Podcasts about ambien

Laura Delano is the author of Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance. Laura was fourteen years old when she saw her first psychiatrist, which was not something openly discussed at the time in her wealthy hometown of Greenwich, CT. Over the next 14 years, Laura was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, social anxiety disorder, eating disorder, poly-substance dependence, and borderline personality disorder. These conditions earned her prescriptions for Seroquel, Abilify, Klonopin, Ativan, Ambien, Prozac, Effexor, Celexa, Cymbalta, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, lithium, and many more. During this time, she engaged in self-harm, spent time in psychiatric hospitals, and attempted to take her own life. In 2010, Laura decided she had had enough with all the diagnoses and the drugs. Her book tells the story of how she weaned herself from this medical regimen and found a stable life free of prescriptions. You've gotta listen to this conversation. Laura and I talk about mental health, the pharmaceutical industry, how her behavior affected those around her, how her family dealt with their difficult sister and daughter, and how that love finally helped to see her through.Btw, the ‘80s punk band whose name I couldn't remember around the 10-minute mark is Suicidal Tendencies. Thanks to my pal, “Nashville Ben” for recommending Laura's book for me. Please rate and review ⁠⁠Reasonably Happy⁠⁠ (DO IT!)  Subscribe to Paul's ⁠⁠Substack newsletter⁠⁠. Check out Laura's website here.  NOTHING IN THIS EPISODE SHOULD BE REGARDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DISTRESS, PLEASE SEEK THE HELP OF A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. ALSO, DO NOT CHANGE YOUR PRESCRIPTION REGIMEN W/O CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR.

Donna takes us to Shawville, Quebec, where the infamous Dagg family haunting has terrified generations, complete with poltergeist activity, whispered curses, and a house that refused to stay quiet. Is it folklore, mass hysteria, or something far darker still lingering in that small Canadian town? Kerri covers the shocking deaths of the Carman family, a case you may recognize from Netflix, involving unexplained tragedies and mounting suspicions within one family. As the body count rises, questions about accidents, intent, and accountability refuse to stay buried. But is Nathan Carman responsible? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. For 10% off, head to www.betterhelp.com/apc to get started today! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donna takes us to Shawville, Quebec, where the infamous Dagg family haunting has terrified generations, complete with poltergeist activity, whispered curses, and a house that refused to stay quiet. Is it folklore, mass hysteria, or something far darker still lingering in that small Canadian town? Kerri covers the shocking deaths of the Carman family, a case you may recognize from Netflix, involving unexplained tragedies and mounting suspicions within one family. As the body count rises, questions about accidents, intent, and accountability refuse to stay buried. But is Nathan Carman responsible? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. For 10% off, head to www.betterhelp.com/apc to get started today! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

In this powerful episode of the Sober Motivation Podcast, Brad sits down with Jess, who shares her raw and honest sobriety story. Jess opens up about childhood trauma, sexual assault, military service in the Air Force, prescription drug addiction, Ambien misuse, alcohol dependence, and the moment that nearly ended her life. Jess also shares what it took to rebuild from the ground up — treatment, sober living, a complete life reset, and the mindset shift that helped her move from victim to survivor. Today, Jess is approaching 9 years sober and is finishing her PhD in psychology with a focus on addiction and recovery. This episode is a powerful reminder that addiction can hide in plain sight — and that long-term recovery is possible, even after unimaginable pain. Jess On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessosborn0824/

Kerri covers a disturbing case out of Tennessee involving funeral home owner Bobby Wilks, accused of betraying grieving families in ways no one could have imagined. What begins as a trusted community business slowly unravels into a story of deception, neglect, and profound harm. Donna explores the bizarre phenomenon in Kalachi, Kazakhstan—often called the real-life “Sleepy Hollow”—where entire villages began falling asleep without warning. As scientists search for answers, the mystery only deepens, raising unsettling questions about what was really happening there. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers a disturbing case out of Tennessee involving funeral home owner Bobby Wilks, accused of betraying grieving families in ways no one could have imagined. What begins as a trusted community business slowly unravels into a story of deception, neglect, and profound harm.Donna explores the bizarre phenomenon in Kalachi, Kazakhstan—often called the real-life “Sleepy Hollow”—where entire villages began falling asleep without warning. As scientists search for answers, the mystery only deepens, raising unsettling questions about what was really happening there.If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was two years into a vicious cycle of depression and Mike Doughty was falling apart. He was taking more Ambien than he had been prescribed, importing huge boxes of the stuff from India, waking up to find packs of cigarettes, candy wrappers, and pizza boxes with no memory of leaving his Memphis home to make such purchases. He was convinced something was deeply wrong with his heart even though every doctor said there wasn't. Finally, he checked into an in-patient facility that turned out to be wonderful and productive. Then he checked out. Then Mike, a recovering addict, started drinking heavily and smoking weed. Then he checked back in again. Mike Doughty is showing improvement now and talks about his treatment, his recovery, and touring again with his band Soul Coughing again 24 years after a bitter breakup.Thank you to all our listeners who support the show as monthly members of Maximum Fun.Check out our I'm Glad You're Here and Depresh Mode merchandise at the brand new merch website MaxFunStore.com!Hey, remember, you're part of Depresh Mode and we want to hear what you want to hear about. What guests and issues would you like to have covered in a future episode? Write us at depreshmode@maximumfun.org.Depresh Mode is on BlueSky, Instagram, Substack, and you can join our Preshies Facebook group. Help is available right away.The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALKCrisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.International suicide hotline numbers available here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

