After a difficult final year of high school, Tessa hoped and prayed that her youngest son would make the transition to college and find a way to thrive. He would be only an hour away, he wanted to go, and she was hopeful that getting a new start there could reverse whatever was happening to him. Yet just two months into his freshman year, it was apparent that he was sinking fast into a maelstrom of panic, body dysmorphia, delusions, and hopelessness.

This is Tessa's story of trying to find the strength, and eventually, the self-compassion, to both find help for her son as well as work through her own guilt and shame.

Book recommendation (from Tessa)
The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years

BFTA and Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com

Trauma embeds in the complex zone between body and spirit, deep within the realm of primary consciousness. The typical psychiatric approaches of meds and talk therapy rarely access these unconscious realms. In prior episodes of BFTA, we have heard accounts of healing these deep wells of trauma with EMDR, psilocybin, and MDMA-- this episode highlights the unexpected power of a loving teacher and a guided spiritual practice.

Jeff Finlin, a Colorado-based singer/songwriter and recovery coach, shares his story of recovery after recovery, accessing his embodied trauma and deeper self years into sobriety, through a practice of the breath and self-compassion.


Jeff Finlin
https://www.jefffinlin.com

Back from the Abyss and Dr. H
https://www.craigheacockmd.com

On Twitter @bftapod

In the first half of this two part mini-episode, Dr. H explores the four stages where fully dissociative doses of ketamine can get a little rocky: 
*reaching escape velocity
*re-entry
*dissociative shatter
*post-session processing

What if a psychiatrist were allowed to ask only one question at a session....what might that be? In the second part of this episode, Dr. H ties together sleep, mood, hormone cycling, friendships, work, circadian rhythm, addiction, and dogs vs cats into just one question.

Comments, suggestions, questions? We'd love to hear them! Email us via https://www.craigheacockmd.com or message us on Twitter @bftapod

If you haven’t already, please do write us a review!

Saj Razvi (of Innate Path and Psychedelic Somatic Institute) returns to BFTA to help Craig do a deep dive into listener questions.

Have questions you want us to address in a future episode? Email them via craigheacockmd.com 

Psychedelic Somatic Institute
psychedelicsomatic.org

Video showing somatic/primary consciousness trauma work catalyzed by THC
https://vimeo.com/442544334

We typically think of addiction as a symptom of a deeper issue, such as trauma or a psychiatric disorder. Sometimes, however, addiction is the main event, and powerlessness is the starting point, not some ambiguous distant stop on the substance abuse train.

Lena fell hard into addiction by sixth grade and by all rights should have been dead or imprisoned long ago.  Yet today she is fully alive, deeply grateful, and six years clean and sober.

Dr. H and Lena explore her journey out of darkness and the varied and often surprising roles that jail, a caring probation officer, Suboxone, and a seemingly random visit by two near strangers all combined to help her change the course of her life.


Dr. H and Back from the Abyss
https://www.craigheacockmd.com

On Twitter @bftapod

Step inside Dr. H's office to eavesdrop on a therapy session with his patient Jasmine (from the Delta Flight Attendant episode in season 1).  This session explores an extremely painful but ultimately transformative relationship that Jasmine had with a much older man just prior to starting therapy. Relationships are human growth machines, and Dr. H and Jasmine unpack what she learned about idealization, her defaulting to black/white thinking, setting boundaries, what it means to be a "friend", and assigning guilt and blame/shame.

Dr. H/ Back from the Abyss
https://www.craigheacockmd.com

Season 2 is here!

We kick off our new season with Dr. H going deep into the immediate aftermath of losing four patients and his eventual path back into the light. Save this one for when you are in the right headspace.

Dr. H and Back from the Abyss
http://craigheacockmd.com

On Twitter @bftapod

Can a podcast have an identical twin separated at birth? If so, then "Inside Eyes" might possibly  be that long lost twin of BFTA.

Laura Mae Northrup is the creator of Inside Eyes and a trauma therapist in the Oakland area. She put a ton of work into these moving stories of healing from childhood sexual trauma with entheogens and psychedelics. She is planning to soon feature a favorite BFTA episode on her show, while Dr. H picked this one as a favorite.

This episode is the story of Shan, an NYC tattoo artist who found unexpected healing from her sexual abuse and rheumatoid arthritis through ayahuasca.  It's truly a mind-blowing and moving memoir.

Website: www.InsideEyesPodcast.com

Instagram: @lauramaenorthrup 

Twitter: @inside__eyes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraMaeNorthrup

Self-described podcast junkie Dr. H reached out to Sarah Buino, host of the excellent podcast Conversations with a Wounded Healer, and they agreed to do this super nifty episode swap, in which Sarah will feature a favorite BFTA episode on her show, and Dr. H chose a favorite episode to feature here. 

In this episode Sarah interviews one of the more thoughtful and compelling people in the podcast universe, Dr. Hillary McBride (of both The Liturgists and Other People's Problems). They explore Hillary's journey of healing and how this informs her current work as a therapist and researcher.

Dr. H interviewed on Conversations with a Wounded Healer
https://headhearttherapy.com/114-craig-heacock-back-from-the-abyss-with-psychedelic-assisted-psychotherapy/

Subscribe to Conversations with a Wounded Healer!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-a-wounded-healer/id1356225272

Conversations with a Wounded Healer home page
https://headhearttherapy.com/podcast/

IG: @headhearttherapy

FB: @woundedhealr and @headhearttherapy

Twitter: @woundedhealr and @HeadHeart_Chi

BFTA's two co-conspirators sit down together for a look back at the first year-- the origin story, highlights, points of gratitude, mistakes made, Craig's most poignant/painful moment, the Enneagram, and Chris' desert island albums (no Meat Loaf!)

Back from the Abyss
https://www.craigheacockmd.com