Episode Details

The Joy Lab podcast, hosted by Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, aims to help listeners build resilience and discover joy by blending scientific methods with soulful practices. In this episode, we re-introduce the Joy Lab program, now part of the Natural Mental Health (NMH) community. We discuss the program's foundation on the four pillars of Joy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Positive Psychology, the Science of Mindfulness, and the Wisdom of the Soul, alongside the 12 elements essential for fostering joy such as hope, gratitude, and resilience. Tune in to learn how the experiments within the Program are designed to help you practice and integrate these elements into daily life, aiming for long-term mental health support and flourishing.

Key moments:

00:00 Welcome to Joy Lab: Uncovering Joy Through Science and Soul 00:39 Introducing the Joy Lab Program: A Community of Joy and Resilience 02:59 The Four Pillars of Joy: Building a Joyful Life 05:33 Exploring the 12 Elements of Joy: A Yearly Cycle of Growth 07:15 The Origins and Power of the 12 Elements of Joy 13:24 Joy Lab's Unique Approach: Microdosing Meditation and More 19:02 Dialogue with the Soul: Deepening Our Inner Connection 22:11 The Courage to Face Inner Challenges: Closing Thoughts 23:28 Final Words and a Quote to Ponder

Joy Lab and Natural Mental Health are community-supported. When you buy through the links below, we may earn a commission. That support helps keeps the Joy Lab podcast free for all!

Sources and Notes:

• Joy Lab Program: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Your Joy Lab membership also includes our NMH Community!
• NMH Community: Access lots of extra resilience-boosting resources (like our Sleeping Well Workshop) AND you'll join a group of inspiring folks who play an integral role in keeping this podcast going... which means powerful resources stay accessible to everyone.
• Resilience Quiz and free Mini-Course: Based on decades of clinical experience, we've created a model of resilience that is both helpful and practical. True to our approach at Natural Mental Health, we start with strengths. You'll identify these strengths in your Resilience Type. Your Resilience Type highlights your unique strengths, what fuels your joy, what keeps you in balance, and the lifestyle practices that most nourish you. After you find your Resilience Type, sign up for your free mini-course to receive tailored lifestyle practices (e.g., foods to eat more of, ideal forms of exercise, supplements, and mindfulness activities) that can support your mood, resilience, and overall wellbeing.
• Some resources to learn more about positive psychology:
• Learned Optimism by Dr. Martin Seligman
• Flourish by Dr. Martin Seligma
• Positivity by Dr. Barbara Fredrickson
• Classic source to learn more about mindfulness in healthcare applications: Full Catastrophe Living by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Fredrickson B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. The American psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.56.3.218
• Fredrickson B. L. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1378. https://d