Skeptical Thinker Podcast

Hi there! In this long-awaited episode, Mellony and Leah spend some time finishing up the book HumanKind by Rutger Bregman

Here's a link to Bregman's Website

Enjoy!

Hi, today's podcast is about how the thoughts and ideas of Carl Jung can be looked at in terms of how they best fit with the ideas of today's gender expansive community.

Leah had the day off, so Mellony took over to explain some changes in S.T.P. We're still here, just so busy these last few months!

Music by Pixabay:

1. https://pixabay.com/music/meditationspiritual-meditation-meditative-482095/

2. https://pixabay.com/music/meditationspiritual-meditation-meditative-482095/

3. https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-upbeat-fun-music-427230/

4. https://pixabay.com/music/pop-the-half-beauty-new-version-563973/

5. https://pixabay.com/music/meditationspiritual-moonlit-reverie-2026-digital-rain-wellness-ritual-454059/

Citations:

Wikipedia contributors. (2026, July 27). Carl Jung. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung

Pass, J. C. (2025, April 22). Jung, Gender, and Fluidity: Reimagining Anima & Animus. Simply Put Psych. https://simplyputpsych.co.uk/global-psych/jungs-anima-animus-and-the-psychology-of-gender-fluidity

Contact me: [email protected]

Hi there! This week, Jamie and Leah are going into another section of the book Humankind, by Rutger Bregman. Today, we look at the Stanford Experiment, the Robber's Cave Experiment, Stanley Milgram's Shock Machine, and how all this seems to point to the fact that humans are generally bad if you break through the thin surface veneer.

Here's the bibiographical information about the book:

Bregman, R. (2021). Humankind: A Hopeful History.

And here's some other things we referred to in the podcast this week:

• Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: the proven power of being kind to yourself. In Medical Entomology and Zoology. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB27817715
• Smithsonian Institute's Bias Inside Us Online Exhibit

So this is a rough podcast. Jamie has some audio issues that kept cropping up and we apologize for the occasional overlapping audio - not sure how that is happening, but we record from two different locations and sometimes we get feedback. We're doing our best.

Anyway, this podcast is part one of probably three episodes that we are treating like an book-talk. The book we are reading is Human Kind. Here's a link for the book on bookshop.org. We will be continuing with the discussion of part 2 of the book and part 3 over the following weeks. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to read along - it is a good read and has helped to restore some of my optimism for the direction of our human species. Here's some links to a few things we talked about in the episode:

Mark Rober's Wallet experiment video

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin (we talked about to books I had read about Darwin. This is the one I could remember while sitting at the library editing this episode.)

Remember to like and subscribe. We are not a super professional podcast, but the work we do is important to us and we love to share our thoughts.

Also feel free to leave us a comment. I'm pretty sure I know how to read them. :)

Hi! This is Jamie. Leah took this one off so that I could go down a short rabbit hole of thoughts. I am an ever evolving human that wants to be curious and creative. I think I did both on this episode. It's short, but I hope it is thought provoking. Let me know how you like it!

Music for this episode came from:

Giovanni Rapiti from Pixabay 

James Carter from Pixabay

This week Jamie and Leah are ruminating on Resources - those things that you can do both internally and externally to help with nervous system regulation. There's a few resources that you can check out below if you want more information!

All about Resourcing

Tumblr - In case you wanted to see one of Jamie's resources...

Insight Timer App - this is the web link, but you can find it in any app store.

So, we've been gone for a while. It's nothing personal, except that it was. We were dealing with some health issues, but everything is slowly getting back to normal. Leah and I decided it was time to jump back in. Today's episode is not our best work, but a friendly discussion that ranges a bit, but we did touch on the SAVE act, and a book that Leah is reading about Homophobia. We'll try to get back on track next week, but remember, we're just trying to have fun and be our own best people.

Welcome back! This week, Leah and Jamie dive into some science topics that you might have missed because of the news cycle's constant barrage of negative stuff! Jamie has an online subscription to National Geographic, so some of the links in the show notes may not open up, but he did find some alternative links you can go to to read some more about the topics today! Enjoy!

