Here's me pretending I didn't take 2 (maybe 3) weeks off and then show up like nothing happened. And ready to jump into S1 E10 The One With the Monkey! But more accurately, a commentary on how we show up in relationships with no ability to overtake someone else's autonomy. Ross experiences this first hand when he adopts a monkey and finds that building a bond is tougher than he expects. Phoebe experiences this when she meets her Scientist Guy, David, and he's faced with choosing love or his life's work. And poor Janice experiences this with Chandler. The girl is trying buuuuuut, it's just not going to be a thing. Sorry, lady.

Now! Unplug from the world and tune in for some overly analytical (and perhaps rambly) therapy thoughts about your favorite friend group. I'm glad you're here.

Don't forget to subscribe/follow so you never miss an episode, because I don't know if I'll ever get in a rhythm of predictable posting. lol

Welcome back friend! This week Monica throws together her first Friendsgiving, and it's giving "at least I tried" energy. In her efforts to meet everyone else's needs, she is thwarted when the gang gets locked out of her apartment and all her hard work goes up in flames. Literally. This episode also features Ross's persistent distain for Susan, Joey's new fame as the face of venereal disease, and Rachel missing her flight to Vail for her family ski trip. In the end, the gang realizes the most important thing is friendship and being together.

Therapy wise, we get into themes of:

-family abandonment

-setting boundaries as a way to avoid resentment

-Ross's risk of self sabotage

-how acceptance and commitment therapy and/or narrative therapy could aid in overcoming unwanted feelings and unhelpful beliefs.

Tune in and let's chat. Enjoy!

Welcome to Friends With Your Therapist where we talk about Season 1 Episode 8, The One Where Nana Dies Twice. Naturally, we're going to talk about death and grief. Honestly, we should have spent the entire episode debriefing on death and dying. There's so much to unpack and we only explore the tip of the iceberg. But Nana didn't die twice just for us to sulk the whole time. She wouldn't have wanted that. So, we also have to talk about generational transmission of traits (for better and worse). And, of course, I couldn't escape without saying something about Chandler's perceived sexual orientation. Now, what does it say about me if I *didn't* think he was gay when I first met him? We'll have to unpack that in another episode.

Now, enough spoilers! Have a listen and enjoy some time to yourself, with your favorite podcast-therapist-friend who talks extensively about "Friends". Enjoy!