Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick Podcast

The Fires and The Psyche

Catastrophic events can trigger fight-or-flight responses, so steading ourselves and staying connected to grounding routines, such as meditation, therapy, and recovery, is essential, if possible, when responding to emergencies. Here is a list of Resources compiled by a Group of Los Angeles Therapists [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_eK8-v8TeCbmTts86WBQaFDoiOBVTNuxAZDWgYqeMbE/edit?usp=sharing]: As I write, the fires in Los Angeles continue to rage. I’ve canceled a trip home to New York City, even as I worry about my 94-year-old mother’s health. Over 100,000 residents are under evacuation orders, and this crisis is affecting everyone. Friends, patients, and neighbors are displaced, some with bags packed and emergency plans in place. At a 12-step meeting on Tuesday night I attended with a friend, several attendees—gathered in a virtual windstorm in Culver City—had just lost their homes and came seeking support to avoid relapse. It was a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. In a world where political leaders often deflect responsibility, these individuals—who faced struggles they could not overcome alone—embody Freud and Jung’s insights: the ego is not the center of our being but a part of something far greater, shaped by instincts, judgment, society, and, yes, even climate change. In psychology, we often call this "Higher Power" the psyche. Red flag warnings remain in effect for L.A. and Ventura counties, and new fires continue to threaten neighborhoods. This is no distant tragedy—over 10,000 structures have been destroyed, families have lost their homes and histories, and artists have seen their life’s work reduced to ashes. With rents already sky-high and recovery efforts hindered by an unsupportive administration, the road ahead will be long and challenging. Where will everyone go? How will they rebuild? The impact of this devastation will be felt for years to come. There are moments of calm—we had Obama, we have Biden. But I also remember the turbulence: the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and Harvey Milk, and the shadow of Vietnam. At 22, fresh out of Columbia College with a BA in English (and a thesis on Middlemarch—what was I going to do with that?), I faced a different storm. Close friends, not much older than me, began falling gravely ill. It was the dawn of the AIDS crisis, and we were already frightened by Reagan. His inaction on HIV led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. I cared for Michael Callen, the falsetto-voiced AIDS Diva and creator of Safer Sex Guidelines—a story you might find in Martin Duberman’s history books [https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Tight-Gently-Hemphill-Battlefield-ebook/dp/B00FD4SDNY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3B76UWLK0JOMA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GVh5zSO9LI8cv1bvUhbRSaT7Cggzn4HBqCA66SP1MY4J54kBqh0wCYYvCSkJBa62zlnesmXkfeA0dpdHJbusPq_ofHh41S5k4ntfAsrpouTQGitSdkJlmHOqNThnJv1p.Eooc-85gqAXCMvAaU6Ub209lDIeiR7UvEFYj3X969oA&dib_tag=se&keywords=martin+duberman+michael+callen&qid=1736482013&sprefix=martin+duberman+michael+callen%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1]. I share this not just to claim my place in history not because I’ve endured hardship, but because I’ve witnessed it. Not sure what is worse, suffering or watching someone you love suffer. Whether what’s coming will be worse, I don’t know. The other night, I dreamed Adolf Hitler entered an elevator I was in—a relic from my Bronx childhood. He wore a tan uniform and could read my thoughts. I interpreted this terrifying dream (I woke in fright) as a confrontation with my inner split: the pull of my id (to be a child, to love, to hate, to be fully gay) and the condemning judgment of my superego. Even perhaps my capacity to do harm? But if one sees each aspect of the dream as reflecting an inner complex, could this be about my wholeness or ours? I’m reminded of a patient who recently said of his INNER child he had discovered in a DREAM, “I hate him.” After the initial shock for his brutal honesty, I congratulated him for uncovering and even illuminating the inner split that had drained him for much of his life. He responded, “I feel as if I have arrived in my life for the first time.” Perhaps our collective split from our inner nature explains why we’ve kept kicking Mother Nature’s warnings about the symptoms of a heating planet down the road. Maybe the right wing’s divisiveness will eventually turn inward towards the eating of its own—we’re already seeing cracks between the pro-deportation MAGA crowd and the Tesla guy’s faction. But whatever grim entertainment that spectacle abetted by the likes of Laura Loomer may provide, the deeper issue of splitting won’t be resolved unless we face it personally. For better or worse, this philosophy led me from street activism to clinical practice. Wholeness. Maybe that’s another way to say: “Psychology for the People.” We might be reminded of the story of the Round People, told by the playwright Aristophanes in Plato’s Symposium. In the next few days, I will roll out a Podcast of Payton Young reading from his memoir, “Live for Today or Tomorrow,” which details what it’s like to be a 25-year-old Black man surviving a racist world and also a podcast with Krys Harrison, a comedian who gave a great interview about being a Black woman surviving therapy and two failed marriages. I will also share sneak previews and readings from my new book, “Gay Sex and Love: One Group Learns How to Heal Itself” (which includes a ribald reading of Plato’s Symposium), and my memoir, “Education of the Heart. " I will discuss how I am freeing myself from mainstream publishing this time to publish the book myself. I will create Stack Sections on “Health and Parenting,” “Gay Stuff,” “Self-Publishing,” and “Podcasts with Important People.” For those of you generous enough to support this work for a monthly subscription of $5 per month, I will Read to You, Talk to You about Your Writing, Answer your Psychological Questions on Relationships and Parenting, Offer Gay Guidance, and hold a monthly Zoom Session on and ALSO: provide these E-books: Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe [https://douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Rooting Out Authoritarianism From the Inside Out

