clues

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Discover the clues to the life you want

An evolving collection of wisdom, information, stories, research and more on mental health, personal transformation, and the pursuit of meaning and purpose.

Topics

Things to know from Jung to Krishnamurti, PTSD to LSD, and everything in between.

Shiva the Hindu God

In Hinduism, Shiva is central as the cosmic destroyer and restorer, revered for his roles in death, regeneration, meditation, and dance.

Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal Theory is our body's 'triage system'–using social engagement, fight/flight, or freeze, to handle life's curveballs.

Zen Buddhism encourages direct, experiential realization through meditation and mindfulness, favoring personal insight over doctrinal study.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, causing sustained distress and anxiety.

Id, Ego, and Superego

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, first introduced the concepts of id, ego, and superego in his structural model of the mind.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

ECT uses electrical currents to stimulate the brain for severe depression. Under anesthesia and muscle relaxants, it induces a brief seizure that improves symptoms.

Courses

Brief, self-guided courses for those that want a deep-dive into a particular topic.

September 25, 2023

5 Days to Nervous System Management

A free 5 lesson course from nervous system expert Jonny Miller that will teach you how to build nervous system regulation in just five days.

Mental Health for Entrepreneurs

This mental health course for entrepreneurs offers strategies to manage wellbeing while scaling a business, backed by research and expert insights.

The Models of the Mind

Explore 13 models from Western psychology for deep self-understanding and radical self-discovery and explore how various factors shape us.

Book Reviews

More knowledge in less time. Books for the mind in 15 minutes or less.

The Myth of Normal

"Myth of Normal" explores the rise in illness due to societal norms like stress & trauma. The key to health? Addressing these root causes.

"How to Love" by Thich Nhat Hanh offers deep wisdom on cultivating love, mindfulness, and compassion in our relationships and daily lives.

The Power of Now

"The Power of Now" is a bestselling spiritual guide that teaches readers how to live in the present moment and find inner peace.

The Four Agreements

"The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz is a bestselling book that provides four powerful principles for personal freedom and fulfillment.

People & Stories

Experts, thought leaders, and game-changers

September 19, 2023

"Not all addictions are rooted in abuse or trauma, but I do believe they can all be traced to painful experience."

Dr. Gabor Maté

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."

"If you love someone, the best way to show it is to respect their freedom."

Thich Nhat Hanh

"One of the most important things you can do to change your brain is to change your mind."

Robert Sapolsky

"Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you."

Bessel van der Kolk

"Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group of people from another."

"The mind is not a blank slate, but an intricate tapestry of biological and cultural influences."

"My ultimate goal is to reduce the number of street dogs in the world by fifty percent."

"Play is the highest form of development in childhood. It alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul."

"The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life."

"Morality is not a subject; it's a perspective from which every subject can be taught."

Lawrence Kohlberg

"The mind is a collection of specialized modules, each designed to solve specific adaptive problems."

"Our brains have been sculpted by evolution to solve the adaptive problems of our ancestors."

"Human emotions are complex adaptations that solve adaptive problems related to survival and reproduction."

"Evolution is not a ladder with humans at the top. It's a branching tree with all species connected and interdependent."

George Williams

"The goal of neuroscience is to understand the brain well enough to repair it when it breaks."

"The most creative people are those who habitually resist the security of habit and embrace the uncertainty of the new."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

"The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it's conformity."

"Our perception of reality is not a direct reflection of the world; it is filtered through our biases and expectations."

"Intuition feels just the same when it's wrong and when it's right, that's the problem with intuition."

Daniel Kahneman

"Perception is not the passive receipt of sensory information, but an active process of interpreting it."

"Family members who have the least amount of reactivity to others in the family are the most emotionally mature."

"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man."

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time."

"The most inspiring achievements of civilization are the ones that expanded the scope of human sympathy."

"Our brain is a complex biological organ that is constantly changing in response to experience."

"We are all controlled by the world in which we live, and part of that world has been and will be constructed by men."

"Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain."

Christopher Palmer, MD

"Man's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life."

"The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done."

"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination."

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself."

"Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is."

"The richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve an inner balance between three realms: work, love, and play."

"The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well."

"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."

"The past is present until it is resolved."

Francine Shapiro

"Anxiety and depressive affect are not a sign of personal weakness, but a manifestation of the human condition."

"One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."

"If you want to understand your own life, you have to understand your mother's life."

Podcast

In-depth interviews and honest conversations

Mental Health Tips for Entrepreneurs from a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD

Tracy Lawrence on Recovering from Burnout as an Entrepreneur

Steve Schlaf on Navigating Life Transitions as an Entrepreneur

Treating Mental Health with the Ketogenic Diet

Andy's Unifying Theory of Personal Transformation

I created a holistic framework for personal transformation, the stages involved, and what you can expect throughout it.

Andy's Essays

Musings on whatever I'm thinking about. My friends say they're good.

Let the river take you

Learning to navigate the peaks and rivers of life comes down to learning how to surrender, which is the subject of this brief essay.

The cause and solution to depression

Depression isn't just a chemical imbalance; it results from burying emotions and hiding our true selves. Release pain and embrace authenticity to heal.

A poem to my mom

My mom passed away when I was 10. It's been nearly 30 years since she died, and on this Mother's day, I want to share a poem about her.

Only you are holding yourself back from transforming

Fear and societal norms often deter us from personal growth, blocking fulfillment. Bold choices and trust in the future are key to transformation.

About our cultural obsession with pronouns

Pronouns are part of our identities, yet we are more - nouns, adjectives, verbs forming rich narratives. Respect pronouns, but know we embody much more.

How I put my mental illness in remission

"Diagnosed with Complex PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression & addiction but now subclinical in all. Here's how I did it."