Mind Tricks Radio

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.

Episode 31: Men’s Fear of Women, with Dr. Avrum Weiss

Today I interviewed Dr. Avrum Weiss about his important and thought provoking, best-selling book, Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men's Fear of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. We discussed several ways in which men fear women, often stemming from socialized expectations of "what it means to be a man" and how these expectations are tested in intimate relationships.  Dr. Weiss explains that, not only do men actually desire more intimacy and emotional openness in their relationships, but that in many cases, the fears men face contribute to higher rates of mental and physical illnesses. 

Dr. Weiss is a regular contributor to the Psychology Today website and gives workshops nationally teaching men and women how to better understand each other.  He lives on an island off the coast of Maine, with his wife and dog. 

Episode 30: Calling Out Irrational Beliefs, with Dr. Denise Fournier

I enjoyed an upbeat conversation with Dr. Denise Fournier on Calling Out Irrational Beliefs. Dr. Fournier described how people develop maladaptive belief systems about themselves, others, and the world around them. These beliefs can cause people to suffer and impede them from taking risks and making changes in life. While many beliefs serve functional purposes earlier in life, they become "outdated" over time, with changes in a person's life circumstances and developmental stages.  Dr. Fournier discussed how we can notice the Self-Talk associated with maladaptive beliefs, and how to examine evidence and challenge these beliefs in our day to day lives.

Dr. Fournier, LMHC, is a psychotherapist, coach, facilitator, and adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University. Over the last 15 years, she's worked in numerous mental health settings, guiding several hundred people on their own unique growth journeys. Currently, Dr. Fournier owns and operates a private therapy practice, Evergreen Therapy, in Miami, FL. In addition to her work with clients, she also writes for Psychology Today and produces e-courses in the areas of mindfulness and mental health. Her work, as well as her writing, center on the Eastern traditions of Zen Buddhism and Taoism, which encourage a balanced, open, and accepting approach to life.  She writes a popular Blog series in Psychology Today.

Episode 29: Men’s Issues in Mental Health, with Dr. Robert Whitley

I enjoyed interviewing Dr. Robert Whitley, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, about Men's Issues in Mental Health. Dr. Whitley is the author of his recently released textbook, Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health. We talked about about some important concepts in Social Psychology such as Gender Stereotypes of Men and how these affect mental health outcomes and treatment; the Gender Empathy Gap; and Male Gender Blindness. We also talked about the importance of adult male role models in the development of boys. We also discussed unique challenges that men often face in the workplace and within social/family relationships and how these can impact mental health. Dr. Whitley writes a popular monthly blog for Psychology Today entitled ‘Talking About Men.’ 

Episode 28: Finding Meaning in Life, with Dr. Iddo Landau

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Israeli Philosopher, Dr. Iddo Landau on the topic of Finding Meaning in Life.  Dr. Landau discussed many keen and intriguing arguments from his popular and thought provoking book, Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World. He also discussed ways in which people can recognize what's valuable and meaningful within their own lives. 

Dr. Landau grew up and lived most of his life in Israel. He currently teaches philosophy at University of Haifa, where he focuses mostly on the philosophy of meaning in life, existentialism, and ethics. Dr. Landau also has worked for many years with terminally ill cancer patients under the auspices of the Israel Cancer Association. He is the author of Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World.