Not Therapy

With lockdowns easing and weather warming, everything's looking up. So why's Adam so anxious? Plus, the benefits of OCD, resenting those we love, and a near-violent mask-shaming altercation.

Adam's ongoing stay at his parents' house sets the stage for Jordan to dig into Adam's incendiary relationship with his parents growing up. The breeds of all dogs discussed have been changed to protect the innocent. 

As Jordan finds himself pulled between intense love and intense fear in his new relationship, he and Adam wonder whether he's uniquely broken or if these are types of challenges everyone deals with in love. Plus the vulnerability of sex, the trauma of the psych ER, and the mating display of the male turkey.

Jordan goes on a mountain vacation with his new love, Hannah, where he receives a disturbing message that makes him question everything. Meanwhile, a blizzard is about to hit, threatening to trap them alone in their tiny cabin with Jordan's spiraling doubts for a week or more.  

Jordan's new job at a psychiatric ER is the catalyst for a wide-ranging discussion about psychosis, psychedelics, psychiatry, plus other things that don't start with "psy".

The guys are back after a long hiatus, and everything's different. Adam's relationship with Clara is over. Now Jordan's the one in love - and he finds himself grappling with some of the same issues Adam confronted. The more things change, the more they stay the same....

The guys get caught up after a break. A lot of things are changing for Adam, including his relationship with Clara. 

While Adam's relationship with Clara has been polyamorous in name, the lock down meant it was monogamous in fact. Now that's changing, and Adam is finding out he's not as high as he thought on the pecking order.

Adam finds himself overtaken by intense insecurity as Clara reunites with a long-time lover. Does he need clarity on the relationship? Or is it just an old pattern that has nothing to do with present circumstances?

The guys leave Adam's love life alone for an episode and dive into one of the most important topics that arises in any long term treatment: buying a used car from your therapist. 

Everything seems to be going great with Adam's quarantine love affair/de facto marriage with Clara. So why does he want to take a step back? Excommunicating women, inner children, and the Freudian superego make special cameos in this one.

After a mostly-blissful month quarantined together, Clara leaves for a few days. When she returns, Adam finds himself beset by a strong, inexplicable fear. Jordan wonders if this is an old childhood pattern resurfacing 

Clara's back, and things are going... well? Can it really be this easy? (Spoiler alert: not for long.)

Clara's coming back for another shot at quarantining with Adam. Adam, unsurprisingly, has some concerns.

Adam's lover Clara wants to come back, nearly a month after leaving their quarantine together. But before Adam says yes, he needs to have a brutally honest conversation with her.

Adam's quarantine affair with Clara is over - or is it? In the course of discussing Adam's last days with his coronawife, J+A unpack black and white thinking, marijuana-induced social insecurity, self-flagellation, and other fun stuff.

The boys (finally!) dig into what went down with Clara, the woman Adam came out to San Francisco to quarantine with. But first, Dr. Eipper has to convince his (not) patient to keep recording this episode, which turns out to be an OCD exposure itself. They also discuss prayer as a tool for surrender and how it's really hard to not take everything personally.

The good doctor delves into his (not) patient's last two romantic relationships, in which Adam started to open his heart despite the OCD telling him to keep it closed. Adam recounts how a conversation with a comedian friend led him to greater vulnerability on stage, and the surprising effect that had on his love life.

J+A explore Adam's romantic relationships after he developed OCD, grappling with all sorts of questions along the way. Is sex sacred, or is it OK to just have fun? Is it easier to open your heart when you know the relationship has an expiration date? Is the whole concept of manifesting BS? Or did you just manifest this episode? 

The guys begin cataloging Adam's relationship history, starting with his first love at age 18 and the subsequent breakup which landed him in a mental hospital. Along the way they touch on Adam's crippling adolescent Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Jordan's slightly less crippling teenage fixation with his own perceived physical flaws, psychoanalytic object relations theory, and confidence with women. They end with the heartbreak that led to Adam's developing OCD.  We promise this is all a lot funnier than it sounds.

Adam came out to San Francisco to quarantine with a new love, but she leaves after a few days, leaving Adam in the midst of an OCD episode. As Jordan helps Adam grapple with this, they discuss psychedelics, psychotherapy, and, of course, their moms.