Notes from an 87-year-old clinical psychologist

5 ways I change my life without overwhelming myself

Dear friends,

At eighty-seven, I’ve come to trust something simple:

Change does not come from intensity.

It comes from repetition.

What looks like a breakthrough is usually something much quieter — a small action, returned to again and again, until it becomes part of you.

What follows is a short do-list.
5 ways I change my life without overwhelming myself

1. I make the first step small enough to begin.
   When something feels difficult, I reduce the size of the task. A short walk. A few minutes. One small action. Beginning matters more than the size of the effort, because starting is what creates movement.

2. I return to the same action again and again.
   The value is not in doing something once. It is in coming back to it. Repetition builds familiarity, and familiarity turns effort into something natural

   

   A photo of me at the Empress Moon in SF, celebrating my birthday the night before surgery at UCSF Medical.

3. I practice on myself first.
   Before sharing anything with others, I live it. What works in real life is what I trust. This keeps things grounded and practical.

4. I give change time to accumulate.
   Results are often quiet at first. Days layer into weeks, and weeks into something noticeable. Change builds gradually, even when it feels like nothing is happening.

5. I keep things simple enough to continue.
   When something is simple, I can return to it. When it is complicated, I avoid it. Simplicity supports consistency, and consistency carries change forward.

There is something important to remember:

A little over time is a lot.

I don’t claim mastery of this.
I practice.
I forget.
I begin again.

Choose one small action today —
and return to it again tomorrow.

If you wish, you’re welcome to write back and share what you’re working on.

Golden Light,

Dr. Richard Louis Miller

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A note on working together

For those who feel drawn to working together more directly, I offer a limited number of one-on-one conversations.

These are not traditional therapy sessions. They are quiet, practical conversations focused on calming the mind, easing anxiety, and working with simple tools that support steadiness in daily life.

We move at a thoughtful pace. We work with what’s present. We focus on what helps.

If you’d like to learn more about working together one-on-one, you’re welcome to reply to this email and my team will share additional details.

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1-minute mind control (my latest book)

Traditional mindfulness and meditation techniques often require a huge investment of your most precious resource (time) without guarantees of results.

My own version of mindfulness—what I sometimes refer to as “mind control”—can be mastered in much less time if you commit to regular 60-90 second practice throughout the day.

Breathing. Witnessing. Changing the channel on negative thoughts.

I’ve honed these techniques over a lifetime of personal and professional practice, and now I’m sharing them with the world.

Get my new book Master Your Mind, and as a thank you for your support, I’ll give you a free 30-day subscription to our premium newsletter and exclusive content. Just reply to this email after you buy it to confirm your purchase.

My Other Books:

• Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life: Dying Without Fear (release date: November 5)

• Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out

• Psychedelic Wisdom: The Astonishing Rewards of Mind-Altering Substances

• Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca

• Integral Psychedelic Therapy (co-edited with Jason A. Butler & Genesee Herzberg)