Hurt to Healing

Today I’m joined by consultant psychiatrist and author Alastair Santhouse to ask a big question: what counts as “normal” mental health? We explore the difference between everyday ups and downs and problems that really stop you living your life, and how labels can both open doors to support and stick in unhelpful ways. We talk about why ADHD and autism diagnoses seem to be rising, how Alastair assesses people by looking at their whole life (not just checklists), and the simple difference between psychiatrists and psychologists. We also touch on the growth in antidepressant use and the risk of turning social pain - like loneliness or money stress - into medical illness. Finally, we unpack how words like “trauma,” “OCD,” and “narcissist” get thrown around online, and why precision matters. This isn’t personal medical advice - please speak to your GP if you’re concerned.Find Alastair:Website: https://www.alastairsanthouse.com/Books: https://www.alastairsanthouse.com/authorStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s Healing 101 we’re talking about something that can hide in plain sight: exercise addiction. We’re taught that “more is better”, but when movement slides from choice to compulsion, the thing that helps us can start to hurt us - physically, mentally, and socially. To unpack that paradox, I’m joined by Dr. Martin Turner, Reader in Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Martin looks at the beliefs that drive our behaviour - why “I have to train” feels so powerful - and he shares a simple way to test those thoughts, plus how REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy) can help us move from rigid rules to real flexibility. In a few minutes you’ll learn how to spot the line between healthy training and over-reliance, and a small step you can try tomorrow. If this brings anything up for you or you feel like you might need some help, please reach out to someone you trust or your GP.Find Martin:https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-martin-james-turnerStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by the brilliant journalist Harriet Walker. You may know her work from The Times newspaper, and perhaps you read her article about attending a psilocybin retreat. In this conversation, Harriet opens up about what drew her there - the low hum of anxiety, the mental load of motherhood, and that constant striving so many of us feel but rarely admit.We explore her experience on the retreat, the moments of deep release and revelation, and the shift that followed - softer relationships, a gentler inner voice, and the realisation that ‘all I want is what I’ve got.’ Harriet speaks with such honesty about matrescence, boundaries, and what healing now means to her.Find Harriet:Instagram: @_harrywalker1Harriet's Articles: https://www.thetimes.com/profile/harriet-walkerStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Healing 101 bonus episode with the wonderful Bryony Gordon.If you’ve already listened to my longer conversation with Bryony earlier this week, you’ll know just how honest and generous she is when it comes to talking about mental health and especially her experience of living with OCD.In this shorter episode, I wanted to go a little deeper into some of the practical sides of recovery - how naming your OCD can help you separate from it, why humour can be a surprisingly powerful tool, and what healthy rituals actually look like when you’re trying to break free from the ones that keep you stuck.Bryony also shares her three daily tools for managing OCD.If the first episode was the bigger picture, this is the gentle follow-up - a moment to pause, reflect, and remember that healing often starts with awareness.Find support for OCD with OCD Action: https://ocdaction.org.uk/Find Bryony: Instagram: @bryonygordonBooks: https://www.headline.co.uk/contributor/bryony-gordon/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-life-of-bryony/id1763828544Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is a really special one with the brilliant Bryony Gordon, who’s been such a powerful voice in changing how we understand OCD.Bryony’s honesty about her experience - from intrusive thoughts to the shapeshifting ways OCD can attach itself to what we love most - has helped so many people feel seen. She’s written, spoken and lived her story with such courage and humour, and I was genuinely moved to sit down with her for this conversation.As someone who also lives with OCD - I even named mine Penelope after this recording (which sounds far too polite for the chaos she causes) - I know how comforting it is to hear someone speak so openly about what it’s really like inside that spiral, and how recovery isn’t about silence, but about learning to live alongside the noise.We talk about everything from perfectionism and self-acceptance to the sheer resilience it takes to keep showing up in the world.Find support for OCD with OCD Action: https://ocdaction.org.uk/Find Bryony: Instagram: @bryonygordonBooks: https://www.headline.co.uk/contributor/bryony-gordon/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-life-of-bryony/id1763828544Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you