Welcome to 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.Our nervous system is like a safety alarm in our body, it helps us stay safe in situations of perceived danger. In the modern world, that system can be constantly activated, keeping us in a state of hypervigilance or shut down that can impact our daily lives. Polyvagal Theory, created and developed by Stephen Porges, PhD, gives us a better understanding of our autonomic nervous system, the vagus nerve and how they impact our physiological and psychological states. Niall is joined by Michael Allison, educational partner with Polyvagal Institute and creator of ‘The Play Zone’, which applies polyvagal theory to performance psychology. They discuss the basics of polyvagal theory, how are nervous systems interact with each other and how safety, connection and co-regulation are vital to a healthy human experience. 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.

Welcome to 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.The landscape for treating complex trauma is changing, and although there is extensive and promising research into the efficacy of psychedelic substances for the treatment of mental health disorders, it is not yet accessible for most.This week, Niall is joined by Jesse Gould, a former army ranger who is helping other veterans overcome their trauma. Jesse suffered with debilitating PTSD and after exploring every traditional avenue found himself in Peru on an Ayuhuasca retreat. The experience was transformational for Jesse. He returned home to set up the Heroic Hearts Project, with a mission to help as many US veterans as possible overcome PTSD and other military trauma by building a community that provides them with safe and supervised access to psychedelic programs, professional coaching, and ongoing community support. 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.

Welcome to 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.We are back with another installment of The Therapy Room, speaking to the incredible souls Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates about insights from their own practices. Therapy can be extremely tough, but breakthrough moments along the way bring a sense of progress and clarity to patients. Louize and Tony explain what a breakthrough moment can look like, big and small, how they can be the marker of the ‘storm before the calm’ and what therapists and patients need to be mindful of in the aftermath. We discuss some difficult topics during this episode, so please take care when listening. 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.

Welcome to 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.Niall has just completed his biggest challenge to date, kayaking the longest river in Ireland, the 300km River Shannon. Niall and some friends took on ‘The Rising’ as a fundraiser, to get the mental health programmes created by his charity A Lust For Life into every school in Ireland. Although for a great cause, this gruelling challenge brought the team of kayakers to some vulnerable places, physically, mentally and emotionally. In this week’s podcast we hear from Niall at different stages across the 7 days and how he really leaned on his mindfulness toolkit throughout every moment of pain, sickness and tiredness to push through to the end. This journey is a true testament to Niall’s passion for passing these skills onto young people, helping them to understand their own minds. 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.

Welcome to 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.In this week’s episode, Niall is going back to his mindfulness routes and bringing you through a guided meditation.This meditation comes to remind you to drop into your inner world and implement the principles of practice in mindfulness meditation. Please note we had to place our ad breaks together so as not to interrupt your meditation. Thanks for understanding. 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.

Welcome to 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.Podcasting has made mental health and wellbeing information more accessible and understandable for listeners and a new study has proved that they can in fact improve mental health literacy. The paper, published by psychologists from University College Cork, shows that access to information through podcasts has decreased stigma and increased help-seeking amongst listeners. Niall is joined by authors Dr. Sharon Lambert and Naoise Ó Caoilte to hear why this mental health literacy is so important and how we can utilise podcasting and other mediums as excellent supports for patients and therapists. 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.

Welcome to 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.On Sunday 4th of June Niall brought the Where Is My Mind? Podcast to the beautiful Ballycotton in East Cork. He couldn’t visit the Rebel County without speaking to two of the most profound voices on mental health and addiction, not just in Cork but in all of Ireland, The Two Norries. James Leonard and Timmy Long are The Two Norries, an incredible duo from a disadvantaged part of North Cork. Both James and Timmy had a difficult start to life that led them down the road of crime, prison time, addiction and homelessness. They have now turned their lives around and use their podcast platform to share their own stories and the voices of others, and push for better awareness and systems for people who are struggling they way they did. James and Timmy gives us an insight to their early lives, how that trauma followed them through life and what would have helped them while they were at their lowest. 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.

Welcome to 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.In this week’s episode Niall is going solo, talking about a new challenge he’s undertaking that’s very close to his heart. Niall’s whole work is based around a passion to push for paradigm-shifting change in our mental health systems. This July he’s raising funds for his charity A Lust For Life, and the schools programme they’ve created to teach children to build resilience, increase wellbeing & enhance emotional literacy. Niall and some friends will be taking on the gruelling challenge of rowing the River Shannon in Ireland. Niall explains the journey that led him to his research and advocacy work, why teaching kids about their emotions at an early age is so important and the systematic change we need to better support people through their mental health struggles. To find out more or to make a donation visit www.alustforlife.com/therisingFollow 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.

Welcome to 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.Last week we had a fantastic reaction to our episode on addiction with Brian Pennie and Lynn Ruane. This week we’re back in The Therapy Room, asking our resident psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates how they work with someone dealing with addiction. Both Louize and Tony have extensive experience with addiction in all forms, from drugs to alcohol, food to work. They explain why we need to move away from the stereotypes and see addiction for what it is, a coping mechanism to deal with pain we cannot bear. Tony and Louize discuss how in the modern world addiction permeates all of us, how rules around dual diagnosis impact models of care and why we need to be wary of certain prescribed medications that only continue to numb our pain. 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.

Welcome to 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.Addiction is a topic we’ve wanted to cover for a long time on the podcast due to the complex relationship between mental health and addiction. Addiction rarely exists without some history of suffering and trauma. Senator Lynn Ruane and Brian Pennie, PhD, are two leading powerhouses in the addiction space in Ireland. Both have had their own lived experience, growing up in drug and poverty ravished areas of Dublin, and advocate for better systems and supports for those experiencing addiction. The conversation is had through a social structures lens, as evidence suggests that focusing on the individual has not worked thus far. Lynn and Brian discuss how we still need to focus on destigmatising drug use and bringing humanity back to individuals, how poverty is the core issue destroying communities and what approaches they are advocating for to protect those in vulnerable positions. 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.