Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!One of Craig's heroes is Dr.  Irvin Yalom, a psychiatrist and writer— Yalom's books inspired him in the early years of learning to become a psychiatrist. Today’s story concept was sparked by Yalom's book “Every day gets a little closer—A twice told therapy.” To create this book,  Yalom asked one of his long-term patients to keep a weekly diary of their therapy sessions, and he did the same. He wove their two very different but fascinating perspectives together to write the book. Craig just loved this idea and thought it would be really cool to do the BFTA version of this. In this story, Dr. Erin Jacklin, a psychologist in Denver, and her 15 year client Sherlock tell their shared story…..with Erin first meeting Sherlock at the very beginning of her doctoral training, and Sherlock coming to Erin at a pivotal point in his life.  To create this episode, Craig asked Erin and Sherlock to not discuss their treatment history or what they might say during the recording, then he recorded Erin and Sherlock separately, asking them each the same questions, and then the magic unfolded.Dr. Erin Jacklinhttps://catalystcenterllc.com/our-team/erin-jacklin/BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!The podcast Cover Story just released a series called Power Trip, an expose of the dark side of the psychedelic treatment world. The series highlights the stories of a few women, including the co-host, who were sexually assaulted in psychedelic treatment spaces….mostly in the underground, but also one woman who was abused by her therapist both during and after her participation in the MAPS PTSD study.Later in the series, Cover Story shifted to a double barrel assault on MAPS as an organization and its Phase 3 PTSD study. Cover Story questioned the integrity and competence of the people working in the study and tried to paint the study as some kind of amoral juggernaut which, in its desperate desire to bring MDMA to full medicalization, is willing and able to squash any vulnerable participants or opposition in its way. Dr. H couldn’t disagree more, and felt the imperative to share a different view.  He was a study physician and therapist in the Phase 3 MDMA trial, and his experience with participants, with colleagues both at his study site and other sites, and with numerous MAPS staff at all levels of the organization was unrecognizable in Cover Story’s sensationalized account.In this episode, Dr. H sit down with Hope, a former participant in MAPS' PTSD study.  First Hope shares her moving story, then she and Dr. H discuss the critiques from Power Trip. Hope's story is neither a home run cure nor a story of wanton abuse, but rather one of two steps forward, one step back....which is how the healing journey most commonly unfolds.BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!Dr. H sits down with Dr. Usha Udupa, a Colorado-based child and adolescent psychiatrist, to explore the complexities of working with patients in the context of the family.  They discuss topics such as:How and when family members should be included in treatmentWhat if the patient refuses family involvementWhen the identified patient isn't the problemHow and when to break confidentiality, especially with substance abuseWhat are the hidden stories behind what people believe about medsWhy so many young men are failing to launchWhat to do when one or more family members don't believe in treatmentDr. H talks all things ADD/ADHD, meds/stimulants, treatment optionshttps://anchor.fm/apositivepodcast/episodes/Episode-24-Everything-ADDADHD--Medication--with-Dr--Craig-Heacock-e1fj85mBFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!This is the second in our two part series on adoption and attachment wounds.  Ridg and his girlfriend Rebecca got pregnant when he was 19, and they made the difficult decision to give their son up for adoption.  Fast forward 16 years, and  Ridg is 35, married to another woman,  with their own biological children…and he’s about to have his world torn apart by a stunning revelation.Six Word Adoption Memoirshttps://vimeo.com/161846105https://vimeo.com/211568644Ridghaus on IG-- @ridghausBFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!This is the story of Shae, who was adopted as a baby from South Korea and raised in Wichita Kansas in a family of Swedish descent.  From her initial attachment wounds, subsequent heartbreak, and later a shocking revelation in late adolescence, Shae's inner light and resilience guided her to where she is today— a mother, a business owner, an adoptee voice of strength and compassion. To reach out to Shae directly: poetseoul@gmailAdoptee Voices-- Supporting adoptee storytellinghttps://adoptee-voices.comBFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!Autumn was assigned male at birth, but she sensed from a very young age that something was not right.  This is her journey through denial, awakening, and then transitioning both hormonally and surgically. Autumn brings a fascinating and thoughtful perspective to this whole arena of gender and identity, and she and Dr. H explore the various ways we might think and talk about gender.BFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!Dr. H distills down his 20 years of clinical experience into just under an hour of musings, lessons learned, and insights."Sometimes the why really isn't crucial" (Essay from the NYT about addiction)https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/health/psychology/19essa.htmlBFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!Devin found out the hard way that psychedelics can have a very dark side. This is a story of discovery and of joy…of connection and dancing and jam bands….and it’s also a story of two psychotic breaks, sexual assault, and the eventual grinding realization that psychedelics demand respect. Devin speaks out  so that others might avoid her mistakes and take seriously the imperative of having a safe container for psychedelic exploration and therapy.BFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) has long been the last stop for severe and treatment resistant depression, but now there are at least two other good options for those who don't respond to meds and therapy.  Dr. Dan Fisher, an ECT expert, founder of Colorado's Guerra Fisher Institute , and Craig's go-to psychiatrist for tough cases, joins BFTA to discuss how and when to think about ECT vs  ketamine vs TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) .BFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Send us your questions for Fishbowl 6!Expectation, set, setting, dosage, and route of administration provide the context and scaffolding for psychoactive drugs. An IV morphine drip can make unbearable pain completely manageable, while IV heroin, which is immediately converted to morphine once it crosses the blood brain barrier, destroys tens of thousands of lives a year.  A benzodiazepine such as lorazepam, when taken orally at sensible doses, can stop a panic attack in its tracks, yet snorting or injecting benzodiazepines, or mixing them with alcohol, can lead to complete blackout and terrible consequences.  Taking psilocybin mushrooms with friends out in nature vs at night alone in the darkened streets of an unfamiliar city vs with a trained trauma therapist in a healing setting—- the resulting risks, benefits, and experiences are mind-blowingly different.In today’s story we hear Graham’s long and winding road with various drugs and alcohol in the context of childhood trauma and bipolar disorder, with a particular emphasis on his complicated relationship with ketamine. For years, he used and abused massive quantities of ketamine, yet now he has transitioned to using ketamine in a therapeutic context with Dr. H, and the experience of ketamine, the consequences, and the end results are just shockingly different….all because of expectation, set, setting, dosage, and manner of administration. Audio note: Graham's emotional support dog makes some intermittent appearances on his microphoneBFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/