Psych Up Live

In this episode, Dr. Ken Carter returns to Psych Up Live to look closer at risk taking and sensation seeking. Is the person who will take a risk in business similar to the person who loves extreme sports? Are risk taking and sensation or thrill seeking different personality traits? Are they inter-related? Do men and women differ in these traits? Are they genetic traits or family fostered dynamics? Is our neurophysiology different when we put ourselves in danger for the thrill of it as opposed to facing unexpected danger? For these and much more about risk taking and sensation seeking—listen in. For preview of Dr. Carter, check out his Youtube.

In this show, psychologist and renowned author, Dr. Deborah Serani returns to Psych Up Live to invite a new and close-up look at Boredom. Dr. Serani will be discussing the psychological meaning and impact of boredom and will consider what boredom feels like for adults and children. She will address the importance of boredom as a signal of being unable to engage in a satisfying way with the world for a number of reasons and will consider how adults can help themselves and their children redirect feelings to deal with boredom. Dr. Serani will illuminate this discussion by the introduction and reading of her beautiful new children's book " Sometimes When I'm Bored," which includes a valuable Guide for " Helping Children Through Boredom." Listen in to this interesting and important show.

We hear a great deal in the media about narcissism. If you have ever wondered if the person you work for, the man you are dating or the friend who knows everything is a narcissist, listen in. On this show Dr. Joseph Burgo, psychologist and author of the book, The Narcissist You Know: Defending Yourself Against Extreme Narcissists in an All-About Me Age, will draw upon his clinical experience and fascinating examples to discuss the Narcissist. He will make clear the tell tale signs of narcissism, the secrets the narcissist hides even from self and the parenting styles that may set the stage for narcissism. In the back and forth with host, Suzanne Phillips, Dr. Burgo will also discuss how to cope with a narcissist in a way that preserves your choice to engage or disengage. Be prepared to be informed.

In this show Michael Pipich, MS,LMFT, therapist and national speaker on Bipolar Disorder, draws upon his new book, Owning Bipolar: How Patients and Families Can take Control of Bipolar Disorder to make owning and properly treating Bipolar Disorder a reality. Citing research and clinical examples, Michael Pipich reports that too many patients and their families are frightened, confused and misinformed about bipolar disorder. As such, he offers listeners important information starting with the fact that Bipolar Disorder is no one’s fault. It is genetic. Michael discusses the difficulty with diagnosis and offers clinical ways to confront denial and the fear of losing creative potential. He discusses treatments that involve specific medications as well as various therapies for those suffering and family members. An important focus is his Three-Phase Approach to Bipolar Therapy. Michael Pipich’s goal is acceptance of Bipolar with less stigma and treatment with more success.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been more than 240 mass shootings in 2022 in the United States. A striking 98% of Mass Shooters are men. This show asks the question “WHY?” In a fascinating discussion with social psychologist, Dr. Frank T. McAndrew, he draws upon his research and additional findings on Gender, Aggression and Violence to offer answers. Dr. McAndrew begins with a consideration of the innate aggression even early man needed to survive, establish dominance, to mate and protect offspring. Aggression and dominance has always found ways in cultures to establish pecking orders.

Dr. McAndrew distinguishes this with the desperate violence of the mass shooter who rarely holds a place of prominence.. He also distinguishes different motives for Mass Shooters and School Shooters. He underscores that while we account for social factors in Mass Shootings, we often overlook biological factors. He presents a fascinating study that he and colleagues conducted entitled, “ Guns, Testosterone and Aggression” and in the final segment discusses the difference between the way men and women show aggression and the focus on mental illness as a way to disregard other factors like the availability of guns in the tragic violence of Mass Shooters. This is an important show to hear.

In a manner that is personal, specific, at times funny and underscored with thirty years of writing and talking about sex, Tracey Cox invites us to age-proof our sex lives. Drawing upon her 17th and newest book, Great Sex Starts at 50, Tracey invites listeners, across gender and sexual orientation to consider that an understanding of the reality of body changes from hormone depletion, sensitivity, dryness, erectile difficulties etc. are inevitable and need not be a stop sign to sexual connection and intimacy. She discusses the six truths about sex that will never change regardless of age; four steps that will revolutionize your sex life; the challenges of menopause; what to do or say if you haven’t had sex in a number of years with your partner; the differences in sexual desire between men and women; the stages in a couple’s relationship from lust to love; being over fifty, single and sexual and the Media Misperceptions of Sex that impact all of us. Listen in.

This show will turn up your understanding of Holidays and Depression. Dr. Deborah Serani, Psychologist and award winning author of Living with Depression and Depression and Your Child, will discuss what fuels Depression during the Holidays, the distinction between Holiday Depression and Clinical Depression, the unexpected finding that clinical depression may actually drop at the holiday time and much more. Dr. Steven Hanley will consider if there is a gender difference in Holiday Depression and whether men and women respond differently to holiday expectations and events. Christopher Scott Downing, author of Van Gogh in Peppers: A Self-portrait of Male Depression will add his personal perspective on the Holidays. Does he feel differently at the Holidays as compared to the days when he was fighting and denying depression? Does he worry about relapse? All of these guests will then share tips for coping and dealing with the Holidays.

How much do you depend on your intuition and how much do you trust it? In this show psychologist, Dr. Frank McAndrew will define and offer a close look at what intuition is, how we develop it and why we need it. He will invite you to consider those situations where intuition will lead you astray by exemplifying common errors like "Hindsight Bias" or "the Power of the Particular." He will consider whether there are gender differences in the use of intuition and the role of intuition in responding to misinformation. Importantly he will take on the question and value of making use of what famous Economist, Dan Kahneman calls " Thinking Fast and Slow" – the use of both intuition and collected data – facts. Dr. McAndrew never fails at offering a wealth of knowledge in an interesting way. Listen in.

We continue to hear of the benefits of mindfulness but many still wonder-What exactly is it? How can I best use it? In this episode, Dr Elisha Goldstein, author of many books on mindfulness including Uncovering Happiness,The Now Effect and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, will offer a mini-course on Mindfulness that teaches steps, rationale and technique. He will guide us to use breathing,catch the negative thinking, resist anxious problem solving and enhance resilience. You will understand why something that seems simple can be so powerful.

If you are lucky enough to be the parent, teacher, babysitter or grandparent of a “little one”- you must hear this show. In it, psychologist, Dr. Rebecca Schrag Hershberg draws upon her invaluable new book, The Tantrum Survival Guide to clarify, inform deconstruct and offer strategies for managing a toddler or young child’s tantrums. She answers the What, Why and What to do Next about tantrums; considers the magic of “ Love and Limits,” exemplifies the power of Planning and Predictability and underscores the Problem of Inconsistent Limits. Drawing upon clinical material as well as “scenes from her own little ones,” Dr. Hershberg invites us to consider the ABC’s of tantrums and the possibility that we might be causing or re-enforcing them. In his forward of her book, Dan Siegel MD, renowned professor and mindfulness expert, describes Dr. Rebecca Hershberg as a brilliant translator of science and an astute, humble and hilarious observer of human nature. He’s right! Listen in.