The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Today Dr Alex speaks with consultant neuropsychiatrist and immunopsychiatry researcher Dr Tom Pollack about one of the strangest and most urgent questions emerging in mental health today: can AI chatbots contribute to delusions, psychosis, conspiracy thinking and changes in belief? They discuss the rise of so-called “AI psychosis” or AI-associated delusions, and how prolonged conversations with to...

This is an excerpt from E175 of the Thinking Mind Podcast. In this episode, Alex is joined by Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neuroscience of thought. We explore why our relationship with thought may be one of the most important factors in our wellbeing. Kalina explains why spont...

Is being a tradwife really just about baking bread, homemaking and traditional femininity, or is there something deeper going on? In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the psychology of the tradwife phenomenon: why tradwife content has become so popular online, what it offers women psychologically, and why it may also be more complicated (and less traditional) than it...

This is an excerpt from: E177 - Why You Must Deal With Self-Hate. Low self-esteem doesn’t always look like insecurity. In this clip, Dr. Alex explains three patterns of low self-esteem and self-hate: becoming aggressive, becoming submissive, or becoming avoidant. Drawing on Karen Horney’s ideas in *Neurosis and Human Growth*, he explores how poor self-esteem can show up as narcissism, people-pleas...

In this episode of The Thinking Mind , Dr. Alex is joined by Michael Cohen and Jonathan Kirschner, hosts of That ’70s Movie Podcast , to discuss Woody Allen’s 1988 film Another Woman , starring Gena Rowlands, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow and Gene Hackman. Another Woman is a quiet but devastating psychological drama about Marion Post, a philosophy professor whose life begins to unravel when she overhears t...

This is an excerpt from E174 about LooksMaxxing.  Looksmaxxing has become one of the most talked-about trends among young men online — but what does it actually mean, and when does self-improvement become harmful? This conversation looks at the deeper psychological forces behind the looksmaxxing trend: fear of rejection, low self-esteem, the desire to become more attractive, the pressure to “ascen...

Dr. Paul Eastwick is a Professor at UC Davis where he runs the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. Dr. Eastwick’s research investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners to remain committed and attached. He is one of the hosts of the Love Factually podcast.  Today we discuss his 2026 book Bonded by Evolution - to e...

This is an excerpt from E172 of the Thinking Mind Podcast. Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993. In this conversation, we discuss existentia...

Today Dr. Alex is joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange, flawed and fascinating human brain. Dr Dean Burnett is the author of The Idiot Brain, The Happy Brain and several other books exploring neuroscience, psychology and the weird ways our brains shape our lives. They discuss why the brain is not the perfect machine we often imagine...

For the final episode of our Sleep Series, Dr. Anya welcomes back Dr Hugh Selsick, consultant psychiatrist and lead for the UCLH Sleep Clinic in London. This episode covers sleep disorders we didn’t discuss previously on the last episode with Hugh (E128).  They discuss the different stages of sleep, strange things can happen during sleep such as sleep paralysis (parasomnias), narcolepsy, sleep apn...

In this episode, Alex explores self-esteem, self-hate and self-criticism, not just as emotional issues, but as forces that can shape the quality of a person’s life. He discusses how poor self-esteem can affect relationships, work, ambition, risk-taking and the ability to build a life that feels authentic. Alex also examines how people can develop a defensive “neurotic self” in response to fear, sh...

This episode in the sleep series is with Dr Anya McLaren-Barnett. Dr Anya is a pediatric respirologist, sleep medicine physician and creator of The Sleep Health Intelligence Program (SHIPTM). In this episode, we discuss how our sleep patterns develop from birth, how Dr Anya addresses children’s sleep disorders in her clinic and we get some pointers on how to choose a sleep consultant. Thinking abo...

Dr Anjali Bhat is a neuroscientist, therapist and writer. Today we discuss the science of the self, the future of therapy, and what altered states of consciousness can teach us about the mind. Anjali explains her work in psychedelics research, including an upcoming study that involves giving people high doses of LSD in a high-resolution brain scanner.  We also talk about the promises and limitatio...

Heather Darwall-Smith is a UKCP Registered and Accredited Psychotherapist, specialising in CBT for insomnia and psychotherapy for sleep. She is the author of How To Be Awake (So You Can Sleep Through the Night), The Science of Sleep and The ADHD Sleep Book. She has been featured on The Guardian, BBC and Forbes.  You can find out more about Heather here https://www.heatherdarwallsmith.com/ . This e...

In this episode, Alex is joined by Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neuroscience of thought. We explore why our relationship with thought may be one of the most important factors in our wellbeing. Kalina explains why spontaneous thought — mind-wandering, daydreaming, creativity an...

This is the first episode on our special mini-series on sleep. Professor Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience, Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and the Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller 'Life Time'. In this episode, we take a whirlwind tour of how we’ve d...

This is an excerpt from: E170 | The Unexpected Joy of Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray) Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Lancet Psychiatrist. Her most recent book Little Addictions (2026) is out now. Today we discuss her journey to sobriety,...

Looksmaxxing is an online subculture that has moved from niche online forums into mainstream conversation, but what does it actually mean, and when does looksmaxxing become concerning, if not disturbing?  In this episode, Alex is joined again by psychiatry and psychotherapy registrar Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the world of looksmaxxing: from grooming, fitness and “softmaxxing” to more extreme pr...

Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Network directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Paddy Chayefsky and starring Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, William Holden and Faye Dunaway.   In this episode we discuss Lumet's film-making style, how Network predicted the future, the evolution of the media landscape, the impact of systems and media on how we think and behave, technolo...

Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993. Her new book, Beginning to Live: The Art of Existential Freedom , is a guide to existential therapy. N...

Tom Shkolnik returns to discuss his upcoming film A Life of One’s Own , based on the life of psychoanalyst and writer Marion Milner. Today he explains Milner’s undogmatic, exploratory style, rooted in her rejection of post–World War I societal norms.  Tom and Alex explore key ideas from A Life of One’s Own , including Milner’s practice of tracking happiness, her distinction between “wide” versus “...

Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Lancet Psychiatrist. Her most recent book Little Addictions (2026) is out now.  Today we discuss her journey to sobriety, the hidden role alcohol can play in mental health, and why giving it up can lead t...

Fergus is a hybrid athlete and mental health advocate, known for world-first endurance feats including ultra marathons and extreme triathlon challenges. His upcoming Project TENacity will see him complete 10 Iron-distance triathlons in 10 cities over 10 days, marking 10 years since a suicide attempt and raising awareness for men's mental health. Fergus' YouTube channel - https://www.yout...

This week, The Thinking Mind is taking a short break. In this brief update, we highlight some recent favourite episodes, including conversations on Nazi psychology, the manosphere, mastering emotions, and a Thinking Films discussion on Taxi Driver - plus a preview of what’s coming next on the podcast.  Here is the link to the crowdfunding campaign for Tom Shkolnik's upcoming film A Life of Ow...

Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Taxi Driver directed by Marin Scorcese and starring Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster.  Tom is the director of the 2012 British drama The Comedian nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2012 London film festival. He is the director of an upcoming film based on the book A Life of One's Own by psychoanalyst Marion Milner.  In this episod...