For some people it’s the most wonderful time of the year but for other’s Christmas can be a time of great overwhelm, stress or sadness. It’s also a time when we’re thrown into all sorts of festivities, Christmas parties and meet ups, 12 pubs and pints with your mates, which all tend to centre around alcohol. Although all of these events can be fun, December can really highlight our culture’s complicated relationship with alcohol. Niall is joined by psychotherapist, Olympic medalist and rec...
Dec 18, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 51
In the last number of months we’ve been exploring how social and societal factors impact the little piece of meat between our ears. Our biggest question, and challenge, is to break down barriers with governance to create better systems for mental health and wellbeing. Niall is joined by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, to ask what the missing links are when it comes to Ireland's governance and our collective wellbeing. They discuss why policies often feel like t...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Whether you’re a parent, guardian, teacher or anyone with children in your life, you have the power to do the work and build secure attachments that will support and bring safety to young people. Raising children is probably the most difficult job you will ever do, and most people don’t want to pass on the pain they experienced in their own childhood. Niall is joined by one of Ireland’s top experts in child and adolescent mental health, Dr. Malie Coyne, who does immense work with children ...
Dec 04, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 49
If we are ever going to truly help people, we need to change the way we look at people’s wellbeing and mental health. Exercising, breathwork, yoga, self help books and even mindfulness are all great tools, but they are not going to be the fix when our whole foundation is in tatters. We’re back in the Therapy Room with our expert psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates, taking a look at Gallup’s ‘Five Essential Elements of Well-Being’. These are career, social, financial, phys...
Nov 27, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Where is My Mind? has been on a tour of Ireland over the last number of weeks and we promised we'd bring you some of our most moving conversations from the road. We have spoken many times about the harrowing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) report that came out earlier this year and how detrimental some of the treatment has been to children and young people. When Niall took the podcast to a stage in Listowel, Co. Kerry he knew he wanted to speak to local man Davin Godfre...
Nov 20, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Rejection is a part of life, but it is one of the most difficult things to process and deal with. Niall gives an insight into his own experience with rejection, as a musician, podcaster and personally. He tells the story of a very recent personal rejection, dissecting the emotions and reactions while appreciating the learnings and new directions it brought. He also presents one of his rejected projects, a guided meditation with music from the incredible Nick Zinner of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs...
Nov 13, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 46
We live in an unequal society, one that doesn’t support or protect our most vulnerable and marginalised people. We can have all of the mental health programmes and motivational talks we want, but if people’s most basic needs aren’t being met how can we expect them to survive, never mind thrive? Niall is joined by Katriona O’Sullivan, a Doctor of Psychology and Senior Lecturer who grew up in deep poverty. Having endured abuse, addicted parents, a teenage pregnancy, homelessness and a societ...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 45
As we become more trauma-informed it is becoming clear that we are all impacted by things way outside of ourselves. Generational trauma is experienced through families, communities and collective experiences in the world, so how can we begin to unravel the pain that we carry? Niall is joined by Dr. Mariel Buqué, psychologist, intergenerational trauma expert and author of upcoming book, ‘Break The Cycle’. Mariel came to working in this space through the experiences of her clients but soon r...
Oct 30, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Addiction is such a widespread issue in our society but many of us don’t realise it surpasses alcohol, drugs and gambling. Our brains are wired with reward systems controlled by dopamine, and dopamine hits are plentiful in the modern world. With social media, entertainment, our phones, the news, our brain's reward system is constantly overloaded. Niall is joined by Dr. Anna Lembke, prominent psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist known for her expertise in addiction, pleasure, and ...
Oct 23, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 43
We are only beginning to understand the complexity of trauma and how it impacts on our physiology. Experts now believe that trauma experienced during childhood can have an impact on our development. Niall is joined by Dr. Bruce Perry, a renowned psychiatrist and expert in childhood trauma and brain development who developed Neurosequential Model©, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach to clinical work, education and caregiving. Bruce explains just how impactful our ea...
Oct 16, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 42
We all know the digital media has had a profound impact on our lives, in some great ways and some terrible ways, but is it actually eroding some of the incredible skills that make us human? This week Niall is joined by digital skills expert Graham Lee, who has just released his book ‘Human Being’. The book takes an insightful look into twelve human skills that are being challenged by the digital world and how our use of these skills has proved important throughout history. Niall and Graham...
Oct 09, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 41
This week Niall has a very special chat with The Therapy Room’s Dr. Tony Bates. Tony has just released his incredible memoir ‘Breaking the Heart Open’ where he turns a therapeutic eye to himself and tells the story of what made him the insightful thinker and incredible psychologist that he is today. Niall and Tony dive into the book, with Tony recalling some of the traumatic moments of his childhood, what he learned through his own therapy journey through the years, and the incredibl...
Oct 02, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 40
‘We become so busy chasing a life that we ultimately end up missing living one.’ In this episode, Niall dives into one of the principles of practice of mindfulness that has been on his mind a lot recently. He also guides a short meditation on the subject. The fast-pace of the modern world can be very overwhelming, and it can feel difficult to keep up sometimes. Especially when you have people on social media telling you they have a 5 to 9 routine before their 9 to 5, or that because ...
Sep 25, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Earlier this year, Ireland was left reeling after a damning report revealed the gaps and mistreatment in our child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across the State. The report left parents and mental health professionals questioning what support is out there for children and young people who are struggling. In this episode, Niall is joined by family psychotherapist and clinical director of the Therapy Institute, Richard Hogan. Richard has just released his new book, Home Is W...
