Saint Dymphna’s Playbook - podcast cover

Saint Dymphna’s Playbook

A podcast about finding mental well-being as a Catholic with the help of community and the saints. Hosted by Tommy Tighe, a marriage and family therapist, husband, and father. In each episode Tommy addresses different mental health issues, introduces listeners to a saint who is relevant to mental health and wellness, and responds to questions from Twitter followers.

Episodes

10: Vocations and Mental Illness

Tommy talks about mass shootings and relaxing in adoration, introduces Saint Gemma, and answers listener questions about obedience in religious orders, mental health discrimination among religious orders, and Saint Dymphna being the patron of mental health.

Aug 10, 201918 min

9: Loving an Alcoholic

Tommy talks about attention-seeking and the "dangers" of psychology, talks about Our Lady of Lourdes, and answers listener questions about the wounds of alcoholism, the need for trauma-informed priests, and the need for community.

Aug 03, 201917 min

8: Scared to Get Pregnant

Tommy talks about the Church abuse scandals and grieving a traumatic death, introduces Saint Mark Ji Tianxiang, and answers listener questions about therapists who blame the faith, feeling scared about getting pregnant, and reliving past trauma.

Jul 27, 201920 min

7: Love Yourself Before You Date?

Tommy talks about Borderline Personality Disorder and what to do when your parents hate therapy, explores the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux, and answers listener questions about Catholic dating advice, having a parent with mental illness, and knowing when to get help for anxiety and depression.

Jul 20, 201922 min

6: Did God Give Me mental Illness?

Tommy talks about honoring our parents if our parents were unhealthy and the anointing of the sick, introduces Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, and answers listener questions about generalized anxiety and the Church abuse scandals, the ups and downs of recovery, and if mental illness is something God actively gave us.

Jul 13, 201921 min

5: Grief and Grieving

Tommy talks about PTSD and the importance of work, introduces Saint John of God, and answers listener questions about helping a spouse with mental illness, showing compassion to a friend with mental illness, and grief and bereavement after the death of a loved one.

Jul 04, 201917 min

4: Scrupulosity

Tommy talks about receiving a diagnosis and battling scrupulosity, introduces Saint Christina the Astonishing, and answers listener questions about anxiety vs. a lack of trust in God, how to engage in Scripture when you have ADD, and the line between codependency and sacrificial love.

Jun 29, 201919 min

3: Self-Harm and Culpability

Tommy talks about vicarious trauma, and mental health in Catholic schools, introduces Saint Benedict Joseph Labre, and answers listener questions about being prayed over, the battle against chronic health conditions, and self-harm.

Jun 22, 201918 min

2: Fasting and Eating Disorders

Tommy talks about seeking a Catholic therapist and explores fasting and eating disorders, introduces Venerable Matt Talbot, and answers listener questions about postpartum depression, what to do when you're feeling suicidal, and the lie that you wouldn't need therapy if your faith was strong.

Jun 15, 201917 min

1: Mental Health and the Struggle for Virtue

Tommy talks about assisted suicide and coping with Church scandals, introduces Saint Dymphna, and answers listener questions about finding help after trauma, how mental health impacts our struggle for virtue, and the difference between a counselor, a therapist, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist.

Jun 08, 201914 min