I Was Enmeshed with My Mom, with Brett Gelman

This week we're sitting down with the fearless, hilarious, and thoughtful Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Fleabag) as he opens up about the challenges that have shaped him, from his early battles with OCD and questioning his identity, to intense enmeshment with his mother and overcoming those tendencies as he navigates adult relationships.

Brett opens up about:
- The ways he felt different growing up
- His early experiences with drug use
- His OCD around numbers and fear of the future
- Why questioning his sexuality as a kid led him to have a breakdown

He also shares insights on method acting, the importance of creating space for men to challenge toxic masculinity, and the importance of infusing all of your endeavors with a little bit of yourself.

PLUS Mayim explains why self-centeredness may actually be at the root of our attempts at caring for others!

This conversation is a must-watch for anyone seeking to understand the intricate dance between our past experiences and our present selves.

TUNE IN to find out how facing your past can dramatically reshape your future!

Brett Gelman's new book, The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-terrifying-realm-of-the-possible-brett-gelman?variant=41073650204706


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Consciousness. Spontaneous healing. UAPs. Near Death Experiences. Manifestation. Psychic phenomena. Angels. Nothing is off limits if it can be approached with curiosity and rigor.



MBB started as a conversation about mental health — and quickly became something much bigger. Because the deeper you go into what it means to be human, the faster you run into questions science hasn’t fully answered yet.



Hosted by neuroscientist and cultural icon Mayim Bialik and spiritual explorer Jonathan Cohen, MBB is a multi-award-winning podcast where science and spirituality meet. Together they break down the assumptions, the misperceptions, and the boundaries between disciplines — and every breakdown is a breakthrough. This is where the biggest questions get taken seriously — and where you realize you’ve never been alone in asking them.



Can the mind actually heal the body? Can quantum physics explain psychic phenomena? What do Near Death Experiences reveal about the nature of consciousness and the seat of the human soul? What if the only thing separating you from your own intuition - or even God - is the assumption that it’s out of reach? And if governments are publicly acknowledging the existence of UFOs, what does that mean for the future of humanity?



These are the questions Mayim Bialik's Breakdown asks every week.



Subscribe on Substack for ad-free episodes and bonus content, and check us out on YouTube (@MayimBialik) for video versions of our episodes!

• No. of episodes: 422
• Latest episode: 2026-04-03
• Comedy Health & Fitness Mental Health

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