Dr. Benjiman Waterhouse is a consultant psychiatrist. He is also an award-winning stand-up comedian. He has written for the Guardian and Independent and was included in a list of ‘Inspiring Psychiatrists’ by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here, his first book, was released in May 2024

In this episode we discuss the ups and downs of psychiatry training, his experiences with psychotherapy, common misconceptions about mental illness, some of the problems with modern psychiatry and our cultural understanding of mental illness , the potential value of psychedelics, the placebo effect and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

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Professor Henry O’Connell is a Consultant Psychiatrist working in Portlaoise, Ireland and Associate Clinical Professor with the School of Medicine at the University of Limerick. Henry has a special interest in how principles of evolutionary psychology can be applied to psychiatry, mental health and illness and medical education. Henry was isthe founding chair of the college of psychiatrists of Ireland Evolutionary Psychiatry special interest group in 2021 . In 2022 he published his a textbook Evolution and Psychiatry: Clinical Cases.

Useful links:
https://irishpsychiatry.ie/members/special-interest-groups/evolution-and-psychiatry-special-interest-group/

https://www.wpanet.org/evolutionary-psychiatry#

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/special-interest-groups/evolutionary-psychiatry

https://substack.com/@epsig?r=2dzwd8&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

Today we discuss among other topics:

- What it means to take an evolutionary approach in psychiatry
- The difference between proximate and ultimate causes of mental illness
- The notion of evolutionary mismatch
- Evolutionary perspectives on psychosis, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, bipolar disoder

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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What if the biggest obstacle in your way was yourself? If this were true and it was something you took seriously, it would have major implications about the way you conducted yourself. It would also mean reflecting on your decisions, and the overarching patterns of your life might be one of the most important things you could do. Today we discuss the many routes to self-sabotage, including evolutionary reasons, fear of change, the repetition compulsion and much more.

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.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com
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If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: buymeacoffee.com/thinkingmind

MJDorian is an artist, educator, podcast creator, and award winning composer. In 2018, MJ launched the podcast: Creative Codex, which he continues to write and produce. The show frequently appears in the top 100 charts globally in the genre of Arts. The mission of Creative Codex is to explore the mysteries of creative genius through narrative, sound design, and original music.

Today we discuss who Carl Jung was, an overview of what he contributed to psychology, why he disagreed with Freud, the difference between Freudian & Jungian psychology, the Jungian interpretation of dreams, his apocalyptic visions, the Red Book, and much more.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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John E. Wisneski is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rice University in Texas, where he teaches a course on Emotional Intelligence. He is the recipient of numerous student-selected graduate teaching awards, including the 2017 Professor of the Year Award at the Kelley School of Business, and the 2018 Most Impactful Core Professor Award at the W.P. Carey School of Business. In 2020, he was recognized by Poets & Quants as a Favorite MBA Professor for the Class of 2020.

Prior to pursuing a career in academia he consulted with numerous Fortune 100 companies including American Express, General Motors, Walgreens, and PepsiCo.

Today we discuss emotional intelligence; how it can be defined, tested and improved. We also discuss the darker aspects of emotional intelligence, and the differences between emotional intelligence and manipulation.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi, consultant psychiatrist.

References:

Barsade, S. G., & Gibson, D. E. (2007). Why does affect matter in organizations?. Academy of management perspectives, 21(1), 36-59.

Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and organizational psychology, 3(2), 110-126.

Grant, Adam. (2015). The dark side of emotional intelligence." Bizezia Limited.

Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2004). The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Caruso, D. & Rees, L. (2021). Developing your emotional intelligence skills. EI Skills Group
Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. Bantam.

You can access emotional intelligence assessments here: EI Assessments

Our episode on the big five personality model:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/277019/11581780-audio-essay-15-why-do-we-have-personalities.mp3?download=true

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C4tmKCj7UEk

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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Andew Wilkinson is a dating coach and a Youtuber who specialises in helping men find and sustain healthy relationships with women.

You can learn more about Andrew and is work on his youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@HonestImprovementYT

In this episode we discuss the problems faced by men and women alike in dating, the potential harm of dating apps, the changing ethical landscape of dating, the looming problem of AI girlfriends, how to improve your ability to attract a partner, the value of getting rejected and much more.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi.

Watch the full episode on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/lolw8PGjUlI?si=jxba5hobF58Q_FrJ

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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The Gender Identity Development service was the only gender identity clinic for people under the age of 18 in England and Wales. Operating since 1989, it was closed on March 28 2024. In today's episode we speak to Marcus Evans, who was previously on the board of governors for the service. Marcus was also one of the whistleblowers (along with his wife Sue Evans) responsible for bringing the clinic under judicial review.

Among other topics, today we discuss:
- The series of events which led to the clinic's closure
- The problem with the gender affirmative model of approaching gender dysphoria
- Psychoanalytic perspectives on gender dysphoria
- Best practices for approaching gender dysphoria
- The influences of politics and culture on healthcare
- The recently published Cass report which outlined problems with the service and which provided reccomendations as to how such a service should be run

Marucs Evans is a consultant psychotherapist with 40 years of experience in mental health as a practitioner, supervisor, lecturer, and manager, including at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust. He is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Interviewed by Dr Alex Curmi. Watch the full podcast on youtube:
https://youtu.be/kOCarWJL84A

If you would like to enquire about an online psychotherapy appointment with Dr. Alex, you can email - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
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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 - alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com.

Give feedback here - thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com -
Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

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