Your Mind On Podcast

John Shaw

Your Mind On is a weekly podcast that delves into the world of psychology to teach listeners about psychological concepts, groundbreaking studies, and psychological conditions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2d ago

    Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder: When Panic Hides Behind Love

    What happens when that overwhelming, gut-wrenching terror of being separated from the people you love doesn't disappear in childhood? In this episode of Your Mind On, we take a deep dive into Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) across the lifespan—exploring how it presents in adulthood, why roughly 6.6% of adults experience it, and how recent updates in the DSM-5 finally recognized this condition beyond pediatric care. We unpack the crucial differences between Separation Anxiety Disorder, Anxious Attachment, and Codependency. While they can look identical on the outside, a primal fear of physical harm or death is fundamentally different from a loss of identity or a fear of rejection. We’ll also examine the "Mask of Devotion," the heavy physical and somatic toll of anxiety—including Nardi’s False Suffocation Alarm Theory—and practical, evidence-based frameworks (CBT, Graduated Exposure, ACT, and the ASA-27) to help recalibrate an overactive nervous system and rebuild internal safety. Whether you’ve ever felt an inexplicable wave of panic the second a loved one walks out the door, or you’re navigating high-anxiety dynamics in your family, this episode offers scientific clarity, clinical tools, and a roadmap back to grounded connection. In This Episode, We Cover: The DSM-5 diagnostic evolution dropping the age-18 onset cutoff. Differentiating SAD from Codependency and Anxious Attachment through two parallel real-world scenarios. The "Mask of Devotion" and the somatic toll on the body (GI distress, respiratory variability, and chronic insomnia). Practical therapeutic tools: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and the ASA-27 check-in. Teaser for next week's breakdown of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Connect & Support: Website: Visit yourmindonpodcast.com to stream episodes directly from your browser, explore past archives, learn more about the show, and shop official Your Mind On merch! Email: Have comments, questions, or topic suggestions? Reach out at hello@yourmindonpodcast.com. Instagram: Follow along @yourmindonpodcast. YouTube: Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, like and comment on your favorite episodes, and share with family and friends! Music Credits: All music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.Intro & Outro Theme: "More Now Than Ever" – North SphereBackground Audio Track: "Shavasana for Monkey Minds" – Ave Air Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder: When Panic Hides Behind Love

  2. 5d ago

    Mindfulness Monday: Hack Your Brain with DBT Willing Hands & Half-Smile

    Are you starting your week with tight fists and a clenched jaw? When Monday morning brings unexpected demands or tasks we would rather avoid, our bodies instinctively go into defense mode. We hunch our shoulders, grip our steering wheels or desks, and clench our facial muscles in physical resistance. In neurobiology and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we know that somatic posture isn't just an outcome of emotion—it drives it. When you physically brace against your day, your body signals to your brain that you are under threat, triggering unnecessary stress and exhaustion. In this 10-minute Mindfulness Monday micro-session, we explore two powerful, evidence-based physical resets developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan: Willing Hands and the Radical Half-Smile. Instead of trying to force your mind to think positive thoughts, we use the body-brain feedback loop from the outside in. Learn how a subtle shift in your palms and facial muscles can interrupt the fight-or-flight response, dissolve useless friction, and help you meet your workday demands with calm capability. In this session, we’ll cover:An introduction to the Facial Feedback Hypothesis and the neurobiology of physical bracing.A guided posture alignment for Willing Hands to break the habit of closed, defensive gripping.The practice of the Radical Half-Smile to send immediate safety signals to the nervous system via the cranial nerves.How to pair somatic openness with "radical acceptance" to navigate unwanted workplace stressors without burnout.Take ten minutes this morning to drop your fists, soften your stance, and meet your week with willingness. Connect With Us:We’d love to hear how this physical reset felt for you today! Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:To help you find your baseline, today’s episode featured: Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Exercise: ebb by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty DecksMusic provided by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mindfulness Monday: Hack Your Brain with DBT Willing Hands & Half-Smile

  3. Aug 13

    Why Late-Diagnosed Adults Face Severe Burnout (ADHD, Autism & Masking)

