If you've ever wondered what you're therapist is thinking about then Lori Gottlieb might be able to shed some insight..

Lori is a psychotherapist and award winning author who writes the weekly “Dear Therapist” advice column for The Atlantic. In 2019 she released her New York Times best-selling memoir  "Maybe You Should Talk To Someone"  which see her share painful, vulnerable and often funny stories of her own journey into therapy after a life changing event; interspersed with the stories of clients that she was seeing at the time.

The book pulls up the curtain on both sides of the therapists chair and the patient's couch.

Find out more about Lori's work at LoriGottlieb.com or by following her @LoriGottlieb1 on Twitter.

Stuart Sandeman is a breathwork facilitator and founder of Breath Pod, whose aim is to help people harness the power of their breathing system for better health & wellbeing.

 In this episode Stuart shares the story of his own path towards becoming a breathwork facilitator after he lost a loved one to cancer and discovered the physical and emotional release that transformational breath gave him as he navigated his way through grief..and changed his whole lifestyle and career in the process. 

Thank you to Stuart for sharing his touching story and knowledge with us. 

To find out more about Stuart's work then go to breathpod.me and see how it might help you. 

In part two of our Body Dysmorphia special we explore treatment and therapies that are available if you or someone you know may be struggling to cope with living with BDD.

 Dr Amita Jassi is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People. She chats to Dr Linda about the hallmarks and symptoms of BDD, how to support a loved one and sheds light on how effective CBT is when seeking treatment and support.

Huge thanks to Dr Jassi for sharing her insight with us. We hope it helps.

Below you'll find links to the BDD Foundation website, where you'll find a host of information on:

Getting Help
https://bddfoundation.org/helping-you/getting-help-in-the-uk/

Resources on BDD
https://bddfoundation.org/resources/

Support Groups and more 
https://bddfoundation.org/support-groups/

In the first of a two part special focusing on the debilitating body image disorder, Body Dysmorphia, Dr Linda chats to Kitty Wallace who has battled with the BDD since her teens. 

BDD is an all consuming disorder, where the sufferer finds themselves fixating on a perceived flaw or defect in their appearance that is invisible to others and it can have a hugely debilitating effect on their ability to engage in every day activities. 

In Kitty's darkest times she found herself unable to leave the house for months on end, avoiding social situations because of her anxiety over her skin. When she did try and leave the house there were times when she found herself locked in an 8 hour cycle of trying to cover up the skin on her face, applying and removing make up until she eventually gave up, exhausted. 

Huge thanks to Kitty for sharing her story with us. If any of what has been discussed in this episode resonates with you or perhaps your concerns for a loved one then please contact the BDD Foundation as a first point of call for more help and information: bddfoundation.org 

Being assertive is a useful tool that can help you communicate your feelings and thoughts honestly and clearly. It's a balancing act that many people struggle with because there is a fine line between being assertive and appearing aggressive. 

In this episode, Dr Linda addresses the techniques that you can adopt to ensure that you can feel confident and assertive. 

If there's a topic that you'd like discussed on the podcast then please do get in touch and let us know by messaging Dr Linda @drlindap on Instagram and @DrLinda_P on Twitter. 

Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is the UK's leading nutritionist specialising in womens' health. She is the former President of the Food and Health Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine, a registered nutritionist, psychologist, author and popular broadcaster.

In this episode, Dr Linda and Dr Glenville join forces to explore the impact on sugar on our bodies and our minds. So much so, that we discover that it is linked to the onset of Alzheimer's, Cancer and the urgent need there is for us to reeducate ourselves the myth that including fat in our diets is detrimental to our health. Dr Marilyn also delves into how none of our bodies are the same and bespoke testing for nutritional deficiencies can help us in our journey to prevent many different diseases and find natural solutions to health problems without resorting to medication. 

If you're interesting in finding out more about Dr Glenville's work you can find an abundance of information on subjects such as women's health and fertility and much more on her website: https://www.marilynglenville.com/

We also highly recommend that you take a look at the numerous books that she has had published including Natural Solutions to Dementia and Alzheimer's https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr.-Marilyn-Glenville-PhD/e/B01F51BHRI

Our huge thanks and appreciation go out to Dr Glenville and her team for joining us on the podcast to share their knowledge on such important areas of our health and wellbeing. 

Jillian Lavender is a Vedic Meditation Teacher and Vedic Wellness expert with over 15 years experience teaching people to meditate. She is the co-founder of the London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center. 

Vedic meditation is the world’s most ancient form of meditation and the benefits are numerous. Jillian first learned to meditate in 1995 after reaching burnout while working in a high profile and stressful job. 

In this episode, Jillian and Linda discuss the physical and mental benefits of meditation, exploring the fascinating science behind it and Jillian's own unexpected journey to discovering the ancient practice. 

Huge thank you to Jillian for sharing her story and knowledge with us. You can find out more about her work @JillianLavender on Twitter or by visiting londonmeditationcentre.com

Amy Morin is a trained psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international bestselling author who gave one of the most popular TEDx talks of all time: The Secret To Becoming Mentally Strong. 

Amy wrote a list one day detailing the things that mentally strong people don't do, when she was at the lowest point of her life after the death of her mother and husband. She published it online hoping it might help someone else that was struggling, and the list went viral and read by more than 50 million people. 

Amy shares her remarkable story with Dr Linda and if you haven't already then we recommend you give her TEDx talk a listen or view when you've finished this episode. 

Huge thanks to Amy for taking the time to talk to us. 

https://amymorinlcsw.com/mentally-strong-people/

Stuart Semple is a British artist, curator, activist and the creator of some of the most thought provoking public art installations around the world. His most ambitious came in 2018 when he revealed Happy City where he had created numerous large scale public interventions throughout Denver.

An ambassador for the charity Mind, Stuart collaborated with them to initiate the creative therapies fund throughout England and Wales. Mental health is a topic close to his heart and is a topic that is explored through much of his work. 

In this episode, Stuart shares his heartening journey towards better mental health as he and Dr Linda discuss the importance of "taking your own temperature" when it comes to your emotional health and well being. 

Many thanks to Stuart for sharing his story with us! Keep up to date with what Stuart is up to on Twitter and Instagram @stuartsemple.

Some of you may know him as "JP", from his time on the TV reality series, Made In Chelsea - others will know him as Josh Patterson. 

Josh is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve when he talks about his family, friends, loved ones and of course; his beautiful baby daughter.. India. Admirably, he's spoken candidly in the past about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. Not only is he working hard on his own personal goals and mental health, he's also doing some incredible work educating people about the power of the mind and the body-mind connection through his YouTube series: Limitless. 

Not to mention training for an incredible endurance test and world record attempt which will see him travelling the 900 miles by wheelchair from John O Groats - Lands End in April of this year. 

Huge thanks to Josh for sharing his journey and insight with us. Keep on top of what Josh is up to @joshuapattersonjp on Instagram and @JoshJP on Twitter.

Patience is an invaluable tool in live. Not only does it help us alleviate stress, but it also gives us power and control over our emotions when frustrations arise. 

In this episode, Dr Linda explores what happens to our brain when we are flooded with frustration and provides 5 tips that you can implement into your day to help yourself learn to be more patient in all areas of life. 

Thanks for all your episode selections so far. Keep them coming! Let us know what topics you'd like to hear Dr Linda tackle by getting in touch with @DrLinda_P on Twitter and @drlindap on Instagram.