AI, Beauty & Mental Health with Dr. Hector Rodriguez

Jennifer Norman:
We live in a time when beauty is often dictated by filters, algorithms and outside validation. But what if beauty isn't something you chase on the surface? What if it begins in the brain, the body and the soul? Today's guest, Dr. Hector Rodriguez, is reimagining how we define and experience true beauty. He's a psychiatrist specializing in trauma, anxiety, depression and ADHD, trained under the renowned Dr. Daniel Amen in brain spect imaging. At his practice, the White Butterfly Clinic, Dr. Hector integrates neuroscience, psychopharmacology, nutritional psychiatry and lifestyle medicine with a philosophy he calls emotional rewilding. His mission, to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms, and to serve those often overlooked by traditional mental health care.

Jennifer Norman:
In this episode, we'll explore the powerful link between emotional, emotional well being and self perception. How holistic care transforms self image. And why redefining beauty from the inside out is more important than ever. We'll also dive into how AI and technology are reshaping our sense of reality and beauty. And what it takes to use these tools in ways that enhance rather than erode authentic self worth. And because knowledge is only as valuable as action, Dr. Hector will share practical strategies and daily practices to help help you reconnect with yourself, build resilience and restore balance so you can show up as your most confident, authentic and radiant self. By the end, you'll walk away with a new perspective on beauty. One rooted not in appearance, but in truth, humanity and mental well being.

Jennifer Norman:
Hi Hector, how are you today?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Hi, thank you for having me. I'm doing great.

Jennifer Norman:
Amazing. So now you are a self-professed psychiatrist, theologian and outcast who helps high performing misfits heal their minds without shrinking their soul. I am utterly intrigued. So you have to tell us about this principle that you call emotional rewilding. Share what that means as well as the story behind naming your practice the White Butterfly.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Of course. So for me that rewiring is. I work a lot with people who have experienced traumatic stressors and there's a lot of beliefs that we're broken when that happens, we're no longer ourselves, that we're broken, that nobody wants us. And that's why to me, I really connect with that kind of individual. I always have. Because I don't believe we throw away people. So part of my practice and the things that I do today is to teach the person to modify and change these belief systems, even about themselves, and not be so tied and connected to that trauma, to that event, because that doesn't define who you are. So that's kind of where a lot of that comes from.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh my gosh. And when we feel like we're misfits. I know from my own firsthand experience, like I grew up feeling like I just didn't belong. Like I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I was adopted and I was brought up by a white family, and I just felt like a fish out of water. Like something in me was just not like anybody that was in my family or really in my whole social circle. And I was really like. I just felt like I didn't have a place.

Jennifer Norman:
And I know a lot of people feel that way. A lot of people, like you said, feel broken or they feel like they're just worthless because they get those cues from their environment, from other people even that they're living with or people that just have their own healing to do and take it out on children or other people. And then we absorb those messages. And so, yeah, we feel like misfits or that we just are broken from such an early age and we carry that through adulthood. So, yeah, that's a lot of unraveling and a lot of reframing and rework that a lot of people need to do.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. And lots of people feel that way. I think a perfect example is the movie Wicked. And I think that movie resonated with so many people. And I think it was because Elphaba is the outcast. And I think that message was. And it tells us a lot of what our society is interested in. And it's that a lot of us feel that way.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Many of us, we might assume that someone is cool and trendy and you look at social media today, but a lot of people feel that way, feel lonely. They feel that they need to proof, they need to show up for other people. When I think in reality they need to start with redefining who they are. Being someone who works a lot with people who experience traumatic events and stressors in their life, that's something I see all the time.

Jennifer Norman:
Yes, yes. And so when you talk about rewiring, or as you had put it, emotional rewilding, which I think glows so nicely with the concept of a butterfly, this is the idea that despite all these messages that you've heard, let's try to look for these positive cues and these positive aspects, these ways that we can really almost recreate ourselves and be reborn like a butterfly from lowly caterpillar into something that is beautiful and that can fly. First tell us about this whole concept of the white butterfly. I love the story behind this.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So it's really interesting. So, you know, I was not looking for the name of my practice or anything like that. I was on vacation. I went to Paris, and I was at the Louvre. There was a statue in the corner of Cupid kissing a girl. And I thought it was very interesting. And I just fell in love with the statue. Took so many pictures of it.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And then I got home, I started researching more about the statue, and I learned that she is called Psych. That's her name. And that I kept doing more research and finding out, who is this girl. I didn't know Cupid had a love interest.

