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The Peter Attia Drive

#146 - Guy Winch, Ph.D.: Emotional first aid and how to treat psychological injuries

The Peter Attia Drive

Peter Attia, MD

Health & Fitness, Medicine, Fitness

4.77.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2021

⏱️ 117 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Guy Winch is a psychologist, author, and co-host of the Dear Therapist podcast. In this episode, Guy speaks to the commonality of the human condition with relatable stories from his decades of therapy sessions as well as his own experience with incessant rumination in the early days of his private practice. He shares insights on what he sees as an epidemic of rumination that leads to career burnout, the consequences of social comparison heightened by social media, and the psychological impact of not recognizing success. He emphasizes the need for a “psychological medicine cabinet” and provides concrete and practical tools for treating emotional injuries. He concludes with a discussion about the widespread impact of the coronavirus pandemic on emotional health and how we can use experienced psychologists in a time when it’s especially needed.

We discuss:

  • The unique format and impetus for Guy’s podcast with Lori Gottlieb (3:00);
  • How Guy pieced together the many different schools of thought in psychology to develop his own unique approach (7:45);
  • The most important component of successful therapy, and why it sometimes makes sense to “break the rules” (19:30);
  • Insights extracted from Guy’s own battle with extreme stress and anxiety around finishing his education and starting his private practice (28:15);
  • The epidemic of rumination, burnout, and the inability to psychologically leave work (34:15);
  • Antidotes to incessant rumination, and tips for transitioning from work to home to avoid burnout (41:15);
  • The psychology of complaining: The hidden cost of complaining incorrectly and benefits of learning how and when to complain (52:30);
  • The consequences of social comparison, and the impact of “failure” on emotional health (1:02:15);
  • How Guy helps people who struggle to acknowledge any level of success (1:07:30);
  • Emotional first aid: The importance of a psychological medicine cabinet for treating emotional injuries (1:19:00);
  • The role of therapists in normalizing the discussion of emotional injuries and illuminating the commonality of feelings (1:27:45);
  • The widespread impact of the coronavirus pandemic on emotional health (1:35:15);
  • How to properly use affirmations—a tool for treating psychological injuries (1:42:00);
  • The importance of nuanced language and the stories we tell ourselves (1:47:30);
  • Peter’s favorite episode of the Dear Therapist Podcast (1:53:15); and
  • More.

Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/

Show notes page for this episode: https://peterattiamd.com/guywinch

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey everyone, welcome to the Drive Podcast.

0:13.0

I'm your host, Peter Atia.

0:14.8

This podcast, my website, and my weekly newsletter, all focus on the goal of translating

0:18.7

the science of longevity into something accessible for everyone.

0:22.4

Our goal is to provide the best content in health and wellness, full stop, and we've assembled

0:27.0

a great team of analysts to make this happen.

0:29.4

If you enjoy this podcast, we've created a membership program that brings you far more

0:33.2

in depth content if you want to take your knowledge of the space to the next level.

0:37.3

At the end of this episode, I'll explain what those benefits are, or if you want to learn

0:41.0

more now, head over to peteratiamd.com forward slash subscribe.

0:46.3

Now without further delay, here's today's episode.

0:49.0

My guess this week is Guy Witch.

0:52.5

Guy is a psychologist, an author, a speaker, and now recently a podcast host.

0:57.9

Guy received his PhD in clinical psychology from NYU, where he also did his postdoctoral

1:03.4

work at the medical center.

1:04.9

He's been in private practice in New York for nearly 30 years, and as we learned on this

1:09.0

podcast, he shares office space with my therapist, and that probably speaks to the state of mind.

1:15.2

I'm in when I walk in for therapy, and that I haven't noticed the names of anybody else

1:18.5

on the wall there.

1:19.5

Guy has authored three books, The Squeaky Wheel, How to Fix a Broken Heart, and Emotional

1:24.5

First Aid.

1:25.5

He's got two, a pretty good discussion on two of these three.

...

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