Mental Health & Emotional Healing

Explore physician-led conversations about anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, ketamine therapy, emotional regulation, and the ways mental health affects everyday life.

Learn more about treatment options, nervous system health, emotional resilience, and approaches that may help people better understand what they are experiencing and where to seek support.

PODCAST INTERVIEWS & CONVERSATIONS

Mental Health & Emotional Wellness Videos

Browse conversations about anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, ketamine therapy, emotional health, and evidence-informed approaches to healing and mental well-being.

Stop Burying Your Feelings | Jarom Ball on Emotional Intelligence and Connection

What happens when we stop pushing our feelings away and start getting curious about them? Dr. John Sanders sits down with Jarom Ball for a conversation about emotional intelligence, communication, ...and building a healthier relationship with yourself.

Jarom shares his path from special education to therapy and explains how he approaches everyday relationship challenges alongside deeper emotional work. Together, they explore the feelings beneath defensiveness, how shame can shape a conversation, and the difference between learning communication skills and understanding the patterns underneath them.

The discussion also touches on emotional avoidance, grief, expectations of masculinity, and creating space to feel. Jarom offers his perspective on self-compassion, negative self-talk, gratitude, and why dance and play matter to his own approach to emotional expression.

Learn about Voyage Clinics, Direct Primary Care, and available emotional wellness services at https://voyageclinics.com

This podcast shares educational discussion and personal perspectives, not individualized medical or mental health advice. Consult a qualified professional about your own care.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introducing Jarom Ball and emotional wellness
01:24 Jarom’s path into therapy
03:30 Special education, family and a change of direction
07:05 Support for everyday relationship challenges
08:38 Communication skills and connection
10:37 Looking beneath defensiveness and shame
12:56 Following emotional triggers
14:37 Noticing emotions in the body
18:54 Emotional avoidance and making room to feel
23:32 Grief, vulnerability and expectations of masculinity
25:37 Creating safety and space for emotions
28:34 Your relationship with yourself
31:23 Self-talk, gratitude and practicing appreciation
35:11 Dance, play and emotional expression
40:12 Movement, culture and connecting with JaromShow More

Stop Burying Your Feelings | Jarom Ball on Emotional Intelligence and Connection

What happens when we stop pushing our feelings away and start getting ...

Understanding Your Emotions | Dr. Reid Robison’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence

What actually are emotions? Why were so many of us never taught how to ...

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Explained | The Future of Psychiatry with Dr. Reid Robison

Dr. John Sanders sits down with Dr. Reid Robison, a psychiatrist and ...

Listening Without Judgment: How Chaplains Support Healing | Ronda Weaver

Staying in the hospital can be an unnerving experience for many. The ...

Brain Fog, Burnout, and Weight Gain: The Small Changes That Gave This Leader His Life Back

What happens when burnout, brain fog, excess weight, and low energy ...

What happens when burnout, brain fog, excess weight, and low energy finally force you to change?

Dr. John Sanders sits down with rural Utah business leader Sam Crane to unpack the ...practical health journey that changed far more than Sam’s body. Sam explains how gradual improvements in food, exercise, accountability, and consistency strengthened his energy, focus, family life, and leadership.

They discuss sustainable nutrition, intermittent and prolonged fasting, the addictive design of processed food, finding exercise you genuinely enjoy, building community around movement, and using physical activity to focus an ADHD mind. Sam also shares why modeling healthy behavior influenced his children and coworkers more effectively than lecturing them.

This is an honest conversation for busy adults who know they need to change but feel overwhelmed by an all-or-nothing approach. The central lesson is simple: move the needle, build repeatable habits, and let small intentional choices compound.

Educational content only; this conversation is not individualized medical advice. Discuss major dietary, fasting, or exercise changes with an appropriate healthcare professional.

Learn more or sign up for Direct Primary Care with Voyage Clinics:
https://voyageclinics.com

Direct Primary Care gives members easier access to their physician, longer visits, transparent membership pricing, and relationship-focused care without insurance billing driving the visit.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Sam Crane and his health journey
02:05 Leadership, entrepreneurship, and rural Utah
03:29 Burnout, brain fog, and excess weight
04:36 Starting with diet and exercise
08:05 Why small sustainable changes work
11:38 Building discipline without perfection
15:07 Food choices, energy, and mental clarity
18:42 Intermittent fasting and appetite awareness
22:20 Making healthy habits fit real life
26:12 Accountability and finding your community
30:08 How health changes affect the whole family
34:49 Changing the food environment at home
38:39 Choose exercise you actually enjoy
41:12 Health, leadership, and leading by example
45:08 Fasting, cravings, and practical takeawaysShow More

How Healthy Stress Builds Resilience | Therapist Justin Olsen and Dr. John Sanders

Stress is unavoidable—but the way we understand and respond to it can ...

