Three totally different questions today ranging from relatively basic to quite intense. I hope you enjoy. Did a little something different with the format of this, please feel free to send me feedback about it. Here are the questions: As a transgender male, how can I cope with my dysphoria while having sex with my partner? Should I increase my dose of Klonopin or change medications for my anxiety? I feel like I don't have any reason to live. What else can I do? As mentioned in the podcast, check out http://hardcoreselfhelp.com for my audiobooks! If you have a question for a future episode, send it over to [email protected]

Hello! Fantastic questions on today's Q&A episode. I am always amazed by your honesty and vulnerability when sending these in. Here's what we cover today: Could porn be causing my depression and lack of pleasure in life? How can I deal with my constant panic attacks? Should I talk to my therapist about new fleeting thoughts of suicide? As always, you can send me your questions for an upcoming episode to [email protected]

Another full question and answer episode this week. Awesome questions, as always. I wanted to quickly say thank you for everyone who enrolled in the course. It was a very successful launch and I'm so happy that my hard work over the past year has paid off. THANK YOU! Here are the questions covered this week: How am I supposed to show my partner love when I have borderline personality disorder? How can I best support my suicidal friends? How can I stop procrastinating and stick to habits with anxiety? As always, please keep sending me your questions to [email protected].

Back at it! This episode is a full three question episode for you. Thanks for your patience over the past few weeks with the short episodes. That helped me out a lot. On a related note, the course is out! In fact, by the time the next episode drops, you will no longer be able to buy the course!! Get on it http://kickanxietycourse.com Here are the questions answered in this episode: How do I get over my anxiety about death? What can I do about my crippling regret? I feel attached to my therapist. Is that bad? If you have a question for a future episode, please send it to [email protected]  

It's time! Kick Anxiety's Ass is now live! You can get instant access to all 10 modules of awesome anxiety slaying content at http://kickanxietycourse.com If you purchase before Monday, 8/6 and use the coupon code PODCAST, you will get $100 off. You can check out a bunch of free lessons from the course before you decide. I think you are going to get a lot out of it. In this episode, I answer one listener question about what to do when you are uncomfortable with your therapist walking behind you to their office at the start of session. We should be back to regularly scheduled programming next week. Until then, keep sending me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! Another mini episode this week as I gear up for the launch of Kick Anxiety's Ass, which is next week OMG fjkdlasnfkljd!  This week I am taking a question about what to do when dealing with a toxic mother that lives in the same city. A tough one, but a really important topic. Next week will be one more short episode and then we will be back to regularly scheduled programming. Keep your awesome questions coming! Send them to [email protected]  

Hello, all! This is another mini-episode with just one question, but boy is it a good one. If you didn't catch the last episode, I am doing a series of short episodes while I crank out the finishing touches on my online course, Kick Anxiety's Ass.  In this episode, I take a question about parenting with borderline personality disorder. Full show notes can be found at http://duffthepsych.com/episode118   If you want to send me a question for a future episode, please send it to [email protected]  

Hello, friends! For the next few episodes, I will be just taking one question, so that I can free up some of my time to put the finishing touches on the Kick Anxiety's Ass Course. For this week, the question is: Would online therapy be a good option for me, since I'm too depressed to do regular in-person therapy? If you have a question for me, be sure to send it to [email protected]. 

Hello, friends! Super excited to bring my wife, Joelle, back on the podcast today. As usual, this is a super candid and honest conversation naturally flows into a variety of topics, but we broadly focused on issues related to communication and supporting one another in a relationship where one partner has significant mental health challenges. We bring our own personal experience into it and keep it super real. I hope you enjoy it.  Just a reminder: You have until 7/9/18 to enter the Kick Anxiety's Ass giveaway. Good luck! 