Kerri covers a disturbing case out of Tennessee involving funeral home owner Bobby Wilks, accused of betraying grieving families in ways no one could have imagined. What begins as a trusted community business slowly unravels into a story of deception, neglect, and profound harm. Donna explores the bizarre phenomenon in Kalachi, Kazakhstan—often called the real-life “Sleepy Hollow”—where entire villages began falling asleep without warning. As scientists search for answers, the mystery only deepens, raising unsettling questions about what was really happening there. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers a disturbing case out of Tennessee involving funeral home owner Bobby Wilks, accused of betraying grieving families in ways no one could have imagined. What begins as a trusted community business slowly unravels into a story of deception, neglect, and profound harm.Donna explores the bizarre phenomenon in Kalachi, Kazakhstan—often called the real-life “Sleepy Hollow”—where entire villages began falling asleep without warning. As scientists search for answers, the mystery only deepens, raising unsettling questions about what was really happening there.If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Before insomnia entered Abbie's life, sleep was effortless. She'd never had to think about it. She fell asleep quickly, stayed asleep, and moved through her days without giving sleep much attention at all. It was simply there — reliable and unremarkable. That changed in the fall of 2021 after a short illness. One sleepless night turned into another, and before long, sleep became the center of everything. What started as confusion quickly grew into anxiety and pressure. Each night felt like a test. Each morning felt heavier. As the nights passed, fear took over — fear of being awake, fear of not functioning, fear that something was permanently wrong. Like many people facing insomnia, Abbie did what made sense. She tried to fix it. She went to bed earlier and earlier. She canceled plans. She followed strict routines. She tried supplements. She searched for answers. And each attempt came with hope — followed by disappointment when sleep didn't show up. Over time, life began to shrink around sleep, and the struggle only intensified. Days became just as difficult as nights. Her mind stayed locked on one question: Am I going to sleep tonight? Anxiety filled the hours. Dread set in as evening approached. Even when she was exhausted, her heart raced and her thoughts refused to slow down. What began to shift things wasn't a new fix — it was a change in how she responded. Abbie started noticing that withdrawing from life wasn't helping. Staying in bed wasn't restoring her energy. And fighting her thoughts wasn't bringing relief. Slowly, she began doing something different: showing up to her life even when sleep felt uncertain. She experimented with staying up later instead of trying to force sleep. She returned to the gym. She made plans. She studied. She lived — without waiting for sleep to cooperate. And over time, something important changed. Sleep became less of a battleground. Her thoughts lost their grip. And trust — in herself and in her body — started to rebuild. In this conversation, Abbie shares what it was like to move through insomnia, how her relationship with sleep changed, and why easing the struggle — not fixing sleep — made all the difference. Click here for a full transcript of this episode. Transcript Martin: Welcome to the Insomnia Coach Podcast. My name is Martin Reed. I believe that by changing how we respond to insomnia and all the difficult thoughts and feelings that come with it, we can move away from struggling with insomnia and toward living the life we want to live. Martin: The content of this podcast is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. The statements and opinions expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Insomnia Coach LLC. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied. Martin: Okay. Abbie, thank you so much for taking the time out for your day to come onto the podcast. Abbie: Yeah, thanks for having me. Great to be here. Martin: Let’s start right at the very beginning. When did your issues with sleep first begin and what do you feel caused those issues with sleep? Abbie: Yeah. It was fall 2021, so like almost four years ago, which is crazy because it feels so vivid in my memories. Abbie: But I had gotten sick, I think it was like the cold or a flu or something, just like a normal sick, and I wasn’t able to sleep which was really jarring for me at the time because prior to this sort of period of insomnia, I had been a really great sleeper. Like I, had my whole life I had basically like. Abbie: I never really thought much about sleep. I fell asleep immediately. I stayed asleep. Yeah I had gotten sick, I wasn’t able to sleep. And then I remember the next night I was like, okay, tonight’s the night like, I have to sleep. So I was already, like putting that pressure on sleep it has to be tonight. Abbie: And so that kind of started, I would say like the feedback loop of okay, I am stressed about sleep. The more I stress about sleep, the less I’m gonna sleep. Yeah, I think I was also dealing with just like a period of more heightened anxiety in my life at the time too. I was applying to graduate school and taking, the admissions tests for that and so maybe it was just like, kinda like the perfect storm. Abbie: I was like, okay, if I’m gonna get better, I need to sleep. I think it was also like, this was the first time in my life I had experienced a sleepless night. And so it was just like, that was really uncomfortable, like laying there awake all night. The longer you’re awake, the more stressed you’re getting, your heart’s kind of beating fast. Abbie: Like the whole thing was just uncomfortable and new for me. So I was like I don’t want that to happen again. I better sleep tonight. Abbie: I feel like each night I wasn’t sleeping, I was just getting more and more anxious about sleeping. I think I was like a week in at that point and I had probably slept two hours each night and I was like, what is going on? Abbie: Am I ever gonna sleep again? And yeah, I mean it was, I would fall asleep around four or 5:00 AM and then be back up again at 6:00 AM for work. And yeah it was just super uncomfortable and yeah, anyone who’s. Insomnia knows how stressful it is. Abbie: It was like, every hour that passes, I’m like, okay, I gotta get up in what, in three hours, two hours, one hour. And then, just this intense desire to stay in bed in the mornings. I think to see if you’re tired and you haven’t slept, and you’re like, all I wanna do is stay in bed. Abbie: I do think, like looking back, I think having my work routine and schedule was like really hard at the time, but really beneficial in some ways because I couldn’t just sit in bed and all day and try to go back to bed and I had to get up and get out and go to work. And that was also ended up being, I think, a good distraction. Abbie: At least for like the eight hours a day I was working. I wasn’t thinking about sleep. I think that was positive. Martin: What about that day, those days when you didn’t have any work obligations? Were things different then? Abbie: Yeah, I would definitely I think early on I would definitely, stay in bed all morning, like trying to quote unquote rest or see if maybe I could eventually fall asleep. Abbie: And just like really dreading the day because I had slept it all and I was like, Ugh, another day I’m gonna be really tired all day. It’s gonna be so bad. Like kind of those typical anxious, catastrophic thoughts of I just, I don’t wanna do the day. Like I didn’t get any sleep. So if there was, if I didn’t have work and nothing was like forcing me outta bed, I think it was, it would’ve been hard. Martin: So at this point. Things are really difficult as you’ve just described. And when we face difficulties in life or problems in life, we look to solve them. Martin: So what was your next step? What other things were you trying to do to get your sleep back on track and get yourself back to where you used to be? Abbie: Yeah, I think I was trying everything. One of the things I started doing early on was like, canceling all my plans and I would get off work and, as soon as I was done with work like the dread and the anxiety about sleeping that night would kick in. Abbie: And so I would be like, okay, I gotta go home. I gotta make dinner and I gotta get in bed. So I was like, my bedtime was becoming earlier and earlier even though I just, I wasn’t tired. And I think I was also pretty much trying every sleep supplement out there that there is like about a month in, I think I’d seen my doctor and she had prescribed me I think it was like Ambien or something, and I never ended up taking it, but I did try every over the counter supplement, magnesium, melatonin, all the things. Abbie: And I would get like really excited like, okay, this is gonna be the thing, like this is gonna work for me. And then every time it didn’t, it was like a letdown of okay, it was like more evidence in my mind that, my sleep is broken and there’s nothing out there that’s gonna fix it. Martin: I think a lot of people are gonna identify with that. Martin: And all the things you shared are completely logical to try, right? If we want more sleep to happen it’s almost ground into us that we go to bed earlier, that it’s important to go to bed early get more sleep, give sleep that opportunity to show up. And there can be, it can be, it’s almost like we can become really enthusiastic or we can just try so hard that it backfires on us to the point where we do less with our lives and sleep then grows in importance. Martin: It becomes more of a focus. So it’s almost like we’re up in the stakes. It becomes even more important for us to perform sleep and then when it doesn’t happen as we want it to. You did a great job of just describing what that’s like yourself. We can just, it feels, it can feel like a personal failure and it can reinforce perhaps this belief that there is something uniquely wrong, that maybe our sleep system is somehow broken. Martin: But the truth of the matter is, it’s. Perhaps it’s all the ongoing efforts and the trying, which now exists when it never existed before, when we slept fine, that might be the true source of the problem. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. And I think yeah, along the lines of just like trying everything to control sleep, I was like doing all the sleep hygiene, things like that were recommended. Abbie: Like I was no screens before bed. Like I just, I had this whole routine of I got a no caffeine, no alcohol, blah, blah, blah. That was just like adding more and more things when, like you just said in the past I had no sleep routine. Like I was, I would pass out on the couch watching TV and go to bed. Abbie: So yeah, I think that’s exactly right. Martin: Often as we’re engaged in this pursuit of sleep, we end up removing things from our lives that, either give us meaning or are enjoyable. And that could be something like we, we might give up coffee altogether, for example, even though that’s something we really enjoy. Martin: We remove that from our lives. We remove TV from our lives. We remove going out with friends late at night from our lives. And so our sleep generally stays the same because sleep doesn’t really care about any of that stuff. But at the same time, our situation has gotten worse because we’re taking all of that stuff away in order to serve sleep. Martin: And it just makes us, it can make us just feel trapped in this just endless spiral of more difficulty and a less joy from life. More withdrawal and more struggle. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. I definitely think that was my experience. The more I. I stopped my usual routine. The worse, I think the worse that it got, for sure. Abbie: Which is counterintuitive at the time I was like, I can’t be out until 10 o’clock, like I gotta be in bed. And that ended up being one of the things that I, that down the road really helped me was actually staying out late and doing things late at night and doing all these things despite not being able to sleep. Martin: I’m curious, you mentioned earlier that you went to the doctor and they gave you a prescription for the Ambien, but you didn’t end up taking end. Curious to know why that was? Abbie: Yeah. I was really nervous about taking it, but I think what I was really nervous about is that I, that it would work and that I wouldn’t rely on it to sleep and. Abbie: That was like my worst nightmare. It was like, okay, I can suffer and try to sleep and all these things, and if I took this medication and it worked is that gonna be the rest of my life? Am I never gonna be able to sleep again without this medication? So I definitely was like, I think I was really tempted and really close to probably taking it after a month of not sleeping, but I was like yeah, I just wa I didn’t wanna rip the bandaid off, I guess you could say and go down this like spiral of that I felt like I, I couldn’t get back from. Martin: And I think that’s a good illustration of how any effort or anything that we do to try and make sleep happen can so easily backfire. Because if we try something and it feels like it works. We can feel that reinforces this belief or this idea that we need something to generate sleep, that we’re incapable of generating it by ourselves. Martin: And on the other hand, if we try something and it doesn’t work, then we reinforce this belief that we need. We still need to keep looking, that we can’t generate sleep by ourselves, that we failed at that thing or that we failed at sleep. So we’ve got this potential that regardless of the outcome, every time we try, we might be reinforcing this idea or this belief that there’s something wrong with our sleep system, that there’s something wrong with our situation, that something is broken when that’s never the case, as we’ll explore a little bit later in our conversation. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. I think the reliance, like you said on these external things was really big for me early on and that didn’t end up being the solution. Martin: You also made a good point too, that if we do feel like we’re reliant on something, there might be a point in the future where we don’t wanna be reliant on that thing anymore. Martin: So if we haven’t addressed what the real root cause of this issue might be then we are gonna be having to revisit that at some point in the future. So it never really goes away. It’s always gonna be with us. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. It definitely felt like a short term solution and I was like, I gotta try, I gotta try something else. Martin: People that aren’t too familiar with insomnia will usually only think of insomnia as like a nighttime problem, but when we’ve been struggling with it or we’ve got that experience of struggling with it, we know that it really is a 24 hour problem, right? It affects our nights and it affects our days. Martin: Maybe it affects our days even more than it affects our nights. I’m curious to hear from you. How was this affecting your days? Not only in terms of like you touched upon your, those kind of withdrawal from the activities and doing things that are important to you, but the way your mind was responding. What was that experience like for you? Abbie: Yeah, I would say it was like really intense anxiety. Pretty much from the moment I got outta bed of just these thoughts of am I gonna sleep tonight? And like I had said going to work was a good distraction, but of course I was like exhausted at work and I was like, I don’t know how many more days and nights of this like I can do. Abbie: And you’re just spiraling. Is this permanent? Is this forever? And I think I also developed a lot of health anxiety around it, like I had all these concerns is this gonna have long-term sort of negative consequences on my health? I think, rightfully there’s so much out there about the number one thing you could do for your health and your longevity is sleep. Abbie: And you Google sleep and there’s 15 articles about the negative consequences of not sleeping. And not to say that the science isn’t true. I just think that was like really unhelpful for me at the time of okay, not only is the consequence, like I’m tired and anxious and I, I physically feel bad, but there’s, if this keeps going this is gonna be bad for my health in the long term. Abbie: So I don’t know. All these thoughts were like spiraling all day long. And then as soon as it. I got dark out, like as soon as the sun started to go down I would get this like intense feeling of dread. And yeah. So it was definitely, like you said, an all day thing, not just like a nighttime thing. Abbie: I think at night it was definitely more I’m sitting in bed and my heart is racing and my thoughts are racing and the more you’re trying to sleep, the more your heart is racing. And so it’s like a lot of physical symptoms. And then during the day it was just like a lot of my mind is consumed with, am I gonna sleep tonight? Martin: The messaging around sleep out there is very focused on sleep is very important and I would agree with that. Sleep is very important, just like breathing is very important and we’re still waiting for a study to come out that shows that insomnia causes any health problem or increases risk of mortality. But boy, when you read some of that stuff that’s online, it really does sound like a life or death situation. And when you are already putting so much importance on sleep, it can just make things so much more difficult. Martin: Because it, again, it ups the stakes, right? And you’re gonna put more pressure on yourself to perform sleep. So yeah, I just wanted to emphasize that yes, sleep is important, but the body can generate it by itself just like it generates breathing by itself. And I think a lot of people here listening to this will really identify with how you described what your mind was doing at the time, it was problem solving for you. It was trying to fix this problem. It was brainstorming, and as it was doing that, it was generating lots of difficult feelings, difficult thoughts. It was generating anxiety to ensure that you were giving it attention. Martin: And there’s also that fatigue, right? That sense of exhaustion. And it can just be when you combine that with your mind is just being focused on sleep and generating all these predictions or these stories it can be really hard to focus and to concentrate on doing stuff that matters. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. Abbie: That, that was definitely my experience. I think, the anxiety is like enough to deal with and then you’re exhausted, and so that’s only feeding it. And you, I just remember feeling okay, if I don’t like. Die from lack of sleep I’m gonna lose my mind. Yeah, it was just a big spiral. Martin: How did you respond to what your mind was doing at the time? Abbie: At the time I had family and friends and a partner who were really supportive and I could confide in and that was great. But I also think unless you’ve experienced insomnia, I still just felt like very alone, in the experience. Abbie: And finding Insomnia Coach was like huge in realizing that I wasn’t alone and that these aren’t unique thoughts and experiences in, in a good way. So yeah, I was trying to cope I think, as best as I could. I was distracting myself. Trying to distract myself at work and yeah, as soon as I realized that the withdrawing from day-to-day activities was making it worse I think that was a really good kind of switch for me in okay, if I can’t sleep, I can’t control the sleep, but I can control my response and I can control what I’m doing. Abbie: So instead of going to bed at 8:00 PM like I’m gonna go and go to the gym. And I, with no expectation that the gym was gonna make me tired, just like I like to go to the gym and I’m gonna, if I’m up anyway, like I’m gonna study for the GRE and do my grad school application. Abbie: So I think, yeah, as soon as I had that mindset shift from withdrawing to. Going back to my normal routine. If anything it, it was a good distraction. Martin: It sounds like you noticed this conflict between some of the thoughts or the stories that your mind was your problem solving brain was telling you as it was trying to fix this problem for you, like you need to withdraw, you can’t do those things. Martin: You need to do less. You need to say, no, you need to go home. All of these things. And compared to your experience, your experience was telling you well, actually withdrawing isn’t making things any better. It’s not making me feel less fatigued or more rested. It’s certainly not making my life any better. Martin: And once you notice that conflict, maybe there was this kinda light bulb moment there that I can hear all these thoughts. I can listen to all these thoughts and stories. I don’t necessarily need to fight them. I just need to respond in a way that’s of my choosing. I get to decide how to respond to these thoughts. Martin: I don’t have to battle with them, struggle with them. I don’t have to let them control me ultimately. I still have the power here. Abbie: Yeah. I do think that was like the first sort of light bulb going off of okay, all of my thoughts and beliefs about anything but about sleep are not necessarily reality. Abbie: I don’t have to believe that, I have this thought, I’m never gonna sleep again. That doesn’t make it true. Or you have this thought like, I need to go home and cancel all my plans and otherwise we’re gonna be exhausted. I was exhausted anyway yeah I do think the realization that I didn’t have to, I guess believe my. Abbie: My thoughts was also like a really big switch for me. Martin: What did it feel like to realize that what your brain might be telling you or what your brain might be saying might not actually be true? Abbie: Yeah, honestly, it felt like a big relief. I and I also think I realize the worse I feel and the more negative the thoughts, the less true my thinking is and the less serious I need to take my thinking. Abbie: So yeah, I think this big relief of there’s a whole reality that exists out in the world and I can always come back to that and whatever my thoughts, my brain are telling me, it doesn’t always match up with what the reality is. And so as soon as I gave myself like, permission to not believe my thoughts, and I still practice this today. Abbie: Like it’s not easy, but you have an anxious thought or something and you’re like, okay, or here’s the alternative and this isn’t true. So yeah, as soon as I gave myself that permission to, to not one take my thinking so seriously and to two not trust it, especially like when I’m feeling down or bad I think yeah, that, that was a huge sort of flip for me and in my kind of journey with insomnia, but also just like my overall mental health journey. Martin: I think it might be human nature to resist what’s difficult or uncomfortable. So for many of us. We will resist anxiety, for example, or try really hard to fight it when it shows up or avoid it from showing up in the first place. As you develop this insight or this light bulb moment that maybe the thoughts aren’t always true, did that change how you were able to respond to them? Abbie: I think the big thing was just like not taking it so seriously like not taking every thought so seriously. And that in turn helped me take some of the pressure off of sleep because if, if I am, my brain is telling me that, if I don’t sleep tonight there’s gonna be all these consequences and blah, blah, blah, then, but if I don’t have to believe that, then it’s not so much pressure that I sleep tonight or the next night or whenever. Abbie: I do think like getting some distance from my own thoughts was also good. Like I, you’re just, I was so in my own head and every thought that came up, I had to follow that train of thought and act on it. When I realized that I didn’t I think I had a lot more freedom to, to actually do the things that felt Right. Martin: So when you found Insomnia Coach, at this point, you’d already been trying lots of different things. What made you think there might be something here rather than it just being yet another one of these things that you’ll probably try and not get much from? What made it feel different? Abbie: Yeah, I think the main thing was there, this sort of like notion that there’s actually nothing to do, I think a lot of other content, like I had mentioned was like, do this, and this before better or don’t do this and this. And when I found Insomnia Coach, I just really, it was the first time I had seen the messaging like, the more we try, the less sleep will come. Abbie: And so I think when I first found it, I was like, it’s like when some, when you’re stressed and someone tells you to calm down, you’re like, yeah, okay. Stop trying. Sure. That I think at the time seemed like pretty much impossible. But yeah, I think the, there was a lot of content in the emails that you sent that was like one, like I mentioned, making me feel like I’m not alone in this and this isn’t unique to me. Abbie: And two. Maybe I can just let go a little bit, like maybe I can stop trying so hard. And there were some other like specific sort of techniques and things that, that you had mentioned that ended up being really helpful for me, which I am happy to talk about. But yeah, I think it was just the permission to stop trying so hard. Martin: If we are able to remember a time when sleep wasn’t an issue or a concern, what were we doing to make sleep happen so well back then? And maybe our own experience can reveal the most valuable insight, which is that sleep was effortless. It required no effort, there were no rules, there were no rituals. It just happened by itself, and that’s really where we want to get back to. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah. I think that sort of idea you’re mentioning about some of the most valuable information being like my own experience. I think that came up again and again it later in my journey with insomnia. Like when I would have like bumps along the road, I would go back to okay, I’ve had insomnia before. Abbie: I pretty much didn’t sleep for like months on end. And I survived, and I. I went to work and I functioned and all these things like that is evidence for me in my mind that I can do it again. And I think what made this like first like intense bout so hard was that I, this was the first time it had happened. Abbie: Like I didn’t have evidence that I could go back to my baseline, but as soon as I had that, like first night of like normal sleep, I think that was really powerful for me to be like, okay here’s your own experience and evidence that it’s possible to sleep. Again. Martin: It really is a learning experience, I think. Martin: And there’s that classic phrase that we don’t know what we don’t know but if we can approach things with some kindness that we aren’t these all encompassing, all seeing individual geniuses, that there are gonna be things that we don’t know. And we can be kind to it to ourselves about that and be curious and be willing to learn or experiment. Martin: There is so much value there because I think that really is what gives us the opportunity to make change happen. Abbie: Yeah, I definitely wish I had been easier on myself when things were at their peak. I think I, yeah, just like the self-talk and like the things you’re telling yourself why can’t I do this? Abbie: My sleep must be broken. It’s all just negative reinforcement instead of positive sort of affirmations for yourself. I think that can be really hard in the moment. But yeah, looking back, I, I think that would’ve been really useful. Martin: It’s amazing how hard we can be on ourselves when things, when we’re experiencing difficulty and struggle, because I like to believe that there’s good in all of us, and I think that most of us, if we were sitting down with a loved one and they were describing exactly what we were going through themselves, we would talk to them in a completely different way to how we talk to ourselves when we are experiencing that exact same thing. Abbie: Yeah. That is so true. I think that’s something I, I’m still working on, like in every situation what would I tell my loved one, or my friend or my family like I would, if the roles were reversed and a friend had come to me with this insomnia problem, like I would’ve been really like concerned and worried for them. Abbie: But of course I wouldn’t have been like. And I would be like, you’re gonna sleep again. Of course you’re gonna sleep again. And I couldn’t tell myself that at the time. Martin: And if nothing else, again, if we pull on our own experience, we can ask ourselves, how does talking to myself in this way? Or how does acting toward myself in this way help? Martin: Is it improving the situation? Is it making me feel better? Is it helping me emerge from the struggle? Or is it making things more difficult? And I’m a big, I’m a huge proponent of us using our own experience as our best guide, because every person is the expert on themselves. I’m not the expert of anyone other than myself. Martin: But what I can do is encourage people to look within themselves and reflect on their own experience. When it comes to so many struggles in life maybe all of them, the answers that we need are already within us. It’s just a case of. Looking for them. And sometimes we need some kind of external influence or source to tease them out, but all the answers are already within us. Abbie: Yeah. Yeah, that’s a great point. Martin: Let’s get into the changes that you made, that you found most helpful. What ones would you like to share with us? Abbie: Yeah, the most like tangible thing I did was give myself this sort of like wake window in which I couldn’t go to bed. I think I started with three or 4:00 AM or something, and I was like, I’m not even gonna attempt to sleep. Abbie: I have to stay up until 3:00 AM and then I can get in bed and whatever happens, but like until 3:00 AM I am watching tv, I’m doing something, whatever. And I think this like definitely tricked my brain from I have to sleep, I have to sleep, I have to sleep to, I can’t sleep until this time. Abbie: I think that was like really powerful for me. And, it wasn’t like a cure all, like all of a sudden I was sleeping, but it took probably a month when I was like slowly pushing back this sleep sort of window earlier and eventually I would, it would be like 2:00 AM and I would be like passing out to sleep on the couch. Abbie: And I was like, okay, we’ll push it back to 1:00 AM and midnight. And that was really helpful for me. And something that I used, even once my sleep improved, if I had, a bad night or a bad week, I’d be like, okay we’re going back to this like wake window and tonight I’m up until three and we’ll see what happens. Abbie: So yeah it was totally just a mental thing of telling yourself you need to sleep versus telling yourself you have to stay awake. Which is such a simple thing when you, when I look back, but that was like really transformative. Yeah. And the other thing, like I talked about, I think was just like really returning to my routine. Abbie: So like I, I would hang out with friends after work. I would go to the gym, take, my roommate at the time was like a night shift nurse, so she was up anyway, so I’d be like, let’s go do something. And, I’d be out, it’d be like midnight and I’d be like, okay. That was all time in which I was distracted and not thinking about sleep. Abbie: And then I come home and I found sleek to just be a lot easier as soon as I, yeah, sleep to be a lot easier. When I wasn’t laying in bed at 8:00 PM every night waiting for it to happen. Martin: I think what you’ve shared is a great example of there’s no unique way of doing this that is gonna work or be appropriate for everyone. Martin: It’s about finding what’s helpful for you with the intent, as long as the intention is workable, as long as you’re not trying to control what can’t be controlled. So for you, your intent was to move away from trying to make sleep happen. And as a way of helping you reach that goal, you decided I’m gonna make myself stay awake till 3:00 AM instead of trying to fall asleep, I’m gonna try to stay awake. Martin: And that could be such a powerful mindset shift, right? Because then when we’re trying to stay awake. What might happen differently? What was your experience? How did things change when you went from trying to sleep to trying to stay awake? Abbie: Yeah, I just felt like the, I had a new goal, like my brain had a new problem to solve, and the problem was like, we gotta stay up till 3:00 AM and I gotta find stuff to do until 3:00 AM. Abbie: So that was helpful. And just yeah, taking the pressure off from and getting outta my own thoughts of okay, it’s another hour and I’m outta sleep. It’s another hour and I’m not asleep. And into just a more calm and peaceful state of mind. And then of course once that happens, like I would just, I would fall asleep. Abbie: And even on those nights, like when I. I was trying to make to 3:00 AM and I would like doze off at two or something. I would, the next day I would be like, okay, like what did I do? Like how did I do it? And every night it was like I didn’t do anything, like my body just fell asleep and there was enough sleep drive to, to put me to sleep. Abbie: And then, yeah, as soon as I had, like even I, like I mentioned I was really sleeping like very little. So even when I had three or four hours of sleep a night, that was again, more evidence in my mind that my sleep is not broken and it is possible. So it was that positive feedback cycle, whereas before it had been this negative feedback cycle. Martin: When you weren’t trying to make sleep happen, you were now all of a sudden trying to stay awake. That urge to sleep just became stronger because you’re no longer putting that pressure on or putting the effort in. And that came too with the bonus of, it’s a powerful reminder that your sleep system is still there, it’s still intact, it’s not broken. Martin: You are feeling that sense of sleepiness and a sense of sleepiness isn’t always required for sleep to happen, but it can be a nice reassuring reminder when you feel that sleepiness and the difficulty staying awake. And even if someone is listening to this and they don’t really wanna stay awake until 3:00 AM again, that’s not a requirement. Martin: A lot of people just look to stay awake later than they have been. If they feel like they go into bed earlier and it’s not really doing much for them, then how about we just move it a little bit later? Martin: It’s just a tool that’s there for you to practice if and when you as the expert on yourself, feel is gonna be useful. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. We’re trying to get away from here’s the one thing that’s gonna fix everything and that’s not the case. But I do think anything that can flipped the script in your brain from sleep whether it’s distraction or whether it’s staying up later or whatever, I think can be really useful. Martin: Yeah. And sometimes staying up later can be more appealing than going to bed earlier. If we find that when we go to bed earlier is a lot of tossing and turning and struggling and battling, it can be somewhat of a relief to give ourselves permission to stay out of bed and not go to bed until later. Martin: Whereas on the other hand, someone else listening to this might find that time in bed quite pleasant. In which case, why not go to bed at the time you’ve been going? It really does, again, come down to the individual, but there is that potential opportunity, bonus opportunity there of being able to do something else earlier in the night rather than struggling. Martin: The other helpful change that you’ve said that you made was reengaging in life and doing stuff for example, going to the gym which maybe you were doing less of in response to the difficulties with sleep. And I think maybe a lot of people listening to this can recognize that. Yeah I would love to do all these things that matter to me. Martin: But it just feels so difficult to do that. It maybe, it even feels impossible to do that. I’m curious to know if you had those kind of thoughts, and if so, how did you stay committed or how were you willing to experiment with this idea of still doing some of this stuff, re-engaging in this stuff that matters? Abbie: Yeah, I, I think early on, like fighting the urge to just go home and do nothing was so hard. Like the last thing it did, it felt impossible to think I’m gonna go do something with friends after work, or I’m gonna go to the gym or whatever. And I did kind of shy away from everything for a long time because it was so hard. But I think even like that first time that I made plans after work or went to the gym and realized like, okay, nothing bad happened I’m still just as tired as I was before. It wasn’t, I think also at this point, like my body was in such like fight or flight mode that like nothing, like I just was exhausted and nothing was making it better or worse honestly. Abbie: And so when I realized okay, I can either. Go home and toss and turn in bed all night and feel horrible. Or I can go to the movies after work and then come home and feel horrible. I’m gonna pick the thing that at least gives me a little bit of joy for the time that I’m doing it. And yeah not to say doing any of that, like somehow cured my sleep or anything. Abbie: But I started slowly to like care a little bit less and less that I wasn’t sleeping because it, one of the things I had been telling myself is okay, why is it so bad that I can’t sleep? It’s so bad because I’m not gonna be able to live my life. Abbie: I’m not gonna be able to go to work. I’m gonna get fired. All these things. And when you realize that, okay, these things are not conditional on sleep, like I can still do these things. Despite whether or not I sleep, I think there was a lot of freedom in that. Martin: What did progress for you look like? How did you measure progress? Abbie: I definitely think early on it was still all about sleep and the quality of my sleep. And every night was like either a success or a failure. Like I either slept or I didn’t, and things were very black and white. And I think slowly over time I was able to realize, okay, maybe there’s a little bit less anxiety and a little bit less dread before bedtime because I’m excited to go out with my roommate or to go to yoga or whatever. Abbie: Like eventually I got to the point where success, I think I, I always was gonna like care about sleep, but I definitely got to the point where success was a lot more like. What is my mental state about sleep? Am I wrapped up in this like anxious bald spiral or am I thinking and doing other things with my day? Abbie: So yeah, I think measuring progress definitely changed. Does as time went on. And I do think measuring progress in did I sleep or did I not sleep is, was not useful for me personally. Martin: It makes sense why we would want to measure progress based on how we’re sleeping from night to night because that’s the main problem that we are looking to solve. Martin: And yet it can set us up for struggle ’cause our own experience probably tells us that sleep is out of our control. So I think it can be useful to dig a little bit deeper and ask ourselves. What makes sleep important to me? Why do I want to get rid of insomnia? Martin: And on the surface it can sound obvious, but if you do a little bit of digging, we can often find that it reveals bigger insights that are often more related to, we see this as an obstacle to us living the kind of life we want to live. We don’t have freedom over our lives or power over our lives anymore, and we want that back. Martin: And so when you uncover something along those lines, if that’s something that you do uncover. It can help you redirect your attention towards action. And maybe then your markers of progress become more related to action. And that can be so helpful because action is within your control. So if insomnia is an obstacle to you doing things that matter, or if you’ve started to do some things that matter, maybe then that’s the true progress. Martin: ’cause it’s actually moving you closer to where you want to be, rather than trying to eliminate something which you might not be able to direct your control. Abbie: Definitely true for me that one of the worries with insomnia was like, like I said I’m not gonna be able to go to work, I’m not gonna be able to be successful in a career or maintain my relationships, giving myself evidence that’s not true in the form of well, I’m gonna do these things anyway, was so powerful. Martin: It’s connected to that power and influence all these thoughts and these feelings that show up alongside insomnia have over your life. So you are able to reflect on the fact that they were almost certainly still showing up maybe less over time as you’re less tangled up in them. Martin: But I’m sure they would still show up because they’re natural, normal human feelings and thoughts, but they’re not consuming all of your energy and all of your attention. They’re more like water off of a duck’s back rather than some, rather than this huge pair of stadium speakers right in front of your face just blaring heavy metal music. Martin: They’re just starting to lose some of that power and influence. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. And it’s so interesting to reflect now when I have a period of sleeplessness or something like. Just how now it’s like an annoyance. I’m like that was annoying. I might be tired today. When before it was like, the world is ending, so I think the seriousness at which I view not sleeping has, is definitely definitely lessened, which is good Martin: When it shows up it’s more like a mosquito rather than a huge black bear frothing at the mouth. Abbie: Yeah. Martin: As you were making these changes, was it just a case that things just got progressively better? Martin: Or did you find there were periods when things went well and then there were like these road bumps or setbacks? Was there any kind of patterns you were noticing, or was it all over the place? What did that look like for you? What did that journey look like for you? Abbie: Yeah, definitely was not linear. Abbie: I think about maybe after about six months, I felt like I was sleeping okay, maybe six hours a night in my own bed. But I think sleeping elsewhere or having my partner stay over, traveling, all that stuff was like still really hard for me. And like on one pattern I noticed was like on Sunday nights I really had trouble sleeping because I was like, again, putting pressure, like this is my last night before I have an entire work week to get through. If I don’t sleep tonight, I’m gonna be tired all week. And then by the time like Thursday came, I think sleep was like a lot easier ’cause it just was like, okay, I’m at the end of the week. I’m tired. Abbie: But yeah, I would say it was probably about like a year until I felt like I could really sleep elsewhere, like travel or stay at my parents’ house or anything, and sleep. Abbie: There were definitely bumps along the road and about a year in I ended up going to grad school and that was just like a big change in my life and a period of kind of stress and some of the sleep issues came back and I just went right back to the things that I had worked last time. Abbie: Like I went back to my wake windows and I think it was just so much easier when it did come back because instead of thinking like I, I mean there were some thoughts of oh no, like it’s happening again. But more so there were thoughts of I did this before, I can do it again. And I have better tools now. Abbie: So I think looking back, it was like each bump along the road made things better in a way. ’cause it was like, again, more evidence that these things are gonna ebb and flow, but I’m always gonna return to baseline. Martin: You can’t have those bumps in the road unless you’re moving forward on your journey. Martin: And that’s something we can easily lose sight of. We focus on what hasn’t gone right or we focus on the setback but that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t within that context of some kind of progress. Abbie: Yeah, I definitely had a lot more gratitude, like going from sleeping one or two hours a night, like every next hour that I was able to sleep. Abbie: Like I was just grateful for. And even now if I consistently will get eight hours of sleep and every once in a while I’ll be like, I need to remember to be thankful for that because there was a period in which like four hours of sleep was like the ultimate goal. So yeah, definitely a good exercise in practicing gratitude too. Martin: I think when the difficult nights show up or when the nights when we get less sleep than usual or what we were hoping for, it’s a reminder that as human beings there are gonna be nights when we have less sleep than we want. Just there will be thoughts that show up and some of those thoughts will feel good, some won’t, some will be helpful, some won’t. Martin: And it really is just a case, like you said, of the ongoing practice. You’ve got that experience at that point of what has helped you. It’s just a case of going back to them or refocusing on them. Because every time you practice, you also get better at them. You gain more skill In all these things that we talked about, you develop more resiliency, you become better at it. Martin: But that doesn’t mean you can reach this ultimate peak of enlightenment when none of this stuff affects you and never shows up ever again. Life doesn’t work that way. There’s like this magnet force trying to draw us back into a struggle. But it’s a case of you’ve got that awareness now of when that’s happening, you know an alternative way to respond. Martin: And you can focus on those action based responses to continue moving forward. As you reflect on the journey that you’ve been on, how has it changed your life? What have you learned from this whole experience? Abbie: When it was happening I remember, like I said, just having these really negative thoughts of this is gonna change my life for the worst. Abbie: I’m gonna have long-term, health or otherwise consequences from this. And not only has that not been the case but also I feel like it, it really has had a positive impact in that. I just feel like a lot more equipped to handle. The ebbs and the flows. There was a point in my life where, you know, thinking about having kids and traveling and all these things that were gonna disrupt my sleep, like really stressed me out. Abbie: And those things are a little bit quieter now that I have this like trust that, that I can handle these things. And I think that extends not just to like insomnia, but other areas in my life like these thought patterns and this mentality like can be applied to any sort of like area of anxiety or just any sort of thoughts that I’m having. Abbie: Yeah, I’ve definitely found it just like mentality shift to be useful in other areas of my life as well. Martin: You’re not the first person to say that, and I completely agree with you. A lot of this stuff that we talk about can really powerfully impact our lives in a positive way. It’s not just a way to respond to insomnia. Martin: The experience can be a real growth opportunity, which sounds crazy when you’re still in the struggle with it, but once you’re able to reflect back on it, what you learn from the experience can be a huge asset. Abbie: Yeah, definitely. I think it, like you said, at the time I would’ve just like totally rolled my eyes that this is gonna be a positive thing in the long run. Okay, sure. But yeah it really has been. Given me a lot of coping skills I think that I can take into the future and into other areas of my life. Martin: Abbie, I’m really grateful for the time you’ve taken out your day to come on. If someone with chronic insomnia is listening they feel as though they’ve tried everything. They’re beyond help. They’ll never be able to stop struggling with insomnia. What would you say to them? Abbie: I think first I would say you are not alone. And in the nicest way possible, like your anxiety and your insomnia is not special. I remember feeling like that’s great that all these people have found these solutions, but somehow my insomnia is worse and mine is different. Abbie: And these things like peace and returning to this baseline is not possible for me. And the funny thing is that’s what we’re all thinking. That our insomnia, our anxiety is somehow different and special. And yeah, just to say that, me overcoming this also isn’t special. Abbie: That is possible for everybody. And yeah the path might not be linear, but I think it’s possible for everybody and we can’t control sleep, like we’ve been saying. But you can control how you respond and I think that’s the best way forward. Martin: Thanks again for taking the time to come onto the podcast and to share your journey, your experience, all the insights you’ve picked up on the way. Abbie: Yeah. Thanks so much. It was great to talk. Martin: Thanks for listening to the Insomnia Coach Podcast. If you're ready to get your life back from insomnia, I would love to help. You can learn more about the sleep coaching programs I offer at Insomnia Coach — and, if you have any questions, you can email me. Martin: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Insomnia Coach Podcast. I'm Martin Reed, and as always, I'd like to leave you with this important reminder — you are not alone and you can sleep. I want you to be the next insomnia success story I share! If you're ready to stop struggling with sleep and get your life back from insomnia, you can start my insomnia coaching course at insomniacoach.com. Please share this episode!