Jennifer Norman:
Right?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I never thought of that. And that's actually where the word psychiatry stems from. And it's the medical treatment of the soul, because the word psyche means soul. Then I kept reading more about it, and she's called the White Butterfly. So to me, I was like, this is the name of my practice. I think it fits beautifully. And obviously, the idea of a butterfly, we think of transformation, we think of. Of change.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And that rewilding is when you think of a butterfly when she's first or he is learning to fly, it looks like they're aimless. So I fell in love with that concept, too, that even when you're going through a transformation, there's ups and downs and you're gaining strength, you're gaining resilience in the process. And that's one of the biggest pillars that I have and how I work with patients is let's work on building resilience and that. That inner strength.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow. First, listeners, how many of you knew that psyche meant soul? I had no idea that psyche meant soul. And how beautiful that this piece of art has Cupid and Psyche, heart and soul. I mean, it's just so powerful from so many levels and so many perspectives.

Jennifer Norman:
I had heard this parable of a girl who walked by a cocoon and noticed that there was a butterfly trying to escape this cocoon. And she was like, oh, my gosh, it's struggling. And so what she did was she went over and she tried to help. What she did was she, like, opened up the cocoon. And then what happened? The butterfly, unfortunately, fell to the ground and perished. And the reason why is because that struggle is what builds strength and resilience. The butterfly has to go through that struggle in order to develop the strength to fly.

Jennifer Norman:
And I think that that's such a powerful lesson, too, because a lot of us want to shortcut the pain, and we want to shortcut, like, all of that trauma we go through, but we are building strength. We are building resilience. These lessons and this powerful wisdom that comes with learned experience is so important in the journey of life. And I know that a lot of people often also like to help, and they're enabling, and a lot of times they don't realize that they're disempowering other people from actually learning those lessons, too. So it's kind of like, okay, wow, what can we do to really build power within ourselves? Recognize that these are things that we go through to muster up the strength and the resilience and the fortitude in order to become stronger people going forward? And what can we do to also help to empower those around us so that they can live their own lives and don't have this kind of unhealthy codependency upon us?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. That's. To me, one of the biggest things that ever since I started working with people and behaviors and things like that is there's always someone in the family, and obviously they don't mean harm. They want to help. They want to be there for that person who's struggling. And one of the biggest things that I always tell either parent, because usually that's what it is. Have a parent that brings their son or daughter, and I have to tell them, you need to step away. You need to step away.

Jennifer Norman:
It's so hard. When they don't know how. But.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And I understand that, you know, that's your baby.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But by you helping, you're taking away their ability to build that strength just to show your strength. And when I explain it to them that way, some parents get a little bit kind of upset, obviously. And I'm like, no, because they need to do that struggle.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I'm not going to do anything to them that is going to cause more harm, especially with trauma. I don't want to be triggering the patient at all. But they need to go through these small struggles throughout their day to then build resilience. I think many people today just kind of do this, like, soothing. I don't want you to feel any pain.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. Protect you from all pain.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Part of the process.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. And they feel that that is love. That's their interpretation of love. And it might be that they're giving so much or controlling the environment and sacrificing themselves in order to give other people comfort. I heard this interesting phrase which was like, don't set yourself on fire to keep other people warm. Because eventually, like, you're martyring yourself, and then you get resentful, and then you are crushed and crumbled and there's nothing left of you.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I totally agree.

Jennifer Norman:
Hit subscribe right now for more soulful stories and inspiring conversations with me and the Human Beauty Movement Podcast.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And one of the biggest struggles is to build resilience. You need to go through this and it hurts and I don't want you to go through it. So there's lots of therapies. One of the biggest therapies that I recommend patients doing is something called EMDR.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Trauma focused therapy. And I tell my patients, when I have you work with someone who's going to do the EMDR, that person is going to walk down that dark alley of that memory, but they're going to be holding your hand. But we have to go through that dark alley.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Part of that EMDR process is getting re exposed in your mind to that memory.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
It's exposure therapy. But that person is going to be there with you. But we have to go down the dark alley and we avoid that as much as possible. And I think our society today is so focused on instant gratification. No pain, all pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Dopamine, constantly. And what we're doing is, in my belief is that we're building non resilient people and when things get tough, we crumble and go through it. So going back to that image, and I love that story that you mentioned with someone coming in to help, so you don't go through that pain, but that prevents you from having your own internal strength grow. And unfortunately, I think today everyone is so focused on pleasure and enjoyment and this constant need for happiness that it's just not reality, is not the world that we live in. So, and again, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should all be suffering all the time. No, of course not. Or we should be going through trauma. Of course not.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But when someone is going through their healing process, you need to be able to step away so then they can go through that healing process on their own because only they can separate themselves from that event. That way they can actually move forward and create their own unwilding.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. So just a moment about EMDR, because it is so up and coming, a lot of people are now familiar with it, but some people still aren't. And can you explain it and how it somatically works to help create this exposure therapy, if you will, and get into the body to help trigger some healing?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. So EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reproduction Processing. So it was. Because historically it was done through eye movement, like rapid eye movement. Nowadays a lot of therapists do just bilateral stimulation, whether it's bilateral tapping, back and forth, vibrations, things like that. But in that same process, we are going to dive into our memory bank. I have patients that whenever I do a scan of their brain, I can see their occipital lobe is lit up. So that usually tells me that that person can really visualize those events.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So it's. EMDR is a type of visualization therapy. So when I talked about earlier about exposure is through that process, we're going to be kind of re exposed through visual images of that event that occurred. Now, I always tell my patients, listen, we're going to work with someone who's going to go little by little. So we're going to work with small "t" traumas to then get to that big one. You don't just jump into that big one. I tell my patients, I'm not. We're not going to push you into the deep end of the pool. That's not therapeutic.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So we go through little "t" traumas. But in that process, you're gaining resilience. And then the art and reprocessing is basically reprocessing your body, your mind, your soul to separate yourself from that memory. There's certain triggers that people can go through their life that is usually attached to that visual of that memory.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Let's say you see someone today that looked like that person who harmed you. Your body goes into, like, fight, flight, or flee. Part of that rewiring process is to change your body's response to these other kinds of triggers because they're related to that event.

Jennifer Norman:
Interesting. It is. It's amazing. And in learning a bit about EMDR, I was so amazed at how a lot of people were like, oh, this couldn't possibly work. And then all of a sudden, the studies are like, oh, my gosh, it is almost like magic. It really, really works. And by moving your eyes back and forth and because there's something that's just like locked in, so primitive in our brains, like back in the day when we were kind of like scanning the horizon for threats and danger, and our eyes are moving back and forth, like, this is essentially, I believe, the, like, the nature of where this comes from. And so being able to somatically move our eyes and be able to scan and then have these exposures to these bits of threat and then kind of gradually getting into it, that's the way that our body and our minds and our souls get rewired and rethinked to say, oh, okay, this isn't dangerous, this isn't going to harm me.

Jennifer Norman:
I get this. I'm resilient enough that I can cope and go on with my life. And after sessions, people feel like recovered. It's truly, truly amazing. So anybody who hasn't tried EMDR or is interested in learning more, I definitely encourage go to see Dr. Hector for sessions and certainly see if it's something that could be helpful for you. Amazing.

Jennifer Norman:
Let's shift gears and talk about some emotional well being and self perception issues. Because there is such a strong link between how we feel emotionally and how we see ourselves. How do you describe the connection between emotional well being and self perception? Why do you think it's often overlooked?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Think of things like emotional well being, right? A lot of that goes into self regulation, right? Can I regulate my hormones as part of it? How can I regulate my emotional centers in my brain so I don't have these kind of responses, right? So that's what we call emotional intelligence. So as you learn to self regulate, first you have to have that self awareness, then you can start building your emotional intelligence. So to me, that's what emotional well being is, what we're kind of all thriving for in a way, right? And the idea of self perception, I think it does get distorted through different events in our lives. You're constantly told you're this or you're that, you're going to start believing it, right? So that self perception, if it's distorted, it's going to be hard for us to build that emotional intelligence, right? But there's things that we could do to start changing those ideas or those thoughts of who we are, right? There's a part of our brain called the cingulate gyrus, right? So that part of our brain, especially the one in the posterior, the one in the back, people who are very self aware have that super active, right? It lights up on a scan. And I always tell patients that could be a good thing or a bad thing. It could be a good thing where you're very self aware and then you know how to improve your, what we call emotional intelligence, right? Your ability to connect with others, to connect with yourselves and all those wonderful things which is emotional well being. However, if we have what I call the inner bully, that same part of our brain can actually be very self critical and actually harmful. So when I tell my patients I think that's your inner bully talking, are you aware that that's what's happening? Are you aware that that's not you? That's probably a voice of someone that told you when you were younger that you were, let's say, stupid.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
You're stupid and everyone around you start telling you're stupid, you're going to start believing that that is a fact.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So obviously you're self perception is distorted in that area. So these are all concepts that once we start identifying that that's where the problem is stemming from, your self perception is distorted, then we can start working towards emotional well being. Does that make sense?

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, yeah, no, it, it definitely does. And boy, I think a lot of us are very familiar with the concept of the inner bully. I think we all have that little voice inside us that is very self critical. We're often our own worst critics and a lot of times we don't realize that it's not really about reality, but it might be about some perfectionism perhaps, maybe it comes from that or feeling like we're broken or not good enough. And so yeah, these constant scripts that go through our heads are just not friendly. And yeah, shifting that and recognizing that those are not healthy, they're not contributing to your long term well being and happiness. And if you truly want to thrive, it's kind of like how to really transmute that into something that is really more encouraging and being like, you know what, yeah, I'm not perfect but I'm doing the best that I can with the tools that I have. Just like things that you can just like really realistically.

