence on the stoics and their ideas ideas including the fundamental principle in modern psychology that we are not disturbed by things, but by our view of them.…

1
Socrates to Stoicism - Modern Meaning from Ancient Greece 58:18

5M ago58:18

58:18

Chris and Rowan look back at some of the philosophers from Ancient Greece and how their ideas relate to modern psychology. In this episode, the first part of a two-part series, we look at the ideas of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus and relate their ideas to modern psychology, which has translated many of these ancient ideas into a modern c…

1
Stoicism: The Seeds of Psychological Therapy 45:08

5M ago45:08

45:08

Chris and Rowan discuss how stoic philosophy is related to modern psychology principles and how we can benefit from drawing upon stoic philosophy as we face different challenges in our lives. This is the first of several episodes on stoic philosophy and how it relates to modern psychologyBy Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Snippets About Stoicism and Psychology 29:56

6M ago29:56

29:56

Chris is away for the first podcast of the year and so Rowan will be taking you back through some of our previous episodes on stoic philosophy as an introduction for the next few episodes, which will also cover the topic of stoic philosophy. These snippets will look at how Tim Beck and Albert Ellis used stoic principles to inform their therapy appr…

1
Christmas - A Season of Suffering for Some 50:06

7M ago50:06

50:06

For many of us, Christmas is a joyful time of the year when we catch up with family and friends, but for some people who've experienced childhood abuse or neglect, Christmas doesn't represent the merry, joyful time of the year that it does for many others. In this special Christmas podcast, Chris and Rowan discuss how people can navigate some of th…

1
Bolstering Wellbeing - Three Tips from Top Psychologists 58:20

7M ago58:20

58:20

This week, after Chris spoke to a number of his friends who are also psychologists, we discuss three things that can bolster well-being if they're included in a recipe for mental health. Those three things are: play, belonging and volunteering.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Learning How to Sting 23:29

7M ago23:29

23:29

Chris and Rowan discuss the idea of learning how to sting. Stinging is when we go through a negative experience, and we let ourselves experience some of the negative emotions to motivate ourselves to ensure that it doesn't happen again. We discuss how we can leverage a negative experience and turn it into a more positive outcome in the future.…

1
Temporary to Transformative - Types of Change 54:32

8M ago54:32

54:32

Chris and Rowan discuss the three different types of change and how we can bring about meaningful, long-lasting change in our lives. The three types of change are incremental change, where we might eliminate or introduce a behaviour bit by bit, pendulum change, where we may act differently for a period of time and later revert back to our original …

1
Creative Approaches to Mental Health Support 54:32

8M ago54:32

54:32

In a slightly different podcast this week, Chris and Rowan share a recording from a webinar that we did for the Art of the Minds festival in Geelong. The theme of the presentation was creative approaches to mental health support. As so much of psychology has traditionally been one-to-one therapy we look at some different ways of accessing mental he…

1
Your Active Approach to Mental Health 32:33

9M ago32:33

32:33

Chris and Rowan discuss the idea that we will each have our own unique recipe for mental health and we will each need to find an authentic and effective way of maintaining our mental well-being that works best for us. In this episode, we discuss how you can go about finding your own unique recipe for mental health, even when you're not feeling the …

1
Becoming Unstuck - Change it, Accept it, or Leave 59:47

9M ago59:47

59:47

Chris and Rowan discuss the three coping alternatives for problem situations. If we come across a prolonged difficult situation, we are faced with three choices, to change it, to accept it or to leave. This seems like a simple notion on the surface, but it comes up in around 10% of therapy sessions. We discuss how we can apply these ideas as well a…

1
Demystifying Adult ADHD with Dr Ozgur (Oz) Yalcin 1:17:56

10M ago1:17:56

1:17:56

Chris and Rowan are joined by Dr Ozgur Yalcin to discuss some of the benefits and challenges of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Undoing Resentment with Gratitude 33:22

10M ago33:22

33:22

Chris and Rowan discuss an idea put forward by Dr Kerry Howells, which is that you can't feel the emotions of resentment and gratitude at the same time. We talk about some of the issues that come up if we let our resentment grow and how we can cultivate more gratitude in order to taper our levels of resentment towards a situation over time.…

1
Treating PTSD with EMDR 1:09:37

11M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Following on from the previous episode on treating trauma exposure therapy, Chris and Rowan discuss another therapy tool for treating trauma, EMDR. EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) can help create profound, transformative change for those who've experienced trauma and are still dealing with its impact. In this episode, we discus…

1
Addressing Trauma Memories with Exposure Therapy 1:11:59

11M ago1:11:59

1:11:59

Chris and Rowan discuss trauma memories and how they can be treated with exposure therapy. This is a two-part series on trauma, with the next episode being on EMDR, another treatment for trauma. In today's episode, we talk about the nature of trauma memories and how they're formed, their impact, and how we can treat trauma memories with a therapy t…

