I'M TRIGGERED!

Episode 35: I Choose Bear!- Grizzly Man

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0800

Werner Herzog's 2005 documentary, Grizzly Man, is a deep dive into the misguided mission of Timothy Treadwell, the man who lived with grizzly bears in the Alaska wilderness for 13 summers until, yep, you guessed it. A bear ate him! We get into the big personalities of both Herzog and Treadwell while also discussing our perceptions of Treadwell's various instabilities and how such a situation was treated 20+ years ago, versus how it could be approached now. This is a dark and weird one, but you know us: we're here for that!

Sources:

Ferrier, Amy. Death, Disease, and Amputation: The Disastrous Production of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo. FarOut.

Hancock, James. A Divine Marriage Made in Hell: Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. Wrong Reel.

IMDB. Grizzly Man.

Tobias, Scott. The Human Nature of Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man. The Dissolve.

Thank you for listening! Please like, rate, and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Find us on social media @imtriggeredpod or send us an email with questions or reqests imtriggeredpod@gmail.com.

Edited by the lovely Nōn Wels (@youmeempathy). Hire Nōn for your podcast at nonwels.com.

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions about your situations and/ or conditions.

Episode 34: Curl That Single Strand, Girl! - The Substance

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0700

We are thrilled to have our #1 listener, Danny, as a guest for this episode as we discuss 2024's body horror extravaganza, "The Substance." Please excuse the choppy bits as we had some technical issues while recording. Also, this episode marks two years of our podcast! We did it and we are still here! Thanks for listening and supporting us.

Episode 33: I Need to Relax- Black Swan

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Oh the horrors of perfectionism. Megan and Jess have a lot to talk about with this one! Megan keeps saying the word NASTY but she doesn't mean fun nasty, more like ballerina feet nasty. Join us as we discuss 2010's Black Swan, Darren Aranofsky's psychological drama that we definitely think is also a horror movie. Welcome to spooky season!

Sources:

ABC News. Black Swan: Psychiatrists Diagnose Ballerina's Descent.
Febos, Melissa. The Animal Within the Animal. Astra Magazine.
National Institute of Health. Understanding Psychosis.
Silverii, GA et all. Eating psychopathology in ballet dancers: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Eatign and Weight Disorders.
How much do ballet dancers make? More Than Dancers website.

Episode 32: Next Level Bitchy- Broad City

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0700

It's been way too serious up in here so let's have a break with our favorite stoners, the Broad City dudes. This week we get into Seasonal Affective Disorder and midlife crises, among other things, all inspired by Abbi and Ilana. Also, Ru-Paul! Please enjoy the comedy break before we get back into the dark and sad stuff. Because you know we will.

Sources:

IMDB. Abbi's Mom.
UCHealth. The facts – and misconceptions – about antidepressant medications.
Newby, J. Do Happy Lights Impact Mental Health?
Refinery29. Broad City Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: "Abbi's Mom"
The Michigan Daily. What ‘Broad City’ gets right about depression.
Bustle. I Figured Out Where To Buy All 19 Sex Toys That Appear In ‘Broad City’

Episode 31: This Road Will Never End- My Own Private Idaho

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Well here we are. In Idaho, or Seattle, or Portland, or perhaps a Shakespearean scene with Keanu Reeves? This week we get into the Gus Van Sant's 1991 film "My Own Private Idaho." Yes, it's weird and artsy! And it's important in its depictions of queerness in the 1990s, vulnerabilities and risks faced by sex workers, and some interesting details about narcolepsy and its effects on mental health. Join us as we journey down this road that never ends!

Sources:

IMDB- My Own Private Idaho.
Fordyce, K. Conditions You May Have Along with Narcolepsy. WebMD.
Kynn, J. et al. Structural vulnerabilities and over-criminalization of LGBT+ youth in the California justice system. Children and Youth Services Review. Vol 160, May 2024.
Mayo Clinic. Narcolepsy: Overview.
Taubin, Amy. My Own Private Idaho: Private Places. The Criterion Collection.

