Adulthood Kills Adults: Reclaiming Play, Myth, and Self with Larry Rubin

In this episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis Heath sits down with psychologist, writer, and longtime Psychotherapy.net interviewer Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Rubin for a wide-ranging conversation on superheroes, popular culture, and psychotherapy. Larry reflects on his own origin story, his lifelong fascination with stories and objects, and how superheroes became a powerful metaphor in his work with children, adolescents, and adults. They explore themes of identity, anger, power, creativity, and play, as well as the role of mythology and Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey in adult therapy. Along the way, Larry challenges the idea that fantasy is mere avoidance, argues that adulthood often stifles vitality, and encourages therapists to remain curious, idiosyncratic, and true to themselves—even when their interests fall outside the mainstream.