The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

How AI Shapes Our Beliefs (Key Moment w/ Dr. Tom Pollak)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100

How do you arrive at your beliefs?

In this clip from E182 of the podcast, Dr Alex speaks with consultant neuropsychiatrist Dr Tom Pollack about what AI-associated delusions may reveal about human belief itself. Rather than treating belief as something purely rational (a simple matter of evidence, logic or facts) they explore how beliefs are also shaped by emotion, meaning, charisma, relationships and narrative. They also discuss how psychiatry should adapt to the arrival of this revolutionary technology.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

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Update on Channel 4's: The Great ADHD Myth?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0100

In this update to last week’s episode, Dr Alex reflects on the response to Channel 4’s The Great ADHD Myth? and on an important new development. He also discusses what that means for the documentary, the wider ADHD debate, and the importance of discussing complex mental health issues without stigma, contempt or oversimplification.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

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 psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E186 | Channel 4’s New ADHD Documentary Missed a Huge Opportunity

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100

In this episode of The Thinking Mind Podcast, Dr. Alex responds to Channel 4’s new documentary The Great ADHD Myth?

Presented by psychiatrist Dr Max Pemberton, this film asks whether ADHD is really a neurodevelopmental disorder, and whether ADHD diagnosis and medication have gone too far.

He discusses this documentary and examines where it raises important questions, and where its conclusions go beyond the evidence.

The episode explores the evidence as to whether ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD genetics and heritability, brain imaging, whether ADHD is overdiagnosed in the UK, the quality of ADHD assessments, ADHD medication, non-medication ADHD treatment, lifestyle factors and the potential impact of the documentary on ADHD stigma.

This discussion is intended for education and general information and is not individual medical advice.

Research Papers Mentioned:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2835661
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/adhd-over-diagnosis-fiction-fashion-and-failure/1163426C23804A7049FE35D940EA938C

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E185 | How Psychiatry Became Fixated on Chemical Imbalance (w/ Prof. Justin Garson)

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100

What if one of psychiatry’s most influential ideas began with LSD, amphetamines and a handful of experiments that would be difficult to imagine today?

In this episode, Dr. Alex speaks with philosophy Professor Justin Garson about his new book, The Madness Pill: One Doctor’s Quest to Understand Schizophrenia. They explore the remarkable story of neuroscientist Solomon Snyder, whose work helped establish the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia and contributed to psychiatry’s shift towards a more biomedical understanding of mental illness.

The conversation also asks a broader question: if mental illness is more complex than one faulty brain mechanism, what would a genuinely holistic model of psychiatric care look like?

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Why Tradwife Content Feels Dangerous (Key Moment w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Is being a tradwife really just about baking bread, homemaking and traditional femininity, or is there something deeper going on?

This clip is an except from E181 of the Thinking Mind Podcast.

In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the psychology of the tradwife phenomenon: why tradwife content has become so popular online, what it offers women psychologically, and why it may also be more complicated (and less traditional) than it first appears.

This conversation examines whether tradwife culture is a harmless aesthetic, a genuine lifestyle choice, a reaction against burnout and modern feminism, or a romanticised fantasy shaped by influencer culture.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Blunstone is a registrar psychiatrist and psychotherapist working in North London.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

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 psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Podcast Announcements & Housekeeping!

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0100

The Thinking Mind is taking a short break, but there is plenty happening behind the scenes.

In this quick update, Dr Alex shares what listeners can catch up on now, what is coming next, and why the podcast is making a move towards YouTube. There are also new episodes on meditation, doing difficult things, schizophrenia and more already in the works.

If you want to support the show like, comment and subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

What the Manosphere Gets Wrong About Evolutionary Psychology (Key Moment w/ Dr Paul Eastwick)

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0100

In this exceprt from E179 of the Thinking Mind Podcast, Dr Paul Eastwick explains the “EvoScript” — the popular version of evolutionary psychology that many people have absorbed from online dating advice, red pill content, the manosphere and social media.

Dr Eastwick argues that while “mate value” can matter in first impressions, the idea that your romantic fate is determined by looks, height, money, status or fixed desirability is deeply misleading. Attraction is not just about static traits. It is dynamic, relational and shaped by how two people interact over time.

He explains why modern dating apps can make people judge each other too quickly, why romantic attraction often develops through repeated interaction, and why the science of relationships is more hopeful than the internet often suggests.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E184 | Thinking Films: Obsession (2026)

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0100

Can we really love another person, or only the version of them we have created in our minds?

Today Dr Alex explores Obsession, directed by Curry Barker, a psychological horror film about desire, consent, fantasy and the darker side of romantic love.

Using the film’s central premise (a young man wishes for the woman he loves to become completely devoted to him) Alex examines the difference between love and obsession, the dangers of projection and limerence, and why genuine intimacy depends on freedom, risk and the possibility of rejection.

The episode also looks at the “nice guy” myth, the consequences of suppressing healthy assertiveness, and the risks of relying on romantic relationships for validation and self-worth. Along the way, Alex considers why younger generations may be especially vulnerable to fantasy and idealisation.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E183 | Finding Your Life's Meaning (w/ Dr. Joel Vos)

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100

This week Dr Alex speaks with psychologist and philosopher Dr Joel Vos about what it really means to live a meaningful life. They explore why modern culture can leave people feeling distracted, disconnected and overly focused on external goals, and how existential psychotherapy can help people reconnect with what matters most to them.

The conversation also examines the relationship between meaning, mental health and radicalisation. Lastly, they discuss Transactional Analysis, and under discussed form of therapy, and the unconscious roles, masks and “games” that shape our relationships.

Find out more about Joel's worl here: www.joelvos.com

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Key Moment: What We Get Wrong About Depression (and Anti-Depressants)

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from E178 of the Thinking Mind Podcast. In this clip, Alex speaks with neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett about whether depression should really be understood as a disease.

They discuss the disease model of mental health, why depression is more complicated than a simple biological fault, and why mental health problems cannot always be treated in the same way as physical illnesses. Dean explains why calling depression a disease can sometimes help people take it seriously, but can also be misleading if it makes us think there is always one clear biological cause and one simple cure.

The conversation also explores the relationship between mental health and physical health, the brain-body connection, how stress and depression affect the immune system, and why the line between illness, adaptation and normal human suffering is often blurry.

They also discuss antidepressants, SSRIs, how often they help, why they are commonly prescribed, possible side effects, withdrawal effects, and why antidepressants should be understood as one tool among many rather than a perfect solution or something to dismiss entirely.

Dr Dean Burnett is the author of The Idiot Brain, The Happy Brain and several other books exploring neuroscience, psychology and the weird ways our brains shape our lives.

They discuss why the brain is not the perfect machine we often imagine it to be, why intrusive thoughts don’t define who you are, why anxiety and self-sabotage are often normal features of the mind, and why happiness is not something we are designed to feel all the time.

Dean also explains what we do and don’t know about depression, antidepressants, SSRIs, brain chemistry, neuroplasticity, withdrawal effects, and why mental health is far more complicated than simple slogans like “chemical imbalance” or “just think positive”.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E182 | Can AI Cause Psychosis? (w/ Dr. Tom Pollak)

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Today Dr Alex speaks with consultant neuropsychiatrist and immunopsychiatry researcher Dr Tom Pollack about one of the strangest and most urgent questions emerging in mental health today: can AI chatbots contribute to delusions, psychosis, conspiracy thinking and changes in belief?

They discuss the rise of so-called “AI psychosis” or AI-associated delusions, and how prolonged conversations with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini can sometimes drift into troubling territory.

They also ask deeper questions such as: what does AI reveal about human belief itself? Dr Alex and Dr Pollack discuss motivated reasoning, charisma, loneliness, meaning-making, spirituality, folie à deux, archetypes, and why humans may be more vulnerable to persuasive technologies than we like to think.

Lastly they consider who may be most at risk, and what psychiatrists, therapists, families and users should be paying attention to as AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life.

BBC Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arx-sqtggdU

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Blunstone is a registrar psychiatrist and psychotherapist working in North London.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Key Moment: How To Break the Habit of Negative Thinking

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from E175 of the Thinking Mind Podcast.

In this episode, Alex is joined by Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neuroscience of thought.

We explore why our relationship with thought may be one of the most important factors in our wellbeing. Kalina explains why spontaneous thought — mind-wandering, daydreaming, creativity and even dreaming — is far more important than modern productivity culture often allows.

We discuss the difference between healthy mind-wandering and repetitive rumination, and what happens in the brain seconds before a thought enters conscious awareness. We also explore meditation, the unconscious mind, creativity, habits of thought, the cost of avoiding the past, and how we can begin to build a better relationship with our own minds.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E181 | Are Trad Wives Feminists? (w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Is being a tradwife really just about baking bread, homemaking and traditional femininity, or is there something deeper going on?

In this episode, Dr Alex is joined by Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the psychology of the tradwife phenomenon: why tradwife content has become so popular online, what it offers women psychologically, and why it may also be more complicated (and less traditional) than it first appears.

This conversation examines whether tradwife culture is a harmless aesthetic, a genuine lifestyle choice, a reaction against burnout and modern feminism, or a romanticised fantasy shaped by influencer culture.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Key Moment: The Three Faces of Self-Hate

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from: E177 - Why You Must Deal With Self-Hate.

Low self-esteem doesn’t always look like insecurity. In this clip, Dr. Alex explains three patterns of low self-esteem and self-hate: becoming aggressive, becoming submissive, or becoming avoidant. Drawing on Karen Horney’s ideas in *Neurosis and Human Growth*, he explores how poor self-esteem can show up as narcissism, people-pleasing, dependency, cynicism, avoidance, difficulty with criticism, and trouble taking risks.

Low self-esteem is not just about feeling bad about yourself. It can shape what you tolerate, what you avoid, who you choose, and whether you feel able to act in your own best interests.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

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/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E180 | Thinking Films: Another Woman (1988)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0100

In this episode of The Thinking Mind, Dr. Alex is joined by Michael Cohen and Jonathan Kirschner, hosts of That ’70s Movie Podcast, to discuss Woody Allen’s 1988 film Another Woman, starring Gena Rowlands, Ian Holm, Mia Farrow and Gene Hackman.

Another Woman is a quiet but devastating psychological drama about Marion Post, a philosophy professor whose life begins to unravel when she overhears the therapy sessions of a younger pregnant woman.

Dr Alex, Michael and Jonathan discuss why the film feels like such an “adult” movie, how it explores introspection, repression, memory, regret and the possibility of change. This is a conversation about cinema, psychology, middle age, missed possibilities, and the strange kind of hope that can come from finally seeing yourself clearly.

Check out That '70s Movie Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-70s-movie-podcast/id1832034357

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you are interested in working with Alex for focused psychological coaching , you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Key Moment: How Dating Apps Break Male Confidence (LooksMaxxing Explained)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from E174 about LooksMaxxing.

Looksmaxxing has become one of the most talked-about trends among young men online — but what does it actually mean, and when does self-improvement become harmful?

This conversation looks at the deeper psychological forces behind the looksmaxxing trend: fear of rejection, low self-esteem, the desire to become more attractive, the pressure to “ascend,” and the belief that changing your face or body will solve your dating life.

We also ask what a healthier alternative might look like — one based on confidence, social skills, resilience, real-world relationships, self-worth and learning how to tolerate rejection.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi and Dr. Rosy Blunstone. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E179 | Why Attraction Isn't What You Think - Dr. Paul Eastwick

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0100

Dr. Paul Eastwick is a Professor at UC Davis where he runs the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. Dr. Eastwick’s research investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners to remain committed and attached. He is one of the hosts of the Love Factually podcast.

Today we discuss his 2026 book Bonded by Evolution - to explore the science of romantic attraction, dating, compatibility and long-term relationships.

We discuss why the idea of “mate value” can be misleading, how dating apps encourage us to judge people too quickly, why looks and status matter less than many online dating gurus suggest, and why real attraction often develops slowly through repeated interaction, shared experience and emotional connection.

The Love Factually Podcast: https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Key Moment: Make Your Life a Work of Art (w/ Emmy Van Deurzen)

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from E172 of the Thinking Mind Podcast.

Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993.

In this conversation, we discuss existential therapy, what it means to be truly free, how to face life’s difficulties without turning away from them, and how we might begin to live more courageously.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.
Website: alexcurmitherapy.com

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E178 | Our Idiot Brains, Happiness & Antidepressants (w/ Dr. Dean Burnett)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0100

Today Dr. Alex is joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange, flawed and fascinating human brain.

Dr Dean Burnett is the author of The Idiot Brain, The Happy Brain and several other books exploring neuroscience, psychology and the weird ways our brains shape our lives.

They discuss why the brain is not the perfect machine we often imagine it to be, why intrusive thoughts don’t define who you are, why anxiety and self-sabotage are often normal features of the mind, and why happiness is not something we are designed to feel all the time.

Dean also explains what we do and don’t know about depression, antidepressants, SSRIs, brain chemistry, neuroplasticity, withdrawal effects, and why mental health is far more complicated than simple slogans like “chemical imbalance” or “just think positive”.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Sleep Series E4 | The Sleep Disorders No One Talks About (w/ Dr. Hugh Selsick)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100

For the final episode of our Sleep Series, Dr. Anya welcomes back Dr Hugh Selsick, consultant psychiatrist and lead for the UCLH Sleep Clinic in London. This episode covers sleep disorders we didn’t discuss previously on the last episode with Hugh (E128).

They discuss the different stages of sleep, strange things can happen during sleep such as sleep paralysis (parasomnias), narcolepsy, sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome and much more.

If you haven't already check out episodes 1-3 of our Sleep Series where we explore how sleep works, the psychology of insomnia and sleep in children.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr. Borissova is an academic psychiatry registrar at the South London and Maudsley Trust.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E177 | Why You Must Deal With Self-Hate

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0100

In this episode, Alex explores self-esteem, self-hate and self-criticism, not just as emotional issues, but as forces that can shape the quality of a person’s life.

He discusses how poor self-esteem can affect relationships, work, ambition, risk-taking and the ability to build a life that feels authentic. Alex also examines how people can develop a defensive “neurotic self” in response to fear, shame, anxiety or the stresses of life.

Finally, he looks at what healthier self-esteem might involve: a balanced relationship with yourself built on both compassion and challenge.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Sleep Series E3 | How Do Children Sleep? (w/ Dr Anya McLaren-Barnett)

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100

This episode in the sleep series is with Dr Anya McLaren-Barnett. Dr Anya is a pediatric respirologist, sleep medicine physician and creator of The Sleep Health Intelligence Program (SHIPTM).

In this episode, we discuss how our sleep patterns develop from birth, how Dr Anya addresses children’s sleep disorders in her clinic and we get some pointers on how to choose a sleep consultant. Thinking about investing in melatonin gummies? Listen to this episode first and then decide. You can see more from Dr Anya on instagram @thesleepgap and https://www.thesleephealth.org/about

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova. Dr. Borissova is an academic psychiatry registrar at the South London and Maudsley Trust.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E176 | LSD, Narcissism & the Science of the Self (w/ Dr. Anjali Bhat)

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Anjali Bhat is a neuroscientist, therapist and writer. Today we discuss the science of the self, the future of therapy, and what altered states of consciousness can teach us about the mind. Anjali explains her work in psychedelics research, including an upcoming study that involves giving people high doses of LSD in a high-resolution brain scanner.

We also talk about the promises and limitations of psychedelic-assisted therapy, ADHD, productivity culture, burnout, and why slowing down can be psychologically transformative. We also discuss what makes therapy effective, why the therapeutic relationship matters so much, the risks of AI therapy, and how to think more clearly about narcissism.

You can find out more about Anjali's work here: https://www.anjalibhat.org/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Sleep Series E2 | The Psychology of Insomnia (w/ Heather Darwall-Smith)

Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Heather Darwall-Smith is a UKCP Registered and Accredited Psychotherapist, specialising in CBT for insomnia and psychotherapy for sleep. She is the author of How To Be Awake (So You Can Sleep Through the Night), The Science of Sleep and The ADHD Sleep Book. She has been featured on The Guardian, BBC and Forbes.

You can find out more about Heather here https://www.heatherdarwallsmith.com/.

This episode explores how Heather works with people who have tried everything for their sleep problems and what we can do during our waking life to improve our sleep.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova with Dr. Rosy Blunstone. Dr. Borissova is an academic psychiatry registrar at the South London and Maudsley Trust. Dr. Blunstone is a psychiatry and psychotherapy registrar in London.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E175 | How to Stop Fighting Your Mind (w/ Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva)

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:00:00 +0100

In this episode, Alex is joined by Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neuroscience of thought.

We explore why our relationship with thought may be one of the most important factors in our wellbeing. Kalina explains why spontaneous thought — mind-wandering, daydreaming, creativity and even dreaming — is far more important than modern productivity culture often allows.

We discuss the difference between healthy mind-wandering and repetitive rumination, and what happens in the brain seconds before a thought enters conscious awareness. We also explore meditation, the unconscious mind, creativity, habits of thought, the cost of avoiding the past, and how we can begin to build a better relationship with our own minds.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Sleep Series E1: How Does Sleep Work? (w/ Prof. Russell Foster)

Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

This is the first episode on our special mini-series on sleep. Professor Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience, Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and the Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller 'Life Time'.

In this episode, we take a whirlwind tour of how we’ve developed circadian rhythms and how they orchestrate pretty much every function in our body. We turn the focus onto sleep, of course, and speak about the impact of shift work, what is known about the sleep disruption in mental illness (chicken or egg?!) and much more.

You can see more of Prof Foster's research at https://www.scni.ox.ac.uk/

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

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Key Moment: What People Get Wrong About Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)

Sat, 16 May 2026 23:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from: E170 | The Unexpected Joy of Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)

Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Lancet Psychiatrist. Her most recent book Little Addictions (2026) is out now.

