HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! To a great 2022, the best year everrrrrrrrr ✨ As you can tell, we‘re pretty enthusiastic about this new year because the last year was… umm… well many things! From frustrating to challenging to sad to great to once again simply a mess. But hey, here we are, and we‘re ready to start 2022 with new intentions (as we kinda forgot about the ones from last year lol) and new motivation, so let‘s go! Make sure to check out the first episode of the new year in which we reflect on the past year, share how far we‘ve come with our resolutions from 2021 and also tell you what our new resolutions are (pls hold us accountable this year, we need your help!). Sending you much love and energy for the start of this new year 💛❤️💛❤️ ps: this is actually our 50th (!) episode which is absolutely insane! Thank you SO MUCH for listening, it means the world to us.

We all know the situation: we feel that something is off. We haven‘t been feeling our best and want to know what’s wrong with us. Or maybe we‘re just sitting at the dentist and there‘s a magazine in front of us, practically inviting us to take a test about our mental health. Either way: we take the test. We get our „diagnosis“ - now what? In this week‘s episode we did just that. We took some mentalh health self- tests and share the results with you. Spoiler alert: it’s pretty hilarious. More importantly though, we talk about the advantages but also risks of these tests and diagnoses in general, as there are plenty and we all tend to get hung up on labels that supposedly tell us what‘s „wrong“ with us. As always, feel free to share your feedback with us and let us know what you think (and what your experience is with these self-tests!). Hope you enjoy the episode.

This week‘s episode is all about answering your questions! Starting with the topic of emotional dependence and asking ourselves if we can and should actually be emotionally independent from other people? Why is independence in that sense something we are pressured to strive for when, in fact, humans simply need other humans?! Also we talk about how to deal with constant changes in our lives and how you can (and should!) question your family and the roles everyone has within this construct. Hope you enjoy the episode and, as always, let us know if you agree with our points of views.

Hi everyone! This gloomy week we are coming to you completely unaware of the upcoming lockdown but almost having a psychic feeling that impending doom is on its way! (Trust your gut folks) 😂 You know what? Sometimes there are days or weeks where you just feel like shit, and that is how we are feeling right now. We don’t need a reason, we don’t need an explanation, it just is what it is, and it actually takes a lot to just accept that. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏾 We are such big advocates of therapy and psychoanalysis, but it’s so important to use your own judgement and also know when it’s time to step back from analyzing everything, and just give yourself a break! ❤️ The seasons changing and a challenging battle with moods and energy is real, and we are here to tell you we are going through it too. Hang in there 😊🥰 and thanks for tuning in!!!

It‘s Halloween and therefore time to share some truly spooky shit. What are the things you’re really scared of? And what were you scared of as a child? There might be a link between now and then as fears are often something we carry with us throughout our lives, even though they may manifest differently at various stages. In this week‘s episode we dive into some deep dark fears of ours and realize once again: we‘re not alone with it.

❗️FINALLY ❗️WE‘RE BACK ❗️ After a couple of months of not posting any new episodes, we’re back and we’re ready to give you all the glory details of what has happened in that time and what we‘ve been up to. Additional to the usual therapy and dating updates, there are also some pretty big, life-impacting revelations that one of us has had … go listen to the full episode to find out more! Also we discuss the future of the podcast, as there will be a few changes regarding uploading and upcoming topics. It was sooo fun to record again and we really once again wanna say a massive THANK YOU to our listeners and followers who have been so patient with us. We really appreciate it ❤️❤️❤️

Hey hey hey! Another episode has come around and we are just doing a good old catch up! We barely get to just update each other on what’s going on anymore because life got so crazy in the last couple months. It really went from zero to one hundred with no warning. 🚨🤭 Join us for the usual chit chat: dating, more dating, therapy, and some other random bits and bobs. 😂🙂 We went from telling funny stories to actually getting into a really serious topic that has been weighing on us lately. Tune in to find out what it was!!

