The Upside of Bipolar: Conversations on the Road to Wellness

Michelle Baughman Reittinger
  • 5.0 (5)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Living with bipolar disorder sucks! Each week Michelle Reittinger and her guests explore tools and resources that help you learn how to live well with your bipolar. If you are tired of suffering and want to live a healthy, balanced, productive life with your bipolar, this podcast was designed with you in mind.

  1. 3H AGO

    EP 81: Dissociation, Trauma, and Real Healing: Eddie Shin, LMFT on Neurofeedback & Accelerated Resolution Therapy

    Send us a message! We talk with therapist Eddie Shin, LMFT about dissociation, trauma, and why a “cope forever” approach can leave people exhausted and stuck. We explore neurofeedback and Accelerated Resolution Therapy as practical tools that build safety in the brain so deeper healing can happen.  • Eddie’s path into marriage and family therapy through residential treatment work  • Why coping skills help short term but can feel crushing long term  • How trust and connection unlock progress with highly traumatized teens  • Neurofeedback explained as physical therapy for the brain  • How neurofeedback supports emotional regulation and stability  • What ART is and how it compares with EMDR  • Why a directive trauma modality can be safer with dissociation  • Dissociation on a spectrum from zoning out to severe disorders  • What dissociative identity disorder actually is and why media portrayals miss  • Integration defined as internal cooperation rather than erasing parts  • What helps clients feel hope from the first session  • How people find specialized help and what readiness looks like  LINKS Website: www.healingground-counseling.com/ Instagram: @healingground_counseling Facebook: Healing Ground Counseling BIO Eddie Shin is a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Healing Ground Counseling located in Orem, UT. Eddie is passionate about helping people find healing through researched modalities tailored for each individual. His mission is to help people find healing from childhood trauma, trauma of any form, and dissociative disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder (DID). Eddie has worked in private practice for about 4 years and previously worked in a residential treatment center for about 6 years. Eddie graduated with his BA in psychology from Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA and his MS in marriage and family therapy from Capella University, an online university located in Minneapolis, MN. Eddie grew up in Orange County, CA and loves the beach, the redwoods, and the outdoors. Eddie has two wonderful kids and a beautiful wife.  FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    56 min

  2. MAR 5

    EP 80: From “Treatment-Resistant” to Recovery: Angie Peacock’s Story of Courage and De-Prescribing

    Send us a message! We trace Angie Peacock’s (MSW, CPC) journey from combat trauma and antibiotic injury to a maze of labels and polypharmacy, and how trusting her inner voice led her out of withdrawal and into advocacy. We unpack iatrogenic harm, challenge the illness lens, and offer grounded steps toward safe tapering and real recovery. • combat stress, gut injury, and hypervigilance as clear causes of distress • first benzo, rapid med stacking, and adverse effects misread as illness • labels multiplying after 10‑minute consults and the “treatment-resistant” trap • medical retirement, loss of identity, and the cost of gaslighting • a VA doctor questions polypharmacy and begins careful de-prescribing • months to years of withdrawal, terror-level anxiety, and protracted recovery • finding community, evidence, and language for iatrogenic harm • coaching pillars: safety, simplicity, pattern spotting, and holding hope • severity tiers and adapting supports to sensitization • boundaries, grief, and choosing a restorative break without shame • practical courage: let the inner voice lead next steps LINKS Website: www.angiepeacock.com YouTube: Angie Peacock TikTok: @angiepeacockmsw Instagram: @angiepeacockmsw Facebook: @angiepeacockmsw BIO Angela Peacock, MSW, CPC is a U.S. Army combat veteran, psychiatric drug withdrawal consultant, and healing coach. After surviving years of overmedication and polypharmacy following trauma from her military service, she now educates individuals, families, and organizations on harm reduction and safe deprescribing of psychiatric medications. Her story is featured in the award-winning documentary Medicating Normal (2020), which explores the risks of long-term psychiatric drug use and the challenges of recovery. Angela’s past advocacy roles include Legislative Policy Fellow for the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Student Veterans of America, Military Veteran Liaison for the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition, team member for The Withdrawal Project and Social Impact and Outreach for Medicating Normal- the film. In 2022, she founded HeartCore Collective, supporting individuals healing from psychiatric drug injury and reclaiming their autonomy outside of the system. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    1h 1m

  3. FEB 19

    EP 79: From Bondage to Freedom: Claiming Agency in Your Bipolar Healing Journey

    Send us a message! I explore the gap between bondage and freedom, and how agency survives even when diagnosis and treatment narrow your choices. Through poems, personal turning points, and practical tools, I map a path from helplessness to daily actions that restore control. • defining agency versus freedom with clear examples • reframing bipolar from victimhood to informed choice • choosing life, asking for help, building early warnings • creating a Mood Cycle Survival Guide with priorities and reboots • cautious, supported cross‑titration and micronutrients • understanding med releases and stress triggers • using trauma‑focused therapy modalities rather than talk alone • mindfulness, EFT, journaling, yoga, and supportive exercise • living mindfully, looping recovery, choosing your hard • curating inputs and joining a pro‑recovery community If you have any questions, please send me an email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com If you haven't read my book yet grab your copy here: The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder If you would like support as you go through the recovery process, join us in  the Upsiders' Tribe FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    43 min

