The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy
"If you are interested in your mind, emotions, sense of self, and understanding of others, this show is brilliant." Learn something new about the mind every week - With in-depth conversations at the intersection of psychiatry, psychotherapy, self-development, spirituality and the philosophy of mental health. Featuring experts from around the world, leading clinicians and academics, published authors, and people with lived experience, we aim to make complex ideas in the mental health space accessible and engaging. This podcast is designed for a broad audience including professionals, those who suffer with mental health difficulties, more common psychological problems, or those who just want to learn more about themselves and others. Hosted by psychiatrists Dr. Alex Curmi, Dr. Anya Borissova & Dr. Rebecca Wilkinson. Listeners have also said: "Every episode is enlightening, the approach, conversations and depth of information is deeply enriching. So refreshing to hear practitioners with this level of insight into human behaviour. Thank you for the work and for sharing." Podcast related enquiries: thinkingmindpodcast@gmail.com. If you would like to work with Dr. Curmi: alexcurmitherapy@gmail.com Disclaimer: None of the information in the podcast is intended as medical advice for any one invididual.
Episodes
This week Alex presents his conversation on the Examined Life podcast with Kenneth Primrose.
Alex discusses the more troubling aspects of modern life, and how we might prepare for an uncertain future. The question which formed the spine of our conversation was ‘ In a world where technology has been quite disruptive psychologically for a lot of people, how do we prepare for an increasingly technological future?
This conversation exam...
This week Alex returns to the Lively Minds Podcast to chat to hosts Will and Ellie. They discuss what it means to take a patient-centred approach, and the differences between seeing clients as a psychiatrist, therapist or coach.
He elaborates on his diverse experiences across various mental health settings and the importance of recognising biological, psychological, and social inputs in mental health. He also touches on the challen...
Today Alex discusses David Lynch's 2001 classic Mulholland Drive with David Shariatmadari. David is a writer and editor at the Guardian and is the author of Don't Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language.
Including themes such as splitting, repression, the shadow, and the effects of guilt and moral injury - this film remains a beautiful, dark and enigmatic look at human psychology.
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi....
Sophie McBain is an award-winning freelance writer based in Boston. She writes longform narrative nonfiction, profiles, book reviews and essays for the Guardian, the Observer, the Times, New Statesman magazine and others.
Today she discusses her recent Guardian article: Are We Living in a Golden Age of Stupidity? - about the potential cognitive affects of AI overuse.
Link to article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/1...
Prof. Ziad Nahas is a psychiatrist and researcher who treats adult patients with mood disorders and treatment resistant depression and specializes in performing deep brain stimulation and electro-convulsive therapy. Dr. Nahas is Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Today we discuss a case study of a 44 year old man with treatment resistant depre...
Today Alex discusses the 1998 high-concept drama The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey and directed by Peter Weir, about a man unknowingly trapped in a reality tv show. Including themes such as control, trauma, truth over comfort, paranoia and the price of freedom.
Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your org...
Paul Flynn is the founder and CEO of Harbor London, with over 25 years of experience in building and leading organisations. His core focus is on the clinical management and development of high-performing mental health services, overseeing a multidisciplinary team that includes over 100 Consultants delivering care across a broad range of psychiatric and psychological specialties.
Disclaimer: The Thinking Mind does not have any financ...
Hilary Beard is a psychotherapist at the South London and Maudsley NHS trust. She is a practicing CAT therapist and trainer. She was a founding member of the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT) and was the chair for ACAT from 1994 - 1997.
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your org...
Professor Derek Tracy is the Chief Medical Officer of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Derek is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and an honorary Professor at Brunel Medical School. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 20 book chapters.
Prof. Tracy has written two chapters in Evolutionary Psychiatry: Current Perspectives on...
Today Alex discusses the classic 2013 financial crime epic the Wolf of Wallstreet directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill. Including themes such as narcissism, behaviour control, addiction and moral disengagement. This episode does not contain financial advice.
Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
Professor David Nutt is a Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and Chair of Drug Science, an organisation which aims to educate the public about drugs and their effects.
A world-leading researcher on how drugs affect the brain, he’s published over 500 papers and 34 books — including Drugs Without the Hot Air and his autobiography Nutt Uncut. A former Chair of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs...
Gillie is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with more than 30 years’ experience. She specialises in working with survivors of coercive, cultic or spiritual abuse, trauma including rape and sexual abuse, thought-reform (brainwashing) and undue influence. She works with former cult members, including those brought up in a cult (second and multi-generation) and those who joined or were recruited (first generation).
Gillie set ...
Daniel Månsson is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Flow Neuroscience, a medical device comapny which produces transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) headsets for depression.
Today we discuss:
- What may be happening neurologically in certain cases of depression
- Different research studies that have looked into the effectiveness of TDCS treatment for depression
- The ethical challenges of studying, producing and sellin...
Jared Moore is a computer science Ph.D. student at Stanford University. There he recently taught a course about AI called on How to Make a Moral Agent.
He has previously been lectured at the University of Washington School of Computer Science where he taught a class on the philosophy of AI.
He is the lead author of a research paper which came out in 2025 examining whether chat gpt and other LLMs could potentially replace mental heal...
Today Alex discusses the classic 2013 sci-fi romance Her directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Chris Pratt. Including themes such as loneliness, attachmement , artifiical intelligence, dating, falling in love, overreliance on technology and the most socially acceptable form of insanity.
Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training....
Professor Viren Swami is an international expert on attraction and body image and has written and edited several books on these topics. He is a chartered psychologist and associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and is ranked in the top 2% of the most-cited scientists in the world.
Viren is the author of Attraction Explained: The Science of how we Form Relationships, which deconstructed popular myths about attraction a...
Gillie is a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor with more than 30 years’ experience. She specialises in working with survivors of coercive, cultic or spiritual abuse, trauma including rape and sexual abuse, thought-reform (brainwashing) and undue influence. She works with former cult members, including those brought up in a cult (second and multi-generation) and those who joined or were recruited (first generation).
Gillie set ...
Today Alex and Anya break down mental health studies to deliver fascinating insights from research, discuss the difference between good and bad science, and understand how science can be (for better and worse) leveraged to market products.
Papers discussed today:
Flow neuroscience for depression:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03305-y
Ozempic and depression:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75965-2
Hydrogen water ...
Pim Cuijpers. Ph.D. is professor emeritus of Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is also director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions in Amsterdam.
Professor Cuijpers is specialised in conducting randomised controlled trial...
Dr. Paul Eastwick is a Professor at UC Davis where he runs the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory. Dr. Eastwick’s research investigates how people initiate romantic relationships and the psychological mechanisms that help romantic partners to remain committed and attached. He is one of the hosts of the Love Factually podcast.
https://www.lovefactuallypod.com/
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psyc...
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