Today we discuss her journey to sobriety, the hidden role alcohol can play in mental health, and why giving it up can lead to a richer, more joyful life. We also explore the psychology of addiction, behaviour change, how one can strengthen their long-term thinking, why uncertain rewards are so addictive, the unexpected downside of gossiping and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

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 behaviour change coaching , you can email: alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E174 | Looksmaxxing Uncovered: The Dark Side of Self-Improvement (w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Looksmaxxing is an online subculture that has moved from niche online forums into mainstream conversation, but what does it actually mean, and when does looksmaxxing become concerning, if not disturbing?

In this episode, Alex is joined again by psychiatry and psychotherapy registrar Dr Rosy Blunstone to explore the world of looksmaxxing: from grooming, fitness and “softmaxxing” to more extreme practices such as bone smashing, steroid use, cosmetic surgery and dangerous medication misuse.

They discuss why looksmaxxing appears to resonate especially with young men, how dating apps and image-based social media may be shaping anxiety around attraction, and the links between looksmaxxing, rejection, loneliness, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder and incel culture.

Together, they ask what a healthier attitude toward appearance might look like, and why confidence, resilience, social connection and learning to tolerate rejection may matter far more than chasing physical perfection.

Watched the Channel 4 doc about Looksmaxxing here: https://youtu.be/KdfKZpsNMvE?si=VWYuNugKxZVWgZsS

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E173 | Thinking Films: Network (1976) w/ Tom Shkolnik

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Network directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Paddy Chayefsky and starring Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, William Holden and Faye Dunaway.

In this episode we discuss Lumet's film-making style, how Network predicted the future, the evolution of the media landscape, the impact of systems and media on how we think and behave, technology addiction, cultural stagnation and much more.

Tom is the director of the 2012 British drama The Comedian nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2012 London film festival. He is the director of an upcoming film based on the book A Life of One's Own by psychoanalyst Marion Milner.

Here is the link to the crowdfunding campaign for Tom's upcoming film A Life of Own's Own about psychoanalyst Marion Milner:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/BWdq6L4n?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-186445029

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E172 | How to Live Courageously (Existential Psychotherapy w/ Emmy van Deurzen)

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy when it was created in 1993.

Her new book, Beginning to Live: The Art of Existential Freedom, is a guide to existential therapy. Not so much a self-help book, but, as Emmy puts it, a compass for navigating life’s difficulties. In it, she explores how we can face the fundamental questions of existence: uncertainty, meaning, freedom, mortality, and our relationships with others.

In this conversation, we discuss existential therapy, what it means to be truly free, how to face life’s difficulties without turning away from them, and how we might begin to live more courageously.

Emmy's new book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginning-Live-Art-Existential-Freedom

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E171 - Taking Your Life Back (w/ Tom Shkolnik)

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Tom Shkolnik returns to discuss his upcoming film A Life of One’s Own, based on the life of psychoanalyst and writer Marion Milner. Today he explains Milner’s undogmatic, exploratory style, rooted in her rejection of post–World War I societal norms.

Tom and Alex explore key ideas from A Life of One’s Own, including Milner’s practice of tracking happiness, her distinction between “wide” versus “narrow” attention, the joy of purposelessness and much more. Shkolnik describes crafting his nontraditional, scriptless film, alongside reflections on the film-world’s current crisis and the importance of creative freedom.

Link to the crowdfunding campaign for A Life of Own's Own about psychoanalyst Marion Milner:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/BWdq6L4n?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E170 - The Unexpected Joy of Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Lancet Psychiatrist. Her most recent book Little Addictions (2026) is out now.

Today we discuss her journey to sobriety, the hidden role alcohol can play in mental health, and why giving it up can lead to a richer, more joyful life. We also explore the psychology of addiction, behaviour change, how one can strengthen their long-term thinking, why uncertain rewards are so addictive, the unexpected downside of gossiping and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E169 | From Depression to Elite Athletic Performance (w/ Fergus Crawley)

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100

Fergus is a hybrid athlete and mental health advocate, known for world-first endurance feats including ultra marathons and extreme triathlon challenges. His upcoming Project TENacity will see him complete 10 Iron-distance triathlons in 10 cities over 10 days, marking 10 years since a suicide attempt and raising awareness for men's mental health.

Fergus' YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ferguscrawley95

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

We're on Break this week! Announcements, Future Episodes & Housekeeping

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100

This week, The Thinking Mind is taking a short break. In this brief update, we highlight some recent favourite episodes, including conversations on Nazi psychology, the manosphere, mastering emotions, and a Thinking Films discussion on Taxi Driver - plus a preview of what’s coming next on the podcast.

Here is the link to the crowdfunding campaign for Tom Shkolnik's upcoming film A Life of Own's Own about psychoanalyst Marion Milner:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/BWdq6L4n?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

The Thinking Mind is presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-186445029

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E168 | Thinking Films: Taxi Driver (1976) w/ Tom Shkolnik

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Taxi Driver directed by Marin Scorcese and starring Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster.

In this episode we discuss Scorcese and his filmmaking style, why Taxi Driver remains relevant today, the appeal of this film to young men, the schizoid personality type, the danger of the Drama triangle, as well as themes of loneliness, trauma and alienation.

Here is the link to the crowdfunding campaign for Tom's upcoming film A Life of Own's Own about psychoanalyst Marion Milner:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/BWdq6L4n?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-186445029

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E167 | Inside the Manosphere (w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses the Louis Theroux documentary for Netflix Inside the Manosphere with psychiatry and psychotherapy registrar Dr. Rosy Blunstone - who also leads the the Thinking Mind Substack.

The Manosphere is defined as a varied collection of onlne content made by men, for men to promote masculinity. Communities within the manosphere include mens rights activitists (MRAs), incels (involuntary celibates), Men Going their Own Way (MGTOW), pick up artists and father's right's groups.

While the specifics of each group's beliefs sometimes conflict, they are generally united in the belief that society is biased against men due to the influence of feminism, and that feminists promote misandry (hatred of men). Acceptance of these ideas is described as "taking the red pill" a metaphor borrowed from the film The Matrix.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-186445029

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E166 | The Nazi & The Psychiatrist (w/ Jack El-Hai)

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Jack El-Hai is an American journalist and author who focuses most of his work on the history of medicine, the history of science, and other historical topics. He is the author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist (2013) which has since been adapted into the 2025 film Nuremberg starring Russel Crowe.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/2026-is-the-year-of-the-horse-but

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E165 | Why Do Your Goals Make You Miserable? (w/ Dr. Paul Goldsmith)

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Paul Goldsmith is a Consultant Neurologist with a special interest in evolutionary biology and its application to the challenges of modern life. In his new book The Evolving Brain, Dr Goldsmith draws on cutting-edge neuroscience and case studies from his clinical practice to accessibly explain how our brains work and how they evolved the way they did.

On this episode expect to learn:

- Why we were not designed for happiness.

- A new lens on goals: why passivity drags you down, why modern goals can lead to burn out, and how to rebalance for better wellbeing.

- Why loneliness is an essential feeling, and what modern society gets wrong about community.

- Practical takeaways: how to stay motivated, journaling to close mental “open loops,” and why dropping a goal can be progress.

- A provocative view on the “self”, and how holding it more lightly can reduce blame, rumination, and reactivity.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/2026-is-the-year-of-the-horse-but

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E164 | Thinking Films: Nightcrawler (2014)

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses the 2014 film Nightcrawler directed by Dan Gilroy. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an unhinged freelancer who seeks out violent events late at night in Los Angeles, so he can film them and sell the footage to a local TV news station.

We discuss the anti-social personality, the danger of bad incentives, how language can be used as a manipulative tool, the subtle insidiousness of content creation, red flags to watch out for when meeting new people and much more.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindblog/note/p-183600902?r=3tgitv&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E163 | How Can We Master Our Emotions? (w/ Prof Laith Al Shawaf)

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Laith Al-Shawaf is an award-winning professor, research psychologist, and writer at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on emotions, cognitive biases, and personality & individual differences. He is the primary editor and curator of the 70-chapter Oxford Handbook of Evolution and the Emotions, published in 2024.

You can find his scholarly work, popular science writing, and podcast appearances on his personal website (laithalshawaf.com) and on his X profile, @LaithAlShawaf

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laith.alshawaf/ Instagram: @laith.alshawaf.psych

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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/2026-is-the-year-of-the-horse-but

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E162 | Training Your Mind to Break World Records (w/ Neil Agius)

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Neil Agius is a Maltese former Olympian and world record-breaking ultra long-distance swimmer. Neil has completed some of the longest unassisted open-water swims in history, including record-breaking crossings between Sicily and Malta and a 142km non-stop world record in 2024. Most recently Neil completed the Gozo 7, swimming around the island of Gozo 7 times in 7 days.

Expect to learn:

- What it takes physically and psychologically to swim for 24 - 60 + hours

- The role of micro-goals, radical acceptance, visualisation, breathwork

- How a sense of purpose and social connection can sustain performance when the body is nearly depleted

- The importance of embracing failure, persistence, and much more.

You can find out more about Neil here: https://neilagius.com/

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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E161 | How do Psychedelics Help with Depression? (Professor Emma Robinson)

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Professor Emma Robinson is Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. Professor Robinson conducts research with rodents, which can help us to better understand how emotions get formed by the brain and how novel fast-acting antidepressants like ketamine and psilocybin (aka the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) could cause antidepressant effects.

We discuss how animal research can help us understand human emotions and very human conditions like depression, and why psychedelics might work to treat it.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-183600902

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E160 | How AI Hacks Your Mind (w/ Jacob Ward)

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Jacob Ward is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering technology, power, and the unintended consequences of innovation. He’s currently a reporter-in-residence at Omidyar Network and the founding editor and host of The Rip Current, a newsletter and podcast about the hidden forces shaping modern life.

He previously served as a technology correspondent for NBC News and Al Jazeera, and has featued as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Don Lemon Show. He was editor-in-chief of Popular Science, and is the author of The Loop: How Technology is Making a World Without Chocies , a book on how artificial intelligence influences human decision-making.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright on 3rd Feb 2026:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E159 | The Fundamentals of Weight Loss

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses the fundamentals of weight loss and sustainable weight management including:

- How to approach the problem of being overweight or obese

- The role of nutrition, exercise, sleep and alcohol

- Understanding different phases of weight management

- How to measure your progress

- The psychology of weight loss

- How to get started

.. and much more.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not appropriate for individuals with a previous history of restrictive eating disorders or extreme body image issues.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Alex is doing a live event with Rose Cartwright in London on Feb 3rd 2026 - tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-178065522

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E158 | Thinking Films: Blue Valentine (2010)

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discussed the 2010 film Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance and starring Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams. Including themes of attachment, regret, addiction and unmet potential. With important takeways such as how relationships commonly fail, how to maintian healthy relationships and why you always hurt the ones you love.

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-178065522

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E157 | How can AI Technology help Therapists? (w/ Sean Ruane)

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sean Ruane is the founder and CEO of Mind Data. A lifelong entrepreneur, Sean's goal is to combine his business accumen with his own experiences of mental health difficulties to form a company than can help practitioners deliver high quality mental healthcare.

Disclaimer: The Thinking Mind does not have any financial affiliation with Mind Data.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright on 3rd Feb 2026:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E156 | How Should We Prepare for the Future? (feat. the Examined Life Podcast)

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This week Alex presents his conversation on the Examined Life podcast with Kenneth Primrose.

Alex discusses the more troubling aspects of modern life, and how we might prepare for an uncertain future. The question which formed the spine of our conversation was ‘ In a world where technology has been quite disruptive psychologically for a lot of people, how do we prepare for an increasingly technological future?

This conversation examines how modern technology reshapes attention, confidence, morality and meaning, and Alex offers practical tips for staying human as machines grow more capable. Among the topics explored you will find:

• Tech-driven overstimulation dulling joy and focus
• Confidence built through voluntary discomfort
• Psychiatry and psychotherapy as complementary lenses
• Intolerance of uncertainty and stoic control
• Integrity, congruence and moral habits
• Social skills as a proactive practice
• AI as tool versus thinking crutch
• Career durability through uncommon skill combinations
• Financial resilience vs consumerist drift
• Community as the container for lasting change

You can check out The Examined Life on Apple, Spotify and every major podcast platform:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-examined-life/id1680728280

https://open.spotify.com/show/1QaEmvYjKVmMg3LZVpq0qS?trackId=1rJaiv1oQkEL0DdBoKarPA

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E155 | A Holistic Approach to Mental Health Treatment (feat. the Lively Minds Podcast)

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This week Alex returns to the Lively Minds Podcast to chat to hosts Will and Ellie. They discuss what it means to take a patient-centred approach, and the differences between seeing clients as a psychiatrist, therapist or coach.

He elaborates on his diverse experiences across various mental health settings and the importance of recognising biological, psychological, and social inputs in mental health. He also touches on the challenges and methodologies involved in acute and planned mental health interventions, patient-centred care, and challenges of working within a limited mental health system.

The conversation highlights the need for a holistic, collaborative, and anti-tribalistic approach in mental health practice.

You can check out Lively Minds on Apple, Spotify and every major podcast platform:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/021FbsjSIfH2ZvXPm5bNfA?si=TKA7Lzr1TSCRZrgUZRQ6jA

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lively-minds-the-uk-mental-health-podcast/id1670147948

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E154 | Thinking Films: Mulholland Drive (w/ David Shariatmadari)

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses David Lynch's 2001 classic Mulholland Drive with David Shariatmadari. David is a writer and editor at the Guardian and is the author of Don't Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language.

Including themes such as splitting, repression, the shadow, and the effects of guilt and moral injury - this film remains a beautiful, dark and enigmatic look at human psychology.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E153 | Does AI Make us Dumber? (w/ Sophie McBain)

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sophie McBain is an award-winning freelance writer based in Boston. She writes longform narrative nonfiction, profiles, book reviews and essays for the Guardian, the Observer, the Times, New Statesman magazine and others.

Today she discusses her recent Guardian article: Are We Living in a Golden Age of Stupidity? - about the potential cognitive affects of AI overuse.

Link to article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/18/are-we-living-in-a-golden-age-of-stupidity-technology

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E152 | How Brain Stimulation Cured Lifelong Depression (w/ Prof. Ziad Nahas)

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Prof. Ziad Nahas is a psychiatrist and researcher who treats adult patients with mood disorders and treatment resistant depression and specializes in performing deep brain stimulation and electro-convulsive therapy. Dr. Nahas is Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Today we discuss a case study of a 44 year old man with treatment resistant depression treated with PACE (Personalized Adaptive Cortical Electro-stimulation) a novel, personalised form of brain stimulation.

The Case Study and video of the study patient (alias Mike) can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ziad-nahas-67526015a_neuroscience-mentalhealthinnovation-functionalmri-activity-7360347911529910272-C08F?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAFjWpikBGe7Oel-gcC_2ZupvuXI-t9RkwCM

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out Alex on the Examined Life Podcast here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dr-alex-curmi-how-should-we-prepare-for-a/id1680728280?i=1000738070553

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E151 | Thinking Films: The Truman Show (1998)

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E150 | Addiction, ADHD and the Price of Success (w/ Paul Flynn)

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E149 | Cognitive Analytic Therapy (w/ Hilary Beard)

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E148 | Is Modern Life Making Us Sick? (w/ Prof. Derek Tracy)

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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/2A1862AA7A2D78F946A34475D98425EB

Today 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-it

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E147 | Thinking Films: The Wolf of Wallstreet (2013)

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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=iiaVUdXV2UY

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E146 | Should We Decriminalise Drugs? (w/ Prof. David Nutt)

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100

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.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/psychedelics-technology-and-love

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E145 | Surviving a Cult (part 2 of 2 w/ Gillie Jenkinson)

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100

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-workbook

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/psychedelics-technology-and-love

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E144 | Brain Stimulation Headsets for Depression (w/Daniel Månsson)

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100

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 depression
Different research studies that have looked into the effectiveness of TDCS treatment for depression
The ethical challenges of studying, producing and selling medical devices
How 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/abstract

Home-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/2813623

Northamptonshire NHS study:

https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=131358

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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.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E143 | Does ChatGPT Make a Good Therapist? (w/ Jared Moore)

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100

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/10.1145/3715275.3732039

Interviewed 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-it

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E142 | Thinking Films: Her (2013)

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100

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-chatbots

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E141 | Are Dating Apps Ruining Love? (Modern Relationships w/ Prof. Viren Swami)

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Professor Viren Swami is an international expert on attraction and body image and has written and edited several books on these topics. He is a chartered psychologist and associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and is ranked in the top 2% of the most-cited scientists in the world.

Viren is the author of Attraction Explained: The Science of how we Form Relationships, which deconstructed popular myths about attraction and relationships.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E140 - Surviving a Cult (part 1 of 2 w/ Gillie Jenkinson)

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Today Gillie discusses her experiences being part of an abusive cult in Britain in the 1970s, the impact this had on her psychologically, and how she eventually recovered.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E139 - Can Ozempic Cause Depression? (Talking Science with Dr. Anya Borissova)

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Today Alex and Anya break down mental health studies to deliver fascinating insights from research, discuss the difference between good and bad science, and understand how science can be (for better and worse) leveraged to market products.

Papers discussed today:

Flow neuroscience for depression:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03305-y

Ozempic and depression:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75965-2

Hydrogen water and Aging:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75965-2

With Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Dr. Anya is a psychiatry registrar and academic trainee at the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E138 What Does Science Reveal About Therapy? (w/ Prof. Pim Cuijpers)

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Pim Cuijpers. Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is also director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions in Amsterdam.

Professor Cuijpers is specialised in conducting randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses on prevention and psychological treatments of common mental disorders.

Today, we focus on what is known about the psychological treatment of depression. We start off a little technical - so that you hopefully can come away with an initial understanding of what a meta-analysis is and how they are useful. Prof Cuijpers then tells us about what is known about how effective psychological therapies are in depression, where we’re at with personalising and what his vision for the future is.

Get in touch or read more from with Prof Cuijpers here: https://www.pimcuijpers.com/blog/

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-170117699

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E137 - How do Romantic Relationships Work? (w/ Dr. Paul Eastwick)

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100

https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

We're on Break this week! Announcements, Future Episodes & Housekeeping

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100

We're on holiday this week! Today we briefly mention some recent episode recommendations, future episodes and other announcements.