Citations:

• Landau, E. (2025, September 18). This is the best evidence yet for ancient life on Mars. Science. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mars-rock-alien-life-microbes-chemistry
• NASA. (2025, September 10). NASA says Mars Rover discovered potential biosignature last year - NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-says-mars-rover-discovered-potential-biosignature-last-year/
• Qader, S. A. (2025, September 13). Doomscrolling and the Dopamine Loop: How endless scrolling is rewiring our brains. MedReport Foundation. https://www.medreport.foundation/post/doomscrolling-and-the-dopamine-loop-how-endless-scrolling-is-rewiring-our-brains
• Rosen, M. (2025, September 19). Staying on the keto diet long term could carry health risks. Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/keto-diet-health-risk-glucose-high-fat?et_rid=1076472799&et_cid=5739009
• Wexler, J. R. (2025, September 19). The surprising way doomscrolling rewires your brain. Health. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/health/article/how-news-affects-your-brain-and-body?rid=18C5F3C8000430FA93B55AE508ED0886&cmpid=org%3Dngp%3A%3Amc%3Dcrm-email%3A%3Asrc%3Dngp%3A%3Acmp%3Deditorial%3A%3Aadd%3DDaily_NL_Tuesday_Health_20250916_US&loggedin=true&rnd=1758113813183

After a summer hiatus, Leah and Jamie are back with a discussion of Lee Wind's excellent book, "The Gender Binary is a Big Lie." While we both start talking about the book, we end up in some interesting personal stories and repartee about gender. For those listening who are not sure how to feel about those of us who are outside the gender binary, you may find this discussion interesting.

We've added some resources here for you in case you want more. Thanks for listening!

Resources:

Gender & Sexuality Resources UC Santa Barbara

Kirkus Review of Book

This is an awesome resource for anyone who has a loved one going through gender transition/questioning.

We talked about Gender Euphoria near the end. This resource is good.

Citation:

Wind, L. (2023). The Gender Binary is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities and Expressions.

This episode has us looking at Complex Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (CPTSD). While not officially in the DSM-5, CPTSD has gotten a lot of notice in recent years. We look at the book "What My Bones Know," by Stephanie Foo.

Citations:

1. Admin. (2025, March 5). PTSD hotline - Free 24/7 | 866-903-3787. Mental Health Hotline. https://mentalhealthhotline.org/ptsd-hotline/
2. Center for Complex Trauma (CCT) | Icahn School of Medicine. (n.d.). Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/center-complex-trauma
3. Davis, S. (2019, September 30). A closer look at the symptoms of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | CPTSDfoundation.org. https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/09/30/a-closer-look-at-the-symptoms-of-complex-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/
4. Ham, J. (2025, January 17). Revisiting the fractal nature of relationships and the therapeutic process — Jacob Ham, PhD. Jacob Ham, PhD. https://drjacobham.com/blog/2015/3/21/revisiting-the-fractal-nature-of-relationships-and-the-therapeutic-process
5. IDHS: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (n.d.). https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=145089
6. Jacob Ham, PhD. (2025, April 21). Jacob Ham, PhD. https://drjacobham.com/
7. Jess. (2024, September 8). Home - Traumatized motherfuckers. Traumatized Motherfuckers. https://t-mfrs.com/
8. Staker, P. (2025, June 22). The Healing Cycle: Dealing with Conflict in Relationships Through Rupture & Repair Therapy - SpringSource. SpringSource. https://springsourcecenter.com/dealing-with-conflict-rupture-and-repair-therapy-and-attachment-theory/
9. What My Bones Know | Random House Publishing Group. (n.d.). https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/658389/
10. What really helps trauma? | Dr. Jacob Ham, Being Well podcast (F. Hanson, Interviewer). (2023, November 20). YouTube. Retrieved June 25, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXBJeHz7tsY
11. Wikipedia contributors. (2025, June 24). Complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_post-traumatic_stress_disorder