In the first half, psychologist and clinical instructor Caroline Fleck discussed the transformative power of validation in communication, particularly in therapeutic settings. She emphasized that validation is distinct from approval or praise, and that one can validate another's feelings without necessarily agreeing with their views. "Praise is a judgment... Validation says I accept you independent of how you look or perform," she noted. "Validation," she continued, "communicates that one is mindful, they understand, and they empathize with some part of another person's experience." This process involves making another person feel seen and accepted, which is crucial for fostering personal growth and resolving conflicts.
Dr. Fleck elaborated on the dual nature of validation, explaining that it can be both given by others and practiced as self-validation. When you effectively help another person feel seen and heard, "they're actually much more receptive to working toward personal growth," she noted. This skill is vital in therapy, where professionals must balance acceptance with the need for change. In the workplace, she described validation as an overlooked positive reinforcement, emphasizing that acknowledging employees as individuals fosters a deeper connection.
Further, she explained that dismissing a child's feelings can lead to significant mental health issues, stating, "When you invalidate a child's emotions... you're basically dismissing that kid's experience." Fleck stressed recognizing children's emotions to foster healthy self-esteem and emotional intelligence.
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In the latter half, writer and researcher Michael Goddart shared insights from his spiritual journey and exploration of past lives. Starting meditation at age 19 and intensifying it to two and a half hours daily by 21, he has traveled to over 50 countries in search of truth and enlightenment. "My spiritual evolution started thousands of lives ago," he remarked, emphasizing his belief in reincarnation and the soul's progression through various lifetimes. He elaborated on his experiences across 88 past lives (view list), including one 12 lives back, when he was a high-level government official in Tibet and had a lot of contact with a group of 210 Buddhist monks. It was at this time that he realized some of them were not ordinary humans, and "their consciousness seemed to reach high up into heaven. So that was the first life...that my higher mind was predominant over my lower mind," he recounted.
In his memoir, he also includes "12 lives where my negative actions outweighed the positive ones, and I had to reincarnate as an animal," as a form of karmic balance. Touching on the nature of déjà vu experiences, he suggested that these fleeting feelings of familiarity may be linked to past lives, and can function as entry points for recall. Goddart delved into the concept of the soul, describing it as our "true self" that exists in a state of bliss before being drawn into the physical world. He also touched on the journey of spiritual evolution, and how the desire to return to the source of God can lead individuals to enlightenment. His latest book, "The Contentment Dividend," serves as a guide to eliminating suffering and reconnecting with one's higher self.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Mike Bara