In Your Right Mind

Reports of school shootings, bombings, environmental disasters and other tragic events are on the news almost daily. In the aftermath of such tragedies and traumatic events, a serious psychological conditions known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in some people. In this week’s show, Dr. Tonmoy Sharma and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor are joined by Roger Solomon, Ph.D., Senior Faculty of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Institute, who uses his expertise in the areas of trauma and grief to describe how traumatic events affect the brain and discuss the evidence-based treatments for traumatic stress and PTSD.

More people are spending hours every day taking “selfies,” tweeting, browsing and playing games like Candy Crush on their Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites; some people might even be a little “obsessed.” In this week’s show, Dr. Tonmoy Sharma and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor focus on the country’s growing overreliance on the internet and social media with David Greenfield, Ph.D., founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine who wrote the book, “Virtual Addiction.”

Frank McAndrew, Ph.D., an American social psychologist, professor and elected fellow of numerous professional organizations, including the Association for Psychological Science (APS), weighs in on some of the red flags that cause individuals to commit acts of mass violence. Using his years of expertise in studying the psychological profiles of mass murderers, Dr. McAndrew describes how gender, the press, and societal commentary play pivotal roles in the cultivation of mass shooters. Listen as Dr. Tonmoy Sharma and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor discuss the psychology of violence and more on this episode of In Your Right Mind.

Until recently, “addiction” has almost exclusively referred to the excessive and intrusive patterns of substance use; however, behavioral and substance addictions have many overlapping features and similarities. This show looks at process addictions (also known as behavioral addictions) and how they affect the brain, and whether compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling, Internet use, video-game playing, and sex addiction should be classified as addictions. Featured guests include Dr. Marc Potenza from Yale University School of Medicine and Dr. Daniel Fridberg from the University of Chicago.

This week’s show focuses on the stereotypes and biases that come from our life experiences and our interactions with others. Dr. Chad Forbes, an Associate Professor of Social Neuroscience in the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware, discusses how these biases evolve and how people can find ways to justify inherent bias in their minds.

This week’s show looks at how habits form and what makes them so difficult to stop. A psychiatrist and internationally-known expert in mindfulness training for addictions, Dr. Judson Brewer, helps shed light on how bad habits and addictions form in the brain and how we can overcome them using mindfulness and other strategies.

Individuals with substance use disorders may have the desire to stop drinking or using drugs but may not be ready to change. This week’s show is about motivational interviewing, an evidence-based strategy in behavioral health treatment that helps patients to resolve their ambivalence, and, in turn, motivate them to change. To discuss this strategy and how it’s used in addiction treatment are featured guests Jennifer Hettema, Ph.D., and Ken Resnicow, Ph.D. Watch the promo for “Motivational Interviewing

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a serial killer? In this week’s show, Dr. Tonmoy Sharma and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor discuss the brain abnormalities of psychopaths and serial killers, the role of nature and nurture in the development of psychopathic tendencies and traits, and what makes serial killers different from other mass murderers. Featured guests include Dr. Katherine Ramsland and Dr. James Fallon.

Have you ever been in a relationship that resembled being on an intense rollercoaster ride? Unstable and intense relationships are often characteristic of people who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) – and it’s a personality disorder that’s a lot more common than many people think. This week’s show discusses the emotional dysregulation and unstable relationships of individuals with BPD, common risk factors for this mental disorder, and treatment options available for patients and their loved ones affected by BPD with guests Dr. Jonice Webb and Julie A. Fast.

Traditional treatment approaches view abstinence as the only way to recover from an addiction, but, addiction is often not an “all or nothing” process. An unconventional approach to treating substance use disorders, known as harm reduction, aims to minimize the negative consequences of drug use and harm to patients who suffer from addiction. To discuss different harm reduction strategies and how they’re being used in the realm of addiction treatment are guests Katie Witkiewitz, Ph.D., a psychology professor and scientist at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions, and Stephany Campos, the executive administrator and program manager for Homeless Health Care Los Angeles.

This upcoming Sunday’s show will be all about cravings and how to overcome unhealthy habits. Guests include Thomas J. Gould, Ph.D., professor and director of the Neurobiological Investigation of Learning and Addiction Group at The Pennsylvania State University, and Nicole Avena, Ph.D. a research neuroscientist at Columbia University and author who has published over 70 articles, book chapters and books on topics related to food, addiction, obesity and eating disorders.

