Dr. Charryse Johnson is an author, speaker, and mental health consultant whose work focuses on the intersection of integrative wellness, neuroscience, and mental health. She is the founder of Jade Integrative Counseling and Wellness, an integrative therapy practice where personal values, the search for meaning, and the power of choice are the central focus. Dr.Johnson works with clients and organizations across the nation and has an extensive background and training in education, crisis and trauma, neuroscience, and identity development.
We'll start by talking about your book Expired Mindsets, for those who haven't read it - can you give us a brief summary of what it's about?
It can be easy to convince ourselves that we’ve powered through our past, but we are often carrying years of buried experiences that keep us operating in survival mode. This state of living in survival can be the source of challenges such as chronic physical pain, cycles of disappointment, poor decision making, lack of confidence, and so much more. Expired Mindsets gives readers both the courage and the keys to understanding the root of their patterns. It provides an introspective approach that demonstrates how to
shift into a higher place of potential. It is founded in the belief that each person has a unique story and that the path to wellness is not one size fits all. In many ways, Expired Mindsets is a universal call to action and designed to help anyone who feels stuck, complacent, and unable to sustain a sense of personal
balance. It illuminates how spoken and unspoken messages shape our experiences, what we believe about ourselves, and what we expect from others.
Expired Mindset offers:
Authentic stories of challenge and triumph
A balanced blend of anecdotal stories from all walks of life
Current psychoeducation and research
Mindfulness exercises and reflection questions
Who Should Read Expired Mindsets?
As I wrote Expired Mindsets, my goal was to write a book where everyone could envision themselves between the pages. Mental health is often stigmatized and compartmentalized which can make it easy to believe, “this isn’t for me”. This book was designed to be inclusive of the various layers of identities that shape our lives. Anyone looking for an integrative source of self-evaluation that addresses mental health, well-being, and mindset will enjoy this book. It is a balanced blend of anecdotal stories, psychoeducation, and research, making it a valuable source for individuals, clinical professionals, and small group facilitators.
What does the Core 4 Process mean?
The Core 4 Process is a set of guiding principles that provide a framework for personal growth and change. I developed it as a paradigm to help readers of Expired Mindsets have a tangible means of exploring and redefining how they show up in life. On a corporate level, it helps organizations evaluate and increase the congruency between their mission, vision, and practices.
The philosophies of the Core 4 Process include:
Awareness
Action
Eviction
Alignment
Integrating the concepts in this framework can help individuals shift perspective on their ability to make sustainable change, illuminate beliefs that are barriers to growth, provide skills to help move from thought to action and increase their capacity to manage and adapt to life stressors.
As a complement to your book, you have also developed an online mental fitness resource, how does this program work?
To help expand and deepen the principles within Expired Mindsets, I developed audio and video resources to complement the book. Although both series were developed as companion resources for Expired Mindsets, the education and insights can equally stand-alone. I have translated many of the principles into strategies for non-profit and corporate professionals.
“Release”, the audio companion series, is a convenient resource that includes neuroscience and optional spiritual integration. I wanted to create a meaningful resource that could also be discretely used for personal support. The video companion series builds on the principles within the audio series and adds the element of somatic organization and engaging the body in the process of growth and change. These are
some of the most impactful resources I’ve developed to date! These tools are an overflow of the passion I have to create mental health resources that are unique, accessible, and founded in whole-body integration.
Mental fitness resources are an overflow of the passion I have to create mental health resources that are unique, accessible, and founded in whole-body integration.They are housed on an online platform where participants use their personal log in to gain unlimited access. This allows individuals to watch and replay the content anywhere and anytime. Now that’s what I call, bridging the gap to access!!
How do you think people should relate to life stressors so that they can Increase their capacity?
It’s important to view life stressors as temporary moments that aren’t necessarily indicative of our value or worth. Stress is inevitable part of life, and despite our best efforts, it cannot be avoided. We must abandon mindsets such as push through mentality and toxic positivity, both rooted in an avoidance and fear. When life stressors occur, we often deplete our emotional capacity by trying to figure out “why” something happened. Why is the most exhausting and complicated question to answer. Typically, the quest for “why” leaves you running through a series of possibilities and rarely leads to true resolve. Our everyday patterns significantly influence what we believe and how we feel. Thus, increasing our capacity means cultivating daily habits that allow us to live well, love well, and play well. It also means learning to navigate stress in ways that are adaptive and introspective, versus controlling.
In Expired Mindsets, I introduce readers to a personal algorithm process (PAP-5) that I teach to my clients. It helps inform the way you solve problems and how you translate the process into different situations.
It involves the following:
Step 1 – Identify the facts (not assumptions) around the problem.
Step 2 – Analyze your beliefs toward the situation and your ability to manage it
successfully.
Step 3 – Determine what skills or support you need to actively work on a solution. Are
they available?
Step 4 – Examine your response to the situation and what it reveals about how you
cope.
Step 5 – Revise your plan and make any adjustments that improve your ability to
function.
What is the biggest mistake people make today that limits their ability to grow?
People often limit their ability to grow, by limiting their willingness to participate in their progress. Most people have a genuine desire for growth and an equal desire to remain comfortable. This creates an inevitable tug of war that results in very little growth. When speaking, I will often communicate the sentiment, “Knowledge is not power, without application”. At a certain point, everyone must move from thought to action. They must acknowledge where they are standing in their own way and repeating
patterns that no longer serve them well.
Finally, do you have any plans to release a new book?
I do! My next book will be released in Fall 2023 and be titled Unresolved: The “Weight” of Trauma. It will focus on the intersection of traumatic stress, eating behaviors, and unmet needs. I can’t wait to share it with the world and help people implement one of the greatest powers we possess, the ability to choose our response.
