All In The Mind

Why do people lie? Why do relationships fall apart? Can trauma change your brain?

Every week on All in the Mind, award-winning journalist Sana Qadar explores the psychology behind the biggest questions in our lives — how we think, feel and behave.

Featuring leading experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross, you’ll hear personal stories and practical insights that will leave you thinking long after the podcast ends.

Whether it’s debunking pop psychology trends or translating the latest neuroscience research, more than 100,000 listeners join Sana each month to learn the best strategies for surviving life with your mental health intact.

All in the Mind is created for ABC’s Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and was awarded Best Health and Wellness podcast at the 2026 Australian Audio Awards

Latest Episodes:

Letting go of dad Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

All in the Mind would like to share with you a story from the ABC podcast Tall Tales and True. Vanessa O'Neill tells the story about being with her father as he gradually declined due to Alzheimer's disease. It was a long, drawn-out period of grief, for the sufferer and for the whole family. Vanessa's story is a heartfelt, first-hand account of losing a parent. And note that the story also contains some strong language.

Placebo power Apr 08, 2018

Show notes

The placebo effect demonstrates that the mind-body interaction can be powerful. Placebos can turn on the body’s natural biological processes to relieve a range of conditions, and in the future deception may not even be necessary.

Adventures with smart pills and brain hacks Apr 01, 2018

Show notes

How far would you go to reveal your true, super-smart inner self? Athletes have used substances and techniques to enhance their performance physically. Now there are ways to boost your intelligence—which we don’t suggest you try it at home. But David Adam did—to try and cheat his way into Mensa using smart pills and brain hacks. But this also brought moral dilemmas.

The art of neurodiversity Mar 25, 2018

Show notes

Neurodiversity is a radical social movement challenging the notion of what’s normal and what’s a disorder. What better place to explore neurodiversity than in the arts and theatre—we hear from actors on the autism spectrum and a synesthete using her perceptions of colour and music to create art.

Podcast extra—MDMA and its potential therapeutic use Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

Some exciting news has just been published in the Psychiatric Journal JAMA about the potential mental health benefits of psychedelic drug research.

It’s likely that within the next 5 years researchers will know whether the psychoactive drug commonly known as ecstasy—methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA—can be used to treat psychiatric disorders.

Trauma, memory, and mental health Mar 18, 2018

Show notes

Trauma has a deep impact on the lives of survivors. It’s associated with mental and physical health problems, including substance abuse, and neuroscience is showing that a traumatic memory is quite different from a normal memory. Mental health services now realise that early trauma must be taken into account as an essential part of recovery from mental distress.

Super-recognisers Mar 11, 2018

Show notes

Do you never forget a face? You might be pretty good—but are you a super-recogniser? Research is trying to identify our face recognition abilities, and how we compare to those of a computer algorithm.

Frontiers of the changeable brain Mar 04, 2018

Show notes

If something goes wrong with the brain we often assume that things can’t change much—especially with extreme conditions. But neuroplasticity, and the almost limitless capacity of the brain to remould itself, is beginning to turn that assumption on its head.

BPD and healing relationships Feb 25, 2018

Show notes

Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness which causes deep pain and tumultuous relationships. But there is good therapy.

Borderline Personality Disorder: stigma to strength Feb 18, 2018

Show notes

Borderline Personality Disorder is the cause of deep pain—yet it is steeped in stigma and often not thought of as a legitimate disorder. But with good treatment it’s possible to live a normal and full life.

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