Backseat Shrinks

Disclaimer: The content of  this podcast  is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Hilah's dreams are fueling her writing, and ketamine treatments are fueling Jessie's anxiety and causing rageful PTSD episodes. If you've ever wondered about male mastrubation and blow jobs, this is the episode for you, so put your bib on! Hilah & Jessie help a ...

 Hilah's still drunk from the night before, but manages to trudge through this recording by eating fifteen different meals. Jessie's ketamine treatments are making her smarter and less relatable. In spite of these differences, they both agree - the dark void that is death totally chills them the fuck out- and people who have Near Death Experiences agree that it is superior to the fluorescent, relentless insanity that is l...

Hilah starts the New Year off with climate anxiety and rude fever dreams. Jessie describes her first at-home Ketamine Treatment and the random neuroplasticity exercises she's doing(ish) - plus she meet someone who has ALSO had a transliminal event!
They discuss  harsh moms, inner-child wounds, Sudarshan Kriya meditation, miscarriages, and if Jessie should become a therapist with no physical or emotional boundaries. Finally...

Hilah tells about her experience paying a psychic therapist to reveal a bunch of stuff she already knows about herself and how it ended up super depressing and sent her back to her old counselor. They talk about the dangers of overdoing it on talk therapy without also figuring out ways to cope and deal and become more resilient. Hilah is still considering getting another Akashic reading from the first person she talked with (ep 31)...

Hilah shares what she's learned from The Awakened Brain, a book by Lisa Miller, Phd. 
They help a listener who has been accused of being a gossip after sharing some inflammatory information about an acquaintance. Jessie establishes what constitutes malicious gossip and Hilah  points out the societal merits of gossip and also the Neanderthal origin story of gossip and how we all learned that mud isn't great for our dig...

Hilah and Jessie carefully consider a young woman's problem with a loudmouth, jealous coworker. Hilah inexplicably goes off on a tangent about butthole/mouth development in utero. Then they circle back to the Q of the D and offer a helpful script for a gentle but necessary confrontation. It may or may not require some light lying, manipulation and subliminal insults. Finally, they demand you rate and review this podcast (5 sta...

* Trigger warning: Discussion of disordered eating

Jessie and Hilah help a listener who is worried that visiting her family for the holidays will trigger her bulimia. Hilah reveals her own past with disordered eating and Jessie relates her experience in Narcotics Anonymous and the notion of relapse as an erasure of progress. They offer tools that are backed by data (mindful eating, meditation) and some that have more limit...

In this minisode Hilah and Jessie discuss lawless Texas towns and the witches that cook questionable meth in them. They help a listener whose teenage daughter is giving some nasty tude over the fact that he won't allow her girlfriend to sleep over. They decide that, in spite of his caution, there is likely still some fingering going on (not FANGering, which is a totally different form of vampire fingering) . Also will they go ...

Hilah and Jessie reminisce about their acting days, alcohol-fueled bad behavior,  and pet peeves that lack origins. A successful, married mother of two writes in, admitting that her decades-long battle with Kleptomania has gotten out of control. Jessie and Hilah discuss the understudied impulse-control disorder and therapuetic modalities that may help treat it, as well as medications that could potentially offer relief.  Wise quote...

Hilah got her Akashic Records read and found out that she may have been a traumatized plant doctor in another life. Clearly she was a persecuted witch. They discuss why Jessie's ancestor was accused of being a sorceress by Puritans in New England during the 1600's. Hilah's reading reminds Jessie of a psychic who knew something very personal about her sex life. Jessie reveals she will be extending her ketamine treatme...

Jessie is four ketamine-sessions deep, and gives an update on its effects.  Hilah opens up a conversation on the concept of "shadow self", often credited to Jung but truly an idea that's old as hell. They uncover some truths about themselves and Jessie recounts a dream in which she was a prostitute with zero work ethic. They decide that self-reflection and shadow-work is hard for fragile egos. Speaking of shadowy shi...

Jessie's first ketamine session sends her to Alien catacombs before pulling a "Honey-I-Shrunk-The-Kids" scenario. Typical. For some odd reason Hilah assumes ketamine treatment is done in the nude. Typical. They share alarming anecdotes surrounding the bizarre things people do with semen, and help a listener whose sister is faking a pregnancy. They explain why mass emails are bound to piss people off. Jessie compares ...

Hilah and Jessie toy with the idea of making bank by becoming right-wing talk show hosts. They brainstorm great uses for an empty plastic bag and a scrap of paper and then face the fact that they are perhaps exploiting their own hardships for the podcast. Hilah emphatically disagrees with the notion that “it’s the thought that counts” when it comes to gift-giving so you’ll want to listen to this one before gifting season begins!

Hilah and Jessie talk about drugs and relive the glory days of their "raving 20s". Jessie's compulsive foot-picking puts her at risk of getting involuntarily committed. A woman writes in questioning whether or not to break up with her boyfriend before she leaves the state for a few months, or try and make it work long-distance. It seems to be a problematic dynamic with many red flags waving in the wind, so listen clo...

Jessie and Hilah bond over a disgusting discussion of tonsil stones and mask breath. Hilah doubts Jessie's ability to self-sabotage. NEVER doubt her ability to self-sabotage. Hilah's therapist becomes her makeshift secretary; they discuss the emotional logistics of forgiving someone who is dying, and neglect versus abuse.
A listener asks for advice on how to help his spouse, who is extremely depressed and won't g...

Jessie discusses the details of her upcoming Ketamine Treatment, and Hilah shares the seemingly unlimited demands her therapist is willing to meet regarding her dad. 

They ponder a listener's question regarding her sister, who is assuming the intrepid identity of a living barbie doll. Can extreme body modification be harmless and, in a way, valuable? Or, is it a drastic way to dissociate, and divorce yourself from what you perc...

Hilah and Jessie help an adult male listener who got accidentally peed on during a sexy sleepover. Then Hilah shares embarrassing stories about herself and other people with blackout pee pee problems. And of course, the topics of bed-shitting and bed-bleeding comes up. Jessie threatens to poop on Hilah's bed.

About Backseat Shrinks:

With nary a credential in sight, longtime friends Hilah Johnson and Jessie Tilton thera...

Jessie and Hilah's partnership is threatened when Jessie's depression tests Hilah's need for structure. Luckily they're both evolved as fuck and use tips from the strangely titled book, Nonviolent Communication, and the pod is saved! Jessie gives an update on augmenting her antidepressants. Hilah struggles to give Jessie a meaningful compliment but eventually pulls through. They create a new conspiracy theory ba...

When does a child's lie cross the line from harmless to pathological? Hilah and Jessie disagree in this "shrunken heads" episode of Backseat Shrinks. 

About Backseat Shrinks:

With nary a credential in sight, longtime friends Hilah Johnson and Jessie Tilton therapize each other and give advice to listeners with "hilarious insight and wisdom" in this comedic  therapy podcast. 

Send your questions to backseatshri...