Narcissism is a chronic and damaging form of self obsession. Ranked as one of the Personality or Trait Disorders by the DSM 5, NPD or Narcissistic Personality Disorder is an ongoing unhealthy survival strategies for life. Even though it can lead to obnoxious, self destructive, or even dangerous behavior.

Far from the psychological death sentence that many people think it is, PD is subject to treatment and success, especially if the individual has awareness of their condition.

Mike, Lee, and Dwight discuss these things and more on today's episode of The Broken Brain!

Polyvagal Trauma Theory, pioneered by Stephen Porges, is a powerful approach to trauma recovery that takes into account ways that the body stores traumatic emotional experiences. 

Brittany Varney, Stacy McKenzie, and Kristal James join us today to conduct a training on this theory and how it applies to trauma recovery. 

This episode is a CEU training for the Aspire Group Therapy Practice in Northern Utah. 

Joel Manwill is a member of the Aspire Group of Mental Health Professionals, the Group Practice that I am also a part of. 

He is also a highly experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist, working with sensory processing disorder, autistic spectrum disorders, and other health concerns related to sensory processing. 

This is a training Joel did for our team of therapists, in which he discusses over and under sensitive disorders, sensory seeking and sensory avoidant behavior. 

You know what's hard? Managing your weight, fitness, and physical health is hard. Whether you need to loose weight, get yourself to eat healthier, or have a dangerous eating disorder, finding a solution isn't easy. Virtually all weight management plans (by themselves) have been demonstrated to be ineffective.

Using principles of psychology, addiction recovery, and cognitive-behavioral therapy can help with weight and eating related problems, because these approaches look at the underlying causes of the problems. 

Kwentin Kemp is a licensed professional counselor and the founder of The Greater U, a program dedicated to effective physical and mental treatment of weight related health problems. He and Chris Tittle join me today to discuss this tricky problem through the lens of mental health. 

Also, check out Charles Duhigg's book that we talk about in the discussion, if you want to...

Kevin Byrd is a specialist in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. He runs a DBT program in Carmel, Indiana. He joined me to talk about his background in therapy, working with symptoms of high emotionality, stigma regarding Personality Disorders, and finding hope in the face of serious mental illness. 

Check out his website at carmelpsychology.com 

Electro Convulsive Therapy or ECT is an important last resort in the treatment of treatment resistant depression. Mike and Dwight had the chance to sit down with the head physician over the ECT department of the University of Utah Hospital. We discuss stigma, other treatment options, side effects, and the complicated nature of this major psychiatric intervention. 

My friend Jeri joins the podcast to discuss Imposter Phenomenon, and the genesis of that term within psychotherapy. Imposter Phenomenon has been used since the 1970s and is a name for a specific type of anxiety and intellectual self-doubt.

Jeri Young is a friend, a colleague, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in Mind-Body Bridging, Chronic Pain management, and a bunch of other cool stuff. 

ALSO, you should totes click on this sentence to READ this cool paper about Imposter Phenomenon by Clance & Imes.

Kelsey Nimbly joins me to discuss Trust, the dynamics of how it is earned, what it represents, and how to get it back once it is lost. 

Kelsey is an active YouTuber and a behavioral specialist focused on the use of Brain Science to help with day to day problems. Her channels: "Nimblylife" for adults and "AsPrettyDoes," for teens, host weekly (sometimes daily, holy cow!) YouTube updates teaching skills to help her viewers with self-confidence, addiction, relationships, and more. 

A Rerun of one of our most popular training episodes:

Another wonderful training at Aspire for Continuing Education Units (CEU) to help all of us counselors keep our licenses. This one is by Licensed Clinical Social Worker Janet Mitchell. 

Janet is an expert in the area of Self Care, which is defined as the ability to increase, improve, and maintain mental health through a healthy lifestyle. More than just a reminder to exercise and eat right, Janet has created some tools and techniques to help us to identify which areas of our life will increase our ability to zone into a meditative or mindful place of health. 

Non rejoins me to discuss Anxiety, something we both deal with, and a key part to mental health. 

A confirmed Joymonger, Non is the cohost of the Joy Sandwich Podcast, and writes does other stuff at subjectplusverb DOT com. You can follow him on twitter @subjectplusverb.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy addresses increasing emotional stability, and the PLEASE skill is a viable part of increasing yours! This podcast mini episode comes from the audio to the YouTube Video on The BrokenBrain Podcast channel on YouTube. 

