A podcast dedicated to all things mental health! We cover a wide variety of topics within the mental health, well-being and human behaviour field, from why toddler’s tantrum to developing that perfect self-care routine encompassing your mind, body and soul. Give our tips a listen to, try them out, see what works for you and ditch what doesn’t. Whatever you decide to do after listening, I hope you learn something new today!
Sylvia Plath's 'Daddy': An Intimate Reading and Analysis
In this episode, host Nicole Plumridge reads and analyses the impactful poem 'Daddy' by Sylvia Plath. Nicole shares her introspection into the poignancy of this piece, crafted at an emotionally turbulent time in the poet's life. Through the reading, she highlights Plath's complex relationship with father figures and broader societal oppressions. Nicole also discusses how Plath's personal turmoil surfaces through her vividly harsh and evocative diction, and its links to her life experiences, including her struggle with identity, suicidal tendencies, and oppressive societal norms.
01:16 Introduction to Sylvia Plath and Her Work
03:07 Reading of 'Daddy' by Sylvia Plath
06:12 Analysis and Interpretation of 'Daddy'
08:56 Conclusion and Reflections on Sylvia Plath's Life
09:56 Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Music Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887/
In this episode of the 'Poetry as Prayer' podcast, host Nicole Plumridge discusses the poignant, tragic, and emotionally-charged poem 'Ulalume' by Edgar Allan Poe. The episode explores the depth of emotions portrayed in the poem, underscored by the loss and sorrow Poe experienced in his personal life.
Nicole's interpretation of the poem's foreshadowing, tension, and ultimate tragic realization provides listeners with a deep understanding of Poe's work and its reflection on the human experience. The episode concludes with an invitation to listeners to share their thoughts on the poem and a teaser for the next episode.
01:18 Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe
02:18 Reading of 'Oolaloon' by Edgar Allan Poe
06:14 Analysis and Interpretation of 'Oolaloon'
07:52 Edgar Allan Poe's Personal Life and its Influence on his Poetry
09:37 Conclusion and Invitation for Listener Engagement
10:00 Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Music Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887/
Diving into Poetry with Nicole Plumridge: A Review of Lana Del Rey's 'Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving.'
In this episode, host Nicole Plumridge introduces her passion for poetry and her plan for the podcast. She reads, 'Past the Bushes Cypress Thriving' from Lana Del Rey's poetry book, 'Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass' and shares her personal interpretation, highlighting key lines and the emotions they evoke.
Nicole praises the depth, resonance, and aesthetic beauty of the chosen poem and the entire book. She hopes to liberate other poets from self-doubt, encouraging them to create art for the sake of self-discovery and personal fulfillment.
00:03 Introduction to the Podcast
00:40 The Structure of the Podcast
01:30 Choosing the First Poem
02:09 Introduction to Lana Del Rey's Poetry
03:21 Recitation of 'Past the Bushes, Cypress Thriving'
05:18 Analysis and Interpretation of the Poem
06:46 Reflections on Creativity and Artistry
11:02 The Tension Between Visibility and Invisibility in Art
12:30 Conclusion and Recommendations
13:16 Closing Remarks and Future Plans
Music Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887/
Welcome to the Poetry as Prayer community where we can come together, immerse ourselves in the art of poetry and part again with perhaps a little more presence and peace than before.
Music Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmusicstudio-14942887/
In this episode we are joined by a wonderful guest, Paige Kane. Paige is a shaman, psychic and spiritual mentor. She is also a certified energy healer and helps others to find clarity, alignment and direction in their lives.
If you have found yourself on a spiritual journey and are looking to delve deeper, this episode is for you. Not only do we hear about Paige's own personal journey, but also what is involved in being within the pioneering space of spiritual entrepreneurship.
If you are interested in Paige's offerings or simply want to follow her journey, check out the below platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itspaigekane/
Podcast: The Powerful Practitioner
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itspaigekane
Website: https://www.feedyourintuition.com/
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Music Credit
Lesfm from Pixabay
Do you ever feel like the odd one out in a group? Perhaps you have a difficult time fitting in? Or you feel as if you should act in a certain way, but that way does not come naturally to you.
The answers to these inner qualms could lie in understanding your personality type and who you are at your core. With that understanding and awareness comes compassion and a sense of honouring what is important to you.
In this episode we delve deep into what the concept of personality encompasses with MBTI practitioner, Layla Plumridge. Layla is qualified and has experience delivering and coaching people through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment created by Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs. This is a personality test which helps give your clarity regarding your personality type, strengths and preferences. This information can be used to help you play into your strengths and make impactful change in your life in a way that is meant for you.
If you are curious about your personality type and would like a professional to coach you through the assessment and your answers, you can get 20% off your first purchase by mentioning that you found out about Layla's practice through Psychminds Podcast.
For gaining clarity, reflecting on your purpose, understanding your relationship dynamics, career choices and overall direction in life you can reach Layla on the below handles:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepersonality101/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepersonality101
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbwZ_xUn7gFnpidLpeEtyZw
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Personality101
(Don't forget to mention Psychmind's Podcast to get that 20% off your first purchase!)
