Not As Crazy As You Think Podcast

In the episode, “A Conversation with British Psychiatrist Dr. Sami Timimi on His New Book: Searching For Normal: A New Approach to Understanding Mental Health, Distress, and Neurodiversity”(S6, E14), Dr. Timimi delivers a deeply humane and fiercely argued wake-up call: most of what we’ve been told about mental health simply isn’t true—and believing it is harming our children, our culture, and ours...

In the episode, "Exploring Relational Dynamics in the Family: A Talk with Family Therapist Amy Begel (S6 E13)," Amy Begel, reviews the history of family therapy in psychology and emphasizes how many problems, or symptoms, treated as individual issues are in fact embedded in interpersonal dynamics. This interactive and engaging type of therapy is often eclipsed by the focus on brain chemi...

In the episode, "A Chat with Psychiatrist Dr. John Calvin Chatlos: Introducing the SOUL, or Science of Unitive Love (S6 E12)," Dr. Chatlos joins the show and discusses a framework of spirituality and how spiritual experience is organized in our human experience through every developmental stage of our lives. He shares recent psychological and psychedelic research that has provided new in...

In the episode, “An Interview with Social Media Influencer Kellie Snider: Waking Up White People from The Spell of Racism (S6 E11),” TikTok and Instagram sensation, Kellie Snider joins the show and shares how white supremacy became so woven throughout American culture. She starts with sharing her personal turning point when she realized she needed to do the work of helping people, especially white...

In the episode, "On Trump, His Shadow Archetypes & the Symbolic Pulse of the Nation with Jungian Dream Analyst, Warren Falcon (S6 E10)," dream expert, Warren Falcon, illuminates the many shadow archetypes of Donald Trump as America currently deals with its cultural complex of a lost dream. The conversation opens up with reference to a podcast interviewing Thomas Lavin, the now deceas...

In the episode, "Through the Lens of Psychophobia with Dr. Michael Montgomery: Exploring the Modern Medicalization of Mental Health (S6 E9)," Dr. Montgomery shares with us in the podcast the phenomenon of psychophobia and how it manifests in today’s medicalization of mental health. Society’s fear of extreme states influences the model the system uses, and outcomes are negative due to the...

In the episode, "Relinquishing the Label, Embracing the Voices, and Healing in an Alternative Paradigm with Author Mary Clista Dahl" (S6, E8), Mary shares her story about letting go of the label, embracing an alternative paradigm, and learning to listen to the voices. Mary sees breakdowns not as a symptom of a disordered mind, but as the response to a crazy culture. She puts forth an app...

In the episode, “A Lived Experience Dialogue: Facing Our Pasts, Reinventing Our Futures with Tom Woodrow and Mike Panasitti (S6, E7),” I sit with two success stories of people who have suffered with forms of mental illness who have come out on the other side.  Part 1: When Tom Woodrow was 17, his life took a sharp turn. During a road trip with friends, Tom experienced his first manic episode, and...

In the episode, "Spotlight on Psychotherapy Beyond Traditional Boundaries with Al Galves: Finding Well-being by Targeting the Underlying Causes of Mental Distress, (S6, E6)" psychoanalyst Galves joins the show to share his own personal lived experience and his insight on the problems with the traditional treatment model in psychiatry. Author of "Harness Your Dark Side: Mastering Jea...

In the episode, "Finding the Support and Mindset to Be Bold, Invite in Change, and Regain Play with Mr. D (S6, E5)", I invite back my former Social Studies grammar school teacher, Don DiBenedetto, or Mr. D, to share his anecdotes and enthusiasm for how to bring in change into your life through learning how to align with the right mindset. Now a teacher of spirituality, Mr. D shows us thr...

In the episode, "The Start-Up Story of a Theater Company: An Interview with Alan Lutwin, President of Westchester Collaborative Theater (S6, E4)," Alan shares the journey of Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT), located in Ossining, NY, a new play development company that incubates new works for the stage. By drawing in actors, writers and directors, WCT combines creative resources to...

In the episode, “The A.W.A.R.E. Project and Crisis Taking Center Stage, with Crisis Counselor, Carlito Cabelin (S6 E3),” Carlito shares his personal journey on both sides of the mental health system. After his own positive experience in an outpatient program after a personal crisis, Carlito does not prosecute the system, but rather sheds light on what interactions with program and staff actually w...