This episode is a little different. It's basically a deep-dive episode, but it's a little more off-the-cuff than usual. Given the multitude of troubling events in the US news today, I wanted to give some thoughts and advice about dealing with the news and the state of the world. It can be exceptionally hard for someone with mental health issues to know what to do when the state of the world becomes overwhelming. I hope the thoughts that I present here help. Here are a few tips: 1. Realize that no matter WHEN you hear about news or how much you worry about the event... those have absolutely no bearing on the fact that the event happened. In other words, the events are happening whether or not you already know about them.  2. Regulate your flow of information. Consider waiting to "plug in" to the world until you've gotten ready for the day and consider unplugging for at least an hour before you go to sleep.  3. Fight back against the false sense of immediacy that anxiety gives you. 4. Remember that you are allowed to feel, but not taking care of yourself may limit your ability to help or make a difference. 5. Taking good care of yourself allows you to funnel energy into action, which can make you feel less helpless.  Quick update: HUGE giveaway going on right now at duffthepsych.com/giveaway   Thanks!

Why hello there! This is a regular question and answer episode. Couple updates first:  1. The audiobook for Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety has been updated and is WAY better. Check it out here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Hardcore-Self-Help-F-k-Anxiety-Audiobook/B00S8U7PKW 2. There are three free lessons from my course that you can check out without any signups required at http://kickanxietycourse.com Here are the questions covered in this episode: What can I do about my intense anxiety and stomach pain when I have to go to school? How can I go about telling my new romantic partner about my mental health issues? When is the right time to stop therapy? As always you can send me questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! This is a straightforward question and answer episode. First a couple updates: I changed the free preview content that is available on http://kickanxietycourse.com. Now you can get three free lessons that cover defining anxiety, breathing strategies, and thinking traps. Good stuff. The audiobook for F**k Anxiety will also be new and improved probably near the end of next week. I'll update again when the changes are processed. Here are this week's questions: My husband and I want to explore polyamory, but how can I get over my anxiety about him liking someone else more than me? How can I get my family to stop abandoning me due to my bipolar? What can I do now that my disability prevents me from doing the things that I used to love? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

In this episode, I do something a little different. This is a highly requested deep dive episode into the topic of ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. You know, those videos where people tap things and whisper on youtube? I used to make those videos. For almost 6 years, in fact.  I talk about what ASMR is and give examples from different videos. At the end, I even give you a bonus ASMR audio sample recorded by yours truly. Enjoy!  Here are the videos that I used samples from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVyPFXdn0ME ASMR 1H OF TAPPING NO TALKING! more than 1 hour! by Chiara ASMR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h94cOlXFRc ASMR 1 Hour Tapping | No Talking by ASMR Glow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOfN9ZOGXcA ASMR Purely Close Up Whispers | Ear to Ear by LauraLemurex ASMR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6-vAoDz008 ASMR Dmitri Talks about a Dream - Soft Spoken Voice by Massage ASMR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrKbOF3vHo8 Cranial Nerve Test with Pat LaFontaine & Dr. James Kelly by brainline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgzmbwRNfmA Asheville Mall Manicure Nail Buff, Great Gift by Ask Asheville https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDZuaQ05Xso OLD ~ Cranial Nerve Examination Roleplay by Cutebunny992 Binaural Dual Trigger Sounds ASMR by me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEyR5dCQs60 [ASMR] Hearing Test Nurse (Soft Spoken) by GIBI ASMR

Hey, friends. This was a really good episode thanks to the awesome questions that I was sent in. In fact, I think this episode would be a really great one to share with your friends if you wanted to give them an example of my podcast ;). Here are the questions that are covered in this episode: Are repressed memories real and what should you do about them? How do I know that I've fully processed recent losses in my family? How can I get help when I'm 15, depressed, and embarrassed? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] And be sure to check out my new online anxiety course at http://kickanxietycourse.com  

This episode is kind of a hybrid. It's not quite an interview. More of a collaborative question and answer session. I sat down with my friend Skye Stifel, a school psychologist that I went to grad school with, to answer your questions about kids and adolescents. Good stuff! Please head over to http://kickanxietycourse.com to learn more about my 10-week intensive anxiety bootcamp!  As always, please send me your questions for future episodes to [email protected]  