Donna dives into the bizarre legend of Mel's Hole, a mysterious bottomless pit said to defy science, logic, and possibly reality itself. From impossible depths to eerie claims of resurrection, this story blurs the line between urban legend and nightmare fuel.  Kerri covers the brutal murder of an entire family in a case that left a community reeling and investigators racing to piece together what happened. At the center of the story is Monica Diaz, whose connection to the family would slowly unravel as the truth came to light.  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month.If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donna dives into the bizarre legend of Mel's Hole, a mysterious bottomless pit said to defy science, logic, and possibly reality itself. From impossible depths to eerie claims of resurrection, this story blurs the line between urban legend and nightmare fuel.    Kerri covers the brutal murder of an entire family in a case that left a community reeling and investigators racing to piece together what happened. At the center of the story is Monica Diaz, whose connection to the family would slowly unravel as the truth came to light.   This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna dives into the bizarre legend of Mel's Hole, a mysterious bottomless pit said to defy science, logic, and possibly reality itself. From impossible depths to eerie claims of resurrection, this story blurs the line between urban legend and nightmare fuel.  Kerri covers the brutal murder of an entire family in a case that left a community reeling and investigators racing to piece together what happened. At the center of the story is Monica Diaz, whose connection to the family would slowly unravel as the truth came to light.  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month.If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories!Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.comJoin The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna dives into the bizarre legend of Mel's Hole, a mysterious bottomless pit said to defy science, logic, and possibly reality itself. From impossible depths to eerie claims of resurrection, this story blurs the line between urban legend and nightmare fuel.    Kerri covers the brutal murder of an entire family in a case that left a community reeling and investigators racing to piece together what happened. At the center of the story is Monica Diaz, whose connection to the family would slowly unravel as the truth came to light.   This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Thomas Brown from Canadian, Texas, a case that fractured a small town and raised serious questions about law enforcement handling, conflicting evidence, and how the truth was ultimately uncovered. What began as a missing teen investigation evolved into a deeply controversial case that continues to spark debate. Donna tells the strange and unsettling story of Kenny Veach, a YouTuber who disappeared in the Nevada desert while searching for a mysterious cave he said gave off a weird vibration. Between his eerie videos, a solo hike that went terribly wrong, and the total lack of clear answers, his disappearance has become one of the internet's most baffling mysteries.  This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Thomas Brown from Canadian, Texas, a case that fractured a small town and raised serious questions about law enforcement handling, conflicting evidence, and how the truth was ultimately uncovered. What began as a missing teen investigation evolved into a deeply controversial case that continues to spark debate. Donna tells the strange and unsettling story of Kenny Veach, a YouTuber who disappeared in the Nevada desert while searching for a mysterious cave he said gave off a weird vibration. Between his eerie videos, a solo hike that went terribly wrong, and the total lack of clear answers, his disappearance has become one of the internet's most baffling mysteries.  This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna checks into the historic Hotel San Carlos, where ghostly sightings, tragic tales, and eerie encounters have kept this Phoenix landmark on every haunted-hotel list. She digs into the hotel's chilling past, from mysterious apparitions to the resident spirits who supposedly never checked out. Kerri covers the horrific murder of Daniel Halseth, a father whose life was taken in a brutal plot carried out by his daughter and her boyfriend. She unpacks the timeline, the investigation, and the disturbing attempts to cover up the crime that left the community stunned. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. Save more than 50% on term life insurance at www.selectquote.com/CREEP TODAY to get started. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna checks into the historic Hotel San Carlos, where ghostly sightings, tragic tales, and eerie encounters have kept this Phoenix landmark on every haunted-hotel list. She digs into the hotel's chilling past, from mysterious apparitions to the resident spirits who supposedly never checked out. Kerri covers the horrific murder of Daniel Halseth, a father whose life was taken in a brutal plot carried out by his daughter and her boyfriend. She unpacks the timeline, the investigation, and the disturbing attempts to cover up the crime that left the community stunned. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit www.betterhelp.com/apc today for 10% off your first month.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. Save more than 50% on term life insurance at www.selectquote.com/CREEP TODAY to get started. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Join My Private Group: ⁠⁠https://theaxioncollective.manus.space/⁠⁠Email List: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://huntershealthhacks.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get My Book On Amazon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://a.co/d/avbaV48Download⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Peptide Cheat Sheet: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://peptidecheatsheet.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download The Bioregulator Cheat Sheet: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bioregulatorcheatsheet.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1 On 1 Coaching Application: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hunterwilliamscoaching.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book A Call With Me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hunterwilliamscall.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Supplement Sources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hunterwilliamssupplements.carrd.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon Storefront: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hunterwilliams/list/WE16G2223BXA?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_R7QWQC0P1RACB2ETY3DY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Socials:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hunterwilliamscoaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Video Topic Request: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hunterwilliamsvideotopic.carrd.co/⁠In this episode, I'm revisiting one of the most underrated peptides in the entire toolbox: DSIP – Delta Sleep Inducing Peptide.About a year and a half ago I did a deep dive on DSIP and mostly talked about it as a “sleep peptide.” Since then, I've spent a lot more time digging into the literature and experimenting with different dosing protocols myself – and what I've found is that DSIP is actually much more of a circadian rhythm peptide than a simple knock-you-out sleep aid.I walk you through the origin story of DSIP, how Swiss researchers first isolated this nine–amino acid peptide from rabbits in deep delta sleep back in the 1970s, and why it's so fascinating that it shows up in human brain, plasma, and even breast milk. We talk about the wild fact that DSIP can cross the blood–brain barrier, and why that makes nasal spray formulations surprisingly effective in real-world use.From there, we get into mechanisms: DSIP's ability to lower ACTH and cortisol, act as a “stress-limiting” factor, nudge growth hormone a bit, modulate pain pathways, and influence neurotransmitters like Substance P. I break down why I see it as a multi-system modulator that gently rebalances the body's own sleep circuitry instead of sedating you like Ambien.We cover the human data from the 1980s – the insomnia trials where DSIP normalized sleep architecture, the European study using DSIP in alcohol and opiate withdrawal with surprisingly high success rates, and a small pilot in chronic pain and tinnitus where most patients had meaningful relief.Then I share how I actually use it: my preferred subcutaneous dosing range of 100–500 mcg, why I think 2–3 hours before bed on an empty-ish stomach works best, and how I'm planning to use DSIP more aggressively for jet lag and circadian realignment when I travel. I also talk about my wife's experience (she loves DSIP) versus mine (I don't struggle with sleep, but I still see it as a staple tool).Finally, I touch on safety, the immunogenicity caveat, and why DSIP probably isn't a top-5 peptide—but is absolutely one I'll always keep in the house.If you want more conversations like this and direct Q&A access, make sure you're on my email list and check out The Axion Collective, my private community for peptide researchers and optimization nerds.