Ketamine Isn’t the Whole Treatment | Why Integration Matters in Trauma Therapy | Jarom Ball

Dr. John Sanders sits down with marriage and family therapist Jarom ...

Dr. John Sanders sits down with marriage and family therapist Jarom Ball for a powerful conversation about trauma, emotional healing, neuroplasticity, and the nervous system. Jarom shares his path into ...therapy, his work with childhood trauma, and why creating safety, support, and trust is such a vital part of healing. Together, they explore how unresolved trauma can continue to shape our bodies, relationships, beliefs, and emotional reactions long after the original wounds occurred.

The conversation dives into EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and psychedelic-assisted therapy, including ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA. Jarom explains the difference between forceful trauma work and gentler, more collaborative approaches that help protective parts of the mind stand down so deeper healing can happen. Dr. John and Jarom also discuss why ketamine can be so helpful for trauma treatment, but why preparation, integration, and therapy matter just as much as the medicine itself.

They also explore how childhood wounds can create deep sensitivity to rejection, how nervous system dysregulation shows up in daily life, and why so many people stay stuck in survival patterns. In the final part of the episode, the discussion expands into modern stress, social media overload, community, nature, intuition, and why reconnecting with a slower, more grounded way of living can be deeply healing.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain emotional reactions feel bigger than they “should,” why trauma still lives in the body, or how therapy, ketamine, and nervous system work can help you heal, this episode is for you.

Topics covered in this episode:

Childhood trauma and nervous system dysregulation
EMDR vs Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Ketamine-assisted therapy and integration
Neuroplasticity and healing
Rejection wounds and relationship triggers
Social media, stress, and modern mental overload
Nature, intuition, and regulation

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

0:00 Introduction: Jarom Ball and Mental Wellness
0:56 Jarom’s Path to Marriage and Family Therapy
4:15 Creating Safety, Trust, and Emotional Support
6:18 How Support Changes What You Can Survive
10:52 Treating Childhood Trauma with EMDR and IFS
13:47 When Trauma Therapy Becomes Too Intense
17:20 Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Ketamine
19:05 IFS: Protective Parts, Firefighters, and Exiles
21:34 Helping the Brain’s Protective Defenses Stand Down
22:30 Why Ketamine Requires Preparation and Integration
23:46 Set, Setting, and Preparing for the Experience
27:28 Neuroplasticity and Breaking Rigid Emotional Patterns
28:27 How Childhood Trauma Shapes Rejection and Relationships
32:28 Ketamine and the Brain’s Window for Change
33:48 Planting New Beliefs Through Therapy Integration
39:12 How Protective Parts Create Addictions and Reactions
40:44 Combining IFS with Bilateral Stimulation
42:42 Is It Worth Reopening Old Trauma?
45:48 Signs Your Nervous System Is Still Dysregulated
47:16 How Social Media Overloads the Nervous System
51:15 Living Smaller and Reconnecting with Community
53:47 Hunter-Gatherer Instincts and Mental Health
56:11 Nature, Sensitivity, and Intuition
58:37 Forest Bathing and Nervous System Regulation
1:03:14 Jarom’s Practice and Closing ThoughtsShow More

How Nature Resets Dopamine, Stress and Sleep | Zak Hazlett & Dr. John

Join Dr. Sanders with Zak Hazlett, a licensed marriage and family ...

Join Dr. Sanders with Zak Hazlett, a licensed marriage and family therapist and experienced river guide in their discussion of health and healing through nature. John and Zak begin the ...conversation discussing metaphorical “baggage” and the importance of unpacking it alongside others. The speakers stress that real growth and friendship come through vulnerability—sharing our struggles rather than hiding them behind a polished façade. The key message is that we can’t unpack someone else’s baggage for them, but we can unpack together, side by side.

The discussion then shifts into the role of self-awareness, accountability, and the small steps required for growth. Instead of waiting for a big breakthrough, showing up consistently for yourself—much like you would for a close friend—leads to progress. Parenting examples highlight the power of teaching children to own mistakes without shame, reinforcing the idea that accountability fosters resilience and healing. This ties into how relationships and safe environments provide the container we need to reprogram unhealthy patterns from the past.

