Anxiety Book Club: Recent Episodes
Josh Malina
Learn about mental health and anxiety through books and laughs! Every month, we interview an author and bring you that conversation!
In this episode, I speak with with Sanjana Sathya, co-founder of Thrizer, a platform for therapists and their clients to help them use out-of-network benefits to pay clinicians who don't take their insurance
https://www.thrizer.com/
Mardou has a new book, and we discuss its contents. Find more about mardou at ifscomics.com or order the book at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714479/past-tense-by-sacha-mardou/
I talk with my guest Haley Weaver about her illustrated memoir, Give Me Space But Don't Go Far: My Unlikely Friendship with Anxiety. We talk about anxiety, coping mechanisms, family, sports, moving across country, drinking culture, and how swimming and drawing can be soothing. You can find Haley on instagram or substack. Also mentioned in the episode:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- The Opal app for limiting app usage
Mental Health Innovation: Unpacking the Business of Mental Health Tech with Steve Duke
In this episode of the Anxiety Book Club, host Josh Malina talks with Steve Duke, founder of the Hemingway Group and author of the weekly substack, the Hemingway Report. They delve into the complexities of scaling mental health innovations, the importance of business strategy for mental health startups, and why some promising companies fail. Steve shares insights from his personal journey with OCD, the role of brand in mental health, and the latest trends in mental health technology and innovation.
Find Steve on LinkedIn here and check out his substack here.
Did you know that you have a nerve that runs from your brain stem to nearly all of your organs, that helps you shift from fight to flight, to freeze? Well, my guest this month, Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of the Polyvagal Theory, certainly does. Together we discuss the importance of this nerve in your mental health, or ill-health, and how autonomic nerve system regulation undergirds much of the way we feel.
https://a.co/d/fXjacXM
In Episode 51, I speak with Anson Whitmer, co-founder of the men’s mental health app, Mental. We talk about Anson’s graduate research, depression in men, mental health culture, how the mental health app can provide a comfortable space for men, the multitude of things that effect mental health, what bonding looks like in men, the usefulness of cold water, Anson’s personal interest in mental health, rates of suicide in men, the future of AI coaching, the AI infrastructure of Mental’s coaching models, and more.
https://www.getmental.com/
In this episode of the podcast, I chat with Oren Jay Sofer about his brand new book, Your Heart Was Made For This. Oren is a teacher of buddhist mindfulness and author of the previously featured Say What You Mean, which appeared on the podcast as Episode 23. In this episode, we discuss:
- Oren’s motivation for writing the book
- The external expression of the dharma
- The benefits and skill of renunciation
- How equanimity is not about managing expectations, but instead about being more fully with reality, i.e. enthusiasm is not in conflict with equanimity
- The merits of marrying equanimity with beginners mind
- How formal practice creates opportunities in the present moment
- The value of ritual according to the buddha
- Judaism and relationship to the sacred
https://www.orenjaysofer.com/
https://a.co/d/drecH1G
In this episode, I am joined by therapist, author, and professor Mary Pipher to discuss her memoir, A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence. We discuss her early childhood, participation in activism during the Vietnam War, her tenure as a therapist, her relationship with nature, light and grace, her focus on her family and, more recently, on non-attachment.
https://a.co/d/gpozZHG
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Martha Sweezy, IFS therapist, author and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. We discuss her book, Internal Family Systems Therapy for Shame and Guilt. These topics are covered:
- The multiplicity hypothesis of IFS
- The difference between some Buddhist traditions and IFS
- The ontology of IFS
- The shame cycle
- Soothing parts
- Shaming parts
- Outward shaming parts
- “Scouting” managerial parts
- The kinds of burdens of parts
- How children are self-referential
- Karlen Lyons-Ruth’s research
- The usefulness (or not) of shame
In this episode, I talk with trauma specialist Dr. Frank Anderson about his book Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems. We discuss:
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What is complex post traumatic stress disorder?
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How widespread some kind of trauma or overwhelming experience is
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The usefulness of empathy vs compassion, especially in clinical settings
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The importance and non-importance of distance between client and clinician
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The difference between IFS and other modalities with regard to the clinician’s mental capacities, or “therapist parts”
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The multiplicity hypothesis of internal family systems
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The difference between grasping the tools of IFS while learning the model and grasping the core message
In this episode, I chat with Sharon Salzberg about her latest book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom.
