Bad Therapist

Ash Compton & Rachel Monroe

At a moment when therapy speak has made it into the mainstream and trauma is a national preoccupation, it's high time to examine the shadow side of mental health. Bad Therapist Podcast takes an amused, informed look at the bad actors mucking around in the world of psychology. Cads, opportunists, and charlatans have been a part of this field since the beginning; some of them have even made lasting contributions to the field. Co-hosted by psychotherapist Ash Compton and journalist Rachel Monroe, both big fans of therapy and big critics of those who abuse its insights, Bad Therapist delves into two centuries of sketchy behavior, spanning everything from questionable nineteenth-century hypnotists to the TikTok-famous therapy hustlers.

  1. 6D AGO

    Neuro-Linguistic Programming

    Rachel and Ash venture into the world of neuro-linguistic programming, trying (and failing) to use word-spells to get everything they've ever wanted. Content warning: NXIVM, murder, pick-up artists. Sources: Frank Clancy & Heidi Yorkshire, "The Bander Method" - Mother Jones, Feb/Mar 1989 https://books.google.com/books?id=DOcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22#v=onepage&q&f=false Robert S. Spitzer, "Virginia Satir & Origins of NLP" - https://www.social-engineer.org/wiki/archives/NLP/NLP-Satir395.pdf Tomasz Witkowski, "Thirty-Five Years of Research on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP Research Data Base. State of the Art or Pseudoscientific Decoration?" Polish Psychological Bulletin - https://philpapers.org/rec/WITTYO Richard Wiseman, et al., "The Eyes Don't Have It: Lie Detection and Neuro-Linguistic Programming," PLoS ONE - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040259 Terrence McClendon, The Wild Days: NLP 1972-1981 - https://archive.org/details/wilddays0000mccl Toni Natalie & Chet Hardin, The Program: Inside the Mind of Keith Raniere and the Rise and Fall of NXIVM - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-program-inside-the-mind-of-keith-raniere-and-the-rise-and-fall-of-nxivm-chet-hardin/6d3afa01e96ff5ad Ross Jeffries, How To Get the Women You Desire Into Bed - https://www.maerivoet.org/website/links/miscellaneous/speed-seduction-book/resources/speed-seduction-book.pdf Neil Strauss, The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists - https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-game-penetrating-the-secret-society-of-pickup-artists-neil-strauss/659bc135ee8fb93e Louis Theroux Tests out Hypnotic Dating - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn_oqEOtLYU

    1h 3m

  2. APR 29

    Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

    Rachel and Ash explore the work of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and her five stages of death/grief. A scammy cult is involved, because a scammy cult always seems to be involved.    SOURCES:   Elizabeth Kübler-Ross - On Death and Dying (1969) Elizabeth Kübler-Ross - On Life After Death (1991) Elizabeth Kübler-Ross - The Wheel of Life: A Memoir (1997) Jessica Weisberg - Asking for a Friend: Three Centuries of Advice on Life, Love, Money, and Other Burning Questions from a Nation Obsessed (2007) "Doctor Noted for Work with the Dying Involved in Controversy Over Seances," Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1979 Produced by Zoe Kurland. Music by Flock of Dimes.

    1h 5m
  3. AI Chatbot Therapy

    APR 15

    AI Chatbot Therapy

    Ash and Rachel delve into the world of chatbot therapy -- sit back and listen as the machines glitch out and reveal their true selves. SOURCES: Hillman, James, and Michael Ventura. We've Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy – And the World's Getting Worse. New York: HarperCollins, 1992 (e-book version 2007) Balan, Raluca, and Thomas P. Gumpel. "ChatGPT Clinical Use in Mental Health Care: Scoping Review of Empirical Evidence." JMIR Mental Health (via PMC), December 24, 2025 Lewis-Kraus, Gideon. (2026). What is Claude? Anthropic Doesn't Know, Either. Retrieved from:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/16/what-is-claude-anthropic-doesnt-know-either Luo, Xiaochen, et al. ""Shaping ChatGPT into my Digital Therapist": A thematic analysis of social media discourse on using generative artificial intelligence for mental health." Digital Health, vol. 11, June 3, 2025 Raile, Paolo. "The usefulness of ChatGPT for psychotherapists and patients." Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, January 4, 2024 Solms, M. (2013). The Conscious Id. Neuropsychoanalysis, 15(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15294145.2013.10773711 https://www.thehumanlineproject.org/ ** in-episode correction: Pat Ogden created Sensorimotor Psychotherapy not Somatic Experiencing (this was Peter Levine)** Produced by Zoe Kurland. Music by Flock of Dimes.

    58 min
  4. Season 2 Trailer

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Season 2 Trailer

    Season 2 of Bad Therapist starts April 14th.

