COURAGE UNLOCKED

Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a psychiatrist renowned for his expertise in the field of drug tapering and withdrawal management. With years of experience in clinical psychiatry, he has developed a particular interest and specialization in assisting patients with the safe and effective tapering of psychiatric medications. His approach is patient-centered, focusing on individualized plans that prioritize the patient's well-being and functioning.

In addition, Dr. Witt-Doerring has worked at numerous pharmaceutical companies in clinical research and drug safety positions, bringing valuable experience from both the regulatory and clinical settings to his practice. He completed a fellowship in Psychiatric Drug Development at Janssen Research & Development and Drexel College of Medicine, as well as his psychiatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and earned his medical degree from the University of Queensland Medical School in Australia.

In this episode we explore:

1. Dr. Witt-Doering's experience working as a Medical Officer in the Division of Psychiatry at the Food and Drug Administration - where he analyzed emergent adverse drug reactions and proposed modifications to drug labeling, giving him a unique perspective on the risks and benefits of psychiatric interventions in both the short and long term. He is a subject matter expert in how these drugs come to market.

2. Why Dr. Witt-Doering specializes in de-prescribing psychotropic medications.

3. What patients endure AFTER getting misaligned medical advice which is the not-so-golden standard (since doctors aren't trained in medical school to take people OFF of psych meds).

4. Rapid detox facilities - why these facilities and protocols are the wrong choice (and potentially dangerous) for anyone seeking assistance to reduce or discontinue use of psychotropic medications (known as "harm reduction").

5. How are Dr. Witt-Doering and his taper clinic address the needs of people wanting medical supervision for slow, deliberate hyperbolic tapers according to the Maudley's De-Prescribing Guidelines–the future of gold standard medicine.

6. The future of psychiatry will likely not include multi-med cocktails prescribed indefinitely but strategic use of psychedelics to address and resolve trauma with the assistance of mental health professionals trained in this burgeoning field.

To connect with Dr. Witt-Doering and his medical team visit him below.

Instagram: @taperclinic

YouTube: Taper Clinic

Website: www.taperclinic.com

*Please note that you are listening to a two part episode.

Episode 9 is Part II of my conversation with Angie Peacock, MSW. This conversation first aired on Angie's platform in September 2023.

NOTE: If you have not listened to Episode 8 Part I - please go back and start there for our complete conversation.

Angie Peacock, MSW is a recovery coach that I worked with for the better part of a year. She held space for me and validated me while I endured UNSPEAKABLE harm.

She helped me find resources that contributed to my success story and helped pave the way for my come back, as I rebuild my entire life after being annihilated from the damage caused from being tapered too quickly from three psychotropic medications - drugs I took as prescribed for 16 years for a chemical imbalance I never had.

In part II (episode 9), we talk about the need for informed consent getting on and off these medications and the need for mental health professionals to get educated about psych med withdrawal syndromes. Thankfully these iatrogenic injuries are now making it into the literature so that as a mental health care community we can take responsibility to get informed about the possible benefits and the PROBABLE HARM that is happening to millions of adults and children globally.

In this episode, we challenge the current MEDICAL model that promotes the APA guild's concepts of mental illness (found in the DSM-V) which has people believing they are dealing with bad genes and broken brains.

We discuss the absolute necessity for mental health care reform in the United States and any country that is pedaling the chemical imbalance marketing hoax.

I am grateful to report that I am 90% recovered from a debilitating iatrogenic injury. I suffered from and survived a protracted withdrawal syndrome for four (4) agonizing years with a long list of disabling symptoms I never had before taking psychotropic medications or while on the medications.

Please note that I am not anti-medication.

I am fiercely pro-informed consent and I am committed to self-determination, harm reduction and advancing mental health care that is anti-oppressive, culturally sensitive and aims to help people resolve their problems with living–not simply numb and drug their pain and suffering.

About Angela Peacock, MSW

Angela Peacock, MSW served in the U.S. Army for seven years as a communications specialist with one deployment to Iraq. After a series of traumas, she was prescribed over 40 medications for the treatment of her "disorders." She eventually discontinued all medications, let go of her identity as a patient, but is still recovering from the long-term effects of psychiatric drugs and the pathologization of her distress.

Her story appears in the film Medicating Normal (2020) where she engaged over 180 audiences during community screenings and/or panel discussions that encouraged dialogue about our mental health industry, informed consent, psychiatric drug use and withdrawal. Angie now serves as a psychiatric drug withdrawal consultant and healing coach. She provides education and support to individuals, families and organizations interested in harm reduction, and the healing from and deprescribing of psychiatric drugs.

Thank you for being here with us. Thank you for being brave.

