Crazy Together

Marcus & Esme O’Kayvius
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

  1. 2d ago

    141. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: Learning is Magical, Unless it's Scary or Boring

    Some lessons have the power to open our minds, and to expand our understanding of the universe and the possibilities within it.  Other lessons just scare the crap out of us. Or they reveal how something that seems pretty cool at first glance might actually be pretty stupid.  Esme explains how she recently learned that the paper certain stores use to print receipts is actually fairly toxic! And Marcus describes how a deep dive into the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings (i.e., the famous battle in 1066 in which William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxon king of England and began the Norman Conquest of England) only served to remind him that, sometimes, history is just the byproduct of self-important people doing stupid things. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: McLeod, Saul. “John B. Watson: Contribution to Psychology.” Simply Psychology, 6 Sept. 2026, https://www.simplypsychology.org/john-b-watson.html.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  2. 4d ago

    140. A Mostly Good News Story About Person-Centered Therapy: Part 1

    Marcus believes the Road Runner cartoons are some of the greatest existential and allegorical works of art ever created. While this might feel like more of a Friday topic, we assure you it is directly relevant to today’s discussion and will make complete sense if you listen to the whole episode. In this week’s episode, Marcus and Esme discuss the work and legacy of yet another influential psychologist. This time, they’re discussing Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic psychology and the primary developer of person-centered psychotherapy. However, unlike the last two profiles they did, they find his legacy to be much less complicated. And while they acknowledge Rogers is by no means perfect, and that his theories have generated a fair amount of criticism over the years, they take comfort in the knowledge that it seems as though he never stopped thinking about the best interests of the patients and clients he served. So, it’s a (mostly) happy story! Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: McLeod, Saul. “John B. Watson: Contribution to Psychology.” Simply Psychology, 6 Sept. 2026, https://www.simplypsychology.org/john-b-watson.html.  McLeod, Saul. “Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy).” Simply Psychology, 28 Apr. 2025, https://www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html.  “Carl Rogers, PhD: 1947 APA President.” American Psychological Association, June 2021, https://www.apa.org/about/governance/president/carl-r-rogers.  Yao, Lucy, and Rian Kabir. “Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy).” StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589708.  Rogers, Carl R. The Clinical Treatment of the Problem Child. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1939. Internet Archive, https://ia801902.us.archive.org/2/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.166832/2015.166832.The-Clinical-Treatment-Of-The-Problem-Child_text.pdf.  Rogers, Carl. “Dealing With Breakdowns in Communication.” ListeningWay, https://www.listeningway.com/rogers1-eng.html.  250 WPM. This One Skill Can Transform Every Conversation. YouTube, uploaded by 250 WPM, 10 Sept. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtLwcR3-pZQ.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  3. Sep 11

    139. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: Can’t Get Enough of Your Emotional Cues, Babe

    September 12 is a very special date, because it was on that date in the year of our lord nineteen hundred and forty-four that a special man was born. A man whose bass-baritone voice, soulful grooves, and silky-smooth string arrangements would serve as the soundtrack for many a romantic evening. Who knows, his voice might even have accompanied (and possibly inspired) your very conception, which would be a beautiful and wondrous thing to consider, if not for the fact that it also meant you’d have to acknowledge that your parents were getting their freak on. But it would be worth it, because it would mean that your addition to this mortal coil was heralded by no less of a legend than Barry White. Marcus wishes him a happy birthday and pays tribute to his legacy with such suitably grandiose and over-the-top prose that Esme had to turn away from the mic to avoid snort laughing directly into it. For her part, Esme reveals a shocking discovery about a common cosmetic procedure that would only be shocking to someone who hasn’t recently received that cosmetic procedure. Because it turns out that receiving a procedure that renders one’s facial expression somewhat muted for a period of time might also impact their ability to feel surprise, joy, sadness and any number of other emotions. Esme shares what she has learned, acknowledges she has only scratched the surface of available research, and teases the possibility of returning to the subject on a full-length episode of Crazy Together in the near future.  Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  4. Sep 10

