'Thank you for your openness': Fans hail Mayim Bialik for speaking up on mental health in podcast
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Mayim Bialik began her acting career when she was a young girl. She put her college years into getting a neuroscience degree. She returned to acting with 'The Big Bang Theory' which was a huge hit for her. Bialik is a successful actress, but she also runs a podcast called 'Mayim Bialik's Breakdown.' The program includes mental health discussions where she has frequently voiced her enthusiasm for the topic.
Recently, Mayim was joined by Eric Kaplan on the podcast to discuss the funniest episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory', philosophy in relation to mental health, and practical methods to prevent being overcome by fear. Kaplan is the executive producer of 'The Big Bang Theory', co-executive producer of 'Young Sheldon,' and has an MA in philosophy.
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'A mystical concept of relationship'
The guests on Bialik's podcast are free to talk about their experiences with their mental health. The purpose of the podcast is to examine the subject of mental health through a lens that will inform and reach a wide audience. In a light-hearted interview for CNET's 'I'm So Obsessed' interview series, Bialik claimed that she chose the title so that she could introduce each episode with the phrase "Welcome to my breakdown."
In a recent episode of 'Mayim Bialik's Breakdown', Eric Kaplan discusses the distinctions between spirituality and religion, his brief stint as a monk, and his worries that he was betraying his values by becoming a television writer. Eric discusses how the death of his older brother affected his family, his relationship with his parents, his fixation with death and dying that inspired him to study philosophy, and his "meditation on emptiness" practice. He also discusses how the death of his older brother damaged his relationship with his parents.
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Eric goes on to discuss several philosophical schools, how the idea of a higher power fits into his philosophical convictions, and how to think critically about issues like "Does everything happen for a reason?" and "Why do people believe in God?" Mayim and Eric take into account how transgenerational trauma can influence cultural traditions and how cultures might address trauma and sadness.
Mayim said in her part: "There is a mystical concept of a relationship that we are in with something greater than ourselves and inherent in there is vulnerability." She went on to mention God and Old Testament and said, "In the Old Testament as you know others call it there is a notion of relationship with the things that we struggle with that are supposed to have power over."
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Mayim Bialik on mental health
The podcast includes a lot of celebrity interviews, but it also includes conversations with specialists in their professions and people who have overcome their own obstacles. But according to Bialik, the podcast's objective isn't to provide its audience with all the solutions.
"The idea is not to have celebrities tell you what they figured out with their trainer and their chef and their expensive therapy," she remarked. "The idea is to talk to people who are still struggling, meaning we’re all still struggling and anyone who tells you they’re not is probably not being honest with you or themselves."
'Love hearing you speak'
Fans and followers immediately started to praise her for mentioning such vulnerable topics in her podcast. One fan wrote, "One of my favourite episodes - Eric is so wise & insightful & Mayim asks all the right questions as usual" A second fan wrote, "Thank you for your openness. Being a person of faith, particularly in the entertainment which you are in, is not always easy. I often refer to it as "swimming upstream". I serve in the military (Army Reserve) and work in law enforcement. Despite all the " God and country" rhetoric, living a life of faith, ANY faith, and being devout in that faith is met, at best, with snide remarks and exclusion." A third fan commented, "Love hearing you speak"
Someone else wrote a long comment saying: "Much love, I follow you for a reason, and I hope you will continue to use your voice in a positive way! I guess there are some in Texas that wish to bring the Christian faith back into public schools, crazy, right? You would think, that by now, we would be way past that sort of thing by now! This has never been a Christian country. We are a multi racial, multi religious country, no one faith is to ever be dominant over another! We do not want to become a country similar to other theocracy type countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. So, with your platform, I hope you will speak to some of these crazy politicians out there! Yes, I know it’s a very difficult thing to change the mind of a religious zealot. I just hope we can prevent such zealots from ruining our country!"
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