Episode 30: We Will Save the Goblin Line Cooks- The Bear (with guest Kelly Sundburg)

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0700

We're back after a lil summer break! What a thrill to have author Kelly Sundburg join us to talk about about her essay collection The Answer is In the Wound: Trauma, Rage, and Alchemy, out on Aug 26 with Grove Atlantic. Kelly hangs out to talk with us about Season 4, Episode 7 of The Bear, simply entitled "Bears." A fitting bookend to the previously covered episode "Fishes," "Bears" is all sweetness and repair after the trauma we all suffered from Fishes. We discuss Richy's character arc and our collective attraction to goblin line cooks, as well as mental health topics of family estrangement and repair.

Sources:

IMDB - Bears. Link.
Baker, Katie. Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue: The Very Special Wedding Episode of ‘The Bear.’ Link.
Ruiz, Rebecca. Haunted no more: Season 4 of 'The Bear' confronts its ghosts. Link.
Loeppky, John. Estrangement Hurts, But Chosen Family Can Help. Link.
Streep, Peg. No, Parent-Child Estrangement Isn't Just a Fad. Link.

Episode 29: So Many Bodily Fluids- Short Term 12

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0700

2013's Short Term 12 is not only an indie movie gem, it's also impressively accurate in its depiction of what it's like to work in the foster care system and in residential treatment. How do people deal with their own trauma histories when working stressful jobs like this? What's it like chasing kids around on a daily basis? What really happens in the foster care system? We get into this and more, and don't worry-- we don't talk about bodily fluids that much, though we certainly could! This one is a tear jerker, the triggers are also glimmers, and we really can't say enough good things about this fantastic film.

Sources:

IMDB - Short Term 12. Link.
Rotten Tomatoes - Short Term 12. Link.
Blackshere, Ryann. The Humanity of Short Term 12. The Imprint. Link.
Bond, Tom. My Streaming Gem- Why You Should Watch Short Term 12. The Guardian. Link.
Edelstein, David. Short Term 12 is the Most Wrenching Drama I've Seen this Year. Vulture. Link.

Episode 28: Even Keanu Cannot Save This- To The Bone

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Let's get complaining! With a distinct lack of accurate and helpful information on eating disorders and their respective treatments, the 2017 film "To the Bone" manages to further add to stereotypes and misconceptions. As your loyal hosts, we will endure our intense annoyance to tell you all about this crap so you don't have to deal with it. Despite Keanu's lovely presence, this movie earns a couple of middle fingers from us, but we enjoyed talking about it! We get into realities of EDs, what treatment is really like, and why we want to kick this film off of Netflix's menu forever and ever. Listeners, be mindful about watching this film because of its extremely triggering ED-related content.

Sources:

IMDB - To the Bone . Link.
Bassett, Lucy & Ewart, Maya. Discrepancies between media portrayals and actual demographics of eating disorders in TV and film: implications of representation. Journal of Eating Disorders. Link.
Freeman, Hadley. To the Bone confirms there are (almost) no good movies about anorexia. The Guardian. Link.
Bradshaw, Peter. To the Bone review – Netflix's anorexia tale is uninsightful, insipid and insulting. The Guardian. Link.
King, Elizabeth. Are Movies About Eating Disorders Fundamentally Uncinematic? Pacific Standard. Link.

Episode 27: We Love Dick (Hallorann)!- The Shining

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Danny!

We emerge from our hibernation cave to bring you the first media breakdown episode of season two, and it better be perfect because we did 158 takes. We cannot discuss The Shining without acknowledging Tony, the little boy who lives in all of our mouths, or how Alcohol Use Disorder may masquerade as ghostie madness. Join us as we discuss these topics and more, and keep those horrifying twins far, far away.

Sources:

IMBD The Shining

Why We Enjoy Horror: Science Explains.

The Role of Imaginary Companions in Only Children: A Qualitative Study

Dissociation and PTSD

Episode 26: Welcome Back!

Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Welcome to Season 2! We are discombulated! We are weary! We are ready to talk about stuff even if it's not pretty! In today's episode we discuss how we are dealing with HUGE life changes (baby! divorce!) and what we've been reading and watching during our podcasting hiatus. We are glad to be back and can't wait to share more episodes with you all.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for listening! Please like, rate, and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Find us on social media @imtriggeredpod or send us an email with questions or reqests imtriggeredpod@gmail.com.