The Thinking Mind Podcast is hosted by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Alex's TedX talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JvG10zQups&t=52s

The Thinking Mind Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E136 - Are we Over-Diagnosing Mental Illness? (w/ Dr. Alastair Santhouse)

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Alastair Santhouse is a consultant psychiatrist and author with over 20 years of experience in the field. He has worked at both Guy’s Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital in London, treating a wide range of mental health conditions.

His clinical expertise includes the psychological impact of physical illness and persistent physical symptoms, as well as more typical psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and adjustment disorders.

Dr. Santhouse is the author of Head First: A Psychiatrist's Stories of Mind and Body (2021), and No More Normal: Mental Health in an Age of Over-Diagnosis (2025).

Find out more about Dr. Santhouse here - https://www.alastairsanthouse.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E135 - Are we Failing Patients with Psychosis? (w/ Dr. Patte Randal)

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Patte Randal is a doctor trained in psychiatry, now retired from practice after working for over 30 years in mental health. She has lived experience of recovery from psychosis, and has told her story publicly in many contexts, including her published book, Finding Hope in the Lived Experience of Psychosis: Reflections on Trauma, Use of Power, and Re-visioning Psychiatry - co-authored with Dr. Josephine Stanton.

For more resources on mental health recovery from Patte and her colleages visit:

https://thegiftbox.lovable.app/

https://www.talkthatheals.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haQvxyw4_9g

Patte's book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/bdee66yz

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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E134 - Is Psychiatry Making Things Worse? (w/ Marieke Bigg)

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Marieke Bigg is an author of fiction and nonfiction in the areas of women’s health, mental health, and the history of science. She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge where her research focused on the debates on human embryo research in Britain. She is currently also training as a psychotherapist and works as a peer support coordinator and client liaison at the mental health charity Mind. Her most recent book is No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E133 - How Does Your Personality Affect Your Life? - Live at Imperial College

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100

What if you finally had a road map to your psychology?

This week Alex shares a talk he gave at the MRC institute at Imperial College - Personality: How the Science of Who We Are Can Help Us Lead Better Lives.

This talk describes how we can define personality, why its useful to have an understand of personality for career, relationships and quality of life, how personality affects our political leanings and much more.

This lecture is also available on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yI1EJfP1zg

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Alex's TedX talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JvG10zQups&t=52s

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E132 - Does Acceptance Lead to Change? (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy w/Dr. Joe Oliver)

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Joe Oliver is a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of Contextual Consulting, an organisation providing training, supervision and therapy in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

He is also an associate professor and overall programme director for the University College London CBT for Severe Mental Health Problems post graduate programme.

He has written 6 ACT books, and has his own Youtube channel dedicated to discussing ACT and related topics.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E131 - What if Nothing Felt Real Anymore? (Depersonalisation & Derealisation w/ Dr. Elaine Hunter)

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Elaine Hunter is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has worked with Depersonalisation and Derealisation Disorder since 1999. She has conducted research into improving psychological treatment of the condition and worked clinically to try to help many people with the condition.

In March 2019 she set up The Depersonalisation Clinic to allow her freedom to see a wider range of clients. She is a founding member of Unreal - a charity dedicated to helping individuals with Depersonalisation and Derealisation. In the last few years she has collaborated with many involved with Unreal in trying to raise awareness of DPDR as well as improving access to treatment and increasing research funding.

You can find out more about Unreal here - https://www.unrealcharity.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E130 - What Should You Know about Anti-depressants? (feat. the Lively Minds podcast)

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100

This week Alex goes on the the Lively Minds Podcast to chat to hosts Will and Ellie. They take a deep dive into anti-depressants and SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), which is the most commonly prescribed form of antidepressant in the UK.

They discuss what we know about the effectiveness of SSRIs, what we don't, and why there is so much debate about their use.

You can check out Lively Minds on Apple, Spotify and every major podcast platform:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lively-minds-the-uk-mental-health-podcast/id1670147948

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E129 - Living with Bipolar Disorder (w/ Shreevatsa Nevatia)

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Shreevatsa Nevatia is an independent journalist. He has worked as the editor of National GeographicTraveller, and has written for the NationHindustan Times, and the Mumbai Mirror and Outlook. He is the author of How to Travel Light: My Memories of Madness and Melancholia, which among other things describes Shreevata's experiences coming to terms with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in his early twenties.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E128 - How do we Treat Insomnia? (w/ Dr. Hugh Selsick)

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Hugh Selsick is a consultant psychiatrist treating adults with sleep disorders, he has been involved in Sleep and Sleep Medicine for nearly 30 years. He has also founded and ran the Insomnia and Behavioural Sleep Medicine Clinic at UCLH, having worked for over a decade in the Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals.

Dr. Selsick founded and chaired the Sleep Special Interest Group in the Royal College of Psychiatrists and he is a past president of the Sleep Section at the Royal Society of Medicine. He has expertise in treating all sleep disorders and has a special interest in the management of insomnia, nightmares, circadian rhythm disorders and restless legs.

Today we discuss:

- The serious impact of insomnia on quality of life

- Definition, causes, and prevalence of insomnia

- Overview of sleep disorders: insomnia, hypersomnia, sleep apnea, circadian disorders, parasomnias, movement disorders

- CBT for insomnia

... and much more!

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E127 - Can Tony Robbins Cure Depression? (Talking Science with Dr. Anya Borissova)

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Can Tony Robbins self-help course cure depression? Do people prefer ketamine or electroconvulsive treatment for depression and does preference matter? Today Alex and Anya break down mental health studies to deliver fascinating insights from research, discuss the difference between good and bad science, and understand how science can be (for better and worse) leveraged to market products.

Tony Robbins Study:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9107501/

Ketamine vs Electroconvulsive Treatment:

Primary analysis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30572160/

Secondary analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178125000605

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E126 - Is Social Media Dangerous for Kids?

Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Today Alex discusses the question: is social media harmful for the mental health of young people? In this episode expect to learn:

- Why human beings are vulnerable to information overload.

- What about social media and smartphone technology could be addictive or harmful?

- Super-powers or metaskills we should be cultivating in our children to deal with an AI driven world.

- Recommendations around smartphones and social media for young people.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Watch Alex on Adam Lane Smith's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dd6GAsZhQ0&t=1529s

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E125 - The Path to Productivity with ADHD (w/ Ari Tuckman)

Fri, 23 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Ari Tuckman PsyD, MBA, is a psychologist, presenter, author, With 25 years in private practice, he specializes in diagnosing and treating ADHD and works with individuals, couples, and families.

Tuckman is the author of four books on adult ADHD and regularly contributes to ADHD-related publications

As a popular expert and advocate, Tuckman has been widely quoted in major media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Men’s Health.

His most recent book - The ADHD Productivity Manual - is out now

https://adultadhdbook.com/the-adhd-productivity-manual/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E124 - How can we Prevent and Treat Dementia? (w/ Dr. Ben Underwood)

Fri, 16 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Ben Underwood is Assistant Professor in Applied and Translational Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and an Honorary Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist. His interests are in translational medicine in dementia, where he has been principal investigator (PI) for academic and pharma led clinical trials.

Today we discuss:

Trajectories of Common Mental Health Problems into Older Age, how mental health issues such as depression or psychosis evolve as people age.

Dementia and Its Different Types, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

Dementia Prevention, strategies for reducing risk and managing symptoms, including lifestyle interventions and early detection.

How Dementia is Treated, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches.

The Advent of AI in Psychiatric Research, exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming diagnosis, treatment prediction, and mental health monitoring.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E123 - Are You the Victim of your Own Ambition? (w/ Stefan Stern)

Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Stefan Stern has been writing about management and leadership for over two decades. He has worked for the BBC, Management Today magazine and the Financial Times, He continues to write for the FT, the Guardian and other publications.

He is Visiting Professor in management practice at Bayes Business School, City University, London. He was previously the director of the High Pay Centre, a think tank which focuses on the causes and consequences of economic inequality.

Stefan is the author of How To Be A Better Leader, the co-author of Myths of Management and most recently has written Fair or Foul: The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E122 - Why is an ADHD diagnosis helpful? (w/ Robin Ince)

Fri, 02 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E121 - Psychoanalysis, Adolescence & the Unconscious Lust for Control (w/ Dr. Alan Baban)

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Alan Baban is a writer, psychiatrist and BPC registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and he is the Chair of the Art and Psychiatry Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatry.

Today we discuss:

- What makes psychoanalysis different from other therapies

- Different unconscious drives people have

- What a psychoanalytic session looks like

- The many benefits of free association

- How art can help people understand the human experience

- The acclaimed Netflix series Adolescence

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E120 - How & Why I Stopped Drinking

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Alex discusses his relationship with alclohol, how and why he chose to go sober, as well as recent cultural trends around drinking and observations on how society deals with the problem of alcohol. He also discussed some tools and mindsets you could adopt in an effort to reduce drinking or any other undesirable habit.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Time Magazine Article:

https://time.com/7203140/gen-z-drinking-less-alcohol/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

NY Resolution / Behaviour Change Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nTR2YzPj1yyO3UzUAv9mO?si=4RCE48uPT3yPDGNb4Y1BzA

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why-new-years-resolutions-fail-and-what-to-do-instead/id1466932169?i=1000682468734

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E119 - How do we treat ADHD? (with Dr. Russell Ramsay)

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Russell Ramsay is a co-founder of the Penn Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program, and served as professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychiatry of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

He is author of many books on ADHD, his most recent book is Rethinking Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions into Actions (2020). In addition he has a popular blog on psychology today, rethinking adult ADHD. Find out more about Dr. Ramsay here - https://www.cbt4adhd.com/about/

In today’s episode we discuss, what it means to be diagnosed with ADHD, how patients should consider whether or not to take medication, how ADHD can be treated psychologically, how CBT should be adapted for ADHD, how people can improve their focus and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Alex's latest Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/31/the-big-idea-should-you-trust-your-gut

TedX conference tickets: https://tedxlondonbusinessschool.co.uk/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E118 - When do Couples need Therapy? (w/ Mary Morgan)

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Mary Morgan is an individual and couples psychoanalyst, Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society and Honorary Member of the Polish Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. She has written extensively in the field of couple psychoanalysis and teaches and supervises internationally. She is the author of ‘A Couple State of Mind: Psychoanalysis of Couples and the Tavistock Relationships Model’ .

In this episode we discuss:

- How and why couples commonly run into problems

- Typical difficulties with communication people have

- The impact of the "romantic ideal" on relationships in the West

- How trends like non-monogamy impact modern couples

- Red flags a relationship is in trobule

- Green flags couples therapy is progressing well

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E117 - How Does Pregnancy Affect Mental Health? (w/ Dr. Livia Martucci)

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Livia Martucci is a consultant in perinatal psychiatry, and is the clinical lead for perinatal services in South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She is experienced in assessment and management of many common and complex mental health problems including anxiety, panic, OCD, depression and other disorders such as Bipolar Disorder as well as psychotic illnesses, both in the perinatal period and more generally in men and women, and has experience of partners/fathers with antenatal and postnatal anxiety or depression. She has worked with mother and infant dyads providing parent infant psychotherapy.

She is currently chair of the faculty of perinatal psychiatry for the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Disclaimer: None of the information discussed in this podcast is intended as individual medical advice, changes to medication plans should always be made via discussion with the prescriber. Abrupt withdrawal of medication can cause serious adverse effects.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E116 - What are Mental Disorders? (with Dr. Awais Aftab)

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Awais Aftab is a psychiatrist in Cleveland, Ohio and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of Conversations in Critical Psychiatry - a 2024 Oxford University Press book, based on a series in the Psychiatric Times - https://www.awaisaftab.com/conversations-in-critical-psychiatry.html.

He also writes Psychiatry at the Margins, a substack newsletter exploring critical, philosophical, and scientific debates in psychiatric practice and the psy-sciences (https://www.psychiatrymargins.com/)

Our conversation today explores the role of philosophy in psychiatry, the nature of psychiatric diagnoses and their limitations, Dr Aftab’s view on mental illness as "medical conditions" and how biological, psychological and social factors contribute to mental health difficulties.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E115 - Do We Medicalise Unhappiness? (with Prof. Brendan Kelly)

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Professor Brendan Kelly is a leading psychiatrist, author, and researcher. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and Consultant Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital. He has authored over 20 books, including, The Science of Happiness, The Modern Psychiatrist's Guide to Contemporary Practice and Resilience: Lessons from Sir William Wilde on Life After Covid.

Among other things, in this episode we explore the complex relationship between happiness, society, and mental health. We discuss the different kinds of happiness and the common pitfalls people encounter when chasing it and the balance between individual responsibility and societal influence in shaping mental health. Brendan also shares insights from his background in Buddhism, including the belief that there is no fixed ‘self’ and how this perspective can lead to a more mentally balanced life.

You can access Brendan's book The Modern Psychiatrist’s Guide to Contemporary Practice for free here:

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003378495/modern-psychiatrist-guide-contemporary-practice-brendan-kelly

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E114 - Do Psychiatric Drugs Work? (with Professor David Taylor)

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Professor David Taylor is Director of Pharmacy and Pathology at the Maudsley Hospital and Professor of Psychopharmacology at KCL. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. Professor Taylor has been the lead author of the Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines since their inception in 1993. David has also authored over 375 clinical papers in journals such as the Lancet, BMJ, JAMA Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry and Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Today we discuss:

- What the science says about the effectiveness of anti-depressants.

- Evidence based principles for prescribing anti-depressants safely.

- Common side effects and withdrawal symptoms.

- Do anti-depressants work via so called "emotional numbing" effects?

- The use of anti-depressants for other conditions such as OCD and PTSD.

- Emerging treatments for depression such as ketamine and psilocybin.

- New treatments for psychosis such as KarXT (Cobenfy).

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E113 - What were they Thinking? Mentalisation Based Therapy (w/ Peter Fonagy & Anthony Batemen)

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to enhance a person’s ability to mentalise, especially in emotionally intense situations. It was developed by today's guests Prof. Peter Fonagy and Prof. Anthony Bateman for treating borderline personality difficulties (BPD) but has since been adapted for other mental health conditions, including anti-social and narcissistic personality difficulties, eating disorders and more.

Today we discuss:

- What does it mean to mentalise?

- Do we have a problem with mentalising in our society?

- Useful definitions of Personality & Personality Disorder.

- How early attachment relationships influence our psychological health.

- What an MBT session looks like.

- Some of the research that has been done and that is planned on the effectiveness of MBT.

- The potential utility of combining MBT with psychedelics.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E112 - The Hidden Cost of Low Self-Esteem

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 22:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses the concept of self-esteem; including core components of self-esteem, how poor self-esteem can affect your life and how people's self-esteem becomes disrupted through the lens of different psychological theories. We also discuss different interventions one could consider to improve their self-esteem, any why good self-esteem is essential for a successful life.

Further reading:

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney
On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers
Gestalt therapy – excitement and growth of the human personality by Perls
Hefferline, Goodman
Games people Play by Eric Berne
I’m OK - you’re OK by Thomas Harris

Self-compassion meditation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_80y_CT32c&t=5s

Audio-essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E111 - Why can Relationships be so Difficult? (Attachment, Aggression, Self-Love and more w/Adam Lane Smith)

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Adam Lane Smith is a renowned Attachment Specialist with over 15 years of experience in psychology and relationships. Formerly a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, he has dedicated his career to helping individuals and couples overcome attachment issues and build secure, meaningful connections. Adam has worked with a diverse clientele, including death row inmates and Fortune 500 executives. Adam has his own podcast and youtube channel with over 100k subscribers, though which he aims to educate as many people as possible about the art and science of attachment.

Today we discuss:

Some of his more recent Tweets about the limits of self-love, the importance of health aggression and the danger of repeating unconcious childhood patterns in adulthood.

Common attachment patterns and their fascinating underlying biology.

The right and wrong reasons to pursue content creation, and how to ethically pursue content creation to augment your business.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E110 - Is Sectioning People Ethical? Mental Health Law, Capacity, Assisted Dying, the Insanity Defence (w/ Alex Ruck Keene)

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) is a barrister at 39 Essex Chambers in London, specializing in mental capacity, mental health, and healthcare law.

In recognition of his significant contributions beyond the courtroom, Alex was appointed Honorary King's Counsel in March 2022. Beyond his legal practice, Alex is involved in academia and policy development. He serves as a Professor of Practice at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, and as a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London.

Alex has been instrumental in shaping mental health and capacity law policy. He was a consultant to the Law Commission's Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty Project and served as the legal adviser to the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 in 2018.

Today we discuss:

What is the purpose of the mental health act?

What does it mean to be sectioned?

What are the safeguards and appeals available to sectioned patients?

How to think about complex questions legally like suicide and assisted dying

The pressures mental health professionals face when making legal decisions

What is the legal concept of “Capacity”?

Warning: This conversation includes frank discussion about serious matters such as suicide and assisted dying.

You can find out more about Alex's work here: https://www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk/about-the-author/

Further accessible resources regarding the mental health act: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/mental-health-act-1983/mental-health-act-faqs/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E109 - Is Depression a Medical Illness? (w/ Prof. Joanna Moncrieff)

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Joanna Moncrieff is a British psychiatrist, researcher, and professor of critical and social psychiatry at University College London (UCL). She is widely recognised for her critical perspectives on psychiatric medication and the biomedical model of mental health. Her work challenges conventional ideas about the role of drugs like antidepressants and antipsychotics, advocating instead for a nuanced understanding of their effects. She has authored several books, including The Myth of the Chemical Cure , A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs, and Chemically Imbalanced: the Making and Unmaking of the Serotinin Myth and has published numerous academic papers, such as her notable 2022 paper on the serotonin hypothesis of depression.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Prof. Moncrieff's new book Chemically Imbalanced can be found here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chemically-Imbalanced-Making-Unmaking-Serotonin/dp/180399679X

Studies discussed during the podcast:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0 - the serotonin paper
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02462-3 - critiquing "biological depression"
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37778356/ - the RADAR study of anti-psychotics
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23824214/ - the Dutch study of anti-psychotic reduction

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@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.