Awards season may be driving Earth's Mightiest Critics loco, but we're moving full steam ahead with Clint Bentley's Train Dreams!Joel Edgerton stars as Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker adjusting to change in early 20th Century America. This adaptation of Denis Johnson's novella has been compared to the work of Terrence Malick. But does that mean its an artful, easygoing meditation on life--or pretentious celluloid Ambien? Join us as we forge a path to the answers in spoilerific detail, AND take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Train Dreams is now streaming on Netflix!Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:XLetterboInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Train Dreams (2025) trailer.As mentioned in the show, Joe Engleman of the Chicago Reader wrote an enlightening review of Train Dreams--which formed the backbone of this conversation. Read it here! Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Get seated with The Blonde in Front!Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...And Film Obsessive...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield's Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Kerri dives into the shocking murder of Bobby Kent—a twisted tale of toxic friendships, manipulation, and a group of Florida teens who thought murder was the only way out. She breaks down the chaotic plotting, the brutal attack, and the unbelievable cast of characters behind this real-life “Bully” case. Donna explores the eerie disappearance of the Yuba County Five, a case riddled with bizarre clues, abandoned cars, and unanswered questions in the snowy Sierra Nevada wilderness. She unravels the strange circumstances leading up to their final days and the enduring mystery that still haunts true-crime fans decades later. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri dives into the shocking murder of Bobby Kent—a twisted tale of toxic friendships, manipulation, and a group of Florida teens who thought murder was the only way out. She breaks down the chaotic plotting, the brutal attack, and the unbelievable cast of characters behind this real-life “Bully” case. Donna explores the eerie disappearance of the Yuba County Five, a case riddled with bizarre clues, abandoned cars, and unanswered questions in the snowy Sierra Nevada wilderness. She unravels the strange circumstances leading up to their final days and the enduring mystery that still haunts true-crime fans decades later. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna explores a different kind of story this episode. The curious and unexpected story of Betty Lou Williams who lived her life and became the highest paid human oddity.  Kerri follows with the heartbreaking and controversial death of Tera Chavez, shining a light on the quest for answers that refuse to fade.     If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna explores a different kind of story this episode. The curious and unexpected story of Betty Lou Williams who lived her life and became the highest paid human oddity.  Kerri follows with the heartbreaking and controversial death of Tera Chavez, shining a light on the quest for answers that refuse to fade.     If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the murder of Maritza Martin Munoz, whose life was cut short when her estranged husband brutally attacked her outside a Miami cemetery. She walks listeners through the shocking crime, the twisted motive behind it, and the chilling impact it left on the community. Donna dives into the eerie history of the Stranahan House in Fort Lauderdale, a landmark known for its hauntings and unsettling past. She explores the legends, the spirits said to linger, and why this iconic home remains one of Florida's most storied paranormal hotspots. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the murder of Maritza Martin Munoz, whose life was cut short when her estranged husband brutally attacked her outside a Miami cemetery. She walks listeners through the shocking crime, the twisted motive behind it, and the chilling impact it left on the community. Donna dives into the eerie history of the Stranahan House in Fort Lauderdale, a landmark known for its hauntings and unsettling past. She explores the legends, the spirits said to linger, and why this iconic home remains one of Florida's most storied paranormal hotspots. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Jameela welcomes actor Penn Badgley, with his Podcrushed co-hosts Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari (podcast: Podcrushed, new book: Crushmore: Essays on Love, Loss and Coming of Age) for a truly chaotic and hilarious hour of wrong turns. From Sophie's doomed West Village romance and Jameela's on-set “fart coffin,” to Nava's accidental Ambien-induced text to Ariana Grande's manager and Penn's near-collision at the Met Gala, this one spirals delightfully out of control.Confessions, catastrophes, and exactly the kind of laughter-therapy Wrong Turns was made for.Jameela's Substack is A Low Desire To Please, you can also find her on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.Our consulting producer is Colin Anderson.Wrong Turns was created and produced by Jameela Jamil and Stewart Bailey.Listen to Wrong Turns on Amazon Music or wherever you find your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donna dives into the bizarre case of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon, a mysterious figure who terrorized an Illinois town with strange nighttime attacks. Was it mass hysteria or a real-life gas-wielding criminal? Kerri covers the horrifying crimes of Anthony Sowell, known as the Cleveland Strangler, whose house of horrors shocked the nation. She unpacks how his victims were overlooked for far too long. This episode is covered by Better Help. Head to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off your first month! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast

Donna dives into the bizarre case of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon, a mysterious figure who terrorized an Illinois town with strange nighttime attacks. Was it mass hysteria or a real-life gas-wielding criminal? Kerri covers the horrifying crimes of Anthony Sowell, known as the Cleveland Strangler, whose house of horrors shocked the nation. She unpacks how his victims were overlooked for far too long. This episode is covered by Better Help. Head to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off your first month! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast

Kerri covers the heartbreaking murder of Steven Turner in Pennsylvania in 1981. After the case was solved, the family thought they had put the heartbreak behind them and were able to move on with their lives remembering Steven but the judicial system is not that easy. Donna dives into the mysterious disappearance and death of Ella Maud “Nell” Cropsey, a case that's haunted Elizabeth City for over a century. This one will leave you with more questions than answers.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. Save more than fifty percent on term life insurance at www.selectquote.com/creep TODAY to get started. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the heartbreaking murder of Steven Turner in Pennsylvania in 1981. After the case was solved, the family thought they had put the heartbreak behind them and were able to move on with their lives remembering Steven but the judicial system is not that easy. Donna dives into the mysterious disappearance and death of Ella Maud “Nell” Cropsey, a case that's haunted Elizabeth City for over a century. This one will leave you with more questions than answers.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. Save more than fifty percent on term life insurance at www.selectquote.com/creep TODAY to get started. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna heads to Texas to uncover the eerie legends surrounding El Paso High School — often called the most haunted school in America. From ghostly yearbook photos to sealed-off hallways, she dives into what makes this school a paranormal hotspot. Kerri covers the shocking case of Keri Murphy, a young woman whose strained relationship with her mother, Mary Ann Murphy, ended in a brutal and tragic murder. She unpacks the disturbing details and what could have led a daughter to commit the unthinkable. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna heads to Texas to uncover the eerie legends surrounding El Paso High School — often called the most haunted school in America. From ghostly yearbook photos to sealed-off hallways, she dives into what makes this school a paranormal hotspot. Kerri covers the shocking case of Keri Murphy, a young woman whose strained relationship with her mother, Mary Ann Murphy, ended in a brutal and tragic murder. She unpacks the disturbing details and what could have led a daughter to commit the unthinkable. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Subscribe to Throwing Fits on Patreon. G'day, mates. This week, Jimmy and Larry are coming to you from the Ace Hotel in Sydney, Australia for a down under edition on the road pod on everything we've got planned this weekend at Surplus 2025, fits inspired by our own memes, the best Aussie boots since 1932, how much would you pay for a koala photo op, Sora, creativity vs. grinding, Australia invented 2010's Williamsburg, a plethora of plane movies reviewed, how flying commercial is like the military, James popped his first Ambien, taking two dips at Bondi and Bronte Beach, touching grass at the Royal Botanic Garden and Hyde Park, the Sydney opera house lived up to the hype but don't fact-check any of our tidbits, hotel gym etiquette, sage advice from Derrick Gee, what's even in Vegemite,  you can find us in Chinatown, a 10 William St feast, surviving a calamity at Clam Bar with Patrick Johnson, the best hair transplant advertisement ever, wired headphones might actually be good, the strangest fish sandwich of all time, chicken salt sounds better than it tastes and much more.

