
Where is My Mind?
A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Produced by Niall Breslin and Aoife Plunkett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Oct 30, 2023 • 48min
Break the Generational Cycle with Dr. Mariel Buqué
As we become more trauma-informed it is becoming clear that we are all impacted by things way outside of ourselves. Generational trauma is experienced through families, communities and collective experiences in the world, so how can we begin to unravel the pain that we carry? Niall is joined by Dr. Mariel Buqué, psychologist, intergenerational trauma expert and author of upcoming book, ‘Break The Cycle’. Mariel came to working in this space through the experiences of her clients but soon realised it was also her lived reality within her own family. Despite the tough work and dark places it can take you, she decided it was time to break the cycle. Dr. Mariel shares how generational trauma impacts people biologically and psychologically, along with some ways we can begin to integrate healing into our lives and why she believes that it’s in the pain and the darkness that we find our way forward. We tackle some difficult topics in this episode, so please take care when listening. Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 23, 2023 • 47min
Dopamine Nation with Dr. Anna Lembke
Addiction is such a widespread issue in our society but many of us don’t realise it surpasses alcohol, drugs and gambling. Our brains are wired with reward systems controlled by dopamine, and dopamine hits are plentiful in the modern world. With social media, entertainment, our phones, the news, our brain's reward system is constantly overloaded. Niall is joined by Dr. Anna Lembke, prominent psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist known for her expertise in addiction, pleasure, and the impact of modern life on our brains, and author of ‘Dopamine Nation’. Dr. Lembke explains the many forms of addiction she has seen in her work, why our phones are so addictive and what steps we can take to interrupt the habit loops that may be negatively impacting our lives. Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 16, 2023 • 51min
How Could You Be Any Other Way? with Dr. Bruce Perry
We are only beginning to understand the complexity of trauma and how it impacts on our physiology. Experts now believe that trauma experienced during childhood can have an impact on our development. Niall is joined by Dr. Bruce Perry, a renowned psychiatrist and expert in childhood trauma and brain development who developed Neurosequential Model©, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach to clinical work, education and caregiving. Bruce explains just how impactful our early experiences can be on us, how generational trauma plays out over generations and why he believes we need a wholly new approach to how we help children who are traumatised. Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 9, 2023 • 59min
The Skill of Being Human with Graham Lee
We all know the digital media has had a profound impact on our lives, in some great ways and some terrible ways, but is it actually eroding some of the incredible skills that make us human? This week Niall is joined by digital skills expert Graham Lee, who has just released his book ‘Human Being’. The book takes an insightful look into twelve human skills that are being challenged by the digital world and how our use of these skills has proved important throughout history. Niall and Graham discuss these twelve skills in depth, from navigation to conversation, art to dreams, and ask what future lies ahead of us if we don’t embrace our own autonomy and relationship with digital media. Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 2, 2023 • 54min
Breaking The Heart Open with Dr. Tony Bates
This week Niall has a very special chat with The Therapy Room’s Dr. Tony Bates. Tony has just released his incredible memoir ‘Breaking the Heart Open’ where he turns a therapeutic eye to himself and tells the story of what made him the insightful thinker and incredible psychologist that he is today. Niall and Tony dive into the book, with Tony recalling some of the traumatic moments of his childhood, what he learned through his own therapy journey through the years, and the incredible people he worked with who influenced his work so deeply. Tony’s long-standing and impactful career has also left him with many thoughts on how we can better treat those who are experiencing pain. Some difficult subjects are discussed in this episode, please take care when listening. Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 25, 2023 • 41min
Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy (With Guided Meditation)
‘We become so busy chasing a life that we ultimately end up missing living one.’ In this episode, Niall dives into one of the principles of practice of mindfulness that has been on his mind a lot recently. He also guides a short meditation on the subject. The fast-pace of the modern world can be very overwhelming, and it can feel difficult to keep up sometimes. Especially when you have people on social media telling you they have a 5 to 9 routine before their 9 to 5, or that because you’re not giving 100% all of the time, you are an abject failure. It is very easy to fall into the trap of comparison and tell ourselves we are not enough. This is why the mindfulness principle of non-judgement is so crucial, not just in judgement of others, but of ourselves.Tickets for the Where Is My Mind? live tour: https://linktr.ee/bressie Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 18, 2023 • 56min
Home Is Where The Start Is with Richard Hogan
Earlier this year, Ireland was left reeling after a damning report revealed the gaps and mistreatment in our child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across the State. The report left parents and mental health professionals questioning what support is out there for children and young people who are struggling. In this episode, Niall is joined by family psychotherapist and clinical director of the Therapy Institute, Richard Hogan. Richard has just released his new book, Home Is Where The Start Is, which offers innovative, proactive and practical strategies for dealing with a wide range of issues in the family, including excerpts of his own chaotic upbringing. Niall and Richard discuss the failings of our mental health systems in supporting some of our most vulnerable members of society, the children, and how parents or caregivers can help them develop skills and mindsets to deal with the difficult experiences and feelings that come as part of life. Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 11, 2023 • 53min
Acceptance of the Abnormal with Steven C. Hayes
This podcast aims to fight for better mental health systems for those who are struggling, and one thing that is blatantly clear in Niall’s PhD research is that our past and present models of care are not working. What is a better solution? How can we support humans through the beauty and sh*t show of life in a compassionate and respectful way? Niall is joined by a paradigm-shifting therapist who has changed the therapy landscape, Steven C. Hayes. He is a clinical psychologist and creator of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model that Niall himself has been through. Steven explains why he created ACT to fill the gaps he could see in how we were treating people, the unique principles that he believes are a better way forward and why we need to stop judging people based on what a dark history tells us is ‘normal’. Follow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 4, 2023 • 1h 4min
A Manifesto For Hope with Marcelo Gleiser
The world can feel like a tough and trying place sometimes, and as human’s are faced with more and more challenges like climate change, AI and threat of nuclear war it can seem like all hope is lost. Niall is joined by award-winning physicist and astronomer, Marcelo Gleiser, who has written a manifesto for humanity and offers a glimmer of hope to guide us to a better future. In this incredible conversation Marcelo discusses the spark lost in our people and how we can find it again, why our mindset and attitude towards each other and the planet needs to change and the beauty in the symbiosis of science and spirituality. Where Is My Mind? live tickets and informationFollow Niall on IG @bressie, TikTok @niallbreslin, FB @whereismymindpodcast and Twitter @nbrez and visit his website: www.niallbreslin.com.If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, it’s important to talk to someone about it now. You can contact one of the resources below for free. In Ireland/U.K.: https://www.samaritans.org/In the U.S.: https://988lifeline.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 28, 2023 • 48min
It's Just F*&king Meditation with Yogi Bryan
Yogi Bryan, a yoga and meditation teacher, joins Niall in a hilarious episode discussing mindfulness, making practices accessible, and releasing 1 billion f*cks. They explore the importance of self-awareness in online interactions, the power of morning meditation, navigating social media chaos, and the consequences of intense routines. They also reflect on the self-help industry and the pressure to constantly strive for self-improvement.