    138. False Memories, Abuse, and Power: Part 2

    WARNING: It’s part 2 of Crazy Together’s exploration of the research and legacy of Elizabeth Loftus, PhD and emotions are running high!  Loftus, as you’ll no doubt recall from last week’s episode, is best known for her contributions to our understanding of the malleability and fallibility of human memory. She’s also well known for consulting with and providing expert testimony at trial for the defense in some of the most high profile cases in recent memory. And not just any cases, mind you. Cases in which it looked like some of the absolute worst people in recent memory were finally going to face justice.  Why does she do it, and what are some of the far reaching impacts of her continued endeavors in the criminal justice system? Well, that was the topic Marcus and Esme planned on tackling in this episode. And the funny thing is, they really felt like they had a plan heading into part 2. They had an outline with time slots reserved for discussing Loftus’ rationale as well as a summary of some of the criticism that has been leveled against her. It seemed pretty straightforward. But  that plan went straight out the window as they began parsing out Loftus’ rationale and considering the implications of all the criticism she’s received. Before long, it became apparent that their plan for capping their discussion of Loftus’ work with the same nuance and perspective they tried to bring to last week’s episode was a pipe dream. Now, they’re just pretty pissed off, so much so that one of the hosts has had to recuse themselves from today’s episode.  What has them so upset? You’ll have to listen to find out.  Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Ahmed, Waheed. “Elizabeth Loftus’ 25,000 Subject False Memory Research: How Covert Narcissists Erase Your Truth.” Medium, Psyche Pedia, 31 Jul. 2025. https://medium.com/psyche-pedia/elizabeth-loftus-25-000-subject-false-memory-research-how-covert-narcissists-erase-your-truth-7bbfb47fd8bf. Brewin, Chris R., and Bernice Andrews. “False Memories of Childhood Abuse: Are Therapists to Blame?” The Psychologist, 7 June 2017, British Psychological Society, https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/false-memories-childhood-abuse. Drouin, Michelle, Jody M. Ross, and Tara L. Cornelius. “Current State of ‘Lost in the Mall’: Implications for Expert Witness Testimony on the Reliability of Childhood Memories.” Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, published online 13 Oct. 2025, Taylor & Francis, https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2025.2556461. Fomina, Maria. “The Misinformation Effect.” The Decision Lab, 12 Aug. 2021, https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/the-misinformation-effect.  Loftus, Elizabeth F. “The Repressed Memory Controversy.” American Psychologist, vol. 49, no. 5, 1994, pp. 443–445. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.5.443.  Loftus, Elizabeth, and Katherine Ketcham. Witness for the Defense: The Accused, the Eyewitnesses, and the Expert Who Puts Memory on Trial. St. Martins Press, 1991.  McMaugh, Kate, and Warwick Middleton. “The Rise and Fall of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation.” ISSTD News, 21 Jan. 2020, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, https://news.isst-d.org/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-false-memory-syndrome-foundation.  Richards, Laura. False Memory Expert Testified for the Defence. Laura Richards, 8 Feb. 2020, https://www.thelaurarichards.com/my-two-cents/false-memory-expert-testified-for-the-defence.  Stollznow, Karen. “False Ideas About False Memories.” Psychology Today, 3 Mar. 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/speaking-in-tongues/202203/false-ideas-about-false-memories.  Winton, Richard. “ ‘False Memory’ Expert Testified for O.J., Bundy; Now, Harvey Weinstein.” Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2020, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-06/false-memory-expert-testify-harvey-weinstein-trial.  “Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: ‘False Memory’ Expert Testifies for Defence.” BBC News, 17 Dec. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59688787.  “Misinformation Effect.” ScienceDirect Topics, Elsevier, 2026, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/misinformation-effect.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  5. Sep 4

    137. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: British Things That Do or Don’t Deliver

