Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics
Psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock hosts a deep dive into powerfully moving stories of hope and healing, as well as topical explorations of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychedelics. The podcast explores how people find a way out of the darkest depths of despair through personal narratives and clinical insights.
Episodes
Psychiatric Illness in Parallel-- Bipolar vs Schizoaffective Disorder, Genes vs Environment, Insight vs Anosognosia
In this season 8 opener Rosy shares both her experience recovering from bipolar disorder and the heartbreak of watching her beloved son begin to show signs of an even more extreme form of bipolar disorder called schizoaffective disorder. This is a story in parallel, two lives deeply intertwined, yet also slowly tearing apart as her son’s illness became increasingly severe.Support the showElemental
Summer Special Part 2-- Laura Mae Northrup and her treatment journey
In this second of two parts, Laura Mae Northrup shares stories of how she found a healing path through connection, therapy, and psychedelics. Support the showLaura Mae Northruphttps://www.lauramaenorthrup.com/Elemental Psychedelicshttps://www.elementalpsychedelics.com/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to
BFTA Summer Special: Healing sexual trauma with psychedelics and entheogens-- Laura Mae Northrup shares her journey
This is the first of a two part summer special with Laura Mae Northrup, who was first featured in the original BFTA summer special back in 2022. In this first episode, in an excerpt from her wonderful podcast called Inside Eyes, we hear Laura describe her long and grueling battle with suicidality, which emerged as a result of childhood sexual abuse. In the second episode in two weeks, Laura and Dr
Season 7 Wrap-up...plus a farewell and a big change coming for BFTA
After seven years and so many powerful stories, Craig announces a tectonic shift in the BFTA plates.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportClosing song-- "Come and go" by Timber ChoirBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I
Complex PTSD vs Classic PTSD-- Medical trauma and MDMA assisted therapy
Amidst a long catalog of previous BFTA stories featuring complex or developmental PTSD, today’s story is one of classic DSM-style PTSD, it’s a story of both medical and parenting trauma, of facing the fear of annihilation and death. In this three part story, first we hear Tracy tell of the increasingly severe medical challenges of her children, then Tracy flashes back to describe her own terrifyi
The Hidden Minefield of Positive Countertransference
In this solo episode Dr. H shares his thoughts on the unexpected risks of feeling too much positive energy and/or identification with a patient. This talk is also a sneak preview into the workshop that Dr. H teaches with Dr. Hillary McBride called "I Love You I Hate You...Are You My Mom?'Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An
The gasoline and the match— Bipolar disorder, THC, and manic activation
Today’s story is one of genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and finally a psychiatric flame thrower. Whitney’s uncle had a particularly severe form of bipolar disorder and she too began to develop mood instability and depression as an adolescent. When we think of environmental triggers for mania, we tend to think of sleep deprivation, substances, and the postpartum period. And through
How can we actually prevent suicide? Guns, access to means, and the hope of Donna's Law
The US has a major suicide problem, around 50,000 people every year, and 60% of these suicides are gun suicides. The number one risk factor for completed suicide is not depression or anxiety or addiction….it’s access to means, and it turns out that it’s actually not that easy to impulsively kill yourself, unless you have ready access to a gun. We are finally starting to talk about ways to keep gun
A somatic therapist and her apprenticeship of grief
Today’s story explores how we love, how we grieve, and how we eventually find some sort of equilibrium thereafter. This episode is a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story by Colorado-based somatic therapist Darci Meyers about her journey through multiple losses, grief, and ongoing recovery.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportDarci Meyershttp://www.darcimeyers.com/Bringing Thera
A gift of therapy- Discovering the wisdom of the body with psychedelic-assisted therapy
Kari reconnected with her birth mother in her 40s and finally began to understand the suffering for which she had no words. This is a story of adoption and reunification, of forgetting and remembering, of finding a truth without words in the wisdom of the body. Kari’s birth mother was able to see something deep in Kari that she had never had words for….and thus began her path toward healing.Suppo
A Nurse + Grief + Alcohol + Adderall— Finding Hope for Healers
Kate started her addiction journey at a young age, using substances as a salve for her terrible grief. Later, drugs and alcohol helped her to cope with the transition to nursing and the unending demands of a hospital setting. But as with all addicts, this strategy worked until it didn’t….Kate eventually had to find a new way to cope if she was going to survive past her 30s.Support the show! https
The Scary Med List-- A Case Consultation with Dr. H
