Mind Tricks Radio

Episode 41: Letting Go of Unhealthy Romantic Relationships, with Dr Roxy Zarrabi.

I enjoyed meeting up with Dr. Roxy Zarrabi, a Clinical Psychologist in private practice who specializes in helping women struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, or dating/relationship challenges to feel confident about themselves and the future of their relationships. Dr. Zarrabi spoke with me today about many reasons why people have difficulty letting go of unhealthy relationships, and things they may do to challenge them.

More information about her therapy services, newsletter, and latest updates can be found at www.drroxyzarrabi.com.

Episode 40: Workplace Burnout, with Dr. Rachelle Scott

I enjoyed a lively and informative interview with Dr. Rachelle Scott, Medical Director of Psychiatry at Eden Health, who spoke with me on the topic of Workplace Burnout. Dr. Scott discussed how employers and individuals can identify signs and causes of burnout, and how they can address burnout through better communication and attention to employees' needs. This topic is particularly timely as individuals navigate workplace dynamics after two years of the COVID pandemic.  

Dr. Scott is a board-certified adult psychiatrist who received her Medical Degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and completed residency in psychiatry at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in NY. Prior to joining Eden Health she worked as a consulting psychiatrist with the Mental Health Service Corps, an initiative of THRIVE NYC, and subsequently became the Medical Director. She has many years of experience treating adult psychiatric patients in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings but has been most passionate about providing holistic and integrated mental health care. Dr. Scott has contributed to pieces in Business Insider, NPR, Forbes, Employee Benefit News, and many other outlets.

Episode 39: The Soul of Care, with Dr. Arthur Kleinman

It was an honor to interview Harvard Professor Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a luminary in the field of Psychiatry and Medical Anthropology.  When I was a college student, Dr. Kleinman's work was a major inspiration for me to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology with a research emphasis on the intersection of psychology and culture.

During the interview, we discussed Dr. Kleinman's most recent book, The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor. In Soul of Care, Dr. Kleinman discussed his deeply personal 10 year journey of caring for his beloved wife Joan in her struggle with early onset Alzheimer's Dementia. He puts his own experience into perspective drawing from his intellectual and academic focuses on the challenges of Western Medicine to provide adequate and meaningful care to patients and their families.  If you have ever been a caretaker, or you currently find yourself in this role, you will certainly find Dr. Kleinman's interview and his book both moving and validating.

Dr. Kleinman is one of the most renowned and influential scholars and writers on psychiatry, anthropology, global health, and cultural and humanistic issues in medicine. Educated at Stanford University and Stanford Medical School, he has taught at Harvard for over forty years. He is currently a professor of psychiatry and of medical anthropology at Harvard Medical School and the Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He was the Fung Director of Harvard’s Asia Center from 2008 to 2016. He is the author of six other books, including The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing, and the Human Condition, widely taught in medical schools. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Kleinman is currently directing a project on Social Technology for Global Aging and Eldercare in China that involves faculty and students from six of Harvard's schools as well as a number of his former students who are professors in China.

* photo credit to Torben Eskerod

 

Episode 38: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Kalama Sutta, with Dr. John Cottone

I enjoyed a fascinating interview with author and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. John Cottone, on the ways that Buddhist thoughts and practice intersect with practices in Western psychotherapy.  Since I became a psychologist, I have always noticed parallels between Buddhist thinking and psychotherapy and I was delighted to read a post by Dr. Cottone in Psychology Today on the topic.  Specifically, Dr. Cottone summarized the Kalama Sutta -- or teachings by the Buddha that encourage people to examine and question reality with logic and reason.  

Dr. John Cottone is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Stony Brook, NY and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook.  Dr. Cottone has numerous peer-reviewed research publications in neuroscience, psychiatry, psychotherapy outcome and moral reasoning. He is also a regular contributor to Psychology Today where he has a blog entitled The Cube, and he is the author of three books, including, Who Are You? Essential Questions for Hitchhikers on the Road of Truth.

