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:

Thinking about suicide: one survivor's perspective (Part 1 of 2) Dec 04, 2010

Show notes

David Webb has penned what's described as 'the world's first PhD on suicide by someone who has attempted it'. He suggests we need to honour suicidal feelings as real, legitimate, important and 'a sacred part of the human story'. But how does this view sit with health campaigns urging us to understand suicidal thoughts as a sign of untreated mental illness? An opportunity to hear a voice absent from the public conversation about suicide - that of an attempt survivor - and, next week, reflections from a suicide prevention leader.

Cultural Chemistry - Part 2 of 3: Our Caffeinated Culture: how much is too much? Nov 28, 2010

Show notes

80% of the world consumes it, coffee bean aficionados relish it, but is caffeine the pick me up we think it is? Surprising evidence says it's all an illusion. And, the rise of caffeinated energy drinks is causing concern. The dark side to caffeine we rarely hear about. And we want your coffee stories too -- speak to us! We've just launched the new All in the Mind Audioboo channel for your feedback and conversations. Think of it as social media meets radio talkback! Find out how here. Natasha Mitchell joined Richard Aedy on Life Matters for a live coffee culture talkback too.

Glenn Close: We are exactly who we are meant to be Nov 20, 2010

Show notes

Acclaimed actress Glenn Close, her sister Jessie and nephew Calen are star guests at this week's huge Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego. Hear their candid account of a family history of mental illness, and why they're speaking out. Next week, in our Cultural Chemistry series...Our caffeinated culture, with YOUR stories!

Battlelines: science, sex, brains and gender Nov 13, 2010

Show notes

Boy or girl? Blue brain or pink brain? Dr Cordelia Fine's new book, Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences, and Professor Rebecca Jordan-Young's latest, Brainstorm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Difference, have raked over research data and mined the controversies on how male and female brains differ -- no holds barred.

Why everyone (else) is a hypocrite: your modular mind Nov 06, 2010

Show notes

Why do we so often deceive ourselves, believe one thing and yet do another, and fail to exercise self control when we know better? Acclaimed evolutionary psychologist Robert Kurzban argues we need to be more forgiving of ourselves. Our strange ways are explained by our 'modular minds', one of the most hotly debated ideas about how your mind works.

Nido (nest) therapy: Top psychiatrist issues strong challenge for change Oct 23, 2010

Show notes

Professor Peter Tyrer, editor of the British Journal of Psychiatry, argues his profession practises 'mental colonialism' on people with long-term, chronic mental illness that's resistant to treatment. His approach is called Nidotherapy -- Nido meaning 'nest' -- focused on changing a person's environment not their personality. And, Jenny relates her poignant identity struggles and triumphs of being a long term 'service user'.

Esther Sternberg: The science of stress, place and wellbeing Oct 16, 2010

Show notes

A peaceful view through a hospital window promotes healing after surgery, while other environments can make us sicker. Why? What is it about place and space that shapes your body and brain chemistry? Dr Esther Sternberg is a world leader in understanding the powerful interactions between your brain, emotions and immune system.

We have ways of making you think. Parasites on the brain! Oct 09, 2010

Show notes

Half the living things on the planet are parasites, and they've developed uncanny ways of making us do what they want. A spooky encounter with suicidal crickets, mad rats and Zombie ants -- the parasites are here to take over our brain. One ecologist argues they could even be changing our personality at the civilisational scale.

Finding Miles: a transgender transition Oct 02, 2010

Show notes

'The sex of my body is female but the gender I feel is male.' A year in the making, this intimate portrait of a person on the cusp of transitioning to a man is not to be missed. Miles was born Megan, but after years of depression and confusion he made the enormous decision to reconcile body and mind... with an audio recorder at hand.

On the Couch: Perminder Sachdev and Norman Doidge Sep 25, 2010

Show notes

Two world renowned psychiatrists, Perminder Sachdev and Norman Doidge, join Natasha Mitchell on the All in the Mind couch, prepared to be asked anything. Are you normal? What is alien hand syndrome? The tics of Tourette syndrome -- what causes them? Do stories of broken brains generate little more than a cabinet of neurological curiosities?

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