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Disclaimer: None of the information discussed in this podcast is intended as individual medical advice, changes to medication plans should always be made via discussion with the prescriber. Abrupt withdrawal of medication can cause serious adverse effects.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E108 - What is Psychosis? (with Prof. Richard Bentall)

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Richard Benthall is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Sheffield in the UK. His research has focusued on the psychological mechanisms of severe mental illness (such as hallucinations and delusions) and social factors that affect these conditions. His work along with the work of other researchers is responsible for psychological interventions (such as cognitive behaviour therapy) being included in national guidelines for the treatment of psychotic type conditions.

Bentall along with some collaborators also published a meta analysis in 2012 suggesting strongly that trauma is an important risk factor for developing psychotic conditions:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3406538/

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 thinkingmindpodcast@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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E107 - The Evolution of Psychiatry (w/ Dr. Adam Hunt)

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Adam Hunt (PhD) is a post-doc researcher at the University of Cambridge and the host of the Evolving Psychiatry podcast which provides interviews, insights and an introduction to evolutionary psychiatry, with guest appearances from leading academics and psychiatrists.

His upcoming book Specialised Minds which seeks to explains the existence of long term, common mental disorders, and common personality traits as products of the same evolutionary process, specifically of cognitive specialisation.

You can learn more about Adam's work here:
https://www.adamhunt.info/

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 thinkingmindpodcast@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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E106 - Overcoming Cynicism in Mental Health (Anti-Psychiatry, Anti-depressants, Big Pharma, ADHD, Psychotherapy)

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex chats with Dr. Alex Meaburn, a speciality doctor in psychiatry who has been working on the podcast behind the scenes. They discuss some of the limitations of psychiatry including problems with the biomedical model of depression, social-cultural reasons for mental health problems, crticisms of anti-depressants, dysfunctional attitudes towards suffering, the pros and cons of psychotherapy, the value of medication for ADHD and much more.

Dr. Alex Curmi 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 thinkingmindpodcast@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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Why New Years Resolutions Fail (and What to Do Instead)

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This podcast is a guide to making any kind of resolution towards long term behaviour change. It includes a step by step guide to implementing a new behaviour including choosing an area to work on, framing your resolution appropriately, setting an intention, making a plan, measuring your results, leveraging positive and negative emotions to your advantage, anticipating identity level change, and much more.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to work with Alex for a set for coaching sessions you can email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com and put "New Year's Resolution" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com and put "Therapy Enquiry" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Why Are Men Suffering with their Mental Health? (Live at Trinity Rugby Club)

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This week's episode is a live Q & A recorded at Trinity Rugby Club in South London. Dr. Alex is interviewed by Andrew Edwards the Director of Rugby at the club and they discuss various topics such as:

- Modern problems men face
- Difficulties with dating and relationships
- Preventing anxiety and depression
- Making friends with failure
- The value of introspection
- The importance of facing conflict directly
- Using aggression in a healthy way

And much more. Dr. Alex Curmi 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 thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Trinity RFC are a rugby club working hard to promote a positive culture in sport and improve player welfare. You can find out more about Trinity here: https://trinityrfc.com/

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E105 - What do Video Games do to our Minds? (w/Dr. Hamilton Morrin)

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dr Hamilton Morrin is a psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and an NIHR academic clinical fellow at King's College London researching neuropsychiatric disorders using neurotechnology. He is a Trustee for Gaming the Mind, a charity that promotes positive mental health within the gaming community and the games industry by raising awareness of mental health challenges and reducing the stigma surrounding these issues.

Find out more here:

gamingthemind.org

BlueSky/X: @gamingthemind @HamiltonMorrin
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E104 - Deprescribing Anti-Depressants and Challenging "Biological Depression" (w/ Dr. Mark Horowitz)

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Mark Horowitz is a training psychiatrist, now working as a Clinical Research Fellow at UCL. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology and has edited a collection of papers in the journal on Discontinuing PsychiatricMedication. He has a PhD in psychopharmacology and the neurobiology of depression from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. He also co-wrote the Maudsley Deprescribing guidelines.

Mark has his own blog https://markhorowitz.org/ and has written in the media about his own personal experiences with antidepressant withdrawal syndrome.

Today we discuss:

The problems with viewing depression primarily through a biomedical lens
The causes of depression
The limitations of anti-depressants, the risks of withdrawal symptoms when stopping them and Mark’s own personal experiences with this
Some useful principles in how to wean off psychiatric medications safely if you are considering doing so

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E103 - Evidence-Based Parenting (w/ Matilda Gosling)

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Matilda Gosling is an author, social scientist and researcher, with two books that cover parenting, development and mental health. Evidence-Based Parenting came out in January 2024, and Teenagers: The Evidence Base will be published in the new year.

Her latest book uses evidence from social and experimental psychology, neuroscience, family systems and adolescent development (among others) to examine parent-teenager relationships, the online world and other connections, mood and maturity, mental health and resilience, risk, and the building blocks needed to become a healthy adult.

Today we discuss both of her books, including topics such as different parenting styles, the psychological function of adolesence, how to guide teenagers with regards to drugs and alcohol, supporting children in terms of their life path, the problem of social contagion amongst teenagers and much more.

You can find out more about Matilda's work here:
https://www.matildagosling.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

We're on Break this week! Announcements & Housekeeping

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This week we're taking a well deserved break, so if you're looking for something to listen to you can check out one of our recent episodes - including our episode last week breaking down the factors that make for successful psychotherapy, our recent conversation exploring the fundamentals of self-development, and our November episode illustrating 8 lessons we learned making our first 100 episodes, which are applicable to anyone considering embarking on a change in their career, or a creative side-project.

Any and all feedback, questions, comments or suggestions can be sent to thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmind

Thanks for listening and see you next week!

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Sixteen Ways Psychotherapy Can Help You

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex discusses 16 factors common to most kinds of therapy which help people to improve the quality of their lives including skills development, gaining new insights about old patterns, forming a reparative relationship with the therapist, being challenged, having their experiences normalised and much more.

The book referenced in this podcast is Integration in Counselling & Psychotherapy by Lapworth, Sills and Fish (2001).

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. He is also a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training, and has a special interest in mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com
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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmind

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E102 - Fundamentals of Self-Development (Fear of failure, Procrastination, Breaking Patterns, Self-Acceptance)

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today Alex chats with Dr. Alex Meaburn, a speciality doctor in psychiatry who has been working on the podcast behind the scenes. They discuss some of the fundamentals of self-development including how to audit your time, break out of unhelpful patterns, some of the problems of modern living, the importance to cultivating your intuition, why play is fundamental to our lives, and much more.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E101- How Does Nature Help us Heal? (with Prof. Chris Dayson & Dr. Annette Haywood)

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What is the effect of nature on our mental health? Today Alex speaks with Prof. Chris Dayson & Dr. Annette Haywood, who have conducted research involving 8000 people, who were given nature-based interventions (such as nature walks, community gardening, tree planting and wild swimming) to help them with their mental health difficulties across seven different sites in the UK.

See below link to an article about their work:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/04/better-than-medication-prescribing-nature-works-project-shows

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E100 - How can I Start my Creative Project? 8 Lessons from 100 Episodes

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

In this episode Alex discusses 8 lessons he learned from making the first 100 episodes of the podcast, including how to deal with success and failure, internal and external obstacles, creativity, peristence and much more.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. He is also a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training, and has a special interest in mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

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Five Maddening Things About the Modern World

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In this week's podcast we discuss five different problems facing the modern world, including the decline in critical thinking, political polarisation, the overreliance on technology and more, and how they are contributing to a rise in mental health problems.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

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E99 - Should we Prescribe Pets for Mental Health Problems? (with Prof. Nancy Gee)

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Nancy Gee, Ph.D is a Professor of Psychiatry in Human Animal Interaction, and the Director of the Centre for Human Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. The Centre is the only one of its kind to be housed in a School of Medicine, and in addition to research and educational activities it also houses the “Dogs On Call” therapy dog program. With over 90 DOC volunteer dog-and-handler teams, this program engages in upwards of 100,000 meaningful interactions with patients, staff, and students in the VCU Health system during a typical year. Nancy is also the co-editor of “The Role of Companion Animals in the Treatment of Mental Disorders”.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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Ask Me Anything #2: Men's Mental Health, Addiction, Burnout, Grief, Dating apps and Critical Thinking

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This is a recording of a Q & A session at Riddlesdown collegiate, a secondary school in South London. For this session, specifically aimed at male staff, Alex was interviewed by Deputy Head of College Andrew Edwards.

Today we cover topics including male mental health issues, lifestyle factors influencing mental health, work life balance, the economics of discomfort, the signs of burnout, cultural trends affecting dating & relationships, criticial thinking and much more.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. He is also a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training, and has a special interest in mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E98 - What can Neuroscience tell us about Mental Health? (with Dr. Camilla Nord)

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Camilla Nord leads the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge, where she holds dual positions as Programme Leader at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Department of Psychiatry. She also holds a Wellcome Career Development Award fellowship, and co-leads an international team of researchers via a Wellcome Mental Health Award. Dr Nord has a longstanding interest in science communication, including many public lectures and a popular science book, The Balanced Brain (Penguin, 2023), a Financial Times, Sunday Times, and Prospect 'Book of the Year'.

This episode was made possible by the Royal College of Psychiatrists Academic Faculty and the Margaret Slack Travelling Fellowship.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E97 - Novel Treatments for Eating Disorders (with Prof. Ulrike Schmidt)

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Prof. Ulrike Schmidt is a Professor of Eating Disorders and Director of the Centre for Research on Eating and Weight Disorders at King’s College London. She is also a Consultant Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Ulrike works to understand fundamental biology and psychological determinants of eating and weight disorders, including obesity. Her research includes multiple trials of new treatments and led to the development of MANTRA, a NICE-recommended psychotherapy for people with anorexia nervosa.

She has also led the development and research on FREED, First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders a multi-award winning early intervention programme for young people with eating disorders, initially trialled in a few locations in the UK which was so successful it has now been rolled out nationally in England.

Today we discuss:

The most important distinctions between different eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders.
The most important biological, psychological, social and cultural risk factors for developing such a disorder.
What the path to recovery looks like.
The FREED the treatment pathway professor Schmidt has done a lot of work on
Potential novel treatments for eating disorders such as neuromodulation treatments and psychedelic treatments.

To find out more about FREED:
www.inspirethemind.org/post/early-intervention-for-eating-disorders-grounds-to-celebrate

To find out more about MANTRA:
https://mantraweb.co.uk/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E96 - Seeing Personality Disorder in the Clinic (with Dr. Tennyson Lee)

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Dr Tennyson Lee is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy and General Adult Psychiatry. He is a psychoanalyst and a member of the Institute of Psychoanalysis. He is a supervisor in Transference Focused Psychotherapy. He is presently clinical lead at the Dean Cross Personality Disorder Service in East London. He is Co-director of a research and training unit, the Centre for Understanding Personality (CUSP) which has a number of collaborations internationally, including with colleagues in China, Europe and South Africa.

Dr Lee trained in Public Health before training in psychiatry and has a particular interest in the broader application of psychoanalytic thinking both clinically and within health systems. He has over 40 peer reviewed papers.

You can find out more about the Dean Cross Personality Service Here:
https://www.elft.nhs.uk/services/deancross-personality-disorder-service

Some key papers if you'd like to learn more:
1. Managing the clinical encounter with patients with borderline personality disorder in a general psychiatry setting: key contributions from transference-focused psychotherapy - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/managing-the-clinical-encounter-with-patients-with-borderline-personality-disorder-in-a-general-psychiatry-setting-key-contributions-from-transferencefocused-psychotherapy/1F82B0DAC1D4E5F46514E97FC681EE07#article

2. Managing the clinical encounter with patients with personality disorder in a general psychiatry setting: key contributions from neuropsychoanalysis - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-advances/article/abs/managing-the-clinical-encounter-with-patients-with-personality-disorder-in-a-general-psychiatry-setting-key-contributions-from-neuropsychoanalysis/DADB9FC619A578D7ED1B7FA882F1FFC6

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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We're on Break this week! Announcements & Housekeeping

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This week we're taking a well deserved break, so if you're looking for something to listen to you can check out one of our recent episodes - including our recent interview with Dr. Roberto Mezzina about the Triste model of mental healthcare, our recent compherensive guide to ADHD or our recent Q and A episode where answered questions about topics like self-harm, addiction, delusional disorder and much more.

We realy enjoyed doing the Q and A episode and we're collecting questions for the next one, so if you have any questions about psychiatry, psychology, self-development or related topics you can send them to thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com.

In addition - we've started a tik tok page and we're posting content there regularly so if you're on tik tok you can follow us at thinking.mind.podcast.

Thanks for listening and see you next week!

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ADHD (A Comprehensive Guide)

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In this episode we discuss ADHD in depth, including the common signs and symptoms, how ADHD is diagnosed, the common risk factors and how ADHD symptoms can be managed both with and without medication. We also discuss whether or not ADHD is over diagnosed, whether ADHD being induced by our lifestyles, and common signs of impairment due to ADHD.

Useful links:
https://www.additudemag.com/
https://adhduk.co.uk/
https://aadduk.org/

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. He is also a UKCP registered training psychotherapist, and has a special interest in mindfulness meditation.

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E95 - Where are we going wrong with Mental Healthcare? (with Dr. Roberto Mezzina)

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Roberto Mezzina is an Italian psychiatrist and a prominent figure in the field of mental health, known for his leadership in promoting community-based mental health care and his role in advancing the principles of the Trieste Model. Mezzina has been a strong advocate for deinstitutionalization and the rights of people with mental health conditions, continuing the legacy of Franco Basaglia, the pioneer of the Trieste Model.

Throughout his career, Mezzina has worked to implement and expand the Trieste Model's humanistic and community-focused approach to mental health care, both in Italy and internationally. He has held key positions, including serving as the Director of the Department of Mental Health in Trieste. Under his leadership, Trieste became a global reference point for innovative mental health practices.

To learn more about the Trieste model go here:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/piis2215-0366(21)00252-2/fulltext

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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Ask Me Anything #1 (Self-Harm, Delusional Disorder, Dark Humour and Addiction)

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Today Alex answers listener questions on a variety of topics including self-harm, talking to complicated people, the function of dark humour, delusional disorder and benzodiazepene addiction.

If you would like to submit a question to a future ask me anything episode, email thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. He is also a UKCP registered training psychotherapist, and has a special interest in mindfulness meditation.

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E94 - Flow States for Athletes, Wrexham football and Youth Boxing (w/ Sam Kotadia)

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Sam Kotadia is a Chartered Sports Psychologist. He has worked with high profile clubs such as Colchester United and currently Wrexham AFC, and has featured on the Disney documentary about the club and town “Welcome to Wrexham”.

He also oversees the flagship programme at Empire Fighting Chance (https://www.empirefightingchance.org/), a Bristol-based charity. Sam developed a non-contact boxing programme to help disengaged young people understand resilience and their mind. They work with 5000 young people per year.

We discuss Sam’s approach to and ideas about the mind, developed over 20 years of working with footballers and boxers at both an elite and youth level. We discuss the practicalities of applying these and how they can complement the contrasting approaches that sports coaches and managers can bring.

Sam can be reached on sam@samkotadia.com.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Insecure Overachievers, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Simone Biles & Self-Esteem

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of the Insecure Overachiever—a driven, high-performing individual whose success is rooted in insecurity and self-doubt. We'll explore how this psychological pattern manifests in both popular culture and professional environments, from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders to high-profile law firms, to Simone Biles and the healthcare industry. We'll also discuss the importance of self-esteem, the dangers of relying on external validation, and practical steps to develop a healthy, balanced approach to achievement. Whether you're striving for success or seeking to understand your relationship with it, this episode offers valuable insights and actionable advice to help you achieve from a place of psychological strength.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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E93 - How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World (with Prentis Hemphill)

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Prentis Hemphill is a writer, an embodiment facilitator, political organiser and
therapist. Prentis has offered embodied practice during moments of social unrest and organisational upheaval, serving as the Healing Justice Director of Black Lives Matter Global Network from 2016 to 2018.

Their work and writing have appeared in the New York Times, and the Huffington Post.
They are a contributor to “You are Your Best Thing”, edited by Tarana Burke and
Brene Brown, “Holding Change” by adrienne maree brown, and “The Politics of
Trauma” by Staci Haines. They host the podcast “Becoming the People.”

On this episode, we discuss their debut book “What it Takes to Heal”, released in the UK on 25 July 2024. We discuss what Prentis' practice of somatics in social movement organisations and with individuals can look like, why personal healing and social change need each other, and Prentis' hopes for the future.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E92 Psychiatry, Privatisation, Psychotherapy, the DSM & Trump (with Professor Allen Frances)

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Allen Frances is an American psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He is currently Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. He is best known for serving as chair of the task force overseeing the development of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Frances is the founding editor of two well-known psychiatric journals: the Journal of Personality Disorders and the Journal of Psychiatric Practice. He is also the author of Saving Normal (2013) and Twilight of American Sanity : A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump (2017).

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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American Beauty & the Power of Denial

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100

This week Alex dissects the 1999 Sam Mendes classic "American Beauty", exploring the lives of the Burnham family and their neighbors, delving into themes of suburban superficiality, repressed desires, and the search for meaning in modern life. We also discuss the process of personality growth and individuation, and why its so important to continuing growing psychologically across the lifespan.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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It's Not Your Fault, But it is Your Responsibility

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Alex chats about how our backgrounds shape us and how we can use different ideas psychiatry, psychotherapy and philosophy to make sense of it all. We'll break down the idea that "It's not your fault but it is your responsibility," and explore how finding the right balance between acceptance and responsibility can help us lead better lives.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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Coaching vs Therapy (Accelerator vs Brake)

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Alex chats about the distinctions between coaching and therapy through the lens of the "accelerator vs. brake" analogy. Whether you're trying to overcome a personal challenge, find a fulfilling career, or break a habit, understanding when to press the accelerator (taking action and making changes in the external world) versus when to release the brake (addressing internal psychological barriers) is crucial. In this episode we explore real-life examples, practical applications, and the delicate balance between inner work and outer action.