Edited by our favorite @feelyhuman, Nōn Wels.

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions about your situations and/ or conditions.

Episode 25: That Therapist is All Over- The Sixth Sense

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

It's the final episode of our first season, and it's a spooky one. Before we send Jess off with good wishes for sweet times with the Hobbit Baby, we must talk about ghosties, a sad little kid, and the very amazing Toni Collete in a very good wig! Yes, it's 1999's twisty film from the master of twisties himself, M. Night Shyamalam's The Sixth Sense. So, get some popcorn and some fun sized candies and get ready for some real talk about therapist boundaries, how belief in the afterlife could affect therapy, and what was going on with those accents.

Correction: after recording, we realized our error that Forrest Gump came out in 1994 and not in 1999.

Y'all. We are so grateful to our loyal listeners. This year has been a blast and, after a short hiatus, we will be back for season two. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are all glimmers!

Sources:

The Sixth Sense, IMDB.
Packer, Sharon, MD. Making Sense of The Sixth Sense--So Many Years Later. Psychiatric Times.
Pleinas, Miyako. The Sixth Sense Cast Thought They Were Making a Different Kind of Film. Slashfilm.
The Sixth Sense. What Went Wrong Podcast.

Episode 24: That's too much screaming- The Babadook

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Australian horror film The Babadook delighted audiences with its clever script, gruesome scenes, and that delightfully creepy character. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of widowhood and the ongoing effects of grief. And, in a show dedicated to triggers, Jess and Megan find a scene in this film so triggering that they can barely talk about it. Buckle up for the Babadook!

Sources:

Dederer, Claire. Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma. Vintage Publishers, 2023.
Gobbel, Robyn. Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2023.
Hawbaker, L.A. "The Black Rose in the Garden: A Second Look at The Babadook." Bright Lights Film Journal. Jan 11, 2021. https://brightlightsfilm.com/the-black-rose-in-the-garden-a-second-look-at-the-babadook/
Jacobsen, Pamela. "Eye on Fiction: The Babadook and Maternal Depression." The British Psychological Society. Oct 12, 2016. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/eye-fiction-babadook-and-maternal-depression
"Mental Illness and The Babadook." The Artifice. https://the-artifice.com/the-babadook-mental-illness/
Williams, Christian. "Parenting While Grieving: The Experience of Widows with Young Children." Mental Health and Human Resilience International Journal. Vol 1, Issue 1. Apr 3, 2023. https://medwinpublishers.com/MHRIJ/parenting-while-grieving-the-experience-of-widows-with-young-children.pdf

Episode 23: All the Bell Sleeves- Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Body

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

"The Body" is a truly devastating episode of the well-loved series Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which Buffy discovers her mom's body and begins the grieving process in earnest. We discuss the important history of the show, including unfortunate but important details about the show's creator, and why this particular episode continutes to be regarded as a stellar depiction of grief, 90s fashion and all.

Sources:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, IMDB.
Gilbert, Sophie. ‘The Body’ and the Radical Empathy of Buffy’s Best Episode. The Atlantic.
Coping with Grief After a Sudden Death. Johns Hopkins University.
Coping with Tragedy: A Guide to Dealing with Shock and Grief. State of Maryland.
Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart. Shambhala, 2016.
Devine, Megan. It's Okay that You're Not Okay. Sounds True, 2017.

Episode 22: Ben Loves Dunkin- Good Will Hunting

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The 1997 film, Good Will Hunting, garnered nine Oscar noms with its star-studded cast and poignant themes of love, class, and mental health. But what about the accents, the attachment disorder, and the Swedish guy that must know everything about a therapy session? And what about ALLLLL that self-disclosure? We talk these topics and more in this episode about one of the most well-known movies about what can take place within the therapy room.

Sources:

Good Will Hunting, IMDB.
Unveiling the Therapeutic Journey of Good Will Hunting. Psychology Today.
Good Will Hunting. Teach with Movies.
What is Good Therapy? Some Reflections on Good Will Hunting. Glyniss Sherwood MEd.
Men's Mental Health: 40% of Men Won't Talk to Anyone About Their Mental Health. Priory.
The Therapeutic Alliance: The Fundamental Element of Psychotherapy. Focus Psychiatry.
Counselor Self-Disclosure: Encouragment or Impediment to Client Growth? American Counseling Association.

