Most of us don't listen to understand - we listen to respond, fix, or reassure.

In this episode, Sabrina sits down with Dr. Randall Alifano, a clinical psychologist and ordained minister with over 40 years of experience integrating psychology and spirituality in his private practice. Randall is the author of Listening in the Raw: Coming Home to Receptivity, and has spent his career helping people recognize that life's challenges and our childhood responses to trauma and neglect aren't pathologies to fix - they're coping strategies to become aware of.

In this conversation, Sabrina and Randall explore listening not as a social skill but as a personal discipline - what it really means to quiet your internal noise and stay present with discomfort, uncertainty, and someone else's emotion, without rushing to smooth it over.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why most people listen to respond, fix, or reassure - and how that habit quietly erodes intimacy and self-awareness.
• The difference between treating life's challenges as pathologies versus recognizing them as coping strategies.
• What decades of clinical work have taught Randall about what happens when we truly quiet our internal noise.
• How staying present with discomfort and uncertainty - rather than resolving it - changes a conversation.
• Why real listening is a discipline you practice, not a trait you either have or don't.
• How this quality of listening opens the door to becoming more attuned to who you actually are.

If you've ever caught yourself half-listening while planning what to say next, this episode is a chance to see what changes when you stop.

Find out more about this week's guest: https://randallalifanophd.com

Breen Time is hosted by Sabrina Brown - life coach and management consultant.

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If this episode raised something for you, support is available: Counselling Directory: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk NHS Mental Health & Talking Therapies: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/

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