In this episode of Survival Notes, Jon Murphy, PMHNP, shares a raw, reflective update on his professional evolution, creative awakening, and how lived experience informs his clinical work. From the early days at a psych hospital to founding the Compass Point Institute, Jon explores themes of burnout, system navigation, incremental change, and healing from narcissistic abuse. Ideal for clinicians, creators, and anyone balancing personal growth with professional purpose. Hosted on the CPI Podcast Network at cpipodcasts.transistor.fm.

In this episode, I step outside the survival mode framework to focus on a simple truth that most of us still struggle to live by: all emotions are normal.

We talk about what that actually means in adult life, how emotional suppression shows up in high-functioning individuals, and why incongruence between what we feel and what we see can lead to internal conflict, confusion, or shutdown.

I also touch on the physiology of stress, the role of early group environments in emotional development, and the difference between emotional experience and emotional behavior.

Whether you were raised in a chaotic household or one that looked "fine" on paper, you might still be living out adaptations you didn’t choose.

🧠 Learn more at: www.myfocuspath.com
📬 Subscribe to the blog: focuspath.substack.com
🎧 Produced by Focus Path

Some people thrive in structure. Others feel like it exposes something. In this episode, I talk about two survival roles — the Operator and the Watcher — and how their nervous systems adapted to group dynamics where emotional expression wasn’t safe.

For the Operator, structure can feel threatening when it's tied to emotional vulnerability or responsibility. For the Watcher, structure can feel irrelevant — because survival meant staying invisible.

If routine, consistency, or closeness feel harder than they "should," this episode offers a deeper framework.

🧠 Learn more at www.myfocuspath.com
📬 Subscribe to the blog: focuspath.substack.com
🎧 Produced by Focus Path