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:

Placenta Brain: the cognitive burden of pregnancy? Oct 21, 2006

Show notes

Ever had a case of 'placenta brain', or 'pregnancy stupidity'? Can carrying a foetus make you drop your cognitive bundle? Expecting women worldwide find themselves suddenly forgetful and absent minded. So why is there so little research into the phenomenon? Are hormones to blame, or the psychological burden of approaching mumhood? Does it have an evolutionary function? Libbi Gorr and others contemplate the hungry placenta..

Reclaiming imagination: art, psychosis and the creative mind Oct 14, 2006

Show notes

The imagination of an artist living with schizophrenia can feel like it's been colonised...by diagnostic labels, by medication and by the often unforgiving and frightening contents of hallucinations or delusions. What then does it mean to reclaim imagination? Is madness a muse or a hurdle? Artists Simon Champ and James de Blas are joined by acclaimed pop artist Martin Sharp, to reflect on the perplexing nature of our imaginative selves.

Bird brains: Smarter than the Average... Oct 07, 2006

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Bird brains don't deserve the bad rap they get. Like us, songbirds are among the only animals that can learn new and complex vocal skills. Mental time travel isn't beyond them, and even mastering grammar-like patterns could be part of their cognitive repertoire! This week, three top bird brain researchers leave their aviaries and join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the unique heads of our flying feathered friends.

It hurts: the elusive nature of pain Sep 30, 2006

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Chronic pain. Gnawing, throbbing, aching. Like a rotten apple at the core, razor blades down the spine, barbed wire coursing through the body. Talking about it is difficult enough, but does how we think about pain actually change the nature of pain itself? Many of us still consider pain as solely biological, with major implications for the treatment we seek and receive. This week—a philosopher, a top pain psychologist and a young man who understands the intimate interplay between mind and pain better than most.

The Mind-Body Problem Down Under Sep 23, 2006

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Mind. Brain. Are they the same thing, or is the mind something special? The conundrum has perplexed us for centuries. Descartes' split the two - into a spiritual, soul-like mind and fleshly, material brain. But in 1956 a group of 'renegade' Oxford graduates Down Under, now international stars in philosophy, launched a challenge. Consciousness and the brain were united, and any talk of mental spooks and ghosts in the machine was out...almost. Now in their 80s, David Armstrong and Jack Smart join Natasha Mitchell and others to reminisce on taking Descartes to task. (Part of ABC Radio National's The Big 56 celebrations)

In the Family - A Journey through Madness Sep 16, 2006

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This week, a candid family story of life inside. Inside psychiatric hospitals, inside schizophrenia, and inside a remarkable journey towards compassion, activism and understanding. Penelope and Lloyd met and married after years of cycling in and out of Perth's psychiatric institutions. Penelope's 19-year-old daughter, Tynx, reveals a wisdom beyond her years about the impact of growing up with a parent with mental illness. They join Natasha Mitchell in conversation with a story that is sure to move you.

Part 2 of 2: Dream a Little Dream Sep 09, 2006

Show notes

What adventures does your sleeping brain take you on at night? Wild rides into vivid landscapes with a strange cast of characters from your past? Or, mundane replays of the day's events? The purpose of dreams remains the focus of heated scientific conjecture. Do they serve to consolidate our memories and experiences, or is their meaning more complex? The second episode in this BBC series leaves the waking world to uncover a phenomenon that some argue offers a window onto our soul. NOTE: The transcript or audio won't be available because of copyright reasons. Instead you'll be able to enjoy a popular show from our archives, Attachment Therapy and Pseudoscience in Psychology, as this week's podcast edition, here...

Part 1 of 2: A Night of Slumber Revealed Sep 02, 2006

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Prick up your ears and eyelids and listen in. Despite over 100 years of theory and research, no-one knows exactly why we need to sleep and dream yet we know we can't survive without precious slumber. Why? Join BBC radio broadcaster Claudia Hammond as she's wired up in a sleep clinic to reveal the inner workings of her own sleepy brain, and yours too. NOTE: The transcript or podcast won't be available because of copyright reasons. Instead enjoy The Dancing Mind as this week's podcast, from our archives. Click here...

Jerome Kagan - The Father of Temperament Aug 26, 2006

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Why can two children born into the same household be like two different peas in a pod? Harvard's Jerome Kagan trailblazed the controversial science of temperament to investigate why. In a career that spans more than half a century, now he's going into battle for our minds, with a compelling retrospective, An Argument for Mind. To some an iconoclast - one of the biggest names in psychology of our time joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation...and reflection.

The Nature of Belief : Australian Science Festival Debate Aug 19, 2006

Show notes

Why do you believe what you do? Is the human mind an organ designed for belief? Why are we so convinced of the existence of things we can't prove or see? Are some beliefs healthy and others pathological? Margaret Wertheim, author of Pythagoras' Trousers, and The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace; cognitive scientist Professor Max Coltheart, co-editor of Pathologies of Belief, and theologian, film-maker and cult-buster, Reverend Dr David Millikan, join Natasha Mitchell to unravel the perplexing power of belief. If you don't believe us - tune in!

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