Intimacy vs. Isolation aka the young adulthood stage defined by Erikson. What does intimacy actually mean? Our first association often immediately goes to a strong and close physical relationship, to sex but isn’t intimacy so much more? What about intimacy with friends for example, where it’s more about learning to have genuine, authentic relationships? As we dove into this week’s topic of the podcast, continuing with Erik Erikson’s developmental phases, we started to get a bit confused and skeptical of the theory on this stage particularly. Maybe it’s also a resistance as we are currently in it lol. As always, it’s important to take all these theories with a grain of salt, consider them in the context of time in which they came up and generally not to get too caught up in it. Listen the full episode and see if and how you can apply it to your life, which we also tried to do. Also you will hear us getting more and more confused but stick to the end to hear Lola having an AHA-moment and figuring it all out 🤓✨

When we think psychoanalysis one of the first things that comes to mind is early development and the insane impact it has on our adult lives. Many critics have said that there is too much of a focus on the infant life, and that psychoanalytic psychotherapy is hugely lacking in the here and now, as well as later development (beyond the age of five or six). Boy do we have great news for you! 🤓😌 Erik Erikson, a German/ American psychologist, came up with his own stages of development, covering one’s whole life span! This week we thought we’d focus on some more recent stages rather than ones we can barely remember. In this two part episode, we start with adolescence. Prepare for serious cringe, because yes, those teen years were quite a mess for all of us! 😂🥳🤩

❗️ NO is a complete sentence ❗️ Saying “no” is one of many expressions of creating personal boundaries that allow you to focus your time doing the things that you want to do, things that make you feel good. We all kinda know that, yet many of us struggle with not only saying no, but setting boundaries in general. Why‘s that? In this week‘s episode we discuss boundaries and everything surrounding them: reflecting on the boundaries we had growing up (or lack thereof), the way we learned to communicate boundaries, our struggles with it and - very important - the topic of boundaries in a therapeutic setting. Let us know how you deal with setting boundaries, if it‘s something that you‘ve learned or if it‘s also something you struggle with (we have the feeling most of us do) - as always, we‘d love to hear your feedback on this topic. Hope you enjoy the episode 💗

Have you ever gone about your day and suddenly had a response to something that was completely out of proportion? Welcome to the club! 😭😑 Triggers are something that not only effect people who have had severe trauma, but are a a part of any healthy person’s life as well. They sneak up on you and get you when you least expect it, and then leave you thinking “what the hell was that about?!” 🧐🤔 When unconscious material or even thoughts or feelings that you simply don’t feel comfortable expressing are triggered, it can feel like your world is falling apart. Don’t feel alone because we all go through it, trust us!

So we all know that state of feeling down, sad, empty and what we often call „depressed“. But what is the difference between sadness and depression? Is there one? Quick answer: YES! 💥 In this week‘s episode we discuss the difference between these two states in psychodynamic terms using the essay „Mourning & Melancholia“ by Freud (1918), in which he described exactly that. Even though we struggled a bit putting it into understandable and not too-technical words, we hope it can clarify some things for you guys and you get a better understanding of what sadness is and when it occurs vs. actual, pathological depression. Also, there‘s a trigger warning here as this topic is generally a bit of an intense one and as we also touch on the subject of suicidality. So if this is uncomfortable and too much for you simply skip this episode 😌 Otherwise we hope you enjoy it and are looking forward to your feedback!

Hypochondriac is one of those words that’s so widely used to describe a certain personality or character but how often is it really diagnosed? After our discussions we concluded that the answer is rarely, VERY rarely. Is it going out of trend like hysteria did? 👠 💄 This episode also contains a serious “aha” moment, which we are not giving away!!! Okay fine here’s a clue: maybe there aren’t many hypochondria patients in treatment because that’s exactly what we want to avoid! 🤭🤔😮 Do you know anyone who suffers from hypochondria or are we all just more paranoid about our health than we used to be as a society? Check out the episode and let us know! 😁

I vividly remember learning about the platypus for at least a week in biology class in High School, yet I have no memory of learning anything about the female orgasm, masturbation or sexual identities. The question is: why? How do we expect young women and men to grow up knowledgable, sexually safe and healthy, if we still don‘t talk openly about these topics and make sex education a priority? Sex and Sexuality are a huge part of our lives and identities, yet often remain a taboo topic, even today. Also, they are enormously important topics in therapy. For some of us, it is easier to talk about sex and sexuality, for some more difficult, just as some people can express their sexuality more freely than others. Whatever the case, know that there is nothing wrong with you and the way you live out your sexuality. Among other things, this realisation has been a huge learning for both of us. Us humans are all wired and brought up very differently, and this part of our lives is no exception. That being said, bringing the topic of sex(uality) into therapy has been really important and beneficial for both of us. In this week‘s episode, we share why, what it changed for us, what we wish we had learned and known way back when, and, of course, some TMI stories 😋 we hope you enjoy the episode and, as always, are looking forward to your guys feedback ♥️

