Frank Show: Recent Episodes
Frank Paul
A podcast hosted by Frank Paul where he shares insights, personal anecdotes and questions from a spiritual and psychological perspective.
I talk about the mode and history of confessional poetry, how it has lost some of its edginess over time, mediating the distance between artist/writer and viewer/reader, the difference between performance and offering, and the way I visualize coming forward as a speaker.
I talk about the writing as a form of integration and creating wholeness within the self, how that could help motivate someone to do the same, Virginia Woolf's understanding of writing as healing, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's failure to be authentic.
I talk about Lance Loud, his story from the first reality tv star and first openly gay person on tv to punk rock singer to pop culture writer, what made his personality so shocking then and compelling now, and the transparency and heart he showed throughout his entire career and life. Interwoven throughout are audio clips from the show, An American Family, from 1973.
I talk about the artist as being of service rather than self-indulgent, the difference between self-expression and art, the difference between true self-expression and just echoing others, and being willing to risk rejection to find freedom of self. I included audio clips from an interview with Bruce Lee and a reading of "A Poet's Advice to Students (1955)" by e.e. Cummings that relate to the topics. I always love it when other podcasts do that. Anyways, hope it resonates~
I talk about sudden change and transformation, the anxiety of being in between selves and phases, Kafka's story "The Metamorphosis" and David Lynch, and the possibility for post-traumatic growth.
I talk about Carl Jung's concept of the Shadow, how it forms and gets projected, where we run the risk of becoming possessed by it, and the process of coming into contact with it. The text read in it is from "Science of the Soul: A Jungian Perspective" by Edward F. Edinger.
I talk about avoiding cultural discussions, grounding as a therapeutic technique, some ways it can help us stay neutral and non-reactive, and owning how capable we really are.
Recorded while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. I talk about trying to sort through chaotic thoughts, Carl Rogers' concepts of the Real Self and the Ideal Self, figuring out how to align the two, and finding stability in the process.
I talk about dealing with negative internal dialogue, showing ourselves compassion vs. cognitive restructuring, the podcast as a spiritual practice and liberating ourselves from our own perception.
I talk about my cat passing away this week, my hesitation to be public with grief, some reflections on and frustrations about death in general, and what, if anything, we can make out of these experiences.
Recorded at the Lafayette Hotel in New Orleans. I talk about what it's like hanging out with old friends, some of the challenges to maintaining friendships over the years, self-forgiveness as giving yourself more context and awareness, and what it's like being seen as who you are today by friends you've known forever.
I talk about change as out of our hands, the ways we desire or resist it, how we narrate it to ourselves, and the core self as the real guiding force.
I talk about some hesitation I've been feeling to record, being busy and the archetype of the workaholic, possible reasons for trying to do more than what is within our limits to do, and John Bradshaw's concept of healthy shame.
For a double feature this week, on his birthday Eric of @hamburger.helpless came on to talk about his work as a musician on the harp, how he taught himself to play, influences for his new album, and the spiritual practice he finds in creativity. You can find Eric at @yba.fabulos
I talk about how intense it is to process this much information about the world, personal and zeitgeist feelings of insecurity and burnout, what to do with existential dread and nihilism, and the work of meaning-making in Existential therapy.
I talk about trauma responses, needing to be a “good” person, dark humor vs. political correctness, and how to help others feel safe to be themselves.
I talk about how ideas come to me for the podcast, the contemporary obsession with identity, Carl Jung's concept of complexes and his critique of Christianity, and determining who we are in our own terms.
I talk about figuring out what we do know, the values we live by, how we can be our authentic self with them, and creativity as a natural extension of us just being ourselves.
I talk about the toxic masculinity panic, the limitations of Freudian and postmodern understandings of sex, the deeper mystical mystery of desire and how we can try to live within the discomfort of not-knowing.
I talk about persona, personality types, drag and how to approach ourselves and the world with openness.
I talk about authenticity, personality disorders, ideologies and figuring out how to share something real.