This is a special episode. I was approached by a company called MycoMeditations that wanted to sponsor the podcast. They actually were very persistent and approached me a few times about it because they were really interested in the opportunity to speak with you all. MycoMeditations is a company that hosts retreats in Jamaica that use the psilocybin mushroom, also known as the magic mushroom. It's an often misunderstood substance that research has shown to be an effective way to reduce the impact of treatment resistant mental illness such as depression and anxiety.    Since this is a topic that is somewhat sensitive (psilocybin is not legal in the US), I wanted to do things a little differently. Rather than just running a short ad, I wanted to have the opportunity to dive deep and fully explore the issue. So this is a sponsored episode. MycoMeditations did pay for this interview spot, but I am approaching it just like all of the other interviews that I do on the show so that you can be appropriately informed and make your own decisions.    My guest for this episode is Eric Osborne, who is the founder and head facilitator of MycoMeditations. He has a very interesting background in that he is a wild mushroom expert and mycologist. This enables him to approach things from a very unique angle, which you will hear in the episode. Rather than administering the mushroom in it's raw form, he uses a process to make measured capsules of it to have better control of the dosage.    I really hope that you enjoy this episode. It was very interesting for me. Please have a look at the full show notes at duffthepsych.com/episode171 and reach out to Eric if you have any questions after listening!   Check out MycoMeditations at their website to learn more!

Hello, friends! In this Q&A episode, I take three awesome questions that listeners sent in and try my best to give some helpful advice. These cover a range of topics including health anxiety, PTSD in literature, and coping with a sexless marriage.

As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and full show notes are available at duffthepsych.com/episode170

This episode is a super interesting interview with psychiatrist Dr. Anna Yusim. She is a practicing psychiatrist from a family of hyper-rational mathematicians. She was never spiritual or religious. However, about 10 years ago, she started to experience things that she could not explain and began to develop an interest in the intersection between spirituality and psychiatry. If you know me, this is not in line with my view of things, so I thought it would be super interesting to have this interview with someone who sees things from a different perspective. 

Full show notes are available at duffthepsych.com/episode169 and please continue sending your questions and topic suggestions to [email protected]

Hey, everyone!

This episode is missing some of the normal bells and whistles that you are used to. No intro music. No disclaimers or fancy editing. I am currently out of town and my remote desktop failed me, so I don't have access to my normal episode template.

In this episode, I take one really good listener question about whether it's strange to feel upset about their counselor dying and what they can do about comparing future counselors to their last one, since it was a good experience for them.

As always, you can send your questions and topic suggestions to [email protected] and find the full show notes at http://duffthepsych.com/episode168

 

This is a fantastic interview with Dr. Laura Copley, a trauma specialist, who focuses on posttraumatic growth and resilience. We go through many important facts and misconceptions about trauma. We talk about the difference between resilience and posttraumatic growth. We even dive into a couple exercises that people currently contenting with trauma reactions can use to start living life on their terms.

If you have questions or topic suggestions, please send them over to me at [email protected]!

Hello, friends!

This is a Q&A episode in which I tackle the following:

• When is it time to move on from my boyfriend that just recently broke up with me so that I can "find myself"?
• What advice do you have for someone that is pregnant with an eating disorder?
• How long will it take for therapy to help with my borderline personality disorder?

As always, you can send me questions and topic suggestions to [email protected]

Full show notes also available at duffthepsych.com/episode166

 

This is a really nice interview with psychiatrist Suvrat Bhargave. We talk about lessons that he has learned in his practice including how to let go of shame and why you don't need to hit rock bottom to have important moments of insight. He is very personable and cares about meeting people where they are at rather than speaking in jargon and working hard to seem like the expert. He challenges the stereotype that psychiatrists are unapproachable and only want to focus on medication management.

Full episode notes available at http://duffthepsych.com/episode165

Next week is another Q&A episode, so send your questions or topic suggestions to [email protected]

Hey, all! On the last episode, I had my wife on to answer your relationship communications. We got SO many awesome questions that I wanted to tackle some more on the podcast today. This is a solo Q&A episode and I take questions directly from the private Hardcore Self Help Facebook group. Here are the questions I address:

• What can I do about my family that doesn't understand my anxiety?
• How can I tell the difference between reinforcing boundaries and being manipulative in my relationship?
• I'm about to move and I'm freaking out. What can I do?

Full show notes are available at http://duffthepsych.com/episode164 and if you'd like to send in a question, shoot me an email at [email protected]

In this episode, I have my beautiful wife Joelle back on the podcast. We take a few minutes to update you on our crazy life and then discuss some listener questions that mainly focus on communication in relationships. Enjoy!

Next week will be another Q&A, so send me your questions to [email protected].

For full show notes, visit http://duffthepsych.com/episode163

Hello, friends! It's very very hot over here this week, but I still decided to lock myself in my office without a fan and record this Q&A episode! There are three really great (and different) questions that listeners sent in, and I try my best to give some helpful advice. The questions are:

• What can I do to make my family member understand my past alcoholism?
• How can I plan and execute my days better when I have ADHD?
• What can I do about my chronic depersonalization and dissociation?

As always, full show notes are available at duffthepsych.com/episode162 and you can send me your questions to [email protected]