In the episode, "Exploring Subconscious Architecture with Manex Ibar, Shaman, Mystic and Founder of Sphinx Code" (S6, E2), Manex shares his personal journey in discovering his shamanic path and how others can too. Manex points out that many who are tribal shamans, were initiated by those already on the path, unlike many in Western cultures, who are often considered psychotic.  Manex spea...

In the episode, "An Interview with Delicia Niami, Author of Kissing Asphalt: On Trauma, Healing, and Resilience (S6 E1)," Delicia joins the show sharing her 3 part memoir series, Resilient AF. The first book in the series, Kissing Asphalt: The Courageous True Story of One Child's Unbreakable Spirit—From Kidnapping & Abuse to Self-Love, tells the story of her early years within a...

In the episode, "Journeys Beyond the Frontier: On Treating and Interacting with Psychosis, A Conversation with Psychiatrist Mark Ragins (S5, E17)" I connect with Mark at the ISPS Conference at the University of Delaware where he was giving a talk, on the subject of psychosis and how those who suffer with it are treated by the medical field. Mark has a humanistic and compassionate approac...

In the episode, "The New Language of Neurodiversity, Decolonization, Depathologization: On Location at the ISPS Conference with Six Voices on a Mission (S5, E16)," I go on location to connect with The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis (ISPS), which is a pioneering organization with almost 70 years of advocating for transformative psychosocial unde...

In the episode, "An Interview with Tanya Frank, Author of Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood (S5, E15)," Tanya lends her powerful voice to the show, sharing her insight and experience with the mental health industry.  Tanya’s association with the mental health system began in 2009 when Zach, Tanya’s son, was diagnosed in 2009 after his first episode with hearing voices.  Bot...

In the episode, "The Vision and Voice of Janet Werner: The Documentary, the Movie, the Movement (S5, E14)," Janet joins the show to share her message on spiritual emergencies shedding light on the spiritual side of mental health, and specifically, the spiritually transformative experiences that often get misdiagnosed as mental illness. Forty-four years ago while in her master’s degree pr...

In the episode, "On the Polycrisis with Mark McCormack: Psychiatric Coercion, Hegel, A.I. and Saving Humanity (S5, E13),"  Mark begins with sharing his intimate experience with psychiatry and its oppressive structure. A peaceful protestor of 20 years, while on a hunger strike protesting the polycrisis, Mark describes how the institution overtook his life through forced hospitalization an...

In the episode, "On Location in NYC: Believing in Yourself with Ballet Dancer and Podcaster Michelle Williams (S5, E12)," Michelle and I reconnect to do another podcast on location in NYC. Born and bred in California, Michelle hits the streets of NYC to reclaim her original dream of living as a professional dancer. She shares what kept her believing in herself and how she stayed the cour...

In the episode, "Exploring the Healing Power of Laughter with Barry Taylor, Founder of Laugh Therapy (S5, E11)," Gelotologist and accredited Laughter Therapist, Barry Taylor joins the show and shares the beneficial healing benefits laughter can produce. Using techniques in the area of laughter therapy, Barry pulls from his background as a former English and drama teacher to bring play in...

In the episode, "Global Sustainability Through Healing Our Collective Trauma with Benjamin Casteillo, founder of New World Together (S5, E10)," Benjamin begins with sharing his spiritual emergency beginning in 2004, which involved the forcible, inhumane treatment of the psychiatric institution. After going deep into inner realms, Benjamin realized he needed to change his direction.  In 2...

In the episode, "On Nutrition, Exercise, and Emotional Fitness with Author and Fitness Expert  David Greenwalt (S5, E9)," David shares his wisdom on overall health after being in the business for over 30 years . David discusses how along with nutrition and activity, emotional fitness is a crucial component to maintaining your fitness goals long term. Involving self-awareness, self-regula...

In the episode "A.I. News: Open Letter To Pause, Existential Risks to Humanity, Its Supporters & Deniers (S5, E8)," I discuss the recent Open Letter to Pause Giant AI Experiments recently composed by the Future of Life Institute, and present the arguments for taking the risk analysis more seriously. With signers of the letter including Elon Musk, Emad Mostaque, Steve Wozniak, Max Teg...

In the episode, "An Interview with Author Rob Wipond on His Book, 'Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships'" (S5, E7), I have the chance to explore my most esteemed topics of psychiatric coercion and forced treatment with one of the major players right now in the field, journalist Rob Wipond. Rob Wipond is a...