SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

SuperPsyched ©
  • 4.9 (172)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

SuperPsyched is an award-winning podcast dedicated to improving your life with tools gained from interviewing world-class experts inside and outside the field of psychology. SuperPsyched will help get you more of what you want as well as gentle warnings to help you avoid things you don’t. See you there! The content on SuperPsyched is for informational use only and not intended to diagnose or provide any type of healthcare treatment.

  1. #322 Women And ADHD | Michelle Frank, PsyD

    6d ago

    #322 Women And ADHD | Michelle Frank, PsyD

    Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and highlights that women have ADHD yet up to 75% may be undiagnosed, then interviews psychologist Dr. Michelle Frank, co-author of A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD. They discuss why girls and women are often overlooked, the relief and grief that can accompany later-in-life diagnosis, and how medication should feel supportive rather than numbing or euphoric amid stigma. Frank describes how ADHD can be misattributed to character, the need to rule out or address co-occurring issues (depression, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, sleep disorders, head injury), and women-specific considerations including PMDD, postpartum risk, and hormonal impacts across the menstrual cycle and menopause. Frank shares her own late-recognized ADHD experiences, masking and imposter syndrome, and notes children with ADHD may receive 20,000 more negative comments by age 10. They outline multimodal supports for a teen diagnosis (curious adults, accommodations, coaching, therapy, family validation), emphasize avoiding shame spirals when symptoms recur, and recommend learning about ADHD, connecting with community, self-compassion, and taking small risks toward vulnerability. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:28 Women and Undiagnosed ADHD 01:09 Meet Michelle Frank 04:21 Late Diagnosis Relief and Grief 07:40 Medication That Fits 08:27 Stigma and Self Blame 11:16 Ruling Out Lookalikes 12:47 Hormones PMDD and Menopause 16:51 Michelles ADHD Journey 22:59 Imposter Syndrome and Masking 27:24 Negativity Bias and Shame 29:05 Susie Treatment Roadmap 34:47 Practical Tips and Connection 36:41 Final Insight Vulnerability 38:13 Closing and Share Helpful Links: Michelle Frank, PhD Michelle Frank, PhD LinkedIn A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD Book

    39 min
  2. #321 In a Good Place | Lediy Klotz, PhD

    6d ago

    #321 In a Good Place | Lediy Klotz, PhD

    Dr. Adam Dorsay hosts University of Virginia behavioral scientist and engineering/architecture professor Dr. Lediy Klotz to discuss Klotz’s book In a Good Place on how spaces affect psychology and how people can thrive by making small, actionable changes. They explore habituation and the idea that subtracting (removing obstacles, noise, or clutter) can improve environments, including using available outdoor space differently (like eating outside). Klotz emphasizes agency as a core psychological need, citing a nursing home study where residents allowed to customize their rooms were 50% more likely to be alive 18 months later, and discusses regaining agency when it’s constrained (e.g., sealed hotel windows). They examine space and dominance in negotiation and sports (goalkeepers, Emiliano Martínez), intentional design to foster interaction (Pixar), “space before screen,” and Klotz shares the loss of his daughter Josie and creating “Josie’s Way” as a memorial space. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:28 Why Spaces Feel Good 00:47 Meet Dr Lediy Klotz 02:09 Arrive Early Hack 03:16 The Research Behind It 04:38 Five Years to Write 05:56 Spaces Shape Psychology 07:06 Small Tweaks Big Control 09:04 Subtract to Improve Space 10:04 Eat Outside Reframe 12:08 Designing Outdoor Space 12:56 Office Choices and Agency 15:33 Defining Agency in Space 16:55 Soccer and Agency Lessons 18:31 Goalie Mindset and Space 20:18 Owning the Penalty Area 22:22 Agency Life or Death Study 24:18 Mandela Garden Agency 25:40 Churchill Shapes Commons 26:49 Designing Serendipity 30:01 Digital vs Real Space 31:17 Space Before Screen 32:41 Grief and Boundaries 35:18 Josies Way Memorial 38:50 Spirit Lives in Stories 40:22 Josie Joke Punchline 43:49 Miracle Skill Reaction 46:25 Closing Thanks Farewell Helpful Links: Lediy Klotz, PhD Lediy Klotz, PhD Linked InIn a Good Place Book