found Tuesday’s main episode with Kimberley Nixon interesting, I wanted to share a bonus Healing 101 with her too.This is a short, practical companion about what actually helps when a spike hits. We talk about moving from retreat to reach-out, turning the lights on shame, dropping the rope in that tug-of-war with your mind, and the tiny wins that count on the hardest days. Kimberley also shares what friends and family can do that supports recovery without feeding the OCD.No jargon, no spoilers - just clear, doable ideas you can carry into your day. It was so refreshing to speak to someone who really gets it.If you or someone you love is struggling, you can find help and community at ocdaction.org.uk or through their helpline.Let’s start changing the conversation about OCD - one honest story at a time.Find Kimberley:Instagram: @realkimberleynixonStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark OCD Awareness Week - something very close to my heart - I’m talking with actor Kimberley Nixon on today’s episode.This isn’t the “tidy house” stereotype. We’re talking about the real OCD: the disorder of doubt. Intrusive thoughts you don’t choose. Compulsions people can’t see.Kimberley shares her experience of peri- and postnatal OCD after her son was born - the fear, the shame, and what actually helps.For me, it was so refreshing to speak to someone who just gets it. We cover why reassurance keeps you stuck, how ERP can help, and the tiny, doable steps that start to bring your life back.If you’re in the thick of it - or love someone who is - I hope this makes you feel less alone and a lot more hopeful.If you or someone you love is struggling, you can find help and community at ocdaction.org.uk or through their helpline.Let’s start changing the conversation about OCD - one honest story at a time.Find Kimberley:Instagram: @realkimberleynixonStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This coming week marks OCD Awareness Week, and I wanted to record something personal. I’ve lived with OCD since I was 12, and while I’m much further along in my recovery, it still shapes my everyday life.In this solo episode, I talk honestly about what OCD really is - beyond the stereotypes of tidy desks and neat sock drawers. I share what it’s like to live with the intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and exhaustion that come with this misunderstood illness, as well as the long journey through therapy, medication, and finally finding hope through Exposure Response Prevention (ERP).I’ve partnered with OCD Action to raise awareness and support others who might feel alone in their struggle. OCD is treatable — recovery might not mean silence, but it does mean freedom and learning to live alongside it.If you or someone you love is struggling, you can find help and community at ocdaction.org.uk or through their helpline.Let’s start changing the conversation about OCD - one honest story at a time.Stay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October is a big month for OCD awareness and in today's HEALING 101 episode I speak with musician Jessica Sweetman. We talk about what OCD really feels like when it spikes and, most importantly, what actually helps. No magic fixes. Just small, doable things that steady you, keep you creating, and get you through the wobbly days. We don’t overcomplicate it so if you’re after calm, clarity, and a few ideas you can try today, this one’s for you.Find Jessica:Website: https://www.jessicasweetman.com/Instagram: @itsjessikamusicStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few topics in mental health are as complex, charged, and deeply personal as gender dysphoria. For some, transitioning feels life-saving. For others, it leads to regret and the painful realisation that surgery or hormones didn’t solve the deeper struggles underneath.In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Az Hakeem - psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of Detrans: When Transition is Not the Solution. For over two decades, Az has worked with people questioning their gender, those pursuing transition, and those who later detransitioned. His work has given him unique insight into what lies beneath gender distress from autism and trauma to identity, shame, and societal influence.This is not about ideology or taking sides. It’s about listening to lived experiences, asking difficult questions, and opening up compassionate space for conversations that too often get shut down.Whether you’re a parent, a clinician, or simply someone wanting to better understand this issue, I hope this conversation helps you think more deeply about what it really means to heal.Contact Az: https://www.nightingalehospital.co.uk/specialist/dr-az-hakeem/Buy his book: https://amzn.eu/d/f3pGQ5mStay Connected with Hurt to Healing:Instagram: instagram.com/hurttohealingpodTikTok: tiktok.com/@hurttohealingpodLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/hurt-to-healingSubstack: substack.com/@hurttohealingWebsite: hurttohealing.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.