Episode 21: A Creepy Ass Doll- M3GAN

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0700

The 2022 sci-fi horror flick M3GAN is a fun watch and we had blast talking about it. We get into kid trauma, therapy home visits, and some implications of AI which may include a murderous doll.

Sources:

M3GAN, IMDB. Link.
AI's climate impact goes beyond emissions. Scientific American. Link.
Why AI isn't a magic bullet for mental health. Berkeley Public Health. Link.

Episode 20: Nothing Matters- Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

In this week's episode we host our first guest, Nōn Wels @feelyhuman, whose Feely Cards will be released on September 19 (pre-order here). We also discuss the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Exploring themes of intergenerational trauma, suicidality, multiversal travel, and more, this film swept the Oscars while expanding our minds in such incredible and unexpected ways. From hot dog fingers to Racacoonie, there's something for everyone. Although it can be expected that we will discuss triggers on this podcast, we discuss the topic of suicidality rather in depth in this episode so please do what you need to do to take good care of your wonderful self.

Episode 19- Our Oldies Are WAY Better: Stand By Me

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0700

A nostalgia film about friendship, dead bodies, and leeches, noooo!

Yep, it's Stand by Me, the film with all those baby-faced actors. In this episode, we discuss how parenting can impact mental health and also how tromping through the woods to find a dead body could have some effects, too. We also get into summertime stuff and how we really feel about music from the 50s.

Sources:

Stand By Me, IMDB
Cooper, Megan. "What Life in a 1950s Family Was Really Like." Love to Know. Link.
Keyes et al. "The Burden of Loss: Unexpected death of a loved one and psychiatric disorders across the life course in a national study." American Journal of Psychiatry. Link.
"Harsh discipline increases risk of children developing lasting mental health problems." University of Cambridge. Link.

Episode 18- Feeling Good with Ghosts and Cats

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

With this most recent barrage of unprecedented events, we decided to take a short break from discussing heavy topics. Welcome to our first ever Feel Good Episode, where we veer from our usual structure to simply share some things we enjoy. We chat about two films from 2001: Josie and the Pussycats and Spirited Away.

Episode 17- A Case of the Tuesdays: Office Space

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Do you ever hate your job so much that you wish you could be hypnotized out of feeling your daily misery? And are you tired of talking about your flair? Welcome to our episode about Office Space (1999), the oft-quoted exploration of corporate ennui and rebellion. Jess and Megan discuss what holds up (pretty much everything), the impact of meaningless overwork on mental health, the need for neurodivergents to have a piece of cake, and more.

Sources:

"Office Space" IMDB. Link.
Nagoski, E. and Nagoski, A. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Macmillan 2020. Link.
"The State of Vulnerable Workers 2022: Unsafe and Disrespected." Empower Work. Link.
"Office Space Turns 20: The Way the Film Changed How We Work." BBC. Link.
"Being Unhappy at Work Can Have Long Term Health Effects." Flexjobs. Link.
"It's Not You: Your Job is Responsible for Making Your Feel Burned Out." Fast Company. Link.
"Feeling Emotional Exhausted?" Ted.com. Link.
"The Late 90s Dot Come Bubble." Goldman Sachs. Link.

Episode 16- Don't Be a Dick, Buddy: Your Fat Friend

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0700

Jess and Megan discuss the documentary Your Fat Friend (2023), beautifully directed by Jeanie Finlay, about blogger, writer, podcaster, and activist Aubrey Gordon. We discuss the mental health effects of anti-fatness and also how not to be a dick.

Watch Your Fat Friend Here.

Sources:

"Your Fat Friend." IMDB. Link.
"'I'm Big in a Lot of Ways': Activist Aubrey Gordon on reclaiming fatness in a new film about her life." The Guardian. Link.
"The Burden of Weight Stigma." American Psychological Association. Link.
"Challenging Weight Bias in the Doctor's Office- and in your own thoughts." Mayo Clinic. Link.