We discuss how useful self compassion is, the difference between remorse and guilt, urge surfing, the limits of mindfulness, the practice of looking directly at difficult feelings, why we might not label hardships as gifts, and the difference between equanimity and resignation, among other topics. Enjoy!
In this episode, I chat with Amy Edelstein, author and creator of the Inner Strength System -- a program for teaching mindfulness to high school aged students. We discuss her book, The Conscious Classroom, and about the impact of her program (over 20,000 students in Philadelphia), the intricacies of its implementation and the special challenges facing teenagers today.
https://amyedelstein.com/
https://innerstrengtheducation.org/
The Conscious Classroom
In this episode, me and John Astin discover what everything is made of; or we give it a real college try! John works in the field of effortless mindfulness, an approach to present moment awareness that is truly amazing. Enjoy!
John's Website: https://www.johnastin.com/
The book: https://a.co/d/i0jJ7U4
My email: joshuamalina@gmail.com
Podcast website: https://anxietybookclub.com/
In this episode of the podcast, guest Dr. Sally Winston and I discuss a component of anxiety she has identified as "Anticipatory Anxiety" -- which can be a bear to root out. Enjoy!
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Anticipatory-Anxiety-Indecisiveness-Catastrophic/dp/1684039223
In this episode, I interview stand up comedian, dad, and psychonaut Stuart Preston about his one man show -- The Stoned Ape Show -- and his booklet, The Grief Trip, about the death of his son and how psychedelics have helped him to heal with loss. We have a frank discussion covering psychedelics -- including mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca -- as well as suicide, how to talk about it (spoiler: we should), shame, privacy and other mental health concerns.
Find Stuart here: https://stonedapecomedy.com/
In this episode, I speak with Chief Clinical Officer Athena Robinson at Woebot Health. Woebot is a therapist in your pocket; a conversational agent; someone to tell your woes to! I've been using Woebot for the last few months, and it honestly has helped me -- to reframe unrealistic thoughts, get grounded, and feel supported. Give it a whirl -- it's free. And I hope you enjoy the episode.
https://woebothealth.com
In Episode 40 of the podcast, I speak with author and therapist Natasha Senra-Pereira about her riveting memoir, Talk Therapy is Not Enough. We chat about her journey of healing, including her work with alternative therapy approaches, including somatic healing, Internal Family Systems, (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) EMDR, psychedelics and more. It’s a fun book and conversation, and I hope you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed chatting with Natasha.
https://privatetherapytoronto.ca/
https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Therapy-Isnt-Enough-Psychotherapists/dp/1951692217
https://www.talktherapyisntenough.com/
In this episode, me and the amazing Sacha Mardou (known as Mardou in her comic books), discuss her contribution to art and mental health via her ifscomics.com, her previous books (here and here), and her forthcoming memoir. We discuss her personal path to healing (which also comes by way of anxiety), and how the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and her description of her sessions via art has led to some serious healing. I really enjoyed this chat, and I hope you do to!
Also mentioned:
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/585991565326793
- Mardou on Patreon
- Mardou on instagram
In this episode, I talk with philosopher Kieran Setiya about his very new book, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way. We discuss hope, pain, illness, moral philosophy, stoicism, grief, FOMO, and much more. Enjoy!
Kieran’s Podcast:
https://anchor.fm/kieran-setiya
Kieran’s Website
http://www.ksetiya.net/
Kieran’s Twitter
https://twitter.com/KieranSetiya?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
In a bit of a departure for the podcast, this episode goes local, and explores how community mental health operates at a single organization, San Mar Family and Community Services in Boonsboro, Maryland. San Mar provides a diverse collection of services, including foster care support and outpatient mental health. My guests are CEO Keith Fanjoy and Director Jerica Washington, who explain the ins and outs of this special organization, including the philosophy of "Wraparound" services that inform much of its approach to community well being. Enjoy!
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https://sanmarhope.org/
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https://besterhope.org/
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https://jebcenter.com/
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Program Overview
In this episode, I discuss a variety of practice that seeks to take the "meditator" out of meditation. Loch Kelly, author and meditation teacher, introduces us to a kind of meditation that helps us awaken immediately and without strenuous effort. Enjoy our conversation, and find out more about Loch at his website, or through his book.
