The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy
"If you are interested in your mind, emotions, sense of self, and understanding of others, this show is brilliant."
Learn something new about the mind every week - With in-depth conversations at the intersection of psychiatry, psychotherapy, self-development, spirituality and the philosophy of mental health.
Featuring experts from around the world, leading clinicians and academics, published authors, and people with lived experience, we aim to make complex ideas in the mental health space accessible and engaging.
This podcast is designed for a broad audience including professionals, those who suffer with mental health difficulties, more common psychological problems, or those who just want to learn more about themselves and others.
Hosted by psychiatrists Dr. Alex Curmi, Dr. Anya Borissova & Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson.
Listeners have also said:
"Every episode is enlightening, the approach, conversations and depth of information is deeply enriching. So refreshing to hear practitioners with this level of insight into human behaviour. Thank you for the work and for sharing."
Podcast related enquiries: thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com.
If you would like to work with Dr. Curmi: alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com
Disclaimer: None of the information in the podcast is intended as medical advice for any one invididual.
Episodes
254 episodes
Why Attraction Isn't What You Think - Dr. Paul Eastwick | E179
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...
Key Moment: Make Your Life a Work of Art (w/ Emmy Van Deurzen)
This is an excerpt from E172 of the Thinking Mind Podcast. Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more...
E178 | Our Idiot Brains, Happiness & Antidepressants (w/ Dr. Dean Burnett)
Today Dr. Alex is joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett for a wide-ranging conversation about the strange, flawed and fascinating human brain.Dr Dean Burnett is the author of The Idiot Brain, The Happy Brain and several oth...
Sleep Series E4 | The Sleep Disorders No One Talks About (w/ Dr. Hugh Selsick)
For the final episode of our Sleep Series, Dr. Anya welcomes back Dr Hugh Selsick, consultant psychiatrist and lead for the UCLH Sleep Clinic in London. This episode covers sleep disorders we didn’t discuss previously on the last episode with H...
E177 | Why You Must Deal With Self-Hate
In this episode, Alex explores self-esteem, self-hate and self-criticism, not just as emotional issues, but as forces that can shape the quality of a person’s life.He discusses how poor self-esteem can affect relationships, work, ambitio...
Sleep Series E3 | How Do Children Sleep? (w/ Dr Anya McLaren-Barnett)
This episode in the sleep series is with Dr Anya McLaren-Barnett. Dr Anya is a pediatric respirologist, sleep medicine physician and creator of The Sleep Health Intelligence Program (SHIPTM).In this episode, we discuss how our sleep patt...
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E176 | LSD, Narcissism & the Science of the Self (w/ Dr. Anjali Bhat)
Dr Anjali Bhat is a neuroscientist, therapist and writer. Today we discuss the science of the self, the future of therapy, and what altered states of consciousness can teach us about the mind. Anjali explains her work in psychedelics research, ...
Sleep Series E2 | The Psychology of Insomnia (w/ Heather Darwall-Smith)
Heather Darwall-Smith is a UKCP Registered and Accredited Psychotherapist, specialising in CBT for insomnia and psychotherapy for sleep. She is the author of How To Be Awake (So You Can Sleep Through the Night), The Science of Sleep an...
E175 | How to Stop Fighting Your Mind (w/ Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva)
In this episode, Alex is joined by Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neuroscience of thought.We explore why our relatio...
Sleep Series E1: How Does Sleep Work? (w/ Prof. Russell Foster)
This is the first episode on our special mini-series on sleep. Professor Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience, Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and the Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Ins...
Key Moment: What People Get Wrong About Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)
This is an excerpt from: E170 | The Unexpected Joy of Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardia...
E174 | Looksmaxxing Uncovered: The Dark Side of Self-Improvement (w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)
Looksmaxxing is an online subculture that has moved from niche online forums into mainstream conversation, but what does it actually mean, and when does looksmaxxing become concerning, if not disturbing? In this episode, Alex is joi...
E173 | Thinking Films: Network (1976) w/ Tom Shkolnik
Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Network directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Paddy Chayefsky and starring Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, William Holden and Faye Dunaway. In this episode we disc...
E172 | How to Live Courageously (Existential Psychotherapy w/ Emmy van Deurzen)
Emmy van Deurzen, one of the leading figures in existential therapy in the UK and internationally. Emmy has over fifty years’ experience as a psychotherapist, has published more than thirty books, and was the first chair of the United Kingdom C...
E171 - Taking Your Life Back (w/ Tom Shkolnik)
Tom Shkolnik returns to discuss his upcoming film A Life of One’s Own, based on the life of psychoanalyst and writer Marion Milner. Today he explains Milner’s undogmatic, exploratory style, rooted in her rejection of post–World War I s...
E170 - The Unexpected Joy of Sobriety (w/ Catherine Gray)
Catherine Gray is the best selling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober (2017). In addition to her books she has also been published in The Guardian, Stylist, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Lancet Psychiatrist. ...
E169 | From Depression to Elite Athletic Performance (w/ Fergus Crawley)
Fergus is a hybrid athlete and mental health advocate, known for world-first endurance feats including ultra marathons and extreme triathlon challenges. His upcoming Project TENacity will see him complete 10 Iron-distance triathlons in 10 citie...
We're on Break this week! Announcements, Future Episodes & Housekeeping
This week, The Thinking Mind is taking a short break. In this brief update, we highlight some recent favourite episodes, including conversations on Nazi psychology, the manosphere, mastering emotions, and a Thinking Films discussion on Taxi...
E168 | Thinking Films: Taxi Driver (1976) w/ Tom Shkolnik
Today Alex and special guest Tom Shkolnik discuss the 1976 film Taxi Driver directed by Marin Scorcese and starring Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster. Tom is the director of the 2012 British drama The Comedian nomina...
E167 | Inside the Manosphere (w/ Dr. Rosy Blunstone)
Today Alex discusses the Louis Theroux documentary for Netflix Inside the Manosphere with psychiatry and psychotherapy registrar Dr. Rosy Blunstone - who also leads the the Thinking Mind Substack. <...
E166 | The Nazi & The Psychiatrist (w/ Jack El-Hai)
Jack El-Hai is an American journalist and author who focuses most of his work on the history of medicine, the history of science, and other historical topics. He is the author of The Nazi and the Psychiatrist (2013) which has since bee...
E165 | Why Do Your Goals Make You Miserable? (w/ Dr. Paul Goldsmith)
Dr Paul Goldsmith is a Consultant Neurologist with a special interest in evolutionary biology and its application to the challenges of modern life. In his new book The Evolving Brain, Dr Goldsmith draws on cutting-edge neuroscience and...
E164 | Thinking Films: Nightcrawler (2014)
Today Alex discusses the 2014 film Nightcrawler directed by Dan Gilroy. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an unhinged freelancer who seeks out violent events late at night in Los Angeles, so he can film them and sell the footage to a local T...
E163 | How Can We Master Our Emotions? (w/ Prof Laith Al Shawaf)
Dr. Laith Al-Shawaf is an award-winning professor, research psychologist, and writer at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on emotions, cognitive biases, and personality & individual differences. He is the primary editor and c...
E162 | Training Your Mind to Break World Records (w/ Neil Agius)
Neil Agius is a Maltese former Olympian and world record-breaking ultra long-distance swimmer. Neil has completed some of the longest unassisted open-water swims in history, including record-breaking crossings between Sicily and Malta and a 142...