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Music Credit
Lesfm from Pixabay
Do you dread giving a presentation at work? Does the very idea of a speech make you feel sick to your stomach? If so, give this episode a listen. It's a solocast about my journey with public speaking and how I went from feeling physically sick at the idea of presentations to feeling totally at ease and even enjoying them!
I would love to know what your biggest takeaway is from the episode! Let me know by screenshotting the episode and sharing it over on Instagram tagging @psychmindspodcast.
To access similar content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Music Credit
Lesfm from Pixabay
Are you highly sensitive? Are you tuned into what your intuition is trying to tell you? Today's conversation is all about honing your intuition with the expert, Heather Dominick.
Heather is the founder of A Course in Business Miracles which is designed for Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs and Leaders to develop their highly sensitive traits in ways that can lead to entrepreneurial and business success. Heather’s message is all about taking charge of your life and creating meaningful impact with your business, whilst increasing your income.
This is an extremely powerful conversation which gives you plenty of insights and tips on how to cultivate that inner knowing. Heather also discusses how to discern when your intuition is speaking versus your intellect.
Connect with Heather on the below platforms:
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Music Credit
Lesfm from Pixabay
* Audio edit: Psychminds podcast has recently branched into two sister podcasts: Psychminds and the Human Condition & Psychminds and Behaviour Change. It was mentioned at the beginning that this is episode 14. Since the two podcasts have been separated, this is actually Episode 8 :) *
Are you interested in discovering a more holistic approach to healing? One that encompasses the mind, body and soul... Ayurveda is the world's oldest healing system and is the sister practice of yoga.
In this episode, Bonnie and I delve into the history of Ayurveda, what it is, how to incorporate it into your lifestyle and so much else.
Bonnie is a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, yoga specialist, holistic chef and herbalist. She works with individuals who are facing burnout, struggling with depression, anxiety and those in need of healing their gut health. She uses a combination of therapeutic approaches to help and heal those she works with.
I would highly recommend you check out her FREE eBook all about discovering how to move through mental health struggles with compassion, grace and hope: https://www.unidhiayurvedayoga.com/fightdepression
To connect with Bonnie, check out her handles below
Website: https://www.unidhiayurvedayoga.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonnie.gene/?hl=en
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To connect with Nicole:
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Music Credit
ZakharValaha from Pixabay
On our last And ABA episode we discussed escape maintained behavior. For this episode, we will dive into what attention maintained behavior could look like, how to modify the environment before it happens and how to manage it after it occurs.
This is a bit of a more personal, story time episode as I share some of my experiences with clients (whilst maintaining confidentiality, of course).
To begin with, what is attention-maintained behavior? I've defined it as, "behaviours your child engages in to access attention (whether positive or negative)." It can look very different based on each child's learning and reinforcement history.
Some strategies to consider implementing before any challenging behavior occurs include:
Some consequence strategies could include:
For more tips, check out the FREE workbook which mentions all of the strategies discussed in the podcast. All you have to do is head on over to the resources section on Psychminds and subscribe. You will then have access to the ENTIRE resource library.
To access similar content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
To connect with Nicole:
To purchase Nicole's book:
If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
In this episode Alice shares her personal struggle with trichotillomania. She talks about how it started, the interventions she's tried to implement, the persistent anxiety that goes with it and how we can collectively raise awareness and understanding about this mental health disorder.
Trichotillomania is a hair pulling disorder which mainly manifests itself through a compulsive desire to pluck eyebrow/head hairs despite trying to stop. This can be extremely debilitating and can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, anger, heightened anxiety and much else.
Through Alice telling her story, we hope to raise awareness about this issue and help other sufferers know that they are not alone. Moreover, we hope to help non-sufferers approach the issue with an open mind and compassion if they know someone affected by this disorder.
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Are you having a difficult time managing your child's tantrums? Does the behavior seem to happen out of nowhere? Are your usual strategies not working to de-escalate the behavior?
In this episode, we discuss what escape-maintained behavior is and how to manage it from a behavior analytic perspective.
To begin with, what is escape-maintained behavior? I've defined it as, "behaviours your child engages in to avoid or escape what is perceived to be an aversive task or situation." It can look very different based on each child's learning and reinforcement history.
In order to manage the behavior, it is important to understand it. Is the behavior actually due to the fact that your child wants to avoid something or are they engaging in the behavior to get your attention? This is an important distinction as the intervention would change depending on the consequence the child receives/wants.
Other things to look out for include observing the behavior and seeing if there are patterns, such as does it occur more during certain times of the day or during specific activities. Also it is crucial to look at what the triggers are.
For more tips, check out the FREE workbook which mentions all of the strategies discussed in the podcast. All you have to do is head on over to the resources section on Psychminds and subscribe. You will then have access to the ENTIRE resource library.
To access similar content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
To connect with Nicole:
To purchase Nicole's book:
If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
This has to be one of my favorite episodes so far! Here we talk all about the nervous system and its impact on your day-to-day life. The nervous system is essentially the body's command center, controlling how we think, feel and act. It is crucial to develop a loving and nurturing relationship with this system in order to feel more aligned and at ease.