Finally, the podcast explores nature as both a reset and antidote to modern overstimulation. Phones and technology create addictive dopamine spikes, whereas spending time outdoors restores balance, helps reset circadian rhythms, and reduces stress. Practical “dopamine detox” tips are shared, such as grayscaling phones, moving apps, and setting intentional barriers. The speakers emphasize that meaningful social connection—hugs, time with friends, shared vulnerability—produces lasting neurochemical benefits like oxytocin. Taken together, the message is clear: unpack your baggage with others, be intentional about your environment, and lean into nature and authentic connection for lasting wellness.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

0:00 Introduction: Zak Hazlett, Therapist and River Guide
1:40 How Nature Creates Powerful Human Connection
4:16 Facing Fear and Building Relationships on the River
6:12 Zak’s Mental Health Journey and Learning to Be His Own Friend
9:41 Why Phones and Loneliness Make Friendship Harder
11:32 The Art of Friendship and Showing Up Again
15:04 Stop Proving Your Worth to the Wrong People
17:08 How Self-Awareness Changes the Relationships You Attract
20:01 Unpacking Emotional Baggage Together
20:59 Start Small and Show Up for Yourself
22:01 Vulnerability, Shame, and Authentic Friendship
24:51 Seeing People as Beautifully Broken
27:24 How One Small Act Can Change Someone’s Day
28:30 Recognizing Emotional Blind Spots
29:22 How Nature Helped Dr. John Change an Old Family Pattern
32:41 Accountability Without Shame or Blame
34:38 Teaching Children to Own Their Mistakes
36:53 Why Healing Happens in Safe Relationships
37:54 Phones, Cheap Dopamine, and Nature as a Reset
40:32 What Happens After Three Days Without a Phone
43:48 Practical Ways to Reduce Phone Addiction
49:24 Oxytocin, Hugs, and Real Human Connection
51:50 Nature, Circadian Rhythms, and Better Sleep
54:26 Self-Worth, Comparison, and Your Own Timeline
57:32 Closing ThoughtsShow More

Dr. John and Josh Parry | Why Men Struggle to Feel—and How Breathwork Can Help

In this podcast episode from Voyage Clinics, Dr. John welcomes ...

In this podcast episode from Voyage Clinics, Dr. John welcomes breathwork specialist Josh Parry for a deep conversation about emotional health, masculinity, and healing. Josh shares his background in psychology ...and web development and how his personal healing journey led him to breathwork and somatic practices. Both Dr. John and Josh reflect on how societal norms, particularly those taught to boys and men, discourage emotional expression and vulnerability, creating disconnection from one’s own emotions and from others.
Their conversation explores the emotional conditioning men experience, such as suppressing tears or defaulting to sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Dr. John shares personal stories of growth in self-awareness and emotional regulation, particularly in his relationships and parenting. Josh explains how breathwork helped him bypass the thinking mind to connect with buried emotions like shame and grief, which were previously masked by years of internalized beliefs and coping behaviors. They highlight the value of creating safe, supportive spaces for men to reconnect with themselves and others emotionally.
The discussion also touches on the healing power of music, the role of the voice in emotional release, and the need for culturally relevant tools to support men’s mental health. Josh shares stories of guiding breathwork sessions for youth and adults alike and emphasizes the importance of slow, compassionate entry into emotional work—especially for those who’ve never been invited to feel deeply. The episode closes with encouragement for men to know they are not broken, but rather conditioned—and that with the right tools and community, they can heal, connect, and live more wholehearted lives.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.Show More

Why So Many Men Are Angry, Lonely, and Struggling to Connect | Chantel Stratton Lund

Why are so many men angry, lonely, emotionally disconnected, and ...

Why are so many men angry, lonely, emotionally disconnected, and struggling to ask for help?

In this episode of the Voyage Clinics Podcast, Dr. John Sanders sits down with therapist Chantel ...Stratton Lund for a candid conversation about men’s mental health, masculinity, anger, vulnerability, loneliness, friendship, and emotional growth.

Chantel explains why she became passionate about working with men after seeing how underserved they can be in the mental-health system—and how often men struggle silently rather than reaching out for support.

The conversation explores the emotional patterns many men were never taught to recognize. For some men, anger becomes the emotion they know how to express, while fear, hurt, shame, betrayal, loneliness, or vulnerability remain underneath.

Dr. Sanders and Chantel discuss what happens when men begin questioning those patterns instead of simply doubling down on anger or shutting down.

