The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Today Alex discusses the 1998 high-concept drama The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey and directed by Peter Weir, about a man unknowingly trapped in a reality tv show. Including themes such as control, trauma, truth over comfort, paranoia and the price of freedom. Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Paul Flynn is the founder and CEO of Harbor London, with over 25 years of experience in building and leading organisations. His core focus is on the clinical management and development of high-performing mental health services, overseeing a multidisciplinary team that includes over 100 Consultants delivering care across a broad range of psychiatric and psychological specialties.Disclaimer: The Thinking Mind does not have any financial affiliation with Harbor London. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi. Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Hilary Beard is a psychotherapist at the South London and Maudsley NHS trust. She is a practicing CAT therapist and trainer. She was a founding member of the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT) and was the chair for ACAT from 1994 - 1997. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi. Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Professor Derek Tracy is the Chief Medical Officer of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Derek is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and an honorary Professor at Brunel Medical School. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 20 book chapters.Prof. Tracy has written two chapters in Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on Evolution and Mental Health, published by Cambridge University Press:https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/evolutionarypsychiatry/2A1862AA7A2D78F946A34475D98425EBToday Derek and Alex discuss human evolution, and how a mismatch between the ancestral and modern enivornments may be contributing to many contemporary physical and mental health problems. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.Alex's Guardian article on this topic: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/sep/21/how-modern-life-makes-us-sick-and-what-to-do-about-itIf you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Alex discusses the classic 2013 financial crime epic the Wolf of Wallstreet directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill. Including themes such as narcissism, behaviour control, addiction and moral disengagement. This episode does not contain financial advice. Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.Podcast with Jordan Belfort's ex-wife Nadine Macaluso:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiaVUdXV2UYIf you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Professor David Nutt is a Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and Chair of Drug Science, an organisation which aims to educate the public about drugs and their effects. A world-leading researcher on how drugs affect the brain, he’s published over 500 papers and 34 books — including Drugs Without the Hot Air and his autobiography Nutt Uncut. A former Chair of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, he’s known for challenging drug policy with science and reason. David is also a regular voice in the media and hosts the Drug Science Podcast, exploring the truth about drugs, their uses, and their impact on society.Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr Anya Borissova. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Anya is a academic registrar psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley trust. If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/psychedelics-technology-and-loveGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Gillie is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with more than 30 years’ experience. She specialises in working with survivors of coercive, cultic or spiritual abuse, trauma including rape and sexual abuse, thought-reform (brainwashing) and undue influence. She works with former cult members, including those brought up in a cult (second and multi-generation) and those who joined or were recruited (first generation).Gillie set up Hope Valley Counselling in 2006 after achieving her Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Here she further developed her model for counselling former cult members and survivors of spiritual abuse and undue influence. Further resources:https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/spirituality-and-psychiatry/pathological-spirituality/0F993FFB842601BF7492EFB708EBA769 https://www.hopevalleycounselling.com/walking-free-workbookInterviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/psychedelics-technology-and-loveGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Daniel Månsson is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, a medical device comapny which produces transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) headsets for depression. Today we discuss: What may be happening neurologically in certain cases of depressionDifferent research studies that have looked into the effectiveness of TDCS treatment for depressionThe ethical challenges of studying, producing and selling medical devicesHow these devices may complement psychological treatments like psychotherapy Studies mentioned:Transcranial direct current stimulation as an additional treatment to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in adults with major depressive disorder in Germany (DepressionDC): a triple-blind, randomised, sham-controlled, multicentre trial - The Lancet - https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00640-2/abstractHome-based transcranial direct current stimulation treatment for major depressive disorder: a fully remote phase 2 randomized sham-controlled trial | Nature Medicine -  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03305-yHome-Use Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for the Treatment of a Major Depressive Episode: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Depressive Disorders | JAMA Psychiatry | JAMA Network https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2813623Northamptonshire NHS study:https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=131358--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Anya is a academic registrar psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley trust. If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Jared Moore is a computer science Ph.D. student at Stanford University. There he recently taught a course about AI called on How to Make a Moral Agent. He has previously been lectured at the University of Washington School of Computer Science where he taught a class on the philosophy of AI.He is the lead author of a research paper which came out in 2025 examining whether chat gpt and other LLMs could potentially replace mental health professionals safetly and effectively, which was featured in the New York Times.Research paper referenced:Should a large language model (LLM) be used as a therapist? - https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3715275.3732039Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.Alex's new Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/sep/21/how-modern-life-makes-us-sick-and-what-to-do-about-itIf you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Alex discusses the classic 2013 sci-fi romance Her directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Chris Pratt. Including themes such as loneliness, attachmement , artifiical intelligence, dating, falling in love, overreliance on technology and the most socially acceptable form of insanity. Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.Article referenced:https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/12/i-felt-pure-unconditional-love-the-people-who-marry-their-ai-chatbotsIf you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast