Here Dr. H sites down with Jenny, a psychoanalyst who shares her moving, then horrifying, then eventually cathartic tale of plumbing the depths of her traumatized psyche, first with years of psychoanalysis, then with five MDMA-assisted therapy sessions. This is a story of numbing and forgetting, then re-opening and remembering...of finding a way to make sense of a life of protective dissociation. Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive psychotherapy training in Colorado with Dr.  H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/training/ BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.insta ..read more

Dr. H sits down with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, a nationally recognized expert on eating disorders to explore a wide range of topics including: • etiology and the relative influence of temperament, culture, and concomitant psychiatric illness •anorexia as a qualitatively different kind of treatment challenge •treatment ambivalence, building the alliance, respecting protectors •anosognosia and its relationship with severity of illness •how to talk about weight, body image, and eating with mindful/respectful language •thin privilege and fatphobia •involuntary treatment •orthorexia and food rules as ..read more

The driving force of so many of our self-destructive tendencies is not conscious, it’s an unconscious drive called the repetition compulsion, where we try to reenact early child traumas or deficits, often consciously hoping for a different result but unconsciously walking directly and knowingly into the flames.  One of the central tasks of therapy is often helping people identify their repetition compulsions and doing the deeply uncomfortable work of making different choices. For the repetition compulsion feels right, at the deepest levels of being, because it was wired into us during ear ..read more

The rising tide of psychiatric emergencies in the US most commonly ends up in the emergency room, where psychiatrists are almost never found and the brunt of the heavy lifting falls on emergency medicine physicians.  Here Dr. H sits down with Dr. Treve Henwood, an emergency med physician and host of the Rural EM podcast to explore the often overwhelming challenges inherent in trying to effectively manage and treat these psychiatric crises. BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page ..read more

This is an interview Dr. H did a few months ago on the Radically Genuine podcast. Although we posted about this interview on our Instagram feed back in August, we thought this was worth re-releasing on the main BFTA feed.  Of all the podcast interviews Dr. H has done, this one might be the most interesting and relevant for our listeners. Here Dr. H discusses the deep structural problems with current psychiatry, the confusion around psychiatric diagnoses and nosology, controversies and mistaken beliefs about psychiatric meds, problems with informed consent and involuntary treatment, why me ..read more

What does it feel like to be manic?  It can be very difficult for people to accurately recall manic episodes— they aren’t stored like typical narrative memories, but rather they often feel like confusing and out of control reveries that seem to have happened to a different version of themselves. Then comes the guilt and the shame that often follows manic episodes, as a result of the loss of normal social inhibition, the lack of fear, and the surging dopamine levels… leading people to take risks and do things they would never normally do, typically within the big three “Ss”- Spending, spee ..read more

Craig sits down with Carrie Haynes, a colleague and Colorado-based group therapist and host of the podcast The Art of Groups. They explore their shared love of group process, the unique benefits and risks of working with groups, specific challenges for the group therapist or leader, and finally how and why Carrie is moving away from traditional group therapy to a more heart-focused transpersonal group model. Carrie Haynes/The Art of Groups https://www.artofgroups.com/ BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockm ..read more

In the streets and sidewalks of every American city, a slow motion disaster is unfolding, with ever increasing numbers of people suffering from serious mental illness and/or addiction. Why is this happening? What can we do to help our most vulnerable citizens? Here Dr.  H sits down with Dr. Dave Iverson, a Colorado psychiatrist, advocate, and policy expert who has devoted his entire career to caring for the most ill patients with the least resources.  We get to hear what it's like to work in the psychiatric trenches-- the deep sense of urgency and purpose, along with the constant lo ..read more

Some of the most basic questions about ketamine are still under investigation— Which patients are ideal responders? What is the therapeutic dose range? Is there a meaningful dose/response curve? Are fully dissociative treatments necessary for optimal efficacy? How important is psychotherapy after a higher dose IV or IM session?  And how should we think about frequency of initial treatments and then ongoing maintenance treatments, if needed? Here Dr. H synthesizes and summarizes his experience over the last 6 years doing over 3000 IV and IM ketamine treatments and addresses each of these ..read more

Is there a role for love in therapy, whether in the traditional psychotherapeutic context and/or in the psychedelic space?  And if we were to more consciously invite love into therapy, how could we do this in a safe and boundaried way? Dr. Adele LaFrance, a Colorado-based psychologist, the co-creator of Emotion Focused Family Therapy, and now the principal investigator of a fascinating study called "The Love Project" shares her stories and wisdom on all things love. The Love Project https://dradelelafrance.com/the-love-project Dr. Adele LaFrance https://dradelelafrance.com/ Dr. H/BFTA ..read more