Dr. Z on how to understand your actions: your context matters

Criticizing, judging, & attacking yourself

We often have mechanistic views about ourselves “I’m bad, ugly, stupid, etc” and believe that when having any negative thoughts, painful memories or feelings, they need to be fixed, repaired, or replaced. 

At times we believe that we lack “confidence” or “self-esteem”.

But …. what if our internal experiences are just that, internal experiences?

What if what we do with them or what we do in response to them is much more important than what those experiences are?

In this brief episode, I share with you a particular psychological concept that is at the heart of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Context and how you can understand your behavior in context.

I promise you this episode doesn’t have fancy jargon or complicated words; it’s the opposite. I did my best to share with you an important psychological construct in a simple and actionable way so you can get better at living a purposeful life.

Show notes with time-stamps

00:00 Navigating Uncomfortable Emotions: An Introduction

02:00 Welcome to the Plane Safe Podcast with Dr. Z
02:11 Understanding Behavior Through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
02:45 A Buddhist Parable: Lessons on Perspective
04:42 The ACT Model: Behavior in Context
05:58 Applying ACT: Real-life Examples
09:16 The Importance of Context in Our Actions
 

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About Dr. Z.

I’m originally from Bolivia, South America, and am a psychologist by training. I’m formally trained in empirically supported treatments, and when I say “formally,” I mean that since 2004 I have received intensive training in them, particularly in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). 

Over the past 18 years, I have created resources for and worked with overthinkers and overachievers dealing with all types of anxiety-related struggles: perfectionism, procrastination, productivity anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, indecision, impostor phenomenon, overthinking, phobias, rumination, panic, worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I absolutely love my job!

In 2019, I was nominated as a fellow by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science because of my contributions related to the applications of ACT for anxiety-based struggles. I’m the author of seven books and the co-author of three (see the section on previously written books).

I’m the founder and director of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique private center in the San Francisco Bay Area that offers therapy and coaching for anyone experiencing anxiety-based struggles.

In 2023, I gave a TEDx talk, “Stop playing-it-safe and start living” that has more than 264K downloads.

While I’m a psychologist by training and science-based by passion, my style is jargon-free, accessible, caring, and lighthearted; teaching ACT skills doesn’t have to be boring or inaccessible, so I do my best to make every skill I teach—in any format—as engaging as possible. 

I believe that learning to navigate anxiety-based reactions is one of the key skills of the 21st century, and I’m passionate about it.

I'm passionate about disseminating ACT skills for anxiety-based struggles.

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