Episode 15-Don't Eat Your Cereal Like That!: Get Out

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Megan and Jess get into Jordan Peele's debut film Get Out (2017), a horror film about the dangers lurking within a liberal white community. We discuss hypnotherapy, consent, and the attention paid (or not paid) to missing persons. It's a lot of talk about race, triggers, cute dogs, and more. And please, put your cereal in a bowl!

Sources:

Get Out (2017). IMDB. Link
How real Life Horrors In Get Out Relate to Trust in Therapy. Good Therapy. Link
Get Out Confronts the Intersectionality of Race and Mental Health. The Bowdoin Orient. Link.
The Mental Health Component of the Horror Film Get Out. Blavity. Link.
The Disturbing Truth That Makes Get Out Disturbingly Plausible. Slate. Link.
The Inclusion Solution: The Use of Blackface in Jordan Peele's Get Out. Link.
'I'd Never Seen my Fears as an African-American Man Onscreen', The New York Times. Link.

Episode 14- You Okay?: The Bear

Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Chaotic family fights, a very messy kitchen, and that damn fork! Megan and Jess break down the star-studded Season 2, Episode 6 of The Bear, called Fishes, possibly the most anxiety-provoking episode of TV ever. We discuss toxic family systems and the cost one can pay when choosing to go low-contact or no-contact with family.

Sources for this episode:

Gibson, Lindsay. Adult Children of Emotionally IMmature Parents. Link to Book.
Suicide Prevention Alliance About Suicide Language. Link.
"I worked in Michelin star kitchens. The Bear's depiction of trauma is painfully real." Bon Appetit. Link
"How 'Fishes' Came Together." Los Angeles Times. Link.
"Its Okay to Cut Ties with Toxic Family Members." PsychCentral.Link.

Episode 13-He-Man Hair for Dayz: The Iron Claw

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Prepare yourself for some bad wigs as we discuss the family drama The Iron Claw (2023) which follows the unceasing tragedies of the supposedly cursed Von Erich wrestling clan. We'll be discussing our love for Zac Efron love as well as research about about brain health, family trauma, suicide, and more. This is a heavy one but you know us- we'll always give you a heads up about what's to come.

"The Iron Claw" IMDB. Link.
Here's what you didn't see about the Von Erich family in "The Iron Claw" - Link.
The Complicated True Story Behind The Iron Claw Villain Fritz Von Erich - Link.
List of premature professional wrestling deaths - Link.
The dark world of pro-wrestling: Suicide, murder and chronic pain - Link.
Zac Efron Rides Again - Link.
Familial clustering of suicide risk: a total population study of 11.4 million individuals - Link.
Child abuse linked to risk of suicide in later life - Link.
Here’s what we know about head trauma in pro wrestling - Link.
For fun - Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson with puppies! - Link.

Episode 12- No Jumpscares Here: True Detective Night Country

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Jess and Megan discuss the latest season of the show True Detective. Full of cold frights, complex characters, and indigenous representation, Episode 4 of the series introduces mental health topics like voluntary placements and cultural views on hallucinations. In this episode we also get into bro complaints, bias within the mental health system, the psychological challenge of living in the dark, and MORE. Rest assured, no jumpscares to be found here, but there are lots of triggers, twitches, and glimmers!

Sources:

True Detective: Night Country. IMDB. Link.
"Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women." Native Hope. Link.
He, Sirena. "True Detective Night Country: We Asked a Psychologist About the Series." Esquire. Link.
Acuna, L. "The 'True Detective: Night Country' showrunner wants you to decide what actually happened in the finale." Business Insider. Link.
Jarvis, E. et al. "Culture and Psychosis in Clinical Practice." A Clinical Introduction to Psychosis. Link.
Jones, N., and Luhrmann, T.M. "Providing Culturally Competent Care: Understanding the Context of Psychosis." Psychiatric Times. Link.
Laroi, F. et al. "Culture and hallucinations: overview and future directions." Schizophrenia Bulletin. Link.
Robb-Dover, Chrisina. "Vountary vs Involuntary Commitment in Rehab (and other questions about inpatient mental health treatment." FHE Health. Link.