Rather than traditional approaches that focus on the pathology, pain and suffering of individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, positive psychology is a psychological approach that focuses on mental wellness, strengths, wellbeing and optimal functioning. But happiness is not just the absence of mental and physical illness. To discuss positive psychology in addiction treatment and how to cultivate happiness is guest Dr. Amy Krentzman, who’s a social worker, an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work and at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, and an Adjunct Research Investigator at the University of Michigan Medical School.

One important quality has been touted as a key predictor of success is emotional intelligence—some say that its’ even more predictive of success than conventional intelligence. To discuss what makes people successful, we’re joined by Dr. Robin Stern, the associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Dr. David Caruso, a special assistant to the dean at Yale College and management psychologist who develops and conducts emotional intelligence training around the world.

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects more than 100 million people in the U.S. alone. To discuss chronic pain management and recovery, we’re joined by guests: Dr. Jerry Lerner, the Chief of Pain Medicine at Sierra Tuscan, Dr. Jerome Stenehjem, the Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego and Brian Donegan, a behavioral healthcare consultant who suffered from chronic pain for over 10 years.

The holiday season can be a joyful time to spend with loved ones, eat delicious food and create happy memories. Yet, for many people, dealing with difficult family members, maxing out credit cards and putting impossibly high expectations on ourselves can make the holiday season anything but joyful. Heightened holiday stress can be harmful to health, and, if not dealt with properly, stress can lead to problems such as alcohol abuse, binge eating, arguing with relatives and depression. To talk about ways to cope with these stressful situations, right in time for the holidays, is guest Bette Alkazian, M.A., LMFT, BCPC, a Marriage and Family Therapist, Parenting Coach and nationally recognized parenting expert who works with families to ease the challenges and increase the joys of raising children.

What can people do when they can no longer afford quality health insurance? We discuss the options that people have when they are at risk of falling through the cracks with Jay Horowitz, the founder and owner of Horowitz and Associates Insurance Agency, and two patients who discuss the vital role that Sovereign Foundation played in helping them obtain needed insurance so they could receive life-saving treatment for mental health and addiction.

In this week’s show, the discussion about the misconduct of government prosecutors and targeted attacks on innocent people continues. Mark Godsey, a Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati and author of the book, “Blind Injustice” and leading attorney and activist globally in the Innocence Movement and Ohio Innocence Project and former New York City federal prosecutor who now protects innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted, Vijay Reddy Annappareddy, who was a victim of federal misconduct, and Joshua Greenberg, a Washington D.C. based lawyer who represented him in the retrial.

As a parent, what do you do when your teen starts acting out, drinking or using drugs or exhibiting other troubling behavior? One in five teens has a mental health issue such as conduct disorder, depression or substance abuse. To discuss mental, emotional and behavioral conditions that develop in teens, and how their treated with Dr. Anthony J. Mele, Sovereign Health’s Chief Clinical Officer, and White River Academy’s Program Director Justin Neilson.

The current health care system is failing a lot of families — premiums and deductibles are too high, and many services aren’t getting covered. One major problem is that many families have too high of an income to be eligible for subsidies, but too low to afford a good, comprehensive health insurance plan. To discuss how people are virtually falling through the cracks is Linda Quick, president of Quick Bernstein Connections Group and former president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association, Bernard Oakley, Sovereign Health’s Manager of Operations, and Cornelius, who shares his story of how he almost fell through the cracks, and how he was able to receive treatment.

A relatively new form of genetic testing called, pharmacogenetics, is being used to improve efficacy and reduce the adverse effects of psychiatric medications. To discuss what pharmacogenetics is and how it’s used in the behavioral health industry is Dr. Jay Lombard, the cofounder, Chief Scientific Officer and Medical Director at Genomind, and Dr. Stephen M. Stahl, an internationally renowned psychiatrist, researcher and professor of psychiatry with expertise in psychopharmacology.

This show focuses on Senate Bill 636, a new California bill that aims to ban some of the harmful practices in the addiction treatment and recovery industry — “patient brokering” and “pay-to-patient” by insurance companies. Guest includes Joan Borsten, the Co-Founder and Vice President of the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition (ATAC) and the co-founder and former CEO of Malibu Beach Recovery Center.

Why does wine drinking by moms seem to be glorified more than ever before? For many women, their drinking ramps up soon after they have children. In this episode, hosts Dr. Tonmoy Sharma and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor explore the variety of reasons why mental health issues and problems with drinking can develop among new moms. Guests include Dana Bowman, the author of, “Bottled: A Mom’s Guide to Early Recovery” and the popular blog MomsieBlog.com and Dr. Susan Blank, the Founder and Chief Medical Officer at the Atlanta Healing Center, President of the Georgia Society of Addiction Medicine and Advisory Board Member of the Georgia Physician’s Health Program.

