Love and Death (Awareness) with Dr. Jordana Jacobs

Public speaking may be our number one conscious fear but Dr. Jordana Jacobs, a clinical psychologist in NYC, believes that the fear of dying, or death anxiety, is indeed what we're most afraid of. 

What does death awareness mean exactly? Simply put, the more we're conscious of the impermanence of everything in life, the more present we can be, and the deeper we can love. We more we accept death, the more fully we can love everything around us, including your partner. 

Jordana and I also touch on the concept of 'the one' and the 'perfect' partner and how the quest for finding 'the one' is a defense against finding love. We discuss Esther Perel's concept that 'fire needs air' in the context of giving your partner and your relationship space to keep the excitement high, and we touch on several ways to reduce death anxiety while increasing death awareness. 

Show Notes:

Find detailed show notes about this episode here.

Find Jordana Jacobs on her website and on Instagram.

The books discussed in today's episode were:

Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by Esther Perel  

The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity Kindle Edition by Esther Perel  

The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm 

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan

Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work Kindle Edition by Steven Kotler  and Jamie Wheal 

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker