Psych Up Live

When you want to have a child but it is more difficult than you and your partner expected, it can feel devastating- especially in a world that seems filled with beautiful children, pregnant women and happy couples. It is not an easy time but it can still be a time when your relationship, your search for medical expertise psychological support, and your courage can make a difference. This is a show that will answer some of your questions and inform and support you on your journey. In this show, Dr. Elizabeth Grill, Director of Psychological Services at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine, and Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University will be discussing sexual health, the emotional aspects of infertility, IVF treatment, and third-party reproduction. She will be addressing the fears, confusion, grief, relationship sexual issues and questions that need to be asked and answered. She will be fostering resilience as she makes you feel informed about pathways to pursue and issues to face along the family building journey. She will also draw upon examples of weathering the course, facing the roadblocks and staying connected with love and hope.

While we hear the news and read the headlines of Fires, Accidents and Disaster, rarely do we understand the day to day, often hour to hour impact on those who serve as our First Responders. Those who hope at times to get a few hours of sleep before the next call. In this show Jim Burneka Jr., draws upon his powerful and revealing new book, Overcoming Tuesday to bring us into his journey - his commitment, his trauma and its impact on his life. Importantly he shares not only the denial of physical and emotional suffering common to First Responders, he brings us up close and personal to his struggle to recover, heal and unlock his resilience. A seasoned host of his own webcast podcast “APS Radio,” Jim Burneka is someone you will want to hear. Listen In.

Whether you are 8, 18 or 81 years old, there’s a good chance you know what it is like to worry. You may even be someone for whom worry has taken up too much space in your story. This show is going to address worry. Our guest is Dr. Deborah Serani, psychologist and author of many books including the latest book in her children’s series “ Sometimes When I’m Worried.” With that book as our prompt, this show is going to broaden the lens on understanding Worry across the life span. In the discussion with Dr. Serani, we will define worry, and clarify its relationship with anxiety and the physical Fight, Flight, Freeze response to danger. We will discuss and exemplify strategies for addressing worry in adults and Dr. Serani will read and draw upon her new book, Sometimes When I’m Worried to illuminate how worry is experienced and can be addressed in children. You will be informed – Listen in.

In this show, Dr. Frank McAndrew returns to Psych Up Live to answer the question, “Why Do We Fall For Conspiracy Theories? In addressing this question he also addresses the issue of why we hang on to conspiracy theories once we believe them. In his interesting response, Dr. Mc Andrew considers whether certain factors make us more susceptible to embracing conspiracy theories. He proposes that in reality most of us can fall for the “ right” conspiracy theory due to certain biases in how we all process information. Once we believe a conspiracy theory, Dr. McAndrew discusses why these beliefs are very difficult to undo. He discusses the impact of many forms of media in often providing a “ false consensus” and “ Exposure Effect” that fuels conspiracy theories. Dr. Mc Andrews describes why conspiracy theories flourish in atmospheres of fear and the consequences of conspiracy theories. You will be intrigued and informed. Listen in.

There is clear evidence that life can be challenging and at times quite traumatic. Many have faced the horror of war, school shootings, pandemics, a life-threatening diagnosis, racism, hate crimes or the sudden death of loved one. In this show, Dr. Jonathan DePierro, will invite us to recognize that it is not what happens to us; but how we respond to what happens - that matters. Dr Depierro is one of the authors with the late Dr. Steven Southwick and Dr Dennis Charney of the third addition of Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges. Drawing upon examples, Dr. Depierro will operationalize and exemplify the power of Optimism, Social Support, Strategies for Facing Fears, Cognitive and Emotional Flexibility and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to add to your resilience.

