Cognitive bypassing occurs when we overthink to avoid feeling uncomfortable emotions like sadness, fear, or anger. In this episode, Dr. Rick and I share our personal experiences with cognitive bypassing, and explore how we can step out of our heads, get in touch with our emotions, and live a more fulfilling life. You'll learn why people can't just "feel their feelings," the function of cognitive bypassing, how we can use cognition to create space for our emotions, and practical tools for connecting with the noncognitive aspects of our experience.

Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
1:50 What is cognitive bypassing?
3:00 How cognitive bypassing comes up in therapy
6:10 The function of cognitive bypassing
11:25 Does insight lead to action?
19:15 “Feel your feelings” vs. selfactualizing
25:20 Leveraging your cognition to create space from your feelings
31:25 Body sensations and selfcompassion
34:35 Relating to others
39:15 Practical steps to being in touch with yourself
42:30 Intensity, valence, and opening to empathy
45:35 Rigidity and resistance
50:35 The range of possibilities within your constraints
57:15 Recap

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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the coauthor of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.

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https://www.forresthanson.com
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