HealthyGamerGG

In this episode Dr. K sits down with content creator BSJ to discuss the hidden psychological weight that remains after tackling Puer Aeternus (the eternal youth). They explore how moving past the "commitment-phobe" phase is only the beginning of the journey, leading into a deeper dive into perfectionism, conditional love, and the "monster in the basement" that drives high-achievers to punish themselves even after they succeed. Key Topics:• Beyond Puer Aeternus: Why simply "taking the plunge" into a career or relationship is not the end goal, but rather the start of deeper psychological healing. • The Origins of Perfectionism: A powerful look at how childhood experiences—like being reminded of the two missed free throws instead of the eight successful ones—lead to an adulthood defined by constant self-critique. • The Weight of Being "Hard on Yourself": Understanding why high-achievers use self-induced pain as a motivational system and the immense mental exhaustion it causes over time. • The Role of Blame in Healing: Why Dr. K suggests that you must accurately place blame for childhood damage before you can truly forgive and move past it. • The Loneliness of "Leveling Up": Exploring the isolation that often accompanies emotional growth, as shifting your life path can create a wedge between you and your old peer groups. HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Dr. K explains why we often use productivity as a way to hide from our real problems and how to find the root cause of mental health struggles rather than just treating symptoms. He also covers why people with ADHD dive too deep into hobbies and the complicated truth about sharing feelings with a partner. Key Topics: The Productivity Trap: Why "optimizing" your life is often just a way to avoid solving major personal crises, like a failing marriage or career unhappiness. Fixing the "Root Directory": How treating core issues like rumination or internalizing can fix multiple mental health diagnoses at the same time.• ADHD and New Identities: Why people with ADHD don't just "try" hobbies but adopt them as entirely new personalities to find a life that finally "fits". The Truth About Sharing Feelings: Why sharing negative emotions can sometimes make a relationship worse, especially for those with social anxiety. Integrated Partners: Using Jungian archetypes to understand why hyper-polarized gender roles on social media often lead to emotionally unsafe relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K breaks down how getting stuck in regret, fantasy, and “what could have been” thinking can quietly block real change. When the mind keeps rewriting the past or imagining alternate versions of life, it feels productive, but it actually drains the emotional fuel needed to move forward in the present. This episode explores why fantasy can feel comforting but ultimately keeps people stuck, especially in depression. Dr. K explains how negative emotions are closely tied to learning and motivation, and why avoiding them through imagination, rumination, or distraction prevents real progress. The focus is not on fixing the past or visualizing a perfect future, but on tolerating the present long enough to take the next real step. Topics covered include: Why regret-based fantasy feels helpful but blocks action How imagination converts negative emotion into false relief The connection between negative emotion, learning, and motivation Why rewriting the past creates a false present you cannot act from How to shift from “what should have been” to “what do I do now” HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K breaks down why disliking someone feels useful, addictive, and justified, yet quietly causes real damage to your mental clarity, stress levels, and long term decision making. Using personal stories, clinical examples, and research, he explains how hostility narrows your thinking, fuels rumination, and keeps you emotionally stuck, even when you believe dislike is protecting you or motivating change. Instead of pushing forgiveness or pretending bad behavior is acceptable, this episode focuses on removing dislike itself. Dr. K walks through a practical mindset shift rooted in compassion without tolerance, helping you judge people clearly, set realistic expectations, and make calm long term plans that are not driven by fluctuating emotions. Topics covered include: Why dislike is one of the most addictive emotions and how it distorts perception Hostile attribution bias and how disliking someone limits your ability to solve problems The physical and mental health costs of chronic hostility and stress Why forgiveness often fails and how removing dislike is different A step by step mental process for seeing people clearly and planning boundaries without emotional reactivity HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode breaks down why freelancing has gotten harder (not easier) in the platform era—and what actually helps people stay stable without burning out. Dr. K frames the problem as structural (platform incentives, competition, surveillance, ratings power) and argues the “survival move” is shifting from hope labor (do good work and hope it turns into more work) to relational labor (actively managing client relationships, expectations, and repeat business), while building independence outside any single platform. Topics covered include: The “autonomy paradox”: why freelancers often end up working longer, more chaotic hours despite “freedom.” Platform-driven