Dr. H dives deep into a patient's scary, confusing, and ill-advised list of psych meds to illustrate some deeper truths and lessons about psychopharmacology and the med management model of psychiatry.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockm
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Ketamine, and Psychiatry 3.0
Dr. H sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher, Medical Director of the TMS Clinic at the University of Colorado- Anschutz to explore the growing role of TMS and neuromodulation in psychiatry. They explore questions such as:•How should we think about TMS vs ketamine in the treatment of depression? Trauma? OCD?•Who are the best candidates for TMS? •What are the relative merits of intensive TMS (
When psychiatric illness isn't just psychiatric-- The immune system, PANS, and psychiatric mimicry
There is a growing awareness in psychiatry that not all psychiatric illness is psychiatric— some percentage of what presents in psychiatric settings is actually triggered by autoimmune responses to various pathogens and insults. In the late '90s a syndrome called PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep) came on the scene with cases of sudden onset OCD an
10 Questions to Deepen Psychotherapy-- Inviting the Here and Now
Psychotherapy can often get stuck in a there and then storytelling mode....how do we shift the therapeutic encounter into the immediacy of the Here and Now? Here Dr. H shares 10 questions which shine a spotlight on what's happening (and not happening!) between therapist and patient. Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive
Is DID real? Parts, alters, exiles, and what's allowed in the therapeutic space
Dr. H sits down with Jade Miller, a peer support specialist and advocate for public education about DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). In the first part of this episode, Jade shares her story and how she came to understand that the puzzling gaps and often frightening incongruities in her life were caused by her rotating through a number of dissociated identities or alters, initially protecting
Parenting through the storm-- Adoption, trauma, acceptance, and humility
BFTA storyteller Frank shares the joy, confusion, chaos, utter fear, and deepest gratitude when he and his partner Brad adopted and raised two boys, ages 4 and 2, from the foster care system. Twenty years ago, when Frank adopted the boys, trauma was not in the public awareness as it is today, and he was told that these little boys, who had spent some time in a meth house, might well have some chal
When our minds forget our bodies remember-- A trauma therapist comes back to life
Rachael, a trauma therapist and today's storyteller, describes how her early childhood abuse was buried by the protective mechanism of dissociative amnesia. As Rachael wrote to Dr. H, “The only way I could continue to live, with no way out, with no one to tell, with no words even to describe what was happening to me, was to forget what was happening to me….when our minds forget, our bodies r
Treatment-resistant bipolar disorder-- Finding stability at last
This story is a mirror to Elizabeth’s story from season 1 episode 1. Today’s storyteller Sarah was so moved by Elizabeth’s story that it helped her to trust Dr. H's recommendation to take a pretty scary medication, the extremely powerful antipsychotic and mood stabilizer called clozapine. So why tell this story again? As they say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does often rhyme, and Sa
Hiding in plain sight-- Life, work, and therapy on the autistic spectrum
In today’s story we explore what it’s like to be on the autistic spectrum, and more specifically, how a later life diagnosis can totally change the way you view the world and yourself. Aurelie, our storyteller today, was an autism expert, a clinical psychologist who had trained with some of the premier autism experts in the country…yet she didn’t discover her own autism until she was 40 years old
Trapped in secrecy and shame-- A boy, his coach, and healing trauma with MDMA
How do you rebuild trust amidst the ashes of trauma? This is the story of Sean, an up and coming star tennis player whose coach carefully selected him and then groomed him for years of sexual assault. His trust destroyed, Sean had to find a way to try to trust again…..and after many years of hiding and pretending and near self-destruction, Sean finally was able to share the details of what happene
BFTA Summer Special-- The Wisdom of the Psychedelic Therapy Underground
In this fourth annual summer psychedelic special, Dr. H sits down to hear some hard-earned wisdom from a therapist colleague who has been doing underground MDMA and psilocybin work for years.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, Feb
Chris, Craig, and Special Guest Fish in Fishbowl 6
Chris and Craig invite Antonio Sacre, an LA-based professional storyteller, author, and BFTA super-advisor into the Fishbowl to deconstruct season 6.BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, Feb 4th-6th 2026 in
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners in the Treatment Landscape
Craig sits down with his mentee and colleague Mandy Bliss, a psychiatric NP in Louisville KY, to explore the compelling and complex challenges of meeting the ever-expanding need for psychiatric care. Unlike in psychiatric residencies, much of the current training of psychiatric NPs is done online. Does this constitute adequate training? And what of psychotherapy?Mandy Bliss MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, PMH
