At the age of 12 Martin Pistorius developed a mysterious neurological illness. He fell into a coma and was unable to move or communicate. It was assumed he had no awareness but a couple of years later he began to wake up—yet no-one knew. He was trapped inside his body for almost 10 years until he found a way to communicate. Using computer-generated voice technology he tells us about how he coped with this terrifying ordeal, and how he found the love of his life....
Nov 29, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the age of 12 Martin Pistorius developed a mysterious neurological illness. He fell into a coma and was unable to move or communicate. It was assumed he had no awareness but a couple of years later he began to wake up—yet no-one knew. He was trapped inside his body for almost 10 years until he found a way to communicate. Using computer-generated voice technology he tells us about how he coped with this terrifying ordeal, and how he found the love of his life....
Nov 29, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scientists and philosophers have been perplexed by our sense of the self for millennia. Now, by investigating neurological conditions which disrupt the self—such as body identity disorder, schizophrenia, and the doppelganger effect—neuroscience is finding new clues.
Nov 22, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Scientists and philosophers have been perplexed by our sense of the self for millennia. Now, by investigating neurological conditions which disrupt the self—such as body identity disorder, schizophrenia, and the doppelganger effect—neuroscience is finding new clues.
Nov 22, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast As part of our program about Resilience, Lynne spoke with former Olympian - and now medical doctor - Jana Pittman. We thought you'd like to hear the full interview.
Nov 15, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Lynne Malcolm gets ready for life outside the ABC, she’s been thinking about how all of us cope with changes and challenges, and how our sense of ourselves is influenced by our surroundings. This has become even more relevant for us as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nov 15, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Lynne Malcolm gets ready for life outside the ABC, she’s been thinking about how all of us cope with changes and challenges, and how our sense of ourselves is influenced by our surroundings. This has become even more relevant for us as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nov 15, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast What happens in our brain when we make assumptions about people who don’t seem to be like us – when they may look, speak, or behave differently. And can brain science help us to override our potential prejudices? I explore some research on this topic, which specifically looks at how we perceive other people, animals, and things outside ourselves - such as technology.
Nov 08, 2020•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The rate of suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is double that of non-Indigenous people in Australia, and it’s reached a crisis point – particularly amongst the young. In this NAIDOC week 2020 we hear from researchers and practitioners, and those with lived experience about the best strategies to stem the tide of indigenous suicide
Nov 08, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Folk wisdom suggests that playing ‘hard to get’ can help you attract a potential partner. But many psychologists have been skeptical about whether it does have an effect in dating. Over the past few years several new studies on the effect have aimed to pin down the rare circumstances where it might actually be effective.
Nov 01, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lynne Malcolm's extended interview with Timothy Carey about how he applies his perspective on control to address inequality in Rwandan society.
Oct 25, 2020•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all have a natural need for a sense of control in our lives – but the over-controlling kind can get out of hand. People with a psychopathic personality disorder are highly skilled in manipulative techniques – which can wreak havoc if you’re on the receiving end. But every-day controlling behaviour may be getting an unfair bad rap – and may be essential for our wellbeing.
Oct 25, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Claims about human psychology and behaviour in top international journals are largely based on the WEIRDest people in the world. People from Western Educated Industrialised Rich Democratic - or WEIRD - societies are widely used as research subjects, but the assumption that they represent a universal human population may be vastly wrong, and skew psychological research. More cultural psychology could be the answer.
Oct 18, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The mind contains everything we think and feel – our experiences are created by the brain, mostly without our awareness. This makes it pretty much impossible to fully know the mind of others. Research shows that, to ensure our survival, the brain constantly attempts to predict what will happen next.
Oct 11, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you're near coriander or parmesan cheese, do you smell fresh sweetness or vomit and soap?
Oct 04, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you rewire your brain to recover from depression?
Sep 27, 2020•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you rewire your brain to recover from depression?
Sep 27, 2020•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast What small changes can we make in our daily lives to improve our mental health?
Sep 27, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast When two strangers meet, how do they figure out whether to trust one another?
Sep 20, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tara Lal was engulfed by grief after the loss of her mother and brother, but found in her brother's diaries her reason to keep going.
Sep 13, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even big diseases start small...PATIENT ZERO is a new podcast that tells the stories of disease outbreaks: where they begin, why they happen and how we found ourselves in the middle of a really big one. Over four episodes the team follow the aftermath of a natural disaster, reset the timeline of one of Australia's most devastating epidemics, get to the bottom of a shocking medical mystery, and do their best to keep pace with the new normal.PATIENT ZERO is a co-production of ABC Science and Radio...
Sep 08, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even big diseases start small...PATIENT ZERO is a new podcast that tells the stories of disease outbreaks: where they begin, why they happen and how we found ourselves in the middle of a really big one. Over four episodes the team follow the aftermath of a natural disaster, reset the timeline of one of Australia's most devastating epidemics, get to the bottom of a shocking medical mystery, and do their best to keep pace with the new normal.PATIENT ZERO is a co-production of ABC Science and Radio...
Sep 08, 2020•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re having particularly vivid dreams during this CoVID pandemic then you’re not alone. But your dreams may collectively say something about broader society. Across the globe from Italy to Australia, social dreamers have been meeting in Zoom matrices, to share dreams and gain insights. It’s like a megaphone from the unconscious..
Sep 06, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many of us have had more vivid dreams and nightmares during this global pandemic. A multinational study is set to find out how COVID-19 is affecting our dreams, and whether changes to our inner consciousness could affect our mental health. Along the way researchers will investigate the mysteries of why we dream, why they are often so bizarre, and whether there’s really a difference between dreams during sleep and mind wandering.
Aug 30, 2020•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation caused by bad or foolish behaviour and can affect our mental health. This is seen particularly in the rise of anxiety and of self-harm. But public shame - especially in our digital age - can be a strong tool to regulate our social behaviour.
Aug 23, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast An extra to our recent episode about spinal cord injury research where we heard from surfer Sam Bloom. Sam's beautiful and lively personality made us want to share the whole interview.
Aug 16, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Around 350 Australians are affected by spinal cord injury each year. Sam leant against a balcony railing and fell six meters; James had a rare injury while learning to surf. Both were left paraplegic. But cutting-edge research may bring back sensation, and even assist people like them walk again. A baby magpie and a commitment to investigation help to bring hope.
Aug 16, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast As mentioned in yesterday's program, here’s a taste of one of the Culture Dose sessions called 'Joy in everyday life'. Head to our program webapge for a brief meditative exercise with Katherine Boydell from the Black Dog Institute, then Access Programs Producer at the Art Gallery of NSW, Danielle Gullotta, guides the viewer through the painting.
Aug 09, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this time of social isolation, many of us have turned to getting creative...baking bread, picking up a paintbrush, or checking out online theatre performances and virtual gallery tours. Now there’s research on whether prescribing art could help with mental health conditions, such as depression. Take a dose of culture for your wellbeing.
Aug 09, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Charles Bonnet Syndrome is sometimes called the ‘plaything of the brain’ for the blind and visually impaired. The syndrome isn’t associated with mental illness or dementia, yet people with it are able to ‘see’ things — like little wriggling children in pink and white pyjamas, or a goat riding on a bike through their lounge room.
Aug 02, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
