Psychospiritual Reflections with John P. Rettger, PhD: Recent Episodes
John P. Rettger, PhD
On this podcast, Dr. John discusses his reflections and thoughts on the crossroads of psychology and spirituality. Dr. John is a licensed psychologist in California (PSY27863) and works as a psychologist providing psychotherapy to children (8 years old and up), teens, and adults in the San Diego area. He offers individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy approaches utilizing a wide range of interventions including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Existential, Humanistic, Transpersonal, Psychodynamic, Gottman Method, Emotion Focused and Mindfulness. This podcast includes philosophical, practical, and experiential approaches. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERSThis website/podcast is an information and educational communication system only; it does not constitute treatment advice and while certain mindfulness and yoga practices may be offered in articles or podcasts on this site, they are offered as educational materials and not psychotherapy interventions or treatment. Your visiting this website does not constitute a professional relationship between you and Dr. Rettger or any of his staff or assistant(s).Dr. Rettger or any of his staff or assistant(s) do not respond to requests for information or services through electronic communications. Dr. Rettger’s practice only responds to voicemails left on Dr. Rettger’s direct voicemail at 650-930-0170.Dr. Rettger does not provide any psychological emergency consultations, for emergencies please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room and request a psychiatric evaluation.
Join Dr. John Rettger in a contemplative experience in the cultivation of gratitude. This is an experiential episode, it is recommended you listen to this podcast in a place where you can relax and drop into meditation.
Please pardon the background noise of airplanes in this episode as it was recorded near an airport.
Join Dr. John for a brief yet revitalizing yoga practice featuring a few simple movements including backbends and twists. This practice is best done using a yoga mat with comfortable clothing suitable for stretching the body out! Enjoy!
Dr. Rettger shares reflections from a psychospiritual perspective on the human journey toward one's highest potential. He discusses that while this is a positive movement, at times barriers can come up and how yoga and meditation can be helpful toward continued forward progress on the path.
Join Dr. John for this journey through an extended Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercise! It is recommended that you listen to the introduction (See Podcast Season 1 Episode 5) to this exercise prior to beginning. Enjoy!
This episode provides background information concerning Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). Dr. John provides examples of the potential benefits of the practice from research, it's historical origins, and a general description of the practice. It is recommended that you listen to this podcast prior to engaging in the PRM practice.
Reference Material:
Davis, M., Eshelman, E., & McKay, M. (2000). The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook (5th ed.). New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Further research support:
Toussaint, L., Nguyen, Q. A., Roettger, C., Dixon, K., Offenbächer, M., Kohls, N., Hirsch, J., & Sirois, F. (2021). Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing, and Guided Imagery in Promoting Psychological and Physiological States of Relaxation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM, 2021, 5924040. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5924040
In today’s discussion, Dr. John reflects on how the path of yoga and meditation for him has at its core a very simple, yet hard to fully live and experience teaching of being truly, authentically present and awake (in a embodied, interpersonally and spiritually way vs. being on auto-pilot) at this moment.
Do you sometimes get down on yourself for not being perfect? Do you notice yourself being unkind to yourself when you make mistakes? Or maybe you get caught up in frustration when something does not turn out as you had hoped? Can you be self-critical or overly demanding of yourself? Or maybe you are struggling right now with incredibly difficult life challenges. If any of this resonates with you, or if you would like to simply be a bit happier, then this podcast is for you.
This is a guided meditation practice where Dr. John guides you toward focusing on your breathing and observing the influence of mental objects on physical sensations, emotions, and the desire to take action. I hope you enjoy the practice and I look forward to practicing with you next time!
In this episode, Dr. John draws from the wisdom of the Buddha and concepts of Cognitive Behavior Therapy to share how to work with life's challenges from a stance of Mindfulness. This podcast is more conceptual in nature and Dr. John will follow up with experiential practices to bring these concepts to life. Stay tuned!