E374 – “Inner Voice: A Heartfelt Chat with Dr. Foojan Zeine.” In this episode, Dr. Foojan Zeine chats with Dr. Dan Siegel. He is the executive director of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, where he was also Co-Principal Investigator of the Center for Culture, Brain and Development and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine. An award-winning educator, Dan is the author of five New York Times bestsellers and over fifteen other books, which have been translated into over forty languages. As the founding editor of the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology (“IPNB”), Dan has overseen the publica4on of one hundred books in the transdisciplinary IPNB framework, which focuses on the mind and mental health. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dan completed his postgraduate training at UCLA, specializing in pediatrics and adult, adolescent, and child psychiatry. He was trained in attachment research and narrative analysis through a National Institute of Mental Health research training fellowship focusing on how relationships shape our autobiographical ways of making sense of our lives and influence our development across the lifespan.  Learn more about Dr. Siegel at: www.drdansiegel.com | www.mindsigh4ns4tute.com

Dr. Foojan and Dr. Dan Siegel discussed the upcoming release of dan’s new book, “Personality and Wholeness in Therapy,” and the concept of personality in academic and clinical contexts. Dr. Siegel explained that personality refers to persistent emotions, thinking, and behavior patterns that develop over time and contribute to an individual’s sense of wholeness. However, he noted that these patterns can become unworkable or unhealthy, leading to personality disorders. The conversation also touched on the relationship between brain activity and mental activity, with dan emphasizing the importance of energy flow as the foundation of both. Lastly, dan shared his insights on the formation of sound as a symbolic means of communication and the differences between personality patterns and types. He discussed the concept of implicit memory and its role in forming personality, suggesting that a sense of wholeness encoded into the brain during fetal development serves as the foundation of personality. He introduced the Enneagram personality type system, discussing its potential limitations and proposing a more fluid approach, the Patterns of Developmental Pathways (PDP) model. He also explained the three primary emotions of the Enneagram system, highlighting the neuroplasticity of the brain and the role of attachment in the process. Dr. Siegel explained the different forms of attachment and their impact on personality. He emphasized that non-secure attachment can lead to emotional distance, intrusiveness, and inconsistency, resulting in ambivalence or disorganization.

He discussed the concept of growth edges, emphasizing the importance of embracing uncertainty and the reality of a journey. He highlighted that individuals have an inward or outward bonding pattern and encouraged them to accept their vulnerabilities and needs. Dr. Siegel introduced a model of personality development that emphasizes growth and exploration of different patterns, explaining how individuals can identify their growth edge and benefit from tapping into the positive aspects of each of the nine patterns. The conversation also touched on the potential of meditation and psychedelics in expanding consciousness and promoting wholeness, suggesting a collective consciousness that underpins individual growth and development.