In this episode, I speak with author and science journalist James Kingsland about his newest book, "Am I Dreaming?: The Science of Altered States, from Psychedelics to Virtual Reality, and Beyond". We discuss how our brains behave under the influences of these alternative realities, and what the scientific community has found about their therapeutic benefits.
Am I Dreaming?
Plastic Brain Blog
In Episode 34, we welcome Dr. Judson Brewer back to the podcast to understand anxiety and worry as a habit, and how to unravel them. Dr. Jud uses neuroscience to identify the ways that mindfulness can help us unlearn unskillful behaviors like worrying, and let curiosity disenchant our minds with the experience of ruminative habit loops
https://www.amazon.com/Unwinding-Anxiety-Science-Shows-Cycles/dp/0593330447
Join me in conversation with Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor, associate professor of psychology at University of Arizona, and expert in the neuroscience of grief and loss. We discuss what happens to our brains when we lose those close to us, and how to explain grieving behavior, including what makes it so challenging. We also dispel some myths about the grieving process and add nuance to the conventional wisdom around what to expect during the "normal" grieving process.
The Grieving Brain
Join me for another fun and informative conversation with Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona to talk about her latest book, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for High Achieving Behaviors. We talk about ACT, mentorship, anger, shame, when emotions fuse with identity, fear of failure, the scope of perfectionism, how perfectionists see their self worth, how perfectionism can be socially acceptable
Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Acceptance-Commitment-Perfectionism-High-Achieving-Behaviors/dp/0367369222
Other books mentioned:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Anger-Hurts-Quieting-Within/dp/1572243449
Buckle your seatbelts! In this incredible interview with Dr. Richard Schwartz, creator of the now popular therapeutic method Internal Family Systems (IFS), we talk about the world he has discovered inside his and his patients' minds, whether to understand these descriptions as useful metaphors for deep work or as bona fide depictions of the characters that live in our minds! To boot, Dr. Schwartz helps me find an exile of my own. This episode is unlike anyone ever recorded on the podcast before -- I hope you enjoy!
IFS Institute
The Book: No Bad Parts
People talk a lot about compassion these days. But how do you cultivate it? And why would you want to? On this episode, I sit down with Sara Owens Woodard, PhD, psychologist, consultant and teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT). CCT is a Stanford developed, 8 week course on how to cultivate more compassionate in your own life -- toward yourself, your loved ones, and even the guy on the street. Enjoy!
https://www.compassioninstitute.com/
https://saraowenswoodard.com/
Please enjoy my conversation with best selling author and memoirist Christie Tate as we discuss her book, Group: How One Therapist and Circle of Strangers Saved My Life. We discuss shame, secrecy, therapy, sex, and more. Books and other links from our conversation:
Christie's Book
Her reccomendations:
Chronology of Water
Heavy
Love and Trouble
Christie's Instagram
In Episode 28, me and Dr. Z (aka Patricia Zurita Ona) discuss all things anxiety, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the limits of positive psychology, how to get unstuck with a nifty grounding exercise, and her own origins and relationship to anxious thoughts. Also, we recorded a video!
https://contextualscience.org/
https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/
https://twitter.com/DrZ_behaviorist
https://amzn.to/32G7Skj
In Episode 27 of the Anxiety Book Club, we chat once again with the very wise, and very fun to talk to -- Eowyn Ahlstrom -- mindfulness instructor and author of a recently published book of poetry, Mindscapes: Practice Poems.
We discuss her poetry, the histrionics of the mind, the mental peace that can be cultivated through dedicated practice, the paradoxes encountered while sharing our lives with others, compassion, kindness, and so much more.
I hope you enjoy the episode, and if you want to read all of Eowyn’s poems, you can find the book for sale on her website here, or in Kindle version here.
In Episode 26, author and psychologist Sheva Rajaee helps us understand a theme of OCD known as Relationship OCD, which characterizes bouts of anxiety and stickiness around, you guessed it, relationships! We discuss the "Myth of the One", ERP and CBT for ROCD, the author's own personal history, and more. Please enjoy!