squeeze: competition, undercutting, quality being hard to judge, and why price + speed become the default filters. Ratings + reputational dependence: how reviews become leverage, pushing freelancers to over-accommodate and get trapped on one platform. What works better than “hope labor”: relational labor—communication, expectation-setting, and relationship-building as part of the job. Survival strategies: diversify into adjacent skills, build a “home base” off-platform, and gather better feedback directly from clients (plus “distributed mentorship” communities). HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K breaks down why ADHD can quietly erode relationships—and why it’s still fixable once you can see the pattern. He opens with bleak data (most partners report ADHD significantly harms the relationship and that they feel forced to “compensate”), then reframes those stats as useful: patterns are predictable, and predictable means preventable. The core issue he names is symptomatic misperception—a neurotypical partner interprets ADHD behaviors (forgetting, distractibility, missed plans) as “you don’t care,” creating an emotional injury on top of the practical problem. From there, he explains how many people with ADHD develop dysfunctional adaptations (like masking, shutting down emotionally, or avoiding commitments) to avoid conflict, but those coping strategies create new damage. He offers a repair approach: map the recurring behavior → identify what emotion you’re trying to avoid in your partner (often disappointment) → build a shared plan to tolerate and address that emotion without avoidance. He closes by highlighting pragmatic communication (turn-taking, not interrupting, tracking topics, nonverbal cues) as a common ADHD struggle that affects “connectedness,” and points toward couples-based ADHD therapy and skills training as evidence-based ways to improve. Topics covered include: Symptomatic misperception: ADHD symptoms being misread as a lack of care The “two injuries” problem: the practical miss (cake) + the meaning attached to it Dysfunctional adaptations: masking, avoidance, indecision, emotional shutdown A repair map: behavior → what you’re preventing → the core emotion → alternative plan Pragmatic communication skills and why ADHD disrupts conversational “flow” HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K reframes “zoning out” as your brain’s attempt to restore attention and reclaim cognitive bandwidth—not just a bad habit to eliminate. He explains how zoning out increases when you’re tired, overwhelmed, bored, or carrying unresolved emotional stress, and uses a patient example (ADHD feeling like it’s “getting worse”) to show how hidden mental load and emotional uncertainty can drain working memory. He introduces insights from attention restoration theory, then breaks down how multitasking and “just get started / take small steps” advice can backfire by keeping you stuck in constant task-switching. The takeaway is a productivity reset: prioritize finishing tasks, reduce multitasking, and deliberately schedule true non-productive time so your brain can process internal problems instead of forcing them to surface during work. Topics covered include: Why zoning out happens and how it restores “cognitive RAM” How unresolved emotional stress increases distraction and task-switching Attention Restoration Theory and why nature/rest can replenish focus Why “just get started” + multitasking can sabotage productivity Practical fixes: focus on task completion, minimize multitasking, and plan real downtime HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K explores “the deep hurt”—a persistent inner ache that can remain even when life is going well and traditional healing improves symptoms like anxiety, depression, or trauma responses. He describes how this pain can feel unusually dense and powerful, sometimes even adding depth, creativity, and compassion rather than simply feeling “bad.” Dr. K walks through several possible explanations—ranging from early “primitive” trauma, to generational/epigenetic inheritance, to spiritual frameworks like karma and reincarnation—while acknowledging that none fully explain it yet. He closes by introducing a Buddhist concept of bodhicitta, or the “wound of compassion,” suggesting that deep inner peace can sometimes open into a profound sensitivity to others’ suffering, which can become a source of purpose and meaningful action. Topics covered include: How the “deep hurt” can persist even after mental health symptoms improve Why healing can make this pain feel more intense or more noticeable Possible explanations: unformulated unconscious material, primitive early trauma, and epigenetic inheritance Spiritual frameworks Dr. K considers: meditation, past-life impressions, karma/reincarnation Bodhicitta and the “wound of compassion” as a path from inner peace to deeper empathy and purpose HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do some people seem to hate you no matter what you do, even when you have not done anything wrong? Dr. K calls this displaced hatred, anger that cannot be aimed at the real source, so it gets redirected onto a safer target. He uses Snape’s unfair treatment of Harry as a clean example of how this happens when love, loss, and betrayal collide. From there, he brings it into real life: family dynamics, workplaces, and even online anger. Once you can spot displaced hatred, you stop wasting energy trying to win someone over in an unwinnable