Episode 11- Gabagool!: The Sopranos, Part II

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

We have so much to say about The Sopranos that we had to split this into two episodes! Join us as we continue our discussion of Season 6, Episode 20: The Blue Comet, the penultimate episode of the beloved series. In Part II, we look at Dr. Melfi's abrupt firing of Tony Soprano, important ethical considerations for therapy termination, and our opinions of what the heck happened. We also discuss triggers and glimmers for this episode.

Sources:

"The Sopranos: Season 6: Episode 20: The Blue Comet." IMDB. Link.
"The Sopranos But Just Gabagool." Youtube.
Abramson, Ashley. "When Therapy Comes to an End." The American Psychological Association. Link.
Breen, Matt. "The Sopranos: A Pioneering Portrayal of Men's Mental Health." Den of Geek. Link.
Diaz, Madison. "The Sopranos is as Much About Mental Health as It Is About Crime." CBR. Link.
Gutheil, Thomas G. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Terminating Therapy Before Things Get Out of Hand." Psychiatric Times. Link.
Funicelli, Allison. "Avoiding Abandonment Claims: How to Properly Terminate Clients from Your Practice." Psychiatric News. Link.
Lahut, Jake. "'The Sopranos': How a Psychiatric Narrative Made TVs Golden Age." The Wesleyan Argus. Link.
Lattanzio, Ryan. "'The Sopranos' star Lorraine Bracco didn't like Dr. Melfi's abrupt exit." Indiewire. Link.
Noveck, Jocelyn. "Forget the violence, 'Sopranos' violated therapists' ethics." Star News Online. Link.
Schaeffer, J. "A Structured Approach to Processing Clients' Unilateral Treatment Decisions." The American Journal of Psychotherapy. Link.
Schwartz, Drew. "We Asked Psychiatrists if Tony Soprano's Shrink Is Good at Her Job." Vice. Link.
Yocheson, Samuel, Samenow, Stanton. The Criminal Personality.

Episode 10- Gabagool!: The Sopranos, Part I

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0700

What's there to say about a mobster and a psychoanalyst? Well, Jess and Megan have a few thoughts. Join them as they discuss Season 6, Episode 20: The Blue Comet, the penultimate episode of the beloved series. Besides many shootings, The Blue Comet also reveals how the relationship between Tony Soprano and Dr. Melfi ends. In Part I, we delve into the ethical considerations of the therapist dinner coversation and the psychopath article read by Dr. Melfi with rapt attention.

Sources:

"The Sopranos: Season 6: Episode 20: The Blue Comet." IMDB. Link.
"The Sopranos But Just Gabagool." Youtube.
Abramson, Ashley. "When Therapy Comes to an End." The American Psychological Association. Link.
Breen, Matt. "The Sopranos: A Pioneering Portrayal of Men's Mental Health." Den of Geek. Link.
Diaz, Madison. "The Sopranos is as Much About Mental Health as It Is About Crime." CBR. Link.
Gutheil, Thomas G. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Terminating Therapy Before Things Get Out of Hand." Psychiatric Times. Link.
Funicelli, Allison. "Avoiding Abandonment Claims: How to Properly Terminate Clients from Your Practice." Psychiatric News. Link.
Lahut, Jake. "'The Sopranos': How a Psychiatric Narrative Made TVs Golden Age." The Wesleyan Argus. Link.
Lattanzio, Ryan. "'The Sopranos' star Lorraine Bracco didn't like Dr. Melfi's abrupt exit." Indiewire. Link.
Noveck, Jocelyn. "Forget the violence, 'Sopranos' violated therapists' ethics." Star News Online. Link.
Schaeffer, J. "A Structured Approach to Processing Clients' Unilateral Treatment Decisions." The American Journal of Psychotherapy. Link.
Schwartz, Drew. "We Asked Psychiatrists if Tony Soprano's Shrink Is Good at Her Job." Vice. Link.
Yocheson, Samuel, Samenow, Stant

Episode 9-Justice for Bruce: Jaws

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0800

The 1975 film Jaws reveals so much about trauma, bureaucratic incompetence, lack of parental supervision, and of course, the insides of a shark's stomach. Join Megan and Jess as they discuss the making of Jaws, growing up with this classic story, and what an animatronic shark can teach us about fear.