Jennifer Norman:
Because if somebody just says, oh no, you're great, you're gorgeous, you know, that doesn't do anything, it doesn't land. Nobody believes that it's not authentic or at least if they believe somebody else thinks it's authentic, like you're insane, you're. But it to you, it does not feel, it doesn't land at all. So yeah, taking those little bits to say, okay, yeah, I'm not perfect. Today is an off day. Okay, well you know what, this was a win. Or just gradually getting there so that you're not trying to drink from the fire hose all at once.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. And that's why I stress so much that posterior cingulate is because it has a lot of connections with our limbic system. Our limbic system literally controls our emotions. So that's that connection where if you have certain belief systems about yourself, if they're on the more negative side. So that's the inner bully talking. It's going to control and kind of like a puppet control your emotions. So that emotional well being, it's going to be really hard to reach if that is driving the car. A lot of the things that I have my patients do is they start working on the inner bully.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
They start questioning some of these thoughts.

Jennifer Norman:
Is this true?

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And this is something that I learned from Dr. Amen. You have to look at that thought and say, hey, is this true? Is the belief that I am stupid? Is this true?

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yes or no. And I tell patient, well, sometimes, you know what, I do feel a little dumb.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But is it 100% true of the time? No. No, I'm not.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So then now when you start thinking about that belief, well, no, I'm not stupid. How does that make you feel? It makes you feel very different from the belief system of I am stupid. So it's how a thought can actually control our behaviors and our emotions. A simple thought.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
That's why I try to tell my parents, even the younger people that I have is careful. The words that you choose to say to other people, they can get engraved, cause micro traumas that later grow and can push someone to a place of really bad life choices and things like that. So be careful the things. And in sessions with patients, you'll be surprised the phrases that people remember. Oh, my dad one time randomly.

Jennifer Norman:
And isn't that amazing? Yeah, it is amazing how those little things can stick and the other person will be like, I don't even remember saying that. But to you it was like such a poignant, meaningful moment because of the emotion that you felt at that time gets stuck. Yeah. Just like stays with you forever. And it's really interesting about the possibility of separating the I am from that was. So rather than saying like, oh, I am stupid, it's like, well, that was stupid. It's like separating the behavior from the person. It's like, I'm not stupid, but that was a stupid thing that happened or that I did, or.

Jennifer Norman:
And then it's just like a moment in time and you can walk away from it, but it doesn't define your identity. And who you believe yourself to be. Can also help in terms of reframing as well. I think that it's interesting how you do brain scans and you can actually see what happens when somebody has these negative thoughts about themselves and whatnot. But when somebody is able to share shift their self image with mental health and if they're supporting themselves holistically, mind, body, lifestyle, et cetera, what is it that you do end up seeing? Can you share a little bit about that with us?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So when it comes to being able to change some of your thought processes.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Because then that's going to change your behaviors.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So that's what we call neuroplasticity.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
How we can actually have the brain rewire and kind of change the way you view yourself. So just from there you can start branching into like your nutrition, your desires to move, to exercise, to take care of your body, to take care of your outer image.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But then there's also the part of what are the things that I'm doing to take care of my inner soul.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So what are my everyday practices? But if I have this belief system that I'm stupid or that I'm broken or that nobody wants me, what do you think behaviors are going to come out of that? Not behaviors are going to be going towards, well, being.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And we can actually see those on a spect scan, which is the scans that tend to use. I've had patients that I see the beginning and they have certain patterns that light up or types of traumas. So there's one called the diamond pattern that lights up when the person experience emotional or psychological abuse.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And it's beautiful when after we do all the work and we start doing all these lifestyle modifications, you re scan the person and it's not there.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And the person just obviously they feel amazing because they're like, okay, all this work that we put in and that we've been doing is paying off. And it has really changed the way that I see myself, but also the way that I behave. So I'm a firm believer that we are actually able to just like trauma can cause a change in the brain, we can also undo it, which to me is powerful part.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
That's the neuroplasticity. We've been able to see that you can actually retrain the brain to not believe those things. So it's process. No one says it's easy, right.

Jennifer Norman:
Especially when you're older and you've got all these years of baggage behind you.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But it is beautiful to see that. It's beautiful to see the person just light up when they see their scans completely healed.

Jennifer Norman:
Wow.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
An amazing experience. And I'm blessed to be able to be a part of that.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh, my gosh. I'm sure it's so gratifying. I had learned this very interesting trick or tool from Tony Robbins, and that was the idea that people want to align with their identity, like the soul wants to align with an identity. And so if you believe something about yourself, to your point, then you're going to start behaving like that. Like, if you think you're a loser, or you think that you're no good or you're not worth a job, then you're going to start living in that way, in that vibration and in that energy. But if you're able to set your sights on where you want to go and say these particular phrases, it's like, okay, I see that I'm targeting that. I am the kind of person that. And then you fill in the blank with what you want to be.

