Mark L. Ruffalo, M.S.W., D.Psa., is a psychotherapist in private practice in Tampa, Florida, and serves as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has broad clinical experience in the psychoanalytic treatment of mood disorders, personality disorders, and psychosomatic illness, and has particular interest in the psychotherapy of schizophrenia. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Carlat Psychotherapy report.

In today's episode we discuss borderline personality disorder, the most common symptoms and problems associated with the condition, how it is treated, the pros and cons of diagnosis and much more.

His article on "double binds" in borderline personality disorder can be found here:
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/double-binds-in-borderline-communication

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. Watch the full podcast on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGzku4PqNQ

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected].

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Kat Brown is an author & journalist whose work on mental health stigma and other social and entertainment commentary has appeared in The Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian. Her first book, No One Talks About This Stuff, is an anthology sharing people’s untold experiences of infertility and baby loss. Her second book, It's Not A Bloody Trend: Understanding Life as an ADHD Adult, was published a month before her first, which is a ridiculousness she really enjoys.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected].

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Rose Cartwright is an author and screenwriter. She is the author of the 2015 book Pure about her experiences with OCD which subsequently became a Channel 4 television show with the same name. She is also a screenwriter and executive story editor on the upcoming Netflix sci-fi series Three Body Problem .

Her new book The Maps We Carry is out now https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-maps-we-carry/rose-cartwright/9780008591885.  

Watch this podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyECqiNNj_4

In this episode Rose and Alex discuss her experiences including the pros and cons of the medical model, psychiatric diagnoses,  as well as Rose's experiences with meditation, psychedelics (such as psilocybin and MDMA) and trauma work.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected].

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Disclaimer: In this podcast we discuss self-experimentation with psychedelics, but we would strongly reccomend using medical supervision when using any kind of drug to manage your mental health.

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Today we discuss prescription psychiatric medications as they are used for major mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and ADHD,  and we outline 8 principles as to how they can be used in a safe rational way.

See 13th edition of the Maudsley guidelines here: https://www.clinicaltoolkit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/9781119442608.pdf

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he is a UKCP registered training psychotherapist.

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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected]

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Robin Ince is a comedian, author, broadcaster and a populariser of scientific ideas. He is best known as the co-host of the BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. He also co-hosts the podcast Book Shambles with Josie Long, An Uncanny Hour and Science Shambles with Dr Helen Czerski, all three of which are a part of The Cosmic Shambles Network. His most recent books are I'm a Joke and So Are You, The Importance of Being Interested – Adventures in Scientific Curiosity, and Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive’s Tour of the Bookshops of Britain.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova and Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected]

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W. Keith Campbell, PhD is a nationally-recognized expert on narcissism, personality, and cultural change.  is the author of more than 200 papers and several books including the latest, The New Science of Narcissism. He's made frequent media appearances including the Joe Rogan Experience and the Mikhaila Peterson Podcast. 

You can learn more about Dr. Campbell's work here:
https://www.wkeithcampbell.com/about

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected]

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Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant and one of the most widely consumed drugs in the world. Today Alex, Anya and Rebecca discuss caffeine, their experiences trying to cut down and stop their use of caffeine, the withdrawal symptoms they experienced and how they plan to use caffeine in the future. They also discuss how caffeine acts on the brain and how it may impact us psychologically.

Dr. Alex Curmi, Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson and Dr. Anya Borissova are all practising psychiatrists and members of the royal college of psychiatry (MRCPsych).

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In today's episode we discuss how you can come to understand the psychology of your culture, your society and your zeitgiest, and how this can help you when you are trying to determine your own values.

In particular we describe three virtues upheld by Western culture; Freedom, Happiness & Convenience, and we discuss the benefits and dark sides of each. 

Audio-Essay by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Curmi is a consultant general adult psychiatrist with a sub-speciality in addictions who completed his training in the South London and Maudsley NHS foundation trust. In addition to general adult psychiatry he has a special interest in psychotherapy and mindfulness meditation.

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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected]

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Gestalt Psychotherapy is an often under-discussed, yet widely practiced form of therapy that was developed in the 40s and 50s by a psychoanalyst Fritz Perls, his wife Laura Perls and Paul Goodman. Gestalt therapy came to prominence during the counterculture movement of the 60s and focused on an individual's experience of the present moment, their relationship with their therapist, and the psychological adjustments people make in response to their environmental and social context.

Today, on the podcast to discuss Gestalt psychotherapy is Sarah Paul. Sarah is a tutor of humanistic psychotherapy at the Metanoia institute in London, a UKCP registered gestalt psychotherapist and a certified couples counsellor. She has been working with people therapeutically for more than 15 years and aside from her psychotherapy experience, she is also experienced in working with individuals with severe mental health difficulties, homelessness and substance misuse problems.

In today’s episode we discuss Gestalt psychotherapy, its historical origins, some of the core principles of the Gestalt approach, its strengths and weaknesses, the barriers people have to changing, Sarah’s own approach to psychotherapy, some of the challenges of training as a therapist, and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, a consultant psychiatrist and UKCP registered trainee psychotherapist - Give feedback here - [email protected]

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Andy Laithwaite is an actor and the co-founder of The Actor Inside, a company which delivers training to companies and organizations on public speaking and performance.
Using the lessons learned from drama training Andy and his team help people to improve improvisational skills and and on the spot problem-solving, develop better vocal presence, gain composure in front of an audience and improve listening, collaboration and leadership skills.

In addition Andy also dose 1:1 coaching to provide a more individualized approach to manging anxiety in performance situations, handling burnout and becoming more authentic when relating to others. 

In this episode we discuss:

• The fear of public speaking and some evolutionary reasons why this fear is so common.
• What  acting and psychotherapy have in common.
• The importance of spontaneity.
• Andy’s approach to helping people improve their performance skills.
• Why trying to hard and self-criticism can become self-sabotaging behaviours.
• The importance of authenticity when communicating.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi - Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - [email protected]

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Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast