Susanna Mittermaier is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, radio show host, Access Consciousness® Facilitator, worldwide speaker, founder of Pragmatic Psychology and author. She has years of experience in mental health working with in and out patients with all diagnosis. Susanna is known for her revolutionary perspective on mental illness and for inspiring people all over the world to access the greatness they are beyond abuse and disease.

Susanna, I would like to start asking you: "Are you Crazy Happy?"

Yes! Crazy happy is where you are happy for no reason. Happiness in our world should always come with a reason. When you are happy people wonder, why… are you in love, did you win the lottery?... Just being happy is not normal in our world…yet!

What psychology has to do with creating our world?

A lot! Psychology is a discipline that has a big impact on our world. People want to understand the world, they want to understand each other and themselves. Psychology has become the study of understanding why people and world is as it is. The current paradigm is that understanding and explaining assists solving problems. Listen to the conversations people have with each other over coffee. They are listening to each other and speaking to each other through the filter of psychological theories and they are not aware of it. A lot of well known theories have made their way into society and people interpret reality through them.

You are creating a new paradigm with psychology and therapy, may you tell us what is it about?

That is a big question! Shortly put Psychology used to be the study of knowing and about empowering people to know what they uniquely know. Later it turned into the study of behaviour and about what is sane and insane, right and wrong, good and bad. Pragmatic Psychology is returning psychology to what it used to be and truly can be. An empowerment of people to discover the strongness behind what they consider a wrongness.

Which are the main factors that people disguise in order to ‘fit in’ and to feel more accepted?

Their greatness, their difference, their uniqueness.

Depression, anxiety, and dissatisfaction seems to be part of nowadays life. What’s your awareness of what lies underneath these symptoms?

With any diagnosis there is often a lack of information. Most are happy with comparing symptoms with the diagnosis book and then finding the right diagnose. Seldom is it about asking questions what is truly going on for the individual. There is so much information being lost that could be used to create change. Dissatisfaction often comes from living somebody else’s live and not being clear on what you truly desire. (What is going on with theses diagnosis is a too big question to answer here).

OCD, ADHD, autism, psychosis and bipolar: what is your experience working with people that are considered suffering with mental illnesses?

That change is possible even if it seems impossible! Diagnosis can turn into comfort zone. It gives you an answer of what is going on but it limits you to find out what else is possible beyond that. People who change are those who have the courage to find out who they are beyond the diagnosis and who let go of that comfort zone.

In this reality people define themselves by thinking, feeling and emoting. What is beyond that?

Being! Just being… choice and possibilities.

What tool would you like anyone hesitant to share their talents and gifts, for fear of standing out too much, to play with?

Ask yourself! What am I waiting for? Stop waiting for the right thing or idea or person to show up! Just start! Find out what is fun for you and then take action. Don’t look for the right action. The first step to success is getting up in the morning!

What your “Pragmatic Psychology” book and classes invites to?

To life that works A space where you don’t make others the source of your life but where you can create your life using your very uniqueness as the greatest resource. Going beyond being the victim of others or outer circumstances or your past.
Accessing the greatness of you.
Becoming the leader of your life.
The creation of a world that works for us!