Hello, friends!! Today's episode is a question and answer session. I think it turned out pretty well despite some annoying flooding that happened in my office this week, which I talk about in the episode.  Hey, if you are interested in taking your anxiety from a 9 to a 3 and taking back control of your life, be sure to follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/duffthepsych and on facebook at http://facebook.com/duffthepsych because I will VERY soon be opening up pre-orders for my 10-week online course, Kick Anxiety's Ass. Stay tuned. Here are the questions covered in this episode: What can I do about my step-mother who does not support me being in therapy? How can I make friends in college? How can I build a thicker skin in the face of rejection? If you have questions for a future episode, please send them on over to [email protected] 

Hi, friends! Thanks for tuning in again. As always, I really appreciate your support and participation in this podcast. In this episode, I am interviewing Quinn Gee. She is a therapist, business owner, and all around badass. We talk about how she got into therapy, her own identity development, what it's like being a therapist, and some concepts related to black mental health. It was a great talk.  Next week should be a regular question and answer episode, so send your questions to [email protected] Be sure to show Quinn some love at: http://twitter.com/cuntrycounselor https://www.magnoliamhealth.com/  

In this episode, I talk about options for depression that just does not seem subside despite your best efforts. If you have tried therapy, medication, and all of the other things that we are supposed to do to tackle depression, but you still can't put a dent in it, you may have "treatment resistant depression". It can be extremely frustrating to fall into this category, but I want to reassure you that there is still hope. In this podcast, I talk about different options and techniques that can be used to move past resistant depression.

Today's episode is a very interesting interview with "The Muslim Hippy" herself, Sakinah. I love this interview for several reasons. First off, we covered some great topics and Sakinah was totally open and real about her struggles with severe mental illness. It was also a very authentic picture of how you can persist and do cool things like a podcast interview in the context of your mental illness. Sakinah second guessed whether the interview was good quality because she was just coming off of an episode and felt that her thoughts were scattered. Regardless of this, I think that she did an amazing job and serves a a great model of having mental health issues AND kicking ass. Enjoy! If you have any suggestions for topics or potential guests, send them over to me at [email protected]

Hey all! This is a deep dive episode that was prompted by an email question that I got. In this episode, I talk about the different types of therapy that are available. Of course, I don't cover every single one, but I describe some of the types of therapy that you are most likely to encounter including: Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy EMDR Family Systems Therapy Integrative or Eclectic Therapy Therapy is effective. Many people don't understand how talking with someone can help, but it does. The research is good on therapy outcomes, which is why insurance companies continue to cover it. Please continue sending me your questions to [email protected], especially questions about kids for my upcoming episode with a school psychologist. 

Hello! This is a special episode. I got the chance to interview Dr. Andrea Letamendi. She is a clinical psychologist and the host of the Arkham Sessions podcast. She uses comics, nerdom, and pop culture as a vehicle to explain psychological concepts. We had a broad conversation about these topics, her background, and the field of psychology in general. I hope you enjoy! Please send me your questions about children for an upcoming episode where I will enlist the help of a school psychologist to answer questions about kiddos. You can send them (and other questions) to [email protected] Please show Dr. Letamendi some love on twitter at http://twitter.com/arkhamasylumdoc and visit her website at http://underthemaskonline.com    

Hello, friends! This is another question and answer episode. Next week will be an interview with the amazing Dr. Andrea Letamendi all about comic books, pop culture, and mental health.  I would really appreciate it if you would rate the show on iTunes OR share the show with your friends this week.  Here are the questions covered in this episode: How to I get over traumatic flashbacks when it has been over a year? Do I have borderline personality disorder or bipolar? Should I feel pressured to have sex? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Today I have an interview with an amazing guest. Dr. Ron Holt is a psychiatrist who stepped away from direct clinical practice to focus directly on advocacy work related to LGBTQ issues. As a proud gay man, he describes his experience growing up and a variety of other topics such as tips for coming out safely.  Please check out Ron's work at http://twitter.com/drronholt and at http://drronholt.com Next week will be another question and answer episode, so be sure to send your questions to [email protected]