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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E91: Body Dysmorphic Disorder Revisited (with Arie Winograd)

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Psychotherapist Arie Winograd (LMFT) has spent the vast majority of his 25-year psychotherapy career treating clients with body dysmorphic disorder. He founded and was the director of the Los Angeles BDD & Body Image Clinic. He is the author of Face to Face with Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Psychotherapy and Clinical Insights. He currently works with BDD clients in his private practice.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E90: Neuropsychiatry, the Biopsychosocial Model and the Role of Psychiatry in Society (with Professor Anthony David)

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0100

Professor Anthony David trained in neurology before entering psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital in London. He was the Vice Dean for Academic Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) from 2013 to 2018. In 2018, Professor David joined University College London (UCL) as the Director of the Institute of Mental Health.

He has a wide and diverse range of research interests, including schizophrenia, neuropsychiatry, medically unexplained syndromes, and neuroimaging.

Professor David is the author of over 650 publications in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals and has also co-authored several books. He also authored Into the Abyss: a neuropsychiatrist's notes on troubled minds: https://oneworld-publications.com/work/into-the-abyss/.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E89 - What do we need to be Mentally Healthy? (with Dr. Benji Waterhouse)

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Dr. Benjiman Waterhouse is a consultant psychiatrist. He is also an award-winning stand-up comedian. He has written for the Guardian and Independent and was included in a list of ‘Inspiring Psychiatrists’ by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here, his first book, was released in May 2024

In this episode we discuss the ups and downs of psychiatry training, his experiences with psychotherapy, common misconceptions about mental illness, some of the problems with modern psychiatry and our cultural understanding of mental illness , the potential value of psychedelics, the placebo effect and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E88 - Evolutionary Perspectives on Psychosis, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder & ADHD (with Prof. Henry O'Connell)

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Professor Henry O’Connell is a Consultant Psychiatrist working in Portlaoise, Ireland and Associate Clinical Professor with the School of Medicine at the University of Limerick. Henry has a special interest in how principles of evolutionary psychology can be applied to psychiatry, mental health and illness and medical education. Henry was isthe founding chair of the college of psychiatrists of Ireland Evolutionary Psychiatry special interest group in 2021 . In 2022 he published his a textbook Evolution and Psychiatry: Clinical Cases.

Useful links:
https://irishpsychiatry.ie/members/special-interest-groups/evolution-and-psychiatry-special-interest-group/

https://www.wpanet.org/evolutionary-psychiatry#

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/special-interest-groups/evolutionary-psychiatry

https://substack.com/@epsig?r=2dzwd8&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

Today we discuss among other topics:

- What it means to take an evolutionary approach in psychiatry
- The difference between proximate and ultimate causes of mental illness
- The notion of evolutionary mismatch
- Evolutionary perspectives on psychosis, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, bipolar disoder

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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The Many Paths to Self-Sabotage

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100

What if the biggest obstacle in your way was yourself? If this were true and it was something you took seriously, it would have major implications about the way you conducted yourself. It would also mean reflecting on your decisions, and the overarching patterns of your life might be one of the most important things you could do. Today we discuss the many routes to self-sabotage, including evolutionary reasons, fear of change, the repetition compulsion and much more.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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E87 - Carl Jung, the Meaning Crisis, the Red Book & the Apocalypse (with MJDorian)

Fri, 24 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100

MJDorian is an artist, educator, podcast creator, and award winning composer. In 2018, MJ launched the podcast: Creative Codex, which he continues to write and produce. The show frequently appears in the top 100 charts globally in the genre of Arts. The mission of Creative Codex is to explore the mysteries of creative genius through narrative, sound design, and original music.

Today we discuss who Carl Jung was, an overview of what he contributed to psychology, why he disagreed with Freud, the difference between Freudian & Jungian psychology, the Jungian interpretation of dreams, his apocalyptic visions, the Red Book, and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E86 - Emotional Intelligence & its Dark Side (with Prof. John Wisneski)

Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100

John E. Wisneski is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rice University in Texas, where he teaches a course on Emotional Intelligence. He is the recipient of numerous student-selected graduate teaching awards, including the 2017 Professor of the Year Award at the Kelley School of Business, and the 2018 Most Impactful Core Professor Award at the W.P. Carey School of Business. In 2020, he was recognized by Poets & Quants as a Favorite MBA Professor for the Class of 2020.

Prior to pursuing a career in academia he consulted with numerous Fortune 100 companies including American Express, General Motors, Walgreens, and PepsiCo.

Today we discuss emotional intelligence; how it can be defined, tested and improved. We also discuss the darker aspects of emotional intelligence, and the differences between emotional intelligence and manipulation.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

References:

Barsade, S. G., & Gibson, D. E. (2007). Why does affect matter in organizations?. Academy of management perspectives, 21(1), 36-59.

Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and organizational psychology, 3(2), 110-126.

Grant, Adam. (2015). The dark side of emotional intelligence." Bizezia Limited.

Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Caruso, D. & Rees, L. (2021). Developing your emotional intelligence skills. EI Skills Group
Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. Bantam.

You can access emotional intelligence assessments here: EI Assessments

Our episode on the big five personality model:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/277019/11581780-audio-essay-15-why-do-we-have-personalities.mp3?download=true

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C4tmKCj7UEk

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E85 - The Psychology of Dating & Relationships in 2024 (w/Andrew Wilkinson)

Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Andew Wilkinson is a dating coach and a Youtuber who specialises in helping men find and sustain healthy relationships with women.

You can learn more about Andrew and is work on his youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@HonestImprovementYT

In this episode we discuss the problems faced by men and women alike in dating, the potential harm of dating apps, the changing ethical landscape of dating, the looming problem of AI girlfriends, how to improve your ability to attract a partner, the value of getting rejected and much more.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi.

Watch the full episode on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/lolw8PGjUlI?si=jxba5hobF58Q_FrJ

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E84 - Why was the Tavistock Gender Identity Clinic Shut Down? (w/ Marcus Evans)

Fri, 03 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Gender Identity Development service was the only gender identity clinic for people under the age of 18 in England and Wales. Operating since 1989, it was closed on March 28 2024. In today's episode we speak to Marcus Evans, who was previously on the board of governors for the service. Marcus was also one of the whistleblowers (along with his wife Sue Evans) responsible for bringing the clinic under judicial review.

Among other topics, today we discuss:
- The series of events which led to the clinic's closure
- The problem with the gender affirmative model of approaching gender dysphoria
- Psychoanalytic perspectives on gender dysphoria
- Best practices for approaching gender dysphoria
- The influences of politics and culture on healthcare
- The recently published Cass report which outlined problems with the service and which provided reccomendations as to how such a service should be run

Marucs Evans is a consultant psychotherapist with 40 years of experience in mental health as a practitioner, supervisor, lecturer, and manager, including at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust. He is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. Watch the full podcast on youtube:
https://youtu.be/kOCarWJL84A

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E83 - What is Borderline Personality Disorder? (with Dr. Mark Ruffalo)

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Mark L. Ruffalo, M.S.W., D.Psa., is a psychotherapist in private practice in Tampa, Florida, and serves as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has broad clinical experience in the psychoanalytic treatment of mood disorders, personality disorders, and psychosomatic illness, and has particular interest in the psychotherapy of schizophrenia. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Carlat Psychotherapy report.

In today's episode we discuss borderline personality disorder, the most common symptoms and problems associated with the condition, how it is treated, the pros and cons of diagnosis and much more.

His article on "double binds" in borderline personality disorder can be found here:
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/double-binds-in-borderline-communication

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. Watch the full podcast on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGzku4PqNQ

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E82 - Getting Diagnosed with Adult ADHD (with Kat Brown)

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Kat Brown is an author & journalist whose work on mental health stigma and other social and entertainment commentary has appeared in The Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian. Her first book, No One Talks About This Stuff, is an anthology sharing people’s untold experiences of infertility and baby loss. Her second book, It's Not A Bloody Trend: Understanding Life as an ADHD Adult, was published a month before her first, which is a ridiculousness she really enjoys.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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E81- Problems with Psychiatry, Psychedelics, Trauma work & Three Body Problem (Rose Cartwright returns)

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Rose Cartwright is an author and screenwriter. She is the author of the 2015 book Pure about her experiences with OCD which subsequently became a Channel 4 television show with the same name. She is also a screenwriter and executive story editor on the upcoming Netflix sci-fi series Three Body Problem .

Her new book The Maps We Carry is out now https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-maps-we-carry/rose-cartwright/9780008591885.

Watch this podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyECqiNNj_4

In this episode Rose and Alex discuss her experiences including the pros and cons of the medical model, psychiatric diagnoses, as well as Rose's experiences with meditation, psychedelics (such as psilocybin and MDMA) and trauma work.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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Disclaimer: In this podcast we discuss self-experimentation with psychedelics, but we would strongly reccomend using medical supervision when using any kind of drug to manage your mental health.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

My Thoughts on Psychiatric Medications

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Today we discuss prescription psychiatric medications as they are used for major mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and ADHD, and we outline 8 principles as to how they can be used in a safe rational way.

See 13th edition of the Maudsley guidelines here: https://www.clinicaltoolkit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9781119442608.pdf

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he is a UKCP registered training psychotherapist.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E80 - Robin Ince on Comedy, Mental Health, Disagreeement & Almost Everything Else

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Robin Ince is a comedian, author, broadcaster and a populariser of scientific ideas. He is best known as the co-host of the BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. He also co-hosts the podcast Book Shambles with Josie Long, An Uncanny Hour and Science Shambles with Dr Helen Czerski, all three of which are a part of The Cosmic Shambles Network. His most recent books are I'm a Joke and So Are You, The Importance of Being Interested – Adventures in Scientific Curiosity, and Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E79 - All About Narcissism (with Dr. Keith Campbell)

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000

W. Keith Campbell, PhD is a nationally-recognized expert on narcissism, personality, and cultural change. is the author of more than 200 papers and several books including the latest, The New Science of Narcissism. He's made frequent media appearances including the Joe Rogan Experience and the Mikhaila Peterson Podcast.

You can learn more about Dr. Campbell's work here:
https://www.wkeithcampbell.com/about

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E78 - Caffeine: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant and one of the most widely consumed drugs in the world. Today Alex, Anya and Rebecca discuss caffeine, their experiences trying to cut down and stop their use of caffeine, the withdrawal symptoms they experienced and how they plan to use caffeine in the future. They also discuss how caffeine acts on the brain and how it may impact us psychologically.

Dr. Alex Curmi, Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson and Dr. Anya Borissova are all practising psychiatrists and members of the royal college of psychiatry (MRCPsych).

Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Breaking Free of the Culture Around You

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000

In today's episode we discuss how you can come to understand the psychology of your culture, your society and your zeitgiest, and how this can help you when you are trying to determine your own values.

In particular we describe three virtues upheld by Western culture; Freedom, Happiness & Convenience, and we discuss the benefits and dark sides of each.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E77 - Gestalt Psychotherapy & Training as a Therapist (with Sarah Paul)

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Gestalt Psychotherapy is an often under-discussed, yet widely practiced form of therapy that was developed in the 40s and 50s by a psychoanalyst Fritz Perls, his wife Laura Perls and Paul Goodman. Gestalt therapy came to prominence during the counterculture movement of the 60s and focused on an individual's experience of the present moment, their relationship with their therapist, and the psychological adjustments people make in response to their environmental and social context.

Today, on the podcast to discuss Gestalt psychotherapy is Sarah Paul. Sarah is a tutor of humanistic psychotherapy at the Metanoia institute in London, a UKCP registered gestalt psychotherapist and a certified couples counsellor. She has been working with people therapeutically for more than 15 years and aside from her psychotherapy experience, she is also experienced in working with individuals with severe mental health difficulties, homelessness and substance misuse problems.

In today’s episode we discuss Gestalt psychotherapy, its historical origins, some of the core principles of the Gestalt approach, its strengths and weaknesses, the barriers people have to changing, Sarah’s own approach to psychotherapy, some of the challenges of training as a therapist, and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, a consultant psychiatrist and UKCP registered trainee psychotherapist - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E76 - Public Speaking, Acting, Performance & Self-Esteem (with Andy Laithwaite)

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Andy Laithwaite is an actor and the co-founder of The Actor Inside, a company which delivers training to companies and organizations on public speaking and performance.
Using the lessons learned from drama training Andy and his team help people to improve improvisational skills and and on the spot problem-solving, develop better vocal presence, gain composure in front of an audience and improve listening, collaboration and leadership skills.

In addition Andy also dose 1:1 coaching to provide a more individualized approach to manging anxiety in performance situations, handling burnout and becoming more authentic when relating to others.

In this episode we discuss:

The fear of public speaking and some evolutionary reasons why this fear is so common.
What acting and psychotherapy have in common.
The importance of spontaneity.
Andy’s approach to helping people improve their performance skills.
Why trying to hard and self-criticism can become self-sabotaging behaviours.
The importance of authenticity when communicating.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E75 - What is it like to have ADHD? (with Dr. Russell Ramsay)

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Dr. Russell Ramsay is a co-founder of the Penn Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program, and served as professor of clinical psychology in the department of psychiatry of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

He is author of Nonmedication Treatments for Adult ADHD (2010); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD (with Dr. Anthony Rostain, 2015) and The Adult ADHD Tool Kit (also with Dr. Anthony Rostain, 2015).

His most recent book is Rethinking Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions into Actions (2020). In addition he has a popular blog on psychology today, rethinking adult ADHD.

In today’s episode we discuss:

- Misconceptions people have about ADHD
- What it is like to have ADHD
- What kind of impairments it can cause
- Medication based treatments for ADHD, their effectiveness and safety
- And how you can approach ADHD treatment psychologically

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E74 - Love, Sex, Relationships & Your Brain (with Dr. Helen Fisher)

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Helen Fisher is a Biological Anthropologist, is a Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute and Chief Science Advisor to the Internet dating site Match.com.

She is the author of several books including the Anatomy of Love, Why We love: The Nature And Chemistry Of Romantic Love and The First Sex: The Natural Talents Of Women And How They Are Changing The World. Her Ted Talks on YouTube, The Brain in Love and Why We love Why We Cheat, have been viewed a combined 3 million times.

In this episode we discuss romantic love, the biological and evolutionary relevance of love, what makes two brains romantically compatible, online dating, the differences between how men and women choose partner, whats different about Gen Z and how they are approaching love and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E73 - Why Do We Fall Apart? (with Vincent Deary)

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Vincent Deary is a practitioner health psychologist and professor of health psychology at Northumbria University, where his research focuses on the development of new psychosocial interventions for people with a variety of health issues, including cancer survivors and the elderly. Vincent worked as a clinician in the UK's first transdiagnostic Fatigue Clinic, he worked as part of a multidisciplinary team to help people with disabling fatigue.

He is the author of How We Are and How we Break, the first two books in a planned trilogy.

In this episode we discuss his in particular his second book How We Break, all about chronic stress and what causes people to become fatigued and exhausted. We also discuss the different demands people face particularly in modern life, the different between real rest and distraction, the problem with caffeine, how people can form new habits, the importance of self-acceptance and self-understanding, and much more

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about a psychotherapy appointment (online) with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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You Are What You Focus On

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

What if you are focusing on the wrong things? In this podcast we discuss the concept of selective attention and focus, why we have selective attention, how this interacts with our beliefs and expectations, how it can hold us back unconsciously, and how we can make conscious changes to help move us forward.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E72 - What can Exercise do for your Mental Health? (with Professor Brendon Stubbs)

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Professor Dr Brendon Stubbs is a clinical-academic physiotherapist whose research focuses on physical activity and mental health and the mind-body interface. Brendon has published over 500 International academic papers. Brendon was lead author of the recently published European Psychiatric Association guidelines on the use of exercise for mental health and senior author on a recent Lancet commission to improve the physical health of people with mental health conditions.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

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E71 - Is Autism a Disability or a Difference? (with Professor Sir Simon Baron Cohen)

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Professor Sir Simon Baron Cohen is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, and Director of the Autism Centre at Cambridge University. He is the author of 600 scientific articles and 4 books, including Zero Degrees of Empathy and the Pattern Seekers. He created the first UK clinic for adults suspected to have Asperger's syndrome that has helped over 1000 patients have their disability recognised. He was chair of the Nice guideline development group for Adults with Autism and was chair of the psychology section of the British Academy.

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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E70 - How do we deal with our Mortality? (with Professor Sheldon Solomon)

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Sheldon Solomon is an American social psychologist. He is a professor of psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Solomon is best known for developing terror management theory, along with Jeff Greenberg and Tom Pyszczynski. This theory is concerned with how humans deal with their own sense of mortality.

Today we talk all about existential themes and how our mortality affects our psychology.We also discuss - the concept of death anxiety and terror management theory in some depth, the relationship between mortality and the meaning we extract from our lives, the right way to approach our mortality to improve our mental health, the relationship between death anxiety and political attitudes,the importance of self-esteem in getting through the ups and downs of life and many other topics

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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This is the End

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 04:00:00 +0000

As the New Year approaches, we decided to make a short podcast all about endings, the importance of endings in psychotherapy, and how to orient yourself towards endings (small and large) in your own life.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

The Psychology of Christmas

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

This week the team is taking a much deserved break for the holidays, but we are re-posting this 2021 episode where Anya and Alex discuss the psychological significance and historical origins of Christmas, as well as other similar celebrations around the world.

They also discuss: nostalgia, social cohesion, why you shouldn't try and change your relatives minds over Turkey, loneliness, New Years resolutions and much more.

From the Thinking Mind team Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E69: What Can Research tell us about Suicide? (With Professor Nav Kapur)

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Professor Nav Kapur is an academic psychiatrist, working at Manchester University and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. He leads the suicide work programme of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health.

