The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Daniel Månsson is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, a medical device comapny which produces transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) headsets for depression. Today we discuss: What may be happening neurologically in certain cases of depressionDifferent research studies that have looked into the effectiveness of TDCS treatment for depressionThe ethical challenges of studying, producing and selling medical devicesHow these devices may complement psyc...

Jared Moore is a computer science Ph.D. student at Stanford University. There he recently taught a course about AI called on How to Make a Moral Agent. He has previously been lectured at the University of Washington School of Computer Science where he taught a class on the philosophy of AI. He is the lead author of a research paper which came out in 2025 examining whether chat gpt and other LLMs could potentially replace mental health professionals safetly and effectively, which was fea...

Today Alex discusses the classic 2013 sci-fi romance Her directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Chris Pratt. Including themes such as loneliness, attachmement , artifiical intelligence, dating, falling in love, overreliance on technology and the most socially acceptable form of insanity. Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. Article referenced: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and...

Professor Viren Swami is an international expert on attraction and body image and has written and edited several books on these topics. He is a chartered psychologist and associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and is ranked in the top 2% of the most-cited scientists in the world. Viren is the author of Attraction Explained: The Science of how we Form Relationships, which deconstructed popular myths about attraction and relationships. Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Al...

Gillie is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with more than 30 years’ experience. She specialises in working with survivors of coercive, cultic or spiritual abuse, trauma including rape and sexual abuse, thought-reform (brainwashing) and undue influence. She works with former cult members, including those brought up in a cult (second and multi-generation) and those who joined or were recruited (first generation). Gillie set up Hope Valley Counselling in 2006 after achieving her Master...

Today Alex and Anya break down mental health studies to deliver fascinating insights from research, discuss the difference between good and bad science, and understand how science can be (for better and worse) leveraged to market products. Papers discussed today: Flow neuroscience for depression: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03305-y Ozempic and depression: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75965-2 Hydrogen water and Aging: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Pim Cuijpers. Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is also director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions in Amsterdam. Professor Cuijpers is specialised in conducting randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses on prevention and psychological treatments of comm...

Dr. Paul Eastwick is a Professor at UC Davis where he runs the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. Dr. Eastwick’s research investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners to remain committed and attached. He is one of the hosts of the Love Factually podcast. https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/ Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-train...

We're on holiday this week! Today we briefly mention some recent episode recommendations, future episodes and other announcements. The Thinking Mind Podcast is hosted by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training. If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line. Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you a...

Dr. Alastair Santhouse is a consultant psychiatrist and author with over 20 years of experience in the field. He has worked at both Guy’s Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital in London, treating a wide range of mental health conditions. His clinical expertise includes the psychological impact of physical illness and persistent physical symptoms, as well as more typical psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and adjustment disorders. Dr...

Dr. Patte Randal is a doctor trained in psychiatry, now retired from practice after working for over 30 years in mental health. She has lived experience of recovery from psychosis, and has told her story publicly in many contexts, including her published book, Finding Hope in the Lived Experience of Psychosis: Reflections on Trauma, Use of Power, and Re-visioning Psychiatry - co-authored with Dr. Josephine Stanton. For more resources on mental health recovery from Patte and her colleage...

Marieke Bigg is an author of fiction and nonfiction in the areas of women’s health, mental health, and the history of science. She holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge where her research focused on the debates on human embryo research in Britain. She is currently also training as a psychotherapist and works as a peer support coordinator and client liaison at the mental health charity Mind. Her most recent book is No Such Thing As Normal: Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limit...

What if you finally had a road map to your psychology? This week Alex shares a talk he gave at the MRC institute at Imperial College - Personality: How the Science of Who We Are Can Help Us Lead Better Lives. This talk describes how we can define personality, why its useful to have an understand of personality for career, relationships and quality of life, how personality affects our political leanings and much more. This lecture is also available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Dr Joe Oliver is a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of Contextual Consulting, an organisation providing training, supervision and therapy in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). He is also an associate professor and overall programme director for the University College London CBT for Severe Mental Health Problems post graduate programme. He has written 6 ACT books, and has his own Youtube channel dedicated to discussing ACT and related topics. Interviewed by Dr. Al...

Dr. Elaine Hunter is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has worked with Depersonalisation and Derealisation Disorder since 1999. She has conducted research into improving psychological treatment of the condition and worked clinically to try to help many people with the condition. In March 2019 she set up The Depersonalisation Clinic to allow her freedom to see a wider range of clients. She is a founding member of Unreal - a charity dedicated to helping individuals with D...