To learn more about Angie Peacock, MSW, visit www.apeacockconsulting.com. To connect with the host of Courage Unlocked visit www.michelewaterman.com.

*You are listening to a two part episode.

Episode 8 is Part I of my conversation with Angie Peacock, MSW. This conversation first aired on Angie's platform in September 2023.

This podcast includes the complete details of how I was psychiatrized for 16 years on a multi-med cocktail that I was prescribed in 2002 for generalized anxiety disorder and postpartum depression when my youngest child was 3 months old.

Angie facilitates this conversation as a recovery coach that I worked with for almost a year.

Angie played an instrumental part in my come-back journey after suffering profoundly from a protracted withdrawal syndrome I sustained from getting misaligned medical advice from a holistic psychiatrist that was more interested in pushing her agenda than honoring her hippocratic oath to first do no harm.

I suffered from and survived a protracted withdrawal syndrome for four (4) agonizing years with a long list of disabling symptoms I never had before taking psychotropic medications or while on the medications. The injuries I endured included physical, neurological, psychological, and cognitive symptoms that were equivalent to a chemically induced traumatic brain injury and assault to my central nervous system.

I am 90% recovered from a debilitating iatrogenic injury and rebuilding my whole life in every sense of the word. This is a tough conversation to say the least AND I will not shy away from the harm being done to me and millions of people, including innocent children that are not able to give their true informed consent to psychotropic medications that are causing neuro-adaptations.

Please note that I am not anti-medication.

I am fiercely pro-informed consent and I am committed to self-determination, harm reduction and advancing mental health care that is anti-oppressive, culturally sensitive and aims to help people resolve their problems with living–not simply numb and drug their pain and suffering.

About Angie Peacock, MSW

Angie served in the U.S. Army for seven years as a communications specialist with one deployment to Iraq. After a series of traumas, she was prescribed over 40 medications for the treatment of her "disorders." She eventually discontinued all medications, let go of her identity as a patient, but is still recovering from the long-term effects of psychiatric drugs and the pathologization of her distress.

Her story appears in the film Medicating Normal (2020) where she engaged over 180 audiences during community screenings and/or panel discussions that encouraged dialogue about our mental health industry, informed consent, psychiatric drug use and withdrawal. Angie now serves as a psychiatric drug withdrawal consultant and healing coach. She provides education and support to individuals, families and organizations interested in harm reduction, and the healing from and deprescribing of psychiatric drugs.

Thank you for being here with us. Thank you for being brave.

To learn more about Angie Peacock, MSW, visit www.apeacockconsulting.com. To connect with the host of Courage Unlocked visit www.michelewaterman.com.

Joanne Omer is a Lifestyle Coach and Feminine Energy Expert who is dedicated to empowering individuals to live abundant and fulfilling lives. With over 10 years of experience in coaching and training in various modalities, Joanne brings a unique and dynamic approach to her coaching practice.

Many of Joanne's clients have experienced breakthroughs in areas such as personal power, relationships, finances, love, intimacy, and career through her coaching. She believes that as human beings, we are made up of a body, mind, and spirit, and therefore addresses all aspects of a person's well-being in her sessions, coaching, retreats, and workshops.

In 2019, Joanne founded KunYin Studios and launched KunYin ~ Feminine Energy in Motion, a healing movement modality specifically designed for women. Over the last 5 years over 35 women have participated in the KunYin Instructor Training and over 20 women now represent this work from Australia to the UK, the Middle East, United States and Canada.

KunYin aims to help women remember their truth, their bodies, and heal in the energy of unconditional love. Joanne brings a fusion of distinctions and a contagious energy to her coaching practice, creating extraordinary results for her clients.

With her passion for helping individuals live their best lives, Joanne has become a trusted and sought-after expert in the field of personal development and empowerment.

Featured Guest Websites:

www.joanneomer.com

www.kunyin.com.au

Courage Unlocked Host, Michele Waterman:

www.michelewaterman.com

I am thrilled to introduce you to one of my heroes–Robert Whitaker.

Robert Whitaker is the author of five books, three of which tell of the history of psychiatry. In 2010, his Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness won the U.S. Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism. Prior to writing books, he worked as a science reporter at the Albany Times Union newspaper in New York for a number of years. He is the founder of www.madinamerica.com - a website that features research news and blogs by an international group of writers interested in "rethinking psychiatry."

I have read his book Anatomy of an Epidemic cover to cover twice. And I am devastated to inform you that I am one of millions of people that was harmed by psychiatry.

You are listening to a two part episode. Episode 5 is part I of our conversation. The first part of the conversation with Robert includes large pieces of my story relative to his book Anatomy of an Epidemic.

This is a tough conversation to say the least and I will not shy away from the harm being done to me and millions of people, including innocent children that are not able to give their true informed consent to psychotropic medications that are causing neuro-adaptations.

