The Broken Brain

Social Media is a part of our life. We all life at least a little bit online these days. Karly Beaumont and Cynthia Torres host the Podcast That Pop This Life, a look at Life, Pop Culture, and the Ridiculousness of it all. They talk weekly about internet crazes, modern cultural trends, and how to be a good internet citizen. Make sure to be a good citizen yourself by listening and sharing this episode today!

Kathleen Brennan lives and practices psychotherapy in Chicago. She is an expert in trauma, a survivor of the nonprofit world, and an excellent podcaster, with her show On The Blue Couch. Kathleen speaks with me today about the dynamic of Vicarious Trauma, the multiple ways that we can become traumatized through our own or other's exposure. The ACA has defined Vicarious Trauma as "compassion fatigue," or "the cost of caring," and although therapists are primed for this problem, it affects all of us in some way. Give our conversation a listen to learn some of those ways, and what to do about it. Make sure to subscribe and listen to Kathleen's show as well!

Non Wells is a writer, podcaster, and a confirmed Joymonger. He loves Joy, there are no two ways about it. He even does a podcast where he and his wife talk about Joy. However, he is no stranger to all emotions, joyful or non-joyful. Non is a well known enthusiast of knowing & accepting yourself for who you are. that's why its no surprise that he is here today to join me in a discussion about Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a great therapeutic tool to reduce stress, manage expectations, and embrace feelings as you make your way through this dreary-weary world of ours. A big part of modern therapy, especially Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness is a deep well from which Non and I drink deeply, hold it in our cheeks like chipmunks, and then spew the results into your ears through this podcast.

Mike Denniston returns to the show (from the podcast War Machine vs War Horse) to watch and review a classic tale of family dysfunction, the funny and surprisingly touching Sundance Film Festival winner "Little Miss Sunshine." We use this as a backdrop to discuss triangulation, depression, hopes, fears, and insecurity, all within the family dynamic.

Joel Manwill is a member of the Aspire Group of Mental Health Professionals, the Group Practice that I am also a part of. He is also a highly experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist, working with sensory processing disorder, autistic spectrum disorders, and other health concerns related to sensory processing. This is a training Joel did for our team of therapists, in which he discusses over and under sensitive disorders, sensory seeking and sensory avoidant behavior.

What did you do this weekend? Laura Murthum fought against human trafficking...Yeah, I know. I cleaned out my garage. Laura works for the nonprofit group Trucker's Against Traficking (TAT) an organization dedicated to providing training to on-the-road Truckers to help them in the fight against human trafficking. CLICK HERE to check out their website and learn what red flags to look for when you are out in the community as well. Laura is a dedicated human service professional and a great human person as well, lot's of fun to talk to. Enjoy this interview, and should you want to get involved with stopping problems related to human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at: 1 (888) 373-7888

Jeri Young Returns to tell us more about Imposter Syndrome! Jeri talked about Imposter Phenomenon on a recent episode of The Broken Brain, this is a recording of her providing more information to a team of therapists, in the Aspire Network. Although she touches on a lot of the same areas, she also goes into how to decrease the anxiety and depression associated with this dynamic, and tells us a bunch of helpful things about self-care. Watch for her next upcoming episode about Mind-Body techniques to defeat Imposter Syndrome! Links: Second Wave Feminism video (Jeri opens with this) About Women by Lisa Alther & Francoise Gilot Beyond Happiness: The Upside of Feeling Down (January 2016 issue of Psychology Today by Matthew Hutson)

Happy Father's Day from the Broken Brain! Dave Hart from Pop Culture Case Study returns to talk with me about being a dude. We discuss the complex psychological issues inherent to being a man in our culture, and our impressions of the psychological impact of the documentary "The Mask You Live In." by the Representation Project. Check out the documentary on Netflix or Amazon, and follow their Facebook page for ongoing discussion about this important topic. Follow Dave on Twitter, and listen to his podcast people!

Bernadette & Andrew Peirce are a wonderful couple who do a movie podcast (the AB Film Review), and are just fun and cool people. We got together to discuss the dynamic of psychological burnout, a condition that affects physical and mental health, as well as the economy. Andrew has worked in the Veterinary Nursing industry, and Bernie has provided addiction recovery and crisis stabilization services within Mental Health Treatment facilities. They are both acutely aware of the reality of mental health and burnout needs upon individuals and society. We discuss stigma of mental health treatment, acceptance of self, finding an outlet, and avoiding falling off the cliff of burnout.

Dave from Pop Culture Case Study rejoins the show to talk addiction recovery, a specialty of his. We tackle the difficult but vital issue of building (or rebuilding) social support in sobriety maintenance. Addiction has many costs, but a big one is the damage it does to our family and friendship relations. And few things are as helpful to recovery from addiction than a healthy support system. We talk about experiments with RATS, finding new friends, repairing existing relationships, and allowing for a damaged sense of delayed gratification. Quick links from our talk: check out Refuge Recovery, the HAMS network, and Meetup.com (or any of the social meet-up sites). Make sure to check out Dave's show, especially his latest few episodes about The Nice Guys, and X-Men movies.