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33. Medical PTSD
01:39:20||Ep. 33When we think of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), our minds naturally jump to combat zones, catastrophic accidents, or external acts of violence. But what happens when the threat isn't outside of you, but inside your own body?In this powerhouse episode of Your Mind On, we are stepping over to the research workbench to unpack a deeply important, listener-requested topic that millions quietly suffer from but rarely have the words to describe: Medical PTSD.We dive deep into the neuroscience of internal threats, exploring how a severe medical crisis or a grueling, years-long battle with a chronic, invisible illness can alter the brain's trauma architecture in the exact same way as traditional trauma. We break down the biological "why" behind somatic hypervigilance, "brain fog," and fragmented medical memories.But the physical illness is often only half the battle. We also dissect the structural anatomy of medical gaslighting and institutional betrayal—looking at the profound psychological damage that occurs when healthcare providers minimize your pain, dismiss your physical symptoms as "just anxiety," and leave you stranded in disenfranchised grief.🌟 Featured Guest: Samantha Sloves (My Lyme Coach)To help us bridge the gap between clinical theory and real-world survival, we are joined by our very first guest, Samantha Sloves, founder of My Lyme Coach. Samantha shares her powerful personal journey surviving adolescent tick-borne illness and a prolonged medical misdiagnosis. Now a professional patient advocate, Samantha provides a masterclass on how chronic illness survivors can move from absolute overwhelm to strategic clarity, navigate complex healthcare systems, communicate within family dynamics, and reclaim their agency.Finally, we map out the pathway to healing, looking at how "Top-Down" cognitive work and "Bottom-Up" somatic modalities (like EMDR and Somatic Experiencing) leverage neuroplasticity to help your nervous system finally feel safe in its own skin again.🔗 Connect with Our Guest & My Lyme CoachIf you are navigating Lyme disease or a complex medical journey and want to move from overwhelm to clarity, reach out to Samantha:Website: www.mylymecoach.orgInstagram and TikTok: @mylymcoachorgServices: Concierge-style chronic illness advising, appointment preparation, medical record organization, and provider coordination.🎧 Connect with Your Mind OnWe want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode or submit a topic request for a future show:Email: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastWebsite: yourmindonpodcast.comSubscribe & Review: If this episode validated your journey, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with someone who needs to hear it.🎵 Music CreditsIntro & Outro Theme: More Now Than Ever by North Sphere (provided via Epidemic Sound).
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Mindfulness Monday 15
06:31|Episode Title: The Hundredth Blow: The Power of Cumulative EffortAre you ready to give up because your daily efforts don't seem to be making a dent?On Monday mornings, staring down massive projects, long-term career goals, or new personal habits can feel completely overwhelming. When we put in consistent work day after day and don't see an immediate breakthrough, our brains naturally trick us into believing that our effort is being wasted. In psychology, we call this the illusion of sudden success—the tendency to celebrate the final breakthrough while completely ignoring the hundreds of invisible, repetitive actions that actually made it possible.In this motivational Mindfulness Monday episode, we explore the timeless story of the stonecutter and his hammer. Through the rhythm of ninety-nine seemingly useless strikes against an immovable boulder, we unlock a vital perspective shift for your week: your daily, monotonous hard work isn't failing, it is accumulating.In this session, we’ll cover:A quick grounding shift to release the frustration of slow, invisible progress.The story of the stonecutter and the structural reality of the "hundredth blow."How to psychologically reframe repetitive daily tasks as necessary, cumulative power.A motivational anchor to help you maintain your consistency and focus all week long.Take ten minutes tonight to steady your stance, trust your rhythm, and keep showing up.Connect With Us:Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastEmail: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Story: alma by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty Decks