We discuss the epidemiology of suicide and self-harm, how to think about prevention from both the societal and individual person perspective, the complexity of thinking about causes/factors that increase risk, the idea of zero suicide, impact of the Covid pandemic, the new NICE guidelines on self-harm and some practical guidance on helpful approaches to working with people experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Crisis services and helplines:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/helplines-listening-services/

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

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Narcissism & Napoleon

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

In this week's podcast we examine Narcissism through the lens of Napoleon and other characters in film. We explore, the different ways narcissism can manifest itself (including malignant, grandiose, covert & communal) and some of the psychological mechanisms underlying narcissism. We also discuss how narcissism can distort your psychology and your life path and how you can combat this.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E68: Dopamine, Addiction, Recovery, Social Media (with Dr. Anna Lembke)

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Dr. Anna Lembke is a psychiatrist and author. She is the Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University and is the author of the New York Times bestseller Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.

Today we discuss

- Dopamine and the different psychological functions it serves
- Different addictive behaviours ranging from drugs to alcohol to social media and how they affect can our mental health
- The relationship between pleasure and pain and how they are intimately tied together
- How you can re-sensitise yourself to dopamine
- The process of recovering from an addiction
- The importance of an overarching life philosophy when trying to manage an addictive behaviour

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Seven Misconceptions about Psychotherapy

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

In this week's podcast we discuss seven common misconceptions about psychotherapy, and these include:

Only people with a psychiatric diagnosis can benefit from therapy
Therapists have all the answers and will tell you what to do
Therapy is only for long-term issues; it can't help with short-term problems
Therapy is just about talking, which doesn’t accomplish anything
Therapy is just about making excuses for your problems
Only "weak" people seek therapy; it's a sign of personal failure
Therapy is about dwelling in childhood and the past

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

E68 - Should You Take Weight Loss Drugs? (With Dr. Michael Camilleri)

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

On today's episode we discuss novel injectable weight loss drugs (GLP-1 agonists) such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. To discuss these drugs, we are in conversation with Dr. Michael Camilleri, a gastroenterologist from the Mayo Clinic who is specifically interested in how the gastrointestinal motility, obesity, diabetes, appetite, irritable bowel syndrome and related topics. He himself has overseen patients on these drugs and participated in research investigating these medications.

Today we discuss which of these medications Dr. Camilleri thinks are likely to become dominant, how these drugs work, their known side effects and safety profiles, in what situations these drugs are likely to be prescribed, what kind of results you can expect, unexpected benefits and drawbacks and how they may be affecting the brain.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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How to Fall Out of Love (Transcending the Honeymoon Period)

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

How do you a sustain a relationship past the honeymoon phase? Why is falling in love overrated? What practices and mindsets can help you build a strong relationship?

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

How and Why to Engage in Conflict:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-why-to-engage-in-conflict-audio-essay-11/id1466932169?i=1000552900055

Exploring Your Dark Side
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/going-over-to-the-dark-side-shadow-work/id1466932169?i=1000634716280

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E67: What is it like having Manic Depression? (with Jeremy Thomas) - Part 2 of 2

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Jeremy Thomas is a public speaker and author. He is the author of two novels, Taking Leave, and the Santa Monica Suicide Club . He’s also co-written two books about mental health with Dr. Tony Hughes, the A-Z Guide to Mental Health and You Don't Have to Be Famous to Have Manic Depression.

In 2006 Jeremy and Tony co-produced a documentary about bipolar disorder, the Secret Life of the Manic Depressive starring Stephen Fry, Jo Brand, Carrie Fisher and many others. This is the first part of a two part podcast where we talk about Jeremy’s fascinating life story and his lived experience of bipolar disorder.

Today we discuss Jeremy's experiences running a record label in London in 1979, some of the dangers of success, what it’s like to have depression, Jeremy’s struggle with suicidal thoughts, what it’s like to have a manic episode and just how easily depression can switch into mania if you have bipolar disorder. We also discuss just how hard it can be for someone to realize they’re unwell when they’re in the midst of a manic episode.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Going Over to the Dark Side (Shadow Work)

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Everyone has a dark side, what does yours look like? What happens when people have a dark side they have no control over? In this podcast we discuss Carl Jung's idea of the shadow; how can you explore your dark side and integrate it into your personality, to help you solve some of life's toughest challenges.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com
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E66: What is it like having Manic Depression? (with Jeremy Thomas) - Part 1 of 2

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

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You Are Trapped in a Story (My Most Controversial Opinion)

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

What is a story? In this week's audioessay we discuss the role of stories in our psychology, how mental narratives can keep us stuck and how we can start to develop more ownership over the stories of our lives. In particular we discuss ideas like transference, cognitive distortions & the life script to illustrate this further.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E65 - Are We Ignoring Loneliness? (with Prof. Dame Stokes Lampard)

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard is a British medical academic and a medical general practitioner. She is Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges a GP principal and Chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP). She was Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) from November 2016 to November 2019.

In this episode Anya and Helen discuss the impact of loneliness, lack of meaning and spiritual needs can impact people's mental and physical health. They also discuss different means these problems can be addressed, including the concept of social prescribing.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

National Academy for Social Prescribing website: https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/resources/

If you’re interested in becoming a link worker:

1.https://www.nalw.org.uk/
2.https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/workforce-and-training/social-prescribing-link-workers/

Prevention is better than cure podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/prevention-is-the-new-cure/id1673584286

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Your Brain is a Prediction Machine

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Whether you are aware of it or not, your brain is constantly making predictions - and these predictions have an enormous influence on your beliefs, expectations and overall experience of life. In this week's podcast we explore the predictive processing framework and how this helps us understand our emotions, decision making, confidence, common mental health problems and even gambling.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Intro Excerpt from: The Matrix (1999)

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E64: Jo Brand on Comedy, Dating, Relationships, Political Correctness & Mental Health

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 06:00:00 +0100

Today Alex and Rebecca chat with British comedy legend Jo Brand. They discuss comedy, Jo's first time on stage, political correctness, Jo's career working in a psychiatric emergency clinic, misconceptions about mental health and many other topics.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi with Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Escaping the Triangle of Drama

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

What is the drama triangle? What can it tell us about conflict and dysfunctional relationships? In this episode we explore the roles of Persecutor, Rescuer and Victim - what they mean, and how they enable toxic relationships. We also explore the healthier, more sustainable alternatives.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Intro Excerpt from: Liar, Liar (1997)

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E63 - The Four Thoughts that F*ck You Up (with Daniel Fryer)

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 02:00:00 +0100

Daniel Fryer is a Bristol based psychotherapist and author. In this podcast we discuss his book, the Four Thoughts that F*ck You Up, based on the principles of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. We also discuss hypnotherapy, the barriers to change, self-sabotage, psychedelics and much more.

You can learn more about his work including his book here:
https://www.danielfryer.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Creation vs Destruction

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0100

When things are constantly changing, how should you know when you should add something new into your life, or subtract something? Should you leave your job and start a new career, or try and make it work? How do you know when a relationship has run it's course? What are the hidden costs of some of life's biggest decisions? In this week's audio-essay we look at life decisions through the lens of Creation, Destruction and Maintenance.

Intro Excerpt from: Donnie Darko (2001)

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E62: The Power of Subtraction (with Prof. Leidy Klotz)

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0100

When you're faced with difficulties in life, how often do you consider taking something away, rather than adding on something new? Professor Leidy Klotz takes on this counter-intuitive idea in his 2021 book Subtract .

Professor Klotz is a Professor at the University of Virginia who studies the science of design, and his work exists at the cross section between design, sustainability and the science of decision making.

In addition to his book Leidy’s is extensively published in the scientific literature and his research has appeared in both Nature and Science. Leidy is a frequent guest on interview programs including Hidden Brain, Freakonomics, NPR, and for The Atlantic. His writing has appeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Can Psychotherapy Defend Free Speech?

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 06:00:00 +0100

What can psychotherapy tell us about the importance of free speech? In this episode we explore how free speech promotes psychological health, and the parallels between the health of the individual and the health of wider society.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

Intro Excerpt from: George Carlin - Doin' it Again (1990)

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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E61: The Saad Truth about Happiness, Marriage, Careers & Evolution (with Dr. Gad Saad)

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 06:00:00 +0100

Dr. Gad Saad is a marketing professor at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. He is known for applying evolutionary psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. He has his own podcast, the Saad truth and has been a frequent guest on other podcasts such as the Joe Rogan experience, the Sam Harris Making Sense podcast and the Rubin Report.

He's the author of several books including: The Evolutionary Basis of Consumption,
The Consuming Instinct and The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense. His most recent book is The Saad Truth about Happiness , which combines his life experiences, ancient wisdom and what psychological science can tell us about the path to happiness

In this episode we discuss some of the ideas from his latest book, in particular Dr. Saad’s advice about how to design a career and how to choose a long term partner. We also discuss some of the fundamentals of evolutionary psychology and the surprising amount of challenge that still exists towards these ideas. Dr. Saad outlines many compelling scientific and anthropological arguments as to why we should be taking evolutionary psychology seriously.

You can find Dr. Saad's latest book here: https://shorturl.at/afL15

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Dealing with Self-Criticism (Stop Hating Yourself)

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 09:00:00 +0100

What is unhealthy self-criticism? How can you tell if this is something that's holding you back? In this episode we discuss unhealthy self-criticism in depth, how it may have come about and how it may be holding you back. In addition we discuss six practical steps that can be taken to address it.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Intro Excerpt from: Lost in Translation (Directed by Sofia Coppola)

The meditations discussed can be found here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JKqFI7DCvBjzcvDEK5RSG?si=afa00ab39d78495f
https://open.spotify.com/episode/01JExbQcJMLNttjxu11I5L?si=22abeae913864ad6

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E60: Confidence & Why Your Beliefs Matter (with Professor Ian Robertson)

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Professor Ian Robertson is a neuroscientist and clinical psychologist, and Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin. He is also known as a leading researcher as to how an individual may harness the attention system to enhance one's autonomy over emotions and thinking.

He's the author of several books including: The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain, The Stress Test: How Pressure Can and Make you Stronger and Sharper and How Confidence works, the New Science of Self-belief.

In today’s episode we discuss, the danger of over-emphasising the genetic influences on our psychology, how your environment can shape your psychology and the ways in which a psychiatric view on mental health can be limiting. We also discuss confidence, the main components of confidence, the difference between confidence, optimism and self-esteem, the obesity crisis, the opioid crisis and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Practical Philosophy for Hard Times

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 05:00:00 +0100

When you're going through difficulties, why not borrow ideas from some of the wisest people in history? In this episode we discuss ideas from various schools of philosophical thought including Stoicism, Buddhism, Deontology and Existentialism, and how they can be applied to everyday problems.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Intro Excerpt from: Monty Python's the Meaning of Life (Directed by Terry Gilliam)

The meditations discussed can be found here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JKqFI7DCvBjzcvDEK5RSG?si=afa00ab39d78495f
https://open.spotify.com/episode/01JExbQcJMLNttjxu11I5L?si=22abeae913864ad6

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E59: Exercise, Eating Disorders & Mental Health in Elite Athletes (with Dr. Amit Mistry)

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Dr Amit D. Mistry is a consultant sports psychiatrist, with a specialism in eating disorders and athlete mental health. Dr Amit D Mistry is chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) Sport & Exercise Group. He is the mental health advisor to Oxford University Sport and Consultant Sport Psychiatrist to the English Cricket Board (ECB) Women's XI national side. He is the editor of “Case Studies in Sports Psychiatry”.

In today's episode we discuss what a psychiatrist working with athletes does, approaches to treatment and how these are similar/different to general psychiatry, how interested doctors can get involved, as well as more specialist topics like exercise addiction and eating disorders.

Resources mentioned: https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/special-interest-groups/sport-and-exercise

https://twitter.com/rcpsych_SEPSIG?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

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Delayed Gratification is the Modern Superpower

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0100

Why is modern success so different from success in our ancestral world? What mental skills put you ahead of the world in 2023? What is the difference between a real and artificial reward?

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

The guide to long term behaviour change can be found here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uryIvA9bVvk9osHh2SmKG?si=32523586f8f64b74

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E58: How has Evolution Shaped Our Minds? (with Dr. Randolph Nesse)

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Randy Nesse is a evolutionary psychiatrist, he is one of the founders of his field and his work has revolutionized our understanding of how evolution shapes our physical and mental health. He isProfessor Emeritus at the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Michigan. He is also the Founding President of The International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health

He is the author of several books, including "Why We Get Sick" and "Good Reasons for Bad Feelings". You can find a full list of Dr. Nesse's books here: https://www.randolphnesse.com/books

In today’s episode we discuss how Natural Selection has shaped our psychology, the evolutionary rationale underlying anxiety and low mood, Dr. Nesse's concepts of social traps and the "smoke detector principle", how depression is not just one condition, why we have emotions, why men die earlier than women and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Why We're Lazy & Afraid (and What to do About it)

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0100

Fear and Laziness are two of the most common obstacles between you and what you want. Why are Fear and Laziness such a big part of the human condition? What can you do about it? In this episode we take an evolutionary psychology approach to understanding these phenomena, with some practical guidance to overcoming them.

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant General Adult Psychiatrist who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust, in addition he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

Intro Excerpt from: Waking Life (Directed by Richard Linklater)

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Interview #57: Brain Stimulation, Psychedelics & Psychiatry 3.0 (with Dr. Nolan Williams)

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0100

Dr. Nolan Williams is a Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University and the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. He is triple certified in psychiatry, neurology and neuropsychiatry. Dr. Williams' work has resulted in an FDA clearance for the world's first non-invasive, rapid-acting neuromodulation approach for treatment-resistant depression. He has published papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals including Brain, American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

In today's episode we discuss the Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy for treatment resistant depression, the differences between neurology and psychiatry, the first randomised trial in medicine, the problem with the chemical imbalance theory of depression, the suppression of psychedelics research, and the potential utility of psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and ibogaine.

You can learn more about Dr. Williams here:
https://profiles.stanford.edu/nolan-williams

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Interview #56: Travel, Sex, Values, Serendipity, Technology & Success (with Dr. Chris Ryan)

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0100

Chris Ryan is a podcaster and author. He holds a PhD in psychology and is the author of two books: Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What it Means for Modern Relationships and Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress. He is the host of the Tangentially Speaking podcast and has made frequent appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Duncan Trussel Family Hour Podcast.

You can learn more about his work here: https://chrisryanphd.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Interview #55: The Psychology of the Sopranos

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0100

This week Anya chats with Dr Akeem Sule and Dr. Omer Hamour about what we can learn about psychiatry, psychology and human nature from the hit HBO television show the Sopranos.

Dr. Akeem Sule is a Wolfson College Research Associate and a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry at the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the co-founder of the Hip Hop Psych movement. Dr. Hamour is a graduate of the unversity of Edinburgh and a junior psychiatrist in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

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Lived Experience #6: From Severe OCD to TedX Speaker (with Shaun Flores)

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Shaun Flores is a mental health advocate and public speaker with lived experience of OCD. He has given three TEDx talks in 2018, 2022 and 2023 about education, men's mental health and the potential value of using psychedelics to treat mental health conditions.

In addition Shaun is a freelance journalist with published work in various online publications such as The Metro, Inews, South West Londoner, The Common Sense Network & Jacamo’s The Book of Man.

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #54: I Hope This Helps (with Jack Arbuthnott)

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Jack Arbuthnott is a producer know for his crowd-sourced documentaries Life in a Day and Life in a Day 2020.

His other credits include The Aftermath, Mindhorn, Lords Of Chaos, and Asif Kapadia's VR short Laika. He was previously a development executive at BBC Films and the UK Film Council, beginning his career at New Line Cinema / Fine Line Features. He is a graduate of the UK’s National Film & Television School and Oxford University.

He is currently the Director and Producer of I HOPE THIS HELPS, a crowd sourced documentary about mental health.

To find out how you can take part in the documentary go here:
https://ihopethishelpsfilm.com/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Interview #53: Is it all in Your Head? (Psychosomatic disorders with Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan)

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Suzanne O'Sullivan is a neurologist specializing in psychosomatic medicine. O'Sullivan gained recognition for her expertise in diagnosing and treating epilepsy and in improving services for people who suffer with functional neurological disorders. She is the author of three books: It's All in Your Head: True Stories of Imaginary Illness, Brainstorm: The Detective Stories from the World of Neurology and The Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories of Mystery Illness.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova with Dr. Alex Curmi.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Interview #52: How does Genetics Affect our Mental Health? (Professor Cathryn Lewis)

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0100

Cathryn Lewis, a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Statistics at King's College London, holds the position of Head of Department at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience.

In this episode, we engage in an in-depth discussion on how our genetics influence the development of various mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. We explore the significance of mathematics and statistics in enhancing our comprehension of these conditions.

Moreover, we delve into the potential role of genetic testing in treating these conditions as our understanding of genetics evolves over time. Additionally, we examine how genetics impact aspects of our psychology that we can all relate to, such as personalities.

Lastly, we explore the qualities that contribute to a successful career in science and what characteristics define an exceptional scientist.

You can watch this interview on YouTube! -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jtoLRmC5F4&t=2227s

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #51: Who Looks After Healthcare Workers? (with Dr. Helen Garr)

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Dr Garr is a GP working in Nottingham and is one of the medical directors for NHS Practitioner Health. This is a free, confidential, NHS primary care mental health service with very specific expertise in treating health and care professionals. Dr Garr is a leader in the field of healthcare professional wellbeing and burnout.
For more information or to find out about referring yourself to NHS Practitioner Health, visit: https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/ or https://canopi.nhs.wales/ in Wales.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.

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Interview #50: The Evolution of Friendships and Dating (With Professor Robin Dunbar)

Fri, 19 May 2023 05:00:00 +0100

Professor Robin Dunbar is a British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist and a specialist in primate behaviour. He is currently head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, a measurement of the "cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships".

He is the author of many books including Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships which we discuss today.

