Psych Up Live

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 episode, author Francesca Beauman draws upon her interesting and well researched book, Matrimony, Inc. to invite us to consider that from Frontier Days, through Wars, Industrialization and Immigration, people have been advertising for love. Replacing matchmaking, personal ads, from a homesteader looking for a wife " Must have teeth!" to a " Genteel male seeking a wife," a woman wanting a husband- "not beyond middle age, perfectly sober," to profiles on Match.com or swipes on Tinder, the requests may look different but actually reflect many similar themes, cautions, hints and needs. What is different today is the degree of speed, choice and options for everyone. Relevant to the way needs have shaped the personal ads, Francesca will consider dating during the COVID epidemic. We will ask her advice on effective personal ads and online profiles and how to tell if someone you can only meet online through facetime, phone calls or safe distanced meetings might be a worth pursuing.

Four Walls Theater is a grassroots socially responsible theater that produces new plays with diverse artists from around the country. Their upcoming show is the world premiere of "BARS," a drama by Pravin Wilkins. On Psych Up Live, we are privileged to have an insider look with producer, directors, playwright and cast. We start with Elana Gartner, Founder and Producer and Gina Marie Dropp, the Artistic Director of Four Walls, who discuss the relevance and mission of this virtual theater during COVID and the reason for their choice of " Bars." Playwright Pravin Wilkins joins us to discuss his award-winning play in the light of oppressive social issues like the power of prosecutors to shape how laws are applied, to whom, and to what ends. Director Heather Harvey joins us to consider this play with respect to civic engagement at this time, and antiracism in our political engagement. Actress Janan Ashton considers her role as a female activist in personal and broader terms.

In this episode, bestselling author and speaker Bruce Van Horn shares the ingredients of his important new book, Worry No More! 4 Steps To Stop Worrying And Start Living. With wisdom and humor this “recovered worrier” draws upon the best practices of experts and integrates them with what he has practiced on a daily basis in his own life. Crystalizing a way out of “ Worry” in 4 interesting and effective steps, he invites you to join him in living life instead of worrying about it.

We face a time of misinformation and ongoing fear of the COVID-19 Virus which has already taken the lives of 200,000 in the US. Concurrent with that is the fear, provocation and the reality of violence as economic hardship, racial oppression and political division fuel dissent. We are essentially fighting two epidemics. In this show, Dr. Gary Slutkin, epidemiologist recognized for reversing contagious diseases like TB, Cholera and AIDS across the globe and Founder and CEO of Cure Violence, ranked 1st among organizations devoted to reducing violence, addresses the epidemics we are facing. Dr. Slutkin will weigh in on the Corona Virus in terms of his perspective on susceptibility, exposure, incubation, spread, testing, and prevention. Just how safe can we be? He will be asked if we can reduce current violence in this country. Is there a relationship between COVID-19 and Violence? Can the Cure Violence model be applied in the face of systemic racism and political dissent?

In this episode, Samantha Waltz, the author of the powerful book, Blended: Writers on the Stepfamily Experience and three of her wonderful contributing writers, Betsy Graziani Fasbinder, Gigi Rosenberg, and Emma Kate Tsai will share their personal experiences of being parents or children in stepfamilies. As three of the thirty professional writers who share their blended experience in this book, their voices convey more than the facts or dynamics of stepfamilies. They convey in a personal way the challenges of connection, the promise and pain of children who have lost parents from divorce or death, the fears of rejection and expectations of stepparents and the reasons for laughing, crying and celebrating. As the stories move from the “ Coming Together” of blended families to stories of “Acceptance” they broaden the understanding of stepfamilies and offer guidance, compassion and hope.

This show deals with a dangerous but unknown reality – According to the American Federation of Suicide Prevention, 300 to 400 doctors in the US die by suicide each year. That is more than double the rate of the general population. Why? In this show Corey Feist, JD, health care executive and Co-Founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation brings us up close and personal to the causes and necessary actions for prevention of physician suicide. He will share the story of Dr. Lorna Breen, an experienced ER doctor at New York's Presbyterian Hospital who worked with COVID-19 patients, contracted COVID, returned to work and ultimately died by suicide. Her story illuminates the dangerous expectations internalized by medical professionals, the understandable reality of burnout, depression, moral injury and the stigma of mental health needs and treatment. He will discuss the exacerbation of this reality by COVID-19 and consider steps for protection and care of those who care for us.

In this episode, Dr. Michael Anestis, clinical psychologist, and award winning researcher discusses his powerful book, Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic. Dr. Anestis is not advocating for or against gun ownership. What he is advocating for is prevention of firearm suicides. Funded by the Department of Defense through a program known as the Military Suicide Research Consortium, Michael Anestis collected and will share findings like the fact that each year the majority of gun deaths in the US are suicide deaths – more than homicide, mass shootings or terrorism. He will address the lethality of a gun when there is suicidal thinking and consider myths and theories of suicide including the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) and the Three Step Theory. Central to his goal, Dr. Anestis will define the use of “means safety” for suicide prevention and the importance of taking a public health approach to firearm suicide prevention.

We live in a time when an understanding of power and the abuse of power has tremendous importance. In this show, Dr. Dacher Keltner, psychologist, Faculty Director of the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, and acclaimed researcher, awakens us to The Power Paradox. Drawing upon his latest book, The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence, Dr. Keltner defines power that gives and power that grabs. Citing fascinating studies, he discusses the ways in which a person, be it a teen, a teacher or a world leader, gets power and then faces the Power Paradox - the choice of keeping it or being corrupted by it. As an honored professor, researcher with over 190 publications, consultant on emotions for Facebook, Google, and the Disney Pixar movie, “ Inside Out,” Dr. Keltner’s discussion of the Power Paradox is one we need to hear.

In this episode, Dr. Justin Yopp, psychologist at the North Carolina Cancer Hospital, draws upon his work and co-authored book, The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life, to share the story of young fathers who lose their spouses to terminal illness and must take up the challenge of raising their grieving children. Given men don't usually seek group help after loss, this is an unusual and emotionally powerful story of a men's group, "The Single Fathers Due to Cancer Support Group." Dr. Justin Yopp discusses the collaboration he and his co-leader have with the group, the magnitude of the men's shared loss, their similar and different stories, the bond they unexpectedly forge, the responses of their children, and their steps to reimagine their lives. Underscoring this window into the group is a clarification of theory relative to bereavement, depression, children's needs, and post-traumatic growth. You will be incredibly moved and informed by this shared men's group experience.