A Broken Brain Classic Rerun! Our Good Buddy Candice Christiansen (owner and Clinical Director of Namaste Center for Healing) joins us to talk trauma, addiction, recovery, and healing. We discuss EDMR, Cognitive Therapy, Exposure, and BOTH of our dogs. 

A rerun of my interview with Actress and (credited extra in Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens) Ana Maria Leonte. 

Stay tuned for brand new episodes of The Broken Brain Podcast next month!

Karly Beaumont, head of the Core Temp Arts Network of podcasts, podcaster, and pop culture expert, joins me to discuss the dynamics of relationship repair that are presented in the quirky and highly metaphorical movie "The One I Love."

This film depicts a live action visualization of the different parts of our personalities in the process of repairing damaged relationships, and asking ourselves questions about the survivability of love. 

Follow Karly on Twitter @karlyvision, or check out her podcast work on the shows "Talking Shondaland," "That Pop This Life," and "TV Ate My Brain." 

Raney Mills Keiley rejoins us after her long sabbatical to field your questions. Mike and I assist by making dumb jokes as she answers your questions about tricky family communication with a needy or controlling parent, and whether or not therapists are emotionally bulletproof enough that we are impervious to freaking out. Plus we fondly recall the time she made us make tinfoil statues of ourselves in an Art Therapy group. 

Make sure to ask your questions for our panels of therapists at #askatherapist on twitter, or tweet at me @breakabrain, or just shoot me an email at dwighthurst@gmail.com.

Kathleen Brennan lives and practices psychotherapy in Chicago. She is an expert in trauma, a survivor of the nonprofit world, and an excellent podcaster, with her show On The Blue Couch. 

Kathleen speaks with me today about the dynamic of Vicarious Trauma, the multiple ways that we can become traumatized through our own or other's exposure. The ACA has defined Vicarious Trauma as "compassion fatigue," or "the cost of caring," and although therapists are primed for this problem, it affects all of us in some way. Give our conversation a listen to learn some of those ways, and what to do about it. 

Make sure to subscribe and listen to Kathleen's show as well!

Guy Macpherson is the founder of the Trauma Therapist Project a fellow podcaster, and an expert on early childhood mental illness, trauma, and somatic sensory psychotherapy. He joins me today to discuss pointers for therapists learning to deal with trauma, the prevalence of trauma within mental illness, and treatment techniques. 

I can already tell Guy will be a good friend of the show, hear his first Broken Brain interview right here, right now. Also give him a listen on his podcast, The Trauma Therapist Podcast, and check out his website and FaceBook Group.

Jeri Young Returns to tell us more about Imposter Syndrome! 

Jeri talked about Imposter Phenomenon on a recent episode of The Broken Brain, this is a recording of her providing more information to a team of therapists, in the Aspire Network. Although she touches on a lot of the same areas, she also goes into how to decrease the anxiety and depression associated with this dynamic, and tells us a bunch of helpful things about self-care. Watch for her next upcoming episode about Mind-Body techniques to defeat Imposter Syndrome!

Links:

Second Wave Feminism video (Jeri opens with this)

About Women by Lisa Alther & Francoise Gilot

Beyond Happiness: The Upside of Feeling Down (January 2016 issue of Psychology Today by Matthew Hutson) 

Lisa Frederiksen is an author, speaker, and expert in the area of Secondhand Drinking, a term she coined to describe the effects of alcohol abuse on those within the support system of those caught in addiction. Lisa discusses the complexity of addiction, the sometimes damaging labels of codependent or enabler, and what to do to protect yourself in one of life's most difficult situations. Check out her book, The 10th Anniversary Edition of If You Loved Me You'd Stop.

This is a Continuing Education Credit (CEU) training for the Aspire Network of Counselors. Feel free to listen in as well. 

Ketamine Infusion Treatment is an exciting new therapy for the treatment of mood disorders, anxiety, ADHD, and other psychological conditions. Dr. Stephen Mandel is a pioneer in the use of this treatment, and talked to me about the use and results from ketamine therapy in his practice. You can learn more about ketamine and his ongoing practice/research at www.ketamineclinics.com. 