situation, and you can start tracing your own persistent anger back to the person or wound you “aren’t allowed” to be mad at. Topics Included -What displaced hatred is, and why it feels so unfair to the target -Snape, Lily, James, and Harry as a case study in redirected anger -Why the mind struggles to hold love and hate toward the same person -A therapy insight: the parent you do not talk about can hold the real pain -How “good parent” narratives can hide resentment about lack of protection -Common real world pattern: coworker anger that is actually about the boss -Why killing someone with kindness often fails when the issue is not you -How displaced hatred keeps you taking responsibility for someone else’s problem-The role of self hatred, depression, and why anger can get redirected outward HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K sits down with therapist and trauma educator Patrick Teahan to explore how childhood trauma continues to shape adult relationships, identity, and emotional regulation. They unpack how early survival patterns can clash with adult goals, leading to procrastination, anxiety, avoidance, and chronic inner conflict. Rather than framing these struggles as personal failure, the conversation reframes them as adaptations that once protected us but now hold us back. The discussion moves into attachment styles, intimacy, and projection, showing how unresolved childhood dynamics often replay themselves in romantic relationships. Dr. K and Patrick explain why healing can feel destabilizing, how emotional numbing gets mistaken for peace, and what real integration looks like when growth shifts from forcing change to building emotional flexibility. Topics covered include: -How childhood trauma creates conflict between emotions and adult goals-Anxious and avoidant attachment patterns in adult relationships-Why healing can disrupt relationships built on shared dysfunction-Projection of parental wounds onto romantic partners-The difference between emotional numbness and true emotional stability HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever notice how you can be chatting effortlessly, then the moment a new person shows up, you freeze and your brain goes blank? In this episode, Dr. K breaks down why some conversations feel smooth and others suddenly become hard, especially when you feel judged, intimidated, or you want to make a good impression. He explains the nervous system shift that happens in real time, how threat detection hijacks your social flow, and why trying to force yourself to be charming makes it worse. Then he gives a simple roadmap to get back into a relaxed, fluid vibe using breathing, repeated low stakes exposure, and a curiosity based mindset shift. Topics Included -Why conversation flows when you are relaxed, and collapses when you feel evaluated -Parasympathetic vs sympathetic nervous system in social moments How bullying or past social pain trains your brain to treat strangers as threats -Amygdala activation and the freeze response -How overthinking and self monitoring kills conversational flow -A stroke example that shows how the frontal lobes can inhibit free speech -Fast in the moment reset using slow exhalations -Exposure therapy for social ease through small benign interactions -Practical starter reps with low pressure strangers -Using curiosity to replace threat scanning and get back into connection -Reframing small talk as a rare chance to meet a unique person -Letting go of needing approval, especially from people you will never see again HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dr. K breaks down procrastination in a way that cuts past motivation hacks, productivity systems, and self blame. He explains why procrastination is not a character flaw, lack of discipline, or missing willpower, but the result of how the mind operates and how we relate to it. When we stay fused with our thoughts, the mind quietly decides for us, then keeps us busy with internal debate so we feel like we tried. The conversation reframes discipline and self respect as actions, not traits you acquire. Dr. K explores how avoidance builds momentum over time, why waiting to “feel ready” keeps you stuck, and how believing there is a finished version of yourself actually undermines change. The episode offers a grounded, sometimes uncomfortable approach to breaking the cycle by changing how you respond to your mind in the moment, not by perfecting your system or your future self. Topics Include: -Why procrastination feels like conflict even when the decision is already made -Why discipline and self respect are verbs, not things you possess -How the mind manipulates you by offering better plans for tomorrow -The difference between training your mind and negotiating with it -Why insight alone does not change behavior HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people walk into a room and everything changes. They do not speak louder, try harder, or perform better, yet others feel calmer, steadier, and more grounded around them. This episode breaks down what Dr. K calls true or divine aura, which is different from confidence or charisma and cannot be faked through social skills. Dr. K explores how this kind of presence often emerges after profound psychological and existential collapse, when all normal coping mechanisms fail and a person connects to something deeper than ego, status, or validation. He explains why this stability feels magnetic to others, how it can be misused, and why chasing