The Enneagram in the Therapeutic Relationship
Craig sits down with Colorado-based psychotherapist and Enneagram expert Joy Gribble (Elemental Psychedelics; Reflective Healing) to explore how the Enneagram can predict the strengths, fears, and blind spots of both the therapist and the client/patient in the complex dynamics of therapy.Joy Gribble https://www.reflectivehealing.com/about-joy-gribble-fort-collins"I Love You, I Hate You, Are Y
Meds can't fill the trauma hole-- Attachment, maternal wounding, and the challenges of coming off meds
Here Dr. H sits down with Lisa, a pediatric nurse practitioner, to witness her story of developmental trauma, concomitant chronic depression, and eventually her path of healing and rebuilding trust and connection, largely through psychotherapy. During her years of intermittently crippling and suicidal depression, she was put on various psych meds, which might have helped at the time, but later be
Desperately seeking safety -- A trauma healing journey with Koelle Simpson
Craig sits down with Colorado-based equine and somatic therapist Koelle Simpson to witness her harrowing and moving story of healing from repeated sexual assaults through a deep psychospiritual connection with horses, then learning how to trust her male psychotherapist, and finally coming to face the darkness and shame head on through the use of psilocybin mushrooms.A heads up-- this episode conta
The Art of Deprescribing
Dr. H breaks down the complex task of deprescribing into six clear steps, starting with the most important and challenging question of all: Who is the patient and why are they suffering?"Bringing Therapy into Med Management"-- a psychotherapy training intensive with Dr. H for psych NPs and PAs this October in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/training/BFTA on IG @backfromtheaby
Developing field awareness: Working with transference and countertransference
This is an interview that Dr. H recently did on a podcast called "The Web: Weaving Psychology and Soul in Circle" where he goes deep into his own journey learning how to work with transference and countertransference.Carrie Haynes and "The Web"https://carriehayneslpc.com/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transferen
Sex Hormones and Psychiatric Illness with Dr. Neill Epperson
Dr. H sits down with Dr. Neill Epperson, chair of the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry, to talk all things hormonal."I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" A intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, May 28-30 in Victoria BChttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom-tickets-1112117516429?aff=ebdssbd
Adventures in Exposure Therapy (Re-release)
This is a re-release of an episode called "Adventures in Exposure Therapy" which first published in 2020. That episode was the second of a two part exploration of OCD, the first episode was called "OCD in the Time of Corona." In brief, "OCD in the Time of Corona" was the story of Dr. H's patient Erin, who suffered from disabling OCD that focused on a catastrophiz
Can MDMA save a marriage? One couple's story
Today’s story is the story of so many marriages— starting off with hope and excitement, then settling into careers and kids and unforeseen challenges, then facing emerging disenchantment and mounting frustrations, then maybe even reaching a breaking point, where the marriage seems unable to withstand all the stuff life is throwing in its path. For Daniel and Mindy, their initial years of love a
Psychedelics, psychiatric meds, and the question of tapering
One of the more interesting and difficult challenges of integrating psychedelics into psychiatry is how to deal with the fact that so many of the folks who will seek out care for their treatment-resistant depression or OCD or body dysmorphia or PTSD or attachment trauma are on psychiatric meds, many of which can have very significant and even dangerous interactions with certain psychedelics.Here D
In the room with Hillary McBride and Saj Razvi--- A moment to moment exploration of psychedelic somatic trauma therapy
Saj Razvi and Hillary McBride return to BFTA, this time together, for one of the most compelling and fascinating episodes we have featured on the podcast-- an in depth, in the room exploration of the moment to moment unfolding of a psychedelic-assisted trauma session. During her training to work with Saj’’s psychedelic somatic model, called PSIP, Hillary did a profound session with Saj that led to
Recognizing and Treating OCD
In this solo episode, Craig synthesizes the most salient aspects of identifying and treating OCD, with some cool musical interludes to boot-- in just over 20 minutes!"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" A intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, May 28-30 in Victoria BChttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mo
Therapists in the abyss: A journey back to self
You don't end up working in psychiatry/mental health by accident-- therapists and psychiatrists almost always come from their own place of emotional pain. Here Dr. H sits down with his colleague Kristen, a well-respected Colorado psychotherapist who always appeared to have it all together, while battling her own inner demons of feeling like a fraud-- broken, unworthy, irredeemable. This is K
