The Broken Brain

Dr Deborah Bryon is a Psychologist, Jungian Psychoanalyst, and Author. Her new book " Time and Trauma in Analytical Psychology and Psychotherapy: The Wisdom of Andean Shamanism,"  focuses on the things she learned while simultaneously studying Jungian Analysis and the teachings of Andean Shamans. She shares insights into the relativity of time from an internal, emotional perspective, particularly...

This Monday's Mental Tip is focused on a few ideas for dealing with Manic or Hypomanic episodes for those of us with Bipolar, Bipolar II, or some serious bouts of impulsivity with ADHD. Plan to listen or join the 3rd annual Broken Brain Live Feed for Opiate Overdose Awareness. Go to www.dwighthurst.com/live for details.

WARNING this episode is about suicide, although it is not graphic. This is the first 7 minutes of this week's dive into mental health history for the Patreon members. In 2003 subway companies around the world installed blue LED lights in their terminals, based on the belief that it has a calming influence, and will discourage suicidal individuals from attempting to jump onto the tracks. But is the...

The percentage of young people dealing with anxiety and depression is at an all time high. Teenagers deal with massive physiological & psychological development, major educational goals, and complicated social experiences. Social media, economic shifts, and societal complexity add elements new too many parents. Kevin Baker is a Certified Life Coach who specializes in adolescence. He works to empow...

Monday Mental Tip! Some ideas about looking for therapy or supportive psychological help when funding is an obstacle.

Thursday weekly Thistory lessons appear in the Patrons-only podcast feed, and the rest of y'all get the first 5 minutes of the episode here on the main feed.  Today's history dive is looking into the burnout of those in nonprofit, human services, education, and healthcare. Some general history of burnout itself, its labelling and research, and applying this to the way it affects those who help. To...

WARNING : This episode contains a true story of child abuse, murder, and suicide, told by a member of the family within which it happened. Please listen with caution and awareness of your own mental health needs. Brianna Benjamin is no stranger to The Broken Brain Podcast. Bri & Chris Revill frequently help out with live events, guest on episodes, and are my behind-the-scenes partners in all thing...

This week's quick mental health tip is all about the word normal, a tricky word to say, to ourselves and others, due to its tricky set of definitions. A look into the power of terminology on our psychological health.

A sample of this week's Patrons-Only feature, looking at the psychology of humor and jokes, and also the history of why Slipping on a Banana Peel is so super funny...or once was?

Jason Shier is a Psychotherapist who specializes in somatic technique and internal emotional processes. He uses individually focused treatment, moving away from pathology or problem-based healthcare. Join us for our discussion of inner healing, modern therapy, and the pros and cons of diagnostic labels and programmatic approaches.  The Charity of Focus this month is Munchausen Syndrome, a nonprofi...

The Monday Mental Tip this week is focused on the use of gratitude to improve relationships and psychological health.

Writing a Trauma Narrative is an important part of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is also something that is not a part of many modern trauma therapies. When did the Trauma Narrative become a thing, and why is it considered by some to be old-fashioned? What are the pros and cons of writing a narrative, or CBT for Trauma?   Learn the answers to these questions on this month's Thursd...

Medical Child Abuse is defined as a caregiver purposefully making falsified or exaggerated claims of symptoms in their child, resulting in harmful or inappropriate medical treatment. Often referred to as Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome, this abuse is underreported and extremely dangerous to the child. Andrea Dunlop is the host of the podcast "Nobody Should Believe Me," where she profiles cases of Med...

Monday Mental Tip: Standing up for things we believe in is a form of self-care!

Albert Ellis was a pioneer in the field of therapy, genius, and frankly kind of a weirdo. His techniques live on in modern therapy, mostly in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, even though his philosophy was considered somewhat of an alternative approach to CBT when he developed them. He was also a blunt, direct, often abrasive man who struggled interpersonally throughout his life.  This is the first 5...

Andy Hogan is an Author, Counselor, Advocate, and Musician specializing in Bipolar Disorder. He recently released a musical album related to his most recent book "Love For Mental Illness: How To REACH, Help, and Heal." As 2 guys with Bipolar Disorder, Andy and I had a good time talking about his approach and his music to break down this serious health condition.  This month The Broken Brain is hig...

Monday is the day for a quick Mental Health Tip from The Broken Brain Podcast!  Today's tip is related to conflict based communication, an idea for generating healthy questions to defuse the anger. Please remember the charity of focus for June:  www.outnebraska.org , a nonprofit proving advocacy and community education to make life safer for LGBTQA+ citizens of Nebraska.

This is a 3 minute sample of this week's Patreon episode, a look into the history of naming Bipolar Disorder. In 1980 the name of Manic-Depressive Disorder was officially changed to Bipolar Disorder. Why did they do that? Was it good, bad, or just something that happened? This week's Thistory History dive is a look into the practice of changing diagnostic names, and the clinical social reasons beh...

Greg Wooley is a poet, sobriety advocate, and the cofounder of Florida Recovery Schools of Central Florida. The Recovery High School model creates an educational environment focused on support for teens with addiction problems. Greg and I were able to discuss Harm Reduction, fundraising, nonprofit management, and the damaging stigma still associated with addiction. The Broken Brain is promoting Ou...

If you don't plan time for self-care needs, they will happen anyway. The difference is that they will happen once we crash and will be surrounded by same. For the month of June The Broken Brain is encouraging you to support and share OutNebraska, an organization helping make Nebraska a safer & healthier place for Queer people: www.outnebraska.org

This week's dive into Mental Health History profiles Magnus Hirschfeld, German Sexologist, Physician, and LGBTQA+ advocate from the early twentieth century. He established the first Gender Affirming clinic and Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation research institute, which was destroyed by Hitler's regime in the 1930s. The weekly Thursday Thistory episodes go up on our Patreon page, and 1 per month...

"Bastards of Soul," is a documentary about loss, music, the creative process, and healing. Filmaker Paul Levatino was creating footage for the band at the height of their rise in popularity. At that time the band's frontman and lead singer, Chadwick Murray, had tragic and sudden health problems which claimed his life. This story is one of tragedy & hope, of dreams realized and the process of Chadw...

Monday is Oneday to get a Mental Health Tip! Sleep is vital to healthy functioning! How do we get it? For the month of June The Broken Brain is encouraging you to support and share OutNebraska, an organization helping make Nebraska a safer and healthier place for Queer people: www.outnebraska.org

If you are a long time listener of the podcast you know (and love) Chris Revill. From social work to podcasting, Chris and his show, Let's Chat With Chris Revill, have been pillars in the indie podcast community. He also cohosts one of The Broken Brain's Patreon shows: The Broken Chat. Chris is ending his long running podcast and getting involved in producing other's shows. Look for Podcasting fot...

This is the first 2 minutes of this week's dive into mental health history, specially produced weekly for the Patreons. From 1980-2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DMS) included 5 areas that clinicians were required to address in every clinical assessment, separated into 5 Horizontal Roman-numerated rows. These 5 Axis were considered to be area important for summary to the reader of the...