Episode 6: Part-two of our conversation, is mostly a monologue of me talking about what is wrong with the status quo, the absolute necessity for mental health care reform in the United States and any country that is pedaling this chemical imbalance marketing hoax.

Please note that I am not anti-medication.

I am fiercely pro-informed consent and I am committed to self-determination, harm reduction and advancing mental health care that is anti-oppressive, culturally sensitive and aims to help people resolve their problems with living–not simply numb and drug their pain and suffering.

Thank you for being here with us. Thank you for being brave.

To learn more about Robert Whitaker, visit www.madinamerica.com. To connect with the host of Courage Unlocked visit www.michelewaterman.com.

I am thrilled to introduce you to one of my heroes–Robert Whitaker.

Robert Whitaker is the author of five books, three of which tell of the history of psychiatry. In 2010, his Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness won the U.S. Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism. Prior to writing books, he worked as a science reporter at the Albany Times Union newspaper in New York for a number of years. He is the founder of www.madinamerica.com - a website that features research news and blogs by an international group of writers interested in "rethinking psychiatry."

I have read his book Anatomy of an Epidemic cover to cover twice. And I am devastated to inform you that I am one of millions of people that was harmed by psychiatry.

You are listening to a two part episode. Episode 5 is part I of our conversation. The first part of the conversation with Robert includes large pieces of my story relative to his book Anatomy of an Epidemic.

This is a tough conversation to say the least and I will not shy away from the harm being done to me and millions of people, including innocent children that are not able to give their true informed consent to psychotropic medications that are causing neuro-adaptations.

Episode 6: Part-two of our conversation, is mostly a monologue of me talking about what is wrong with the status quo, the absolute necessity for mental health care reform in the United States and any country that is pedaling this chemical imbalance marketing hoax.

Please note that I am not anti-medication.

I am fiercely pro-informed consent and I am committed to self-determination, harm reduction and advancing mental health care that is anti-oppressive, culturally sensitive and aims to help people resolve their problems with living–not simply numb and drug their pain and suffering.

Thank you for being here with us. Thank you for being brave.

To learn more about Robert Whitaker, visit www.madinamerica.com. To connect with the host of Courage Unlocked visit www.michelewaterman.com.

Join me for Part II of my conversation with Renee Schuls-Jacobson--artist and author of Psychiatrized: Waking Up After a Decade of Bad Medicine for a deep, intense, and heart-felt conversation about her recovering from an iatrogenic injury she sustained from taking a benzodiazepine as prescribed by a psychiatrist for insomnia.

This episode is real and raw. Be mindful of your own needs for those in the midst of healing trauma. We will discuss adverse childhood experiences including sexual assault, birth trauma, and many other topics that lead to Renee being "psychiatrized." We will also discuss her 8 year recovery from discontinuation syndrome caused by taking benzos as prescribed, plus the miracles along the way, lessons learned from inpatient trauma treatment and how the gift of art therapy, which started as a comforting distraction from her injuries, later become her passionate, purposeful, heart-centered profession.

Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Hobart & William Smith Colleges (1989) and a Master's degree from University of Buffalo (1992). Eight years after suffering an iatrogenic brain injury, Renée's brain has mostly healed. Today, she is an independent artist whose paintings hang in private collections throughout the world. In addition to making and selling her artwork, it has become her mission to educate the public about the dangers associated with long-term psychiatric drug use. A Certified Recovery Peer Advocate, she offers emotional support to people suffering through protracted benzodiazepine and SSRI withdrawal syndrome. Her home and studio are located in Rochester, New York.

You can connect with Renee: website: www.rasjacobson.store

Facebook - RASJACOBSON ART https://www.facebook.com/rasjacobsonart

Instagram - @rasjacobson

Renee's book Psychiatrized waking up after a decade of bad medicine can be purchased here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099BXJWLT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B099BXJWLT&linkCode=as2&tag=rasj-20&linkId=0a6254368c84111f28613d860167cab0

Thank you SO much for tuning in to The Real Joy Recovery podcast! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share with your community.

It's time to build a trauma-wise toolkit KNOWING you have the power to regenerate your mind/body/spirit + reimagine a whole new life.

To learn more about my offerings visit www.michelewaterman.com or connect with me on instagram @michelewatermancoaching.

Be well!

Join me for Part I of my conversation with Renee Schuls-Jacobson--artist and author of Psychiatrized: Waking Up After a Decade of Bad Medicine for a deep, intense, and heart-felt conversation about her recovering from an iatrogenic injury she sustained from taking a benzodiazepine as prescribed by a psychiatrist for insomnia.