32. Grief Revisited
42:37||Ep. 32One year ago this week, host John Shaw’s life changed permanently when his 22-year-old son, Andrew, lost his battle with cancer. In this deeply personal yet scientifically rigorous episode, John takes us back into the trenches of long-term grief to explore what happens under the hood of a "grief brain" as the milestones pass. Why do overwhelming waves of loss suddenly blindside us years after a tragedy, turning a beautiful day into complete darkness? John introduces a powerful concept he coined himself—ictalgia—to map the literal, neural pain of these sudden bursts. Moving far beyond the outdated linear "stages of grief," this episode breaks down modern clinical frameworks, including Dr. Therese Rando’s STUG framework , the Dual Process Model of Coping , and Continuing Bonds Theory. Discover the biological reality of "brain fog" as a state of cognitive overhead , explore how a stuck neurological reward system can lead to Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) , and walk away with an evidence-based biological resilience kit—grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—to help your mind update its internal map. Your mind is not broken; it is simply doing the hardest remodeling work it will ever face. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in. Connect With UsWe love hearing from our listeners. Whether you want to share your own story of integration or suggest a future topic, reach out to us:Website: yourmindonpodcast.com Email: hello@yourmindonpodcast.com Instagram: @yourmindonpodcastEpisode Resources & ReferencesThe peer-reviewed studies and clinical frameworks discussed in today's episode include: The STUG Framework (Sudden Temporary Upsurges of Grief) – Dr. Therese Rando. The Dual Process Model of Coping – Margaret Stroebe & Henk Schut. Continuing Bonds Theory – Dr. Dennis Klass et al. Longitudinal Grief Risk Studies – University of Pittsburgh & the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). Music CreditsIntro & Outro Theme: More Now Than Ever by North Sphere Additional Background Music: End of Rain by Beyza
Mindfulness Monday 14
09:07|Where is your focus living right now?As we step into a brand new week, it is incredibly easy to feel like your mind has a dozen different browser tabs open all at once. For some of us, our focus is trapped entirely inward—looping through schedules, planning for problems, and managing anticipatory stress. For others, our attention is constantly fragmented and pulled outward by demanding notifications, unread emails, and urgent requests.When we let our environment or our anxieties dictate where our focus goes, we burn through precious cognitive energy.In this 10-minute Mindfulness Monday session, we explore a powerful psychological practice called Attention Training. By introducing the "Sensory Compass," we will guide your mind through a structured, deliberate sequence that alternates between internal somatic awareness and external environmental inputs. Instead of trying to force your mind to go completely blank, you will train your brain to become agile, flexible, and capable of choosing exactly where your attention belongs on your most complex days.In this session, we’ll cover:An introduction to the mechanics of Attention Training and metacognitive awareness.A guided, rapid-shifting sequence alternating between internal signals (like heart rhythm) and external data (like distant audio mapping).How to shatter exhausting mental loops and cognitive "hyper-focus."A portable mental framework—your Sensory Compass—to help you reclaim clarity whenever you feel overwhelmed by a frantic workday.Take ten minutes right now to step out of the loop and choose your focus.Connect With Us:We’d love to hear where your compass pointed you this morning!Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastEmail: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:To help you cultivate flexible focus, 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.New "Mindfulness Monday" micro-sessions drop every Monday morning to help you transition into your week. Our full-length clinical and psychological deep dives return every Thursday.
