Psych Up Live

On this show you will have the opportunity to learn about Canine Companions for Independence. This is the organization that breeds, trains and provides amazing dogs for people. Be they children, adults, veterans, or facilities, these dogs give the gift of independence. You will hear about the many programs, volunteers and services of Canine Companions from Executive Director Megan Koester. Program Manager and Instructor Gwen Dudek will offer a look at the training of these dogs. Puppy raiser, Marty Marlatt will give you the inside story of being a puppy raiser. She is raising her 22nd puppy and Josiah Lanning who received Service Dog, Charlice more than 5 years ago, will give you a close and personal look at what a service dog brings to his life. If you have ever wondered about the dogs with the blue and yellow capes that seem smarter than the rest of us, this is the show to hear. This is an opportunity to ask questions. Don’t miss this show.

Someone has finally found a way to address opioid misuse and addiction among people with chronic pain. In this show, Dr. Eric Garland, the world’s leading expert on the use of mind-body therapies to treat opioid misuse for pain will discuss the recently proven effectiveness of “MORE” – “Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement.” Dr. Garland will define opioid use disorder (OUD), its relationship to chronic pain and what makes opioids so addictive. He will discuss the treatment components of “MORE” ‘the differences between this and other treatments and the research design used to test this treatment model. In the second segment Dr. Garland will invite the audience to hear and feel what it would be like to be in a Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement Group. In the back and forth with Host Dr. Phillips, he will consider why the group format matters and why he believes a significant number of those who received this treatment to reduced their opioid use without being specifically directed to do so. Given the danger of Opioid Use Disorder, the number of people suffering, the importance of these findings and the need for available effective treatment, this becomes a show everyone needs to hear.

“Almost Sunrise” is a compelling documentary which follows two Iraq veterans, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, both tormented by the scars of moral injury and the accompanying anger and depression years after their return home. Close to the edge of suicide, the two embark on an extraordinary journey – a 2,700 mile walk across the country from Wisconsin to California, in order to reflect on their haunting experiences of war and to ultimately, save themselves. In this episode, we are privileged to have Tom Voss as our guest and to have the opportunity to hear his thoughts and perspectives on moral injury, the aspects of his journey that afforded steps toward remembering, feeling, connecting, self-compassion, connection with nature, breathing and forgiving, across miles and modalities. We will also hear what it meant to return home emotionally, where Tom has come and his on-going mission to help other veterans.

In this show we take a close look at the meaning, causes, prevalence and prevention of Bullying. The reality of bullying spans nations and we are joined in this show by Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, A Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in School- Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Vaillancourt has researched and written on the causes and prevention of Bullying and will be discussing the social and psychological dynamics that foster bullying, the gender differences in bullying behavior, the explicit and implicit powers of the bully and the likely targets. We will be asking Dr. Vaillancourt what can be done about school bullying. Is it really possible to change the social climate of a school? What makes a program successful for the early grades? Is it too late to intervene with High School Students? What about Cyberbullying which expands the bully's reach beyond the school and leaves the victim feeling there is no safe place? Who are the Bystanders? Who are the Upstanders? What are the keys to Bully Prevention. Listen in.

In this show, Dr. Frank McAndrew, social psychologist and the Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology at Knox College, takes on the questions many of us have pondered-Why do we pay to be scared by horror movies? Why do stories of Hunted Houses persist and intrigue us? What makes clowns loveable to some and terrifying to others? Are some people more likely to see ghosts than others? As someone who has studied and researched aspects of creepiness and horror, Dr. McAndrew offers a perspective you are not likely to find anywhere else. You will learn about the psychological mechanisms behind “creeped out” the “agent detection mechanism” tripped by haunted houses, the factors that might account for the “ sensed presence” of another and other paranormal experiences. Buckle up and listen in to a fascinating show.

In this show Dr. Dawn Buse, Director of Behavioral Medicine for the Montefiore Headache Center and Associate Professor of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine draws upon her extensive experience to discuss living well with migraine. She demystifies migraine and shares important treatment possibilities. Drawing upon her recent research, she addresses what has often been overlooked, the impact of migraine on a family. She offers strategies for managing migraine and living well as a parent and/or spouse with this chronic suffering. Her shared expertise will benefit the many people who cope with migraine and the families who love them.

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 this show, Stacy Nakell, author of the new and important book, Treatment for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: An Integrative Psychodynamic Approach, provides answers with compassion, theoretical understanding and clinical examples from 20 years of professional experience. Stacy considers the who, what and why of the people who suffer with these behaviors and what happens when they receive help. Using pseudonyms with the permission of former patients, Stacy Nakell draws upon real stories of those who have worked with her to address Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors. She discusses how working together, she and her patients trace the life events and steps that led to the start of their Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, the struggle to understand the use of this behavior, the development of new regulation skills and the success of slowly giving up what was once as soothing as it was painful. Stacy speaks from a place of personal experience, use of a powerful methodology and an investment in patients that has truly helped them. This show will be informative to those suffering, the professionals who care for them and the families who love them.

It is often hard to believe that Human Trafficking, Forced Labor, and Sexual Trafficking of children, all forms of Modern Slavery, are hiding in plain sight not just somewhere across the globe but right here in the US. Today we are going to face the reality of Human Trafficking and learn about a powerful program, Life Way Network, a Global Movement aimed at ending Sexual Trafficking and reclaiming lives. Our Guest, Marion A.R. Kendell, the Chief Executive Officer of Lifeway Network gives us an up close and personal understanding of the reality of Human Trafficking. She helps us understand the needs of the women who seek shelter at the Lifeway Network. She offers a close look at the trauma-informed program that introduces many to safe connection in a community that restores safety, emotional healing and a valued sense of self. It is what they have never had and what we too often we never hear about. Listen in.

In this episode, Gaea Logan, Executive Director and Founder of the International Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, brings her expertise and experience to Psych Up Live. Drawing upon her training of humanitarian workers across the globe, she invites listeners to build resilience in the face of traumatic life events by strengthening their capacity for self-regulation and building protective internal factors that reduce burnout. She redefines trauma, offers the latest neurobiological findings on trauma’s impact on body, brain and mind and invites us to examine our “ window of tolerance” for stressful life events. Drawing upon her online training, The Portable Calm, she discusses and demonstrates skills to become more self-regulated, mindful, grounded and compassionate. Whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist or friend, Gaea believes that central to your resilience and effectiveness is developing your own capacity to reset, regulate and find calm.