Jennifer Norman:
Then you will subconsciously or unconsciously move towards that lifestyle and that person, that entity that you want to be. I'm the kind of person that always shows up on time. It could be something so small. I'm the kind of person that is there for my friends. I'm the kind of person that knows boundaries. I'm the kind of person that is worth a million bucks. I'm the kind of person that, like, just. You can make your script whatever you wish for it to be.

Jennifer Norman:
And then once you kind of solidify yourself in that identity and be like, yeah, that's who I am, you will want to move in that direction, and your life will pretty much give you that momentum, which I thought was pretty cool. It works.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. And that's where it's funny, because that was the whole theme of our magazines, the integrity issue. Because I, you know, I believe that integrity is. Is what happens when your outside life starts matching your inside voice.

Jennifer Norman:
Yes.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
We align with ourselves.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Then it's just things start falling into place easier than it did before. So to me, that's really the true definition of integrity, which is when you start living out the person that your mind think you are. But that's a part of.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Changing it.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Because if we're thinking we're over here, we're not going to be like, we are over here.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Because I think way maybe as a positive person or someone who takes care of their. Their body and their brain, if they're not really doing it, then they're not aligned.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. And you're spending all that energy fighting with yourself, and it's exhausting. And that's where problems happen. But if you can live your true, authentic self. And in a lot of cases, I think that, say, for example, you're gay and your. Your family does not accept that it's hard. I mean, that's very difficult to try to live out your inner truth. And so we're not saying that that's easy either.

Jennifer Norman:
But when you can, it's a beautiful thing. It's freedom. It truly is.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And that's when you start really living who you are.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And you start now writing your own narrative. You're not defined by that trauma or that event that occurred to you.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And beautiful. When you see that, when you start seeing the person living in that lane.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
This is who I am. It's amazing.

Jennifer Norman:
I think that those are the people that flourish. And I. Whenever I see it, because you can feel it. You can feel when somebody is being through an authentic. Or if somebody's, like, holding back, there's just like, that little constriction where you're like. That person's really, like. They're either trying to, like, put up a front or impress or you can feel it. It just.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, there's a little bit of cringe going on there.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
It's what we call vibe, right? It's like.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, but when you can vibe somebody that is just like that, you know, they're just happy being them. They could care a lot. You know, they wear what they want to wear, they say what they want. It's just. It's actually really beautiful and refreshing when you can see true souls, like, out manifesting their best lives in the world.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And we want more people like that.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, we want more people like that really shining their light, for sure.

Jennifer Norman:
Hit subscribe right now for more stories and inspiring conversations with me, Jennifer Norman, the host of the Human Beauty Movement Podcast. Talk about the comfort crisis. It's like, you know, we're not gonna have to. It's all gonna be like, wally, by and large. I don't know if you saw that movie, but we're all, like, sitting on couches, like, watching your life go by, and we're all. It's like, by and large, I think we're moving in that direction, sadly.

Jennifer Norman:
 

Jennifer Norman:
Talk about the comfort crisis. It's like, you know, we're not gonna have to. It's all gonna be like, wally, by and large. I don't know if you saw that movie, but we're all, like, sitting on couches, like, watching your life go by, and we're all. It's like, by and large, I think we're moving in that direction, sadly.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh, let's switch gears and talk about AI for a second, because I think this is so intriguing about. You know, here we are at this really exciting crossroads in life. I mean, who would have ever thought we finally get to this place where it's like, the machines are running the world. But, yes, the machines are running the world. I keep saying to people, are we obsoleting ourselves? Is that what we're doing? Like, you know, nobody's gonna need any to have any jobs anymore. It's gonna do everything for us.

Jennifer Norman:
But also, there's. Yeah, scary. But also, like, there's so many interesting things going on right now. Just. I'll use that word, interesting, because it could be interesting in many, many ways, but now, I mean, AI shapes everything from, you know, social media filters, mental health apps influencing how we see ourselves, how we are defining beauty and art and culture. I'm curious about from the psychiatrist perspective, how do you see AI and the technology both like challenging and enhancing people's perceptions of self or reality? And how can curiosity and mindful practices maybe help us to use it in ways that support our self, love, self worth?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Well, I can probably put on my photographer, my ex photographer hat on first.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And say I'm glad I'm not a photographer because now images could be made in seconds. I saw an image the other day and I'm like.

Jennifer Norman:
Or an illustrator or graphic designer. It's. Yeah. And you can do it in...