“Patient brokers” are bad people who take advantage of vulnerable patients, by luring them in and out of treatment by bribes or financial incentives, so they can make a profit. While everyone agrees that “patient brokering” is harmful to patients and needs to be stopped, it is also true that there are people who are helping patients and their loved ones find a good treatment facility and expanding their access to services that meet their needs. To discuss this topic, we’re joined by guests: Audrey Smith, Harry Nelson, Jamie Callahan, Melissa Mucci and Desiree Raucci.

Broad search warrants, botched raids and knowingly concealing information or evidence to win a case are only some examples of unethical and deceptive behavior of government prosecutors and violations of our constitutional rights. To discuss the corruption in the criminal justice system, we’re joined by Sidney Powell, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Appellate Section Chief who worked in the Department of Justice for 10 years, and author of the book, “Licensed to Lie,” and Joshua L. Dratel, a New York City attorney and former board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

It’s a dangerous trend—federal prosecutors have the power and authority to destroy a person’s company and reputation, but are falsely accusing innocent people of crimes they didn’t commit. To discuss growing concerns of “over-criminalization,” prosecutorial misconduct and the overall lack of accountability in the system, we’re joined by Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., an expert in forensic medicine and practicing forensic pathologist for the past 40 years, and Howard Root, retired CEO of Vascular Solutions, Inc., and author of the book, “Cardiac Arrest: Five Heart-Stopping Years as a CEO on the Feds Hit-List.”

This week’s show, we are joined by Doug Walter, J.D., associate executive director for government relations in the American Psychological Association Practice Organization and three of Sovereign Health’s patients to talk about how third-party premium payments can benefit patients in helping them get treatment for addiction and mental health problems.

For many people, what happens inside of a treatment facility is a mystery. Traditionally, getting help from a mental health or addiction treatment facility has been a very private, personal matter. When a person does decide to seek help, they often do not know what to expect. In this episode, we shed some light on what actually happens during the treatment process with Dr. Mary Berst, Sovereign Health of Palm Desert’s Associate Program Director, and a former patient who is now a lead house manager at Sovereign Health, Melissa Mucci.

Every year, millions of people require some form of addiction or mental health treatment. Yet, with the plethora of facilities and treatment options available out there, the next step to seek treatment for a substance use disorder or mental illness can feel daunting for many people. In this show, the many factors involved in choosing the right treatment facility are discussed with Sovereign Health’s Rancho San Diego Adolescent Facility Director Nora David, Certified Interventionist Professional Ken Seeley and a father, Cal Saul, who searched for and found care for his son who needed help.

What is a successful relationship? In Your Right Mind’s guest speakers try to answer the question many couples have strived for.

This show looks at Health Net’s failure to reimburse more than 100 treatment facilities in the state of California, and some of the other problems the insurance giant has created for the addiction treatment industry with special guests Harry Nelson, A.B., J.D., the founder and managing partner of Nelson Hardiman and board chair of the American Addiction Treatment Association (AATA), and Stampp Corbin, M.B.A., president of the American Treatment Advocacy Coalition (ATAC) and CEO of a behavioral health company called Toxicology Laboratory.

As we inch closer to Valentine’s Day, we bring up a topic many are thinking about, the difference between Love and Lust. Do you know? Our guest speakers weigh in on a topic just about anyone can relate to.

Abstinence and Harm Reduction are two of the primary addiction recovery strategies when treating drug addicts and alcoholics. As an alternative to abstinence, some treatment centers provide a process called Harm Reduction. We look into both options with our guest speakers.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse states addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. But what if addiction wasn’t actually a disease? What if addiction was identified as a developmental issue? And, it happens through a series of trials, through repeated exposure and actions. Sovereign Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ash Bhatt and neuroscientist Dr. Marc Lewis compare whether or not addiction can be described as a brain disease or a behavioral problem.

Guest speakers include Veena Kumari, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer for Sovereign Health Group and Laura A. King, Ph.D., Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

The opioid epidemic is taking its toll on Americans—parents are overdosing or near-death while their children sit in the backseat of a car with them; more and more babies are being born with neonatal abstinence syndrome due to their mothers being addicted to opiates; people are dropping dead from synthetic drugs that are 10 to 10,000 times more potent than morphine. This show talks about the opioid addiction and the epidemic that is growing in the U.S.