Sep 18, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 38
This podcast aims to fight for better mental health systems for those who are struggling, and one thing that is blatantly clear in Niall’s PhD research is that our past and present models of care are not working. What is a better solution? How can we support humans through the beauty and sh*t show of life in a compassionate and respectful way? Niall is joined by a paradigm-shifting therapist who has changed the therapy landscape, Steven C. Hayes. He is a clinical psychologist and creator o...
Sep 11, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 37
The world can feel like a tough and trying place sometimes, and as human’s are faced with more and more challenges like climate change, AI and threat of nuclear war it can seem like all hope is lost. Niall is joined by award-winning physicist and astronomer, Marcelo Gleiser, who has written a manifesto for humanity and offers a glimmer of hope to guide us to a better future. In this incredible conversation Marcelo discusses the spark lost in our people and how we can find it again, why our...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Meditation is a beautiful ancient practice with deep history that deserves respect and celebration. However, sometimes we can get too bogged down in the seriousness of our own practice and take ourselves too seriously. In this episode Niall is joined by Yogi Bryan, a yoga and meditation teacher who’s using social media to make practices accessible,...
Aug 28, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. On this month’s episode of The Therapy Room we’re discussing the increasing use of therapy language such as gas-lighting, narcissism, boundaries and trauma in everyday conversations, and how they may be misused. Recently, Jonah Hill was accused of using the term boundaries to manipulate his ex-girlfriend and control her behaviour, in alleged messag...
Aug 21, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. After a phenomenal response to Nialls ‘Calm In The Chaos’ meditation last month, he’s back with a hug for your mind. This meditation comes to remind you to drop into your inner world and implement the principles of practice in mindfulness meditation. Please note we had to place our ad breaks together so as not to interrupt your meditation. Th...
Aug 14, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Across the world, and particularly in Ireland, many people have a complex relationship with alcohol. It’s a powerful substance and we can often underestimate the impact it is having on our relationships, our mind and our general wellbeing. This week, Niall is joined by psychotherapist, educator and coach Amanda Grace. Amanda does not identify as an...
Aug 07, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Our nervous system is like a safety alarm in our body, it helps us stay safe in situations of perceived danger. In the modern world, that system can be constantly activated, keeping us in a state of hypervigilance or shut down that can impact our daily lives. Polyvagal Theory, created and developed by Stephen Porges, PhD, gives us a better understanding ...
Jul 31, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. The landscape for treating complex trauma is changing, and although there is extensive and promising research into the efficacy of psychedelic substances for the treatment of mental health disorders, it is not yet accessible for most. This week, Niall is joined by Jesse Gould, a former army ranger who is helping other veterans overcome their trauma. Jess...
Jul 24, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. We are back with another installment of The Therapy Room, speaking to the incredible souls Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates about insights from their own practices. Therapy can be extremely tough, but breakthrough moments along the way bring a sense of progress and clarity to patients. Louize and Tony explain what a breakthrough moment can look li...
Jul 17, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Niall has just completed his biggest challenge to date, kayaking the longest river in Ireland, the 300km River Shannon. Niall and some friends took on ‘The Rising’ as a fundraiser, to get the mental health programmes created by his charity A Lust For Life into every school in Ireland. Although for a great cause, this gruelling challenge brought the...
Jul 10, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. In this week’s episode, Niall is going back to his mindfulness routes and bringing you through a guided meditation. This meditation comes to remind you to drop into your inner world and implement the principles of practice in mindfulness meditation. Please note we had to place our ad breaks together so as not to interrupt your meditation. Thanks fo...
Jul 03, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Podcasting has made mental health and wellbeing information more accessible and understandable for listeners and a new study has proved that they can in fact improve mental health literacy. The paper, published by psychologists from University College Cork, shows that access to information through podcasts has decreased stigma and increased help-se...
Jun 26, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. On Sunday 4th of June Niall brought the Where Is My Mind? Podcast to the beautiful Ballycotton in East Cork. He couldn’t visit the Rebel County without speaking to two of the most profound voices on mental health and addiction, not just in Cork but in all of Ireland, The Two Norries. James Leonard and Timmy Long are The Two Norries, an incredible d...
Jun 19, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. In this week’s episode Niall is going solo, talking about a new challenge he’s undertaking that’s very close to his heart. Niall’s whole work is based around a passion to push for paradigm-shifting change in our mental health systems. This July he’s raising funds for his charity A Lust For Life, and the schools programme they’ve created to teach ch...
Jun 12, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Last week we had a fantastic reaction to our episode on addiction with Brian Pennie and Lynn Ruane. This week we’re back in The Therapy Room, asking our resident psychologists Louize Carroll and Dr. Tony Bates how they work with someone dealing with addiction. Both Louize and Tony have extensive experience with addiction in all forms, from drugs to...
Jun 05, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Welcome to Where Is My Mind? A podcast about how we can better look after our heads and our hearts in the head-melty chaos of the modern world. Addiction is a topic we’ve wanted to cover for a long time on the podcast due to the complex relationship between mental health and addiction. Addiction rarely exists without some history of suffering and trauma. Senator Lynn Ruane and Brian Pennie, PhD, are two leading powerhouses in the addiction space in Ireland. Both have had their own lived ex...
May 29, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 22