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah, it's scary. But no, as a psychiatrist. And when we think of all these technologies, right, whenever they show up in our lives, I think I see them more as opportunities. I'm a creative soul, right? And to me it's like, okay, how can I use this to enhance or to sharpen my tools? I mean, look at the internet. Look what we're able to do right now. We're able to talk to each other across coasts.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, that's amazing.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And when the internet became the Internet, if anybody remembers, I was alive. Yeah, everyone. A lot of people are scared, were scared. Businesses, banks, what's going to happen to the stock market? What's. People started getting scared, right? And I think a little bit happened when AI and ChatGPT and all these things started, started showing up. But what do we use the Internet today for? To enhance and sharpen our tools, right? Each individual, whatever it is that they do for a living, use this as a platform to help us be more creative, come up with more solutions. I'll be honest with you, as a psychiatrist, I'm always thinking like, what can I do to and enhance this person that's in front of me? And sometimes I use AI, right? Give me some creative ideas of how can I. I use it more as a search tool.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Give me a list of foods that can increase this type of neurotransmitter that I can quickly give my patients. Hey, look, incorporate these into your diet, right? I'm big into lifestyle psychiatry. So quick and faster ways to do research and to find things. But then when you look at it as innovation, right, Creativity, my mind just goes all over the place and in a positive way, right. I get more creative. I start coming up with new ideas and by using AI, it allows me to. Oh, wait, I didn't think of that. It's almost like having this assistant that is always kind of.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Do you think about this? Look at all these other things that you can do over here, you're like, oh, wow, that's a great idea. So it's. I use it as. Also as checks and balances for myself. Like when I'm coming up with an idea or a concept, is, would this idea work?

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Would this idea be appealing to X population? So I use it for that. And in the world of psychiatry, I mean, I tell my patients, you can use this to enhance your everyday life. And how do you do that? That's up to you, right? That's when you click in your creativity and start asking it creative questions and better questions to see what it gives you. So to me, I think it's a huge plus. And then in the world of just research and science, something that can take us years of data to put together, you can put it in there and it organizes it for you.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Faster. Imagine all the things that now we can do when it comes to, like, research in science. We can generate a lot more data and organize it faster so then us, the human being, create more ideas and ask it. So to me, I see it as a big positive tool to use. We just gotta be creative with it.

Jennifer Norman:
I'm curious about your. Because you also have theology in your background and this concept of AI and collective consciousness. I'm always so intrigued. From a spiritual theology perspective, if we're not moving ourselves more towards spirit, it's almost like our human form is becoming less important and it's more about just like the soul and what our intuition and what our minds can imagine. And yeah, I thought maybe you had some perspective from that angle.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I mean, to me, when I think of spirituality, right, I see it more as like, okay, well, this is my ability to connect with God.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
With my God.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I don't think AI can enter in that realm. I think that's what really keeps us human.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
It's our spiritual world and if anything, what it might do. And I had this conversation yesterday with a patient, which is so funny that you're bringing it up. It puts the person to start actually thinking much better questions to even discuss with God in their own private time.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Because in our everyday life, we're coming up with ideas and open up our mind with AI, Then you're. You go into your spiritual time and you're like, wait, I could be thinking this same way over here. So if anything, I think it brings us closer to God and our spiritual world than. Than getting in the way. Because now what we're doing is, if you think about it, we're training our brain to think differently. I think that's what AI is pushing us to do.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Is to think differently. Not so black and white, not so, not even that abstract.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But much higher place. So then when we take our brain that now is getting kind of rewired to think in a much higher level. Let's look at it that way now. I'm bringing it over here into my spiritual time. I'm going to be asking God much more deeper questions. And I find that as a theologian, like that's exciting to me because it's not so much like, oh, am I going to heaven or hell? Most people ask those kinds of questions, right? No, you get to ask much deeper questions in your spiritual time. Questions about love, questions about connection, questions about self awareness.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So I think if anything, it pushes our brain to use a whole different area that we haven't been using. And I think AI is pushing us to be more creative in that area too.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah. And along those lines, I think that thinking about AI and how just like from a beauty perspective, things have shifted. I think I, when beauty filters and things like that first came out, I think that that immediate reaction I had was like, rage and like, oh no, what is this going to do to young girls? Like body dysmorphia and issues like that, like just feeling like they have to put on a filter in order to be presentable. And I've since grown to have a different point of view in that. I'm like, okay, well we wear clothes, we wear makeup, we do our hair, we dye our hair, we fashion these avatars that we have in a manner of joy. And so long as that energy is one of enthusiasm and like, hey, this is fun, then I don't believe that it is necessarily harmful. It's just like, oh, this is cool, it's just something fun to tinker with. Or it's something that just brings you joy and aesthetically decorates your world, as it were, versus before.

Jennifer Norman:
If people are really coming to this lane and saying, no natural beauty is it, I'm letting my hair grow gray. I'm not going to do the Botox or the fillers. And they're very vigilant about that, that's perfectly fine. But there is also some energy which is resistant and like angry about it, which I think it gets like there. It's almost like a self righteousness that I definitely sensed in myself for a little bit and have come to realize. Like this is with AI, it's with filters, it's with anything that is new. You can try to fight it or you can get curious about it and you can say, hey, how can this work for me? How can maybe I learn a little bit more about it so it doesn't seem like, like so scary? Maybe I can use it as a tool and just have fun with it. And living your life in that kind of energy seems so much more refreshing than being like, okay, well, I'm not going to use any AI because it's just going to take over the.

