"My Voice is My Channel" So many of us experience fear around our self expression. We may prefer to be in the role of "curator," helping to uplift other peoples' voices, perhaps, even at the expense of our own. In today's episode, Jocelyn talks all about shifting her relationship to anxiety after transformative experiences with plant medicine, and how energy work, and tending to our own rhythms and cycles help support us in being more fully expressed. Jocelyn has coined the term "tender...

“Rage has many facets, and grief cannot be separated from rage.” If you’ve worked in mental health, social work, psychology, healing or mutual aid, you’re likely very aware that this work is unsustainable and often dehumanizing. So, what can we do about it and how can we use our collective power for change? In this conversation, I get to speak with Dr. Jennifer Mullan, a force of nature and founder of Decolonizing Therapy®, a groundbreaking psychological paradigm that seamlessly integrates...

“It is incredibly subversive to say that our body has a wisdom of its own, that we can heal and release shame and pain, and trauma.” Luis Mojica We experience pain and trauma in the body, and it is through the body that we heal from trauma. Luis Mojica, a trauma survivor himself, is a somatic therapist dedicated to sharing the language and practices of the body to help people be in deep authentic relationship with themselves,. In this episode we dive into his story and discovery of the...

Traditional mental health practices and treatment have garnered a lot of critique from concerned clinicians, researchers, and activists. However, when it comes to shifting practice, we have to change what’s being taught in schools, institutions, and non-profits. Mental health education for social workers, clinicians, and even family members, advocates, peers, and care workers has the potential to be truly transformative if we are willing to question our old outdated assumptions. In this...

We are celebrating 1 year and 61 episodes of Depth Work in this very special compilation episode. Hear from clinicians, healers, activists, and experts on the biggest things that need to shift in mental health and society at large as well as visions for change. Guests and episodes in order: ⁠⁠⁠Noel Hunter⁠ DSM Jagger Waters⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Issa Ibrahim⁠ ⁠⁠Jessie Roth⁠ Ana Florence Milta Vega Cardona Kim Wichera ⁠⁠Brittany Quagan⁠⁠ ⁠⁠David Levine⁠⁠ Holistic Mental Health Rebecca...

We are celebrating 1 year and 60 episodes of Depth Work in this very special compilation episode. Hear from leaders and experts on redefining mental health, uncovering root causes of concerns, and what truly helps. Guests and episodes in order: Noah Gokul Asia Suler Sensitivity Is A Gift Elmina Bell Thabiso MThimkhulu Katrina Michelle Daryl Rocco Randall Gates Gifts of Depression Ruby Warrington Jagger Waters Issa Ibrahim Caitlyn Lune Holotropic Breathwork ...

The quality of the questions we ask can drastically shape our lives. We consciously and subconsciously ask questions throughout our day, but how many of these inquiries are really offering generative possibility and how many are simply limiting or keeping us stuck? This is a love letter to asking questions and an exploration into why questions are more important than answers. Also in this episode: The questions that have opened doors for me and have changed me why questions are seeds...

We've been raised to fear the ‘yes’ within ourselves, our deepest cravings - Audre Lorde The distrust of our desires and of pleasure is a huge disservice to the world. Because when we are cut off from our deepest desires, from our pleasure, from our sense of satisfaction, how can we really put our life force energy towards meaningful change? In this episode, I talk about cultural toxic beliefs we have around pleasure and desire, and the main fears that pop up when we think about following...

Wellness plans and crisis plans (sometimes called psychiatric advance directives) are documents that outline our mental health needs and can even help prevent or avoid a crisis. These plans not only give us the opportunity to self-reflect but also can help us communicate with our community in times of need. No one wants to plan for a crisis, but when we’re struggling, these documents can get us through some of the toughest times and help us maintain agency, self-determination, and support....

Depression can be a challenging, incredibly painful experience, but it can also pave the path to change and transformation. Experiences of numbness, despair, emptiness, fatigue, loss of meaning and all the things that get labeled as depression are emotional and physiological responses from the body. The question that has always been quite interesting to me is: what is my body trying to tell me through depression? What is the message behind these signals? “Depression makes holes in our...

What’s it like to spend 20 years locked up in a psychiatric asylum? Issa Ibrahim knows this intimately. As a survivor of complex trauma, drug-induced-psychosis, sexual and institutional abuse, Issa’s story holds up a mirror to America’s racist and coercive mental health system as a microcosm for our sick society. Through it all, Issa is a memoirist and artist, whose subversive provacative art has been shown in numerous galleries and non-profit spaces. Art and compassion were his pathways out...

If we want more Intimacy and connection with others, it requires vulnerability. We all have ways that we protect ourselves from potential rejection, pain, and vulnerability. Many of these self-protection strategies are depely subconscious and picked up in childhood as ways we had to adapt and survive in our life context. But in adulthood they become ways we distance from oursleves, each other, and the world at large. In this episode, I discuss the 11 self- protection strategies outlined by...

