I was listening to a podcast recently with Richard Grannon—the psychology and philosophy YouTuber who’s carved out a massive niche for himself in the narcissistic abuse space—and he dropped a perspective that’s been rattling around in my head ever since.

It wasn't the main topic of the episode; it wasn't even something he was actively arguing for. He just mentioned it in passing, but it clearly hit a nerve in my psyche, because here I am two weeks later, still thinking about it and writing a full blog post.

What he said was something like this: the future of psychology is splitting into two distinct streams—Neurobiology/Endocrinology and Spirituality/Philosophy.

I LOVE this. All in caps- not just a capital L.

This makes total sense to me. We often forget that psychology is still in its childhood. We’ve moved past the "infancy" of the field, sure, but if we consider Freud and Jung the pioneers, the discipline is barely a hundred years old. In that same century, technology has moved so fast that healthcare has made some extreme, sci-fi-level leaps. We’ve finally reached a point where we have enough data and enough history to start drawing some real conclusions.

What’s coming to light is a fascinating "Nature vs. Nurture" remix. It’s becoming clear that even the human psyche is caught between two worlds. The road to healing is not the same for everyone. In fact, it’s not the same for anyone. Depending on your unique makeup and life experience it starts with deciding whether you should be focusing on the "hardware" of your biology or the "software" of your soul.

This is where the theory gets practical. If you’re sitting there struggling with anxiety or depression—whatever those heavy words mean to you specifically—this "Great Split" gives us a much more precise way to troubleshoot why you feel that way. Think of it like a diagnostic fork in the road. Instead of just slapping on a generic label, we can actually look a bit closer.

Here is a more detailed look at the two directions the field is heading...

Before we start analyzing your childhood or your dreams, we should probably take a good look at the physical machine. If the hardware is glitching, the software will never run smoothly.

Imagine trying to fix a computer's code when the battery is leaking acid. It doesn't matter how much inner work you do if your biology is working against you. In this stream, we ask: Is there a physical reason?

If the issue is here, talk therapy is like trying to fix a broken leg by talking to it. You don't need a breakthrough; you need a biological intervention—supplements, lifestyle changes, or nervous system regulation.

But... let’s say your blood work is perfect. You’re eating clean, you’re sleeping eight hours, and your nervous system is calm—yet you still feel a profound sense of dread or emptiness.

This takes us down the next route. This is the realm of trauma, meaning, and the "Software" of the soul. This is where the old-school talk therapy, Jungian analysis, and philosophy live.

If the issue is here, all the cold plunges and vitamins in the world won’t fix it. You need to dive into the Deep Humanities. You need to rebuild your philosophy, process your trauma, and find a reason to get out of bed that is bigger than yourself.

Here is the most important thing to understand about this split: Both routes are completely valid, equally important, and desperately needed. In our culture, we tend to get tribal. We have the "Bio-Hacker" crowd who thinks everything is just a matter of magnesium and sunlight, and we have the "Deep Soul" crowd who thinks every physical symptom is just a suppressed emotion from 1994.

The truth? They are two sides of the same coin.

If you have a biological "hardware" issue—like a thyroid that’s quit on you or a nervous system fried by chronic stress—you can’t just meditate your way out of it. You need the science. You need the data. You need the biological intervention.

But similarly, if you have a philosophical "software" issue—if you’ve lost your sense of meaning, if you’re living in a way that violates your own ethics, or if you’re carrying the weight of unprocessed trauma—no amount of clean eating or "perfect" hormones will make you feel whole. You need the deep work.

Psychology may finally be growing up and admitting that we are incredibly complex. We aren't just brains in jars, and we aren't just spirits floating in space. We are biological organisms that require physical regulation AND we are conscious beings that require philosophical meaning.

To me, there is something so clarifying about the field splitting into these two paths. It makes it easier to envision the massive web of root causes behind why we feel the way we do. It validates every angle—whether your struggle is a chemical glitch or a crisis of purpose—and honestly, it makes the path to diagnosis and treatment (therefore actually GETTING BETTER) feel a lot more efficient.

Whether the entire field of psychology officially makes this split or not, we have to give ourselves permission to look at both. Check your hardware and audit your software. Don't settle for just being "not sick." You deserve a life where your body is a calm home and your mind actually knows what it’s living for.

PS: SHOUT OUT TO RICHARD GRANNON. Your insights have been a greater source of inspiration than you’ll ever know, and your work hasn't just been educational—it's been life-changing. Thank you for giving me the language to understand my own mind, the courage to rebuild it, and for being the spark for so much of my own personal growth. I am beyond grateful.