Doorknob Comments

In this episode of Doorknob Comments, Fara and Grant are joined by Professor Mark Solms, a psychoanalyst, neuropsychologist, and pioneering figure in neuropsychoanalysis. Professor Solms discusses his new book, The Only Cure: Freud and the Neuroscience of Mental Healing, and explores what it means to translate Freud from the language of early psychoanalysis into the language of contemporary neuroscience. He brings a critical scientific perspective to psychoanalysis while asking what psychoanalysis can still offer modern psychiatry and brain science. Listeners will learn about Freud's pioneering work in neuroscience, and what inspired his shift toward psychological methods for understanding mental and brain function. The conversation explores why subjectivity matters, how feelings and emotional drives shape behavior, and how functionalist approaches to the mind can bridge psychoanalysis, neuropsychiatry, and contemporary neuroscience. They also discuss TMS, deep brain stimulation, neuroplasticity, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and the need for an integrated psychiatry that takes biology, psychology, and lived experience seriously. We hope you enjoy it. Resources and Links Doorknob Comments https://www.doorknobcomments.com/ Dr. Mark Solms https://x.com/Mark_Solms https://npsa-association.org/ Preorder The Only Cure at https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Mark-Solms/253231176 Dr. Fara White https://www.farawhitemd.com/ Dr. Grant Brenner https://www.granthbrennermd.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-h-brenner-md-dfapa/

Have you ever wondered about the relationship between your brain and your mind? How does that wrinkled, gel-like matter in our head dictate our understanding of ourselves and the world? On today's episode of Doorknob Comments, Grant and Fara are joined by Dr. Tom Froese, a cognitive scientist at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) who researches the origin and nature of the human mind by integrating philosophy of mind, computational modeling, and human subjects research. The conversation centers on what Froese calls the intention-action gap: the stubborn fact that knowing what we want to do and actually doing it are never the same thing. Why can't we simply force our bodies to comply with our intentions? And what does this mean for how long real change actually takes? Together, they explore frustration tolerance, boredom, and the role of friction in psychological development, landing on a key therapeutic insight: sitting with uncertainty rather than demanding immediate resolution. We hope you enjoy! Resources and Links Doorknob Comments https://www.doorknobcomments.com/ Dr. Tom Froese Consciousness may be more than the brain's output — it may be an input, too [https://bigthink.com/mind-behavior/consciousness-may-be-more-than-the-brains-output-it-may-be-an-input-too/] https://loc.closertotruth.com/theory/froese-s-irruption-theory https://www.oist.jp/research/research-units/ecsu/tom-froese Dr. Fara White https://www.farawhitemd.com/ Dr. Grant Brenner https://www.granthbrennermd.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-h-brenner-md-dfapa/

In this episode of Doorknob Comments, Grant and Fara chat with Dr. Tom Pollak about the complex relationship between the immune system, the brain, and mental illness. Dr. Pollak is a NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and a specialty trainee general adult psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust with a specialist interest in neuropsychiatry. Listeners will learn how doctors distinguish true autoimmune brain disorders from primary psychiatric conditions, why tests like spinal fluid analysis are complicated but sometimes crucial, and how both "it's all psychological" and "it's all biological" explanations can miss the bigger picture. Their conversation offers a nuanced look at how mind, brain, body, and environment interact, and why good psychiatric care requires holding all of those pieces together. We hope you enjoy.  Resources and Links Doorknob Comments https://www.doorknobcomments.com/ Dr. Tom Pollak https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pollak [https://open.spotify.com/album/5DElmkiok7kRIIdSHO00LL?si=63ATxTrtQz6hhfNyGAp9qQ] https://drtompollak.substack.com/ [https://bio.to/greenleaf-integrative] Dr. Fara White https://www.farawhitemd.com/ Dr. Grant Brenner https://www.granthbrennermd.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-h-brenner-md-dfapa/

On today's episode of Doorknob Comments, Fara and Grant are joined by Siddharth Shah, the Founder and President of Greenleaf Integrative. Dr. Shah is a preventive medicine physician whose path into medicine wound through the humanities, a year traveling in India, and early work in interfaith dialogue and social justice. Siddharth talks about how he found his way into psychiatry after leaving medical school twice, the mentors who shaped his approach, and why he sees agency, curiosity, and small wins as central to healing. He also reflects on the challenges of working in a world full of injustice and how practices of rest and embodied presence help sustain both clinicians and the communities they serve. We hope you enjoy it. Resources and Links Doorknob Comments https://www.doorknobcomments.com/ Dr. Siddharth Shah Dr. Shah Guided Meditations [https://open.spotify.com/album/5DElmkiok7kRIIdSHO00LL?si=63ATxTrtQz6hhfNyGAp9qQ] Greenleaf Integrative [https://bio.to/greenleaf-integrative] Dr. Fara White https://www.farawhitemd.com/ Dr. Grant Brenner https://www.granthbrennermd.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-h-brenner-md-dfapa/

In today's episode of Doorknob Comments, Grant and Fara are joined by Dr. Soe Thein, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and the founder of the Good Enough Psychiatrist [https://youtube.com/@goodenoughpsychiatrist?si=9bee2KQmY8Aj2RZm] YouTube channel. On his channel, Dr. Thein creates animated videos that explain psychodynamic therapy concepts for a general audience and has won numerous awards for his work. Together, they discuss moments of rupture that can occur in relationships and the importance of repair. They emphasize that occasional ruptures are a normal part of any healthy relationship; what truly matters is how the individuals involved address these breaks and work together to mend what has been damaged. We hope you enjoy. Resources and Links Doorknob Comments https://www.doorknobcomments.com/ Dr. Soe Thein https://downtownpsychiatry.com/about-soe-thein-md Good Enough Psychiatrist YouTube Channel [https://youtube.com/@goodenoughpsychiatrist?si=coxLqTK512QHHyft] Why Conflicts Make Relationships Stronger [https://youtu.be/Gmap7_NkLOQ?si=lsfK0vVSGf2NdRSB] -  Video Dr. Fara White https://www.farawhitemd.com/ Dr. Grant Brenner https://www.granthbrennermd.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-h-brenner-md-dfapa/