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi.

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Interview #49: What can Freud tell us about History and Politics? (with Professor Eli Zaretsky)

Fri, 05 May 2023 01:00:00 +0100

Eli Zaretsky is Professor of History at The New School for Social Research. He has taught at Lang College since 1999. His interests are in twentieth century cultural history, the theory and history of capitalism (especially its social and cultural dimensions), and the history of the family. His most recent book is Political Freud, published in 2015 by Cambridge University Press. His earlier work includes Secrets of the Soul: A Social and Cultural History of Psychoanalysis and Why America Needs a Left.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #48: Why Aren't We Using Hypnosis? (With Dr. David Spiegel)

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0100

Dr. David Spiegel is an American psychiatrist and Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he is known for his research into psycho-oncology; the neurobiology of therapeutic hypnosis, and the role of the mind-brain-body connection in the management of various conditions.

He directs the Stanford Center on Stress and Health and is a recognized authority on hypnosis's clinical utility and neuroscience.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Announcement: We are Re-Branding! Subscribe to avoid missing any new episodes!

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 08:00:00 +0100

*Announcement! From April 14th 2023 the Maudsley Learning Podcast will be changing its name to The Thinking Mind Podcast and will have a completely new look! Make sure you follow or subscribe on your podcast player to avoid missing any new episodes!*

Special Thanks to https://www.wearegoat.com for our new logo and art work!

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Lived Experience #5: What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (with Kitty Wallace from the BDD Foundation)

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0100

As head of operations for the Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Foundation in the UK, Kitty Wallace supports sufferers and their families, raises awareness of the condition and much more. But she’s also had her own experience of living with BDD.

Her story shows that recovery may not always be a straight line, but it’s always possible. Find out more on the BDD Foundation website https://bddfoundation.org/.

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #47: When Anxiety gets Severe (with Lisa Williams at the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit)

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Alex meets with Lisa, a CBT therapist at the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit.

The ADRU specialises in severe cases of anxiety conditions such as social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The patients at the ADRU undergo an intensive 12 to 16 week residential programme with the goal of helping them understand their condition and develop better coping strategies to help manage their condition in their day-to-day lives.

Alex and Lisa discuss how the ADRU works, what a patient there is likely to expect, the value of cognitive behaviour therapy as well as compassion focused therapy, the role of trauma in these conditions and how these conditions can be viewed holistically.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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A Day in the Life of a Psychiatrist

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000

This week Anya chats with Alex and Rebecca about what training in psychiatry is like: why it's a rewarding speciality to choose for your medical career, what makes it challenging, how to carve out your own unique career path and good mindsets to adopt around helping people with mental health difficulties.

Alex, Anya and Rebecca are all medical doctors and currently training psychiatrists within the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #46: Sex, Drugs and MRI Scanners (with Dr Matt Wall and Natalie Ertl)

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 01:00:00 +0000

In this week's episode Anya and Alex speak to Natalie Ertl (@NatalieErtl1) who is currently a research assistant at Invicro and PhD candidate at Imperial College London, specialising in functional MRI applications in psychopharmacology. With Natalie is Dr Matt Wall (@m_wall) who is a psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist and fMRI specialist at Invicro and Imperial College London researching cannabis, psychedelics, sex hormones and addiction.

We talk about current understanding of what happens in the brain with sex and sexual desire, and current theories on what might contribute to difficulties with sexual desire or enjoying sex. From there, we find out what kind of drugs are being tested and how researching sexual function works. And what discussion about sex would be complete without a mention of Freud? We hope you enjoy!

Further reading on the studies mentioned:

Bremelanotide (women):
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/152341

Kisspeptin (women): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797718?resultClick=3

Kisspeptin (men):
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800937

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova with Dr. Alex Curmi
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Lived Experience #4: Anxiety, Depression, DBT and Navigating the Mental Health System

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 05:00:00 +0000

On our fourth lived experience episode Alex sits down with Katie to talk about her experiences getting treatment from the mental health system, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), crisis visits to A & E and medication.

They also discuss issues around diagnosis (including depression, anxiety, autism and emotionally unstable personality disorder). They talk about what helped Katie made deeper meaningful change and how this has put her in a position where she can now help others.

Disclaimer: The benefits and drawbacks of different forms of therapy and medication are discussed in this conversation, but should not be taken as reccomendations for any one individual listener. Rather, the goal is to help the listener become more aware of different forms of treatment to inform their discussions with their healthcare providers.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi.

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Interview #45: OCD, Meditation, Psychedelics & Trauma work (with Rose Cartwright)

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Rose Cartwright is an author and screenwriter. She is the author of the 2015 book Pure about her experiences with OCD which subsequently became a Channel 4 television show with the same name. She is also a screenwriter and executive story editor on the upcoming Netflix sci-fi series Three Body Problem .

In this episode Rose and Alex discuss her experiences including the pros and cons of the medical model, as well as Rose's experiences with meditation, psychedelics and trauma work.

You can find Rose's book Pure here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43814840-pure

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi

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Interview #44: How Should We Eat, Sleep and Drink to Improve our Mental Health? (with Kimberley Wilson)

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Kimberley Wilson is a psychologist, author and visiting lecturer working in private practice in central London. She's a Governor of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Mental Health Trust and the former Chair of the British Psychological Society's Training Committee in Counselling Psychology. Kimberley's first book How to Build a Healthy Brain explored how to look after both physical and mental well-being. She hosts Stronger Minds, a podcast on topics such as food, lifestyle, psychology and mental health. She's appeared on various TV shows including GMB and was a Great British Bake Off finalist. Her next book Unprocessed is set to be released in February 2023.

Interviewed by Dr Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi

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Best of 2022

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode we chose some of our favourite podcast moments from 2022. Happy New Year from the Thinking Mind Podcast team and we look forward to bringing you more content in 2023!

00:00 - Interview #37: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (With Prof. David Veale)

00:42 - Audio Essay #10: A New Years Resolution that Works (Long-term Behaviour Change)

01:28 - Interview #29: The Speakmans - Changing your Perspective to Change your Life

02:19 - Interview #35: Dr. Alex George (on Love Island, Public Mental Health, Self-Actualisation, Learning from Failure)

04:05 - Interview #31: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (with Dr Charles Shepherd)

04:38 - Interview #43: How Does Therapy Work? (with Dr. Martha Stark)

06:18 - Lived Experience #2: Psychosis (with Ad Gridley)

07:24 - Interview #38: Addiction, the Opioid Epidemic and How to Save Lives (with Professor Sir John Strang)

08:57 - Interview #39: Stop Being Nice (Dating & Relationships with Dr. Robert Glover)

11:38 - Interview #42: More about Cannabis - Adolescents, Legalisation, Psychosis (with Professor Valerie Curran and Dr Will Lawn)

12:39 - Lived Experience #3: Anorexia Nervosa

13:44 - Interview #41: Attachment, Dating, Relationships, Marriage & Psychotherapy (with Adam Lane Smith)

16:20 - Bonus: Why Perfectionism is your Enemy

18:19 - Interview #40: Psychiatry in a Time of War (With Dr. Natalia Pidkalyuk)

19:16 - Interview #36: Providing Drug and Alcohol Treatment and its Challenges (with Dr. Emmert Roberts)

20:05- Audio Essay #15: Why Do We Have Personalities?

20:51 - Interview #34: Eating Disorders (with Professor Janet Treasure)

21:41 - Interview #33: Dr. Richard Miller Part 2 - Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Ketamine, Existential Responsibility, Psychotherapy

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Bonus: Imposter Syndrome

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0000

What is Imposter Syndrome? How does it come about? What are some strategies that can help people deal with it?

Bonus Episode 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.

Self-Compassion Exercise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_80y_CT32c&t=589s

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Interview #43: How Does Therapy Work? (with Dr. Martha Stark)

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Dr. Martha Stark is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. She is an Adult and Child Psychiatrist and Integrative Psychoanalyst in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts.

Martha is an award-winning author of nine highly acclaimed books on psychoanalytic theory and technique – several of which have become required reading for students in various psychotherapy training programs around the world.

Additional Reading:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/335353.Modes_of_Therapeutic_Action
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/332792.Toward_a_Psychology_of_Being

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Interview #42: More about Cannabis - Adolescents, Legalisation, Psychosis (with Professor Valerie Curran and Dr Will Lawn)

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 05:00:00 +0000

This week, Anya and Alex speak to Professor Valerie Curran and Dr Will Lawn about their research into the effects of cannabis on adolescents.

We discuss some surprising results from their recently completed study, CannTeen, that are contributing to making our understanding of what happens when a developing brain is exposed to cannabis more nuanced. We talk about what happens when adolescents and adults receive different doses of THC and CBD in an MRI scanner. We find out if science has confirmed the munchies?! We hear about some cannabis myths that are being busted. We also think about how science can inform our discussions around the legalisation/decriminalisation of cannabis.

Professor Val Curran founded and directed the Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit at UCL, she is a clinical psychologist. She’s had an illustrious career researching the psychological effects of drugs such as MDMA, stimulants, ketamine and cannabis on our brains.

Dr Will Lawn is a psychology lecturer at King’s College London, with research interests spanning cannabis and opioid overdose, as well as ketamine, cigarettes and addiction more broadly. He previously worked as a post-doctoral researcher coordinating the CannTeen project that we’ll discuss today, and conducting research into different addictions and treatments.

Further Reading on the CanTeen Study:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychopharmacology/trials/cannteen

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova

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Bonus: Why Perfectionism is your Enemy

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000

How is Perfectionism best understood? Why does it actually hold you back?

Bonus Episode 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.

Further Reading:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/perfectionism#:~:text=Perfectionism%20is%20often%20defined%20as,describe%20or%20justify%20perfectionistic%20behavior.

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Interview #41: Attachment, Dating, Relationships, Marriage & Psychotherapy (with Adam Lane Smith)

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 05:00:00 +0000

Adam Lane Smith is a psychotherapist, coach and author. In this episode we discuss: dating, attachment, relationship problems, marriage, psychotherapy and much more.

You can find out more about Adam and his work here:

Website: AdamLaneSmith.com
Instagram: @AttachmentAdam
TikTok: @AttachmentBro
Youtube: @AdamLaneSmith
Twitter: @TheBrometheus

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi

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Audio Essay #15: Why Do We Have Personalities?

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 04:00:00 +0100

What is a Personality? How should we think about our Personalities? How can you expand your Personality?

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.

Further Reading:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/big-five-personality.html

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Audio Essay #14: Getting a More Balanced Perspective

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0100

This is an audio-essay about three unhelpful thinking habits, or cognitive distortions, where we think about some examples, why these ways of thinking are unhelpful and what we can do about them.

There are many other unhelpful thinking habits or cognitive distortions that CBT guides us to think about - here are some links to some helpful websites to read: https://web.stanford.edu/~nanbhas/blog/understanding-cognitive-distortions/ https://www.verywellmind.com/ten-cognitive-distortions-identified-in-cbt-22412

You can also check out the short book ‘10 Steps to Positive Living’ by Windy Dryden.

Audio-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.

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Lived Experience #3: Anorexia Nervosa

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0100

In our third lived experience episode Rebecca speaks with Ella about her experiences with Anorexia: how it started, the effects it had on her thinking, how it affected her family life and her process of recovery.

Interviewed by Dr Rebecca Wilkinson

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Lived Experience #2: Psychosis (with Ad Gridley)

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0100

Ad Gridley was 18 when he had his first cannabis joint while on a gap year in Canada. He had no idea his choices then would – most likely – be the trigger for a 15-year unremitting, downward spiral that would see him diagnosed with schizophrenia and make multiple suicide attempts.

He now lectures about his experiences and is the author of the book "The Geographer: The Descent into Madness". In addition Ad hosts two podcasts, Ad Gridleys Movie Sushi and Poetry Cafe. The link to his book and podcasts can be found on http://adgridley.com/.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi

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Interview #40: Psychiatry in a Time of War (With Dr. Natalia Pidkalyuk)

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Dr Pidkalyuk is a Ukrainian psychiatrist. Dr Pidkalyuk has worked as a psychiatrist since 2004, and with local government set up a centre for stress disorders in the local polyclinic. In 2021, Dr Pidkalyuk set up and with a team runs an NGO for stress disorders - ‘The Institute of Psychosomatics and Trauma-therapy’ in Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022, this has been supported by the Czech organisation ‘People in Need’. They provide consultations, support groups and treatment to people affected by trauma and experiencing stress disorders. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dr Pidkalyuk and the Institute have become a hub for many Ukrainians displaced by war from other parts of the country.

This interview was possible thanks to translator Danny Dmytroshkyn.

The clinic: https://www.facebook.com/105394482187302/posts/pfbid0UDJKkXdUr8fcNwauQLtoFBWbEBA9Y41VbwQvdy1a6ef5fwP4XMRdvyx5W1jLcsTql/.

https://www.instagram.com/lifehub.khm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

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Audio Essay #13 - This is Going to Hurt: Why Growth is Hard (and why you should do it anyway)

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 13:00:00 +0100

How can we define Psychological Growth? Which traits define a mature person? Why is it hard to grow Psychologically? Why Should you do it Anyway?

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.

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Lived Experience #1: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Religion and Recovery.

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Dr Asad Rajput is a FY1 doctor who suffered with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from a young age. In this episode Rebecca and Asad discuss what it's like to live with OCD, how religion and culture impacted Asad's OCD and how he recovered.

Interviewed by Dr Rebecca Wilkinson

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Interview #39: Stop Being Nice (Dating & Relationships with Dr. Robert Glover)

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Dr. Robert Glover is an author, psychotherapist and speaker. He is the author of bestselling men's self help book: No More Mr. Nice Guy. Dr. Glover has devoted his career as a psychotherapist to freeing men from what he was dubbed the "Nice Guy Syndrome": trying too hard to please others while neglecting their own needs, thus causing unhappiness and resentfulness.

In this episode we discuss:
- The problems with the "Nice Guy" archetype
- The meaning of real kindness
- The path to integrating aggression into your life
- How to date in 2022
- The problem with dating apps
- The value of facing one's fears

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi

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Interview #38: Addiction, the Opioid Epidemic and How to Save Lives (with Professor Sir John Strang)

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 16:00:00 +0100

Professor Sir John Strang is a leading clinical academic. He is head of the Addictions Department at King’s College London and a Consultant Psychiatrist in addictions treatment for over 30 years.

He is one of a small number of senior addictions researchers outside North America identified by ISI (the Institute for Scientific Analysis) as a “Highly Cited Author” with a rate of citation in the “top one half of one percent of all publishing researchers in the last two decades”.

He developed and continues to expand the work on Take-Home Naloxone, a life-saving innovation for reducing opiate overdose deaths.

We discuss how addiction and substance use disorders are defined and what might cause someone to develop them. We talk about what can make substance use disorders difficult to treat. We talk about the opioid epidemic and pick Prof Strang’s brains on what the reasons for the differences between the UK and USA is. We discuss take home naloxone and treatment for opiate dependence and consider broader issues such as what the aims of treatment might be/should be.

We are so grateful to all the listeners who sent questions in - we didn’t get to cover all of them this time, but look out for future episodes!

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova

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Interview #37: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (With Prof. David Veale)

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Prof David Veale is a Consultant Psychiatrist and leads a national outpatient and residential unit service for people with severe treatment refractory Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and anxiety disorders at the South London and Maudsley Trust. Dr David Veale specialises in obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, health anxiety, emetophobia and depression. He is a Visiting Professor in Cognitive Behaviour Therapies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - podcast@maudsleylearning.com - Follow us here: Twitter @maudsleypodcast Instagram @maudsleylearningpodcast

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Interview #36: Providing Drug and Alcohol Treatment and its Challenges (with Dr. Emmert Roberts)

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Dr Roberts is an addiction psychiatrist and research fellow working in South London, working with people with addiction to substances as well as addictive behaviours, like gambling.

He conducts research looking at the impact of policy changes on patients, such as their ability to access healthcare services. He was the clinical lead for the Homeless Hotel Drug and Alcohol Service (HDAS) in London - the first such service covering all of London, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He has recently been awarded a 5 year fellowship developing interventions to improve care for people with drug use, and another fellowship in health policy. In this episode, we discuss drug consumption rooms, reasons for why the UK has had the highest drug-related deaths on record in the last year, and how policy and services could be different in order to address this.

These are some of the reports mentioned in the episode:

Lessons Learned from the Pan-London Homeless Hotel Drug & Alcohol Support Service (HDAS) https://osf.io/7cdbx/
Three qualitative reports from KCL reporting on the “Experiences Of Being Housed In A London Hotel As Part Of The ‘Everyone In’ Initiative” https://osf.io/rt7j9/

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova

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Interview #35: Dr. Alex George (on Love Island, Public Mental Health, Self-Actualisation, Learning from Failure)

Fri, 27 May 2022 08:00:00 +0100

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

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Audio Essay #12: Anxiety & Depression

Fri, 13 May 2022 07:00:00 +0100

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 unhappiness

School 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-interventions

Audio-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.

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Interview #34: Eating Disorders (with Professor Janet Treasure)

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 11:00:00 +0100

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/S0149763417303019

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi

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Interview #33: Dr. Richard Miller Part 2 - Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Ketamine, Existential Responsibility, Psychotherapy

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 05:00:00 +0100

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.org

In this episode we discuss: Ayahuasca, Cannabis, Ketamine, Existential Responsibility, Psychotherapy and much more

The cannabis study we discuss can be found here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30048-3/fulltext

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi

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Part 1 of this Interview can be found under Interview #26, released on Nov 12th 2021

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Interview #32: Mental Health, Race, Poverty, Addiction and how they're shown on TV (with Dr. Akeem Sule)

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 04:00:00 +0000

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.