Since the Columbine massacre, there have been a total of 368 school shootings. Since January,2023 there have already been 30 school shootings that caused deaths and injuries. This show addresses the helplessness, fear, grief and rage so many feel. In this show, Dr. Peter Langman, nationally and internationally renowned expert on School Shootings draws upon his years of experience and publications to discuss his latest book, Warning Signa: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike. What he invites us to understand is that if students, administrators, teachers, parents and the general public know more about school shooters and the warning signs, they may actually save lives. To this end, Dr. Langman offers us an informed look at school shooters. He corrects and clarifies stereotypes, the gender, the way that guns are acquired, targets, and how shooters plan their attack. Discussing the pathology of school shooters he divides them into three categories and dispels the myths of being bullied or watching too many video games as lethal causes. Importantly he focuses on how a school community can read warning signs through “ leakage” and “attack-related behaviors.” He stresses the importance of taking any threat seriously, the value of anonymous phone report lines and the presence a School Threat Assessment Team. You will be as frightened as you will be informed, and encouraged to recognize that if you see something – say something. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Dr. Peter Langman.

There is little question that when a person suffers the death of their dog, the loss is excruciating. Why? In this episode, Dr. Frank McAndrew, evolutionary and social psychologist, draws upon his personal experience as well as cultural dictates and scientific research to illuminate our extraordinary relationship with dogs and the impact of their loss. In his discussion, he considers the unique interspecies bond with dogs and draws upon the work of Anthropologist Brian Hare who developed the “Domestication Hypothesis.” Dr. McAndrew considers what MRI’s reveal in terms of a dog’s attunement to facial expression and gestures as well as research on the misnaming slips we make between dogs and family members. Socially and psychologically he underscores what is emotionally lost when a person loses their dog. This is a powerful and personal show that will touch many.

In the US an estimated 20 million people have problems with alcohol and/or other drugs. Some seek help, many try to stop on their own terms but can’t, many never stop. In this show, Dr. Geoff Kane, who has helped people understand and cope with substance use disorders for more than 50 years, brings his expertise to Psych Up live to benefit our national and international listeners. Board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Kane will be drawing upon his experience and his important book, The Two Pillars of Recovery Workbook: What People with Addiction Need to Know and Do for Lasting Sobriety. He will be clarifying the nature of alcoholism and drug addiction, underscoring what makes it so compelling and destructive and discussing the two essential factors that make sobriety and the end of drug addiction possible.

The recent Texas Panhandle fires have burned as much land as thousands of wildfires did in 4 years in the state. The deadliest US wildfire in over a century devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023. Flash floods in September 2023 ravaged Northern Libya killing 4,000 people, more than ever recorded. How do we recognize Climate Change and deal with Climate Disasters? In this show, Psychologist, Dr. Elizabeth Allured, Co-founder of Climate Psychology Alliance-North America joins us to consider the psychological impact of Climate Change. She will discuss how our human psychology has brought us to climate change and why we tend to deny it. She will clarify how the trauma, disaster and losses from Climate Disasters are different from single event traumas as the loss of a loved one or sexual trauma, and how our understanding of psychology helps us act effectively to tackle the problem, both on a concrete level and in terms of psychological resilience. Dr. Allured will discuss the impact of Climate Disasters on children, as well as clinical methods currently in use to address eco-anxiety, distress and more. Don’t Miss this Show!

Anti-bullying sites report that bullying has become an epidemic. One in 7 students K – 12, bully or are a victim of bullying. 75% of school shootings are linked to bullying and there is a strong link between bullying and suicide. Against this backdrop, Alan Eisenberg, Founder of Bully Recovery, Coach, and author of A Ladder In The Dark: My Journey From Bullying To Self-Acceptance and Crossing the Line, shares his childhood experience of bullying, his years of suffering with Complex PTSD and the path to recovery. What Alan offers is the story behind the statistics that few share and too few adults hear. Alan reveals the daily terror, shame, and self-blame that the bullied child or teen faces alone. He reports the loss of the authentic self, the need to fit in and his own misuse of violence. Bringing us to his adult story, Alan shares how his suffering continues until he seeks professional help and begins the steps and strategies that support bully recovery. His story offers answers.