In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast

The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . Some have described it as the “bible of psychiatry.” And, much like the Bible – or a constitution – it feels like one of those texts that quietly shape our society, and our lives, whether we’ve actually read it or not. Its vocabulary slips into our everyday conversations. Its descriptions help form the concepts we use to unders...

When we say diagnosis , we’re talking about medicine. When we say health , we’re still talking about medicine. So then - when do we get to talk about psychology? It often feels impossible to talk about mental health without using medical language. Even the words we choose - like “disorders” - show it. Today we’re asking: is all of this a good thing or a bad thing? What impact does diagnosis really...

Sooner or later, in life, we have all received a diagnosis. An expert comes to us, or we go to them, and they utter some words that can sometimes change the course of our lives, for better or for worse. Words like “cold,” “gastritis,” “sore throat,” “ADHD,” or “major depression.” Well then, what do these words have in common? Why do we call all of them “diagnoses”? Every other Monday, at 12pm. Fol...

It's Christmas. We are all very tired. Today, we are bringing you a special episode: we talk about ourselves, our paths, and how we got here. Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram:  mirror_podcast_ Substack: In front of the mirror This project exists in Italian as well:  In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano

The possibility of being offered and exposed to a multiplicity of frameworks reflects and respects the complex nature of mental health phenomena. Rather than finding themselves encapsulated within the neat confines of only one narrative, the person would benefit from choosing and adopting one or more stories and narratives that make sense to them. In light of this, we ask: are there frameworks tha...

Mental health crises might be investigated from a variety of perspectives. The lived experience of mental health conditions can be considered an irreplaceable source of knowledge. It is through lived experience that we become aware of aspects that are often neglected, such as the ways our bodies try to communicate with us and alert us, or how our personal histories are revealed to us through the v...

What are hallucinations, depressive episodes, or panic attacks? We know what they are, of course - psychiatric symptoms. The problem is that we don’t know what they are - ontologically. Which is to say: are they the manifestations of a compromised neurobiological mechanism? Or perhaps phenomena carrying a meaning to be deciphered? Adaptive strategies, defense mechanisms? The ninth episode is a phi...

The question of all questions: What do we mean when we say that therapy brings about change? Then, if there are different types of therapy, are there also different kinds of change? And furthermore, when it comes to the person - "who" is changing? And, where should we start if we want to build the sense a person has of being themselves?   References: Kellog S., Torres A. (2021) Chairwork invites y...

When do we become who we are? What makes me the person I am, and not someone else? How far back should we go, to find that out? And what does it mean to embrace our destiny, to own our story? Today we are thrilled to discuss these topics with Susi Ferrarello, philosopher, Professor at California State University, East Bay, and philosophical counsellor. Susi's book: Ferrarello, S. (2024). The Pheno...

It has even been said that depression, anorexia, and phobia are not something we ‘have’, rather they are modes of being of the person. But what does ‘being’ depressed, anorexic, or phobic mean? It has even been said these pathologies do not happen to the person, they are worlds instead, which persons inhabit. So: one does not have autism, one is autistic. Or, at least, this is what they say. It ha...

One says that depression, anorexia and phobia is something we ‘have’, and ‘suffer from’. But what does ‘having’ a psychiatric condition mean? One says these pathologies happen to the person, and are foreign to them. So: one is not autistic, one has autism. Or, at least, this is what they say. One says that this formulation is first and foremost a moral conquest. In assuming so, we stop blaming the...

"Is this pathology neurological or psychiatric?". Physicians often wonder about it. How can they identify and distinguish between these two categories? What if the two are entangled, as the case of organic pathologies with psychiatric symptoms shows? And since when are shoes part of psychiatric semeiotics? Today we are pleased to discuss these topics with David Tèstérini, physician and neurologist...

What makes a pattern of behavior, thinking and feeling a disorder , a pathology? Is it the presence of a dysfunction, suffering, a conflict with societal norms? Can these criteria truly demarcate what is defined as pathological from what is not? In this episode, Cristiano will scrutinize these very criteria, questioning them. This episode continues the analysis that Giacomo began in the previous o...

When one claims that something or someone is normal, what do they mean? And when one claims that is not, normal? Could investigating what a norm is, or what a rule is, ever help us make sense of all of it? In this episode, Giacomo embarks on a journey through the concepts that underlie and support our idea of normality. In the next episode, Cristiano will continue by talking about boundaries. Refe...

When one claims that a disorder is psychiatric : What is the intrinsic nature of this adjective? What makes some kinds of experiences psychiatric, instead of  something else? And, in what way do these experiences affect the person who goes through them? References: de Haan, S.(2020). Enactive Psychiatry. Cambridge University Press. Dennett, D. C. (2013). Intuition pumps and other tools for thinkin...

What was Sigmund Freud's greatest discovery? What's the difference between a psychotherapist, and your trusted hairdresser? And what makes the therapeutic relationship truly unique? We discuss all this and more in our pilot episode! References:  Ogden, T. H. (2005). This art of psychoanalysis. Dreaming undreamt dreams and interrupted cries. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Freud, S. (1940). A...

Trailer - In Front of the Mirror