138 - Does Indecisiveness Mean You’re Not Ready for Change? We Ask Dr. William Miller

The Verywell Mind Podcast

Dotdash Media Inc.

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education

5 • 703 Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2022

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

William Miller, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Mexico. He's also the co-founder of motivational interviewing, a strategy therapists use to help people deal with the ambivalence they feel about change. He’s the author of many books, including his most recent book, On Second Thought, which explores the subject of ambivalence. Some of the things he talks about are how to accept that you're not completely committed to change, how to handle mistakes and setbacks, and how to talk yourself into doing something when you're "on the fence." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Very Well Mind podcast. We've interviewed over 100 authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and others to help you learn strategies to care for your mental health.
0:22.9	This episode is hosted by psychotherapist and bestselling author Amy Morin. Now let's get into the episode.
0:46.9	Okay. Have you ever been on the fence about whether to make a change in your life?
0:51.5	When you have made a change, has your motivation waxed and waned from day to day?
0:55.0	Do you have someone in your life who seems motivated to change one minute, but then talks themselves out of it the next? If you answered yes to any of those questions,
1:00.4	you're in the right place. Today we're talking about motivation and ambivalence. It's an issue we
1:05.9	address with almost everyone who comes in the therapy office. Someone might come in one week saying
1:10.4	they're really motivated to change. Then might come in one week saying they're really
1:10.9	motivated to change. Then the next week, they might say they're not really sure they want to do
1:15.1	anything differently. Maybe what's happening right now isn't so bad. Being on the fence about
1:20.6	issues in your life, like whether to eat healthier, quit drinking, or change jobs is normal.
1:26.3	Learning more about ambivalence and how to deal with it can be
1:29.0	quite helpful to you as you decide what to do next. My guest today is Dr. William Miller. He's a
1:35.1	psychologist and a professor at the University of New Mexico. He studies the psychology of change
1:40.7	and loves exploring the intersection of spirituality and psychology. He's written several
1:46.2	books on motivational interviewing, which is a strategy that helping professionals use to encourage
1:51.4	people to make decisions about change. Today, we're talking about his latest book,
1:56.0	On Second Thought, which explains why we're often so ambivalent about making changes.
2:01.9	Some of the things Dr. Miller talks about today are why ambivalence is normal, how to work
2:06.4	through your own feelings of inviolence, and how it can help other people who are on the fence
2:10.8	about change.
2:12.4	So here's Dr. William Miller on how understanding ambivalence can help you grow mentally stronger.
	...

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