Psych Up Live

In today’s high speed internet world, teens are merely a few clicks away from free access to streaming porn. A Nationally Representative Youth Internet Safety Survey found that the likelihood of a teen or preteen accessing pornography intentionally rose from 8% in 2000 to 13% in 2010. Twenty-five percent of 18-24 year old’s report porn as their most helpful source of information about how to have sex. In this Episode Dr. Emily Rothman, Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, and author of the upcoming new book, Pornography and Public Health, brings us a well-researched and measured view of the need for “Porn Literacy” for kids and for parents. The issue is not Pornography. The issue is the negative view of sex as violent, misogynistic and without consent that porn portrays. What Dr. Rothman will discuss in terms of “Porn Literacy” for teens is how and why to think critically about pornography as something quite different from sexual relating and sexual intimacy. She will expand her discussion to “Porn Literacy” for parents by answering question that parents pose like, “What do I say if my teen son is regularly viewing porn?” “What do I say to my nine year old daughter when porn appears on her screen?” Whether you are a parent or interested in helping today’s youngsters develop a healthy and loving perspective of sex, this is an important show.

We are all aware through movies, series and the sensational lives of celebrities of the transitions made by transgender men and women. The increased media coverage has invited compassion and support by some and critique, violence and political rejection by others. This episode will clarify the myths and give you an insider’s experience of the transgender journey. Guest Kristin Collier will share her personal story of being a young mother with a toddler and infant son who learns that the husband she loves can no longer carry the secret of his gender identification as a woman. She will bring you into the emotional steps of her husband’s transition while facing you with the day-to-day details of her own necessary transformation. If your husband is a woman- who are you? Can you love and support the woman he becomes? What do you tell your little boys? How do you meet your needs? Kristin Collier’s story of strength, compassion and unexpected answers is one you won't forget.

In this episode, Dr. Pauline Boss, esteemed scientist practitioner who coined the term 'Ambiguous Loss,' discusses the meaning of Ambiguous Loss and how it differs from other losses. Drawing upon powerful examples, Dr. Boss discusses physical ambiguous loss and psychological ambiguous loss due to dementia from disease, brain injury etc. She clarifies that Ambiguous Loss is not a result of pathology, but rather the ambiguity of the circumstances of loss. Using examples like the families of 9-11 she describes the understandable impact on a family when a parent is gone but loss cannot be substantiated. With the aim of building resilience rather than pathologizing, Dr. Boss discusses the Psychological Family, the Family Narrative and the ability to engage Dialectical Thinking - 'my husband is both absent and present in our hearts and minds.' Dr. Boss references Victor Frankel’s Importance Of Finding Meaning, Adjusting Mastery Up Or Down and discovering 'New Hope' by risking change.

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.

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.

In this show, Carol Novello, founder of Mutual Rescue™ and author of the new book, “Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too” shares her story and the countless stories of others who reveal the powerful impact of adopted pets and their owners upon each other. From Parkland HS students, who lost friends in the horrific school shooting, but found the presence and adoption of dogs to be the bridges from terror and loss to love and comfort, to couples improving their relationships, to people helped with physical illness, addiction recovery or finding a purpose in life – adopting a dog is a gift that keeps on giving, even to others beyond the pet and owner. Importantly, Carol underscores stories with research science which verifies and expands what people are reporting, even tracing how it is that wolves and wildcats came to be the dogs that love to sleep in our beds and the cats that own our sofas. Listen in and prepare to feel a heart tug!

In this episode Dr. Scott Small, esteemed neurologist and neuroscientist known for his work in Alzheimer’s disease, discusses his important new book, Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering. In a culture inundated with information and worried about aging and forgetting, this is an extraordinary contribution. In a conversational style, Dr. Small offers the neuroscience of forgetting in a way that is as informative as it is startling. Drawing upon fascinating examples and personal history, he illuminates the reasons that we need “to forget” in order to think flexibly, prioritize, make decisions, be creative, address traumatic memories and remember what is needed. Toward this end he will consider: Why don’t I want a photographic memory? What part of the brain turns up or turns down memory and forgetting? What is the role of sleep in forgetting? What role does forgetting play in addressing trauma and PTSD? What is the difference between cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease? Listen in to an extraordinary guest.

In this show Host Suzanne Phillips is joined by Award Winning Filmmaker, Therese Shechter who discusses her new and powerful film, "My So-Called Selfish Life." Spanning over many years this is a paradigm-shifting journey through one of our society's greatest taboos: Choosing not to become a mother. The film weaves together historical events, medical expertise, and women of different ages and backgrounds who personally and professionally question the biased expectation that women are supposed to have children – regardless of their personal choice. Underscoring the message, the show includes glimpses of the shocking consequence of a " 60 Minutes" clip of a woman and her husband sharing their decision not to have children with the in-laws and examples of social media "Mommyjacking" to minimize the accomplishments of professional women and idealizations of mothering at the cost of leaving out and stigmatizing women who can't have children or choose not to have a child. With attention to historical events, medical advances, gender diversity and political sentiment, Therese Shechter invites us to consider her powerful and at times shocking documentary about women and their choice of whether to have a child. Her film is one that people of all genders need to see and are not likely to forget. Listen in to this discussion.

In this episode Dr. Gillihan will discuss his important book, Retrain the Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 weeks. Dr. Gillihan will clarify the way in which thoughts, feelings and behaviors interact to play a role in actually increasing anxiety and depression; but, how people suffering from mild to moderate anxiety and depression can take steps to bring about changes. Be it panic attacks, fear of flying, or self-defeating procrastination, he will point out examples from this 7 week program that guide us to reconsider our behaviors, identify and reduce negative thought patterns, and understand and regulate feelings. In the back and forth with host, Suzanne Phillips he will consider the role of acceptance in reducing both anxiety and depression. Listen in for some important skills.

How do you get along with your adult siblings? Are you like friends? Have you stopped talking or connecting with siblings? No matter what the relationship, you are not alone. In this episode, Dr. Geoffrey Greif, professor and author, returns to Psych Up Live with his new co-authored book, Adult Sibling Relationships.In the show, Dr. Greif draws upon his personal interviews with people over 45 and people's responses to The Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale to share the stories and reasons people give for what connects them with their siblings and what has pulled them apart. Adding his clinical understanding, Dr. Greif considers that sibling relationships are as complicated as they are important. Most are neither all good nor all bad.They carry with them the impact of parents, birth order, personality, gender, money issues, rivalries, great care and much more. As you will hear, sibling relationships are complex: but there are ways to better understand and even improve them.