PSYCH LORE & INSIGHTS

Psych Lore & Insights 2026

Welcome to PSYCH LORE & INSIGHTS. I am your host, Sarah a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and also joining us is my brother Steve an Irish blooded natural born story teller. We mix history, lore, and  true crime with psychiatry, psychology and all things related to the human psyche.   And wow, we have a great stories to share with you. I am not giving any medical advice, nor diagnosing.  This is for education and entertainment purposes only,  So, let’s go!

  1. 4d ago

    The Ghosts of Flight 401: What Remains

    Sarah and Steven revisit the 1972 crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 and the eerie reports that its crew later appeared aboard aircraft fitted with salvaged parts from the wreckage. Episode Summary Steven recounts the fatal descent into the Everglades, the extraordinary rescue effort, and the apparitions described in John G. Fuller’s The Ghost of Flight 401. Sarah then explores how traumatic events persist through fear conditioning, hypervigilance, flashbacks, and the brain’s limbic system. What Remains From grounding techniques and trauma treatment to epigenetics and theories of residual haunting, the episode considers whether tragedy leaves its mark only on people—or perhaps on places and objects, too. When tragedy ends, what remains, and who carries it?

  2. Oct 11

    Psychology of a Witch Hunt: The Salem Witch Trials

    In this episode of Psych Lore & Insights, Sarah and Steve revisit the Salem witch trials through the people accused, the community that feared them, and the courts that treated spectral claims as evidence. Steve traces the accusations from the first reported fits to the trials and executions, including the stories of Tituba, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey. Sarah explores how Puritan beliefs, social conflict, and moral panic may have shaped what the community thought it was seeing. The Psychology Behind the Story The conversation also explains epileptic seizures and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, while making an important distinction: modern psychology can help us ask better questions about Salem, but it cannot diagnose people who lived in 1692. Salem’s most unsettling lesson is not that people believed in witches. It is how quickly fear became certainty—and certainty became punishment.

  3. Oct 4

    Fae, Fairies & Folklore of the Mind

    Sarah and Steve explore Irish, Scottish, and English fairy lore—from banshees and changelings to selkies, fairy rings, and the feared rules of the Fae. They examine how folklore reflects grief, trauma, unexplained differences, cultural beliefs, and the evolution of mental-health understanding, while connecting ancient stories to modern psychiatry in Ireland and the United States.

  4. Sep 27

    Lizzie Borden Lessons: Why Your Brain Craves True Crime and Crunchy Snacks

    Lizzie Borden, a house full of locked doors, family conflict, and a mystery that still refuses to close.In this spooky-season episode of Psych Lore & Insights, Sarah and Steven explore the infamous Lizzie Borden case—from the tense Borden household and inheritance disputes to the strange clues, conflicting stories, and unanswered questions surrounding the murders.They also examine why we’re drawn to horror and true crime, how the brain responds to fear, why scary stories can feel exciting in a safe setting, and how crunchy snacks may help release tension. With psychological insight, historical lore, and ethical storytelling, this episode offers a chilling look at both the case and the reasons we can’t stop listening to stories like it. Stay curious. Stay psyched.

