It's a Mind Field!
30 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIt’s a Mind Field! Mental health challenges are explored with people who have their own lived experience of mental health issues.
IAMF! is funded by the Mental Health Commission of NSW.
The podcast includes discussion around topics such as depression, stigma and suicide.
We acknowledge that this content may be difficult and we encourage listeners to take care of their safety and well-being.
Help is available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467 / suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Episodes contain course language.
Executive Producer/Presenter - Leon Fernandes
Producer Presenters - Hannah Achelles and Chris Jaeger.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Wisdom of Elders S2 E13
February 14, 2024 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBLeon Fernandes has a conversation which 'changed his life'. His guest Greg, has wisdom in bucket-loads. They discuss the difficulties of coming-out as a gay man, in decades past, and run-ins with suicide. Coming out as a gay man was often a journey marked by profound trauma and societal rejection. The weight of societal stigma and fear of persecution hung heavily over individuals who dared to be true to themselves. Many faced isolation from family and friends, discrimination in workplace...
Shattered Dreams: Miscarriage & Mental Health S2 E12
February 14, 2024 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBChris Jaeger talks with his cousin Jess about miscarriage. She tells her heartbreaking story of pregnancy loss. Miscarriage can inflict profound emotional wounds, often leading to a complex array of mental health challenges. Grief, guilt, and deep sadness may engulf individuals and couples, triggering feelings of inadequacy and despair. Anxiety and depression can emerge, lingering long after the physical pain subsides. The loss of a hoped-for future can leave a deep sense of emptiness and l...
Paramedics - On the Front Line - Part 1, S2 E10
February 14, 2024 05:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBChris Jaeger talks with paramedic Jason Kirkaldy who opens up about revealing mental health struggles in a workplace that sometimes demonstrates a culture of shame. Jason discusses trauma that stems from working on the frontline in paramedicine and how that can impact mental health. IAMF! is supported by the Mental Health Commission of NSW. Content warning - Interviews include explicit language and feature topics such as depression, stigma and suicide. We acknowledge that this content m...
War on Emotional Suppression S2 E9
January 19, 2024 23:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBAfter 10 years in the mental health sector supporting patients, and being a patient himself, Max Simensen believes there is a better way to approach treatment. Max speaks up against emotional suppression and discusses how people with mental health issues find a need to perform 'unwellness’ in order to access the treatment they need. Over the last two years, Max has led NSW’s first operational SafeHaven - a drop-in service, offering an alternative to Emergency Departments for people in su...
Queer, Young & Muslim S2 E8
January 16, 2024 02:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBWhat happens to young people when religious dogma clashes with sexual identity? In many cultures, living outside of sexual norms can evoke guilt, shame and rejection. But, Mohammad Awad who runs the award-winning Muslim Peers Project, which supports young Muslims, says that religious identity and queer identity are not mutually exclusive - they can exist in harmony. An artist, writer and poet, Awad talks with Chris Jaeger about mental health consequences of marginalisation, advocating for ...
Psychologists Need Therapy Too! S2 E7
January 05, 2024 04:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBLeon Fernandes talks with Meg, a clinical psychologist who reveals how stigma and shame inhibit members of her profession from discussing and seeking treatment for their own mental health issues. Meg’s perspective is shaped by having faced mental health trauma and the uncomfortable reactions exhibited when communicating her experiences to colleagues. Leon, who has for a long time been in therapy with Meg, talks about the comfort that he feels from knowing that his therapist truly understan...
Big Feelings - Part II, S2 E6
December 28, 2023 02:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBIn Part II of Big Feelings, Chris Jaeger introduces Natalie Toal - a ‘super feeler’ who is an advocate of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy for managing big feelings. Natalie explains what is involved in the therapy, and outlines its benefits. Natalie relies on DBT herself and, as a peer worker in mental health, she is involved in helping others who are dealing with overwhelming feelings. Chris and Natalie also discuss the burden of stigma faced by people with big feelings and diagnoses of ...
Big Feelings S2 E5
December 10, 2023 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBAfter 10 years in psychotherapy, Hanna Achelles has learned to navigate big feelings. In this interview with co-host Chris Jaeger, Hannah talks about befriending emotions to stop them from becoming overwhelming and developing into depression. For those who experience extreme emotions, managing those feelings can be a complex and lifelong journey. IAMF! is supported by the Mental Health Commission of NSW. Content warning - Interviews include explicit language and feature topics such as dep...
Big Feelings - Part I, S2 E5
December 10, 2023 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBAfter 10 years in psychotherapy, Hannah Achelles has learned to navigate big feelings. In this interview with co-host Chris Jaeger, Hannah talks about befriending emotions to stop them from becoming overwhelming and developing into depression. For those who experience extreme emotions, managing those feelings can be a complex and lifelong journey. IAMF! is supported by the Mental Health Commission of NSW. Content warning - Interviews include explicit language and feature topics such as de...
