Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

Craig Heacock MD
  • 4.9 (496)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

How do we find a way out of the darkest depths of despair? Psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock hosts a deep dive into powerfully moving stories of hope and healing, as well as topical explorations of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychedelics.

  1. 3D AGO

    How can we actually prevent suicide? Guns, access to means, and the hope of Donna's Law

    The US has a major suicide problem, around 50,000 people every year, and 60% of these suicides are gun suicides. The number one risk factor for completed suicide is not depression or anxiety or addiction….it’s access to means, and it turns out that it’s actually not that easy to impulsively kill yourself, unless you have ready access to a gun.  We are finally starting to talk about ways to keep guns out of the hands of potentially suicidal people, and a concrete step in that direction is something called Donna’s Law— a program where people can voluntarily be put on a no-sell list during times of psychological crisis or instability.  Donna’s Law is named after Donna Nathan, who impulsively bought a handgun in 2018 in New Orleans and shot herself during a period of psychiatric crisis.  There were no barriers in place, no waiting period or no-sell list...Donna found easy access to means and paid the ultimate price. We first hear the voice of Katrina Brees, Donna’s daughter. Katrina tells us more about who Donna was, how she lived and how she died. After we hear from Katrina, Dr. H leads a discussion with two prominent Colorado voices for both Donna’s law in particular and suicide prevention in general— Dr. Dave Iverson is a Denver-based psychiatrist, a board member of Colorado Ceasefire, and lifelong advocate for society’s most vulnerable folks, including those on the streets or in the justice system… also Ginny Mack joins the conversation, she is a Ft Collins-based psychiatric nurse practitioner, a Navy Veteran, and a longtime advocate for suicide prevention efforts on the state and local level.  Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Donna's Law for Suicide Prevention https://www.donnaslaw.com/ Donna's Law for Colorado https://www.donnaslawforco.com/ Colorado listeners who would like to get involved in the awareness campaign for Donna's Law, please email: donnaslawforco@gmail.com Golden Gate suicide study https://www.goldengate.org/assets/1/6/suicide-deterrent-seiden-study.pdf Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BC https://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/ Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    1h 1m

  2. MAR 6

    A somatic therapist and her apprenticeship of grief

    Today’s story explores how we love, how we grieve, and how we eventually find some sort of equilibrium thereafter. This episode is a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story by Colorado-based somatic therapist Darci Meyers about her journey through multiple losses, grief, and ongoing recovery. Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Darci Meyers http://www.darcimeyers.com/ Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BC https://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/ Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    1h 5m

  3. FEB 20

    A gift of therapy- Discovering the wisdom of the body

    Kari reconnected with her birth mother in her 40s and finally began to understand the suffering for which she had no words. This is a story of adoption and reunification, of forgetting and remembering, of finding a truth without words in the wisdom of the body.  Kari’s birth mother was able to see something deep in Kari that she had never had words for….and thus began her path toward healing. Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BC https://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/ Elemental Psychedelics Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Training https://www.elementalpsychedelics.com/ketaminetraining Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    48 min

  4. FEB 6

    A Nurse + Grief + Alcohol + Adderall— Finding Hope for Healers

    Kate started her addiction journey at a young age, using substances as a salve for her terrible grief. Later, drugs and alcohol helped her to cope with the transition to nursing and the unending demands of a hospital setting.  But as with all addicts, this strategy worked until it didn’t….Kate eventually had to find a new way to cope if she was going to survive past her 30s. Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Kate Gibson (The Coleman Institute) Kate@thecolemaninstitute.com; Kate.gibson.dnp@gmail.com Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcast https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/ Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    1h 5m

  5. JAN 23

    The Scary Med List-- A Case Consultation with Dr. H

    Dr. H dives deep into a patient's scary, confusing, and ill-advised list of psych meds to illustrate some deeper truths and lessons about psychopharmacology and the med management model of psychiatry. Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    23 min

  6. JAN 9

    Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Ketamine, and Psychiatry 3.0

    Dr. H sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher, Medical Director of the TMS Clinic at the University of Colorado- Anschutz to explore the growing role of TMS and neuromodulation in psychiatry.  They explore questions such as: •How should we think about TMS vs ketamine in the treatment of depression? Trauma? OCD? •Who are the best candidates for TMS?  •What are the relative merits of intensive TMS (SAINT) vs standard protocols? •How might TMS and ketamine work together to promote psychiatric stability? Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/33013 Patient selection for TMS- Case report with Dr. Fenstermacher https://journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/fulltext/2025/11000/case_report__personalizing_transcranial_magnetic.3.aspx Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BC Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    1h 11m

  7. 12/26/2025

    When psychiatric illness isn't just psychiatric-- The immune system, PANS, and psychiatric mimicry

    There is a growing awareness in psychiatry that not all psychiatric illness is psychiatric— some percentage of what presents in psychiatric settings is actually triggered by autoimmune responses to various pathogens and insults.  In the late '90s a syndrome called PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with strep) came on the scene with cases of sudden onset OCD and tics that appeared in conjunction with strep infections. The theory behind PANDAS was that parts of the basal ganglia of the brain had exterior cell proteins which were very similar to those of the strep bacteria, and as the immune system began to attack the strep bacteria, it also began an autoimmune assault on parts of the midbrain, including the basal ganglia, thus producing a sudden onset of OCD or tics. In recent years PANDAS has evolved into a broader concept called PANS— pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome— which includes a vast array of neurological and psychiatric symptoms and syndromes that can potentially be triggered by autoimmune reactions. It can be tricky to diagnose PANS….this is probably why it is still a somewhat controversial diagnosis in some arenas. We don’t have a clear and consistent set of labs or biomarkers to positively determine PANS, and because the syndrome is so broad in how it can present, clinicians struggle to come up with a modal or average presentation that they can put in their pattern recognition systems.  One feature that seems fairly classic for PANS is that the symptoms tend to increase during and/or right after a concomitant infectious illness, presumably because the immune system activation is reigniting the autoimmune attack on the central nervous system. Today’s story features a mom, Kari, and her daughter, Zoe. Zoe had lots of illness and immune system issues as a young child, first fatigue and then GI symptoms, then profound mood instability, and then she eventually developed horrific treatment resistant anorexia which did not respond to the best treatments psychiatry had to offer. Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver BC https://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/ BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    1h 21m

  8. 12/12/2025

    10 Questions to Deepen Psychotherapy-- Inviting the Here and Now

    Psychotherapy can often get stuck in a there and then storytelling mode....how do we shift the therapeutic encounter into the immediacy of the Here and Now?  Here Dr. H shares 10 questions which shine a spotlight on what's happening (and not happening!) between therapist and patient.  Support the show!  https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collins https://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/ "I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?"  An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BC Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode. https://bfta-codex.org BFTA episode recommendations/Podcast page https://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/ Support the show

    16 min
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4.9
out of 5
496 Ratings

About

How do we find a way out of the darkest depths of despair? Psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock hosts a deep dive into powerfully moving stories of hope and healing, as well as topical explorations of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychedelics.

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