Quote · The Mel Robbins Podcast
World Leading Psychologist: How to Manifest Anything & Create the Life You Want
Where this was said
Maladaptive Imagination: Dr. Vieten's Personal Story with Addiction
At 1:00:20 · chapter starts 56:55
Switching from science to memoir, Dr. Vieten discloses a period of her life when she had everything she wanted — career success, a beautiful home — but was drinking heavily amid mounting stress and a divorce. The story she told herself: as long as you don't tell anyone, you'll be fine. Ask for help, and your career ends, your reputation is destroyed, people will see you as damaged. That imagined narrative grew increasingly false as the reality worsened. When she finally called a colleague and said she couldn't stop drinking, he showed up immediately, told her she was already off work for 60 days, and said 'come back well.' Not only did she survive professionally — she thrived. She frames this as the 'diseases of despair' concept from Columbia's Lisa Miller: addiction, depression, and anxiety are partly driven by false internal stories you don't realize are stories. The Veterans Imagination Project at Arizona State, led by Bob Beard, applies the inverse: helping veterans with combat PTSD imagine a hopeful future and have it illustrated by an artist, restoring the one thing that feels most lost — a sense of direction.
Dr. Vieten had everything — great career, beautiful life — and was secretly drinking heavily. She imagined asking for help would end her career. When she finally called a colleague, he showed up immediately and gave her 60 days off with full support. The story she'd been telling herself was a lie.
Bob Beard's Veterans Imagination Project at Arizona State University pairs combat veterans suffering PTSD with artists who sketch their imagined futures, restoring hope and direction.