Hello, everybody! We are back to the normal question and answer format this week. I really enjoyed episode 100, in which my friend Dan Fields interviewed me as a guest. If you haven't checked that one out yet, I suggest it! Next week will be another interview as well with an awesome guest. Here are the questions that I tackle this week: What should I do to have a better work-life balance when my colleagues work all weekend? Why do I have a great memory for school, but a terrible memory for social information? Is stimming a valid coping strategy for fatigue and burnout as a person with autism? If you have a question for the podcast, shoot me an email to [email protected] or go to http://duffthepsych.com/contact

Hello, friends! This is episode 100 of the podcast and as such I wanted to do something a little different. I invited my friend Dan Fields from the Save It For The Show podcast on to interview ME as a guest. We had a really interesting conversation about all kinds of stuff. Honestly, I wish we had another 2 hours to talk. Let me know if you'd like to hear a part 2 in the future. Super huge thanks to Dan for volunteering his time to this episode. I also just wanted to say THANK YOU. This has been a really special project and I'm proud of what we've created here. I can't believe it's been 100 episodes. I am so honored and thankful for your support.

Episode 99, guys! Next week is big 100. I'll be doing something a bit different for that episode, so make sure you tune in for that one. This week is my first interview of the year. In this episode, I talk to Erez Shek about his experiences with bullying, bipolar, being a gay man, hospitalization, and social media. It was a great conversation!  Please show Erez some love on twitter at: http://twitter.com/erezsheck and check out his website at: https://www.theshekcheck.com/ Do you have a guest that you would love to hear me interview? Let me know! Shoot me an email to [email protected] This episode was brought to you by Sudio. Check out http://sudio.com for some awesome Swedish-designed bluetooth headphones. Use the offer code SELFHELP for 15% off! 

This episode is actually ripped from a long video that I recorded. I have been thinking a lot about exposure for anxiety lately for multiple reasons. For one, I'm in the middle of creating my online course for anxiety and recently wrote the content for the module on exposure. I have also been frustrated by people that I see in my clinical practice who have gone through years of therapy for their anxiety, but never engaged in exposure treatment for their anxiety. Research indicates that exposure is a vital component of successful anxiety treatment. It's about facing your anxiety head on and teaching your body to stop reacting so strongly to it.  In this episode, I talk about exposure in general and then break down two methods for gaining exposure and increasing your tolerance for anxiety. If you'd like to submit a question for a future episode, send it over to [email protected]

Today's episode is sponsored by Sudio headphones. To see some seriously stylish headphones with great functionality check out https://goo.gl/Q5excs and use the code SELFHELP for 15% off of your purchase.  This episode is a normal Q & A. My voice progressively died as I recorded the episode, so you get croaky Robert again. Great variety of questions this time including: How can I find a positive male role model for my boys since their father died? Should I talk about my trauma in therapy even though I haven't spoken about it for 30 years? Has my history of hydrocephalus affected my speed of thinking? How can I improve? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] Thanks!

Hello, friends! I'm back from my paternity leave. Thank you for the support, the great feedback, and the patience during my absence. Excited to be back at it. Some exciting stuff coming up in the coming months including some really awesome guests. Look forward to that. This episode is a question and answer episode with questions from my private Hardcore Self Help facebook group. If you aren't a member yet, go to http://facebook.com/groups/hardcoreselfhelp and request access! Here are the questions: How can I prepare for a big life change? How can I get over my relationship insecurity? Is procrastination related to anxiety? If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please send them to [email protected]

Heyoooo! This is one more mini-episode where I am answering a single question rather than 3. If all goes according to plan, this will be the last episode of my paternity leave and I'll be back to normal next week. Thanks for your patience! Keep sending me your amazing questions to [email protected]  