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Cops And Writers Podcast, where the tables, or mics, are turned. Today on this special Author Spotlight, I’m being interviewed by book coach and editor, Lori Puma. A little about Lori: Lori Puma helps authors write novels that inspire readers to skip bathroom breaks and survive on chips and salsa. She started her writing career by publishing scientific papers. (Great reading if it’s 3:12 am and you’ve run out of Ambien.) Since then, she’s worked a variety of jobs, many of which involved telling stories. Now a developmental editor and story coach, Lori works with writers who are trying to figure out how to tell a story readers can’t put down, as well as seasoned authors who are looking for ways to make their stories stand out.    For today’s interview, Lori will pick my brain, analyzing what today’s crime writers can learn from the Edgar Allan Poe classic The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Of course, we go off course a bit with some of my war stories from working the streets. I had a lot of fun chatting with Lori and learned a bunch! Lori asked some excellent questions that will be of service for crime writers. Please enjoy this informative and fun interview with Lori steering the boat.   In today’s episode, we discuss: ·      Edgar Allan Poe's classic The Murders in the Rue Morgue. ·      What is a ‘locked room’ mystery? ·      My first locked-room mystery on the street. ·      Interviewing a potential homicide suspect. ·      Managing a chaotic homicide scene with multiple witnesses/suspects. ·      Setting up a formal interrogation. ·      Being the first cop on the scene of a homicide with over 100 people running out of a tavern. ·      The surprising way police obtain confessions from a suspect.  All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast. Visit Lori's website to learn more about her and her services! Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel! Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!! Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series. Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

Let us know what you think! Text us!SPONSORED BY: PURE LIBERTY LABS, TITAN SARMS, PRECISION WELLNESS GROUP, and THE SPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATIONSleep is not a luxury—it's a mission-critical component of mental health. In this episode, Dr. Leah Kaylor breaks down the science of sleep, from the role of REM in emotional processing to the hidden dangers of sleep apnea and overused medications like Ambien. She offers practical, actionable strategies to improve your sleep environment and explains why sleep is foundational for healing, resilience, and performance—especially for veterans and high-stress professionals. 