Electro Convulsive Therapy or ECT is an important last resort in the treatment of treatment resistant depression. Mike and Dwight had the chance to sit down with the head physician over the ECT department of the University of Utah Hospital. We discuss stigma, other treatment options, side effects, and the complicated nature of this major psychiatric intervention. 

Lee Messersmith and I discuss the dynamics of restraint in clinical settings, a weird element of intensive psychiatric care. Rerun from a few years ago. 

Rerun of my episode about the African social service organization "Confident Children Out of Conflict," an important organization helping children. I interview Caitlin Cockroft, their publicity and social media director. Go to their website and make a donation today!

A Rerun of one of our most popular training episodes:

Another wonderful training at Aspire for Continuing Education Units (CEU) to help all of us counselors keep our licenses. This one is by Licensed Clinical Social Worker Janet Mitchell. 

Janet is an expert in the area of Self Care, which is defined as the ability to increase, improve, and maintain mental health through a healthy lifestyle. More than just a reminder to exercise and eat right, Janet has created some tools and techniques to help us to identify which areas of our life will increase our ability to zone into a meditative or mindful place of health. 

A Broken Brain Classic Rerun! Our Good Buddy Candice Christiansen (owner and Clinical Director of Namaste Center for Healing) joins us to talk trauma, addiction, recovery, and healing. We discuss EDMR, Cognitive Therapy, Exposure, and BOTH of our dogs. 

Psychological studies show that infants have a much deeper and more rich mental life than we have previously believed. As a new father (for the third time) I want to know what my infant daughter is up to, and this interview with Dr. Annette Henderson, a Developmental and Research Psychologist who studies infants at Auckland University, and taught me that she is up to a lot!

Illustrator Steve McDonald is the creator of the coloring books Fantastic Cities and Fantastic Structures. These books are designed particularly for adults, as an exercise in mindfulness and anxiety reduction.

Complex coloring is a therapeutic tool that many therapists and individuals are using to increase relaxation and present focused thinking. They are also a fun way to engage with art, especially for those of us who don't always draw that well on our own. Plus, Steve is a fantastic and interesting person. Enjoy our discussion.  

My interview from a couple years back with Dr. Ron Llewellyn, psychologist and trauma recovery expert. A good friend, college professor, expert clinician and author. Enjoy Ron's interview and then click over to see him speak on Trauma Recovery on this YOUTUBE VIDEO.

Clay Cockrell is the founder of walkandtalk.com, and a psychotherapist in practice in New York City. Clay often takes his clients walking in Central Park during their sessions, combining the relaxing mindful pace of a walk in the park with the healing process of therapy. 

My interview with Dr. Rebecca Dempster, psychologist and trauma expert. Through her services at Resilio (click HERE to view her site) she specializes in working with agencies serving third world and developing nations. 

Rerun of my interview with Chris about the scandal Luminosity got itself into a couple years back by making outlandish claims about brain health. 

Be sure to tune in for new Broken Brain episodes next month!

A rerun of my interview with Actress and (credited extra in Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens) Ana Maria Leonte. 

Stay tuned for brand new episodes of The Broken Brain Podcast next month!

A rerun of my interview with Buck Black, the therapist who specializes in therapy for Truckers. 

New Episodes of the Broken Brain are coming soon, along with some special projects. Thanks for listening to these classic episode this month. 

ALERT: This EPISODE had an AUDIO GLITCH, which should now be REPAIRED! SORRY if oyu tried to hear it ealrier and it did not work. 

Non Wels, friend of the show, confirmed joymonger, and cohost of The Joy Sandwich Podcast, joins me to tell a story. Non is a storyteller by nature, as an accomplished writer and content creator, but this time he is telling his own story. 

Working on creating a narrative of his own experience with control addictive patterns, compulsion, anxiety, and eating disorder, and kind enough to share with us? Sounds kind, creative, and courageous. In other words it sounds like Non. 

Dr. Daniel Jolley joins me to discuss his groundbreaking research in the area of Conspiracy Theories. Dr. Jolley is a Psychologist, faculty at Staffordshire University, who studies the psychological dynamic of being drawn to theories of conspiracy. Daniel talks about the reason why some of us are more likely to have conspiratorial suspicions, the consequences of this type of thinking, and how to respond to it. 

Follow Daniel @DrDanielJolley on twitter, and check out his super cool website at ConspiracyPsychology.com.