What I'm thinking about now: Working in the Here and Now; Polypharmacy; Diagnostic Parsimony; Ketamine Microdosing; Psych NP Training
In this solo episode Dr. H shares his current thoughts on working in the here and now; polypharmacy; the root causes of suicidality; diagnostic parsimony ; ketamine microdosing; and online psych NP training programs.BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Reconstructing the narrative-- Trauma, dissociation, psychedelics, and working in the negative transference
Kate lived for many years in a hazy and numbing dialectic, thinking that her life was “perfect”, but also having a vague and gnawing sense that just under the surface something was terribly wrong. This is a story of forgetting and remembering, a story of finding a therapist who was willing and able to sit through years of hateful negative transference and let Kate work through her parent-child w
I had to rebuild who I was-- Finding trust and a pathway out of psychosis
Very few people are willing and/or able to share and describe their descent into psychosis— in part because memory formation and consolidation are so impaired during episodes of psychosis…..and also because there is often so much fear and shame tied up in the experience of losing one’s mind. Here Dr. H's patient Corben describes his very early onset illness, how it started with years of depr
Why med management is mostly doomed to fail-- The top 10 (12!) reasons with Dr. Will Van Derveer
The prevailing model of psychiatric care in the US is called "med management"-- this typically means a 10-15min appointment to review symptoms and choose medications. Here Dr. Will Van Derveer of the Integrative Psychiatric Institute sits down with Dr. H to deconstruct this deeply flawed model and posit a more holistic and hopeful way of thinking about psychiatric care. Dr. Van Derveer
How do you learn to do psychotherapy? An exploration with Dr. Erin Jacklin
In this season 6 opener Dr. H sits down with Dr. Erin Jacklin of the Catalyst Center in Denver to explore how we learn to the deeply complex and consistently challenging work of doing good therapy."I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, Feb 4th-6th 2026 in Joshua Tree, CA https://www.craighea
BFTA Summer Special-- How to Change Your Mind About Mushrooms with Dori Lewis
Craig sits down with Dori Lewis of Elemental Psychedelics to explore the myths and realities of working with psilocybin mushrooms, including: •What do people not understand about psilocybin mushrooms?•Can mushrooms treat depression? If so, which types?•How should we think about the specific roles of mushrooms and ketamine in psychiatric and psychological treatment?•What kinds of problems are most
Fishbowl 5
Chris and Craig go meta to deconstruct season 5, explore the art of storytelling and music selection, and answer listener questions.BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
When Mom is mentally ill-- A story of resilience
Christina grew up with a tumultuous and mentally ill mother, an older brother who decompensated into psychosis and frightening aggression, and just one healthy family member, her father. Dr. H and Christina explore both the wounding of having a desperately ill parent, as well as the profound gift of having another parent able to provide love and support. Christina suffered terribly from these ma
A Psychiatrist Goes to War
Dr. Russell Carr was a career Navy psychiatrist for 20 years and served in Iraq, where today’s story begins. This is a story of a healer, then a terrible wounding, then the healer trying to find his way amidst the chaos of war. This story is about a rite of passage, one that not every psychiatrist faces, but most do at some point-- that of losing the first patient to suicide, then trying to find
My dog saved my life-- Understanding the story of depression
A huge problem with current psychiatric diagnosis is that it often lumps completely unrelated things under the same vast and vague tent, such as with the diagnosis of "Major Depressive Disorder". Here Craig sits down with his patient Rebecca to try to make sense of her complex early onset depression and how it played out via addiction, anorexia, and pathological caretaking and how she
Psychoanalysis, Dissociation, MDMA and What Lies Beneath
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.B
What I'm thinking about now-- MDMA, Sleep Meds, Motivation, Bipolar vs Borderline, and more
In this solo episode Craig shares his current thoughts on MDMA medicalization, sleep meds, ADD, motivation vs self-discipline, benzos, how long to stay on psych meds, a change and a proposed addition to his top 10 med list, borderline vs bipolar, and marriage.Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive training with Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/training/BFTA on IG @backfromtheabyss
Eating Disorders, Body Image, and Building an Alliance-- A Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani
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 relation
Sex, Drugs, and Neglect-- Self-Destruction and the Repetition Compulsion
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
Psychiatry in the ER
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
At the Crossroads of Psychiatry, Psychedelics and Spirituality--- Dr. H on the Radically Genuine Podcast
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 curren
Bipolar Mania-- Superpower or Kryptonite?