31. Procrastination
57:17||Ep. 31The Biological Battle Within: Redefining ProcrastinationEver find yourself sitting at your desk, staring at a blinking cursor, fully aware of a looming deadline, yet somehow your hand moves toward your phone as if guided by an invisible wire? Before you know it, you’re twenty minutes deep into a social media rabbit hole or clean-sweeping a kitchen drawer that hasn't bothered you in years.For generations, the cultural narrative has been unwavering: procrastination is a moral failure. We’ve been told it’s a symptom of laziness, apathy, or a total lack of discipline. We treat our minds like a courtroom where we stand trial, the evidence of our undone work is laid bare, and the internal verdict is always "guilty as charged."But in this episode, we are stepping out of the courtroom of personal conscience and walking into the laboratory of the mind. Pulling back the layers of neuroscience, behavioral economics, and evolutionary psychology, we uncover a liberating yet challenging truth: procrastination is not a time-management problem. It is a biological battle fought deep within the architecture of the human brain.We unpack the high-stakes civil war between your ancient survival engine (the limbic system) and your modern executive computer (the prefrontal cortex), explore why your brain neurologically treats your "Future Self" like a total stranger, and reveal the terrifying physical toll that chronic avoidance takes on the human body. Most importantly, we move past the useless weapon of self-blame and provide four practical, biological "software patches" you can install today to bypass the amygdala hijack and finally take that first, ridiculous step forward.Connect With the Show:Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastEmail: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comEpisode Credits:Intro/Outro Music: More Now Than Ever by North Sphere
Mindfulness Monday 13
07:11|Are you missing the moment because you're too focused on the outcome?As we step up to the starting line of a brand new week, our attention is almost instantly pulled to our "targets"—the deadlines we have to hit, the numbers we need to reach, and the results we are desperate to control. In psychology, this can trap us in a state of hyper-intention, where we try so hard to force a specific outcome that the resulting mental and physical tension actually gets in the way of our true capabilities.In this longer Mindfulness Monday episode, we journey into a remote mountain range to explore a timeless Zen narrative of an ambitious young warrior and an old master archer. Through a slippery log, a roaring chasm, and a single arrow, we unlock a powerful truth about performance: true mastery doesn’t come from obsessing over the target or fearing the fall, but from pulling your focus entirely back into your own center.In this session, we’ll cover:A grounding entry to identify where hyper-intention and performance anxiety are causing you to brace for the week.The story of the master bowman and the lesson of the divided mind.How to shift your focus from external outcomes to your immediate internal state.A mental checkpoint for the week to help you focus on your stance, your breath, and your process.Take ten minutes to let go of the outcome and steady your stance today.Connect With Us:We’d love to hear how you are shifting your focus to the process this week!Website: yourmindonpodcast.comInstagram: @yourmindonpodcastEmail: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comThe Sounds of Mindfulness Monday:To help you find your center, today’s episode featured:Intro: Spent a Whole Day in My Head by Rebecca MardalThe Story: alma by bomullOutro: Finetuned Fiesta by Dusty DecksMusic provided by Epidemic Sound.New "Mindfulness Monday" episodes drop every Monday morning. Our full-length deep dives continue every Thursday.
30. Humor
39:58||Ep. 30Take a quick mental scan of your week so far. If you're carrying a heavy workload, navigating a major life transition, or just trying to keep your head above water, you know exactly what emotional exhaustion feels like. Usually, we think the solution to mental strain is quiet, stoic reflection—but this week, we are opening the windows, letting in some fresh air, and looking at the brain's absolute favorite emergency escape hatch: a good, loud, unfiltered laugh.To wrap up Mental Health Awareness Month, host John Shaw takes a deep dive into the fascinating neuroscience and evolutionary architecture behind a punchline. Why does our brain chemistry shift before a joke is even fully told? How does a genuine belly laugh raise our physical pain threshold and mimic the psychological effects of close social bonding?We will explore the evolutionary "false alarm" theory of nervous laughter, look at why a dark sense of humor is actually a sign of high verbal intelligence and emotional stability, and examine the vital role of "gallows humor" as a cognitive shield for professionals on the frontlines of crisis and trauma. Finally, we balance the scales by mapping out the "Maladaptive Line"—the ethical gulf between using wit to survive the darkness ("whistling through the graveyard") and using it to harm the vulnerable ("kicking over the gravestones").Humor isn't a distraction from the serious work of mental health; it is the work. Tune in to explore the cognitive safety valve built right into your DNA.Connect With The Show:Email: hello@yourmindonpodcast.comWebsite: yourmindonpodcast.com (Stream past episodes, check out the blog, and visit our merch store!)Instagram: @yourmindonpodcastEpisode Music Credits:Intro & Outro Theme: More Now Than Ever by North Sphere.If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with someone who might need a reminder that it's okay to find the absurdity in the mess.