453 SelfWork: A Shrink Talks About Shrinking

The SelfWork Podcast

Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD

Education, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Self-improvement

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I'm a shrink. And today, I want to talk about the hit show Shrinking.

Most of the time, I hear the term "shrink" used in a funny, almost endearing way. It’s like when people call me “Doc” instead of my name. It’s a term that binds us but also keeps boundaries clear.

I’d like to give you my thoughts on the Apple TV show Shrinking. And even more so, its message – that the people who are shrinks aren’t living lives that are somehow set apart from the rest of humanity. We’re dealing with our own lives as we try our best to help you with yours. As I think the Harrison Ford character says, “Messed up people can help other messed up people” or something like that. There’s hopefully some humility involved.

The listener email is from a daughter asking if the insecurity she feels – fear of “messing up” – has anything to do with the fact that she and her mom were enmeshed…

AG1 New Generation

Vital Links:

Blogpost on building self-confidence

Advertisers Links:

Click HERE for the NEW GEN offer from AG1 – with bonus product with your subscription!

Manage your hormones with the help of Happy Mammoth, a leader in women's health! Go to https://happymammoth.com/selfwork to order!

You can hear more about this and many other topics by listening to my podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Subscribe to my website and receive my weekly newsletter including a blog post and podcast! If you’d like to join my FaceBook closed group, then click here and answer the membership questions! Welcome!

My book entitled Perfectly Hidden Depression is available here! Its message is specifically for those with a struggle with strong perfectionism which acts to mask underlying emotional pain. But the many self-help techniques described can be used by everyone who chooses to begin to address emotions long hidden away that are clouding and sabotaging your current life.

There’s another way to send me a message! You can record by clicking below and ask your question or make a comment. You’ll have 90 seconds to do so and that time goes quickly. By recording, you’re giving SelfWork (and me) permission to use your voice on the podcast. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code SELFWORK for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is self-work, and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford.
0:10.3	At self-work, we discuss psychological and emotional issues and what you can do about them,
0:15.7	whether that's learning self-acceptance, taking action, or seeking therapy or treatment.
0:21.3	Eight years ago, I extended the walls of my practice to reach those of you who might already be
0:26.1	knowledgeable about middle health treatment, but also to those of you who might say you'd never
0:31.3	darken the door of a therapist. And yet, you are here. I'll answer your questions while I invite
0:37.1	you to take a few minutes for your
0:39.1	own self-work. But here's the point. A client can become too dependent on their therapist to
0:47.2	help them solve problems or to talk something out. And that's something that the therapist
0:51.6	can have a strong role in creating building that dependency
0:55.2	and that's not what you want at least not for the long haul sometimes in early therapy that can
1:00.9	happen but you don't want that to stay that way welcome to this week's edition of self-work
1:08.5	shrinking no longer only means what happens to close when they
1:12.5	shouldn't have been washed in hot water, or when someone is shy and called a shrinking violet,
1:17.1	or what's happening to people who are losing weight. I'm not sure when mental health folks
1:22.2	began being called shrinks. Quoting a psychology today article, the word shrink is a shortening of head shrinker,
1:29.3	referring to Amazonian tribes who preserve and shrink the heads of their enemies. That's certainly
1:34.2	not a very positive connection. But in a more positive light, it's also suggested that psychotherapists,
1:40.3	because the term was first used to describe psychiatrists and psychotherapist who might shrink problems to make them more understandable.
1:47.9	That's kind of how the word got used.
1:50.0	Most of the time, I hear it used in a funny, almost endearing way when a client calls me their shrink.
1:55.6	It's like some of them call me Doc instead of my name.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.