    1 min
  5. Hysteria: Part 2

    02/26/2025

    Hysteria: Part 2

    Part Two of Two on Hysteria. Ash and Rachel seek knowns and unknowns about the contested origins of Hysteria finding its way into the emergent psychological annals. Golden Siggie takes the lead. Find metaphors doing *the most* in a teen's dreams, and more! This is the last of our current season. If Bad Therapist is pleasing to your psyche, please rate, review and subscribe. We hope to see you for Season 2! SOURCES Gilman, Sander L., Helen King, Roy Porter, G. S. Rousseau, and Elaine Showalter. Hysteria Beyond Freud. University of California Press, 1993. Scull, Andrew. Hysteria: The Disturbing History. Oxford University Press, 2021. Freud, Sigmund. Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. Touchstone, 1997 (originally published 1905). Malcolm, Janet. "Trouble in the Archives—II: The Battle Over Sigmund Freud's Secret." The New Yorker, December 12, 1983. Produced by Zoe Kurland. Music by Flock of Dimes.

    46 min
  6. Hysteria: Part 1

    02/19/2025

    Hysteria: Part 1

    Part One of Two on Hysteria. Ash and Rachel dig into the tangled history of this complex and ever-evolving diagnosis, starting with its medical origins. From ancient theories to outdated treatments, we're pulling from the antiquated archives to unpack the evolution of this so-called malady. Stay tuned for Part Two next week—Freud on Hysteria! SOURCES: Gilman, Sander L., Helen King, Roy Porter, G. S. Rousseau, and Elaine Showalter. Hysteria Beyond Freud. University of California Press, 1993. Acocella, Joan. Creating Hysteria: Women and Multiple Personality Disorder. Jossey-Bass, 1999. Scull, Andrew. Hysteria: The Disturbing History. Oxford University Press, 2021. Produced by Zoe Kurland. Music by Flock of Dimes.

    53 min
  7. You're Wrong About: Bad Therapist

    02/12/2025 ·  BONUS

    You're Wrong About: Bad Therapist

    This week, in honor of St. Valentine's Day, Bad Therapist makes a special guest appearance on a favorite podcast, You're Wrong About, to get to the bottom of Emotional Labor— a sociological and labor-related construct that has snuck its way into impersonal realms and colloquialisms. And in doing so, we solve the entire country's relationship problems— you're welcome. Hosted by Sarah Marshall. Produced by Carolyn Kendrick    RESOURCES: Hochschild, Arlie Russell. The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press, 1983.    Hackman, Jess. "Where's My Cut? On Unpaid Emotional Labor." The Toast, July 13, 2015.  [MetaFilter Discussion: "Where's My Cut? On Unpaid Emotional Labor"](https://www.metafilter.com/151267/Wheres-My-Cut-On-Unpaid-Emotional-Labor).  Hackman, Rose. Emotional Labor: The Invisible Work Shaping Our Lives and How to Claim Our Power. Flatiron Books, 2023.

    1h 3m
  8. Polarity

    01/22/2025

    Polarity

    Rachel and Ash discuss an idea that's all the rage among coaches and influencer types in Austin and elsewhere: polarity. Spoiler alert: it's essentially a New Age-y version of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and its inventor has some of the worst ideas we've ever heard about how to respond to an angry woman (….tickle her????).    Sources: The Madelyn Moon Show - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU8GwCzSVVno7KHfqNFdqrw What is the Divine Feminine? -  https://maddymoon.com/blog/divine-feminine What is the Divine Masculine? - https://maddymoon.com/blog/divine-masculine-2 Divine Polarity in Relationships - https://maddymoon.com/blog/divine-polarity Madelyn Moon on polarity & the patriarchy - https://www.instagram.com/madelynmoon/p/CjQYV7rLr7O/ John Wineland - https://www.youtube.com/@JohnWineland Breath of Fire - HBO documentary on Guru Jagat - https://www.hbo.com/breath-of-fire Deida, David (1997). The Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire - https://deida.info/the-way-of-the-superior-man/ Deida, David (2002). Dear Lover: A Woman's Guide to Men, Sex, and Love's Deepest Bliss - https://deida.info/dear-lover/ Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and His Symbols. Dell Publishing. Produced by Zoe Kurland. Music by Flock of Dimes.

    54 min
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Trailers

4.4
out of 5
94 Ratings

About

At a moment when therapy speak has made it into the mainstream and trauma is a national preoccupation, it's high time to examine the shadow side of mental health. Bad Therapist Podcast takes an amused, informed look at the bad actors mucking around in the world of psychology. Cads, opportunists, and charlatans have been a part of this field since the beginning; some of them have even made lasting contributions to the field. Co-hosted by psychotherapist Ash Compton and journalist Rachel Monroe, both big fans of therapy and big critics of those who abuse its insights, Bad Therapist delves into two centuries of sketchy behavior, spanning everything from questionable nineteenth-century hypnotists to the TikTok-famous therapy hustlers.

Information

  • Creator
    Ash Compton & Rachel Monroe
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Bad Therapist

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