    Why does starting a simple daily task sometimes feel like trying to jumpstart a car with a dead battery? How do so many hyper-adaptable, high-achieving adults manage to mask internal struggles for 20, 30, or 40 years without anyone noticing—including themselves? And what is the true physical, emotional, and neurological price tag of living a life running on hidden stress? In this episode of Your Mind On, host John Shaw peels back the layers on the "Invisible Marathon" and late-discovered neurodivergence (ADHD & Autism). We unpack the clinical research behind executive dysfunction, examine how chronic anxiety gets weaponized as a makeshift task-initiation engine, and explore the biological reality of mid-life burnout. In This Episode, We Discuss: The "Ignition Switch" Problem: Why task initiation isn't about laziness or discipline, but neurological inertia.Retrospective Reframing & The Faulty Character Myth: Dismantling decades of internalized shame and making room to grieve lost years.Anxiety as Executive Function & Allostatic Load: The physical toll of running your nervous system on adrenaline and fight-or-flight mode.The Cognitive Tax of Camouflaging (CAT-Q): How social masking consumes your brain’s working memory (RAM).Hitting the Mid-Life Wall: The difference between ordinary fatigue and systemic neurodivergent burnout, including the critical impact of hormonal shifts and perimenopause on dopamine.Autistic vs. ADHD Burnout: Understanding skill-stripping, regression, and the "wired-then-crashed" motivational wall.Radical Self-Compassion & ACT Frameworks: Using cognitive defusion, sensory accommodation, external scaffolding, and radical pacing to rebuild your life. Connect With the Show: Website: yourmindonpodcast.com (Stream episodes, read blog posts, and shop the official merch store!)Email: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastYouTube: Subscribe, like, and comment on your favorite episodes!Music Credits: Theme Song (Intro/Outro): More Now Than Ever by North SphereBackground Ambient Track: Shavasana for Monkey Minds by Ave AirAll music licensed via Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why Late-Diagnosed Adults Face Severe Burnout (ADHD, Autism & Masking)

  4. Aug 10

    Mindfulness Monday: How to Protect Your Peace When You Have Zero Control

    Are you exhausted from waiting on decisions, processes, or people you cannot control? One of the most taxing emotional experiences we can endure is being trapped in a waiting room—when something vital to our family, career, or future is completely out of our hands. Whether you are waiting on a government agency, a legal review, or an answer from someone else, the feeling of zero agency can trigger intense hyper-vigilance. Our minds convince us that worrying, pacing, or obsessing is productive action, when in reality it is simply draining our emotional reserves. In this expanded, 10-minute Mindfulness Monday narrative, we look to maritime navigation to explore the lesson of the harbor pilot and the bridge at anchor. Through the story of an ocean captain surrendering the wheel at the harbor threshold, we uncover a crucial psychological shift for managing seasons of powerlessness: recognizing the difference between passive helplessness and intentional, protective anchorage. In this session, we’ll cover:An introduction to the psychology of non-agency and why waiting triggers chronic stress.The story of the harbor pilot and the wisdom of sitting at anchor when you cannot force the channel.How to break the loop of hyper-vigilant scanning (e.g., constant status checking and worst-case scenario planning).A tactical mindset anchor to help you protect your energy and focus on what you can control this week.Take ten minutes this morning to step off the bridge, release what you cannot steer, and trust the anchorage. Connect With Us:Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Story: alma by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty DecksMusic provided by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mindfulness Monday: How to Protect Your Peace When You Have Zero Control

  5. Aug 6

    Why Your Brain Panics at 2:00 AM (And How to Stop It)

    Have you ever noticed how a manageable daytime problem suddenly transforms into an existential crisis at two in the morning? Why do our worst anxieties, deepest regrets, and most embarrassing memories love to throw a party the second our heads hit the pillow? In this episode of Your Mind On, John Shaw unpacks the neuroscience of nocturnal emotional dysregulation—commonly known as "The Midnight Brain." We explore why your prefrontal cortex goes offline while your amygdala stays wide awake in the dark, how extended wakefulness leads to erratic dopamine surges and stress hormone spikes, and why the human brain is biologically primed to view the world differently in the dead of night. Plus, we break down the evolutionary origins of late-night vigilance and share practical, science-backed tools—from Stimulus Control Therapy to Cognitive Shuffling and the Physiological Sigh—to help you reset a hyper-aroused nervous system and finally get the rest you deserve. In this episode, we cover: The "Mind After Midnight" Hypothesis: How the circadian downstate alters executive control and emotional processing.Prefrontal-Limbic Decoupling: Why daytime stressors feel so amplified in the dark.The Sentinel Hypothesis: The evolutionary reason your brain scans for danger when the room goes quiet.The Midnight Feedback Loop: How abstract rumination and "illusory clarity" create a daytime anxiety hangover.Somatic & Cognitive Resets: Proven, evidence-based protocols to interrupt late-night racing thoughts and restore sleep. Connect with the Show: Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastEmail: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comSubscribe & Review: Be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, leave a rating, and share this episode with someone who needs a good night's sleep! Music: Intro / Outro Music: More Now Than Ever by North Sphere (provided via Epidemic Sound) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why Your Brain Panics at 2:00 AM (And How to Stop It)

