The Broken Brain

Dr. Daniel Jolley joins me to discuss his groundbreaking research in the area of Conspiracy Theories. Dr. Jolley is a Psychologist, faculty at Staffordshire University, who studies the psychological dynamic of being drawn to theories of conspiracy. Daniel talks about the reason why some of us are more likely to have conspiratorial suspicions, the consequences of this type of thinking, and how to respond to it. Follow Daniel @DrDanielJolley on twitter, and check out his super cool website at ConspiracyPsychology.com.

Nick Hobson is a Psychologist who studies Ritual. This is an often misunderstood and difficult to measure psychological trait in human beings to benefit or suffer according to our day to day repetitive behavior. Do these things comfort us or harm us, and why do we do them? Nick's research indicates a definite trend to ritualize our actions, and tendencies to bond and hate based upon them. Check out his YouTube video introducing his research, and follow him on Twitter @nickmhobson.

Karly Beaumont, head of the Core Temp Arts Network of podcasts, podcaster, and pop culture expert, joins me to discuss the dynamics of relationship repair that are presented in the quirky and highly metaphorical movie "The One I Love." This film depicts a live action visualization of the different parts of our personalities in the process of repairing damaged relationships, and asking ourselves questions about the survivability of love. Follow Karly on Twitter @karlyvision, or check out her podcast work on the shows "Talking Shondaland," "That Pop This Life," and "TV Ate My Brain."

Karson Kinikini krushes konfidentiality in khild therapy...that should be crushes confidentiality in child therapy. Karson is a long time friend and first rate therapist. This recording is him teaching a group of us therapist-types about the importance, complications, ethics, and dynamic of confidentiality between child and their therapist. This episode is a CEU training given to the Aspire Network of therapists.

Andrew, from AB Film Review and the Last New Wave Podcasts, joins me to talk about the social and psychological implications of the introduction of a new gaming system. This is NOT a review of the Nintendo Switch, it IS Andrew and I talking about the effects that the presence of gaming have had upon us personally and culture in general.

Part 2 of my discussion with Mariano & Allegra is here! Avid podcasters and pop culture commentators, they share with me their experience and observations about the existence and psychological impact of racial privilege, and why it is often so hard to discuss. Tune in for the next exciting episode of The Broken Brain, and catch Allegra & Mariano on Core Temp Art's official TV commentary show: TV Ate My Brain.

Dave Hart, host of the Pop Culture Case Study Podcast, returns to The Broken Brain to help me talk about the way that mental health diagnosis are presented in movies. With the new M Night Shyamalan picture "Split," I have had a few requests to address this. This episode is one of those. We talk about depictions of therapy, DID (Disassociative Identity Disorder), and the fact that almost all mental health disorders make someone much much LESS likely to be dangerous than the rest of the population. Dave and I are of course pictured in the image of this episode, pondering movies and mental health.

Kathleen returns to help me talk about how to support your loved ones with traumatic experiences. We discuss the are the important Do's and Dont's of working with family and friends with a history of trauma, abuse, or PTSD. Be sure to listen to Kathleen's wonderful Podcast On The Blue Couch for talk about trauma, psychology, The Walking Dead, and much more!

Kevin Byrd is a specialist in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. He runs a DBT program in Carmel, Indiana. He joined me to talk about his background in therapy, working with symptoms of high emotionality, stigma regarding Personality Disorders, and finding hope in the face of serious mental illness. Check out his website at carmelpsychology.com

Mike returns to talk more about relationships, particularly those colored by estrangement and difficult problems. To do this, we use the Icelandic film "Rams," from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, available on Netflix. As always, our cover art is up for guesses, which one of these gentlemen is Dwight, and which is Mike?