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
Moving from the head to the heart-- The gifts and challenges of group therapy
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 g
Unhoused and Unwell-- The Nexus of Homelessness, Mental Illness, and Addiction
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 cari
What does it take to fill the void? Developmental trauma and dissociation with Saj Razvi
Saj Razvi returns to BFTA to discuss a listener letter, which leads to an exploration of treatment resistance, developmental trauma, the absence of experience ("the void") vs dissociation as experience. Saj and Craig also explore attachment vs love, whether trauma healing has to be difficult, and the common elements of successful trauma treatment.Saj Razvi and the Psychedelic Somatic I
Ketamine-- Lessons from 3000 Sessions
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 the
Love and Therapy-- A Conversation with Dr. Adele LaFrance
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
Holding on to hope-- Caring for adult children with serious mental illness, Part 2
Dave and Laurie sit down with Dr. H to share their journey through the denial, fear, grief, and eventual acceptance of their son’s life-altering psychiatric illness.NAMI Family to Family supporthttps://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Mental-Health-Education/NAMI-Family-to-FamilyBFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigh
What will happen when we're gone? Caring for adult children with serious mental illness
One of the tragic truths of psychiatry is that the sickest patients more often than not either don’t realize they are ill, or are convinced that treatment will do nothing. No group of patients better exemplifies this than those with schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses. A common presentation in Dr. H's office is an older adolescent or young adult, often male, who is descending into ps
Psychedelic Psychiatry-- The Swiss Model
Dr. H sits down with Dr. Julia King Olivier, a Swiss psychiatrist and co-founder of the Compassionate Care Center in Geneva, Switzerland, to explore the fascinating landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapy there. Julia is one of a small group of physicians in Switzerland who has permission to work with LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine, and she shares her clinical experience and wisdom in this
When THC turns on you-- Cannabis, THC concentrates, and psychiatric breakdown
Dr. H's patient Lindsey shares her story of self-medicating her anxiety and depression with cannabis, then steadily building tolerance and moving on to THC concentrates. This led to full-blown dependence and a spiral downward into daily bouts of terrible nausea, near constant panic, and emerging hopelessness.BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabyss
Healing the Wounds of Sexual and Spiritual Abuse
In this season 5 opener, Craig sits down with Shelly Winemiller, a Colorado-based trauma therapist, to witness her powerful story of reclaiming her body and spirit from the nightmare of clergy sexual abuse.Shelly Winemillerhttp://www.oasisforhealing.com/meet-shellyBFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
BFTA Summer Special at Psychedelic Science 2023 with Dr. Hillary McBride
Craig sits down with Dr. Hillary McBride, a psychologist, researcher, author, and podcast host (Other People's Problems) to explore all things psychedelic.Dr. Hillary McBridehttps://hillarylmcbride.com/Roots to Thrive-- a model of ketamine group therapy used by Hillary at Katalyst https://rootstothrive.com/Hillary's ketamine groups at Katalysthttps://www.katalystmentalhealth.com/Psyched
Chris and Craig in Fishbowl #4
BFTA's co-conspirators explore what they learned this season, their favorite episodes, ideas/plans for season 5, whether BFTA has become too psychedelic-heavy, and what they most value in each other.BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Brothers across the divide: Treatment-resistant depression, faith, and compassion
In this final story of season 4, Craig speaks with Wayne, a longtime patient of his who has battled treatment resistant depression and crippling anxiety for many years. Wayne's story highlights a few crucial things— the fact that sometimes you can do everything right, do all the self-care things, yet still be waylaid by the crushing dark force of depression…this story also illustrates the po
The 10 Best Psychiatric Medications
Can you treat >95% of all patients with mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders with just ten meds? Dr. H says YES.Here he posits his top ten, based on efficacy, safety, tolerability, and cost.BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/BFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
A bridge between the Western and Indigenous ways— The curandera, plant medicine, and spirit
Craig sits down with Ana, a Mexican medicine woman, or curandera. Ana shares a unique perspective and an earned wisdom that is particularly relevant today as we enter a veritable renaissance of plant medicines and psychedelics, while also trying to avoid the rampant mistakes and misuses of the past.Ana works with various medicines, including one that was mentioned in the “The Dark Side of Psychede