Things mentioned in today's episode:
Esther Perel https://www.estherperel.com/
Egosyntonic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egosyntonic_and_egodystonic
David Schnarch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schnarch
Rajaee's clinical practice https://www.caocd.com/
The book! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1684037913/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_4M39VSV32H8HQ6BC5QQT
In episode 25, I talk with Adam Chekroud about the mental health tech company he co-founded in 2016, Spring Health. They offer behavioral health treatment to clients through their employers. Spring Health is harnessing the power of data science and statistics to give mental health providers more information about how to treat incoming clients to maximize a successful outcome. We talk about the state of mental health in the US, what companies like Adam's are doing to improve it, and what the future holds. It's an optimistic picture, so please tune in!
https://www.springhealth.com/
Research paper: exercise and mental health
Is managing our anxiety all about meditating on a cushion? Exercising? Sleeping well? Having our needs met? Hanging out with loved ones? Being supported by our community? Living a life of purpose and meaning? According to this month's author, Hala Khouri, it involves bits and pieces of all those things. Listen here for a discussion about the many elements that can help us heal from anxiety and emotional disregulation, and about the mythology of trying to heal all on our own.
Resources mentioned in the show:
Hala's Website
Peace From Anxiety
Lost Connections
The upside of stress
The Book of Joy
In Episode 23, we explore the practice of non violent communication -- a way of speaking that can help foster understanding, reduce confusion and help us get our needs met. Plus, mindfulness. Our guest, Oren Jay Sofer, is a veteran meditator and instructor, author and creator of mindfulness content for popular apps such as 10% Happier.
https://www.orenjaysofer.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Say-What-You-Mean-Communication/dp/161180583X
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Dennis Tirch, a compassion focused clinical therapist and all around mensch, who has managed to bring an enormous amount of kindness and caring attention to the world of anxiety treatment and exposure and response prevention. Through years of clinical practice, he manages to marry eastern and western psychology to treat patients in a way that focuses on helping them activate their in-born compassion systems. This episode is an absolute gem; please listen and share!
Song at the end, "Mushroom Princess Dance Master", credit to Dr. Tirch.
Tirch Keynote on Compassion at IOCDF
Compassion for Voices Video
Tirch Home
The book! Compassionate Mind Guide
Welcome to Episode 21! In this episode, we explore three different acronyms and practices, DARE, DEAF, and RAIN, which can really help upset minds during a difficult experience. Warning: this is a very practical episode!
- RAIN PDF
- RAIN meditations and resources
- DARE Book
- Sally Winston's book, includes DEAF
In this episode, my guest Dr. John Shook helps us get acquainted with one of the leading figures in psychology and philosophy in the 20th century, William James. We talk about emotions, the brain and pragmatism.
You can find Dr. Shook on Youtube by searching for "John Shook Humanism" or contact him via email at jshook@pragmatism.org. The book can be found on Amazon, here.
Apparently, compassion and self-compassion are important parts of a mindful way of living. It's not just your attention that counts, but the quality of that attention. Is your focus like a deadly sniper? Or a loving teddy bear? Some strange combination of both?
In this episode, Shauna Shapiro, PhD helps us understand how the two are connected, and how she was able to cultivate both in her own life. We discuss the effects of mindfulness on physical and emotional pain, what it means to be "intentional", and how to get started with mindfulness and self-compassion with a very simple, morning practice.
Find the book here, or more about Shauna at her website or Instragram.
Do you have a sticky mind? Like the floor of a movie theatre? Like your sourdough ball before it has time to rise? In this episode of the Anxiety Book Club, we have a conversation with Dr. Sally Winston, where we dive deeply into issues of reassurance seeking and compulsive checking, both difficult symptoms of an anxious or obsessive mind.
Specifically, we talk about the treatment of OCD -- specifically in those who seek reassurance in unproductive ways, and who suffer as a result of not being certain about life's challenges and opportunities.
Dr. Winston has been working with sticky minds for over 40 years, and REALLY knows what she is talking about. The book is great, and so was our conversation. Enjoy!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-sticky-mind
https://adaa.org/webinar/consumer/overcoming-intrusive-thoughts
https://drmartinseif.com/
https://www.anxietyandstress.com/
Are our feelings true? Are they reliable? Does honoring them lead us to pleasure or pain? Or is it more complicated than that? In this episode of the Anxiety Book Club, I am joined by fan of the podcast and longtime friend Nigel Tu, to discuss Robert Wright's incredible Why Buddhism is True, a candid and scientifically compelling account of the psychological mechanisms and benefits of following the mindful path. I REALLY like this book, and I'm not sure the episode truly does it justice, so I encourage you to go out and read it yourself!
