The Resilient Father
The resilient father is a podcast by a dad, for dads. Your host Cavan Edwards uses his background in psychology to discuss building mental health resilience and the experience of parenting through the lens of fatherhood. Toolbox episodes share tangible, practical, and actionable strategies that fathers can use to improve their tolerance for the many stresses of life and parenting. The podcast also takes deeper dives into important topics and struggles that fathers experience, with a focus on relevant experts and scientific research.
Episodes
33 episodes
Psychedelic Psychotherapy, Discussing the Mental Health Benefits of Psychedelics: Myles Chisholm Returns
In this episode Myles Chisholm joins us to share and talk about his personal experiences with psychedelics. We discuss the fascinating mental health benefits of these compounds and review the promising world of combining psychedelic...
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Episode 33
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1:30:55
New Tools For Relief From Stress: The RF Toolbox Holiday Stocking
This episode shares some of the most effective recent techniques your host has found for reducing stress and improving emotional regulation. These are highly effective at calming down, feeling better and coping in challenging situations and, mi...
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Episode 32
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24:08
Children's Media Review: Encanto (Stop Making Me Cry Disney)
This episode reviews the great and powerful Encanto. Cavan discusses the psychology of the nuanced portrayal of intergenerational trauma and it's effect on families.
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Episode 31
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23:40
Befriending the You That Isn't You: The Right Brain, The Unconscious Mind and IFS
Internal conflict, how often do we hear people say a part of me wants this but another part of me wants that? How is it that we can come to struggle so much with our own emotions. We are taught to control ourselves with reason from a youn...
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Episode 30
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17:38
Don't Avoid This Episode Like You Avoid Your Feelings: Avoidance in Mental Health With Andrew Dreosto
Andrew Dreosto returns for the third time to discuss a key lesser known piece of emotional mental health, psychological avoidance. Are you avoiding your problems? Is there something that makes you scared or anxious you're putting of...
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Episode 29
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1:17:54
Yeet The Child For Their Health: Vestibular Stimulation in Growth and Development
In this episode we explore why children seem to love being thrown, swung, spun around, climbing jumping, riding and sliding and how these things help to grow the brain and support development.
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Episode 28
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10:33
Neurofeedback Therapy: Training the Electricity of the Brain for Mental Health
This episode covers neurofeedback, a unique therapy that uses a combination of specialized measuring equipment and live computer feedback, to help people retrain unhelpful patterns of brain activity. Cavan reviews some of the unusually interest...
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Episode 27
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22:32
Discussing Being a Dad with Dad: Wisdom, Gratitude and Nostalgia with Dr. Don Edwards
This episode of the resilient father features the one and only Don Edwards, Cavan's very own father. The man who helped shape him into the person and parent he is today. We talk about his philosophies on life, looking back on parenting with the...
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Episode 26
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46:45
How Therapy Works
This episode explores the psychological mechanisms of therapy. How is it that sitting down and talking through your feelings with a professional stranger can actually improve your mental health? We discuss some of the misconceptions around ther...
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Episode 25
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30:10
Making Practical and Effective Changes to Your Mind: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy With Myles Chisholm
In this episode we discuss the powerful therapeutic modality of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). A research based form of counselling that focuses breaking down our ways thinking and behaving in order to make conscious cha...
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Episode 24
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1:39:53
Paternal Postpartum Depression
In this episode Cavan reviews the very real and important phenomenon of male postpartum depression. Many people are well aware of the struggles of PPD in women, but lesser known is the fact that men can also develop postpartum depression sympto...
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Episode 23
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19:58
Mastering the Brain's Electrical Rhythms: Theta Waves, Hypnosis and Deep states
In part three of the series on brainwave activity we cover the deepest and possibly strangest part of the brainwave spectrum, theta waves. Often associated with deep mediation, hypnosis and dreams, this type of brainwave activity is a profound ...