Hello, everyone!  Today is a mini-episode. I'm still on my paternity leave, so I'm coming at you with a single question and answer, rather than my typical 3 per episode. I hope you enjoy this quick bite of information and I also hope that you're taking great care of yourself. If you want to send me a question, please do so at [email protected]

Hey, friends! I'm currently off on paternity leave, so my friend and fellow psychologist, Amber Baker, Ph.D., is stepping in to answer your questions today. The episode is very similar to my normal question and answer episodes, just with a different host. I think she knocked it out of the park. Be sure to stop by the following links to show her some love and say thanks for doing such a great job. https://twitter.com/DrBakerPhD http://www.gofriendyourselfdoc.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/go-friend-your-self-with-dr-baker/id1266870594?mt=2 Please keep sending me your questions to [email protected]. I'll be doing mini episodes for the next two weeks and then I should be back at it with normal episodes. 

Hello, friends! It's only been like 3 episodes since I've done a Q&A, but it feels like it has been forever. Super happy to be back here answering your mental health questions. The next 3 episodes will be a bit different due to my paternity leave, which I explain at the top of the episode. Here are the questions for this week: How can someone with anxiety/depression prevent burnout? Is it possible to overcome anxiety without medication, especially with vertigo? I've been burned before, but I want to date again. What are the signs that I'm dating a healthy/good guy? As always, you can send me your questions to [email protected]  Thanks!

My wife, Joelle is back on the podcast today. We talk about lots of stuff including anxiety and pregnancy, our plans for the new baby, communication within our relationship, and we also answer some listener questions. Enjoy!  Next week will probably be a normal episode, but after that there will be some mini-episodes and guest spots, as I go on paternity leave. Definitely keep sending me your awesome questions to [email protected]

Here we are. It's 2018. Crazy. In this episode, I reflect on the past year and talk about my hopes and goals for 2018. I talk a bit about my personal life, my professional life, and this podcast. Please stop by Twitter or Facebook and let me know what your hopes for the year are!  If you want to send me a question for a future episode, you can reach me at [email protected]. 

I know I already did a holiday themed episode, but I figured you guys could use a little more love as you continue through the holiday season. Rather than answering your questions today, I'm going to lead you through a guided relaxation designed to help you de-stress and relieve some of the stress that often accompanies the holidays. Give yourself the gift of relaxation. Put in some headphones. Chill with me. I got you.  No episode next week. Back at it the week after. Keep sending me your questions to [email protected]   Background music credit: https://cctrax.com/cousin-silas/landscapes

Today is a question and answer episode. I'm doing two questions instead of three today, just because I've gotta get up early for a talk I'm giving tomorrow. I think these are two really great questions though. In one of the questions, I reference a video with Kristen Bell, which you can check out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUQ_nlZgWE In the other, I reference the cycle of abuse image, which you can see here: http://teaminfocus.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Cycle-of-Abuse.png Here are the questions: How can I help my children, who are starting to show signs of depression and anxiety, when I can't even help myself? How can I recognize and move past abuse when I'm unsure about whether I have been abused? As always you can send your questions in to [email protected]

Hey, friends. I'm not sure if you saw the news, but southern California is on fire. I'm safe, but a lot of friends and acquaintances are not. I'm in this eerie spot where we are very close to the fires, but at very low risk, so "normal" life continues on. Decided to do an episode with some of my tips for getting through disasters like this including: Understanding stress vs anxiety Prepping to avoid freezing Mental rehearsal Importance of rest Focusing on what you DO have control over Mindfulness in disaster situations Finding comfort in the small moments Keeping routine where you can Talking about event without re-traumatizing Processing your feelings Getting help Managing social media consumption Not sure what format next week's episode will be, but please feel free to keep sending your questions over to [email protected] and be sure to check out the info for my upcoming course at duffthepsych.com/course

