Jedi Counsel

Hey Avengers! This week we take a break and head to the cinema. Listen in as we record our reaction to Avengers: Infinity War! Tons of spoilers, so hold off until you see the film. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, our website, or Patreon. Thanks so much for listening!

Hi, folks! In this episode, we talked about psychological themes throughout Season 2 of Jessica Jones (major spoilers in this episode). We discussed post-traumatic stress disorder, anger control problems, substance use disorders, and dissociation. We also checked in about the development of the main characters in this season and what we thought about the directions their characters went in. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, our website, or Patreon. Thanks so much for listening!

Hello! This week, we talked to the co-hosts of one of our favorite podcasts, Naming It. Dr. LaMisha Hill and Dr. Bedford Palmer describe their podcast as a place “where we discuss pop culture, current events, and how they relate to the way we live our lives – all through the lens of two Black psychologists. Naming It is dedicated to acknowledging the elephant in the room—validating the lived experience of people of color.” We talked to them about the origins and purpose of their podcast, the geeky activities that they currently enjoy, and their thoughts about Black Panther. Thanks for listening! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, our website, or Patreon. Thanks so much for listening!

Hello, Jedi Counsel listeners! After a recording hiatus (due to illness, travel, and general busy-ness), we’re back! In this episode, we discussed the first three episodes of Season 2 of Jessica Jones. First, we talked about the depiction of Jessica Jones as a person who is affected by posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder. For more details, please check out our blog post and podcast episode about Season 1 of Jessica Jones. Secondly, we talked about the psychological science on hypnosis and recovered memories (this paper suggests that it’s harmful). For more about the science on memories, check out our episode on brain myths with cognitive psychologist, Dr. Rob Gordon. For more about Elizabeth Loftus' work on memory, you can watch her TED Talk here. Finally, we concluded with our reactions to the phrase that The Whizzer says, “With great power comes great mental illness.” You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, our website, or Patreon. Thanks so much for listening!

Hello! We had a special guest on this week’s episode to talk about the intersection of faith and mental health. Robert Vore, the host of the CXMH podcast, joined us to talk about the exciting work he is doing to increase mental health awareness in Christian communities. In addition to hosting a podcast with a variety of fascinating topics and guests, Robert also shares his own mental health experiences with others to reduce stigma and start conversations. Recent writing includes a blog post titled Reflections on Bad Tweets about Faith and Mental Health and an article for The Mighty called What Happens to a Depressed Brain at Night. We concluded by talking about Robert’s favorite depictions of mental health in fiction, including BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty. We hope you enjoy this episode and check out all of Robert’s great work! Contact us on Twitter if you have any specific topics you’d like us to talk about! Thanks for listening! We are grateful for your support!

Hello, human and replicant listeners! This week’s episode included special guest, Dr. Ben Balas, who has a Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. We talked about the 1982 movie, Bladerunner, and Philip K. Dick’s Book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? We delved into the topics of assessment and testing in psychology through discussion of the Voigt-Kampff and Boneli Reflex Arc tests. We chatted about the complexities of diagnosis for low base rate phenomena and then talked about the fact that technological advances don’t always yield superior tools (e.g., in the case of lie detector tests). We also talked about a recent Atlantic article by Ed Yong on psychopathy. Dr. Balas spoke with us about the Turing Test and provided some history on its development, and then we spent time focused on the themes of empathy and uncertainty throughout the book and movie. We hope you enjoyed this episode – we had a lot of fun making it for you! Contact us on Twitter if you have any specific topics you’d like us to talk about! Thanks for listening! We are grateful for your support!

Hello! This week, we started out with a bit of nerdy news before launching into our main topic: college mental health. We began with a brief history of mental health services on college campuses (which have been around for over 100 years!) and recommended reading this fascinating Kraft (2011) article. Next, we gave some suggestions for helping students with a variety of different concerns (e.g., seeking therapy referrals, exhibiting unusual behavior, requesting accommodations). We discussed student/professor boundaries and strategies for reducing mental health stigma in the classroom. We concluded by recommending an interesting article by Jesse Singal on The Myth of the Ever-More Fragile College Student. Contact us on Twitter if you have any specific topics you’d like us to talk about! Thanks for listening! We are so grateful for your support!