They also explore:

Why vulnerability can feel so difficult for men
What anger may be trying to communicate
Emotional intelligence and relationship blind spots
How men can repair relationships after reacting poorly
Screens, video games, pornography, and digital distraction
Masculinity, drive, assertiveness, and societal expectations
The growing problem of male loneliness
Why many men lack close friendships
Why activity-based friendships often stay on the surface
How service, consistency, and smaller groups can build deeper male friendships
Why men sometimes need relationships outside of their romantic partnership
How therapy can provide a place to practice emotional awareness and vulnerability
Neuroplasticity and changing entrenched patterns
Ketamine-assisted therapy and the importance of intention and integration

Later in the episode, Dr. Sanders and Chantel discuss ketamine-assisted treatment and neuroplasticity. Chantel uses a ski-slope analogy to describe entrenched thought patterns: when the same path has been traveled repeatedly, it becomes easier to keep following it. Neuroplasticity can create an opportunity to explore a different path—but they emphasize that meaningful change still requires intention, new behaviors, and therapeutic work.

At its core, this episode is about connection: learning what lies beneath anger, becoming more emotionally available, building real friendships, and giving men places where they can be honest without having to perform strength all the time.

Guest: Chantel Stratton Lund
Host: Dr. John Sanders | Voyage Clinics

Topics: Men’s mental health, masculinity, anger, male loneliness, male friendship, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, relationships, therapy, ketamine therapy, neuroplasticity, depression, anxiety, PTSD, connection.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with questions regarding a medical condition.

0:00 Introduction: Chantel Stratton Lund
3:42 Why Men’s Mental Health Matters
6:01 Screens, Video Games, and Modern Male Distraction
10:03 Suicide Risk and Why Men Don’t Reach Out
11:39 Men, Relationships, and Vulnerability
14:01 Why Men Default to Anger
16:26 Discovering Emotional Blind Spots
19:30 What’s Really Under the Anger?
24:00 Anger Isn’t Bad—It’s What You Do With It
28:42 Masculinity, Drive, and What It Means to Be a Man
30:00 The Male Loneliness Epidemic
33:02 Why Men Need Close Male Friendships
36:42 How Men Build Deeper Friendships
43:07 Suicide, Connection, and Creating Space to Talk
47:14 Vulnerability, Connection, and Neuroplasticity
47:34 Ketamine Therapy and Changing Old Patterns
54:37 Closing ThoughtsShow More

How Vulnerability Helps People Feel Safe Enough to Open Up | Holly Hawkins

Can artificial intelligence replace your doctor—or does real healing ...

Can artificial intelligence replace your doctor—or does real healing require someone who slows down, listens, and understands the whole story?

In this episode of the Voyage Clinics Podcast, Dr. John Sanders ...sits down with Holly Hawkins for a wide-ranging conversation about preventive health, artificial intelligence in medicine, social connection, vulnerability, and the power of being genuinely seen.

Holly begins by asking what people in their 20s and 30s should do now to protect their future health. Dr. John explains why the fundamentals still matter most: eating primarily whole foods, staying active, building strength, managing stress, understanding family health history, spending time outdoors, and resisting the pressure to optimize every part of life at once. They also discuss the overwhelming amount of health advice online and how to evaluate whether medical information is credible.

The conversation then turns to the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Dr. John explains how AI can help organize evidence, generate plans, and support clinical decision-making—but medicine is not only data. Through the story of a patient who had repeatedly been dismissed, he shows how time, careful questioning, body language, intuition, and emotional context can reveal what a rushed appointment or algorithm may miss. Holly shares her own experience of leaving a medical visit feeling fully seen rather than treated as a collection of symptoms.

Dr. John and Holly also explore why loneliness and disconnection can affect both emotional and physical health. They discuss how perfectionism and social media make vulnerability harder, why genuine curiosity helps people open up, and how shifting attention away from self-consciousness and toward care can reduce social fear. The episode closes with a powerful discussion about self-talk, identity, and the words that follow “I am.” Holly shares how changing negative inner dialogue transformed her brother’s experience on the tennis court—and what that lesson can teach us about anxiety, performance, and everyday life.

In this episode:

Preventive health habits for your 20s and 30s
How to evaluate health advice and misinformation online
The role of AI in medicine and patient care
Why doctors still need time to hear the full story
Direct Primary Care and relationship-centered medicine
Loneliness, vulnerability, and meaningful connection
Negative self-talk, anxiety, and identity
Creating a healthcare culture where people feel seen

At Voyage Clinics, we believe healthcare should include both health and care—sound medical evidence combined with time, trust, empathy, and genuine human connection.

Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with questions regarding a medical condition.

0:00 Introduction: Dr. John Sanders and Holly Hawkins
0:54 Holly’s Background and Her Role at Voyage Clinics
1:30 Health Questions From a Younger Generation
2:36 Preventive Health in Your 20s and 30s
5:55 What Dr. John Wishes He Knew at 22
7:10 Exercise, Play, Strength and Preventing Injury
8:27 Health Advice Overload on Social Media
10:33 How to Identify Credible Medical Information
12:05 Medical Research, Paywalls and Evidence-Based AI
14:25 Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Doctors?
16:16 Why Medicine Is More Than Data
17:53 A Patient Story That Required Deeper Listening
21:13 What Direct Primary Care Makes Possible
22:28 Holly’s Experience of Finally Feeling Seen
24:18 How the Healthcare System Turns Clinicians Into Robots
25:41 Trust, Empathy and the Healing Relationship
28:04 Why Doctors Burn Out Without Human Connection
30:46 Loneliness and the Struggle to Make Friends
32:58 Why Social Connection Affects Your Health
34:19 Perfectionism, Social Media and Vulnerability
35:27 How to Help Someone Feel Safe Enough to Open Up
37:38 Replacing Social Fear With Care and Purpose
40:45 How “I Am” Statements Shape Identity
41:55 How Negative Self-Talk Changed a Tennis Match
46:00 Being Careful With “I Am” and “You Are”
46:43 Letting Go of Perfection and Being Yourself
49:48 Creating a Culture of Care at Voyage Clinics
52:03 Vulnerability, Connection and Closing ThoughtsShow More

Rewrite the Role You're Stuck In | Aimee Hadfield Explains Psychodrama and Healing

What if changing your life requires more than talking about your ...

What if changing your life requires more than talking about your story? What if you could step inside it, experience it differently, and rehearse a new role?

Psychotherapist and psychodrama practitioner ...Aimee Hadfield joins Dr. John Sanders to explain how movement, spontaneity, storytelling, role-play, and embodied experience can help people explore emotional patterns that words alone may not reach.

Aimee shares how losing her brother to addiction helped shape her path into social work and experiential therapy. She explains the “autonomous healing center”—the idea that people carry an innate capacity for healing—and why psychodrama creates space for curiosity rather than prescribing one universal answer.

Dr. John and Aimee explore how rehearsing a new response can affect the brain and body, including the role of neuroplasticity, BDNF, dopamine, and norepinephrine. They discuss practical psychodrama tools such as spectrograms, role reversal, doubling, building physical scenes, and creating conversations with beliefs, boundaries, people, or parts of oneself.

The conversation also examines addiction, screens and impulsivity, creativity, play, family roles, grief, and the stories people repeat until those stories begin to feel like identity. Aimee explains how embodied practice can help someone move from “this is simply who I am” toward a new and more flexible possibility.

This conversation is for general education and is not individualized mental-health treatment. Psychodrama can bring up intense emotions and should be facilitated by an appropriately trained professional within their scope of practice.

Learn more or sign up for Direct Primary Care with Voyage Clinics:
https://voyageclinics.com

Direct Primary Care gives members easier access to their physician, longer visits, transparent membership pricing, and relationship-focused care without insurance billing driving the visit.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Aimee Hadfield and the world of psychodrama
02:28 How losing a brother to addiction shaped Aimee's path
05:30 Why one form of therapy cannot work for everyone
08:08 The autonomous healing center within us
10:58 Thinking, feeling, and the limits of cognitive change
13:38 Psychodrama as embodied rehearsal
15:09 Spontaneity, BDNF, and neuroplasticity
17:18 Using a spectrogram to make emotions physical
20:20 Why acting it out can make change feel real
21:19 Psychodrama in addiction and family treatment
23:32 Screens, dopamine, impulsivity, and lost creativity
26:10 Role reversal, doubling, and building new perspectives
29:20 Using psychodrama in individual therapy
30:07 Play, music, connection, and emotional safety
32:42 Why psychodrama can look like magic
35:35 Talking to beliefs and emotional roadblocks
38:30 Curiosity, science, and trusting the process
41:40 Roles, grief, boundaries, and the urge to rescue
44:35 Building physical scenes for new choices
47:35 Holding beliefs in your hands and examining them
50:40 Rehearsing a different identity
53:35 Training, ethics, and finding a qualified practitionerShow More

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Mental Health & Emotional Wellness Videos

Stop Burying Your Feelings | Jarom Ball on Emotional Intelligence and Connection

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