The Broken Brain

Online self-assessment tests are huge online. They can be a great tool in our own health management and improvement, but we have to use them the correct way. 

A dive into a few psychological elements of the story "A Christmas Carol." a story that has been popular for 181 years, probably for a reason. To hear history episodes like this every week, along with other bonus materials, consider donating to the Broken Brain Patreon, at www.patreon.com/brokenbrain The charity-of-focus for this month is Prince Edward Island Transgender Network, a nonprofit provi...

Mark Sullivan MD is an Internal Medical Physician providing individual and family care at the North Virginia Family Practice. He believes in individual empowerment through relationship building and listening to patients. Like me he is dedicated to putting the patient in the driver's seat of their own healthcare. Follow his practice at www.nvafamilypractice.com Our charity-of-focus for December is...

Dr Sui Wong is Neurological Ophthalmologist, direct care specialist in Migraine treatment, and Author. She was kind enough to join me to discuss proactive healthy behavior for the health of the brain, finding hope with neurological disorders, and the use of mindfulness.  Go to www.peitn.com to visit our highlighted charity for December. The PEI Transgender Network provides education, fundraising,...

What is sobriety? For those working with Compulsion or Addiction, one of the most important elements of health is finding your own goals and measures of success. Developing an individual definition of sobriety is an often overlooked but useful tool in this process. 

Marion Stokes was a political & civil rights activist, television professional, librarian, and someone who absolutely followed her passions. From 1976 to 2012 she recorded TV for every waking hour of the day, ending up with 74,000 VHS tapes loaded with history of the evolution of news, entertainment, talk shows, and US culture. Why would she do this, and what has it contributed? To hear full episo...

As the former Director of Content for Sesame Street, Anna Housley Juster knows the psychoeducation and mental health needs of children. As a child & adolescent therapist and author, she has continued to teach children and parents the skills of emotional regulation. She discusses these needs and her new children's book, "How To Train Your Amygdala."   Follow her work at www.annahousleyjuster.com Fo...

The holidays are upon us! Look out! Traditions & holidays can be a joy, a burden, or even kinda meh. Forging personal traditions can help to deepen joy, reduce burden, or make it less meh and a bit more yeah.  Please check out the charity-of-focus for November while there is still some November left. The Because Organization helps people in the Philadelphia area who have survived and emerged from...

Samantha Skelly is an Master Breathwork Facilitator, Author, and the Founder & CEO of Pause Breathwork. She teaches others how to use breath as a powerful tool for stress management, emotional processing, and trauma recovery. Follow her work at www.pausebreathwork.com   Remember to follow and support The Because Organization, this month's highlighted charity, a Philadelphia based nonprofit helping...

This week's mental health tip is about Positive Deviancy: an interesting concept and a way to find a solution that already exists, but is flying under the radar.  Go to www.becauseorganization.org to support this month's charity-of-focus, helping survivors of human trafficking.

This week we are diving into the history of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and the tool of The Miracle Question in trying to solve clinical problems. The entire episode can be found through subscribing to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/brokenbrain   The highlighted charity this month is the Because Organization, a nonprofit helping survivors of human trafficking to rebuild a healthy & happy life. F...

Thomas LaGrave is a Therapist, Social Worker, Author, former Navy SEAL, and expert in mental health treatment for youth. He describes the obstacles to mental health and social development facing modern youth, and the strengths of the young generation.  Our charity of focus this month is Because ORganization, helping survivors of Human Trafficking to adjust and build a healthy life. Follow their wo...

Where do we look for hope when we are overwhelmed, anxious, or afraid? Mr Rogers suggested looking for the helpers, those coming to the aid of others at risk. Can we find comfort and survival by looking at all those doing good in the world?  I hope so! Visit www.becauseorganization.org to help battle Human Trafficking by helping survivors with their aftercare needs. 

The myth of Pandora's Box: is it a story of punishment, troubles, or hope? Or maybe all of that.  This week's Thursday History lesson is the open episode for November, available to regular listeners as well as Patreon Subscribers.  Goto becauseorganization.org to follow this month's highlighted charity, focused on rebuilding the lives of survivors of Human Trafficking.

Cedric Bertelli is a psychotherapist who helps people heal from trauma through somatic and movement based techniques. Somatic therapy is a huge part of modern trauma treatment, and Cedric shares how these techniques can help to impact the unconscious choices that impact our behavior. The charity of focus for November is the Because Organization, helping support survivors of human trafficking in th...

Anxiety around making or receiving voice calls on the phone is quite common nowadays. Many suffer from the anxiety caused by feeling out of control, put on the spot, or otherwise stressed about the process. Here are a few tips for mitigating and facing that anxiety.  The charity of focus for this month is Because Organization, a nonprofit that provides support for survivors of human trafficking, a...

Why do we prank at Halloween? Especially tossing rolls of toilet paper all over the land? Let's chat about it, this week on Thursday Thistory!  This one is for everyone! Not just Patrons this week!

Second Halloween Episode! AND it's is one of the ongoing episodes to feature Role Playing Games and their usefulness in therapy.  The storyline of this game is a team of Vampire Couriers helping a Vampire to relocate safely. Each player has selected strengths and weaknesses of the characters. In a Therapy RPG group these characters and attributes would tie with previously set goals, individually a...

You can spend a lot of time and energy searching for mindfulness. Sometimes there are opportunities all around us that we don't see. Here are 2 examples of stumbling into mindfulness by accident.  

Marcia Holt is the Founder and CEO of Because Organization, dedicated to providing support to survivors of Human Trafficking. They help survivors to find housing, healthcare, employment, therapy, legal aid, and much more. Marcia is here to help us to define what trafficking is, and how to identify and combat it in ways that provide real help. In a world with such frequent misunderstanding of this...

Jessica Morgan & Christopher Carter joined me to talk about their indie horror film "Night of the Harvest," a slasher type Halloween film that plays around with the traditional tropes and roles within that type of story. They shared deep reflections on their approach to storytelling, horror, and what it's like to step into the mindset of the movie's characters.  Follow their work at www.carterinkf...

What makes a thought healthy? Cognitive Psychologists say there are 2 important elements, both must be present for things to be healthy upstairs. What are they, how do we define them, and most importantly what do we do about it after labeling them?  Remember to go to www.stigmafree.art to support our charity-of-focus this month: Mental Health Awareness Creative Arts Gallery.

Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) in video games is the automatic adjustment of difficulty levels within a game intended to keep a player in Flow State. What does that mean? Funny you should ask...that's what this week's Thistory episode is all about! Enjoy the first 6 or 7 minutes of this one for all listeners. If you would like to hear the entire episodes of the weekly dive into psychological...

Fabian Stumm is the writer, director, and star of the movie "Sad Jokes," a wholesome & sincere film showcasing the roles played by sadness and humor in trying to balance a modern life. 

Gratitude is supes healthy, and one way to experience it is in sharing something you love with others. Heres some tups about how to do that in a way that will maximize its effectiveness and help your mental health. Oh yeah, and HAPPY COLOMBO DAY for all of you detectives out there. Check out www.stigmafree.art to support this month's charity of focus: Mental Health Awareness Creative Art Gallery.