Donna explores the life of Southern writer Elizabeth Jane Croom Bellamy, whose work reflected the grief and moral struggles of post–Civil War America. Her story reveals a woman navigating loss, legacy, and the expectations of her time. Kerri covers Ilse Koch, the infamous “Witch of Buchenwald,” whose brutality toward concentration camp prisoners became a symbol of human cruelty. Her case exposed the terrifying depths of power and corruption during the Nazi regime. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Head to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off you first month.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. To find life insurance that fits your needs, head to www.selectquote.com/creep to save more than 50% today! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna explores the life of Southern writer Elizabeth Jane Croom Bellamy, whose work reflected the grief and moral struggles of post–Civil War America. Her story reveals a woman navigating loss, legacy, and the expectations of her time. Kerri covers Ilse Koch, the infamous “Witch of Buchenwald,” whose brutality toward concentration camp prisoners became a symbol of human cruelty. Her case exposed the terrifying depths of power and corruption during the Nazi regime. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Head to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off you first month.  This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. To find life insurance that fits your needs, head to www.selectquote.com/creep to save more than 50% today! If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the disturbing murder of Jaime Rae Feden, whose boyfriend lured her to the Nevada desert and later impersonated her online in a twisted act of deception. Donna shares the eerie story of actress Elke Sommer's haunted Beverly Hills home, where a ghostly feud blurred the line between superstition and Hollywood scandal. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri covers the disturbing murder of Jaime Rae Feden, whose boyfriend lured her to the Nevada desert and later impersonated her online in a twisted act of deception. Donna shares the eerie story of actress Elke Sommer's haunted Beverly Hills home, where a ghostly feud blurred the line between superstition and Hollywood scandal. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep and use promo code CREEP for an extra 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

From Teacher to Tragedy: Breaking Down Ellen Greenberg's Mental State | Psych Expert Weighs In Was Ellen Greenberg's death the result of a private mental health spiral — or a sign of something far more sinister?  In this deeply psychological episode of Hidden Killers Live, we're joined by psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to explore the emotional and behavioral profile of Ellen Greenberg as portrayed in the new Hulu documentary Death in Apartment 603. We begin not with the crime scene — but with the person. Ellen was a 27-year-old first-grade teacher, beloved by her students and deeply connected to her family and friends. She was newly engaged. Planning a wedding. Dreaming of a family. So how did we go from that… to 20 stab wounds and a suicide ruling? In this episode, we walk through three major psychological layers of the case:

From Teacher to Tragedy: Breaking Down Ellen Greenberg's Mental State | Psych Expert Weighs In Was Ellen Greenberg's death the result of a private mental health spiral — or a sign of something far more sinister?  In this deeply psychological episode of Hidden Killers Live, we're joined by psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to explore the emotional and behavioral profile of Ellen Greenberg as portrayed in the new Hulu documentary Death in Apartment 603. We begin not with the crime scene — but with the person. Ellen was a 27-year-old first-grade teacher, beloved by her students and deeply connected to her family and friends. She was newly engaged. Planning a wedding. Dreaming of a family. So how did we go from that… to 20 stab wounds and a suicide ruling? In this episode, we walk through three major psychological layers of the case:

Donna dives into the strange world of Mina “Margery” Crandon, one of the most famous spiritualist mediums of the 1920s. With claims of séances, ghostly voices, and even some bizarre ectoplasmic displays, Margery captivated audiences and critics alike—until skeptics like Harry Houdini stepped in to put her to the test.  Kerri shares the devastating story of Selena Not Afraid, a bright young woman from the Crow and Nakota Nations whose disappearance in January 2020 drew national attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. Selena's tragic death not only left her family and community heartbroken but also sparked greater awareness and advocacy for Indigenous women who too often go missing without answers or justice. This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Celebrate World Mental Health Day in October by  heading to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

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Kerri takes us through the heartbreaking case of Logan Tucker, a young boy whose disappearance and murder shook his Oklahoma community.  Donna lightens things up a bit with the fascinating life (and mysterious death) of Robert Johnson, the legendary Mississippi bluesman whose music shaped rock and roll and whose story gave rise to the famous “deal with the devil” folklore. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. For 40% off, head to www.trymiracle.com/creep AND for an additional 20% off and a FREE three-piece towel set use the promo code CREEP at checkout.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna takes us back to the 1800s with the Ashland Tragedy, a brutal crime that shocked Kentucky and left behind a legacy of fear, public outrage, and vigilante justice. Kerri tells the heartbreaking story of Courtney Coco, a young woman from Louisiana whose life was cut short at just 19 years old. Her murder went unsolved for years, leaving her family fighting for answers and justice until the case finally took a turn. This episode is sponsored by Select Quote. Head to www.selectquote.com/creep to get started on finding the right life insurance policy for you. This episode is sponsored by Beam Dream Powder. For a good night's sleep, go to www.shopbeam.com/creep and use promo code CREEP at checkout for up to 40% off. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Kerri dives into the heartbreaking story of Annie Le, a brilliant Yale graduate student whose bright future was tragically cut short by murder. Meanwhile, Donna TRIES to lighten the mood with the unusual tale of Hvaldimir the whale—a friendly beluga who captured the world's attention when he appeared in Norway wearing a harness, sparking theories of espionage, rescue, and everything in between. This episode is sponsored by Miracle Made. Head to www.trymiracle.com/creep to get 40% off. And for an extra 20% off, plus a FREE 3-piece towel set for free with promo code CREEP. If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Donna takes us inside the chilling story of Cindy Sarro and the haunted house that left her questioning what was real and what wasn't.  Kerri covers the heartbreaking case of Shanda Sharer, a twelve-year-old whose life was tragically cut short in one of the most shocking crimes of the 1990s.   This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Head to www.betterhelp.com/apc for 10% off your first month.  If you have any local true crime, local urban legend/lore, ghost stories.. we want them all!! We want to hear from YOU. Especially if you have any funny Ambien stories! Email us at aparanormalchicks@gmail.com Join The Creepinati @ www.patreon.com/theAPCpodcast 

Actor and comedian Darrell Hammond joins Adam in studio to talk about his legendary run on Saturday Night Live and what it was like taking over for the iconic Don Pardo as the show's announcer. He reflects on the surreal experience of watching old sketches of himself, including a memorable one where he portrayed Bill Clinton on the phone with Saddam Hussein and Monica Lewinsky. He opens up about the challenges he faced during his time on SNL, and a harrowing story about getting arrested in the Bahamas and being left behind by a cruise ship. In the news, Mayhem and Adam react to Hunter Biden's explosive new interview where he claims President Biden took Ambien before the 2024 debate and defends his controversial painting sales. They also weigh in on Donald Trump's demand for the Washington Commanders to revert to their former team name, as well as Bill Cosby's shocking comments comparing Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death to the murder of his own son.Writer and comedy veteran Andy Cowan stops by to share stories from his time writing for Seinfeld and pitching ideas to Larry David. Adam reflects on how doing the opposite of his mother's advice led him to success, and he asks Andy whether Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were playing exaggerated versions of themselves or just being authentic. Andy brings in a clip from The Merv Griffin Show, where he performed a spot-on Frank Sinatra impression, prompting a nostalgic discussion about Merv's legendary career. Adam closes the show by ranting about why it is so important to use a coaster on the podcast table.Get it on.FOR MORE WITH DARRELL HAMMOND:TOUR DATE:Comedy Works Denver - South at the Landmark - Friday (7/25) - Sunday(7/27)ONE MAN SHOW: CRAY - available on AudibleINSTAGRAM & TWITTER: @darrellchammondFOR MORE WITH JASON “MAYHEM” MILLER: INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: @mayhemmillerWEBSITE: www.mayhemnow.com FOR MORE WITH ANDY COWAN:PODCAST: ‘The Neurotic Vaccine with Andy Cowan and Dr. Scott Kopoian'WEBSITE: AndyCowan.netTWITTER: @AndyGCowanThank you for supporting our sponsors:BetOnlinetry.drinkbrez.com/CAROLLA/ and use code CAROLLA for a $5 credit and free shipping on your first orderoreillyauto.com/ADAMPluto.tvLIVE SHOWS: August 6 - Reno, NVAugust 7 - Portland, ORSeptember 12-13 - El Paso, TX (4 Shows)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hunter Biden's Interview Behavior Described as erratic, vulgar, and unhinged. Frequently uses profanity and makes controversial statements. Criticizes Democrats like George Clooney, James Carville, and Nancy Pelosi. Criticism of the Democratic Party Accuses the party of racism and exploiting both African Americans and undocumented immigrants. Claims Democrats view immigrants as modern-day slaves, only useful for menial labor. Joe Biden’s Mental Health Hunter allegedly admits Joe Biden took Ambien before a 2024 debate, contributing to his poor performance. Suggests a cover-up involving Biden’s physician and the White House. Drug Commentary Hunter discusses the chemical differences between crack and powdered cocaine. The speaker sarcastically refers to him as a “crack expert” and mocks his past drug use. Conspiracy and Power Struggles Claims a “coup” within the Democratic Party forced Joe Biden out of the 2024 race. Names figures like Pelosi, Schumer, the Obamas, and the Clintons as orchestrators. Foreign Policy and Immigration Hunter is quoted as saying he would threaten to invade El Salvador to return deported immigrants. This is used to portray him as unstable and dangerous. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. Thanks for Listening #seanhannity #hannity #marklevin #levin #charliekirk #megynkelly #tucker #tuckercarlson #glennbeck #benshapiro #shapiro #trump #sexton #bucksexton#rushlimbaugh #limbaugh #whitehouse #senate #congress #thehouse #democrats#republicans #conservative #senator #congressman #congressmen #congresswoman #capitol #president #vicepresident #POTUS #presidentoftheunitedstatesofamerica#SCOTUS #Supremecourt #DonaldTrump #PresidentDonaldTrump #DT #TedCruz #Benferguson #Verdict #maga #presidenttrump #47 #the47morningupdate #donaldtrump #trump #news #trumpnews #Benferguson #breaking #breakingnews #morningupdateYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.