This week we are doing a little check in on our progress and regressions in our own psychoanalytic psychotherapies. Not only are we training to be therapists, but at the same time we’re both patients as well! 😳😯 Being in a psychoanalytic therapy seriously feels like being in an escape room - solving some clues and getting closer to completing the mission but also stumbling on some that you can’t get passed to save your life! 🔎 🕵🏻‍♀️ It’s so important to be aware of these ups and downs and to know that they are NORMAL and also GOOD!!! 👏🏼👍🏻🙂 We also wanted to show you that it’s not magic. Shit happens, life happens, Lola had a little crying sesh during the recording of the episode, and once again THATS OK 👌🏻 it’s all part of the process and we are doing great. ❤️

Groups! We are always part of them, whether we are aware of it or not. When we are with friends, family, at work, but even when we go out on the streets or to do our grocery shopping - groups & crowds are everywhere and they influence our behavior massively 👥👥 In this week‘s episode we discuss one psychoanalytic view on group dynamics and try to elaborate on the question why we behave differently in a group vs. when we are alone! For example, did you know that there are actually a lot of similarities between being part of a group and being in love? And that the intellectual level within a group decreases while the affects increase? Sounds weird but is a fact and be aware: you‘ll start seing groups with very different eyes ☝🏼 Go check out this episode to learn more and also to hear us share from our experiences in group therapy 🤠 thanks for tuning in guys 🥰

This week we questioned why people modify their bodies today (specifically with tattoos). The trend of getting tattooed has become so widespread, but has the meaning behind it changed? 🤔👀 The way we look in our current society is of so much importance, but we lack the purpose and mindfulness that came along with these ancient traditions. What is making us carry them on into our modern world? Check it out and tell us what you think! 😁🤩

The term Hysteria comes from the Greek word „Hystera“ which is translated to uterus. This already gives us a literal explanation of how the illness, of which the first records of patients date back to Ancient Egypt in 1900 BC, was understood - namely as abnormalities in the uterus and reproductive organs aka female issues🚺 Many many years later, Freud, who became interested in Hysteria after studying under French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot in Paris in 1885, conceptualized his own theories on the illness with his colleague Josef Breuer. Breuer’s patients basically showed the craziest and widest variety of symptoms, all considered hysteric, ranging from depression and migraine to paralyzed legs, arms and hallucinations. Some of these women could be „cured“ through hypnosis, suggestion and talking therapy, which really sparked Freud’s interest in understanding what is going on with these patients and led to an even more extensive research into the innerpsychic world for him. Soooo what exactly is Hysteria? And why does the diagnosis not exist anymore? And why do we use the term „hysterical“ in such a wrong way today? Join us in this week‘s excursion into psychoanalytic history to hear about wondering uteruses, the infamous patient Anna O., and why this, again, was really what started everything! 💫

This week we went all philosophical on you, and discussed two Greek gods: Apollo and Dionysus 👼🏻. How is that relevant to psychotherapy and mental health? Our old friend and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche made Apollo and Dionysus symbols for the Apollonian and the Dionysian; one representing things like order and rationality, and the other representing things like chaos and intuition. 🔥 📚 These two characters are living within us all (creepy right?!) and go right along with the theories of major psychoanalytic thinkers such as Freud and Lacan 😮🤯 Are you an Apollonian or Dionysian?! Or are you just balanced AF and are both equally? 😁

You are leaving your house. You close the door behind you. You take two steps. „Wait, did I lock the door?“ . You go back just to check. Again. And again. And one last time just to make sure! -ok seriously, who has not done this at some point in their life?! 🤔 So what makes someone truly „OCD“ and why do we use that word to label people anyway? Where does something stop being a quirky mannerism (we all have ours!) and where does actual compulsive behavior begin? In this week‘s episode we discuss everything arround the topic of OCD - obsessive compulsive disorder or, in a larger sense, obsessional neurosis. What‘s interesting about this condition is that it can literally appear in all types of people: from psychotic patients to high functioning people, OCD comes in all shapes, forms and intensities. Surely you, who is reading this, also have some behavior quirks that might be considered as an obsession or tic to others. So where does it start being pathological? And why do the we develop these habits in the first place? (hint: it goes way back to early childhood 🤫) We had so much fun recording this topic as we are both familiar with certain OCD-type-behaviors and thoughts 😂 Let us know what your obsessions, compulsion and weird little tics are 😇