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# Jiu-Jitsu Isn't Therapy
- URL: https://fightingmatters.com/jiu-jitsu-isnt-therapy/
- Published: 2026-03-19T23:36:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T05:16:12.000Z
- Description: In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan is joined by Matt Tansey and Daniel Millstein: two licensed mental health professionals who also train jiu-jitsu.
- Author: Fighting Matters
- Tags: Podcast, Video, Mental Health

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan is joined by Matt Tansey and Daniel Millstein: two licensed mental health professionals who also train jiu-jitsu. They attack one of the most repeated claims in the sport ("jiu-jitsu is my therapy"), what's actually true about it, what isn't, and why the distinction matters more than most people think.  
  
⸻  
  
👥 Featuring:  
• Steve Kwan — [https://bjjmentalmodels.com](https://bjjmentalmodels.com/?ref=fightingmatters.com)  
• Matt Tansey — [https://matthewtansey.com](https://matthewtansey.com/?ref=fightingmatters.com)  
• Daniel Millstein — [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/daniel-millstein-boston-ma/1239597](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/daniel-millstein-boston-ma/1239597?ref=fightingmatters.com)  
  
⸻  
  
🧠 Topics Discussed:  
• What therapists actually do (and how they differ from coaches)  
• Why jiu-jitsu can be therapeutic without being therapy  
• The Dunning-Kruger effect and black belt overconfidence  
• How jiu-jitsu can help and harm people with trauma  
• Why male practitioners avoid therapy but embrace pseudoscience  
• SSRIs, psychedelics, stem cells, and the jiu-jitsu bro health pipeline  
  
⸻  
  
📖 Chapters:  
[00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Introducing Matt and Daniel  
[02:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=168s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Types of mental health practitioners  
[06:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=403s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Can jiu-jitsu be therapeutic?  
[12:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=751s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Competence, confidence, and the Dunning-Kruger trap  
[23:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=1429s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — When jiu-jitsu actually helps  
[26:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=1572s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Overselling jiu-jitsu  
[28:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=1711s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Trauma, PTSD, and proper disclosure  
[36:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=2204s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — What therapists can't say (but coaches can)  
[42:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=2577s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Dudes will do anything except go to therapy  
[50:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=3048s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Ethics, credentials, and the unregulated advice problem  
[01:00:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSVbR4J8rk&t=3617s&ref=fightingmatters.com) — Psychedelics, stem cells, and anti-SSRI bros