Psychologically Minded

In honor of Oppenheimer coming out this weekend, I figured I'd cover another nerd who used science to help the war effort during WWII. The survivorship bias is based on work done by Abraham Wald, a mathemetician who consulted with the US military on how to effectively protect planes from being shot down. The bias still impacts us to this day, and contributes to why we believe in things like th...

CW: mentions of suicidality I finally finished Succession! Boy is it a doozy of a show. You know I just had to talk about the family dynamics among the characters, as well as the way that wealth impacts the storyline overall. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nami.org/help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NEW mental health crisis number: 988 Trans...

In this episode, I talk about the media phenomenon of queerbaiting. This occurs when studios or creators sprinkle vague hints at a character's sexuality to keep queer audiences coming back for shreds of representation. I also talk about the application of the term to celebrities' personal lives and the importance of real, substantial representation. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine:...

CW: brief mentions of suicidality and self-harm, transphobia Happy Pride Month y'all! I figured this was the perfect time to talk about the "trans panic" and how transphobes use really bad excuses to justify their bigotry. I break down the arguments behind trans people in women's sports, bathroom bills, and gender-affirming care, as well as talk about the psychological consequenc...

CW: brief mentions of suicidality What makes a good apology? Pretty much the exact opposite of how Tom Sandoval addressed the fallout of his affair with Raquel Leviss. I break down the "apology" tour that Sandoval went on in the finale. Spoiler alert: Tom's apologys are not what I would call "good" ⁠⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠...

CW: domestic/intimate partner violence It's time we talked about Steven Crowder and the video that was leaked of him berating his very pregnant wife. I talk about the video, Steven's response, and some reserach that shows conservative Christian women tend to be at a higher risk for domestic violence. ⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://w...

CW: harm to animals On this week's minisode, I talk about the fake mother experiment that Harry Harlow did with infant rhesus monkeys. His work was foundational for demonstrating that babies and parents bond for comfort/warmth and not just for survival. The experiment is rough, so listen with caution! ⁠ Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.na...

Doing therapy on TikTok should be a no-brainer thing-not-to-do, but since I'm making this episode, you can bet your bottom dollar someone has tried it. There's a reason we have things like HIPAA and informed consent, therapy can be really tough and harmful if done wrong. I discuss these issues with people who go on TikTok to make bad mental health content. ⁠⁠⁠ Sources ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine:...

I promise I'm not doing another episode on VPR yet! This week I dive into some of the research about what draws viewers to reality tv. It's not all bad reasons, we might even be more social when we watch reality tv! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.nami.org/help⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NEW mental health crisis number: 988 Trans Lifeline: US (877) 565-8...

CW: mentions of suicide and self-harm If you are at all aware of the show Vanderpump Rules, then you know that there has been massive drama going on with the cast. Although the season hasn't ended yet, one of the main villains of this season gave a very telling interview about his role in the infidelity rocking the cast. I had a lot of thoughts about that interview and thought it was a good ex...

CW: suicidal behaviors Massive spoiler alert! In this episode, I cover the fourth season of the Netflix show, You . This season saw Joe Goldberg's mental state truly deteriorate, so of course it's a good fit for this podcast! I covered the first three seasons in past episodes, so go take a look if you need a refresher.   ⁠⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠...

On this week's mini episode, I cover Albert Bandura's famous experiment with the Bobo doll. This experiment was foundational for supporting Bandura's theory of social learning. It was also a great excuse for some kids to beat up a clown doll.   ⁠⁠Sources⁠⁠ NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org ⁠⁠https://www.nami.org/help⁠⁠ NEW mental health crisis number: 988 Trans Life...

CW: discussions of sexual assault, child sexual abuse materials, disordered eating It's finally time to talk about the cult NXIVM! In part two, I talk about the underlying foundation of NXIVM, a pseudotherapeutic/pseudoscientific program called NeuroLingustic Programming (NLP). I also finally get to DOS, the "sorority" formed in NXIVM that resulted in some of the members getting bran...

CW: discussions of sexual assault, child sexual abuse materials It's finally time to talk about the cult NXIVM! In part one, I talk about the ways in which high control/high demand groups operate, as well as specific examples from NXIVM that matches the International Cultic Studies Association checklist of what makes a cult.  Sources NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org...

CW: discussions of sexual assault I don't usually talk about true crime cases, but this is one of the most influential cases in the world of psychology. Kitty Genovese was murdered in 1964 and an article written the New York Times sparked decades of fear that people really don't care enough to intervene. I break down the case, what really happened, and how a simple headline sparked decades of psyc...

CW: discussions of sexual assault/harassment It's time to talk about Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter. In this episode, I talk about some of his odd ideas, like that the Earth's population is declining too fast, his use of Twitter, and the allegations that he asked a flight attendant to give him an "inappropriate" massage.  Sources NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@...

This week's mini-episode is about the famous doll study conducted by Mamie Phipps Clark and her husband, Kenneth Bancroft Clark. In comparison to the other experiments I have covered, this one is so well done and didn't inherently traumatize all the participants! The doll study has been replicated many times over the years, but it's important to see what the original consisted of and how it impact...

CW: discussions of sexual assault and rape This episode was very different from when I first planned it out...It's about the documentary This Place Rules which is on HBO. But after the documentary came out, sexual assault allegations against the creator came to the surface, credible allegations that he has addressed. So I wanted to make sure to address that aspect before I dove into the documentar...

This week's episode is all about my favorite holiday: Galentine's Day! This day is about celebrating women's friendships so who better to discuss this topic with than one of my favorite woman friends: Dr. Anne Renaud! She joined me to discuss an article about helping women develop healthy friendships with other women, as well as share a bit about our own experiences with the topic.  Sources N...

This week's episode looks at a few of the interpersonal relationships in the first season of the White Lotus. Massive spoilers for the first season! TLDL: all the relationships end up in the same patterns that they started with before the vacation.  Sources NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org https://www.nami.org/help NEW mental health crisis number: 988 Trans Lifeline:...

This week's minisode is focused on the classic "Little Albert" experiment....if we can even call it an experiment. Turns out there is almost nothing that can be concluded from this study that has been taught in every Psych 101 course! Sources NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org https://www.nami.org/help NEW mental health crisis number: 988 Trans Lifeline: US (877) 565-8...

CW: sexual assault, trafficking We ended 2022 with a "We Need to Talk about...." episode so it's fitting we start 2023 with one as well! I'm back from hiatus with an episode about the infamous Andrew Tate who is currently awaiting charges related to human trafficking in Romania. This isn't a light episode but it's definitely important to talk about the influence that misogynistic and anti-mental h...

This week I am featuring an episode of the podcast The Cynic's Guide to Hippy Sh*t by Rachel Jones-Wild. Rachel is a psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher who explores alternative treatments/philosophies from her cynical perspective. For each show, she interviews someone who is an expert on their respective complementary treatment and asks in-depth questions. In this episode, she explores play a...

CW: antisemitism, sexual harassment It's time for the final episode of 2022! I did a deep dive on Ye and the recent news surrounding his diversion into the alt-right. I talk about bipolar disorder, balancing responsibility between enablers and the enabled, and the role of racism in mental health diagnoses. It's a complicated topic that I hope I did justice to. The show will be on hiatus for the ne...

CW: brief discussions of child abuse, DV/IPV, substance use This week I have a very special guest and colleague from the community mental health world. Dr. Anne Renaud joined me to discuss the unique psychosocial vulnerabilities of child stars, long-term impacts of fame, and a myriad of other topics.  Sources NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org https://www.nami.org/help...