Psychiatric Harm S2 E4
November 08, 2023 17:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBExecutive Producer of IAMF, Leon Fernandes has faced deep trauma because of failings in mental health care. While awaiting a psychiatric hospital bed, Leon spent 12 terrifying nights in an open ward shared with people experiencing drug-induced psychosis. In this episode Leon speaks candidly about his fears and suicidal thoughts. With presenter Chris Jaeger, he discusses failures of a system that is too often beset by ill-considered patient communication and inadequate funding. As recipien...
Loneliness S2 E3
October 25, 2023 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBLoneliness affects one in three of us. It is a silent epidemic that can negatively impact our mental and physical health. Producer/presenter Chris Jaeger talks about his experiences of loneliness, delving into the roles played by friendship, romantic connections, and loss. Expert, Dr Michell Lim explains her mission to elevate awareness, and encourage actions, to address loneliness. IAMF! is supported by the Mental Health Commission of NSW. Content warning - Interviews include explici...
Suicide & Bereavement S2 E2
October 11, 2023 18:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, we hear the stories of two people whose loved ones have died by suicide. It’s heavy stuff, involving big emotions. As presenter Leon Fernandes says in the interview, “There are places where words can’t reach and that darkness [of suicide] is absolutely one of them.” Jane talks about the loss of husband Jez, and how she continues to struggle to make sense of his suicide, with gusty honesty and deep compassion. Gab’s experience happened at just 14 when her beloved brother ...
Hearing Voices S2 E1
September 28, 2023 01:00 - 37 minutes - 25.4 MBHave you ever wondered what it's like to hear voices? In this mesmerising episode, Leon Fernandes is joined by Ruah Grace who talked about her life-long experience of hearing voices. A deeply spiritual character, Ruah recently departed this life after suffering a short illness. This episode is dedicated with love, to Ruah, her partner, family, and friends. Ruah’s voices took on many guises from warm and loving, to sinister and deadly. A lived-experience advocate in mental health, Ruah ref...
Sex & Uncomfortable Terrain
December 31, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 44.5 MBHow comfortable are you in talking about sex and suicide? No matter what, we each have a close relationship with and strong opinions about sex and suicide. Talking candidly about them can be difficult – with each they can fill us with unease, bring up distressing memories, force us to sit with uncertainty and with fear. *This episode has a significant focus on suicide. If you need to talk to someone, please visit the Mindframe website where you will find a list of contacts. Guests: On th...
Uncomfortable Terrain
December 31, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 44.5 MBHow comfortable are you in talking about sex and suicide? No matter what, we each have a close relationship with and strong opinions about sex and suicide. Talking candidly about them can be difficult – with each they can fill us with unease, bring up distressing memories, force us to sit with uncertainty and with fear. *This episode has a significant focus on suicide. If you need to talk to someone, please visit the Mindframe website where you will find a list of contacts. Guests: On th...
Madness and History
December 06, 2021 23:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBFor most of human history, mental illness has been largely untreatable. Sufferers lived their lives - if they survived - in and out of asylums, accumulating life's wreckage around them. In 1948, all that changed when an Australian doctor and recently returned prisoner of war, working alone in a disused kitchen, set about an experimental treatment for one of the scourges of mankind - manic depression, or bipolar disorder. That doctor was John Cade and in that small kitchen he stirred up a mi...
Reframing suicide
November 01, 2021 06:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBMany people across Australia and the world are afraid to talk about suicide. A common misconception is that talking about it will encourage and lead to suicide. In episode 11 of It’s A Mind Field!, we start the conversation about suicide and some of the myths around it. We take a first-hand look at the factors that drive suicidal thinking and behaviour and reveal the powerful effect that holding space for someone going through this can have. *This episode has a significant focus on suic...
Sink Or Swim: Sports, Mental Health & Overcoming Trauma
October 21, 2021 03:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBAustralia is a country that lives for sport; in the 2021 lockdown, millions of people were glued to the Olympics in Tokyo and football grand finals. But what about the mental health of athletes when they’re off the field? Renowned sports psychiatrist Dr Ranjit Menon joins It’s A Mind Field! to discuss the mental health of high-performance athletes. On December 14 2012, the world watched in horror as a deadly school shooting unfolded at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in the Unit...
Indigenous Voices
October 07, 2021 22:00 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MBEpisode Nine of It’s A Mind Field! explores Aboriginal mental health and suicide. Research shows that Indigenous people in Australia are twice as likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous Australians. The suicide rate of Indigenous Australian children is amongst the highest in the world and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged between 15 and 24 are almost four times more likely to commit suicide than non-Indigenous people of the same age. In today’s episode, we hear the voices of...
Mental Health in the Workplace
September 24, 2021 04:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBImagine that life is a video game and at the start of the game, everyone is gifted 90,000 ‘bonus hours’, to spend doing whatever tickles their fancy How would you spend this time? Would you explore the world with those you love the most? Would you kick-back and watch re-runs of Sex and The City? Or maybe rescue twelve dogs and start a commune in Alaska. However you’d spend this time doesn’t matter; what matters is it's yours. I’m sorry to break this brief moment of fantasy; li...
Drugs
September 13, 2021 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBDrugs destroy lives…..or do they? Everyone has an opinion about drugs, and usually a robust one. For some people living with mental health issues, the impacts of drug use can be devastating and even fatal. However, for some, intoxication can also be a source of joy, inspiration, and self-knowledge. What do you reckon? This episode features two of Australia’s most prominent and influential voices around all things related to drugs, and their opinions might not be the ones you expect. Guest...
Sex and Death: Tender Conversations
September 02, 2021 04:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIn today’s episode, we examine some of the things we hold near to our hearts but might be afraid to talk about. We talk openly about suicide from those with personal experience and what the research says. This is a story of hope, not despair. We then have an interview we hope you’ll love as much as we do! We interview a sex worker who specialises in working with clients who have dementia, living within aged care facilities. Though eye-opening, this is a story of tenderness, not titillati...
Sex & Death: Tender Conversations
September 02, 2021 04:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIn today’s episode, we examine some of the things we hold near to our hearts but might be afraid to talk about. We talk openly about suicide from those with personal experience and what the research says. This is a story of hope, not despair. We then have an interview we hope you’ll love as much as we do! We interview a sex worker who specialises in working with clients who have dementia, living within aged care facilities. Though eye-opening, this is a story of tenderness, not titillati...
Loneliness & Connection
August 27, 2021 08:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBHave you ever felt lonely? Are you lonely now? French writer, Honoré de Balzac wrote that “solitude is fine but sometimes you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.” Ain’t that the truth! In this episode, we investigate what causes loneliness and how it is different from solitude. And where does our drive to connect come from? How and why do we connect, with words or without them? Though it can feel like it sometimes, you’re not alone. We promise! Dr Michelle Lim is a Senior Lecturer ...
Loneliness and Connection
August 27, 2021 08:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBHave you ever felt lonely? Are you lonely now? French writer, Honoré de Balzac wrote that “solitude is fine but sometimes you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.” Ain’t that the truth! In this episode, we investigate what causes loneliness and how it is different from solitude. And where does our drive to connect come from? How and why do we connect, with words or without them? Though it can feel like it sometimes, you’re not alone. We promise! Dr Michelle Lim is a Senior Lecturer ...
Religion, Spirit and Pride
August 16, 2021 05:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIs there a connection between religious involvement and mental health? Hell yeah! Though it is a long and complex relationship indeed. For some, religion and sport has been a source of deep joy and connection, whereas for others it has been an irritant. Of course, there are many shades in between. Funnily enough, the exact same thing could be said about sport. What do you reckon? Carole Cusack is a Professor at Religious Studies at the University of Sydney. Her research interests include m...
Finding a Place
August 11, 2021 11:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIn this episode, we unearth the connection between invisible illness and its propensity to result in 50 shades of displacement -- from friends, family, work, visibility in public discourse, and the home itself. Join in on our chats with SHOW ME WHERE IT HURTS: LIVING WITH INVISIBLE ILLNESS author Kylie Maslen, and Yfoundations CEO Pam Barker. Kylie Maslen is a writer, critic and the author of SHOW ME WHERE IT HURTS: LIVING WITH INVISIBLE ILLNESS. She lives on unceded Kaurna Country in Adela...
Youth
August 02, 2021 04:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBIn this episode of It’s a Mind Field! We’re focusing on youth and some of the challenges that young people have faced in the past and still deal with today. Our expert interview is with 2010’s Australian of the Year, Professor Pat McGorry. Pat is a psychiatrist known world-wide for his development of early intervention and youth mental health services and for mental health innovation, advocacy, and reform. Leon speaks to him about the difficulties navigated by young people and mental illnes...
Discrimination, Stigma & Self-Stigma
July 23, 2021 09:00 - 55 minutes - 38.4 MBWelcome to It’s A Mind Field! In this first episode of ‘It’s A Mind Field!’ presenter, Leon Fernandes, has a conversation with Australia’s premier ‘Psychologically Diverse Citizen’, Fay Jackson, about the discrimination, stigma and self-stigma that PDCs like her experience every day. The show’s three presenters then have a chat about what Fay had to say, and how discrimination, stigma and self-stigma affect them in their daily lives, in ‘Club Mind’. In ‘Outside The Box’, we hear from a Sy...
Introducing ‘It’s A Mind Field!’
July 14, 2021 01:00 - 1 minute - 1.27 MBWelcome to this 13 episode pilot season of ‘It’s A Mind Field!’ an audio-based multimedia community engagement project for, by and about Australians with lived experience of mental health challenges, launching on 23 July 2021. We are Caroline Savransky, Chris Jaeger and Leon Fernandes – all experts by experience. Join us as we discuss the issues that matter to us all as we manage our lives through our challenges. For this pilot season, we talk through 13 themes chosen by a poll of experts...