    There is a strong connection between dopamine and the things we find entertaining. Our brains release dopamine when we anticipate we’re going to enjoy something, like playing a game or watching a movie. It pushes us to take action. When we find something we like, we get another little shot of dopamine to reinforce the behavior. But, when it turns out we don’t enjoy that which we pursued, well, cue the sad trombone. In this week's HYPERFOCUS BONUS, Marcus and Esme discuss some recent experiences they’ve had while chasing that rewards anticipation cycle. In Marcus’ case, he describes his lifelong interest in a 600-year-old English legend that has NEVER ONCE delivered for him, no matter how much he hopes it will. For her part, Esme shares her relative success with two British shows she discovered recently. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  6. Sep 3

    136. False Memories, Abuse, and Power: Part 1

    How would you react if someone told you they could link such seemingly disparate topics as the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and ‘90s, the discrediting of a once popular form of psychotherapy, and the criminal trials of Robert Durst, Harvey Weinstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell all in one podcast episode? Would you say “that’s crazy”? Well, it’s not crazy. It’s Crazy Together.  Please enjoy the sudden burst of goosebumps. In today’s episode, Marcus and Esme discuss the work of Elizabeth Loftus, PhD. Dr. Loftus, in addition to being the link to the aforementioned topics above, is best known for her contributions to our understanding of the malleability and fallibility of human memory. Through decades of research and advocacy, she has reshaped how the mental health and the criminal justice system now thinks about repressed memories and recovered memory therapy. These contributions have helped exonerate a great number of people who had been falsely accused and convicted of crimes they did not commit. She has also provided expert testimony for the defense in the trials referenced previously. You read that right: defense attorneys for Epstein and Maxwell hired Loftus to provide expert testimony at trial about the unreliable nature of human memory. They then used her research and findings as part of their efforts to discredit survivors’ accounts of the abuse they suffered at the hands of the most prolific sex traffickers in modern history.  Oh, and she also sold her services to the defense team who represented that guy who burped a murder confession into a hot mic.  So . . . yeah, it's probably fair to say she has a complicated legacy. And in today’s episode (and next week’s episode for that matter, because there’s a lot of ground to cover), Marcus and Esme try to discuss that legacy with the nuance and perspective it deserves.  However, they also acknowledge that . . . dude, this sh*t just feels wrong. This is the second high profile and highly influential mental health professional they’ve covered in relatively short order who – one might argue* -- have commoditized their life’s work for financial gain**. And so Marcus and Esme find themselves asking: a) What is the role of mental health professionals when it comes to identifying and calling out the systemic injustices that are negatively impacting people’s mental health and wellbeing, and, b) What should we expect mental health professionals to do when their treatments or research are used by the wealthy and powerful for their own purposes (e.g., exploiting workers, avoiding accountability, etc.)?  *Additional notes *These Em dashes are NOT AI generated. They were entered by someone who thinks and writes in asides and REFUSES to sacrifice much needed punctuation marks just to prove he’s not a frickin’ robot. ** See episodes 131 and 133 about the rise and fall of Positive Psychology for the first example. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Marsh, Ann, and Greta Lorge. “How the Truth Gets Twisted.” Stanford Magazine, Nov.–Dec. 2012, https://stanfordmag.org/contents/how-the-truth-gets-twisted.  “Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: ‘False Memory’ Expert Testifies for Defence.” BBC News, 17 Dec. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59688787.  Otgaar, Henry, et al. “The Return of the Repressed: The Persistent and Problematic Claims of Long-Forgotten Trauma.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 14, no. 6, 2019, pp. 1072–1095. PubMed Central, PMC6826861.  “Misinformation Effect.” ScienceDirect Topics, Elsevier, 2026, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/misinformation-effect.  Memon, Amina, and Mark Young. “Desperately Seeking Evidence: The Recovered Memory Debate.” Legal & Criminological Psychology, vol. 2, no. 2, 1997, pp. 131–154. Cogprints, University of Southampton Web Archive, https://web-archive.southampton.ac.uk/cogprints.org/642/1/memon.rec_mem_review.html.  “Dispatch From the Repressed-Memory Legal Front.” Psychiatric Times, https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/dispatch-repressed-memory-legal-front.  Luna, Kaitlin. “Speaking of Psychology: How Memory Can Be Manipulated, with Elizabeth Loftus, PhD.” American Psychological Association, last updated Aug. 2023, https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/memory-manipulated.  Stollznow, Karen. “False Ideas About False Memories.” Psychology Today, 3 Mar. 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/speaking-in-tongues/202203/false-ideas-about-false-memories.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  7. Aug 26

