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Holding Space with Dr. Barker
Welcome to Holding Space with Dr. Barker—a podcast dedicated to fostering personal growth, emotional healing, and professional development. Hosted by Dr. Christopher Barker, a seasoned psychologist with over two decades of clinical experience, this podcast offers a thoughtful, compassionate space for meaningful conversations about mental health and psychotherapy.
Whether you're on your own path toward greater self-awareness and well-being, or you're a fellow therapist committed to deepening your clinical skills, you’ll find insightful discussions, evidence-based strategies, and expert guidance to support your journey.
Each week, Dr. Barker draws on his extensive training—including a Ph.D. from Seton Hall University, a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Radford University, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from The New School for Social Research—to explore topics like trauma recovery, emotional regulation, therapeutic techniques, and the art of holding space for others.
Join us for educational series, interviews with leading voices in the field, and practical tools designed to inspire personal discovery and professional transformation.
This is your space for reflection, learning, and connection.
Welcome to Holding Space.
Holding Space with Dr. Barker
A Trick of the Mind: How Language, Perception, and Shared Reality Shape How We See the World
In this solo episode of Holding Space, Dr. Christopher Barker explores one of the most profound—and misunderstood—questions in psychology: What is reality, and how do we know it’s real?
Inspired by Daniel Young’s book A Trick of the Mind, Dr. Barker examines how the human brain doesn’t simply perceive the world—it constructs it. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, he breaks down the difference between objective reality and subjective experience, and why most of our lives are shaped far more by the latter.
This episode dives into how perception is predictive and inferential, how language and culture shape meaning, and why shared communication is essential for mental stability, relationships, and social connection. Dr. Barker explains how mismatched mental models lead to conflict, why miscommunication feels threatening, and how shared language reduces uncertainty in an ambiguous world.
Using vivid examples—from metaphors and art to neurodiversity and social isolation—this conversation highlights how reality is co-authored, not individually owned. Dr. Barker also reflects on how isolation, misinformation, and lack of shared meaning can distort perception, a phenomenon many experienced during the pandemic.
This episode is a thoughtful exploration of how the mind creates meaning, why communication matters more than we think, and how staying connected to others helps keep our internal models of reality grounded.
Ideal for listeners interested in psychology, neuroscience, perception, communication, neurodiversity, and the deep structures of human understanding.
Holding Space For You