1
Navigating Neurodivergence 1:11:45

12M ago1:11:45

1:11:45

Rowan is joined by Bianca Tassone to discuss the topic of neurodivergence and neurodiversity. Neurodivergence can include ADHD and autism, as well as a range of other conditions, and much has been learned about neurodivergence in recent years. We discuss what neurodivergence is and how our understanding of it is developing with the latest research.…

1
Strengthening Our Resilience to Stress and Strain 59:31

12M ago59:31

59:31

Chris and Rowan discuss some insights that can be gained from exploring the different meanings of engineering terms such as "stress" and "strain" and applying them to psychology and our mental health.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Cultivating Positive Networks with Dr Juliet Trail 1:08:41

1y ago1:08:41

1:08:41

Chris and Rowan are joined by Dr Juliet Trail, who has done extensive research on networks and how networks can optimally function. We discuss the different types of networks we may be involved in, plus what we can do to ensure that we're getting the most out of our networks and the relationships associated with them.…

1
Contrasting Character Strengths with Schema 49:26

1y ago49:26

49:26

Chris and Rowan discuss how we can look at the schemas through a more positive lens, our character strengths. In recent episodes, we've looked at some of the more negative patterns that we can develop within our personality, but this week, we will look at a more optimistic way of thinking about our personality patterns.…

1
Curbing Unrelenting Standards 1:15:49

1y ago1:15:49

1:15:49

In the final episode of our series on schemas and schema therapy, Chris and Rowan discuss unrelenting standards. Unrelenting standards or hypercriticalness is the final of the 18 schemas we will discuss and relates to rigid internal expectations for our behaviour and performance. Unrelenting standards are a significant contributor to depression and…

1
Expressing Ourselves Freely: The Essentials of Schema Therapy 1:15:52

1y ago1:15:52

1:15:52

Chris and Rowan continue our series on schema therapy with the schemas relating to over-vigilance and other-directedness, which means being overly focused on the thoughts of others. These schemas include negativity/pessimism, emotional inhibition, punitiveness, approval seeking/recognition seeking, subjugation and self-sacrifice.…

1
Developing Your Self & Your Self-Control: The Essentials of Schema Therapy 59:30

1y ago59:30

59:30

Chris and Rowan continue their series on schema therapy with the second episode, related to developing your sense of self and self-control. These schemes are from the family of schemas relating to impaired autonomy and performance, or your sense of self, and impaired limits, or your self-control.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Feeling Disconnected & Rejected: The Essentials of Schema Therapy 1:27:52

1y ago1:27:52

1:27:52

Chris and Rowan discuss 5 of the 18 different schemas Jeff Young outlined when creating schema therapy. We discuss the schemas related to a lack of positive attachment during childhood that can make people feel disconnected and rejected in later life.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Supporting Change with Chair Work 1:27:10

1+ y ago1:27:10

1:27:10

Chris and Rowan discuss a therapy technique called chair work that comes from Gestalt therapy and involves acting out different parts of ourselves. We discuss some of the principles behind chair work and the benefits of acknowledging and expressing different parts of ourselves.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
The Significance of Taking the Next Step 1:02:21

1+ y ago1:02:21

1:02:21

For our 100th podcast episode, Chris and Rowan talk about a fundamental aspect of psychological therapy, helping someone to take the next step. It can seem simplistic on the surface, but the next step can often be difficult, uninteresting or uninspiring. In this episode, we discuss some ways of taking the next step, look at the benefits of mobilisi…

1
Belief in Ghosts - Is it Irrational? 56:06

1+ y ago56:06

56:06

Chris and Rowan share stories of people who've had encounters with the deceased and ask what meaning or benefit can come out of such experiences? Sometimes, when someone has an experience with the spirit of a loved one, they will hide it through fear of being intellectually weak or using magical thinking. However, many healthy people believe in enc…

1
Benefits of Sharing Sacred Stories 47:12

1+ y ago47:12

47:12

Chris and Rowan discuss how we can benefit our well-being by sharing our most meaningful experiences, even if they can't be explained rationally. Over many years, Chris has heard clients sharing their personal stories and seen how they've gained personal meaning from those experiences. This is despite, at times, wondering if they are psychotic due …

1
The Satisfaction of Spectator Sport 1:06:06

1+ y ago1:06:06

1:06:06

In this slightly different episode, Rowan and Chris discuss what they get out of following sport and why it's worth following elite sport, even if you're not very good at playing that game yourself. Most of the benefits that people speak of in relation to spectator sport relate to doing more sport yourself, but in this episode, we look at what you …

1
Monitoring and Measuring to Promote Positive Change 1:04:46

1+ y ago1:04:46

1:04:46

Chris and Rowan discuss the idea that 'what we monitor will change' and how this relates to therapy and performance. We look at how we can use different measurements in therapy to get a more objective sense of how therapy works. Plus, we look at how we can use these ideas to boost performance in other areas of our life.…