    135. Movie Night: Title Redacted!

    It’s time for another Movie Night! What are Marcus andEsme watching, and why have they decided to leave the name of the film out of the episode title?  Well, it’s not that they don’t trust you. They are just a little worried that their audience, who they know to be educated, refined, and highly responsive to specific stimuli and subject matter, might hesitate to press play if they knew what (and who) the movie was about.. They know this because it’s the same experience Marcus ran into when he first attempted to get Esme to watch the very same film. “A documentary about [REDACTED]? Why would I want to watch that?” Fortunately, Esme has a good heart and an open mind, because watch the documentary they did. And now it’s one of their all-time favorites.  It tells the story of three emotionally stunted but successful (and, yes, talented) artists who find themselves at a turning point in their careers. Their audience’s tastes are changing and they’ve made their fair share of enemies. To make matters worse, they’re also realizing that after 20 years of working together, they might not know each other or themselves all that well. So the stakes are clear: they need to figure out how to continue working together, overcome some personal demons, and find age-appropriate hairstyles or break up and, most likely, fade away.  And the truly amazing thing is, they’re successful! They meet their challenges head on and, with a little bit of professional support, achieve some honest to god emotional growth in the process. It is an unlikely feel-good story, even if you’re not a fan of the biggest thrash metal band in the world.  Shoot. That’s a bit of a giveaway. Oh, well. Whatever. Just listen. You’ll like it. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

  8. Aug 21

    134. HYPERFOCUS BONUS: Going All in on Watercolors and Medieval Lore

    What does it mean to go all in on something? Well, sometimes you have to go all in if you want to get all out. And even though the previous sentence made absolutely no sense whatsoever, we’re keeping it in the description because writing introductory paragraphs can be difficult. In this week’s HYPERFOCUS BONUS, Marcus and Esme share two stories of going all in to achieve a goal. In part 1, Esme shares some strategies she’s employed to overcome the painting inertia she described in last week’s episode. That’s right. In one week, Esme identified and developed a strategy to keep the dopamine flowing so she could follow through on not one but multiple watercolor projects. Suck it, executive function issues! She also explains how she has been helping their daughter get ready to go back to school, which can always be a challenge for those of us who have trouble switching gears or dealing with the sensory overload of seasonally themed shopping excursions. In part 2, Marcus tries to get to the bottom of a question that’s been bugging him for some time now. Why did the city of Lancaster, PA. go all in on gothic, medieval, and fantasy themes? He shares his research, all of which is backed up by firsthand accounts and information from mostly reputable sources. He also shares some original research on the movie Witness (1985), and the origins of the Amish community in Lancaster County. Warning: his findings from the latter research feel somewhat less reliable, but are still worthy of entertaining. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/C0C216B887  Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: “Lancaster, Pennsylvania.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Aug. 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster,_Pennsylvania.  unchartedadam. “Lancaster’s Surprising Royal Connection.” Uncharted Lancaster, 15 Jan. 2020, https://unchartedlancaster.com/2020/01/15/pop-quiz-lancasters-surprising-royal-connection.  Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch:    • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun...   Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp

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5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

If you’re sick and tired of listening to the negative talk track playing in your head, then why not listen to us instead? We are Marcus and Esme O’Kayvius (not our real names), a married, neurodivergent couple with a lot of experience managing our own mental health issues while raising a daughter and navigating the dystopic hellscape that is corporate America. Join us each week as we discuss trending mental health issues and explore how they impact our health and wellness. We’ll also examine the myths and misconceptions associated with mental health and what we can do about them. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com

Information

  • Creator
    Marcus & Esme O’Kayvius
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Crazy Together

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