Hello, friends. We’ll be exploring something that’s rarely discussed in the mainstream yet feels essential as we approach the election: the psychoanalytic roots of authoritarianism and fascism. This isn't just about politics; it’s about diving into the unconscious patterns, instincts, and fears that often drive us and even our leaders, shaping our societies in ways we may not realize. Later tonight, I will post a LECTURE on how psychoanalysis views fascism—and what we can do to change our Internal Structures (FREE POST)—and then a Small Group Discussion on Saturday from Noon-1:00 p.m. PST (PAID SUBSCRIBERS). The following Podcast details some “Food for Thought” before our Saturday NoonTeach-In. As Freud taught us with his free clinics, this ability to dig into the unconscious to address underlying aggression isn’t just for a few elite circles but should be available for everyone. The lack of accessible mental health resources—and the barriers to understanding our deeper selves—are part of a political and spiritual crisis that includes but also extends beyond capitalism and state power to the problem of evolution. When access to real help is limited — especially help that provides for psychoanalysis and the exploration of our unconscious motivations — we get farther from a society—and soul—rooted in empathy, truth, and justice. Psychoanalysis isn’t just traditional talk therapy. It’s the study of the unconscious and powerful because that self-study uncovers parts of us we may not even know are there. These parts emerge in our moods, dreams, fears, and habits – even the ones that logic and cognitive techniques like CBT can’t always resolve. The therapy I practice uses the unique relationship between the patient and therapist to reveal, process, and heal these deeper patterns. This involves bearing something we call “transference,” where old, unconscious expectations of others are placed onto the therapist, allowing us to gently, safely change the neural pathways that hold us back. So, why talk about this now? Because we’re in a time where authoritarianism is creeping back across the globe. Or said another way, we are experiencing the transference of child abuse’s tendency to make us into victims and abusers (perhaps as a cry for help). Political thinkers like Timothy Snyder have warned us that this isn’t just a problem for other places or people; it's a global and personal challenge. For over 70 years after WWII, nations have built democratic structures around shared values of liberty, and now, that stability is under strain. People are rightfully scared – we feel the stakes are high, and they are. However, perhaps the problem is that we have not yet created a Constitution to articulate the ideals needed to fight the Inner Despot and fashion an Inner Democracy of Free People and Feelings. This TEACH-IN is meant to provide context and resilience. No, our inner work alone may not change the election outcome – although depth psychological ideas suggest that personal transformation can ripple outward to affect the collective. At a minimum, understanding our unconscious fears and biases can ground us, helping us feel more at home and less vulnerable to manipulation by the “strong man” figures that authoritarianism depends on. When we get strong and know our own shadow, we build a stronger defense system against those who seek to control us by exploiting our fears. But suppose we do not face our shadows, where we hate ourselves and others. In that case, Fascism preys on the psyche’s dissociation and chaos, turning us into external “players” to manage our inner turmoil. When we do the work to know ourselves – integrating shadow and light – we resist this pull and take our place as agents of humanity’s evolution. In the words of 19th-century philosopher Nietzsche, we become “open people,” not in some false “superhuman” way, but as genuinely self-aware, resilient individuals. I’ll be hosting a free teach-in this Thursday, and on Saturday, I’m offering a small group discussion for paid subscribers. Together, we’ll explore how these forces live within us and what hope looks like today. At $6 a month, paid subscribers can access these monthly discussions and additional exclusive content, such as E-books, classes, and GROUP SEMINARS. As we go forward, let’s remember that voting is essential. But so does understanding why we’re vulnerable to authoritarianism. The roots of fascism lie in the psyche, in the unconscious. By exploring this terrain, we gain the power to resist for ourselves and future generations. I look forward to diving deep with you all. Let’s talk, let’s learn, and, as always, feel free to share your thoughts and questions. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe [https://douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Cute Video A Class on The Psychological Roots of Fascism I'm Presenting this Week!