“If you've come here to help me, then you're wasting your time. But if you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Lila Watson Martyrdom, or self-abandoning and self-sacrificing for the sake of a mission or cause, is so highly rewarded in our culture. It can show up in our interpersonal relationships, but also when it comes to our work, our creativity, or ‘purpose’ in the world. We can even start to sacrifice our health and wellbeing for the...

Celiac disease is an unfortunately common autoimmune disorder that affects about 1 in 100 people. That’s 1%, a HUGE proportion of the population. What's most concerning is that many aren't ware they have celiac often because many of the symptoms are mental health related and treated solely by psychological means. However, we need to rethink this approach. There's a high correlation between celiac, psychosis (and other mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and OCD) and childhood...

Functional medicine and psychoneuroimmunology is on the rise as a more integrative way of understanding the physiological roots of mental health concerns. For decades we’ve been obsessed with the theory that mental health concerns are solely about chemical imbalances in the brain - but that’s not what the research has shown. The truth is much more complex since environmental, societal factors, childhood trauma, gut health, and so much more impact our brain health. In this episode, Dr. Randall...

“We arise out of the very conditions that will heal us.” - Asia Suler In this episode, herbalist, nature philosopher, and author Asia Suler shares lessons from her journey through chronic pain and illness and the transformative power of the natural world, which she most recently has written about in her new book - Mirrors of the Earth. She is a wise proponent of the importance of depathologizing sensitivity, and celebrating being a highly sensitive person (HSP) as a superpower. We dive into...

Why are so many mental health professionals, researchers, and activists critiquing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)? In this episode, we dive deep into the complexities surrounding mental health diagnoses and explore the limitations and hazards of labeling and codifying human experiences. We look at why researchers have called the DSM “scientifically meaningless” as statistically unreliable and invalid and what this means for those receiving diagnoses. We look...

“There's something incredibly dangerous to the status quo about us no longer feeling ashamed for choosing lives that are right for us, and within that choosing to direct our creative life force energy that we all embody into whatever we so choose.” - Ruby Warrington Today I delve into the complex and often ignored topic of non-motherhood with author Ruby Warrington. Ruby wrote “Women Without Kids” to challenge the prevailing societal narratives surrounding motherhood and unravel the inherent...

Harm Reduction Specialist and Peer Counselor, David Levine, and I discuss the social and political context of the war on drugs in the United States and how drug laws and policies disproportionately affect those who are disenfranchised and most marginalized. David works on the ground helping people who have overdosed on opioids and discusses what true harm reduction means when it comes to mental health and substance use. He also describes gatekeeping, inequity, and hypocrisy when it comes to...

In this much-requested episode, we explore the topic of shame and blame, how we can become mired in these emotions, whether by taking on too much responsibility or deflecting it onto others. What does centered self-accountability look like and when and why do we engage in both over and under-accountability? We discuss the pitfalls of using the language of ‘victim mindset. ’We delve into the complexities of centered self-accountability and explore the origins of over and under accountability,...

“I think in this day and age the field of psychology/psychiatry is our modern day religion come together around these sets of ideas that tells us how we’re supposed to live, what’s right and wrong as far as how we should be and exist in the world” - Noël Hunter Despite the wealth of research on trauma and what truly helps when people are suffering, the fields of psychiatry and psychology stubbornly cling to pathologizing, dogmatic and harmful ways of approaching mental health which are...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “going crazy,” heard voices, or had strange and unusual experiences, you’re not alone. My guest today, Brittany Quagan, a therapist and psychic medium is ultra familiar with all things “spooky” - both in terms of trauma and spirituality. We discuss what it’s like to struggle as an empath, with anxiety, depression, and suicidality as a young adult. We also discuss coming out of the broom closet while working in traditional mental health systems and some pretty...

“The questions we ask ourselves when we’re in the midst of crises have the potential to either liberate or confine us." Mental health concerns have multiple roots and many contributing factors. We cannot reduce mental health symptoms to a single cause or origin. We are dynamic human beings, and need many pathways for healing. The term ‘holistic’ is often used to elicit the concept of mind-body integration, however, in this episode, we’ll be discussing what a truly holistic framework for...

Our capacity to authentically relate to one another is shaped not only by our life experiences, early childhood, and attachment, but the broader culture we live in and the myths we pick up from society about what relationships should look like. In this episode, I speak with a trauma-informed couple’s therapist about the qualities of healthy loving relationships, how toxic and transactional societal values shape how we relate, and real-life examples of moving through triggers and developing...

Recently, as I've been caring for a sick relative in his death process, an old familiar feeling arose for me - the fear and pain of abandonment through loss. As a child of neglect and a trauma survivor, I consider abandonment to be my particular "core wound," a familiar pain or pattern from usually our early years, that arises repeatedly in life in order to be healed. Life gives us many opportunities to work with core wounds, and we can choose to take ourselves through the journey into the...