    47 min
  3. #320 Mental Health in College | Alexis Redding, PhD

    Jun 16

    #320 Mental Health in College | Alexis Redding, PhD

    Host Dr. Adam Dorsay interviews developmental psychologist Dr. Alexis Redding, faculty co-chair of higher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and editor of Mental Health in College, about supporting college student mental health. Redding explains the book emerged from connecting experts who cared about students but weren’t in conversation, and argues mental health support matters for student engagement, belonging, retention, and the broader developmental work colleges can foster. Drawing on archival interviews from the 1940s and 1970s and contemporary studies of the classes of 2025–2026, she finds core emotions like loneliness and insecurity during transitions remain consistent across generations, despite changes like COVID and social media. She recommends avoiding a constant crisis narrative, training staff to ask clarifying questions about clinical language, and replacing “kids these days” and “best four years” stories with more nuance and vulnerability. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:49 Meet Alexis Redding 02:16 Why This Book Exists 04:56 Mental Health Pays Off 07:55 Loneliness Then and Now 10:37 Roommate Mirror Effect 13:45 Transitions Shape Wellbeing 16:46 Are Kids Really Different 20:33 TikTok Therapy Language 26:18 Stop the Crisis Narrative 29:29 Ditch Kids These Days 35:26 Archeology and Connection 38:43 Vulnerability as the Skill 43:16 Closing Thanks and Subscribe Helpful Links: Dr. Alexis Redding Mental Health in College - What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students Book Dr. Alexis Redding Instagram

    44 min
  4. #319 Understanding Narcissism | Reid Meloy, PhD, ABPP

    Jun 9

    #319 Understanding Narcissism | Reid Meloy, PhD, ABPP

    Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews forensic psychologist Dr. Reid Meloy about myths and realities of narcissism. Meloy describes narcissism as a spectrum like blood pressure, emphasizing healthy narcissism as self-care and resilience, while pathological narcissism involves self-absorption that damages relationships and can become destructive; he also discusses malignant narcissism as intense self-focus paired with paranoia, citing Jim Jones as an example. In relationships, narcissists “live in a world of one,” using partners as mirrors for adulation and lacking reciprocal affection, often prompting partners’ realization they are replaceable. Meloy outlines long-term avenues for change—corrective emotional experiences, intensive psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis—and notes depression and loneliness in midlife can be an entry point for treatment, contrasting egosyntonic vs. egodystonic states. He warns about psychopathy’s dangers, its link to pathological narcissism, lack of treatment, and risks when psychopaths gain power. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:28 Narcissism on a Spectrum 02:48 Healthy vs Pathological Narcissism 05:15 Malignant Narcissism and Cults 08:36 Everyday Relationship Patterns 12:51 Treatment Paths That Help 15:16 Love as Antidote 18:52 Loneliness Depression and Risk 26:18 Partner Trap Trying to Change Them 28:16 Egosyntonic vs Egodystonic 30:32 Psychopathy Warning Signs 33:10 Final Thanks and Subscribe Helpful Links: Dr. Reid Meloy Dr. Reid Meloy Books Dr. Reid Meloy LinkedIn Dr. Reid Meloy Facebook

    34 min
  5. #318 The Lies that Trap Us | Alan Godwin, PhD

    Jun 2

    #318 The Lies that Trap Us | Alan Godwin, PhD

    Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews psychologist, professor, and author Dr. Alan Godwin about his book Ties That Bind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark, focusing on how individuals and societies accept untrue “stories” that merely sound true. Godwin shares growing up in segregated Jackson, Mississippi, where his idyllic childhood coexisted with racial terror across town, illustrating collective normalization of dysfunction. He discusses confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and how adults construct self-justifying narratives, contrasting Jonathan Rauch’s “reality-based community” (evidence, epistemic humility, tolerance for ambiguity) with a “story-based fortress” that discards disconfirming facts and becomes both protection and prison. Using clinical examples like “Katie” and modern cases of relatives drawn into conspiratorial information silos, he emphasizes attachment and identity as drivers of collective deception, argues people are often drawn out by relationships more than information, and concludes that humility is the key skill for better truth-seeking. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:52 Meet Alan Godwin 02:42 Growing Up in Jackson 05:43 Stories and Lying 07:46 Bias and Normalization 10:08 Truth Hurts Then Frees 12:37 Reality Based Community 14:46 Story Based Fortress 18:02 Escaping the Fortress 20:14 Katie and Personal Healing 22:00 Harry Potter Blindness 22:50 Accents and Linguistics 23:27 From Self Doubt to Uncle Irving 24:42 Collective Deception Online 26:48 Environment Reveals the Real You 28:57 Information Silos and Gaslighting 30:58 Attachment and Identity Needs 33:57 Sports Fandom as Microcosm 36:14 Crowd Seduction and Nazi Rallies 38:32 Truth Needs Trusted Relationships 40:32 AI Can’t Replace Human Connection 41:41 Humility as the Ultimate Skill 44:35 Closing Thanks and Farewell Helpful Links: Dr. Alan Godwin Dr. Alan Godwin LinkedIn Ties That Blind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark Book

