Mind In View

She knows anxiety intimately as both a sufferer (with diagnoses of OCD and PTSD) and as a therapist who's devoted her professional career to healing. And that is her superpower. In this episode, guest Bronwyn tells Thea and Kate her story, and the three of them discuss her unique perspective on mental disorders as both a consumer and a provider of mental health treatment.

With an increasingly vaccinated population, our thoughts turn towards returning to "normal." But what is normal anymore? What will the world look like? Maybe were feeling safe and comfy all locked up in our homes...we should probably wait a little longer, just in case. In this episode, Thea and Kate explore re-entry anxiety, digging into what feels like real fear versus habits we'd prefer to leave behind in our pre-Covid lives, even as we long for the days when we can experience the real world again.

"To err is human, to forgive divine..." kind of puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the forgiver. What if a situation or relationship is unfixable, unresolvable, unforgivable--how are we supposed to find peace? In this episode, Thea and Kate dive into the idea of forgiving others and ourselves and come to some surprising conclusions.

Sometimes you just can't get through something without professional help--mental health struggles are no different. In this episode, Thea and Kate discuss their personal relationships with therapy. For Thea, this is a role reversal as she examines her time on the therapist's couch as a patient, "smoking what she sells," as it were.

How often do you go back to childhood traumas and explore how they affect your feelings today? Probably not too often because it's painful business (and sweaty, sometimes). In this episode, Thea and Kate each revisit a traumatic experience from their youth and consider the behaviors and habits that directly stem from those moments. Then they attempt to make peace with them by speaking to their inner children with compassion and comfort.

Some days you just can't get past your feelings, but you still have to show up. When Thea and Kate logged on to record this pod, they were each struggling through intense emotions. So they decided to dig in--to Kate's intense grief and Thea's frustration and disappointment--and walk through the moment together.

Why is it that the more we grow and advance, the less worthy we feel to embrace and celebrate our accomplishments? In this episode, Kate and Thea explore Imposter Syndrome and its poisonous effects on our confidence and overall mental health. They share their own personal (and professional) experiences and offer some ideas for re-framing self-perception so we can see the badasses that we really are.

In the second part of this 2-episode series, pick up where we left off. Kat finishes her incredibly powerful story and discusses aspects of her PTSD and fertility journey with Thea and Kate. *Trigger warnings: infertility, abortion, pregnancy loss.

As an "owner/operator of a uterus," Kat has survived unimaginable traumas related to body safety, sexuality, and fertility. In this episode, she shares her story--and describes the PTSD she suffers as a result--with Kate and Thea. This is part 1 of a 2 episode series.

*Trigger warnings: sexual assault, infertility, abortion, disassociation, flashbacks.

Do you find yourself uttering "I feel like I hit my wall" a lot lately, and then...smashing smack dab into another wall? Thea and Kate discuss their own experiences with the overwhelm and hopelessness that seem to be a common theme these days. Hear their tips for focusing and centering, and don't forget that you have company in this confusing, cold, gray, unprecedented Covid winter of our discontent.