Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

Dr. Heacock has created something truly magical with this podcast. And then, Chris adds to the magic with the music. It’s a beautiful combination… of patients so bravely and openly sharing their abyss stories, and how they found their way out… because healing is possible, even when it least feels like it. Of Dr. Heacock musing on his own thoughts and knowledge of all things psychiatry and what it means to be human… always with kindness and openness and acceptance and graceful humor and, with love. And, finally, of interviews with other experts who bring their own wisdom. It’s truly a sacred space to spend an hour or so in every other Friday.

🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ Loved the recent episode on the Enneagram. Keep ‘em coming!!

As a non-clinician interested in mental health, I find each of BFTA's episode formats informative and inspiring. The primary episode formats include: 1— Discussions with people brave enough to share their stories in a semi-public setting -- one that Dr. H fashions into a safe container through which they (and we) can often find catharsis and transformation. 2- Discussions with other mental health experts working in various clinical settings. 3- Monologues in which Dr. H offers insights on various topics. 4- Recordings of therapy sessions conducted by other clinicians, such as the captivating episode from Jan 3rd '25 (S6-E8). Within a few weeks of discovering BFTA early this year, I had consumed a few dozen episodes from recent seasons. At that point, I decided to start at the beginning, with S1-E1, and roll forward from there. The content and production value were good from the start, and noticeably improved over the seasons -- to the point where I find BFTA compares favorably to any of the scores of pods and YouTube channels I've explored on mental health, therapy, and psychedelics. BFTA seems unique in many ways -- the most potent, I feel, is Dr. H's generous, empathetic, and authentic nature. The brief music interludes, in both timing and mood, help the listener process material that can be emotionally intense or informationally dense. Thank you, Craig and Chris, for this labor of love ... for keeping it free, ad-free, and very real.

This podcast is so good! As a psychotherapist, I listen to this podcast to learn and I often visit an episode repeatedly. I’ve also recommended episodes to my clients. Dr. Craig is warm and smart and explores relevant and helpful topics. Thank you for this work!