Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

After a difficult final year of high school, Tessa hoped and prayed that her youngest son would make the transition to college and find a way to thrive. He would be only an hour away, he wanted to go, and she was hopeful that getting a new start there could reverse whatever was happening to him. Yet just two months into his freshman year, it was apparent that he was sinking fast into a maelstrom of panic, body dysmorphia, delusions, and hopelessness. This is Tessa's story of trying to find the strength, and eventually, the self-compassion, to both find help for her son as well as work through her own guilt and shame.Book recommendation (from Tessa)The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College YearsBFTA and Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com

Trauma embeds in the complex zone between body and spirit, deep within the realm of primary consciousness. The typical psychiatric approaches of meds and talk therapy rarely access these unconscious realms. In prior episodes of BFTA, we have heard accounts of healing these deep wells of trauma with EMDR, psilocybin, and MDMA-- this episode highlights the unexpected power of a loving teacher and a guided spiritual practice.Jeff Finlin, a Colorado-based singer/songwriter and recovery coach, shares his story of recovery after recovery, accessing his embodied trauma and deeper self years into sobriety, through a practice of the breath and self-compassion.Jeff Finlinhttps://www.jefffinlin.comBack from the Abyss and Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.comOn Twitter @bftapod

In the first half of this two part mini-episode, Dr. H explores the four stages where fully dissociative doses of ketamine can get a little rocky:  *reaching escape velocity*re-entry*dissociative shatter*post-session processingWhat if a psychiatrist were allowed to ask only one question at a session....what might that be? In the second part of this episode, Dr. H ties together sleep, mood, hormone cycling, friendships, work, circadian rhythm, addiction, and dogs vs cats into just one question.Comments, suggestions, questions? We'd love to hear them! Email us via https://www.craigheacockmd.com or message us on Twitter @bftapodIf you haven’t already, please do write us a review!

Saj Razvi, a professional associated with Innate Path and the Psychedelic Somatic Institute, joins Craig for a thought-provoking discussion. They explore the deep connections between trauma, dissociation, and depression, emphasizing the unique challenges therapists face. The conversation delves into the unconscious motivations behind actions, stressing the need for self-awareness in therapy. Additionally, they discuss the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, such as psilocybin and MDMA, while unpacking the necessary conditions for healing from trauma.

We typically think of addiction as a symptom of a deeper issue, such as trauma or a psychiatric disorder. Sometimes, however, addiction is the main event, and powerlessness is the starting point, not some ambiguous distant stop on the substance abuse train.Lena fell hard into addiction by sixth grade and by all rights should have been dead or imprisoned long ago.  Yet today she is fully alive, deeply grateful, and six years clean and sober.Dr. H and Lena explore her journey out of darkness and the varied and often surprising roles that jail, a caring probation officer, Suboxone, and a seemingly random visit by two near strangers all combined to help her change the course of her life.Dr. H and Back from the Abysshttps://www.craigheacockmd.comOn Twitter @bftapod

Season 2 is here! We kick off our new season with Dr. H going deep into the immediate aftermath of losing four patients and his eventual path back into the light. Save this one for when you are in the right headspace. Dr. H and Back from the Abysshttp://craigheacockmd.comOn Twitter @bftapod

Can a podcast have an identical twin separated at birth? If so, then "Inside Eyes" might possibly  be that long lost twin of BFTA. Laura Mae Northrup is the creator of Inside Eyes and a trauma therapist in the Oakland area. She put a ton of work into these moving stories of healing from childhood sexual trauma with entheogens and psychedelics. She is planning to soon feature a favorite BFTA episode on her show, while Dr. H picked this one as a favorite. This episode is the story of Shan, an NYC tattoo artist who found unexpected healing from her sexual abuse and rheumatoid arthritis through ayahuasca.  It's truly a mind-blowing and moving memoir. Website: www.InsideEyesPodcast.comInstagram: @lauramaenorthrup Twitter: @inside__eyesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraMaeNorthrup

Self-described podcast junkie Dr. H reached out to Sarah Buino, host of the excellent podcast Conversations with a Wounded Healer, and they agreed to do this super nifty episode swap, in which Sarah will feature a favorite BFTA episode on her show, and Dr. H chose a favorite episode to feature here.  In this episode Sarah interviews one of the more thoughtful and compelling people in the podcast universe, Dr. Hillary McBride (of both The Liturgists and Other People's Problems). They explore Hillary's journey of healing and how this informs her current work as a therapist and researcher. Dr. H interviewed on Conversations with a Wounded Healerhttps://headhearttherapy.com/114-craig-heacock-back-from-the-abyss-with-psychedelic-assisted-psychotherapy/Subscribe to Conversations with a Wounded Healer!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-a-wounded-healer/id1356225272Conversations with a Wounded Healer home pagehttps://headhearttherapy.com/podcast/IG: @headhearttherapyFB: @woundedhealr and @headhearttherapyTwitter: @woundedhealr and @HeadHeart_Chi

BFTA's two co-conspirators sit down together for a look back at the first year-- the origin story, highlights, points of gratitude, mistakes made, Craig's most poignant/painful moment, the Enneagram, and Chris' desert island albums (no Meat Loaf!)Back from the Abysshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com

In this second of a two part exploration of OCD, Dr. H and Dr. Amy Indermuehle, a Colorado-based OCD expert, deconstruct Erin's treatment. Dr. Amy is a big fan of in vivo exposures, whether that be watching stomach-churning Youtube videos, touching forbidden items at Target, or riding out the anxiety wave in a public bathroom. Dr. Amy highlights how OCD treatment is so different from typical psychotherapy for anxiety and why so many therapists default to the much more comfortable (but counterproductive) option of trying to help patients soothe their nervous systems. OCD is arguably the most-missed psychiatric diagnosis, for reasons that Dr. H and Dr. Amy explore. OCD is often mistaken for generalized anxiety or for bipolar disorder, with the unceasing obsessions being mislabeled as racing thoughts, and the frantic compulsions as mania. Dr. Amy Indermuehlehttp://facemyanxiety.comExposure and response preventionhttps://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/exposure-response-prevention-for-ocd/505538/Meds for OCDhttps://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ocd-treatment/meds/Exposure therapy and OCD-related disordershttp://jonabram.web.unc.edu/files/2012/07/Abramowitz-Jacoby-2014-misuse-of-exposure.pdfDr. H and Back from the Abysshttps://www.craigheacockmd.comOn Twitter @bftapod