The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Everyone has a dark side, what does yours look like? What happens when people have a dark side they have no control over? In this podcast we discuss Carl Jung's idea of the shadow; how can you explore your dark side and integrate it into your personality, to help you solve some of life's toughest challenges. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatr...

Jeremy Thomas is a public speaker and author. He is the author of two novels, Taking Leave , and the Santa Monica Suicide Club . He’s also co-written two books about mental health with Dr. Tony Hughes, the A-Z Guide to Mental Health and You Don't Have to Be Famous to Have Manic Depression. In 2006 Jeremy and Tony co-produced a documentary about bipolar disorder, the Secret Life of the Manic D...

What is a story? In this week's audioessay we discuss the role of stories in our psychology, how mental narratives can keep us stuck and how we can start to develop more ownership over the stories of our lives. In particular we discuss ideas like transference, cognitive distortions & the life script to illustrate this further. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant Gener...

Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard is a British medical academic and a medical general practitioner. She is Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges a GP principal and Chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). She was Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) from November 2016 to November 2019. In this episode Anya and Helen discuss the impact of lonelin...

Whether you are aware of it or not, your brain is constantly making predictions - and these predictions have an enormous influence on your beliefs, expectations and overall experience of life. In this week's podcast we explore the predictive processing framework and how this helps us understand our emotions, decision making, confidence, common mental health problems and even gambling. Audio-E...

Today Alex and Rebecca chat with British comedy legend Jo Brand. They discuss comedy, Jo's first time on stage, political correctness, Jo's career working in a psychiatric emergency clinic, misconceptions about mental health and many other topics. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkin...

What is the drama triangle? What can it tell us about conflict and dysfunctional relationships?  In this episode we explore the roles of Persecutor, Rescuer and Victim -  what they mean, and how they enable toxic relationships. We also explore the healthier, more sustainable alternatives. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training...

Daniel Fryer is a Bristol based psychotherapist and author. In this podcast we discuss his book, the Four Thoughts that F*ck You Up, based on the principles of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. We also discuss hypnotherapy, the barriers to change, self-sabotage, psychedelics and much more. You can learn more about his work including his book here: https://www.danielfryer.com/ Interviewed by Dr....

When things are constantly changing, how should you know when you should add something new into your life, or subtract something? Should you leave your job and start a new career, or try and make it work? How do you know when a relationship has run it's course? What are the hidden costs of some of life's biggest decisions? In this week's audio-essay we look at life decisions through...

When you're faced with difficulties in life, how often do you consider taking something away, rather than adding on something new? Professor Leidy Klotz takes on this counter-intuitive idea in his 2021 book Subtract . Professor Klotz is a Professor at the University of Virginia who studies the science of design, and his work exists at the cross section between design, sustainability and the s...

What can psychotherapy tell us about the importance of free speech? In this episode we explore how free speech promotes psychological health, and the parallels between the health of the individual and the health of wider society. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In a...

Dr. Gad Saad is a marketing professor at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He is known for applying evolutionary psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. He has his own podcast, the Saad truth and has been a frequent guest on other podcasts such as the Joe Rogan experience, the Sam Harris Making Sense podcast and the Rubin Report. He's the author of several bo...

What is unhealthy self-criticism? How can you tell if this is something that's holding you back? In this episode we discuss unhealthy self-criticism in depth, how it may have come about and how it may be holding you back. In addition we discuss six practical steps that can be taken to address it. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed...

Professor Ian Robertson is a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist, and Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. He is also known as a leading researcher as to how an individual may harness the attention system to enhance one's autonomy over emotions and thinking. He's the author of several books including: The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain ,  The Stress Test:...

When you're going through difficulties, why not borrow ideas from some of the wisest people in history? In this episode we discuss ideas from various schools of philosophical thought including Stoicism, Buddhism, Deontology and Existentialism, and how they can be applied to everyday problems. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his...

Dr Amit D. Mistry is a consultant sports psychiatrist, with a specialism in eating disorders and athlete mental health. Dr Amit D Mistry is chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Sport & Exercise Group. He is the mental health advisor to Oxford University Sport and Consultant Sport Psychiatrist to the English Cricket Board (ECB) Women's XI national side. He is the editor of...

Why is modern success so different from success in our ancestral world? What mental skills put you ahead of the world in 2023? What is the difference between a real and artificial reward? Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has...

​​Dr. Randy Nesse is a evolutionary psychiatrist, he is one of the founders of his field and his work has revolutionized our understanding of how evolution shapes our physical and mental health.  He isProfessor Emeritus at the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Michigan. He is also the Founding President of The International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public He...

Fear and Laziness are two of the most common obstacles between you and what you want. Why are Fear and Laziness such a big part of the human condition? What can you do about it? In this episode we take an evolutionary psychology approach to understanding these phenomena, with some practical guidance to overcoming them. Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiat...

Dr. Nolan Williams is a Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University and the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab.  He is triple certified in psychiatry, neurology and neuropsychiatry.  Dr. Williams' work has resulted in an FDA clearance for the world's first non-invasive, rapid-acting neuromodulation approach for treatment-resistant depression. He has published papers in hig...

Chris Ryan is a podcaster and author. He holds a PhD in psychology and is the author of two books: Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What it Means for Modern Relationships and Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress . He is the host of the Tangentially Speaking podcast and has made frequent appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Duncan Trussel Family Hour Podcast. You can lear...

This week Anya chats with Dr Akeem Sule and  Dr. Omer Hamour about what we can learn about psychiatry, psychology and human nature from the hit HBO television show the Sopranos. Dr. Akeem Sule is a Wolfson College Research Associate and a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry at the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the co-founder of the Hip Hop Psych movement. Dr...

Shaun Flores is a mental health advocate and public speaker with lived experience of OCD. He has given three TEDx talks in 2018, 2022 and 2023 about education, men's mental health and the potential value of using psychedelics to treat mental health conditions.  In addition Shaun is a freelance journalist with published work in various online publications such as The Metro, Inews, South West L...

Jack Arbuthnott is a producer know for his crowd-sourced documentaries Life in a Day and Life in a Day 2020.  His other credits include The Aftermath, Mindhorn, Lords Of Chaos, and Asif Kapadia's VR short Laika. He was previously a development executive at BBC Films and the UK Film Council, beginning his career at New Line Cinema / Fine Line Features. He is a graduate of the UK’s National Fil...

Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan is a neurologist specializing in psychosomatic medicine.  O'Sullivan gained recognition for her expertise in diagnosing and treating epilepsy and in improving services for people who suffer with functional neurological disorders.  She is the author of three books: It's All in Your Head: True Stories of Imaginary Illness, Brainstorm: The Detective Stories from...