Sources:

"Jaws." IMDB. Link.
Forcen, Fernando Espi. "Jaws and Cinematic Neurosis That Persists." Psychiatric Times. Link.
Minkin, Tracy. "'Jaws Trivia': 20 Things You Didn't Know About Jaws." AARP. Link.
Phillips, Ian. "Stephen Spielberg said that making 'Jaws' gave him PTSD- but it also saved his career." Business Insider. Link.
Rennie, Daniel. "Revisiting Bruce, The Malfunctioning Animatronic Shark That Made 'Jaws' A Horror Classic." Bold Entrance. Link.
"PTSD: National Center for PTSD." Link.

Episode 8- Bring Back the Math Guy!: Saltburn

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Attempting to understand the 2023 film Saltburn, Jess and Megan discuss the diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Greek mythology, mounds of dirt, style over substance, and much more.

Sources:

Frazier, Issac. "'Saltburn' Review (Spoilers Ahead): Class up-fighting or psychopathy?" The Valley Forge. Link
"A psychopath lacks empathy just like a person with frontal head injury, study suggests." Science Daily. Link
Johnston, Dais. "The Wildest Thriller of 2023 Stole Its Big Twist From a Violent Greek Myth." Inverse. Link
Black, Donald. "The Natural History of Antisocial Personality Disorder." Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Link
Cullen, Dave. Columbine. Book Link
Siber, Kate. "You Don't Look Anorexic" (NY Times write-up on Atypical Anorexia and eating disorders not having "a look") Link

Episode 7- Daddy Issues and Painful Shoes: Ted Lasso

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Jess and Megan are back after a break for cold weather, holiday travel, and, yes, even more apocalyptic dread. We know it's terrible out there, everyone, and we continue to do all we can to show up in our lives in mindful, thoughtful ways, including how we position ourselves for change and advocacy. We continue to turn to this podcast as a fun project. We hope it can provide some levity for you, too.

In this episode, your podcast hosts discuss Season 2, Episode 10, this poignant episode of Ted Lasso, which tackles huge topics, including death, adultery, suicide, and ill-fitting shoes. Jess and Megan also discuss research and treatment related to panic attacks, the therapeutic approaches of Dr. Sharon, and which Ted Lasso characters they'd most like to hang with.

Sources for this episode:

IMDB. Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 10: No Weddings and a Funeral. Link.
A Really Important and Pertinent Article. Link.
Cackovic, C., Nazir, S., Marwaha, R. (2019). Panic Disorder. Stat Perls Publishing. Link.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) Link.
Nwosu, A. Boardman, S. Husain, M.M., Doraiswamy, P.M. "Digital therapeutics for mental health: Is attrition the Achilles heel?" Frontiers is Psychiatry, 05 August 2022. Link.
Yonh-Ku Kim, "Panic Disorder: Current Research and Management Approaches." Psychiatry Investigation, 2019 Jan 25. Link.

BONUS- Triggers, Glimmers, and Mariah Carey

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Thanks for being part of our podcast! To celebrate over 500 downloads, we have a Bonus episode! Jess and Megan discuss their takes on triggers and glimmers, holiday music, and more.

Episode 6- Gay Sandwiches for the Holidays!: Bad Santa and Happiest Season

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Ho ho ho! It's a double feature full of grumpy delight! Join Jess and Megan as they normalize your holiday stressors and break down the holiday classic Bad Santa along with the pandemic present of Happiest Season. Grab your sandwiches, drink some egg nog, and cozy up with our newest episode.

Sources for this episode:

IMDB. Bad Santa. Link.
IMDB. Happiest Season.Link.
West, Lindy. (2020). Shit, Actually. Link.
Dunphy, Jack. "The Importance of Bad Santa in the Wake of a Friend’s Death." Talkhouse. July 18, 2019. Link.
Kirouac, M. and Witkiewitz, K. "Identifying 'Hitting Bottom' among Individuals with Alcohol Problems: Development and Evaluation of the Noteworthy Aspects of Drinking Important to Recovery (NADIR)." Subst Use Misuse. 2017 Oct 15; 52(12): 1602–1615. Link.
SWNS. "Study Finds What Makes the Perfect Sandwich." New York Post. July 21, 2023. Link.
Pachankis, J.E., Jackson, S.D., Fetzner, B.K., Mahon, C.P. and Bränström, R. "Sexual Orientation Concealment and Mental Health: A Conceptual and Meta-Analytic Review." Psychol Bull. 2020 Oct; 146(10): 831–871. Link
Kiekens, W.J., Mereish, E.H., "The Association Between Daily Concealment and Affect Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Family and Peer Support."Journal of Adolescent Studies. Volume 70, Issue 4, April 2022, Pages 650-657 Link.