Jennifer Norman:
And it's bad. And you know, just like those sorts of things.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
It goes back to the same thing I was saying about the Internet. When it came out. There was a lot of resistance with people. No. Exposing people to this or that. The human being is a curious individual. So whether you're gonna say, no, don't use this or that because it's bad, you can't. Because the human brain is very curious.

Jennifer Norman:
We're wired for innovation.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
We are.

Jennifer Norman:
We are wired to be explorers.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Exactly. I can understand how some people can feel that way. And going back to what you mentioned about image, that's where we have to really train that inner bully. Because if that inner bully is seeing yourself in a certain light. Yeah. When you compare yourself to that AI image of a girl or a guy, you're gonna be like, man, I don't look that way. And then I'm gonna feel bad about myself and starting going that route. But we need to retrain that inner bully.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So bottom line, what I'm trying to say is when we have someone who is very self aware and with confidence, I can look at an AI image and be like, that's just fun. You know what I mean?

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I don't look like that. But that no one can. That's just an AI picture.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
But if the individual falls into that trap, then it's because they have that inner bully that is driving the car.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
It's like, okay, we got to work with something a lot deeper than just the AI itself.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Jennifer Norman:
So that's very, very true. Wow. So I'm curious. There's a lot of people who are listening, who probably feel like the world has gone crazy right now. And there's just a lot of things going on. A lot of things going on. And there's a lot of stress, disconnection. People who feel that they're being marginalized are just being oppressed and feeling like they don't even belong because there's like these ICE raids and just a lot of things where there's just a lot of disruption.

Jennifer Norman:
And so I think that a lot of people could probably benefit from daily practices, from stress management, from just healthy coping mechanisms, rather than like, Netflixing and, you know, eating that gallon of ice cream every night because they're just. They feel helpless and hopeless. What kind of things can people do simply in their days to help, to mitigate stress, to help feel better about themselves and feel a little bit more grounded in this time?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah, this is actually a really good question. And honestly, one of the first things I tell patients is we have to separate ourselves from our phone. We need to not use the phone for everything.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And I knew that phones are amazing these days. I mean, you can do anything on a phone. But a lot of the simple everyday things that I have, my patients do do not involve a phone. So I go through their day routine. Okay, so tell me what your day is like. What do you do first thing in the morning when you open your eyes? Oh, I go do this isn't this. And one of the first things, I grab my phone. Okay, we gotta do something else first.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So then I go through their morning ritual. Okay, let's recreate a morning ritual that does not involve your phone. So simple gratitude journal. Or if you don't want to write it down, then say at least two or three things that you're grateful for. Okay. Do some mindfulness meditation. First thing, when you open your eyes, I tell my patients, have a yoga mat or something soft right by your bed that when you put your feet on the floor, you touch that and then you remember, let me do some mindfulness meditation right now. And breath work.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Do it all that. It doesn't take that much time and probably the amount of time that you spent or you would have spent on your phone in the morning. Trapped in the doomsday and the. Yeah, scrolling. Spend it taking care of your soul. Bend it taking care of that little voice that is telling you, today is going to be another day. You're not going to go anywhere today. You're not going to move forward in life.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Let's work on that. And then throughout the day, movement.

Jennifer Norman:
Right.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
You mentioned the pint of ice cream, so it's okay. You're going.

Jennifer Norman:
I said gallon of ice cream, a pint. What's that?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
You know, I tell patients that's. That's your brain craving serotonin. Right. Serotonin is made in our gut and it goes to our brain when we move. So you got to go move, you got to go walk, you got to go jog, you got to do some kind of exercise. Let's get that serotonin up to your brain and so we don't have to go reach for the gallon of ice cream. Usually carbs gives us that quick serotonin. And then things like looking at your boundaries with people, protect what you pay attention to.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
And that also involves don't get on your phone with some of the things that have been going on lately. I think we are so. We're just so exposed to so many things that are going on in the world that before we really weren't right, we would only be exposed with news, local news, things that were going on around us. Now we can get on a phone and see very scary images that are going on in other parts of the world, other people. So if you separate yourself from that, you're protecting your attention, right? So don't pay so much attention to that now if you want to be and see what's going on in the news and see what are some world events, set some time to do that. But protect your attention, protect your time with people that are not adding value to who you are and what I tell them. Your garden, right? Your garden is our mental health garden, right? I'm protecting it, I take care of it. And later I see fruit.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
You don't want to be with someone who's later going to come in and stomp all over your flowers and we kind of have to start all over again. So creating boundaries is crucial. And a lot of it, in my opinion, is what we pay attention to. Don't give yourself so much attention to these things that are going on because ultimately it can generate a lot more anxiety and stressors that if you didn't have this nearby, you wouldn't have seen it, right? I think nowadays we're overexposed, right? We're just seeing way too many things. And the brain is not really trained to be that, to be doing that, accepting so much input. So then I go, okay, now let's come up with something creative. Give me one thing that you can do on a daily basis that is creative, that is fun, that can give you that dopamine. So that's when they go, okay, well, I like to.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
To paint or I. Something that I haven't done in a long time is play the guitar, okay? And just five minutes, maybe ten. Doing something fun and creative that can boost your dopamine, right? Without getting it cheap on your phone. So to me, those are some of the most important things that I tell patients and people that I work with to focus on. Take those breaks in your day to do something fun, give your brain what it needs. Right. A little bit of rest.

