The myth of Pandora's Box: is it a story of punishment, troubles, or hope? Or maybe all of that. This week's Thursday History lesson is the open episode for November, available to regular listeners as well as Patreon Subscribers. Goto becauseorganization.org to follow this month's highlighted charity, focused on rebuilding the lives of survivors of…

Cedric Bertelli is a psychotherapist who helps people heal from trauma through somatic and movement based techniques. Somatic therapy is a huge part of modern trauma treatment, and Cedric shares how these techniques can help to impact the unconscious choices that impact our behavior. The charity of focus for November is the Because Organization, he…

Anxiety around making or receiving voice calls on the phone is quite common nowadays. Many suffer from the anxiety caused by feeling out of control, put on the spot, or otherwise stressed about the process. Here are a few tips for mitigating and facing that anxiety. The charity of focus for this month is Because Organization, a nonprofit that provi…

Why do we prank at Halloween? Especially tossing rolls of toilet paper all over the land? Let's chat about it, this week on Thursday Thistory! This one is for everyone! Not just Patrons this week!

Second Halloween Episode! AND it's is one of the ongoing episodes to feature Role Playing Games and their usefulness in therapy. The storyline of this game is a team of Vampire Couriers helping a Vampire to relocate safely. Each player has selected strengths and weaknesses of the characters. In a Therapy RPG group these characters and attributes wo…

You can spend a lot of time and energy searching for mindfulness. Sometimes there are opportunities all around us that we don't see. Here are 2 examples of stumbling into mindfulness by accident.

Marcia Holt is the Founder and CEO of Because Organization, dedicated to providing support to survivors of Human Trafficking. They help survivors to find housing, healthcare, employment, therapy, legal aid, and much more. Marcia is here to help us to define what trafficking is, and how to identify and combat it in ways that provide real help. In a …

Jessica Morgan & Christopher Carter joined me to talk about their indie horror film "Night of the Harvest," a slasher type Halloween film that plays around with the traditional tropes and roles within that type of story. They shared deep reflections on their approach to storytelling, horror, and what it's like to step into the mindset of the movie'…

What makes a thought healthy? Cognitive Psychologists say there are 2 important elements, both must be present for things to be healthy upstairs. What are they, how do we define them, and most importantly what do we do about it after labeling them? Remember to go to www.stigmafree.art to support our charity-of-focus this month: Mental Health Awaren…

Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) in video games is the automatic adjustment of difficulty levels within a game intended to keep a player in Flow State. What does that mean? Funny you should ask...that's what this week's Thistory episode is all about! Enjoy the first 6 or 7 minutes of this one for all listeners. If you would like to hear the enti…

Fabian Stumm is the writer, director, and star of the movie "Sad Jokes," a wholesome & sincere film showcasing the roles played by sadness and humor in trying to balance a modern life.

Gratitude is supes healthy, and one way to experience it is in sharing something you love with others. Heres some tups about how to do that in a way that will maximize its effectiveness and help your mental health. Oh yeah, and HAPPY COLOMBO DAY for all of you detectives out there. Check out www.stigmafree.art to support this month's charity of foc…

James P Gannon & Matt Ferrin are creating a feature film, and decided to turn their research into a short documentary about the psychology & culture of Demolition Derby. A cool creative move by 2 creative souls, they ended up with a short film debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) This episode is a part of my coverage of TIFF, …

3 minute sample of this week's patrons-only episode: How do Astronauts prepare themselves psychologically? What are the mental health risks for Space Travel? This week we dive a bit into the history, experience, and research associated with the rigors of being an Astronaut.

Julia Baird is a journalist, author, and broadcaster. In her new book, "Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything," she shares ways that people use Grace to make sense of the world, heal from suffering, and (when necessary) challenge the status quo. Far from passive, she discusses how Grace is a motivation to action. Remember to check out www.st…

The use of our senses for meed management and immediate stress-reduction is a quick and effective technique. Today the focus is on our sense of smell, how to use it, and why the future smells rosy...especially when you're smelling roses.

A live play session of a one-shot RPG called "Cage Fight," where the players adopt the powers of Nicolas Cage characters to defeat aliens and save the world. This episode is another exploration into how RPGs can be used for fun, social skills, and building a sense of community. Check out www.dwighthurst.com/rpg to see how I am applying TTRPG play t…

The American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM) is the largest organization of addiction professionals in the world, and has developed a model for assessment and treatment planning. This is a look at where it came from, how it has changed, and the 6 areas for assessment that they recommend. Go to www.stigmafree.art to view and participate with M…

Do you struggle with burnout, waver in self-acceptance? Would you like to get into the head of a mental health clinician? And for professionals, how much of yourself do you bring into session? Dr Jessi Gold is a psychiatrist and author who is here to share her story in treating healthcare professionals, and her journey through addressing her own me…

This week's Mental Health Tip is all about counting & celebrating things going well, especially when anxiety or depression get in the way. Today is the last day to join Patreon and have 50% of your monthly donation go to Horses of Hope, Puerto Rico each month. Tomorrow we start our October challenged…

Darryl Mansel, AKA Seed, joins to talk about "Batman: White Knight vol 1," an alternate storyline where Batman must confront his own demons when The Joker is (possibly) cured from his mental health problems and organizes a citizen's drive against him. Happy Batman Anniversary Day 2024!

Ian Bawa is a filmmaker who joins to discuss his Short Film "The Best," which is currently being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). His short "Strong Son," premiered at TIFF in 2020. Both films showcase father-son relationships and complexities of masculine identity. He is currently working on a feature film that further explo…

If you've been in or around therapy before you are probably familiar with the concept of journaling your thoughts & feelings. Many find this to be a difficult task, and some get overwhelmed by it completely. As always, I am a fan of individualization and empowerment. You should make journaling work for you, not the other way around. Here are a few …

This is the first 7 minutes of a 37 minute bonus episode for Patrons. This week we will be looking into the way Token Economy systems are formed, mostly for residential and inpatient healthcare units, although they occur naturally in any structured environment. Also a look into the history of Behavioral Psychology, and the first time a Token Econom…

Dr Mary E. Anderson is a Clinical Psychologist and author of the new book "The Happy High Achiever," in which she outlines her approach to bringing goals of personal health & happiness into your definition of success. Noticing that highly motivated people often experience self-doubt & dissatisfaction, she developed tools to help people to prioritiz…