  6. Aug 3

    Mindfulness Monday: Stop Treating Emotions Like Fixed Objects (4-Step Reset)

    Are you tired of feeling like you are constantly reacting to your own intense emotions? When Monday morning arrives, many of us feel like we're being hijacked by feelings we can't control—anxiety, overwhelm, or mental fatigue. In psychology, we often treat these emotions as fixed, hardwired programs that get "triggered." However, the revolutionary work of neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett suggests otherwise: your brain constructs your emotions in the present moment, based on raw physical signals from your body (interoception), past experiences, and your current context. In this innovative, 10-minute Mindfulness Monday exercise, we are moving beyond simple observation to active Affective Construction. Instead of letting generalized stress define your day, we will guide you through a tactical, four-step process. Learn to map your raw internal body budget, identify sensory data, and apply conscious, precise labels to your feelings. By changing how you interpret your internal signals, you will learn how to intentionally design the emotions you want to carry into your week. In this session, we’ll cover:An introduction to Interoception and the Theory of Constructed Emotion.Interoceptive Mapping: Guiding your awareness to raw physical energy and valence signals in your torso.Affective Labeling: Transforming the sensory input (e.g., fast heartbeat) from "Anxiety" into a constructive emotion (e.g., "Preparation").Constructing the Target Affect: A visualization practice to consciously design the physical sensations of your ideal emotional state (e.g., "Focused Calm").Take ten minutes this morning to stop reacting to the storm and start becoming your own emotional architect. Connect With Us:We’d love to hear how this exercise felt for you today! Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:To help you find your baseline, today’s episode featured: Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Exercise: ebb by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty DecksMusic provided by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mindfulness Monday: Stop Treating Emotions Like Fixed Objects (4-Step Reset)

  7. Jul 30

    Ted Bundy & The Mask of Sanity: The Psychology of High-Functioning Psychopathy

    In this episode of Your Mind On, we step away from the true-crime headlines and dive deep into the clinical machinery behind one of the most complex minds in forensic history: Ted Bundy. How does someone maintain a polished, highly respected public persona while harboring violent, predatory drives behind closed doors? We unpack Hervey Cleckley’s landmark concept of the "Mask of Sanity" to explore how high-functioning psychopathy operates in the real world. We’ll also clear up major diagnostic confusion by contrasting Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and Psychopathy, and examine the neurobiology behind executive functioning, cognitive empathy, and the "Empathy Paradox." Finally, we discuss how to digest forensic psychology without slipping into paranoia or losing our trust in human kindness. Show Notes & ConnectWebsite: yourmindonpodcast.com (Stream episodes, explore past topics, read show notes, and shop the official merch store!)Email: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastYouTube: Subscribe to the Your Mind On YouTube Channel to catch episode uploads, leave comments, and share your thoughts!Audio & Music CreditsAll music and sound effects generously provided by Epidemic Sound: Theme / Intro & Outro Music: More Now Than Ever by North SphereBackground Atmosphere: Drone of Tension by Elm Lake Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Ted Bundy & The Mask of Sanity: The Psychology of High-Functioning Psychopathy

  8. Jul 27

    Mindfulness Monday: Let the Wave Crash: Protecting Your Cognitive Energy

    Are you letting the chaos of other people's urgency toss you around today? When Monday morning hits, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by an influx of unexpected demands, shifting schedules, and intense workplace pressure. When we react emotionally to every single stressor that comes our way, we hand over our peace of mind to external circumstances. In performance psychology, maintaining an "internal locus of control" means recognizing that while we cannot control the turbulence around us, we retain total authority over how anchored we remain within it. In this expanded motivational Mindfulness Monday episode, we look out to the edge of a stormy coast to explore the lesson of the granite lighthouse. Through the story of the tower and the sea, we uncover a crucial perspective shift for navigating a frantic week: peace isn't found by stopping the waves, but by building a foundation so deep that the waves simply crash and recede around you. In this session, we’ll cover:A grounding mind-shift to separate your internal state from external workplace chaos.The story of the lighthouse and the mechanics of an internal locus of control.How to stop reacting to every incoming wave of urgency and preserve your mental energy.A motivational anchor to help you stand firm in your priorities all week long.Take ten minutes this morning to anchor your foundation, let the noise pass, and hold your light steady. Connect With Us:Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Story: alma by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty DecksMusic provided by Epidemic Sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mindfulness Monday: Let the Wave Crash: Protecting Your Cognitive Energy
See All (66)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Your Mind On is a weekly podcast that delves into the world of psychology to teach listeners about psychological concepts, groundbreaking studies, and psychological conditions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    John Shaw
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © John Shaw
  • Show Website
    Your Mind On Podcast

You Might Also Like