Dr Lars Madsen – Schema therapy, emotional blueprints, and the psychology of change
Can our earliest emotional patterns be rewritten?
About Dr Lars Madsen
Dr Lars Madsen is a psychologist and Advanced Accredited Schema Therapist based in Australia, with specialist expertise in complex trauma, personality disorders, and forensic psychology. He holds a Doctorate in Psychology and is one of Australia's leading practitioners of schema therapy, a depth-oriented approach that works directly with the emotional wounds and patterns formed early in life. Lars also hosts the podcast Beyond the Crime, which applies psychological frameworks to understanding criminal behaviour and the people behind it
About this episode
Schema therapy is a depth-oriented psychological approach that explores the emotional blueprints formed in early life — the core beliefs and coping patterns that quietly shape how we think, relate and respond as adults. These schemas often operate outside awareness, influencing everything from our choice of partners to how we handle conflict, rejection or failure.
Lars brings both clinical precision and real-world therapeutic experience to this conversation. He and Jess explore how schemas like “I’m not enough” or “People always leave” become embedded, why we unconsciously recreate familiar emotional dynamics, and how schema therapy moves beyond surface-level thought reframing to work directly with memory, imagery and emotion — helping people shift patterns at their root rather than just managing their symptoms.
In this episode
What makes schema therapy different from CBT
How early experiences can create lifelong emotional filters
Why insight alone isn’t enough — and what healing feels like
How therapists help clients confront, reimagine, and soften old wounds
The role of writing and journaling in emotional processing
What healing looks like in real life — and why schemas never fully disappear
Prompt for reflection
“Think of one recurring struggle in your life — maybe a fear of rejection, or always putting others first. What old belief or unmet need might be driving it?”
This question encourages you to trace a familiar struggle back to its origin, beneath the surface behaviour and into the belief or unresolved need sustaining it.
Listen now
Learn more about Dr Lars Madsen
Website | psychclinic.com.au/lars-madsen
Substack | substack.com/@larsbang
LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/lars-madsen
X (Twitter) | x.com/LarsBangMadsen2
Listen to his podcast | Beyond The Crime: A Psychological Analysis
This episode was hosted by Jess Leondiou, brought to you by Archley's tools for introspection and reflection. www.archleys.com
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Technical Setup
02:55 - Exploring Schema Therapy
06:59 - Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Schema Therapy
16:52 - The Role of Memory in Schema Therapy
22:04 - Writing as a Tool for Processing Trauma
25:03 - Healing and Functional Changes in Patients
28:08 - Understanding Healing in Relationships
30:26 - The Intersection of Trauma and Personality Disorders
32:48 - The Role of Environment in Schema Development
36:06 - The Impact of Therapy on Schema Awareness
38:57 - Creating Safe Spaces for Vulnerable Conversations
44:12 - Improving Communication Skills for Better Support
45:31 -Techniques for Exploring Personal Schemas
46:32 -The Evolution of Therapy and Self-Talk
47:53 - Journaling and Self-Reflection on Schemas
Transcript: Schema therapy, emotional blueprints, and the psychology of change - Dr Lars Madsen