This is a special episode as I had the honor to sit down with Erika Belanger, a life coach, yoga teacher and fellow podcaster. Erika is an inspirational human being who has a passion for helping women step into their personal growth stories and live their dreams. She does this by helping cultivate that connection and alignment with the mind, body and soul.
Erika's personal story is a journey through pain, confusion, obstacles and breaking through into the embodiment of joy, purpose and love. If you want to check out her story, listen to her podcast, develop your yoga practice or start your own self-discovery journey with her coaching program, head on over to her platforms linked below:
Website: https://erikabelanger.com/
Podcast: https://erikabelanger.com/podcast/
Instagram: @erika.belanger ; @onandoffyourmatpodcast
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To connect with Nicole:
To purchase Nicole's book:
If you enjoyed this episode, I would be so grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Teaching your child to communicate is one of the most important skills for your child to learn. Research shows that once individuals are able to communicate in some way, challenging behavior decreases since this challenging behavior is usually just a way in which the individual is trying to express his/her wants and needs.
In this episode we will talk about how to teach:
For each of these skills, it is important to use motivating items (especially for mands), provide help and prompts to assist your child in engaging in the vocal response, reward your child for correct responses/approximations, and slowly shape the vocal approximations into the actual response.
Repetition and reward are crucial to ensure that this teaching procedure is effective. If you would like a FREE visual breaking down the teaching procedure into the basic components, head on over to the Resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE Vocal Communication Infographic.
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Why do we procrastinate? The real reason may surprise you. While we may think of procrastination as a time management issue, it's actually more accurate to view it as an emotional dysregulation issue. The key to preventing procrastination, therefore, is in understanding the root cause which may require some introspection, journaling and deep thinking.
Some practical strategies to help prevent procrastination include:
For more guidance, journal prompts, and tips on how to prevent procrastination and show up for your life fully, check out the FREE workbook on Psychminds. Simply click on the resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE Prevent Procrastination Guide to help you take back control of your time!
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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If you enjoyed this episode, I would be eternally grateful if you left a rating and/or review. Thank you for listening!
Why do people do what they do? In ABA, this question is posed as, "What is the function of a person's behaviour?" When considering maladaptive behaviour, there are four functions that therapists and behaviour analysts look into when creating an intervention plan:
While this may seem a bit simplified, it is a good starting point to get a sense of why an individual is behaving in a certain way. Once the function has been established it is important to implement interventions before and after the challenging behaviour occurs in order to reduce it and teach replacement behaviours.
If you want to see how these concepts are applied, head on over to the Resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) sample. The BSP shows you different types of strategies that can be implemented before maladaptive behaviour occurs as well as after. It also includes a little section on taking and graphing data to determine whether the interventions used are effective or not.
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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What is self-care to you? Is it a spa day or a bubble bath after a difficult day at work? While these may help you relax and unwind, they are not what I consider to be true self-care. Developing an authentic self-care practice involves delving within yourself to understand your thought processes, reactions, feelings and emotions. It is about aligning who you are with your goals in life. This requires deep reflection and introspection.
Some benefits of cultivating a truly nourishing self-care routine involve:
For guidance on how to figure out what to include in your self-care routine, check out the FREE workbook on Psychminds. Simply click on the resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE Self-Care Guide to help you gain clarity on what nourishes your body, stimulates your mind and balances your soul.
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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This episode is a more technical one and the start of the second mini-series I will have on this podcast. The first series is And Mental Health where I talk about all things related to mental health. This one is And ABA where I talk about all things related to Applied Behavior Analysis. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with 10 years working in the field, I feel I have a lot to share on this topic.
In my clinical practice, I have worked with many non-vocal clients. There are two things I would like to get across first and foremost. One is just because they can't talk now does not mean they will never talk. Two, just because they can't vocally speak, does not mean they can't communicate. In the interim between a child potentially learning to talk and their current state of not talking, it is imperative that they have a communication system in place to communicate their wants and needs.
The three systems I talk about in this episode are:
Each of these systems have pro's and con's to them which I delve into. If you are listening and feel the need to take notes - don't! I've got you. Simply check out the Resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE workbook which covers everything mentioned in this episode.
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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*Transcript Edit: At the beginning of the podcast, I said nonverbal communication. This was meant to be non-vocal. And yes, there is a difference ;) *
Do you keep a journal? Not necessarily a "Dear Diary..." type of journal but somewhere to write down your ideas, goals, thoughts, feelings, worries etc. Journaling is a great practice to incorporate into your daily routine. Some benefits include:
With all these amazing benefits, why not give it a go? Not sure where to start? Simply click on the resources section on www.psychminds.com, subscribe and download your FREE Journaling Workbook, containing 100 prompts to get you started!
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
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WELCOME to Psychminds first ever podcast episode. I am so happy to have you here as part of this community. This episode is a brief introduction to Psychminds, the topics we will be discussing as well as my own personal journey to get to this point!
For more content, check out Psychminds platforms below:
To connect with Nicole:
To purchase Nicole's book: