The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Dr Alex George is a medical NHS doctor. He is well known for featuring on Love Island in 2018. Following the show, Alex has become a leading voice in mental health, and uses his platform to make health and medicine more accessible to millennials and beyond. Dr Alex is the UK Governments first Youth Mental Health Ambassador. Dr Alex has launched a campaign requesting the UK Government prioritise mental health amongst children and adolescents. He has also written a book ‘Live Well Every day’ with the intention of helping people achieve their best health and lifelong wellbeing.Among many other topics we discuss:- The psychological impact of fame and social media- Common sense strategies for managing mental health problems- The importance of discovering your values- Mental health problems among minority populations- Learning from Failure Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson and Dr. Anya Borissova  Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

What are some of the useful things to know about the experience of anxiety and depression? Can psychoeducation be helpful? What are ruminations and why might it be useful to take time to acknowledge what thoughts pass through your mind? What are some self-help steps you can take? Alongside my experience working as a psychiatry trainee and the clinicians I've learnt from, these are some books that I think can be helpful: 10 steps to positive living – a very short, easy to read, overview of some core thinking missteps that we all make that can contribute to unhappinessSchool of Life – a somewhat more philosophical exploration of life lessons The Chimp Paradox – a practical, metaphor and exercise based self-exploration  tool . Finally, I mentioned some studies that I read in preparing for this, here they are (feel free to get in touch if you'd like the PDFs): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30738219/ ; https://www.eif.org.uk/report/adolescent-mental-health-a-systematic-review-on-the-effectiveness-of-school-based-interventionsAudio-essay by   Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr Borissova is an academic core trainee psychiatrist in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust with a special interest in psychotherapy and researching improvements in treating depression.Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Janet Treasure, OBE PhD FRCP FRCPsych, is a British psychiatrist, who specialises in research and treatment of eating disorders. She is currently the Director of the Eating Disorder Unit and Professor of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London.Studies Mentioned during the Interview:Serotonergic psychedelics and personality: A systematic review of contemporary research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763417303019Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex CurmiGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Richard Miller is an American clinical psychologist, author and radio broadcaster. He is the author of the book Psychedelic Medicine and the founder of the Wilbur Hot Springs health maintenance organisation, where he helped over 1500 people to detox from drugs and alcohol. Miller has presented his work at national conferences of the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Psychotherapists and the White House Conference on Drugs.In addition to continuing his professional work in psychology, Miller currently hosts a weekly, live radio program, "Mind Body Health & Politics" on his website MindBodyHealthpolitics.orgIn this episode we discuss:  Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Ketamine, Existential Responsibility, Psychotherapy and much moreThe cannabis study we discuss can be found here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30048-3/fulltextInterviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex CurmiGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindPart 1 of this Interview can be found under Interview #26, released on Nov 12th 2021Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This week we are thrilled to meet Dr Akeem Sule @ak411cam who is a Wolfson College Research Associate and a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry at the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, co-founder of the Hip Hop Psych movement and facilitates the film club for the Association of Black Psychiatrists. Dr Sule discusses about the exploration of syndemics and addiction in “The Wire”, what “Euphoria” might tell us about the ‘ethical drug dealer’, cultural humility, racism in psychotherapy and generally, why politicians should watch “Top Boy”, how can TV/film makers ensure they get their portrayals of mental illness right and so much more.Interviewed by  Dr. Anya Borissova Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Why should you engage in conflict in relationships? How should you think about it? Whats the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of conflict?Audio-essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a specialist registrar in General Adult psychiatry in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust with a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindIf you want to help the situtation in Ukraine, please donate here:https://www.ukrainianlondon.co.uk/donate-help-ukraine-trusted-charities-uk/ Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr Charles Shepherd is a medical doctor and world renown expert on the subject of chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or ME. He is the Hon Medical Advisor to the ME association, which is a self-help support charity for people with ME. He was on the Steering Committee of the National ME Observatory, a collaborative research project in the UK, as well as previously on the advising committee for NICE guidelines on ME. He has written a number of books for both patients and medical professionals on the topic as well as developing the Shepherd ME/CFS Disability Scale. Dr Shepherd also developed ME himself following a bout of chickenpox from a patient.  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a long-term, fluctuating, neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems, most commonly the nervous and immune systems. ME affects up to an estimated 264,000 people in the UK, and around 17 million people worldwide. There is a 3:1 female to male ratio. People with ME experience severe, persistent fatigue associated with post-exertional malaise (the body’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy). ME is classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a neurological disease. However, due to the complex and unknown nature of the condition, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the disease.Interviewed by  Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr Lawrence Park is a psychiatrist. He has worked at the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch at NIMH since 2014 and currently serves as medical director of the Clinical Research Unit. In this conversation, we discuss what ketamine is and what we might be able to learn from it about depression, the current state of research into ketamine as a treatment for unipolar and bipolar depression, what it's like when someone receives a ketamine infusion,  the problems with ketamine and the questions that are still outstanding. Dr Park also shares with us what it's like to work at the National Institute of Mental Health and future research goals.  Interviewed by  Dr. Anya BorissovaGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Nik and Eva Speakman are British therapists and life coaches. They have studied and worked together since 1992 sharing a passion to help people lead happier and less inhibited lives. They have formulated their own psychotherapeutic interventions including (among others) Schema Conditioning Psychotherapy, which are now also the subject of scientific research. They are resident therapists on ITV’s  ‘This Morning’ for over a decade and have had their own shows, one of which, ‘The Speakmans’, also aired on ITV.Liv Speakman is a psychology and neuroscience graduate from Oxford University working with Nik and Eva  on research into the Speakmans work at Utrecht university in the Netherlands. In this episode we discuss phobias and fears, Nik and Eva's journey to becoming therapists, changing your perspective on reality, remain open-minded to new interventions, the importance of scientific research in psychotherapy and many other topics. In addition - Rebecca gets free therapy and changes her mind about pigeons. It was wild.Studies relating to the Speakmans work can be found here:Studies 1 & 2Published November 2018 – Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatryhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/329229873_Effects_of_Visual_Schema_Displacement_Therapy_VSDT_an_abbreviated_EMDR_protocol_and_a_control_condition_on_emotionality_and_vividness_of_aversive_memories_Two_critical_analogue_studiesStudy 3Published 9 April 2021 – European Journal of Psychotraumataologyhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008198.2021.1883924Books mentioned in this podcast:Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz M.D. (1960)Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi and Dr. Anya Borissova  Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This podcast is a guide to making any kind of resolution towards long term change and it includes:  Intro   00:00Listener Shout-Out 02:30Choosing the area you want to work on  (what is bothering you?) 03:33 Framing the resolution appropriately  06:15Making a plan using the zone of proximal development 08:07 Choosing high leverage activities 12:37Using positive and negative emotions to help you make progress  14:25 Measuring your results correctly to remain reality oriented and motivated 16:50 Not using failure as an excuse to regress, analysing your sticking points with detatched compassion   20:05Recognising and disregarding mental noise 23:07  Recognising the role of motivation, discipline, will power and habit 24:22  Allowing for identity level change 27:15 Viewing your behaviours as collisions with reality you can learn from 29:33 Outro 34:45 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Audio-essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a specialist registrar in General Adult psychiatry in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust with a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com  Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcastSUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmindGive feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast