Neurotic Tornado

We attempt a Q&A episode with various fake questions that lead us into a conversation about gardening, narcissism, and self-discovery. This the last episode of the season! 😭 If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

With my new novel launching on June 7th, we discuss stage fright, the book launch experience, and my nightmares about peeing. We also give Jackie Shannon Hollis a call (17 minutes into the show). She hosted this show in seasons 2 & 3, and released a fabulous memoir in 2019: This Particular Happiness (link). If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

We discuss my relationship to depression and anxiety over the years. Turns out that I used to date depression but now I'm hooking up with anxiety. So... yay??? To get more info about depression and anxiety: Tell Me All I Need to Know About Depression (Psycom.net link) Depression Definition and DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria (Psycom.net link) How Can I Get Help for Depression? (Healthline.com link) Tell Me All I Need to Know About Anxiety (Psycom.net link) Do You Live with Anxiety? Here Are 11 Ways to Cope (Healthline.com link) If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

I suffer from chronic migraines. Every week I have to work through the ups and downs of how I feel. In this episode, my wife and I talk about how we manage our lives alongside my chronic pain. For some context, here are two YouTube videos I made about chronic pain: The Pain in My Head: the story of my chronic headaches Writing Through Pain: how I remain a chronic creator even with chronic pain Also, in the episode we reference the Spoon Theory (coined by writer Christine Miserandino). To learn more about this helpful metaphor, check out her original blog post (from 2003!). If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

We discuss my overactive sense of dread and foreboding, and why my sense of object permanence is only slightly better than a baby's. If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

Welcome back to the podcast after a long hiatus! In this episode, my wife visits me up in the attic to talk about obsessive thinking, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and why I'm capable of re-reading an already-sent email 87 times.  Related links:  Measuring Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: Common Tools and Techniques (website)  Obsessive Concerns Checklist (PDF) Compulsive Activities Checklist (PDF)  If you want more info about the Neurotic Tornado 😫🌪podcast, check out the podcast home page (link). And if you want more info about my new novel, check out I Only Cry with Emoticons on my website (link).

So I brought my wife on the show again after a FOUR-year hiatus to check-in about... relationshippy things. And then I lost the episode for THREE years. And so now, after a SEVEN-year hiatus, my wife and I talk about our marriage, and her counseling, and my ability to catastrophize. To those of you who are heroically still subscribed, I hope you enjoy this one-off episode. ❤️️ For more info about the podcast, check out the podcast home page.

We conclude the Beyond Coupled season. We talk through what we learned. And we share an exciting update about Ben... We loved doing this season; we’re so appreciative that you joined us; we appreciate the honesty of the crew we interviewed; we’re even appreciative of the semicolon. But now we need to take a nap.

We dig a little more into the nature of their relationship. Some things we can immediately identify with, and some things we have to talk through...

In this podcast episode, Nikki, Ben, and Stevan start to define their relationship now that everything is out in the open. If you're just tuning in, be sure to go back to episode 31 for the beginning of the season: It was a good marriage, but...

We go with Nikki, Ben, and Stevan to therapy. This is the first therapy session with all of them at the table together. Find out what happens!......

We finally check in with Ben (the husband!) to find out how he learned about his wife's affair, and how he began processing it. Whew. Heavy stuff....

In this episode, we listen to Stevan and Nikki talk about their continuing affair. At this point, the affair is still a secret, but Nikki is preparing to tell her husband. I don't know about you, but I'm already starting to get chest pains...

In this episode, we meet Stevan. He is recently divorced when he meets Nikki, a married woman in a not-completely-happy marriage. Find out what happens next.

In this episode, we begin our quest into this season's relationship. Meet Nikki. She was mostly happy in her marriage, but there was one thing missing. Listen to the episode to find out what she was looking for...

Neurotic Tornado is (almost) back for season 3. In this ShOrT podcast episode, we tell you what's coming... and how we got to know the three people you're going to hear from...

We go back one last time to the four couples we interviewed to hear any wisdom, analysis, or advice they shared. We also rudely interrupt couples trying to eat at the Portland food carts to score any free advice. This is our last official episode of the season, but we may have some bonus episodes soon. And stay tuned for what is to come with season 3...

Jackie and I explore the non-traditional gender roles for two of the couples we interviewed. And we question what the labels mean in the first place. We look at attraction in this light. And I think I confess my attraction for a brooding vampire... If you haven't already done so, check out the previous episodes from this season, which dealt with sex, conflict, and started with introductions. Fun for the whole family! Actually, not the whole family… just the adults.

In this podcast episode (third in the Being Coupled season), Jackie & I... uhhh... actually... uhhh... try to talk about sex. With the couples we interviewed. And with our partners. But this stuff isn't easy. So we use a New York Times article about sex talk in therapy, along with a few other tools, to help navigate these sometimes-unsexy waters. After you listen to our conversation, check out the links below...

We dig into how the four couples we interviewed communicate with each other, and what arguments look like for them. We use research from the Gottman Institute as the basis for some of our ideas about relationships and the different personality types in a relationship. Except we simplify it down to 'avoider' types and 'prodder' types. Stick this episode in your ear for more info! No couples were injured during the making of this episode...