(Photo above by Alexander Ant / Pexels)
Today’s episode is a conversation with psychologist Elizabeth Merrick about anxiety, therapy, Buddhism, and how they all connect. Sometimes it helps to examine what Buddhability looks like from different perspectives, identifying parallels between the work of experts in different fields and how Buddhism views the potential of human beings.
Elizabeth’s insights are unique because she has experience counseling young adults, training mental health professionals and being in therapy herself, all while practicing Buddhism.
(You can also listen to Buddhability on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.)
Cheat Sheet
1:27 How Elizabeth started practicing Buddhism
5:23 Context about her professional background as a psychologist
8:34 The most common mental health challenges she sees young adults struggle with today
11:22 Natural questions during different developmental stages
14:21 When you think something is wrong with you
21:16 Connections between Buddhism and psychology on our potential for change
27:58 What anxiety is and why we experience it
32:47 Overcoming anxiety
38:52 Why the core elements of Buddhist practice are effective
44:16 Chanting vs. mindfulness
47:00 The biggest change she’s experienced through chanting
54:49 The value of having a community
1:00 A favorite Buddhist quote
1:03:20 The difference between human revolution and self-improvement
1:08:01 Advice for anyone who is struggling with anxiety
References mentioned:
- Discussions on Youth, p. 5
- “Letter to Niike,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1027
To connect with a local Buddhability community email us!