Hello, my friends! This episode is just a straight forward question and answer episode with some really awesome questions. This week I am also working on a book proposal for a traditional publisher, which means that you would be able to buy this potential book in stores. That's a bucket list item of mine and I'm excited to keep you updated in the coming weeks/months.  Here are the questions for this episode: How can I get help when I'm too anxious to call a therapist? How can I get over my fear of vomiting? How can I get through high school when I have been depressed for years? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

The holidays are crazy for everybody and they can be particularly stressful if you deal with any mental health issues. In this episode of the podcast, I share a few tips that can help you stay afloat during the Holiday season.  If you have other tips that work well for you, please share them with my on twitter at http://twitter.com/duffthepsych and I will RT them for my audience! 

This is a deep dive episode where I spend the entire time talking about one topic of interest rather than taking questions from the audience. In this episode, I cover something that I've been meaning to talk about for a while, which is the word "trigger" and the term 'trigger warning". I cover what the term "actually" means, where it came from, and my mixed feelings about the way that trigger warnings or content warnings are used these days. A the end, I also give some practical tips for when social media becomes too triggering. Next episode will be either an interview with Brent Williams, who wrote the Out of the Woods graphic novel that I review here or just a regular Q&A. Please keep sending me your awesome questions to [email protected]

Thanks for having some fun with me for the Halloween episode last week. This one will be a regular Q&A episode. I wanted to give a quick shout out to my buddy Speeks Geak for hooking me up with the new intro and outro beat. Check him out over at: https://twitter.com/SpeeksGeak909 In this episode, I cover some great questions on a variety of topics. Here is what I cover: What is bipolar depression? How is it different than "regular" depression? How should I tell my therapist that I don't want to work with them anymore? How do I get my files from them? What can I do about my grandparent with dementia not remembering their spouse? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/duffthepsych

This week we are doing something a little different. I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit, so today on the podcast, I tell you the story of 4 spooky psychology experiments that reveal the darker side of the human condition. 

Today we have another question and answer episode featuring some super interesting questions. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get the free resources mentioned in the episode. Here are the questions... What happens when you have feelings for your therapist? How can journaling help anxiety? How can I help a friend with major depression? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, friends! This is a deep dive episode all about your phone. I share some apps and general principles that you can use with your phone to improve your mental health and overall life progress. Unfortunately there is one abrupt cut toward the end of the episode because my recording program crashed and I had to re-record some. Oh well!  Here are some of the apps that I mentioned: Pacifica: https://www.thinkpacifica.com/ Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/ Calm: https://www.calm.com/ 7 Cups: http://7cups.com/ Forest: https://www.forestapp.cc/en/ The next episode will likely be a Q & A episode, so please continue sending me your questions to [email protected]  

Hello, friends! Apologies for the unexpected lapse in episodes last week. Had some family stuff come up on my normal recording night and I was slammed with clinical work for the rest of the week. I'm back with a great Q&A episode this week though! Here are the questions covered: How can I regulate my depression and self-criticism while gaming competitively? Do I need to get additional testing to switch my ADHD medications? Is it bad that I'm obsessed with suicide-related content? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]

Hello, everyone! Thanks so much for joining me again. This is another question and answer episode featuring the following questions: How can I set boundaries and communicate better with my introverted partner? I've been doing well until recent changes. Now all of my symptoms are back. What can I do? Is it normal to have a spike in anxiety when I have my period? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected] and don't forget to sign up for the mailing list (launch group list closing next week) at http://duffthepsych.com/course  

Hello, friends! Thanks for joining me again for another Q&A episode. I was recently interviewed about anxiety on the Sexy Fit Podcast, which you can check out here: http://sexyfit.com/mindset/ep-180-fk-anxiety-practical-strategies-help/ I also wanted to mention that I will be switching my release day from Wednesday to Thursday each week, just to fit better with my life and keep myself sane. Here are the questions for this week: Are fidget spinners helpful in coping with skin picking disorder? I think about my psych hospitalization everyday. Is that normal? What is avoidant personality disorder? As always you can send me your questions to [email protected]