Remember those “i-statements” you’re supposed to use when you get mad at someone? “I feel ____ when you ____ because ____“. Does that actually work? Does talking in this way resolve problems better and not get the other person defensive? We’re going to find out. Also, Koko the gorilla died recently. But did she really master sign language? Or is … Read More
Ep 293: Emotional Intelligence – How Is It Taught?
One of the hardest challenges as we grow up is to know how we feel and to understand how others feel. The next step after we’re aware of our feelings is knowing how we’re going to best act on them. That’s the essence of Emotional Intelligence and in this episode, school psychologist and author Kyle Carlin talks about a book … Read More
Ep 285: Ketamine and Depression, Raven Intelligence, and Those Darn Fidget Spinners
What are psychologists talking about this week? Well, we’re fighting back against the unbelievable claims made by the marketers of fidget spinners (does the toy really help people with ADHD, PTSD and anxiety?), we’re astounded by the results of research on the intelligence of ravens (apparently the birds get resentful if you don’t treat them fairly), the latest news on … Read More
Ep 282: Psychology and Gaming – Part 2 of an Interview with Josue Cardona and Kelli Dunlap
All of us have probably felt a little “down” every once in a while so we can empathize a little with someone who is depressed, but how about someone who is suffering from schizophrenia? What is it like? Games may hold one answer for helping all of us gain a small experience of what it is like to suffer from … Read More
Ep 281: Psychology and Gaming – an Interview with Josue Cardona and Kelli Dunlap
Like psychology? How about gaming? Did you know that these two fields actually go together quite well? Find out how two people with strong backgrounds in both of these fields are putting their experience to work creating games that educate and that provide players with experiences that really help us understand more about mental health. In part 1 of this … Read More
Ep 271: Great Psych Apps – NovoPsych
There are a lot of mobile apps that include the term “psychology” but many of them are just for fun. Are there any really good apps for psychotherapists? Yes there are and one of them is called NovoPsych. In this episode I interview Dr. Ben Buchanan who is the creator of NovoPsych and he tells us how the app would … Read More
Ep 262: Demonic Possession or A Lack of Skeptical Thinking?
Is it possible that some people who we think are mentally ill are actually victims of demonic possession? One psychiatrist says yes. Another psychiatrist says no – believing this is true is a matter of not carefully thinking about what you see and hear from others. In this episode I break down the claims made by Richard Gallagher and a … Read More
Ep 251: How NOT to Get the Holiday Blues
At the end of the year there are so many cues around us that tell us that we should be happy and that we should reflect on our lives. Humbug! Find out how not to fall prey to the holiday blues that are so common. A couple of key ideas from psychology will be applied here: Irrational Thinking and Social … Read More
Ep 244: Analyze This – Does the Movie Show What Therapy is Really Like?
If you have not seen the movie Analyze This with Robert DeNiro and Billy Krystal, then you really should. It’s not just a funny movie, bit also gets a lot of things about therapy right. So many movies portray psychotherapy so unrealistically but this movie, while it takes a lot of liberties with the therapeutic process, gets some things right … Read More
Ep 243: Did Your Therapy Really Work?
If you have been in therapy you want to believe it “worked”. We all do. And hopefully it did have a positive effect on you. But how do you know? How do therapists know if what they’re doing really has resulted in improvements in their clients? Yes, we have controlled studies for many treatments which give us confidence that these … Read More