  4. FEB 3

    EP 78: From Incurable Disorder to Research-Based Healing

    Send us a message! I trace the path from blind trust in a chemical imbalance story to a research-based, integrated approach for resolving bipolar symptoms. I share the books, experts, tools, and daily practices that rebuilt stability through nutrition, trauma therapy, and mindfulness. • conditioning to trust credentials over outcomes • harms from long-term medication, hospitalization and ECT • turning points as a parent catalyzing responsibility • micronutrients as neurotransmitter building blocks • disease model versus drug model explained • Whitaker and Moncrieff are reshaping assumptions • therapy that targets trauma at the source • mindfulness to decode symptoms and reduce reactivity • building a Mood Cycle Survival Guide • reframing diagnosis as signals, not disease • practical steps to start self-led research If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email. If you haven't developed a Mood Cycle Survival Guide for yourself, make sure you go in the show notes, click on the on the link and get your free Mood Cycle Survival Guide that will start you on your first step to healing and recovery. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    35 min

  5. JAN 26

    EP 77: Choose Healing Over Victimhood: Reframing Bipolar Symptoms

    Send us a message! I challenge the idea that a bipolar label defines a life and show how reframing symptoms creates room for choice, tools, and repair. I share a practical survival guide, language shifts, and boundary skills that turn chaos into traction. • labels built on symptom clusters create helplessness • medication roulette, side effects, and why talk therapy often stalls • rage and dissociation explained as fight or flight • family strain, codependency, and children’s regulation needs • choose responsibility after crisis and hospitalizations • build a response team with clear roles and limits • design early warning systems to spot triggers • power priorities and daily reboot practices • use precise language: symptoms as information • become a detective of your story and sources • set healthy boundaries to protect trust and repair relationships • choose your hard and commit to sustained change If you're ready to heal and you want to know more about the Upsiders' Tribe make sure you send me an email, linked down below, and you can set up a 30-minute complimentary Zoom where we can talk about your specific situation, and we can determine if the Upsiders' Tribe is a good fit for you. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    41 min

  6. JAN 16

    EP 76: From Diagnosis to Self-Awareness: How Yoga Supports Bipolar Recovery with Dr. Ghada Osman

    Send us a message! We explore how yoga shifts healing from labels and behavior control to embodied awareness, and how grounding builds real emotional regulation for bipolar symptoms and trauma. Dr. Ghada Osman shares her three-prong model so listeners can ground first, then safely energize or calm. • mental health labels versus emotional health signals • witness consciousness and bottom-up healing • shame cycles, unmet needs and compassionate curiosity • practical grounding: eyes open, even breath, bilateral movement • how to choose energizing or calming after grounding • honoring the body without judgment or “levels” • seasons, contrast and building resilience • resources to learn more from Dr. Osman Website: www.ghadaosman.com Book on Routledge: Mental and Emotional Healing Through Yoga: A Guiding Framework for Therapists and their Clients Book on Amazon: Mental and Emotional Healing Through Yoga: A Guiding Framework for Therapists and their Clients Check out Ghada's online training on using yoga to work with mental health here: Yoga for Mental Health Certification Course FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    1h 2m

  7. JAN 9

    EP 75: A Practical Path To Bipolar Recovery This Year

    Send us a message! I share a practical plan to turn New Year hope into steady recovery by choosing one habit, building agency, and treating sources of symptoms rather than endlessly managing them. I outline seven habits for healing, from mood tracking and nutrition to therapy, mindfulness, yoga, exercise, and mindful living. • healing as a long-term process built on one change  • shifting from victim mindset to personal agency  • mood cycle survival guide and early warning signs  • micronutrients as fuel for brain function  • therapy as a facilitator for resolving sources  • mindfulness to regain control of thoughts and body  • yoga to reintegrate mind and body  • exercise for stability, not intensity  • living mindfully with weekly reviews and a clear why  • invitation to pick one habit and start now Join the Mood Cycle Survival Guide. It’s free. Check in with us in the Upsiders' Basecamp chat for advice. If you’re ready to heal your symptoms, join my monthly membership, The Upsiders' Tribe, to transform chaos into hope. For more resources, visit www.theupsideofbipolar.com. Grab my book, The Upside of Bipolar: Seven Steps to Heal Your Disorder. FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    37 min

  8. 12/19/2025

    EP 74: Faith And Bipolar Recovery

    Send us a message! I share how faith and action led from despair and repeated hospital stays to a practical path for recovery. The story moves from early experiences of God’s love to a step-by-step survival guide, therapy, micronutrients, and an open invitation to choose agency today. • the role of faith as a source of hope and direction • the moment a clear thought interrupted suicidal despair • why healing came through steps, not an instant cure • building a mood cycle survival guide • response team, early warnings, power priorities, system reboot • boundaries that respect helpers and protect family • micronutrients from a nonprofit and why they mattered • therapy reboot with EMDR and proactive tools • addressing religious trauma and doubts about spiritual impressions • shifting from diagnosis identity to personal agency • practical invitations to act and record moments of peace For more resources, visit www.theupsideofbipolar.com FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/ The Upside of Bipolar: 7 Steps to Heal Your Disorder: @upsideofbipolar | Linktree website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/ email: michelle@theupsideofbipolar.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/ TikTok: theupsideofbipolar (@theupsideofbipolar) | TikTok Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsideofbipolar/

    37 min
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About

Living with bipolar disorder sucks! Each week Michelle Reittinger and her guests explore tools and resources that help you learn how to live well with your bipolar. If you are tired of suffering and want to live a healthy, balanced, productive life with your bipolar, this podcast was designed with you in mind.

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