Check out the book here
Are your standards “high beyond reach or reason”? Well, you may be suffering from perfectionism. In some areas of my life, I have paid an enormous cost because of my inability to see what is plainly good enough. I hope that in today’s conversation with Dr. Martin Antony about his book, When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough, you will find some entertainment and perhaps also something helpful if you struggle with this affliction.
Antony's newest book.
Ever wondered what makes us uniquely human, and why it sucks so much? Dr. Mark Leary, professor emeritus of psychology from Duke University, explains the evolutionary history of human being's ability to worry, regret and generally understand themselves in the third person.
The Book
Mark at Duke
Mark's Blog at Psychology Today
Character & Context Magazine
"Fat", "Overweight", "Living in a larger body". What are these terms and what do they have to do with your health? This conversation with Rebecca Hill, PsyD grad student at Nova Southeastern, follows on from last month's episode with Christy Harrison. We discuss her soon to be published research manual (fingers crossed) about how medical professionals should engage people at all weights and sizes.
Rebecca's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embodied_re/?hl=en
Her clinic/lab at Nova: scplab.wordpress.com
Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hill-552223121/
Listen to us discuss diets and why they are bad.
The book: https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Diet-Reclaim-Well-Being-Happiness-Intuitive/dp/0316420352
Christy's website: https://christyharrison.com/
Join me in a conversation with Dr. Susan Campbell, psychologist, relationship coach and author of this month’s books — Getting Real and Five Minute Relationship Repair. We talk about how to be authentic in our relation to ourselves and others through thoughtful, heartfelt speech that prioritizes our needs and helps us successfully navigate distressing situations with our friends, family and significant others.
Find out more about Dr. Campbell at her website
Join me and Dr. Jud as we explore the science behind mindfulness and how we can leverage it to intervene in the carrying out of bad habits in our own lives, learning from his research in treating smoking, cocaine use, anxiety and other addictions. Find out more about Dr. Jud at his website or the book, The Craving Mind.
Listen to me talk about The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris, a book about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The book: https://amzn.to/3dquaHq.
A conversation on mindfulness, meditation and much more with Eowyn Ahlstrom, M.Ed., Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor and assistant director for community and online programs at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. Learn about the basics, and some of the nitty gritty, too!
Eowyn's Website
Mindfulness at Brown University
Episode 8 - A conversation on insomnia with Colleen Ehrnstrom, PhD. Break free from the struggle of insomnia with a CBT/ACT therapist with a terrific workbook on the subject, End the Insomnia Struggle.
The book
Colleen's Practice
Other links mentioned: Colleen Carney, Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia
Listen to my chat with Rebecca Hill, a clinical psychology graduate student at Nova Southeastern University.
Books: Upwards Upside, Learned Optimism, Flourish
Instagram: RachelTuchman, evelyntribole
Learn essential skills for self compassion, introspection, and nurturing! Shed the shame of overeating and learn to connect with yourself. Julie Simon helps us understand the disconnect that many emotional eaters feel, and how to provide comfort for ourselves without food.
When Food is Comfort
The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual
Julie's website
Listen to my talk with Dr. Reid Wilson, author and licensed psychologist who directs the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Center in Chapel Hill and Durham, NC. He wrote this month's book, Stopping the Noise in Your Head, The New Way to Overcome Anxiety and Worry. Available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/37uUYTO.
Thanks!
In episode 4, I interview Shala Nicely about OCD.
Is Fred in the Refrigerator?: https://amzn.to/2qUx7gk Stopping the Noise in Your Head: https://amzn.to/2YLtci7 The gift and power of courage: https://bit.ly/2Pl83Z4 Make stress your friend: https://bit.ly/2RQLwFo Tips to Help you Share Your Mental Illness, https://bit.ly/2LVpu0c A new understanding of mental illness: https://bit.ly/36vBEos Adversity to advocacy: http://a2aalliance.org/
Episode 3! Special guest and author Steven Hayes! We discuss the ACT paradigm for working with anxiety.
• This month’s book, Get Out of Your Mind, and Into Your Life: https://amzn.to/33UsXDo. • Dr. Hayes’ newest book, A Liberated Mind: https://amzn.to/33OWLRL, • Finding an ACT therapist: https://bit.ly/2QpbbnN. • Online ACT group: https://bit.ly/2Qqqpsw • Here comes a thought song: https://bit.ly/33XJ9ni
