Hosted and produced by Seiara Imanova, a PhD student from University of Birmingham, Behind the Stigma is a pioneering podcast that bridges the gap between the general public and the fields of Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Each episode offers a deep dive into cutting-edge research, featuring conversations with leading experts and top researchers in the field. Take a listen, as we uncover the science, challenge misconceptions, and bridge the crucial gap between academia and the everyday.
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Alina Vasilache on Binge Eating. We go through what classifies as a binge, what are some of the main factors that affect binge eating, relapse and remission, and how to seek help. Book : Overcoming Binge Eating ( Dr. Christopher Fairburn) - https://www.amazon.ae/Overcoming-Binge-Eating-Proven-Program/dp/1572305614...
Send us a text Betrayal Trauma involves one partner breaking the trust of the other by engaging in behaviors that go against the relationships agreed upon boundaries. How do you move past that? In this week's episode, I speak with licensed therapist, Kristin Snowden on this topic . We discuss what it is, what it means for both partners, whether a relationship can deal with it, and steps to heal and move on from it. 18th April 2023 - Workshop on Betrayal Trauma: https://www.kristinsnowden.com/ser...
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Dr. Ruben Laukkonen, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, on meditation and the predictive brain. We discuss what is predictive processing, 3 styles of meditation: focused attention, open monitoring and non-dualism, and how these map on to the brain. We also go into insight, how predictive processing works, and his future research in the field. Website: https://rubenlaukkonen.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RubenLaukkonen Paper: From many to ...
Send us a text Thinking about thinking - that's so metacognitive! In this week's education series episode, we dive into the concept of metacognition. We cover the work of John H Flavell, the Self-discrepancy theory, and if animals have metacognitive abilities.
Send us a text Can someone be love addicted? & what would that even look like? In this week's episode, I speak with psychotherapist, Nisrine Maktabi on the topic of love addiction. We discuss what are the characteristics of a love addict, factors that contribute to its development, the impact it can have on an individual's life, and the ways in which it can be addressed.
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Kristin Snowden, a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 15 years of experience on the topic of understanding shame. We discuss what shame is, the work of Brene Brown’s shame shields, and of course identifying our own shame and how to overcome it Kristin's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/KristinSnowden Website: https://www.kristinsnowden.com/...
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Nicki Eyre, founder and director of Conduct Change, an organization in the UK that provides consultancy, coaching and training solutions rooted in the prevention of workplace bullying. We discuss Nicki's personal experience of workplace bullying, and how that led her to advocate for change. We go into issues like how organizations should address workplace bullying, the psychological and physical health impacts, different styles of bullying, and...
Send us a text In this week's episode on Behind the Stigma, I speak with Dr. Alex Curmi, psychiatrist and host of the Maudsley Learning Podcast with a discussion on self-esteem. We discuss two varieties of how we can understand self-esteem: situational confidence and inherit self worth. We also go into meditation and self, how to parent yourself using a re-parenting model of therapy, and the importance of compassion....
Send us a text While setting goals can be exciting, setting SMART goals can help us accomplish them! SMART stands for: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-framed Listen to this short BTS series to learn how to set your NY resolution goals, and how to make them work!
Send us a text Happy New Years! This is the 51st episode of the BTS podcast, and this week's episode is on the Psychology of New Years Resolutions. We discuss why we have such a strong pull towards resolutions, but also why they can fail. Alina explains how we can set goals which can be achievable, with a focus on a process orientated approach rather than goal orientated. We also dive into weight loss as one of the most common goals, compassion, and how to be aware of your feelings during the pr...
Send us a text In this week’s episode, I speak with Phil Santos, founder of Ecstatic Playground on the type of dance known as ‘conscious dancing’. We dive into the importance of moving our bodies, trauma and movement, the impact of loneliness, and what it means to build conscious communities through dance. We also discuss Phil’s upcoming book ‘conscious clubbing’ whose goal is to make parties friendlier, with an ability to form meaningful connections. Check out: https://ecstaticplayground.com/ h...
Send us a text In this week's education series, we dive into Part 2 of the developmental psychology theories, focusing on the work of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. We go into his theory of cognitive development, the 'zone of proximal development', scaffolding, and the importance of language and culture, and how he differed from Jean Piaget.
Send us a text In this week’s episode, I speak to Sir Professor Robin Murray, one of the most cited researchers in the world, on the topic of psychosis. We talk about the difference between psychosis and the construct of schizophrenia, the onset and risk factors, both biological and environmental. We also discuss the current treatments and the consequences of antipsychotics, and his reflection of his life work in the field....
Send us a text This week, I speak with Professor Diane O'Leary on the topic of Dualism. We discuss how dualism is best understood in psychiatry in comparison to philosophy, and how this distinction impacts our understanding in the field. We then dive deep into a variety of dualism, known as property dualism and what this means for psychiatric diagnosis, and understanding mental disorders as biological and psychological entities. Website: https://www.dianeoleary.com/...
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Nick Haisman-Smith, the Executive director, and one of the founders of Social and Emotional Learning Institute. We discuss what SEL is, it's importance for communities, including parents and teachers, and how SEL is important for aspects of our mental health, and the evidence behind it. We conclude with some of it's limitations, and what he forsees for the future. Website: https://www.instituteforsel.net/...
Send us a text This week I speak to Psychiatrist Dr. Alex Curmi from the Maudsley Learning Podcast on how we diagnose mental health conditions. We talk about the pros and cons of the current diagnostic system and how we can utilize the pros. We also dive into his work as a psychiatrist, and his approach, discussing the difficulty of sectioning, and how he uses a multidisciplinary approach to help patients as best as possible. Maudsley Learning Podcast: https://maudsleylearning.com/podcasts/...
Send us a text In this week's education series, we dive into developmental psychology, focusing on the work of Swiss genetic epistemologist Jean Piaget. We go into his theory of cognitive development, and the 4 main stages of child development: Sensorimotor (0-2 years) Preoperational (2-7 years) Concrete operational (7 - 11 years) Formal operational (12+ years).
Send us a text In this week's episode I speak with Caroline S Asante, former award-winning BBC radio host and presenter, and host of the Happy Well Being Life Podcast. We speak about her journey highlighting aspects of imposter syndrome, ageism, the fear of comparison, and growth mindset. Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinesasante/ Happy Well Being Life Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z62aYAKLeFzx771juEoAJ...
Send us a text In this week's episode, I am back with Alina Vasilache, clinical psychologist on another popular demand for a Q&A session. Alina answers questions on coping mechanisms for anxiety, achieving goals, projection and more! You can now jump to the question of your interest, using our chapter markers.
Send us a text This week, I speak with Professor David Yaden, Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University school of Medicine, on the topic of self-transcendence and psychedelic-assisted therapy. We discuss what psychedelic-assisted therapy is, its importance for mental health conditions, and a focus on the set and setting of clinical trials. Professor Yaden defines the meaning of transcendence and the importance of spiritual and mystical experiences. We conclude by discussing limitations in ...
Send us a text The Collaborative Library is a platform to unlock science for everyone! It aims to link up people who do research and those who are interested in the outcomes. This week, I speak to the founders of The Collab Library. We discuss what the Collaborative Library is, who it is for, and some of the really cool features on it amongst other things! You can now also view our 'Chapter Markers' to jump to your question of interest. Website: https://thecollaborativelibrary.com/ Youtube Chann...
Send us a text May the force be with you! This week, me and Dr. Alex Curmi from the Maudsley Learning Podcast deep dive into the fascinating mind of Anakin Skywalker, and what drove and dictated his actions. We discuss his attachment style, fear of abandonment, the role of the Jedi council, and whether he was in love or obsessed with Padme. Could have Anakin's turn to the dark side to becoming Darth Vader been avoided?...
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak with Nisrine Maktabi, psychotherapist and relationship expert on the concept of the drama triangle. What is the drama triangle? and how does it work in a toxic relationship? We also discuss how the dynamic of a toxic relationship works, and what are some of the traits of an individual who projects these traits. This is the third series with Nisrine. We have previously spoken about Attachment Styles: https://behindthestigma.buzzsprout.com/1402324/103...
Send us a text In continuation of last month's theme of learning through conditioning, this month's education series is dedicated to social learning theory. Learn about the most popular psychologist of social learning theory and his infamous experiment in Stanford known as the Bobo doll experiment.
Send us a text In this week's episode, I speak to Dr. Raphael Milliere, a philosopher of cognitive science, on the differences between consciousness and self consciousness. Dr. Raphael starts off by defining these terms and their distinction, and his work on how consciousness can be present while experiencing the loss of self. We also talk about measuring consciousness, Google's advanced AI system known as LaMDA, as well as consciousness in virtual reality. To learn more about his work visit htt...
Send us a text In this week's episode, Dr. Alex Curmi from the Maudsley learning podcast speaks to us about fantasy vs reality, and what role fantasy plays in our life. Dr. Alex defines what fantasy means and whether these fantasies are holding us back in some ways. We also talk about the role of dreams and daydreaming. We then finish up our discussion on how you can become more reality oriented. For the original audio essay click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/audio-essay-8-reality...
Send us a text How do we know what therapy is right for us? In this week's episode, clinical psychologist Alina Vasilache speaks to us about various forms of psychological therapies, and how they differ and are similar with one another. Therapies mentioned in this episode: Cognitive behavioral therapy, Dialectal behavioral therapy, schema therapy, internal family systems and humanistic theory....
Send us a text What does it really mean to be mindful? In this week's episode, I speak to Dr. Alexander Curmi, psychiatrist from Maudsley NHS foundation trust about mindfulness practice. We discuss what mindfulness means to him with reference to Buddhism, how he applies it in everyday practice with examples, and finally, how mindfulness has been adopted in the West as a therapy intervention for various mental health issues. Other sources: Maudsley Learning Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show...
Send us a text This week's episode is on the English Romanian adoptee study (ERA). The ERA study is the first study to examine the long-term effects of early severe childhood deprivation on development. It dates back to 1960’s Romania, after the fall of Nicolai Ceausescu, the communist leader at the time, and its research is still ongoing up to date. Today, 20 years later, I speak to Professor Sonuga-Barke, one of the leading researchers of the study, about the most important findings in the res...
Send us a text Does the name Ivan Pavlov ring a bell? This month's education series is dedicated to the school of psychology known as behaviorism. We discuss its two main learning theories: classical and operant conditioning.
