What if the thoughts driving your stress, anxiety, and unhappiness aren't even true?
Join Matt O'Neill and Dr. Seth Gillihan as they reveal the life-changing power of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy combined with mindfulness—a proven approach that's as effective as antidepressant medication, but without the side effects. Seth shows you how to break free from the prison of negative automatic thoughts that hijack your peace and steal your present moments.
This isn't about positive thinking or denial. It's about learning to see your thoughts as events in your mind, not facts about reality. You'll discover why your brain automatically scans for problems (and how to counter it), the difference between helpful reframing and toxic positivity, and practical techniques you can use starting today to challenge distorted thinking patterns.
Whether you're caught in spirals of self-doubt, overwhelmed by daily stress, or simply missing the magic of your own life, this conversation will give you the tools to step back, breathe, and see clearly what's actually happening versus what your mind is telling you is happening.
0:00 Introduction
0:49 What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
1:44 CBT vs. Antidepressant Medication
3:11 CBT vs. Traditional Talk Therapy
4:37 What are Negative Automatic Thoughts?
8:20 Breaking Thought Patterns with Evidence
12:26 Examining Thoughts vs. Reality
17:13 When Thoughts Become Self-Blame
20:58 Why "Should" Statements Keep You Stuck
23:54 The Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity of this Moment
27:02 Parenting, Presence, and The Last Times We Don't See Coming
29:52 How Mindfulness Reduces Anxiety and Depression
31:35 Simple Ways to Start Being More Mindful
35:12 Tracking Your Stressful Thoughts
Resources Mentioned:
🌐Dr. Seth Gillihan's website: https://SethGillihan.com
About the Guest:
Dr. Seth Gillihan is a clinical psychologist, author, and expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness-based interventions. He specializes in helping people break free from negative thought patterns and develop greater presence and peace in their daily lives. Through his work, Seth has helped countless individuals learn that their thoughts are not facts and that they have the power to respond rather than react to life's challenges. His approach combines evidence-based therapeutic techniques with accessible mindfulness practices that anyone can implement.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.