    46 min
  6. #317 Howard Schubiner, MD | A Cure for Pain

    May 26

    #317 Howard Schubiner, MD | A Cure for Pain

    Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces an episode of SuperPsyched featuring physician Dr. Howard Schubiner discussing his updated book, Unlearn Your Pain, and evidence-based approaches to chronic pain that avoid medication or surgery. Schubiner recounts his path from academic medicine to learning from Dr. John Sarno and explains how pain can persist without tissue damage due to neuroplastic neural circuits shaped by stress, emotion, and life experiences, with pain sometimes worsening via nocebo effects from medical messaging and MRI interpretations. He describes criteria suggesting non-structural pain and research indicating most chronic back/neck pain cases may be neuroplastic despite abnormal imaging. Schubiner outlines treatment steps: accurate diagnosis, education about brain-based pain, pain reprocessing therapy to reduce fear and build safety signals, and emotional awareness and expression therapy to address underlying emotions and trauma, citing clinical stories and randomized controlled trial support. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:28 Chronic Pain Problem 01:13 Meet Howard Schubiner 02:33 Sarno Origin Story 04:37 Sarno Theory Explained 06:53 How Pain Is Learned 11:21 Compassion and Root Causes 12:34 Pain as Social Justice 15:43 Placebo Nocebo Power 19:17 MRI Words and Nocebo 21:09 Adam Sciatica Story 22:27 When Surgery Helps 23:10 Fibromyalgia Is Real 23:17 Neuroplastic Pain Evidence 23:56 MRI Study Contradiction 26:35 Is It All In Head 27:30 Brain Creates Pain 29:12 Back Pain Recovery Story 31:50 Sensitivity And Temperament 34:02 Peacemaker Pain Pattern 35:33 Endometriosis And Boundaries 39:40 Treatment Steps Overview 42:25 Emotional Expression Therapy 45:05 Movement And Farewell Helpful Links: Unlearn Your Pain Website Unlearn Your Pain Book Episode 84 - Unlearning Your Pain | Howard Schubinder, MD The Science Behind The Symptoms Podcast

    47 min
  7. #316 The Magic Ingredient: Psychological Safety | Minette Norman

    May 19

    #316 The Magic Ingredient: Psychological Safety | Minette Norman

    Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews leadership consultant Minette Norman about psychological safety and her co-authored book, The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers. Norman defines psychological safety as the belief that in a group you can ask questions, make mistakes, and voice differing views without embarrassment, exclusion, or repercussions, and contrasts it with environments where people agree publicly but dissent privately. They discuss high-stakes consequences of low psychological safety (healthcare errors, the Challenger disaster), organizational costs (reduced innovation and performance, increased burnout and disengagement, reputation management and groupthink), and links to inclusion and hearing from introverts and neurodivergent thinkers. Norman shares practical leadership actions such as redesigning meetings, inviting dissent, asking “What am I missing?”, admitting mistakes, using blameless learning after failures, and sustaining safety through mutual respect; she highlights “the power of the pause” to respond thoughtfully when triggered. 00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched 00:27 Why Safety Matters 03:15 Defining Psychological Safety 05:00 Real World Stakes 06:47 How the Book Happened 11:37 What It Is Not 15:19 The Hidden Costs 21:35 Reputation and Inner Circles 23:34 Building It Day by Day 30:57 Inclusive Meetings for All 36:51 Top Practices to Try 39:30 The Power of the Pause 43:07 Final Takeaways Helpful Links: Minette Norman Minette Norman LinkedIn Minette Norman Instagram The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers Book

    44 min

  8. May 12

    #315 Solo Short: A Few Good Shows | Adam Dorsay, PsyD

    Dr. Adam Dorsay’s Psychologically Rich TV Picks: Bill Lawrence, Ray Donovan, and Jury DutyDr. Adam Dorsay, Silicon Valley psychologist and host of the SuperPsyched podcast, shares recent TV recommendations he finds psychologically rich. He highlights Bill Lawrence as a hero behind comfort shows like Scrubs and Ted Lasso, praises Lawrence’s new series Rooster with Steve Carell, and recommends the darker, mysterious comedy Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn on Apple TV. He discusses Scrubs returning with recreated sets in British Columbia and renewed cast dynamics, noting its modern medical themes and its reputation for medical accuracy. He also enjoys Shrinking for its relationships despite questionable psychotherapy realism. Moving darker, he recommends Ray Donovan for its pitch-perfect portrayal of family dysfunction and standout performances by Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, comparing its quality to The Sopranos. He closes with Jury Duty, a Truman Show-like semi-reality comedy, and invites listener feedback and subscriptions.00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched00:27 TV Geek Picks00:51 Bill Lawrence Highlights01:33 Bad Monkey Spotlight02:13 Scrubs Returns03:35 Why Shrinking Works04:34 Going Dark Ray Donovan07:03 Wild Comedy Jury Duty08:18 Wrap Up and Subscribe

    9 min
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About

SuperPsyched is an award-winning podcast dedicated to improving your life with tools gained from interviewing world-class experts inside and outside the field of psychology. SuperPsyched will help get you more of what you want as well as gentle warnings to help you avoid things you don’t. See you there! The content on SuperPsyched is for informational use only and not intended to diagnose or provide any type of healthcare treatment.

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