Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Psychopharmacology, and Psychedelics

Dive into the underground world of psilocybin therapy, where healing meets ethical dilemmas. A seasoned therapist shares their personal journey with childhood trauma and emphasizes the importance of safety in unregulated practices. Explore the nuances of client selection, dosage considerations, and the therapeutic dynamics of individual versus group settings. Discover the differences between psilocybin and ayahuasca, along with the critical role of relational skills in effective healing. This conversation sheds light on the potential and pitfalls of psychedelic therapy.

Body dysmorphia is the disorder of imagined ugliness, a type of delusional OCD that can lead to severe depression, eating disorders, compulsive body alterations, and suicidality.  As a young child, Georgina was a "cute kid", not particularly self-conscious, and able to move through her world without undue pain. With the onset of adolescence, however, her self-image changed completely-- she suddenly found her face horribly ugly, she felt helpless and hopeless, and she frantically tried to find ways to cope. Here Georgina shares her story of recovery from body dysmorphia and an eating disorder, a long and winding path from Health and Wellness Instagram fame while compulsively exercising and restricting to the hard work of showing up in therapy to rediscovering her non-judgmental inner child during a psilocybin journey.  Georgina and Dr. H also explore orthorexia, atypical anorexia, intuitive eating, and the concept of healing through embodiment.Georgina Berbari is a writer and photographer living in NYChttps://www.georginaberbari.comDr. Hillary McBride's new book "The Wisdom of Your Body"https://hillarylmcbride.com/the-wisdom-of-your-body/BFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA on Facebook@Back From The Abyss PodcastBFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

Doug Friedman, the co-host and producer of the podcast Your Mental Breakdown, contacted Craig last spring and said that he was ready and wanting to tell his abyss story-- that of his wife’s death and his journey of recovery thereafter. Doug has mentioned a number of times on his podcast that his wife passed away the same week in 2018 that he was diagnosed with MS… but the details of his loss are actually much more profound and heartbreaking.  That’s because Doug’s beloved wife Kim, who was also a psychotherapist, died by suicide when her bipolar disorder overtook her.  After Kim’s death, Doug plunged into a process of painful reckoning that finally culminated in a move to the Colorado mountains to plumb his emotional depths through songwriting and music. The result of his inner process, of his working through the paralyzing grief and the overwhelming emotions… is the music you will hear throughout this story.Doug Friedmanhttps://www.clearmindfullheart.comYour Mental Breakdown podcasthttps://www.yourmentalbreakdown.comBFTA on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

Here Craig sits down with Jeff Pincus, a nationally recognized couples therapist and trainer from Boulder, they explore why it’s so challenging to be an effective marriage therapist, why we are all destined to marry the wrong person (hint….our partners eventually become a mirror for us and our issues),  and how marriage can be the most nourishing yet also the most difficult and painful relationship of our lives.Jeff's work is informed by cognitive neuroscience, somatic psychotherapy, systems thinking, and Tibetan Buddhism. He is an expert in PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy) and was one of the original core faculty for the PACT  Institute. He currently offers transformational three-day intensives for couples interested in healing, growing and loving. https://jeffpincus.comBFTA is now on Instagram@backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/p/CVf2XzhlTZ5/?utm_medium=share_sheetBFTA on Facebook@Back From The Abyss PodcastBFTA/Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

When psychiatric meds work well, it can be nothing short of miraculous. Yet so often, patients accumulate a long list of med failures, leading to a sense of deep frustration and even hopelessness.Here Dr. H explores five central reasons why psych meds fail:1. Misdiagnosis, largely due to  overlapping and confusing diagnostic categories and the general lack of a coherent nosology in psychiatry2. The role of trauma as the great imitator3. Sleep issues4. Hormonal status5. Confused and/or unreasonable expectationsBFTA/Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

An amazing healing journey deserves a detailed post-game analysis and deconstruction.   Here Elizabeth,  a participant in the MAPS MDMA study, sits down with Craig and co-therapist Karen Cooper to look back at what were the crux moves and essential ingredients that shifted Elizabeth's PTSD into remission. BFTA/Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

Craig sits down with LA-based Cuban American storyteller, author, BFTA super-advisor, and longtime dear friend Antonio Sacre to explore the art and power of storytelling, their personal abyss moments, friendship and vulnerability, and their shared love of air conditioning. Antonio Sacrehttps://www.antoniosacre.comBFTAhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

Life would be so much easier if we each came with an individual instruction manual, to both guide us and also warn us of how our inherited temperament and predilections might cause us great suffering. The first page of Emily's manual would have started with a capitalized bold face warning:"You are a highly sensitive soul, you will feel others' hurt and anger and sadness as if it were your own....you will experience the world as if you had no protective skin, no shield....you will need to find people who see you and understand who you are, who can help nurture the beautiful flower that you can and will become." Emily eventually found her healthy place in the world, but in the process the darkness almost took her.BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

Just after starting his career, Dr. H met Matthew, a middle school student in the midst of a horrifying psychotic break.   Here Dr. H sits down with Meg and Phil, Matthew's parents, to explore their 15 year journey of grief, acceptance, recovery, and eventually becoming a source of support, connection, and wisdom for other families on this brutal and often deeply isolating journey.NAMI Family to Family classeshttps://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Mental-Health-Education/NAMI-Family-to-FamilyNAMI support groupshttps://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Support-GroupsBFTA/Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show

12 step programs have helped millions of people, but they can't address everything. Randy got clean and sober and found a supportive community in AA....yet something was missing. He couldn't find peace, he couldn't connect in intimate relationships, he felt deeply broken and spiritually empty.  It turns out that when Randy's little brother drowned when Randy was just 4 years old, his family became a numbed archipelago of grief, leaving him to grow up without the mirroring and attachments that he desperately needed. Enter ayahuasca, followed by psilocybin....Randy was finally able to reach the parts of his unconscious where his childhood trauma was blocking his attachment and safety circuitry.BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show