it directly is usually the wrong move. Topics Included What separates true aura from confidence or charisma Why modern psychology avoids studying divinity and aura The role of empathy and emotional stability in presence How extreme suffering can dissolve the ego Connection to the divine as a psychological experience Why people with aura seem immune to intimidation or rejection How cult leaders misuse this kind of presence Ick resistance and the link between aura and compassion Why longing for aura can actually block it A healthier way to live without chasing transformation HG Coaching : ⁠https://bit.ly/46bIkdo⁠ Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: ⁠https://bit.ly/44z3Szt⁠ HG Memberships : ⁠https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf⁠ Products & Services : ⁠https://bit.ly/44kz7x0⁠ HealthyGamer.GG: ⁠https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K joins Ludwig and Squeex in the middle of an intense Dark Souls marathon to unpack a growing tension that goes beyond the game. What starts as frustration over skill differences quickly turns into a deeper conversation about resentment, competition, validation, and what happens when collaboration turns into comparison. As the conversation unfolds, Dr. K walks them through real relationship dynamics in real time. They explore how cycles of blame form, why arguing over who is “right” often makes things worse, and how resentment quietly builds when people feel unheard or undervalued. The episode becomes a live breakdown of how to move from winning arguments to actually repairing trust. Topics include: Why focusing on “the truth” can damage relationships How resentment builds between teammates and collaborators Competition vs cooperation in close partnerships Feeling respected versus feeling understood Why validation matters more than being right Breaking cycles of blame and escalation How to repair tension without keeping score HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K unpacks what it means to feel like “the goober” in your friend group. The person who gets invited, but it doesn’t really matter if you show up. Starting from a brutal birthday story where nobody came, he shows how overgiving, bribing people with effort, and constantly trying to be “worth inviting” actually keep you stuck on the edge of every group. Being on the periphery isn’t a diagnosis, but it can wreck your self-esteem and make you feel forgettable even when you technically have friends. He then breaks down the science of social networks and what actually moves you toward the center of a group. Instead of clinging to one friend circle and making yourself small with self-deprecating humor, he explains how to build more connections, become the “in between” person who links groups, and stop hiding your strengths. Dr. K gives both big-picture strategies and small behavior changes so you can be respected, remembered, and valued instead of feeling like the tagalong. Topics include: What it really means to feel like a “goober” in social groups Clinging behaviors that keep you stuck on the edge of friend circles Why overinvesting in one group rarely gets you more respect Eigenvector centrality and how “social gravity” actually works Forming weak ties and turning them into strong, meaningful connections Becoming the bridge between different groups to raise your status How self-deprecating humor and playing small lower your social value Why showing your real skills and expertise changes how people treat you HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K breaks down why so many people struggle with self-love and why the usual advice to “just love yourself” never works. He explains how early attachment, people pleasing, and constant self-negotiation slowly disconnect you from your own wants until you can’t tell who you are or what you deserve. Instead of treating self-love like a mindset hack, he shows how your environment and relationships quietly shape your sense of worth. He also lays out what actually moves the needle. That includes changing the way you talk to yourself, breaking the habit of appeasing your own anxiety, letting others reflect your value, and using meditation to stop fusing with every negative thought. Dr. K reframes self-love as something you grow into through awareness and experience, not something you magically “decide” to have. Topics include:- How childhood conditioning shapes adult self-worth- Why anxious and avoidant patterns make self-love harder- The trap of self-appeasement and over-negotiating with yourself- How self-loathing builds when you stay stuck in your own head- Using real relationships to rebuild a sense of value- Meditation as a way to observe thoughts instead of believing them- Small habits that slowly create authentic self-respect HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Dr. K breaks down why most people cannot “fall in love with the grind” no matter how hard they try. The real problem is exhaustion. Not the good kind of tired you feel after a full day on the lake, but the worn-out, stretched-thin kind that builds up from emotional avoidance, poor focus, and physical deconditioning. Weekends and vacations only mask the issue instead of fixing it, and modern habits like using devices before bed or relying on substances wreck the REM sleep needed for recovery. He explains that loving the grind only becomes possible after rebuilding your capacity. That means emotional conditioning, better focus, strengthening the body, and viewing