This episode is real and raw. Be mindful of your own needs for those in the midst of healing trauma. We will discuss adverse childhood experiences including sexual assault, birth trauma, and many other topics that lead to Renee being "psychiatrized." We will also discuss her 8 year recovery from discontinuation syndrome caused by taking benzos as prescribed, plus the miracles along the way, lessons learned from inpatient trauma treatment and how the gift of art therapy, which started as a comforting distraction from her injuries, later become her passionate, purposeful, heart-centered profession.

Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Hobart & William Smith Colleges (1989) and a Master's degree from University of Buffalo (1992). Eight years after suffering an iatrogenic brain injury, Renée's brain has mostly healed. Today, she is an independent artist whose paintings hang in private collections throughout the world. In addition to making and selling her artwork, it has become her mission to educate the public about the dangers associated with long-term psychiatric drug use. A Certified Recovery Peer Advocate, she offers emotional support to people suffering through protracted benzodiazepine and SSRI withdrawal syndrome. Her home and studio are located in Rochester, New York.

You can connect with Renee: website: www.rasjacobson.store

Facebook - RASJACOBSON ART https://www.facebook.com/rasjacobsonart

Instagram - @rasjacobson

Renee's book Psychiatrized waking up after a decade of bad medicine can be purchased here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099BXJWLT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B099BXJWLT&linkCode=as2&tag=rasj-20&linkId=0a6254368c84111f28613d860167cab0

Thank you SO much for tuning in to The Real Joy Recovery podcast! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share with your community.

It's time to build a trauma-wise toolkit KNOWING you have the power to regenerate your mind/body/spirit + reimagine a whole new life.

To learn more about my offerings visit www.michelewaterman.com or connect with me on instagram @michelewatermancoaching.

Be well!

In this episode I have a conversation with Holly Higginsto talk about the power of the subconscious mind and how limiting beliefs take hold (like believing "there is something wrong with me"). We unpack the art + science of using Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) to access the subconscious mind to change deeply held beliefs.

Holly Higgins is a hypnotherapist who takes a root-cause approach to holistic mental wellness. She works with unconventional souls to help them overcome their most challenging inner blocks. In addition to serving international clients in 1-1 and group settings, she is passionate about sharing knowledge through her top-rated podcast, Mindspeak. Holly is an avid homesteader and hiker, and lives with her husband Sean in Knoxville, TN.

To connect with Holly, visit her website www.hollyfisherhiggins.com or you can connect with her on Instagram @hollyfischerhiggins. You can also listen to her top-rated podcast Mindspeak https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindspeak-holistic-mental-health-with-holly-higgins/id1481418291 which explores holistic mental health and all things mind-body wellness.

To work with me or find out more about my offerings visit www.michelewaterman.com. You can also find me on Instagram @michelewatermancoach - DM me. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you so much for tuning in and taking the time to keep the oxygen mask on you.

I've been sober for twenty years. I've struggled with anxiety and depression. I took antidepressants for almost two decades.

I was told that I needed meds to balance my brain chemistry. I was told that the "dose that got me well, would keep me well."

I was told that I had a progressive mental illness that was TREATMENT resistant. But sixteen years later, parked on a multi-med cocktail, I was numb and completely disconnected from the real me and I didn't even know it. The medications were suppressing symptoms of trauma and once I was off them, I learned the drugs were never designed to heal trauma in the first place.

That's why I am creating the Real Joy Recovery podcast--because it's time to have a REAL-conversations about generating mental wellness and we just cannot get there without addressing trauma.

We are complex, dynamic human BEINGS. Our brains, our nervous systems, and all of the systems in our bodies are interconnected.

It's time for us to take our power back, listen to the wisdom of our bodies, heal our trauma, and truly connect with ourselves and one another like never before.

This podcast is designed to help you understand what that means for YOU. And I promise you this—You are not broken.

I'm on a mission to connect you to the TRUTH of what is possible!

Thanks so much for tuning in today and I can't wait for you to dive into the next episode.

We live in a fast-paced, performance based, quick fix, biohacking, get shit done, get to good, sleep when you die kind of culture.

We're dealing with a pandemic, cancel culture, prejudices, polarization, isolation, exponential increases in anxiety, depression and we're freaking tired, stressed out, and overwhelmed but instead of resting and having compassion for each other we're medicating, numbing, dissociating and feeling shame for not being positive all the time or living a life that matches what we see on social media.

Mainstream doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists treat symptoms and assign diagnostic codes so insurance companies can be billed and then hand pills out like candy, increasing the dose every time we feel the shit we'd rather not feel instead of saying "yes, it makes sense that you're tired, overwhelmed, not sleeping, have a foggy brain…"

We must stop reducing people down to labels based on a cluster of symptoms and start getting curious about the whole person—mind/body/spirit—in the context of their whole life.