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: Ketamine vs MDMA vs Psilocybin
Dr. H explores how to think about psychedelic assisted therapy with ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin in terms of patient selection, ideal indications, psychiatric diagnosis, trauma history, medical comorbidities, medication interactions, cautions, and contraindications. This episode comes from a recent interview that Dr. H did on the podcast The Testing Psychologist."The Unwell Doctor" ep
What's the deal with Psychiatry? What's hopeful, what's gone amiss with Dr. Will Van Derveer
Dr. H sits down with Dr. Will Van Derveer of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and Higher Practice podcast in a wide-ranging exploration of what's good (and not so good) in current psychiatric practice.They explore topics including: •Problems with diagnostic nosology•Depression as a spiritual problem or a symptom of disconnection•Integrative psychiatry and how this differs from standard ps
Trauma in the Transference—Repairing the therapeutic relationship
The magic of psychotherapy is that it brings forth transference— the patient’s most important and formative relationships, typically with early caregivers, are unconsciously re-enacted in the therapy room. And this transference necessarily creates countertransference, the therapist’s unconscious reactions to the transference. Alexandria came to Dr. H originally due to her severe harm OCD. But over
The lives I didn’t get to live- Shame, psychedelics, and owning one’s story
Thirty years ago, a 10 year old boy was found stabbed to death in a park…the same park where 18 year old Stephanie and three young men were seen riding bikes the night before. Stephanie and the others were repeatedly questioned, they became the prime suspects…..yet they, nor anyone, was ever charged for the murder. It remains unsolved to this day.This is the story how how one event can alter the c
Thinking Through Emotions— DBT Part 2
After years of crippling anxiety, substance abuse, mood instability, and loss, Daniel had finally found the path to impending fame and success beyond his dreams. Then everything fell apart, and he was forced to face the fact that he lacked the skills to face life on life's terms. Enter DBT, and Daniel began to piece his life back together with increasing confidence and competence.To contact D
DBT, Self-Harm, and Suicidality with Dr. Kelly Sonnenfeld
Here Dr. H sits down with Dr. Kelly Sonnenfeld, a psychologist and DBT expert, in this first of a two part look at dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT. This episode is a primer on DBT-- what DBT is, how it works, and how it fits into the landscape of therapy options. Part Two explores Daniel’s story of how DBT helped him recover from a terrible period of psychiatric suffering.DBT is best know
Why psychiatric illness strikes young (and what to do about it)
Most medical illnesses appear later in life, as organ systems fail and the decades of wear and tear eventually erode the body's innate homeostatic mechanisms. Psychiatric illness, however, is profoundly different. Here Dr. H explores six central reasons why serious psychiatric illness tends to appear in mid to late adolescence.These factors include:•Leaving the tribe•Contagion and heighten
Psilocybin comes to Colorado
Last month marked a fairly momentous occasion in Colorado, the statewide passage of Proposition 122, the Natural Medicines Health Act. Coloradoans voted, by a tally of 53 to 47%, to approve both the decriminalization of psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline, along with the medicalization of psilocybin, with the possibility of a medicalization pathway for the others in 2026. This is a landmark,
The way out of psychosis-- Psychopharmacology as magic
Psychiatric meds so often get demonized in the media, including the podcast world, and while psych meds are far from perfect and often cause problematic side effects, they also literally save people’s lives every single day.Steve grew up as the youngest of four, a happy boy in a happy family, a “golden” childhood as he describes it….until everything fell apart. Within a period of just a few year
Abortion in Three Acts
Three women. Three stories.One must listen.Act 1- SarahMusic by Dori LewisAct 2- KarenMusic-- Karen and Craig, "Waterfall of Wisdom" by Fia Act 3- ElizabethBFTA/ Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
From Beauty Queen to Psychedelic Guide
Raised in an abusive misogynistic home amidst deep shame and the purity culture of her parents' faith, Micah's journey carried her though Southern pageant culture, anorexia, estrangement, birth trauma, and, eventually, connection and acceptance and grace.Micah Stoverhttp://www.micahstoverconsulting.com/BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabyss
Autism Spectrum Disorder-- A journey from alienation to attachment
Anne grew up always feeling on the outside-- outside her family, her peers, her species. She knew something was "wrong", but a diagnosis would not arrive until she was well into adulthood. Meanwhile she became an expert in studying the ways of people, of "operating in manual", consciously and methodically using the lessons she had learned to know what to do in social situations
