Jagdeep, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? I’m from Connecticut, and Syracuse, NY, I grew up in an Indian immigrant household during the 80’s and 90’s. Early on I had the stereotypical pressures of getting into a career in medicine,…
Masks and the Witness: Learning to Lead from the True Self
Introduction / summary This chapter replaces harsh pathologizing with compassionate curiosity about the roles and adaptive strategies people carry—the “masks” that once helped them survive. It explains how these enacted selves form (desire + social feedback + avoidance), how they calcify into…
Developmental Stages of Meaning and Purpose
Introduction Since the early days of humanity, meaning and purpose has been a fundamental to life and human existence. This article explores meaning and purpose from a developmental perspective, specifically the steps it takes to cultivate and develop purpose in our lives. This includes…
Zen and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Practical Union for Clinical Practice
Introduction Zen and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intersect and share some conceptual and practical ground. Both have similar goals, to reduce suffering by helping people perceive and act differently in the present moment. Zen contributes an holistic capacity for nonjudgmental awareness,…
Overcoming Irrational Fear And Anxiety An Exposure Therapy Approach
INTRODUCTION This article goes in depth on empirically the best behavioral treatment for anxiety — Exposure Therapy. The negative in life seems much bigger than the positive because our survival instincts naturally and automatically look for the negative in our environment to protect ourselves…
Passive vs Active Challenges in Psychotherapy: Reclaiming Agency and Autonomy
A self-reflection tool for understanding anxiety and building intentional resilience through logotherapy, CBT, DBT, and existential therapy Anxiety often feels like something that happens to us. But what if you could shift from reacting to life to actively engaging with it—and even finding meaning…
The Yogic Map of the Mind: Bridging Ancient Wisdom and Modern Psychotherapy
Abstract Yoga has gained a great deal of popularity in the west over the past few decades with Yoga studio’s present throughout western countries, specifically the popularity of hatha yoga, the physical exercises. However, yoga is much more complex that what has been exported to the west. A part…