your current work as a stepping stone to the life you want. The first weeks are harder and more tiring, but over a few months your baseline energy rises, your work becomes more manageable, and the grind starts to feel rewarding instead of draining. Topics include: Why most exhaustion comes from emotional suppression, not workload How poor focus and constant distraction drain more energy than the work itself The impact of physical weakness, posture issues, and poor sleep on daily fatigue Why REM sleep is essential for emotional processing and daily reset Reconditioning yourself through emotional awareness, focus training, and basic movement How to frame your current job as a stepping stone so your brain stops giving up HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K talks about what it really means to “have no personality” and why so many people feel like NPCs in their own life. He explains that a lot of people who say this aren’t clinically depressed or totally isolated, but feel like life is just a series of side quests with no main quest, no clear sense of who they are, and no strong preferences of their own. He breaks down three big patterns he sees in these people: living by “what’s right” instead of what they actually want, being extremely risk averse, and constantly chasing identity through groups and labels. From goths to gamers to political identities, he shows how over-identifying with a group can become a mask that blocks you from discovering your real self. He also defines personality in a concrete way: how you interpret situations, how you feel inside, and how you behave in response. Using examples from his practice and his own life, Dr. K talks about cultural conditioning (especially in immigrant and Asian families), the pressure to maximize your advantages, and how suppressing desire leads to a flat, “empty” existence. He then lays out what actually helps: noticing how comfort, efficiency, and fear shape your choices, allowing yourself to do things that aren’t perfectly “optimal,” taking meaningful risks, and stretching your capacities instead of always staying where you’re safe and competent. Over time, those choices are how you actually build a personality. Topics include:Feeling like an NPC, side quests without a main questThe trap of always doing the “right” or efficient thingComfort and risk aversion as personality killersIdentity vs identification (goth, gamer, trad wife, politics, etc.)How family expectations and culture suppress desireWhat personality really is: perception, internal reaction, behaviorWhy you fantasize about disaster forcing you to “prove yourself”Noticing your mental rulebook and changing itStretching your competence instead of “smurfing” through life HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. K digs into the emerging research on “AI-induced psychosis” and why he changed his mind from thinking it was media fearmongering to seeing real psychiatric risk. He explains how chatbots can act like a technological folie à deux (shared delusion), where empathic, sycophantic AI slowly amplifies your paranoia, isolates you from other people, and erodes your reality testing. Drawing from recent papers, he walks through how different models compare in delusion confirmation, harm enablement, and safety interventions, and then gives a practical checklist so you can tell if your own AI use is drifting into dangerous territory. Topics include: What “technological folie à deux” is and how shared delusions can form with a chatbot Bidirectional belief amplification: you vent, AI validates, your paranoia escalates Anthropomorphizing AI and why “I know it’s just a tool” doesn’t protect your emotional brain How sycophantic design (always trying to please the user) directly opposes healthy psychotherapy Epistemic drift: slowly moving from normal thinking into increasingly delusional narratives Case example of harmful, unsafe advice (e.g., “healthy” bromine alternative leading to toxicity) Research comparing models on delusion confirmation, harm enablement, and safety response The ways AI can weaken reality testing, reinforce suicidal or paranoid ideas, and increase isolation Self-assessment questions: frequency of use, emotional attachment, replacing friends, following AI advice Guidelines for using AI more safely and when elevated risk means you should talk to a professional HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Dr. K sits down with creator JasonTheWeen to talk about the pressure of growing up, managing online relationships, and the complicated emotions that come with watching your parents get older. What starts as a light catch-up quickly turns into a deeper look at loneliness, responsibility, and the fear of losing the people you love. Jason opens up about feeling torn between his own life and his parents’ wishes, especially his dad’s plan to eventually return to Vietnam. Dr. K helps him explore the difference between what he feels he owes his parents and what he actually wants, while also unpacking how cultural expectations and emotional suppression shape the relationship. They also discuss the challenges of balancing streaming with real life, how hard it is to communicate honest feelings with family, and why unspoken emotions often turn into sadness or anger. It’s a heartfelt and very human conversation about trying to grow while holding onto the people who matter. HG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3Szt HG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices