The Psych Files - Michael Britt

Latest Episodes:

Borderline Personality: What is it? Could Your Cell Phone Help Deal With It? Episode 146 May 12, 2011

Show notes

Borderline Personality Disorder is a difficult disorder to understand and treat. Briefly, people who suffer from BPD tend to have a heightened sensitivity to rejection. When they feel that they are being rejected they can react with strong feelings of anger. Their emotions can be very intense and vary widely during the day. This can also make their relationships very unstable. They can also be very impulsive. However, a recent fascinating piece of research used a mobile device and what's called an "experience sampling" technique to gain further insight into what it is like to have BPD. In this episode I discuss that research and then wonder what else we might be able to learn as our mobile devices become even more powerful.

Borderline Personality: What is it? Could Your Cell Phone Help Deal With It? May 12, 2011

Show notes

Resources on Borderline Personality Disorder

The Fight Within Us

ESP: The Experience Sampling Program

Just Helping People

Why a Tiger Mom Approach to Parenting Does NOT Work: Episode 145 Apr 12, 2011

Show notes

You've probably heard about the authoritarian parenting style advocated by Amy Chua in her Tiger Mom book. Lots of Americans think she has good point that the problems with American kids is that they are being raised with too much leeway, and that we're not being tough enough on them. The reason, they say, that our Math scores are too low is that we're not strict enough and we don't have high expectations for our children. Are they right? Or are there other ways that our children are being successful that we don't take into account? If you're feeling discouraged about parenting let me raise your spirits.

Episode 145: Why a Tiger Mom Approach to Parenting Does NOT Work Apr 12, 2011

Show notes

Feeling guilty about not being a "Tiger Mom" (or Dad)? Let me give you 3 reasons why you don't have to feel that way. Get yourself ready for the next time that someone says that you (or parents in general) have to be tougher on our kids. You've probably heard about the authoritarian parenting style advocated by Amy Chua in her Tiger Mom book. Lots of Americans think she has good point that the problems with American kids is that they are being raised with too much leeway, and that we're not being tough enough on them. The reason, they say, that our Math scores are too low is that we're not strict enough and we don't have high expectations for our children. Are they right? Or are there other ways that our children are being successful that we don't take into account? If you're feeling discouraged about parenting let me raise your spirits.

Episode 144: The Drowsy Chaperone Holds the Key to Life! Mar 25, 2011

Show notes

Americans spend billions of dollars on self-help products each year, but does someone else hold the answers to your questions about what your life is all about? Join me as I discuss a fascinating book called If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him!. We also see how a wonderful recent broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone has some very intriguing things to say about life. Could it be that there is some existentialism in that musical? Listen to this episode to find out.

Episode 144: The Drowsy Chaperone Holds the Key to Life! Mar 25, 2011

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Episode 96 (video): The Phonetic Alphabet Part 2 Mar 20, 2011

Show notes

In this video you’ll learn exactly how the phonetic alphabet system works. In the last episode you saw me memorize – almost perfectly – a list of 20 top sci-fi movies. How did I do it? I’ll show you how each number becomes a letter, each letter becomes a word and each word becomes an image that will help you memorize just about any size list. Skeptical? You won’t be after seeing exactly how the phonetic alphabet works.

The Phonetic Alphabet Part 1 Mar 20, 2011

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Episode 143: EMDR - An Interview with Founder Francine Shapiro Mar 19, 2011

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Curious about EMDR? Listen to this interview with the founder of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Dr. Francine Shapiro talk about EMDR and how it is different from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is an intriguing and unique type of therapy and if you want to learn more about it you've come to the right place.

Episode 143: EMDR - An Interview with Founder Francine Shapiro Mar 19, 2011

Show notes

EMRD Institute

EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs

Rewrite the textbooks: Findings challenge conventional wisdom of how neurons operate