The Broken Brain

Mike Denniston returns to the show (from the podcast War Machine vs War Horse) to watch and review a classic tale of family dysfunction, the funny and surprisingly touching Sundance Film Festival winner "Little Miss Sunshine." We use this as a backdrop to discuss triangulation, depression, hopes, fears, and insecurity, all within the family dynamic.

Joel Manwill is a member of the Aspire Group of Mental Health Professionals, the Group Practice that I am also a part of. He is also a highly experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist, working with sensory processing disorder, autistic spectrum disorders, and other health concerns related to sensory processing. This is a training Joel did for our team of therapists, in which he discusses over and under sensitive disorders, sensory seeking and sensory avoidant behavior.

What did you do this weekend? Laura Murthum fought against human trafficking...Yeah, I know. I cleaned out my garage. Laura works for the nonprofit group Trucker's Against Traficking (TAT) an organization dedicated to providing training to on-the-road Truckers to help them in the fight against human trafficking. CLICK HERE to check out their website and learn what red flags to look for when you are out in the community as well. Laura is a dedicated human service professional and a great human person as well, lot's of fun to talk to. Enjoy this interview, and should you want to get involved with stopping problems related to human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at: 1 (888) 373-7888

Jeri Young Returns to tell us more about Imposter Syndrome! Jeri talked about Imposter Phenomenon on a recent episode of The Broken Brain, this is a recording of her providing more information to a team of therapists, in the Aspire Network. Although she touches on a lot of the same areas, she also goes into how to decrease the anxiety and depression associated with this dynamic, and tells us a bunch of helpful things about self-care. Watch for her next upcoming episode about Mind-Body techniques to defeat Imposter Syndrome! Links: Second Wave Feminism video (Jeri opens with this) About Women by Lisa Alther & Francoise Gilot Beyond Happiness: The Upside of Feeling Down (January 2016 issue of Psychology Today by Matthew Hutson)

Happy Father's Day from the Broken Brain! Dave Hart from Pop Culture Case Study returns to talk with me about being a dude. We discuss the complex psychological issues inherent to being a man in our culture, and our impressions of the psychological impact of the documentary "The Mask You Live In." by the Representation Project. Check out the documentary on Netflix or Amazon, and follow their Facebook page for ongoing discussion about this important topic. Follow Dave on Twitter, and listen to his podcast people!

Bernadette & Andrew Peirce are a wonderful couple who do a movie podcast (the AB Film Review), and are just fun and cool people. We got together to discuss the dynamic of psychological burnout, a condition that affects physical and mental health, as well as the economy. Andrew has worked in the Veterinary Nursing industry, and Bernie has provided addiction recovery and crisis stabilization services within Mental Health Treatment facilities. They are both acutely aware of the reality of mental health and burnout needs upon individuals and society. We discuss stigma of mental health treatment, acceptance of self, finding an outlet, and avoiding falling off the cliff of burnout.

Dave from Pop Culture Case Study rejoins the show to talk addiction recovery, a specialty of his. We tackle the difficult but vital issue of building (or rebuilding) social support in sobriety maintenance. Addiction has many costs, but a big one is the damage it does to our family and friendship relations. And few things are as helpful to recovery from addiction than a healthy support system. We talk about experiments with RATS, finding new friends, repairing existing relationships, and allowing for a damaged sense of delayed gratification. Quick links from our talk: check out Refuge Recovery, the HAMS network, and Meetup.com (or any of the social meet-up sites). Make sure to check out Dave's show, especially his latest few episodes about The Nice Guys, and X-Men movies.

My friend Jeri joins the podcast to discuss Imposter Phenomenon, and the genesis of that term within psychotherapy. Imposter Phenomenon has been used since the 1970s and is a name for a specific type of anxiety and intellectual self-doubt. Jeri Young is a friend, a colleague, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in Mind-Body Bridging, Chronic Pain management, and a bunch of other cool stuff. ALSO, you should totes click on this sentence to READ this cool paper about Imposter Phenomenon by Clance & Imes.

Arianna Jeret (author and relationship expert) & David Hart (Podcaster, Addiction Therapist, and Doctoral Candidate) join me to answer some of the listener's questions. We talk about online articles that "diagnose" celebrities, watching out for online experts without training (and how to spot real professionals), and getting medical advice for psychological conditions. Specifically we are glad to see questions from the online group Podcast Party addressed in this episode. Keep your questions coming! Tweet them @breakabrain or with the hashtag #AskATherapist, or email me directly at dwighthurst@gmail.com

Joe Capozzi is an actor, and is the writer & producer of the short film "Confession," directed by his wife, Angelique Letizia-Capozzi. Confession is a 15 minute film telling the story of Joe's experience beginning his recovery from persistent sexual molestation from a Catholic Priest. Joe shares his full story and the story of how he used his artistic skills as a therapeutic outlet and a method of raising awareness of abuse and recovery. Joe's film is a gripping and realistic depiction of anxiety, PTSD and invasive suicidal thoughts. Confession does an effective and tasteful job of depicting the abuse process, from grooming to the terrible aftermath. His experience in therapy and with his family is a great example for survivors of abuse everywhere. Big thanks to Joe,and to Chris Revill of the Lets Chat! with Revill and Friends Podcast for introducing us, and making this interview possible.