Mental Illness Happy Hour

The Iraq war veteran, author and advocate talks about PTSD and moral injury he battled after returning home and the positive effects meditating has had on his struggles. Tom is the author of Where War Ends: A Combat Veteran’s 2,700-Mile Journey to Heal — Recovering from PTSD and Moral Injury through Meditation For more on his experiences with meditation check out www. TheMeditatingVet.com Support...

Therapist Katie Vernoy returns to answer listener questions about therapist/patient boundaries, when to report a client (in response to a very dark survey), what therapists get wrong and how to know when we're overwhelmed. More About Katie: website: katievernoy.com social: FB:  https://www.facebook.com/KatieVernoyManagementConsultant/ Insta:  https://www.instagram.com/katievernoy   Support Our Spo...

Al has always been a comedian's comedian, but mainstream success has always eluded him. Raised by a smothering anxious mother, fear and lack of independence have stunted his emotional growth. He talks about the fear of independence, sense of entitlement and narcissism that hinder his growth. More About Our Guest  For more about Al go to www. AlLubel.com Support Our Sponsors! This episode is sponso...

Despite her traumatic upbringing and becoming the woman (her mom) she swore she'd never be, Wendy went from an alcoholic PTA mother shooting at her husbands mistress to jail to getting sober and finding her life's purpose helping others and halting the cycle of intergenerational abuse.  She is an author and certified drug and alcohol counselor. More About Our Guest  Her new book is Mother Load: A...

Karolyn suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disease that affects her joints and internal organs as well as being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She rarely goes more than two weeks without a visit to the hospital.  She's the creator of #HospitalGlam, a movement that utilizes photography and fashion to create awareness of invisible injuries and help empower patients....

Ellen (a pseudonym) shares about shares about discrimination, growing up poor, living on a reservation, riding the line between native culture and "white people things" and tells her story of grooming and sexual abuse from her father, being "trapped" in her own bedroom for years to avoid him, and how getting sober herself was the catalyst for healing and forgiveness. She speaks about the open woun...

Prostitution, alcoholism, fetishes, swinging, abandonment and being stabbed by a bayonet.  Handyman Hank Adams has experienced them all.  Paul’s friend has to literally pause to count how many stepdads he has had.  This episode originally aired in 2011. Support Our Sponsors! This episode is sponsored by  BetterHelp  online counseling.  To get a  free week  go to  www. BetterHelp.com/mental   Must...

The standup comic ( Lights Out ) (aka @BSComedian) and Iraq War vet opens up about his unstable childhood - being lied to and moved from foster home to foster home - and how it has affected him, what he learned about white people while serving in the Marines, battling Major Depressive Disorder and his thoughts on cultural appropriation. Follow Brian on social media @BSComedian Check out his FB pag...

The 29 year-old Second City writer/performer @GobbieDixon shares about being gender-fluid, growing up believing there was nobody else going thru the feeling of not being in the right body, and their suicide attempt at 13. They share about their anxiety using public restrooms, dysphoria during sex and what their younger self could have benefitted from hearing. For more about Gaby: www. GabyDixon.co...

The 2-time Olympic gold medalist and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee shares about surviving domestic abuse and becoming an advocate for other survivors. She also shares about being one of 20 children, being a preacher's kid and learning how to stop trying to "rescue" broken partners and take care of herself. For more about Ruthie go to www. MightyRuthieBolton.com Follow her @MightyRuthie...

The talented stand-up comedian, podcaster ( The Neighborhood Listen ) and writer/actor (HBO’s  Mr. Show, Bojack Horseman, Room 104, Comedy Bang Bang ) talks about the role therapy played in helping him turn his pain and rejection into being a happier person and a better artist.  He opens up about the shame of having parents who didn’t find him funny or necessarily interesting, and the beauty of be...

Paul and Jessi talk about the mean voices in our heads - especially towards our bodies; how childhood sexual trauma affects sexuality, self-objectification, difficulty orgasming and being your body's friend. More About Jessi Website:  https://jessikneeland.com/ FB:  https://www.facebook.com/jessikneeland/ IG:  https://www.instagram.com/jessikneeland/   The books she mentioned: The Body Keeps the S...