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How & Why to Engage in Conflict (Audio-Essay #11)

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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Interview #31: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (with Dr Charles Shepherd)

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 06:00:00 +0000

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

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Interview #30: All About Ketamine (with Dr. Lawrence Park)

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 05:00:00 +0000

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 Borissova

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Interview #29: Changing your Perspective to Change your Life with The Speakmans

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

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 & 2
Published November 2018 – Journal of Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry
https://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_studies

Study 3
Published 9 April 2021 – European Journal of Psychotraumataology
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008198.2021.1883924

Books 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

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Audio Essay #10: A New Years Resolution that Works (Long-term Behaviour Change)

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

This podcast is a guide to making any kind of resolution towards long term change and it includes:

Intro 00:00

Listener Shout-Out 02:30

Choosing the area you want to work on (what is bothering you?) 03:33

Framing the resolution appropriately 06:15

Making a plan using the zone of proximal development 08:07

Choosing high leverage activities 12:37

Using 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 20:05

Recognising 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.

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The Psychology of Christmas

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In this episode Anya and Alex discuss the psychological significance and historical origins of Christmas, as well as other similar celebrations around the world.

They also discuss: nostalgia, social cohesion, why you shouldn't try and change your relatives minds over Turkey, loneliness, New Years resolutions and much more.

From the whole team Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi

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Interview #28: Obesity, Weight Loss and Why We Eat Too Much (With Andrew Jenkinson)

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Today on the podcast Alex chats with Andrew Jenkinson, author of the book: Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite.

Andrew is a consultant bariatric and general surgeon at University College London. He is a member of the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society, the International Federation of Surgery for Obesity, the Association of Upper GI Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

In the podcast they discuss:
- The problems with the mainstream views on the obesity crisis
- How modern diets lead to obesity, including the "body set-point" hypothesis
- Principles of improving one's diet and lifestyle in order to lose weight and improve health
- Psychological issues with weight loss
- How government policy could be used to improve public health

You can find Andrew's book here:
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Why-We-Eat-Too-Much-Audiobook/0241450284?ref=a_author_An_c9_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=af5062e9-57de-425c-9e02-6d8ad006b9aa&pf_rd_r=3F4R8TY0SKVFRHZE7QY8

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi

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Interview #27: Why Do We Laugh? (With Professor Sophie Scott)

Sat, 27 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Professor Scott is the Director of the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, and Head of the Speech Communications Group. Her research studies the neural basis of vocal communication - how our brains process the information in speech and voices, and how our brains control the production of our voice. Professor Scott also researches the expression of emotion in the voice, especially laughter. In this episode, we spend some time discussion why we laugh and how this might change with mental illness, what makes something funny, and why our voices are so relevant in understanding our mental state.

Professor Scott is also well known for her public engagement work, including performing stand-up comedy, featuring on radio (The Life Scientific, The Infinite Monkey Cage) and TV (Horizon, Inside Culture) and the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Professor Scott hosts a podcast with a poet - 'The Neuromantics' available on https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-neuromantics/id1455641494

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #26: Dr. Richard Miller Part 1 - MDMA, Psychedelics & the Therapeutic Milleu

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

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.org

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi and Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Part 2 of this Interview can be found under Interview #33, released on April 1st 2022

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Audio Essay #9: Reality vs Fantasy

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 05:00:00 +0100

What if you are being held back by fantasies you are scarcely aware of? How can you become more conscious of your fantasies? How can you become more reality oriented?

In this episode mental suffering is examined through the lens of Fantasy and Reality, with the help of cognitive behavioural, psychoanalytic and Jungian theories.

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.

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Interview #25: Cannabis, CBD and THC - What You Should Know (with Dr. Amir Englund)

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Dr Amir Englund is a cannabis scientist at King’s College London. He has been involved in and run a number of experimental cannabis, THC, CBD studies. In this episode we discuss the question of can we make cannabis safer with some brand new study results, the effects of CBD in combination with THC, future directions in cannabis harm reduction including the development of a ‘cannabis unit’, the risks of the high street CBD hype and some interesting pharmacology.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova. Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #24: The Cruelty in All of Us (with Dr. Gwen Adshead)

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Gwen Adshead is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist, previously a consultant at Broadmoor psychiatric hospital. She is a visiting professor of psychiatry at Gresham College, Jochelson and a visiting professor at the Yale School of Law and Psychiatry.

She is the author of the Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion (2021) a book that seeks to understand violent criminals at their most extreme. She is also the author of A Short Book About Evil (2013).

Interviewed by Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson with Dr. Alex Curmi
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Interview #23: Our Brain is Divided (with Dr. Iain McGilchrist)

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Iain McGilchrist is an author, speaker, psychiatrist and former Oxford literary scholar. McGilchrist came to prominence after the publication of his book The Master and His Emissary in 2010 which concerns the differences between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. His new book The Matter with Things, which concerns epistemology and metaphysics will be out November 2021.

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Interview #22: Cannabis & Psychosis (with Dr. Marta Di Forti and Professor Robin Murray)

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:00:00 +0100

In this episode Dr. Marta Di Forti and Professor Sir Robin Murray discuss the link between cannabis use and psychotic illness in depth, including:

- How cannabis has changed over recent decades
- The effect of cannabis on the incidence of psychosis
- How cannabis can produce psychotic symptoms in a laboratory setting
- The potential role of the endocannabinoid system in humans
- The cannabis clinic run by Dr. Di Forti in the South London and Maudsley NHS trust

Dr. Di Forti is a psychiatrist and senior clinical fellow and senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and is now regarded as one of the leading researchers in the world in the field of cannabis and psychosis.

Professor Murray is a psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, and considered a world expert in psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova.
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Interview #21: Introducing New Hosts Anya & Rebecca

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Alex chats with new ML Podcast hosts Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson, both training psychiatrists. In this episode they discuss what makes psychiatry different from other medical specialties, the ups and downs of podcasting, the relationship between cannabis and mental illness, the value of psychotherapy and other topics.

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Interview #20: Being both the doctor and the patient with Dr Rebecca Lawrence

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Rebecca Lawrence is an addictions psychiatrist and blogger. On her blog doctor-and-patient.com she writes about the challenges of working in mental health whilst also having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. On this episode she discusses being both a doctor and a patient, receiving treatment for her condition with both medications (such as Lithium) and ECT (electro-convulsive therapy).

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Interview #19: Tribalism and the Value of Disagreement (with Dr. Julian-Pascal Saadi)

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Alex chats with Dr Julian-Pascal Saadi about tribalism, therapy, cognitive dissonance and many other topics in the first in-person ML podcast since the pandemic began.

Dr Julian-Pascal Saadi is a Counselling Psychologist working within the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Alongside his clinical work, he has a special interest in critical psychology and the philosophies underpinning clinical practice within the public healthcare model.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #18: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (with Robert Plomin)

Sun, 23 May 2021 18:00:00 +0100

Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor in Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. He is the author of the book Blueprint: How DNA Makes us Who We Are.

In this episode we discuss the genetics behind personality, psychopathology and many of the other factors that make us who we are, as well as Robert's thoughts on the DNA revolution, how DNA testing will change everyone's lives.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (Interview #18 Teaser)

Wed, 19 May 2021 15:00:00 +0100

In this upcoming interview Alex talks to Robert Plomin about the the genetic influences of psychological traits, the DNA revolution and much more.

Robert Plomin is MRC Research Professor in Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. He is the author of the book Blueprint: How DNA Makes us Who We Are

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #17: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (with Michelle Batcock)

Sat, 08 May 2021 05:00:00 +0100

Alex chats about DBT with Michelle Batcock, an Accredited DBT Therapist & Member of the Board of Accreditation for the Society for DBT.

DBT is a modified form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with pronounced influence fom Zen Buddhist ideas.

In this episode they discuss:
- What DBT is
- How it can help people
- How it can help the therapist as much as the client
- The difference between pain and suffering
- Setting goals intelligently

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #8: What are Emotions for?

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0100

How should we think about our emotions? What purpose do they serve? In this podcast we examine 9 common Emotions: Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Joy, Love, Fear, Guilt, Shame and Regret. We also discuss some factors that modify our emotions as well as the basics of emotional intelligence.

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.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #16: Dr. Adrian James - The Current Mental Health Lanscape

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Dr. Adrian James is the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist.

In this episode we discuss the path to psychiatry, the first 6 months of his Presidency, the way the Mental Health act is changing, the role of prevention in healthcare, the relationship between ethnic minorities and mental health services, the role of psychotherapy in mental health services and many other topics.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #7: Marriage Story - Polarities and Collisions

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 04:00:00 +0000

This is an analysis of the Netlfix Film Marriage Story (2019), directed by Noah Baumbach.

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.

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Audio Essay #6: Wisdom vs Intelligence

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 10:00:00 +0000

What's the difference between wisdom and intelligence? Why does it matter?

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.

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Interview #15: Mindfulness & Adversity (with Dr. Florian Ruths)

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Florian Ruths is a consultant psychiatrist in adult mental health at the Maudsley. He is also clinical lead for mindfulness-based therapy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Florian has been leading the Maudsley Mindfulness Service at the Maudsley Hospital in London for the last 10 years, teaching mindfulness to colleagues and treating patients with mindfulness-based interventions.

In this episode we discuss Mindfulness meditation, it's role in treating depression and anxiety, how it can be utilised by high stress professions, it's link with cognitive behaviour therapy, the experience of silent retreat and many other topics.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #5: Failure, Personality and Calibrating One's Mental Compass

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 11:00:00 +0000

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.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #4: St. Maud - Psychological Analysis of Horror

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

What can this disturbing contemporary horror film teach us about ourselves and others?

St. Maud Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXs2-TY9qok

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.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #13: Psychedelic assisted Psychotherapy (With Dr. James Rucker)

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Dr. James Rucker is a consultant psychiatrist currently leading the psychedelic trials group at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London. He is currently leading a randomised control trial invesitgating the safety and efficacy of the active component of magic mushrooms (psilocybin) for use in treatment resistant depression.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #3: Pain vs Suffering

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0100

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.

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Interview #12: The Psychotic Landscape (with Professor Sir Robin Murray)

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:00:00 +0100

Professor Robin Murray is a Scottish psychiatrist and Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. In this episode we discuss psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, the risk factors, the genetics as well as the various environmental factors which affect it's development.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Audio Essay #2: Psychotherapy and How to Think About It

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 09:00:00 +0100

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Interview #11: Neuropsychiatry and Beyond (Dr. Sotiris Posporelis)

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 10:00:00 +0100

Dr. Posporelis is a Consultant Liaison Neuropsychiatrist at King’s College Hospital London and an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the IoPPN. Check out his webinar series Braincast here - https://maudsleylearning.com/insights/braincast-webinar-series/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com - Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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Interview #10: Social Media and YOU (with Dr. Niall Docherty)

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:00:00 +0100

Dr. Niall Docherty has recently completed his PhD at the Centre for Critical Theory, University of Nottingham, and will be pursuing his postdoctoral research within the Social Media Collective, Microsoft Research New England.

His thesis examines the material and discursive construction of Facebook’s ideal users, linking normative designations of “healthy” usership to neoliberal histories of governance through habit.

Niall has a BA in Politics and an MA in Cultural Studies from Goldsmiths, University of London, specialising in political theory, modern philosophy and governmentality studies.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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Interview #9: Building Bridges in Intercultural Therapy (with Baffour Ababio)

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Baffour Ababio is a psychoanalytic intercultural psychotherapist and clinical supervisor in private practice and at Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre. Nafsiyat is an intercultural therapy centre, committed to providing effective and accessible psychotherapy and counselling services to people from diverse religious, cultural and ethnic communities in London. Learn more about Nafsiyat's book here https://www.nafsiyat.org.uk/ and check out his book on inter-cultural therapy here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intercultural-Therapy-Baffour-Ababio/dp/1138625604

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi

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Interview #8: Combat Stress (Dr. Walter Busuttil)

Tue, 26 May 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Dr Walter Busuttil is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Medical Services for Combat Stress, a charity providing mental health support for military veterans. Walter served for 16 years in the Royal Air Force, working on fast-jet air bases as well as taking part in operational deployments. He was instrumental in the setting up of PTSD mental health rehabilitation programmes designed for servicemen returning from the first Gulf War. He was also part of the clinical team that rehabilitated the released British Beirut Hostages. Between 1997 and 2007 he worked setting up tertiary services for sufferers of Complex PTSD in civilian mental health services in general adult and forensic settings.

Check out more about combat stress here: https://www.combatstress.org.uk/

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Feedback - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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Interview #7: Pregnancy & Partnership in a Pandemic

Fri, 01 May 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Dr. Camilla Tooley works as a Clinical Educator and Relationship therapist as well as within a London perinatal psychotherapy team. In this interview we discuss her experiences working within the confines of quarantine whilst experiencing pregnancy of the first time herself, and we think about what could be learned from these experiences - for individuals, for couples and for those who are expecting.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Further resources can be found here: https://www.rcog.org.uk/coronavirus-pregnancy and here https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/about-us/responding-to-covid-19/covid-19-and-mental-health

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Clip #8: Why adopt a philosophical approach in psychiatry? How to think about psychiatric medication?

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 06:00:00 +0100

This is an excerpt from interview #2 with Dr. Lisa Conlan, a practising community psychiatrist within the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. Alongside her clinical work, she has an academic special interest in both Philosophy of Psychiatry and Medical Education, and has an M.Sc in Philosophy of Mental Disorder from King’s College London. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi.

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Interview #6: The End of the World and Cognitive Dissonance (Sheila Marshall and Kris de Meyer)

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0100

Have you ever been convinced of something, beyond all doubt? Many people have a strong sense that their views are right and couldn't possibly be wrong. So how do we come to hold strong convictions and why is it hard to consider we could be mistaken? American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated that Judgement Day would take place on May 21, 2011 "beyond the shadow of a doubt". Camping, who was then president of the Family Radio Christian network, claimed the Bible as his source. Through the eyes of his followers, the award winning documentary Right Between Your Ears explores how people believe, how we turn beliefs into certainties, and mistake them for the truth. This is an interview with the makers of the documentary Sheila Marshall and Kris de Meyer.

Watch here- http://www.rightbetween.com/- Follow them on twitter/instagram @RightBTW - Write to us here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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Audio Essay #1: On Hidden Opportunities and the Value of Subtraction

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 08:00:00 +0100

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.

Email us at thinkingmind podcast@gmail.com

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Interview #5: The Current Pandemic Landscape with Dr. Leonard Farrugia

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:00:00 +0100

Dr. Farrugia is an infectious disease registrar currently working at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians with a Masters in Research (MRes) in mycology and fungal immunology. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi.

Questions comments and feedback can be sent to thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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Clip #6: On Foregoing Dread with Dr. Leonard Farrugia

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +0100

Dr. Farrugia is an infectious disease registrar currently working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow - see Interview #5 for the full conversation with Dr. Farrugia which will be released on 31/03/20.

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Clip #5: Mindfulness Meditation (20 minute session)

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 18:00:00 +0000

Mindfulness meditation is a clinically proven way of dealing with stress and anxiety. Now more than ever, we are being expected to deal with uncertainty and stress whilst simultaneously being instructed to stay at home and be alone with our thoughts. When your mind is untrained this can be extremely trying. Here you can access a free 20 meditation. With regular practice, this can help achieve some calm in tumultuous times.

Meditation led by Dr. Alex Curmi
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If you'd like to learn more about mindfulness check out:
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

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Clip #4: Mindfulness Meditation (10 minute session)

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Mindfulness meditation is a clinically proven way of dealing with stress and anxiety. Now more than ever, we are being expected to deal with uncertainty and stress whilst simultaneously being instructed to stay at home and be alone with our thoughts. When your mind is untrained this can be extremely trying. Here you can access a free 10 meditation. With regular practice, this can help achieve some calm in tumultuous times.

Meditation led by Dr. Alex Curmi
Questions, comments and feedback - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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If you'd like to learn more about mindfulness check out:
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

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Clip #3: Coronavirus - Flattening the Curve in four minutes or less

Sat, 14 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

For more detailed information from infectious disease experts:
https://samharris.org/podcasts/191-early-thoughts-pandemic/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1xBiBVH7U4
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

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Interview #4: Professor Sir Simon Wessely

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Professor Sir Simon Wessely is Regius professor of psychiatry at King’s College London and a consultant liaison psychiatrist at King’s College and the Maudsley Hospitals, as well as civilian consultant advisor in psychiatry to the British Army. From 2014 to 2017 he was elected president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. For questions, comments and feedback- thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

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Interview #3: How to heal from Trauma? A discussion about EMDR therapy

Sun, 08 Sep 2019 10:00:00 +0100

In episode #3 Clinical Psychologist Dr. Charlotte Lemaigre is interviewed about her work in trauma, EMDR therapy, attachement theory and related topics

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi
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Clip #2: How to heal from Trauma? A discussion about EMDR therapy (Interview #3 Teaser)

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Charlotte Lemaigre is interviewed about her work in trauma, EMDR therapy, attachement theory and related topics.

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Interview #2 On becoming a psychiatrist, philosophy of mental disorder, phenomenology & psychotherapy (Dr. Lisa Conlan full interview)

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 19:00:00 +0100

Dr. Lisa Conlan is a practising community psychiatrist within the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. Alongside her clinical work, she has an academic special interest in both Philosophy of Psychiatry and Medical Education, and has an M.Sc in Philosophy of Mental Disorder from King’s College London.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi
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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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Do We Over-Pathologise Ourselves? (with Dr. Lisa Conlan)

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Dr. Lisa Conlan is a practising community psychiatrist within the NHS. Alongside her clinical work, she has an academic special interest in both Philosophy of Psychiatry and Medical Education, including philosophy of mind and conceptual analysis.
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Interview #1 Culture and Psychiatry, Religious Experiences and Psychedelics with Dr. Quinton Deeley

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 11:00:00 +0100

Dr Quinton Deeley is Senior Lecturer in Social Behaviour and Neurodevelopment at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IOPPN), King’s College London. He is also Consultant Neuropsychiatrist in the National Autism Unit and Neuropsychiatry Brain Injury Clinic at the Maudsley and Bethlem Hospitals. Dr Deeley also chairs the Maudsley Philosophy Group, and Social and Cultural Neuroscience Group at the IOPPN.

Questions comments and feedback - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

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