Episode 5- It's a Therapeutic Nothingburger: Clinical

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Getting into the absurd mess that is the Netflix film Clinical, Jess and Megan discuss the misrepresentation of therapists in the media, and what this film could have maybe, sort of, been like if it accurately depicted therapy in even the slightest way. Listen for the giggles and get prepped for a holiday-themed thriller.

Sources for this episode:

IMDB. Clinical. Link.
Singer, M. T. and Lalich, J. (1996). Crazy Therapies: What Are They? Do They Work?
Foa, Edna. (2007). Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD.
Harned, Melanie S. (2022). Treating Trauma in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: The DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol (DBT-PE).

Episode 4- Are We Having Funyons Yet?: Breaking Bad

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Talking about the GOAT for dramatic television, this episode focuses on Season 2 Episode 3 of Breaking Bad, wherein one Walter White fakes a fugue state. Jess and Megan get into dissociative states, the Skylar White hate, duty to warn laws, and more!

Sources for this episode:

IMDB. Breaking Bad Season 2 Episode 3: Bit by a Dead Bee. Link.
Aviv, Rachel. "How a Young Woman Lost Her Identity." The New Yorker, March 26 2018. Link.
Gunn, Anna. "I Have a Character Issue." The New York Times, Aug 23 2013. Link.
Meslow, Scott. "The Big Secret of 'Breaking Bad': Walter White Was Always a Bad Guy." The Atlantic, August 31 2012. Link.
Understanding Music. "What is a Fugue?" Youtube, uploaded 11/05/2023. Link.

Episode 3 - And Then There's the Cat: Girl, Interrupted

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0700

It's the classic institutional movie! Set in the 60s, Girl, Interrupted is filmed decades later with some of the ninety-est stars ever. Jess and Megan get into stigmatized diagnoses, what people do all day when they are in treatment, and their opinions on the most triggering haircuts.

Sources for this episode:

Girl, Interrupted. IMDB.
Kaysen, Susanna. (1993). Girl, Interrupted. Turtle Bay Books.
Linehan, Marsha (2020). Building a Life Worth Living. Random House.
Mann, Thomas (1924). The Magic Mountain.
Behavioral Tech Institute. "The Role of Emotion Regulation in DBT." Link.
Carey, B. "Expert in Mental Illness Reveals Her Own Fight." New York Times. June 23, 2011 Link.
National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK) "Borderline Personality Disorder: Treatment and Management." NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 78.
Leicester (UK): British Psychological Society (UK); 2009. Link.
NA. "From Sanctuary to Snake Pit: The Rise and Fall of Asylums." New Scientist. 2009. Link.

Episode 2 - Donna's Digging Holes: Cropsey

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0700

It's spooky season so let's check out this very dark documentary about Staten Island, the Willowbrook Institution, and urban legends. Jess and Megan discuss the dangers of hearsay, the community need for scapegoats, and what the heck they think happened to those missing kids.
Triggers abound!

Sources for this episode:
Cropsey. IMDB.
Nemiroff, P. (2010). "Interview: Cropsey Directors Josh Zeman And Barbara Brancaccio." CinemaBlend. Link.

Episode 1 - A Bunch of Loud Dudes: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0700

For the very first episode, Jess and Megan discuss the classic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, including the realities of institutional employment, the traumatic experiences of carceral healthcare, and also- how did that room get trashed so quickly?

Sources for this episode:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. IMDB.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Film). Wikipedia.
Andrews, Tristan. "The Combine in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Internet Public Library. Link.
Connor, (2011.) "Chief Bromden Through Indigenous Eyes." USF Scholarship: A Digital Repository. Link.
Kesey, K. (1992). One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Penguin Putnam.