The writer and NPR contributor @IAmGothamGirl shares about developing epilepsy at 40 (as a single mom), bad doctors, shattering her face during a seizure, the myths around her condition and the hope she has found accepting her new reality. More About Alisa Book links or  alisajones.com   https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com/ https://endepilepsy.org/ https://www.epilepsy.com/ Support Our Sponsors! Th...

The public health psychologist opens up about the mental, emotional and political battles both personal and cultural that the LGBTQ community has fought especially since the 1969 Stonewall riots. More About Our Guest Perry N Halkitis, Ph. D., M.S., MPH is a public health psychologist, researcher, educator, and advocate who is Dean and Professor of Biostatistics and Urban-Global Public Health at th...

Nick talks about being a social worker clinician working with victims of the wildfires as well as combat veterans. Topics covered: types of PTSD, vulnerability, how to reach out for help and hyper-masculinity.   Support Our Sponsors! This episode is sponsored by  BetterHelp  online counseling.  To get a  free week  go to  www. BetterHelp.com/mental   Must be 18. WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST __________...

Despite being attacked as a college student, the author of What A Body Remembers went on to become an attorney defending violent offenders. She talks about the various ways trauma ripples thru our later lives and finding her voice despite anxiety, hyper vigilance, PTSD & shame. More About Our Guest http://stefanokaren.com/ https://www.facebook.com/karen.stefano.5 https://twitter.com/kstefano1   Su...

  The actor ( Josh and Drake ) and podcaster ( Curious ) opens up about being the anxious "fat kid", never knowing his father, being raised by a single mom, getting sober and learning how to cope with uncomfortable feelings. Check out Josh's podcast, Curious https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-with-josh-peck/id1378163166 https://open.spotify.com/show/3mL5MBinArRLgG0qy8rVCU Support Our Sp...

Ideas are coming at you every day from all directions. How can you process it all? You can start with  The Next Big Idea . Host Rufus Griscom and legendary thought leaders Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Dan Pink, and Susan Cain, will be your personal “idea” curators. Open your mind and get ready for something big, because the right idea--at the right moment--has the power to transform your life. Li...

The communications trainer, meditation teacher and author talks about his history of stuffed anger and how he learned to use non-violent communication to better his life and relationships. They also discuss Somatic Experiencing for releasing trapped trauma from the body.  He is the author of the book Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication .   Oren’s website:  https://www...

The clinical psychologist and author shares her insights and the studies on narcissists (and recognizing one in your life) and psychopaths as well as contributing factors like childhood emotional neglect, social media and our culture at large. More About Our Guest  Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-You-Know-Who-Entitlement/dp/B07YLC7P7P/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Print edition...

The actor @JamesRansone ( IT: Chapter 2, The Wire, Generation Kill, Ken Park, Tangerine ) opens up about his difficult upbringing, searching for a sense of self, and breaking the cycle of dysfunction as a sober dad. Follow James on Twitter @JamesRansone Support Our Sponsors! This episode is sponsored by  BetterHelp  online counseling.  To get a  free week  go to  www. BetterHelp.com/mental   Must...

The mortician and bestselling author reads from her new book and opens up about her fascination and fear of death, her battles with anxiety and workaholism and the sense of purpose she gets from her work.  Her new book (which she reads from) is Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs. More About Our Guest www. CaitlinDoughty.com www.twitter.com/thegooddeath www.instagram.com/thegooddeath www.facebook.com/theg...

Jamie aka @JamieTworkowski is the founder of "To Write Lover on her Arms," a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Paul and Jamie discuss the power of empathy, community, and sharing personal stories about mental health.    More About Jamie Instagram @JamieTworkowski Twitter @JamieTworkowski  To...

Julie explains the steps to recovering desire, passion, and pleasure after her sexual assault.   Discuss how being catcalled and sexualized at age 11 informed her value in society, sexual harassment in the workplace, struggles with anorexia and a complex relationship with food, desire vs craving, being sexually assaulted by a trusted friend and how she learned to recovery through mindfulness, ther...

Zane Helberg performs stand-up comedy in an unlikely setting - rehab clinics. He and Paul discuss how getting sober lead to living an authentic life, personal development, and the importance of spiritual progress (not perfection). More About Our Guest  www.facebook.com/ZaneHelberg www.twitter.com/ZaneHelberg www. Instagram.com/ZaneHelberg www.youtube.com/user/ZaneHelberg Support Our Sponsors!  Thi...