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 Winemiller http://www.oasisforhealing.com/meet-shelly BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

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 McBride https://hillarylmcbride.com/ Roots to Thrive-- a model of ketamine group therapy used by Hillary at Katalyst https://rootstothrive.com/ Hillary's ketamine groups at Katalyst https://www.katalystmentalhealth.com/ Psychedelic Ceremony and the Art of Groups with Dori...

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. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

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 power of the therapeutic relationship, and the fact that two people can deeply respect and care for each...

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. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

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 Psychedelics” episode—  that would be Bufo, also known as  5-MeO, or 5-methoxy-DMT.  In contrast with...

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" episode on the podcast The...

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 psychiatry •Getting at root causes of psychiatric illness •The role of psychotherapy in good...

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 time, it became clear to him, and eventually to her, that she was increasingly, and...

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 course of your life, how so many possibilities for the future can disappear overnight….this is a...

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 Daniel about Peer-led DBT groups or Dual Diagnosis 12 step...

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 known for successfully treating self-harm and suicidality, particularly in the context of complex...

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 heightened peer influence •Early existential life crises •Developmental brain changes •Sleep deprivation...

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, tipping point kind of social change, and one that triggers a huge number of hopes, concerns, and...

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 years, he lost his father and both his beloved older brothers, all while still a young teenager,...

Three women. Three stories. One must listen. Act 1- Sarah Music by Dori Lewis Act 2- Karen Music-- Karen and Craig,  "Waterfall of Wisdom" by Fia Act 3- Elizabeth BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

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 Stover http://www.micahstoverconsulting.com/ BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

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 and how to pass as "normal". Unlike so many others with ASD, Anne was able to marry and have two children and even...

This is a talk that Dr. H gave in Denver at the Nowak Society in Aug. 2022. Medicalization and/or legalization of psilocybin is likely coming to Colorado soon, with other psychedelics soon to follow. This will foster both a new era of psychiatric treatments and psychospiritual exploration, as well as a significant increase in adverse psychiatric events, including psychotic breaks. Dr. H explores the various classes of psychedelics (cannabinoids, tryptamines, phenethylamines, ketamine, e.g.)...

Dr. H sits down with Dr. Jeremy Sharp, Director of the Colorado Center for Assessment and Counseling and host of The Testing Psychologist podcast,  for an exploration of  the psychological and psychiatric aspects of ADD/ADHD. Dr. Jeremy Sharp https://www.coloradocac.com/about/dr-jeremy-sharp/ The Testing Psychologist podcast https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr....

In this season 4 opener, we hear the unforgettable story of a mother and daughter torn apart by addiction, then slowly finding the path of compassion, acceptance, and grace.  BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Craig sits down with Inside Eyes creator Laura Northrup for a wide-ranging discussion where they explore topics including: •Trauma as a spiritual wound •How psychedelics can help reach the realm of trauma •Why psychedelic trauma therapy can be so profoundly painful •The uniquely damaging sequelae of sexual trauma •What it means for a therapist to have adequate trauma training •How and why therapists hurt their clients/patients, particularly in the psychedelic space •The crucial nature of...

Chris and Craig celebrate season 3,  discuss the results of the listeners poll (with a surprising reveal of their unconscious motivation for producing BFTA), offer their curated episode sampler plates, and then settle into a detailed deconstruction of the Psychedelic Somatic Therapy episode. BFTA on Instagram. @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ BFTA/ Dr. H https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/

Saj Razvi returns to BFTA to share and discuss a mind-blowing audio recording of a ketamine-facilitated somatic therapy session. This session was from a recent training workshop with experienced trauma therapists, and Saj uses a somatic exercise-- staring into the client/participant's eyes- as a way to elicit a rapid and powerful transference reaction, with the psycholytic catalysts of ketamine and oxytocin already on board.  We hear Saj handle the mounting fear and dread of the emerging...

One of Craig's heroes is Dr.  Irvin Yalom, a psychiatrist and writer— Yalom's books inspired him in the early years of learning to become a psychiatrist. Today’s story concept was sparked by Yalom's book “Every day gets a little closer—A twice told therapy.” To create this book,  Yalom asked one of his long-term patients to keep a weekly diary of their therapy sessions, and he did the same. He wove their two very different but fascinating perspectives together to write the book.  Craig just...