  5. Sep 20

    The Closer She Cries; La Llorona, Mexican Folklore, And Postpartum Psychosis

    La Llorona’s cry was supposed to keep children away from the water—but what if it’s also a story about grief, mental illness, and the terror of motherhood? In this episode, we blend Mexican folklore with psychiatric insight, using the legend of the Weeping Woman to explore postpartum psychosis, infanticide risk, and how fear-based stories shape family life and child anxiety.  You’ll hear how Aztec goddess lore, canal ghost stories, and current focus on postpartum psychosis intersect, and why cultures turn maternal suffering into haunting warnings passed down through generations. If you’ve ever grown up with La Llorona, spooky season tales, or authoritarian “because I said so” parenting, this conversation pulls those memories into the light—with clinical clarity, cultural respect, and a reminder to “not struggle in silence.” References Cross-Cultural Study of Idioms of Distress Among Spanish Nationals and Hispanic American Migrants: Susto, Nervios and Ataque De Nervios. Durà-Vilà G, Hodes M. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2012;47(10):1627-37. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0468-3.Cross-Cultural Aspects of Anxiety Disorders. Hofmann SG, Hinton DE. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2014;16(6):450. doi:10.1007/s11920-014-0450-3.Understanding Service Utilization Disparities and Depression in Latinos: The Role of Fatalismo. Anastasia EA, Bridges AJ. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2015;17(6):1758-64. doi:10.1007/s10903-015-0196-y.Stigma of mental illness and cultural factors in Pacific Rim region: a systematic review. Ran MS, Hall BJ, Su TT, et al. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21(1):8. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02991-5.¡Yo no Estoy Loca! A Behavioral Health Telenovela Style Entertainment Education Video: Increasing Mental Health Literacy Among Latinas. Gonzalez F, Benuto LT. Community Mental Health Journal. 2022;58(5):850-861. doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00892-9.The Role of Traditional Healers in Musculoskeletal Care for Hispanic and Latino/a Americans. Gippo I, Manocha S, Pino Paez MG, Johnson J, Patel N. JBJS Reviews. 2026;14(3):01874474-202603000-00004. doi:e25.00257.Mexican traditional medicines for women’s reproductive health. Cabada-Aguirre P, López López AM, Mendoza KCO, et al. Scientific Reports. 2023;13(1):2807. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29921-1.Academic history, domains and distribution of the hot-cold system in Mexico. García-Hernández KY, Vargas-Guadarrama LA, Vibrans H. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2023;19(1):50. doi:10.1186/s13002-023-00624-1.Cultural Health Beliefs and Practices Among Hispanic Parents. Fowler AL, Mann ME, Martinez FJ, Yeh HW, Cowden JD. Clinical Pediatrics. 2022;61(1):56-65. doi:10.1177/00099228211059666.

  6. Sep 13

    Robin Williams Unmasked; Exploring Lewy Body Dementia

    In this episode of Psych Lore & Insights, we journey through the extraordinary life of Robin Williams, tracing how a lonely childhood in a large, mostly empty home helped forge his explosive creativity, improvisational genius, and unforgettable characters. We explore the way inventing voices and personalities for toy soldiers became the groundwork for the rapid‑fire roles that later defined his career, and how that same imaginative intensity coexisted with depression, addiction, and profound inner pain. Drawing on the post‑mortem revelation that he was living with severe diffuse Lewy body disease, we unpack how this misunderstood brain disorder affected his mood, perception, and cognition in the years before his death, reshaping the public story from “just” suicide to neurodegenerative illness. With psychiatric insight and deep respect, we reflect on his legacy as both comic genius and human being, offering education—not diagnosis—about creativity, suffering, and the brain.

  7. Sep 6

    When The Music Stops: Karen Carpenter, Anorexia, And The Cost Of Perfection

    Explore the life and struggles of Karen Carpenter, her rise to fame, and her battle with anorexia nervosa, highlighting mental health awareness and the importance of understanding eating disorders.

  8. Aug 30

    Psycho-Cult Jonestown; Coercive Control

    Sarah and Steve unpack the Jonestown massacre, tracing how Jim Jones transformed a seemingly utopian, service-oriented church into an isolated jungle commune governed by fear, manipulation, and total control. Sarah, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, explores cult psychology through the lens of Lifton’s thought reform criteria, coercive control, and psychopathy models applied to Jones, while Steve brings the human story to life with vivid historical narrative and survivor details. Together they distinguish destructive cults from benign “cult classics” in pop culture, discuss the unique trauma cult survivors face, and offer compassionate, practical guidance for listeners who may have loved ones entangled in high-control groups

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to PSYCH LORE & INSIGHTS. I am your host, Sarah a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and also joining us is my brother Steve an Irish blooded natural born story teller. We mix history, lore, and  true crime with psychiatry, psychology and all things related to the human psyche.   And wow, we have a great stories to share with you. I am not giving any medical advice, nor diagnosing.  This is for education and entertainment purposes only,  So, let’s go!

Information

  • Creator
    Psych Lore & Insights 2026
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Psych Lore & Insights 2026
  • Show Website
    PSYCH LORE & INSIGHTS