Hi, Achievers! In this episode, we began by discussing some nerdy news (e.g., the truth about Groot, Batgirl the movie). Next, we expressed our thoughts on Walter Sobchak and his anger problems. We talked about intermittent explosive disorder and the types of treatment approaches people use to treat anger problems. Then, we talked about Maude Lebowski and evaluated whether her claim about nymphomania (satyriasis in men) was consistent with the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders formulation. Then, we closed the episode with some discussion of mindfulness. There were many fun tangents involved: some about Frasier and others about Kevin Smith! Contact us on Twitter if you have any specific topics you’d like us to talk about! Thanks for listening! We are grateful for your support!

Hi folks! This week's episode is our reaction to seeing Black Panther! The episode contains major spoilers, so hold off until you see the film (which we highly recommend doing!) Thanks for being patient as we've been ill and unusually busy! We will be back on our regular schedule very soon! Tweet us and let us know what you thought of the movie!

Hi, Achievers! It’s almost the 20th anniversary of the classic film, The Big Lebowski! This episode is the first in a series that will explore psychological elements of the colorful, charismatic characters in this film. We began with an overview of connections between the Coen Brothers and the city where we live (Fargo). Then, we geeked out about some of our favorite aspects of the movie. Next, we discussed whether The Dude is experiencing cannabis use disorder or not. For more details on The Dude’s mental health, read our full fictional evaluation of The Dude. Finally, we concluded by speculating about where Walter Sobchak and The Dude would fall on each of the Big 5 personality traits. There are more Lebowski episodes planned. Contact us on Twitter if you have any specific topics you’d like us to talk about! Thanks for listening! We are grateful for your support!

Hi, loyal Jedi Counsel listeners! This podcast episode is dedicated to a Patreon patron, Dave. He is a Yoda-level patron, which comes with a podcast episode and blog post for the fictional character of your choice! Many thanks to Dave for suggesting such a great character! In this episode, we invited Dr. Keith Donohue to talk to us about the history of James Bond, the different versions of his character, and the psychology of his personality. We delved into changing depictions of women characters in Bond films and pondered the motivation for the modern versions of Bond. We mostly focused on Casino Royale. We also talked about psychopathy and reference this documentary called The Ice Man and the Psychiatrist, Cleckley’s book The Mask of Sanity, and Lykken’s book The Antisocial Personalities. We hope you enjoy this episode! Thank you for listening!

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of paraphilic disorders (e.g., pedophilia), sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. We invited clinical psychologist, Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla, to talk to us about his expertise in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have been accused of sexual violence. The episode included an overview of the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors related to paraphilic disorders. We also discussed the state of the research on effective prevention and treatment for individuals who have committed acts of sexual violence. We concluded with Dr. Bobadilla’s thoughts on the courage it takes to report sexual abuse and harassment, as we’ve recently witnessed through the #MeToo movement. For more in-depth information on the treatment and prevention of sexual abuse, please visit the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers website or the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists website. Resources for individuals who have survived sexual abuse are available at the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. If you would like to support us, please consider leaving a review for us on iTunes, telling a friend about us, or becoming a Patreon patron. Thank you so much for listening!

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and harassment. Hi, folks! In this episode, we discussed some ways that we felt the recent media coverage of sexual abuse and harassment allegations has left out or mischaracterized relevant mental health information about people who engage in sexual abuse or harassment. These behaviors are influenced by multiple factors (e.g., cultural, psychological). This episode limited its focus to paraphilic disorders that may be relevant for some of the allegations that have received recent media attention: exhibitionistic disorder, frotteuristic disorder, and pedophilic disorder. For more in-depth information on the treatment and prevention of sexual abuse, please visit the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers website or the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists website. Resources for individuals who have survived sexual abuse are available at the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. We will record a follow-up episode with an expert guest that goes into more details about this topic. If you would like to support us, please consider leaving a review for us on iTunes, telling a friend about us, or becoming a Patreon patron. Thank you so much for listening!

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of violence. Hello, friends of Jedi Counsel! In this episode, we discussed the Marvel Netflix series The Punisher and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First, we talked about the show’s theme of soldiers transitioning back to their roles as civilians. We mentioned an interview with the showrunner of The Punisher Netflix series and a TED talk by Adam Driver about the challenges that can accompany this transition. Then, we provided an overview of the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and named evidenced-based treatments for it. For more information on PTSD, check out our blog post and podcast episode on Jessica Jones. If you would like to support us, please consider leaving a review for us on iTunes, telling a friend about us, or becoming a Patreon patron. Thank you so much for listening!

Hey, Jedi friends! We just saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi! Here is our spoiler filled reaction podcast! Let us know what you thought on Twitter or Facebook!