Episode 37: Spotting Good Therapy, with Dr. Noam Shpancer

I enjoyed a lively conversation about Spotting Good Therapy with best selling author, screenwriter, and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Noam Shpancer.  Dr. Shpancer has written on topics about the therapeutic process and describes elements of what makes therapy a positive and beneficial experience for clients.  Dr. Shpancer's bestselling novel, The Good Psychologist was translated into six languages. A movie he co-wrote, The Other Story, premiered at the Toronto Film festival and was the most successful Israeli movie of 2018, receiving broad international distribution. Dr. Shpancer teaches at Otterbein University, and he’s also a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Episode 36: Compulsive Overconsumption and the Dopamine Economy, with Dr. Anna Lembke

Today I interviewed Stanford Psychiatrist and best selling author, Dr. Anna Lembke, about her book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. We discussed the neurophysiology of addiction that can lead to overconsumption and how Dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a crucial role in the system. Dr. Lembke also discussed how individuals need to try and recalibrate themselves to accept that uncomfortable experiences, such as pain, boredom, and sadness are a necessary part of human existence.

Dr. Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic.  She has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries and she maintains a thriving private practice.

Dr. Lembke recently appeared on the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives. 

Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence was an instant New York Times bestseller. It explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

Episode 35: Home Is Us: A Story of Hope and Resilience, with Dr. Jackie Ogega

Today I interviewed Dr. Jackie Ogega, a champion for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.  We discussed her book Home Is Us: A Story About Hope & Resilience, a memoir of her experiences growing up in Kenya. Dr. Ogega describes the love and guidance of strong women in her childhood who gave her a sense of safety, security, and purpose in light of rampant community violence and oppression toward women.  

Dr. Ogega is an inspiring leader dedicated to promoting gender equality, social inclusion, and the empowerment of women and girls. She is currently the Senior Director for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at World Vision. She founded her organization, Mpanzi Empowering Women and Girls, supporting hundreds of women and girls in rural villages in Kenya through education, violence prevention, and livelihoods. She has a doctorate in peace and conflict studies, and a master’s degree in Gender and Development Studies.  

Episode 34: The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and False Beliefs, with Dr. Joseph Pierre

Today I had an interesting conversation with UCLA Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre on the timely topic the Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and False Beliefs.  Dr. Pierre explained how conspiracy theories often arise as a means of coping with fear and uncertainty, especially as the world has certainly experienced a mage-dose uncertainly in recent years. He talked about how and why people succumb to false beliefs and how they evaluate evidence to support their beliefs. 

Episode 33: Managing Health Anxiety and Panic Attacks, with Dr. Bonnie Zucker

Today I had a conversation with  Dr. Bonnie Zucker, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, about managing health anxiety and panic attacks. This is a timely topic as many mental health professionals have seen a huge increase in patients presenting with anxiety because of the pandemic.  Dr. Zucker discusses the phenomenology of panic attacks and health anxiety, and gives helpful suggestions on how people can address these issues and reduce their anxiety.

Currently, Dr. Zucker has a private practice in Los Angeles and trains other mental health clinicians in anxiety disorder treatment and prevention. She also writes articles on mental health for Psychology Today and for other outlets.

Episode 32: Teaching Children to Think for Themselves, with Dr. Marty Nemko

I had a lively conversation with Dr. Marty Nemko, a career and personal coach to over 6000 individuals.  The conversation was inspired by Dr. Nemko's Psychology Today blog post: Beware the Temptation to Indoctrinate your Children. Dr.  Nemko, who considers himself a "moderate," discussed how he sees the world becoming increasingly polarized along political, religious, and lifestyle-choice beliefs.  He cautions parents to avoid "indoctrinating" their children along polarized belief systems, but rather to encourage them to examine all angles of topics and decide for themselves what makes sense to them.

Dr. Nemko is the author of 13 books, with 250,000 copies sold, including Careers for Dummies, as well as 4,000 published articles which can be found in TIME, The Atlantic, the Washington Post. He’s written more than 1,800 in Psychology Today. 26 of his best articles are anthologized in The Best of Marty Nemko, 2021 edition. He teaches methods of inquiry to medical students at the University of California San Francisco. He was the one man in a one-man PBS-TV Fundraising Special, 8 Keys to a Better Worklife. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley with two specializations: educational psychology and evaluation of individuals and programs.