1
Heeding the Need to Ask for Help 1:11:40

1+ y ago1:11:40

1:11:40

Chris and Rowan discuss how we can make mental health more of a collective issue. It follows an experience Chris had hiking where someone broke their ankle and felt a burden to those assisting, even though this person clearly needed the help. We discuss how this relates to mental health and how we can get into the trap of not asking for help when w…

1
Promoting Synchronicity in Ten Steps 1:00:37

1+ y ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of how to cultivate more synchronicity for ourselves. We discuss how to be more open to synchronicity, and Chris shares his ten steps for cultivating more synchronicity. Plus, we share some stories that highlight the benefits of experiencing more synchronicity.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Soaring with Synchronicity - feat. Lisa Buksbaum 1:21:59

1+ y ago1:21:59

1:21:59

Chris and Rowan speak with Lisa Buxbaum to discuss a range of topics related to spirituality and well-being. We talk about the idea behind Lisa's organisation Soaringwords, which helps sick children and other marginalised community members write their life stories. We discuss the contents of her book Soaring Into Strength: Love Transcends Pain, whi…

1
Relationships: Typical Traps to Avoid 42:33

1+ y ago42:33

42:33

Chris and Rowan discuss some of the traps that can develop in our relationships and what we can do to avoid them. We look at the work of John and Julie Gottman, who, in a study, were able to predict whether or not couples would divorce within 15 minutes with 90% accuracy. We talk about what they identified in a relationship that allowed them to pre…

1
Enriching Our Relationships 50:37

1+ y ago50:37

50:37

Chris and Rowan talk about how to enrich and improve our intimate relationships. We discuss the work of John and Julie Gottman, who are world leaders in the field of relationship therapy. Much of today's episode also applies to our relationships beyond just our intimate partner as we discuss how to foster connection with those that we care about.…

1
Enhancing Mental Health in Groups 1:01:02

1+ y ago1:01:02

1:01:02

Chris and Rowan discuss how we can get the most out of the groups that we're a part of. This is in the context of group therapy, which is an often underlooked aspect of psychological therapy, as well as the other groups like clubs or sports teams. Western psychology has traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on treating the individual in therapy, b…

1
Applying Positive Psychology on the Big Screen 46:42

2y ago46:42

46:42

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of applying positive psychology interventions in a group. It follows the release of a documentary that Chris is involved in called How to Thrive. The documentary follows the progress of seven people with significant mental health challenges participating in a positive psychology program during the pandemic. In this…

1
Practical Progress in Personality Change 47:33

2y ago47:33

47:33

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of addressing personality patterns that have caused us difficulty over time. These patterns are often related to our core beliefs about ourselves. In this episode, we look at how to address some of these longer-term personality patterns like avoidance, perfectionism, lack of trust in relationships and entitlement.…

1
Some Basics of Schema Therapy 1:13:29

2y ago1:13:29

1:13:29

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of schema therapy. Schema therapy looks at the persistent thinking patterns that can cause underlying personality difficulties. These often relate to our experiences in childhood and contribute to patterns of thinking about ourselves and our relationships with others. They relate to the self-limiting beliefs we hav…

1
A Fellowship of Famous Failures 47:00

2y ago47:00

47:00

Chris and Rowan look at some famous examples of people who've succeeded after perceiving to have failed at something. We explore the idea that the line between success and failure can be quite thin.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Reflecting on Failure as Feedback 1:02:11

2y ago1:02:11

1:02:11

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of failure and how we can look at our failures in the best possible light. When you look at some of the most "successful" people in life, it seems a large part of their success is how they've dealt with failure. Michael Jordan once said, "I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. T…

1
Dealing with a Driving Phobia 28:21

2y ago28:21

28:21

Chris and Rowan discuss dealing with a driving phobia, a common phobia related to anxiety and panic. We speak about the principles of a phobia and exposure therapy, which is related to the treatment of phobias. Most of what is spoken about in this episode can also be applied to other phobias and panic reactions.…

1
Developing a Perspective on Panic 58:37

2y ago58:37

58:37

Chris and Rowan discuss the topic of panic attacks and panic disorder. We talk about what panic attacks are, why they are caused and what we can do to help reduce their impact.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
The Benefits Beyond the Barriers 37:18

2y ago37:18

37:18

Chris and Rowan discuss how to get over some of the main barriers to exercise in the context of cold-water swimming, an activity that Chris has started recently. We speak about some ways of getting past the barriers to exercise and accessing the many benefits that it brings to exercise regularly.By Chris Mackey and Rowan Mackey

1
Exploring the Evolution of Exercise - Let's Get Physical 42:38

2y ago42:38

42:38

Chris and Rowan look back at the history of physical exercise to see how the ideas around exercise developed over time. We look at how cultural attitudes and perceptions towards exercise changed in the past and how that has influenced our attitudes towards exercise today. In understanding this, we can hopefully learn more about our exercise habits,…

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Rowan Mackey Podcasts

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