From a car accident to a death, many of us experience situations that have impacted us in many ways. However, for some, these traumatic events can have a lingering mental impact. While not everyone develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event does increase your risk. Dr. Levine and Dr. Susanne Drury explain the symptoms of PTSD, how it impacts the brain and how people cope with trauma. We also have a guest speaker provide his own experience with PTSD and how treatment helped him.

We often think a small white lie is innocuous, but what makes someone continuously exaggerate the truth? In this show, we look into how the brain reacts to ‘fibs’ and how that allows us to continuously lie. We also break down the different types of liars, what to do if you know you’re liar and how to confront a compulsive liar. Hear more from the experts on why we’re tempted to fabricate the facts. Guest Speakers include cognitive neuroscientist Neil Garrett, Ph.D. , Robert Buchanan and psychiatrist Charles Ford, M.D.

As more and more states legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use, it’s important to look at the potential repercussions associated with the decriminalization of marijuana. With the expanded access marijuana, should we be concerned about potential rises in marijuana abuse and addiction, particularly among our nation’s youth? Joined by Dr. J. Wesley Boy and Dr. Don Davidson, we look at the pros and cons of decriminalizing marijuana, whether or not marijuana is addictive, and the use of marijuana for treating ailments like anxiety and depression.

Every December 31st, millions of people around the world resolve to quit a bad habit like nail biting, eating junk food, drinking too much or even procrastinating, but, by January 2nd, most people have already given up. In fact, only about 8 percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them, according to the University of Scranton. Dr. James Claiborn and Nkem Ndefo join us to talk about how habits get hardwired in the brain, and what we can do to break our unwanted habits.

In today’s society, we’ve started taking prescription drugs to handle just about all of life’s discomforts, from antidepressants for a case of the blues to amphetamines for children with attention problems. We might immediately feel some relief, but are we really drinking, taking a pill or using drugs to mask feeling what is generally considered normal feelings like anger, grief or anxiety? Guests Dr. Peter Shulman and Dr. Daniel Carlat help shed some light on why we’d rather sweep our problems under the rug and take a medication rather than deal with issues that lead us to distress.

Why are so many teens misusing alcohol and drugs and how does this change the brain? Does drinking or drug use at a young age mean they cannot drink normally later or does this make them an alcoholic? Guests Dr. Anthony J. Mele and Robin Reiser discuss the consequences of early alcohol and drug misuse on the brain, and what parents can do to help recognize that their teen is misusing substances.

We now have access to a plethora of information in the palm of our hands. Many of us spend time checking our emails, social media, the weather, traffic, and directions. Although technology is advancing and helping our lives to be more convenient each day, it is also important to recognize and acknowledge the risks that also come in the digital age. At what cost is technology having on our brains, our relationships, and our emotional and psychological well-being?

How many people notice traffic signs but disregard them? What about the impact alcohol has on our health? Why don’t facts change our minds? Guest speakers answer why the human mind has limitations of reason.

It’s not a surprise to hear about the Busyness Disease running rampant in the U.S. Americans are known to reward each other for dedicating long work hours regardless of whether or not its effective. While the western work culture praises the idea of employees “burning the midnight oil” one must ask themselves if it’s productive and practical. Guest speakers talk about the disease of busyness Sunday, April 9 on In Your Right Mind.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15 to 44. Despite its prevalence, what’s its purpose? Guest speakers talk about the evolution of depression Sunday, April 2 on In Your Right Mind.

How important is empathy? Experts explain the neural correlates of empathy, why it’s necessary in everyday life and how emotional intelligence differs from Intelligence Quotient (IQ).

“Selfies” are now a common phrase in almost every household and it’s not just among millennials. Experts discuss what narcissism is cognitively speaking, what narcissism looks like in leaders and how society has evolved into an entitled mindset.

A drug originally tested on animals is now in the hands of humans to recreationally get high. Guest speakers explain the severity of this opioid, how it resurfaced, and how it’s already wreaked havoc on many American families.

It’s a disorder that impacts millions of Americans. Despite its prevalence, it’s controversial and destructive. Guest speakers explain what it is, who is mainly impacted and what’s being done to address this disorder.

Don’t let its sweetness fool you. In Your Right Mind’s guest speakers talk about the new addiction that’s impacting families around the world.

Many consider Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder a childhood disorder. However, according to the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, more than 10 million adults have the disorder. Dr. David Velkoff and Dr. Craig Liden talk about the symptoms of ADHD in adults and the increased addiction rates for people who aren’t properly diagnosed. We also have a guest speaker provide her own experience in getting diagnosed with ADHD later in life and getting treated for substance misuse.