Jennifer Norman:
So helpful. Yeah. There's so much power in nature and just getting off of the screens and going outside to get the fresh air, see the green of the trees, the leaves, the flowers. That's probably one of the reasons why you're in Miami and I'm in Los Angeles is because we can see it year round and I'm just happy about that. For those that can't even pictures if you're looking at a book or anything outside with pet, pets are abundantly wonderful for serotonin, oxytocin, things that really help ground you and get you into the mode of appreciation and gratitude and just feeling that life isn't so bad because you're right. When you're on your phone, the algorithm is going to snag you. And if you see one piece of bad news, you're going to see it again again and again and again and again and again. And so where your attention goes, your energy flows and it's just one of those abysses that you're...

Jennifer Norman:
It's going to be hard to escape from unless you cleanse your feed.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I like that. Where, what is it? Where your attention goes, your energy flows.

Jennifer Norman:
Where your attention goes, your energy flows.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
100% and it can drain you. And yeah, algorithms are meant to get your attention, to keep you there. So don't get trapped. And it's very easy to get trapped in that. In it. And yes, pets. I have many dogs.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yes. I have seven dogs.

Jennifer Norman:
You're a dog person. What? Seven dogs?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
I have a family of schnauzers. And a rescue. He's a lab-pit mix.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh my gosh, I am jelly. That's beautiful. They're being so well behaved, I couldn't even hear a single bark.

Jennifer Norman:
Okay, Dr. Hector, this is the time when I end with three questions that every human carries deep inside them. Beauty, being and belief. The questions are a reminder of what connects us all. Our beauty, our humanity and the truths that we live by.

Jennifer Norman:
So my first question to you here is what makes you beautiful?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
First thing that comes to mind is unapologetic authenticity. Yeah, honestly, it's. This is who I am. This is who I'm becoming. You don't like it? There's a door.

Jennifer Norman:
Love it. What does it mean to you to be human?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Ooh, that's a good one. I think being human is. It ties a lot with creativity, integrity, being very self aware and touching into your spiritual world. I think that separates us from.

Jennifer Norman:
(Hears barking) There they are. I spoke too soon.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Because unfortunately, believe it or not, is thundering and they don't like lightning.

Jennifer Norman:
Oh, my goodness.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah. And you have to enjoy the rain too, by the way.

Jennifer Norman:
Yeah, Love the rain, but I wish we had more rain over here. You need to give it to us a little bit.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Yeah, well, it's definitely over here.

Jennifer Norman:
Okay. And my final question. What's one truth that you live by?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
What's one truth? That's a really good one. These are good questions. Honestly, this year, one of the things that I had to learn was to be me, to have integrity and align with who I am. And I think sometimes you. We lose ourselves. We lose ourselves in our career, we lose ourselves in relationships. We lose ourselves and we forget who we are. And I would really say that this year for me has been a huge alignment and has brought me to back to who I was and that Hector was already there.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
So to me, it was that it's making sure that I live aligned with who I am and kind of grow from there.

Jennifer Norman:
Amazing. And what an example you are to everybody that you work with and everybody that you touch on your vibrant social media. Everyone, this is Dr. Hector Rodriguez. His websites are DoctorHector.com and WhiteButterflyClinic.com, and you can also find him on Instagram @Doctor_Hector. Definitely look Dr. Hector up because he is just a wealth of wisdom and abundance of help for so many who have lived through trauma and are looking for a better way forward.

Jennifer Norman:
Dr. Hector, thank you so much for being my guest today. It was such a joy to speak with you.

Dr. Hector Rodriguez:
Thank you so much for having me.

Jennifer Norman:
Thank you for listening to the Human Beauty Movement Podcast. Be sure to follow, rate and review us wherever you stream podcasts. The Human Beauty Movement is a community based platform that cultivates the beauty of humankind. Check out our workshops, find us on social media, and share our inspiration with all the beautiful humans in your life. Learn more at thehumanbeautymovement.com. Thank you so much for being a beautiful human.