The Broken Brain

Patreon sample: the first half of the true story of the bungled, ridicolous kidnapping of Frank Sinatr Jr in the sixties, and the role that scrupilosity. grandiosity, and delusion played in this scheme. This month's charity is Stand In Pride, a nonprofit helping LGBTQ+ individuals to establish friends and found family, especially when facing rejection from their family of origin. Go to www.standinpride.org to learn more.

Salima Adelstein is the first woman to become a Murshida, a spiritual guide in the Shadhiliyya Sufi Tradition, the mystical dimension of Islam. She has 35 years guiding people in meditation, spirituality, and using the Shadhiliyya principles. Follow her and her work at www.sufi.net The highlighted charity this month is Stand In Pride, a nonprofit organization helping members of the LGBTQ+ community to build their own support community after facing rejection from friends and family. Go to www.standinpride.org or find their app in your app store to get involved.

This week for Monday Mental Health Tip I want to share the use of action as a form of self-care and service, finding ways to support and help during times of political and social injustice, targeting of immigrants and marginalized populations, violation of civil rights, and even public executions. Anxiety can be managed through purposeful action, here are some ideas about funneling the emotional energy into areas that can help these situations, and will more so the more of us that join in. Highlighted charities in this episode include: Immigrant Legal Resource Center: www.ilrc.org National Immigration Law Center: www.NILC.org Transgender Law Center: www.transgenderlawcenter.org

In 1770 a weird and amazing machine known as "The Chess Machine," or "The Mechanical Turk," was created by Civil Servant and Engineer Wolfgang von Kempelen. He claimed it could play chess as an automated machine, and indeed it played and defeated many talented players and well-known people, including Napolean and Benjamin Franklin. This device kicked off the type of thinking that influenced the development of the computer, and probably even AI. Unfortunately it was all a hoax... Thursday Thistory is a look at psychological or cultural history. Half today's episode is available to all listeners, while the other half is only for Patreon members. This month's highlighted charity is Stand in Pride, a nonprofit helping LGBTQ+ individuals find support after facing rejection from family. Go to www.standinpride.org to learn more.

Psychiatrist Joel Gold & Philosopher Ian Gold wrote "Suspicious Minds: How Culture Shapes Madness," examining the effects of culture and social media on delusions. Cue the creation of Artificial Intelligence, with quickly increasing presence and impact. The brothers teamed up with Award Winning Filmmaker Sean King O'Grady to create the docuseries "Suspicious Minds," interviewing researchers, AI engineers, and individuals who have experienced what is increasingly being called "AI Delusion." This is a fascinating discussion about the relationship with new technology, and how it can impact mental health. Watch Suspicious Minds on Youtube, or find the audio anywhere you find podcasts. Our highlighted charity this month is Stand In Pride, an organization helping LGBTQ+ individuals who have been abandoned by family and friends to find stand-in family for events such as weddings and graduations, and to build found family relationships. Support them by downloading their app, going to www.standinpride.org, and follow founder Dan Blevins on IG @the_zombie_dan

How does technology and culture impact mental health? Today's Monday Mental Health Tip is focused on finding a healthy balance in how we embrace new tech, Particularly AI (more to come on that tomorrow) Our highlighted charity is Stand in Pride, helping LGBTQ+ individuals to discover found family and build new support systems, especially if they have faced rejection in response to coming out. Go to www.standinpride.org to learn more.

Isabel Tehran returns for another Christmas Special, talkign about...a Christmas Special. This year we are focused on Rankin-Bass' "The Year Without A Santa Claus." Along with a BUNCH of other stuff, Christmas Special related and otherwise. Go to www.dwighthurst.com/santa for a free gift, the TTRPG A Bunch Of Santas. Happy Holidays to all!

Being healthy is one of the difficult challenges of being a human person. So PJ Glassey joins us today to help us. A trained physiologist, Glassey shares guidance on physical and cognitive techniques for well ronded health, using tools like cognitive behavioral interventions, gratitude, and meditative practices along with physical exercise. Follow his work at www.xgym.com We are continuing to support the Because Organization this month, supporting survivors of human trafficking to build stable, healthy lives following an exit from trafficking. Support their great work at www.becauseorganization.org

Jessica Baum is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in relationships, particularly the role of attachment. She is also the author of "SAFE: Coming Home to Yourself and Others," a look at building more secure relationships by understanding ours and our partner's patterns of attachment. We are continuing the focus on The Because Organization as our nonprofit of choice for the remainder of this year. Go to www.becauseorganization.org to learn more and support their work with survivors of human trafficking.

Oswald Newbold is a Certified Mediator, specializing in conflict resolution for individuals, groups, and organizations. He has been managing conflict and communication since 2008, when he mediated disputes between incarcerated individuals in the Florida Criminal Justice system, reducing tension and violence within the prisons. Oswald talks today about the mediation process, communication, and social advocacy for rehabilitation. Follow his work at www.oswaldnewbold.com This month we are highlighting The Because Organization, a nonprofit supporting survivors of human trafficking. Get involved in their work: www.becauseorganization.org