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Episode 22
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25:27
Dungeons and Dragons as Therapy: The Mental Health Benefits of Role Playing Games with Mike Thiel
This episode of the show features Mike Thiel to discuss table top roleplaying games such as dungeons and dragons. These games are lot of fun and present a great opportunity for family bonding, social support and just having a good time. M...
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Episode 21
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1:13:35
Improve Your Relationship/Marriage According to Science: The Gottman Method
In this episode we discuss the scientific research and approach to marriage/relationship counselling of the Gottman Method. A psychologist whose extensive research into what makes a successful, long lasting relationship, Gottman can predict the...
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Episode 20
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25:14
Understanding and Supporting Post Partum Depression: Conversation with Kayleen Edwards
This episode features an interview on the topic of post partum depression with psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, mother and Cavan's wife, Kayleen Edwards. Kayleen has both experienced PPD first hand and has attended evidence based trainings...
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Episode 19
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1:23:04
How to Trick Your Body Into Thinking It's Dying, So you Can live More Fully: The Benefits of Heat and Cold Exposure
In this episode Cavan shares his experience using the recent health promoting practices of heat and cold exposure for bolstering physical and mental health. The many benefits of these practices are discussed and Cavan shares his own experience ...
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24:23
Float Your Way to Peace and Calm: Floatation Tanks for Dads Mental Health
This episode features Float therapy. Sometimes called sensory deprivation, flotation, or by the acronym REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy). This practice involves reducing the burden of the senses on the nervous system, freeing...
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Episode 14
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24:56
Dadfulness: Discussing Mindfulness and Dads Mental Health with Andrew Dreosto
This episode features the return of the illustrious Andrew Dreosto. We talk about the psychology, neuroscience and benefits of mindfulness. We discuss how even busy dads can implement mindfulness into their life. We talk about ways of practical...
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Episode 13
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1:18:31
The Power of Dad: How the presence of involved fathers contributes to the growth and development of children - Father's Day Special
Dads are powerful and have a deep influence on the growth and development of their children. In this episode, coming up on Father's day, Cavan celebrates you. All the hard work and great things you do for your kids. Let's talk about all the w...
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Episode 12
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25:09
Dad Logs - Catching and Mitigating Depression
Kind of like a star trek captains log, sort of. Cavan shares bits of his personal experiences with mental health and how he is applying the ideas and skills in this podcast to improve his wellbeing and cope with toddler drama.Coming Soo...
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Episode 11
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16:26
The RF Toolbox: Open Focus Technique Practice
In this bonus episode Cavan takes you through the process of activating the open focus response in the brain. This technique quickly and easily triggers relaxed synchronized activity within the brain, which has a number of benefits to improving...
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Episode 10
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8:20
Mastering the Brain's Electrical Rhythm's: Alpha Waves and Open Focus Technique - Electrophysiology Part 2
Increase cognitive function, decrease stress and smooth out the communication between areas of your brain to improve your mental health. Learning to consciously increase alpha activity while at rest has a number of benefits to: resilience build...
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Episode 9
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29:49
The RF Toolbox: Still Point - SMR Brainwave Entrainment Soundtrack (12-15hz)
This soundtrack contains a pleasant rain soundscape coupled with an audible repeating tone designed to stimulate SMR activity within the brain. It is intended for use as a meditation/relaxation aid only. Benefits of SMR can include: greater sen...
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Episode 9
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25:00
Electrophysiology Part 1: Mastering the Symphony in your Brain
This episode reviews the electrical rhythms of the brain, and discusses how learning to consciously shift brainwave activity with targeted exercises can help improve mental resilience and wellbeing. The brain is like an orchestra and the coordi...
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Episode 8
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32:55
How to Counteract Sleep Deprivation as A Dad (Part 2 - Psychological techniques): The RF Toolbox
In this episode we discuss actionable techniques you can use to positively influence your brain, your psychology and your physiology to cope better with sleep deprivation as a parent. Many of the techniques shared are relatively easy to fit int...
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Episode 7
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48:59