This is my first Substack Video. It's unscripted, and I have bad hair, but these are trying times. I thought I would give us something to think about this weekend. I am offering a new experience: Paid Subscribers get to experience a mini-course with me on the psychological roots of fascism. By Thursday at 3:00 p.m. PST—Halloween Eve—I will post an in-depth LECTURE as if I were giving a class at Antioch University, gathering some of the greatest psychoanalytic voices (Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, Herbert Marcuse; Jessica Benjamin; Fanny Brewster) on how the unconscious mind is structured as conflictual power centers. On Saturday, November 2, from Noon to 1:30 PST, I will host a Zoom for Paid Subscribers to discuss and process the lecture together! This could be a way of organizing! I hope you can come! I’d love to meet you! Tonight, I will share some ideas from the work of Alice Miller and Sándor Ferenczi. Key terms are “poisonous pedagogy” and “speaking in tongues.” For $6 per month, we will have at least one or two classes a month or topics of your choosing! Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe [https://douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Where Ages, Races and Sexualities Converge--An Interview with Payton G. Young

I’m thrilled to share my latest “Get Psychological” Podcast episode, featuring an insightful conversation with Payton Young. Payton, a 25-year-old Black man from Inglewood, started as my trainer six years ago, helping me get into my best shape. Over time, our relationship deepened, evolving into a unique bond where a Jewish gay therapist and a Black straight young man found common ground in mentorship and mutual growth. We’ve explored psychological principles like trauma, defense mechanisms, unconscious dynamics, and feltness, turning our differences into powerful tools for personal and shared transformation. This past year has been particularly challenging for Payton as he faced the devastating loss of his mother, grandmother, and father within a single month. These experiences pushed him to seek treatment and fully integrate and expand on the peer therapy we’ve engaged in over the years. Payton now carries a profound understanding of trauma, addiction, recovery, the unconscious, and god-consciousness—and being Black in America. This episode is just the beginning of what promises to be a compelling series. Stay tuned for more, and don’t miss our upcoming content by becoming a Paid Subscriber at $5 per month, more interviews, and us sharing our memoirs. Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe [https://douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Psychology of Fascism and Democacy

In this podcast episode, I dialogue with psychotherapist Kellum Lewis about the newly disruptive election and its high stakes in a four-part series we will be holding. We envision this series to focus a psychological lens on the menace an authoritarian regime might pose for civic and psychic life in the challenging years ahead—and what can be done electorally and politically. We will explore psychoanalytic concepts to help analyze the mental structures that produce the authoritarian personality and fascist group-mindedness. The news, however, disrupted our plans. The day we were to talk, Biden announced he would step down as a candidate, and Harris galvanized the long-suffering democratic movement to unify (on a full moon in Capricorn). A mixture of exhilarating excitement and foreboding worry fell upon our conversation as we announced how we might roll out the next series. Kellum and I have known each other for 30 years. Our bond is rooted in the intersection of psychology, history, and activism, the amalgamation of which aims to change the world from the inside out and outside in. To honor this tripartite model of psychological illumination, we will share insights from the Netflix documentary series “Hitler and the Circle of Evil,” which combines shocking footage, academic commentary, and dramatic reenactments to identify the roots of the authoritarian impulse. This preparatory episode discusses Freudian and other ideas to introduce how the psyche is structured at this point in the civilization process to be exploited by fascist impulses unless individuals and collectives work on their dark sides for the sake of “inner emancipation.” Perhaps the profound “descent into the underworld” over the last month—which broke just as we began recording!—is an object lesson of learning how to work collaboratively with the dark side of the psyche rather than trample it, as authoritarians are wont to do. Thank you for reading and for your support. If you’d consider becoming a monthly supporter at $5 per month and $50 per year, this will help me produce more content and offer special talks and group meetings for paying subscribers. Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Psychology for the People with Dr. Douglas Sadownick at douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe [https://douglassadownick.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]