Saint Dymphna’s Playbook

Here to fill the void in Catholic conversations about mental health.

About the show

A podcast about finding mental well-being as a Catholic with the help of community and the saints. Hosted by Tommy Tighe, a marriage and family therapist, husband, and father. In each episode Tommy addresses different mental health issues, introduces listeners to a saint who is relevant to mental health and wellness, and responds to questions from Twitter followers.

Episodes

  • 130: Coping with Anticipatory Grief

    June 18th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  19 mins 50 secs
    anticipatory grief, childhood trauma, saint joachina vedruna de mas

    Tommy talks about processing childhood trauma as an adult, introduces listeners to Saint Joachina Vedruna de Mas, and answers listener questions about how to avoid seeking reassurance from family and friends, how to cope with anticipatory grief, and how to cope with all the emotions in the days following a traumatic event.

  •

    129: Vicarious Trauma After Uvalde

    June 11th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  19 mins 13 secs
    blessed angelina of marsciano, boundaries, family, ocd, school shooting

    Tommy talks about the increase in children seeking mental health services in schools, introduces listeners to Blessed Angelina of Marsciano, and answers listener questions about how to set boundaries with a manipulative family member who lives close by, if OCD is a spiritual attack that needs to be renounced, and what teachers can do to regain a sense of safety in the wake of another tragic school shooting.

  •

    128: Hit & Run OCD

    June 4th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  22 mins 10 secs
    caregiver burnout, hit and run ocd, ocd, religious ocd, saint ignatius of laconi, sleep deprivation

    Tommy talks about the impact of sleep deprivation on the mental health of teens, introduces listeners to Saint Ignatius of Laconi, and answers listener questions about how to address caregiver burnout, how to help a friend with religious OCD, and how to address symptoms of hit and run OCD.

  • 127: When You're in Love with a Friend

    May 28th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  15 mins 40 secs
    metallica, teen trauma, venerable pierre toussaint

    Tommy talks about Metallica starting a mental health conversation, introduces listeners to Venerable Pierre Toussaint, and answers listener questions about how to maintain a friendship with someone we love, if mental illness can be a reason to receive communion at home, and how to help a teen who has experienced trauma.

  •

    126: Is Missing Mass Because of Depression a Sin?

    May 21st, 2022  |  Season 6  |  17 mins 16 secs
    body positivity, depression, eating disorders, mental health research, missing mass, research bias, saint leopold mandic

    Tommy talks about bias in mental health research, introduces listeners to Saint Leopold Mandic, and answers listener questions about accepting limitations related to our mental health, if missing Mass because of depression is a sin, and how to understand body positivity and increase awareness of eating disorders within the Catholic context.

  • 125: Did I Cause My Child's Mental Illness?

    May 14th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  17 mins 35 secs
    blessed michael giedroyc, mental health apps, parenthood

    Tommy talks about the the practical limits of mental health apps, introduces listeners to Blessed Michael Giedroyc, and answers listener questions about how to reconcile our spirituality and mental health, how to sort out which spiritual practices will be right for us in light of our mental health, and how to understand a parent's role in the mental health of their children.

  • 124: Forgiving God After a Miscarriage

    May 7th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  18 mins 40 secs
    hyperemesis gravidarum, miscarriage, recovery, saint pedro de san josé betancur, tik tok, workplace trauma

    Tommy talks about the growing recovery community on TikTok, introduces listeners to Saint Pedro de San José Betancur, and answers listener questions about being angry at God after a miscarriage, how to cope with Hyperemesis gravidarum, and how to work through workplace trauma.

  • 123: I Can't Stop Procrastinating!

    April 30th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  16 mins 10 secs
    alopecia, anxiety, procrastination, saint conrad of parzham

    Tommy talks about a task force recommended screening for anxiety starting at age 8, introduces listeners to Saint Conrad of Parzham, and answers listener questions about how to help a child diagnosed with alopecia, how a person with strong religious convictions can navigate being a therapist, and how to tackle procrastination.

  • 122: When Stigma Pushes Us Away

    April 23rd, 2022  |  Season 6  |  17 mins 37 secs
    blessed peter gonzalez, confession, grief, stigma

    Tommy talks about a recent Facebook ad from the US Bureau of Prisons, introduces listeners to Blessed Peter Gonzalez, and answers listener questions about how to grieve in the midst of a grieving family, how to respond to priests who stigmatize those of us with mental illness, and how to approach talking about our mental health in confession.

  •

    121: Mental Health & Theology of the Body

    April 16th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  20 mins 8 secs
    alcohol use disorder, delusional thoughts, saint crescentia hoss, selena gomez, social media, theology of the body, tob

    Tommy talks about Selena Gomez ditching social media for her mental health, introduces listeners to Saint Crescentia Hoss, and answers listener questions about the connections between mental health and Theology of the Body, how to help a family member with Alcohol Use Disorder, and how to approach a situation with someone suffering from delusional thoughts at Mass.

  •

    120: Mental Health and Infertility

    April 9th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  16 mins 46 secs
    abusive relationships, infertility, music, saint stephen of mar saba, ukraine, war

    Tommy talks about the positive power of music, introduces listeners to Saint Stephen of Mar Saba, and answers listener questions about how to cope with anxiety over the war in Ukraine, how to manage mental wellbeing while living through infertility, and how to find good mental health after leaving an abusive relationship.

  • 119: Navigating Toxic Family Relationships

    April 2nd, 2022  |  Season 6  |  16 mins 49 secs
    boundaries, memento mori, saint nicholas owen, suicidal ideation, tourette's syndrome, toxic family members

    Tommy talks about the importance of supporting our teenage daughters in their mental and emotional wellbeing, introduces listeners to Saint Nicholas Owen, and answers listener questions about Tourette's Syndrome, the practice of memento mori if we also experience suicidal ideation, and how to navigate boundaries with toxic family members.

  • 118: Intrusive Thoughts of Suicide

    March 26th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  18 mins 53 secs
    grief, long-term grief, saint clement mary hofbauer, suicide

    Tommy talks about and prays for a college athlete who recently died by suicide, introduces listeners to Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, and answers listener questions about the experience of long-term grief, how to help a child with intrusive suicidal thoughts, and how we should understand diminished responsibility when it comes to those who have died by suicide.

  • 117: How Should We Talk About Kanye?

    March 19th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  18 mins 58 secs
    kanye west, missing mass, religious life, saint john ogilvie

    Tommy talks about why it's so hard to get connected to mental health care, introduces listeners to Saint John Ogilvie, and answers listener questions about how we should react to Kanye West's very public walk with mental health symptoms, how to handle the reality of religious life not always seeming open to those with mental illness, and if it's okay to miss Mass because of our mental health.

  • 116: How To Help Someone Being Abused

    March 12th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  20 mins 10 secs
    abusive relationships, blessed daniel brottier, trauma, war in ukraine

    Tommy talks about how to take care of our mental health during the war in Ukraine, introduces listeners to Blessed Daniel Brottier, and answers listener questions about how to talk to someone who has experienced trauma, how to help someone living in an abusive relationship, and whether there are any saints who grew up in abusive childhood homes.

  • 115: Healing Intergenerational Trauma

    March 5th, 2022  |  Season 6  |  17 mins 43 secs
    emotional distress, intergenerational trauma, mental health care for the incarcerated, saint joseph of leonissa

    Tommy talks about why it's so hard to have quality mental health care for our incarcerated sisters and brothers, introduces listeners to Saint Joseph of Leonissa, and answers listener questions about intergenerational trauma, how to start a conversation on mental health within a religious community, and the practical steps we can take to help ourselves and others walk through emotional distress.