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
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40: Being Mindful About Mindfulness
May 16th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 55 secs
eating disorders, maslow's hierarchy of needs, mindfulness, prayer, saint rita of cascia, transgender
Tommy talks about the practice of mindfulness and how to approach a teen with an eating disorder, introduces listeners to Saint Rita of Cascia, and answers listener questions about a sibling coming out as transgender, what to do when prayer is emotionally triggering, and the issues with Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs.
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39: Questionable Pretzels
May 9th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 36 secs
mental illness, perinatal health, routine, servant of god chiara corbella petrillo, spiritual attack
Tommy talks about how to respond when we're told we've triggered someone and discusses the need for better mental health services in perinatal healthcare, introduces listeners to Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo, and answers listener questions about how to be a better communicator, how to start setting up a routine, and the fine line between mental illness and spiritual attack.
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38: That Work/Life Balance
May 2nd, 2020 | Season 2 | 15 mins 12 secs
bipolar disorder, blessed chiara badano, eating disorders, fasting, manic breaks, selena gomez, working from home
Tommy talks about the problems with working from home and explores Selena Gomez sharing her diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, introduces listeners to Blessed Chiara Badano, and answers listener questions about how to navigate fasting with an eating disorder, if the phrase "the new normal" is helpful or not, and how to find peace as a family when one parent has a manic break.
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37: Let's Talk About Weed!
April 25th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 5 secs
blessed charles de foucauld, cannabis, saint dymphna, therapy
Tommy talks about the problems with using Cannabis and discusses the need to stop using mental health terms as pejoratives, introduces listeners to Blessed Charles de Foucauld, and answers listener questions about what to do when you need therapy but can't start yet, the difference between in-person therapy and telehealth, and what's so special about Saint Dymphna.
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36: The Emotional Fallout of Social Distancing
April 18th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 29 secs
anger, blessed james alberione, emotional health, social distancing, substance abuse treatment, suicide, trauma
Tommy talks about how social distancing impacts our emotional health and discusses the idea of a "higher power" in substance use treatment, welcomes Sister Anne Flanagan to introduce listeners to Blessed James Alberione, and answers listener questions about how to prepare for the anniversary of a friend's death from suicide, how to cope with anger toward family members, and how to figure out how a traumatic event has changed us.
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35: Any Lent You Can Do, I Can Lent Better!
April 11th, 2020 | Season 2 | 15 mins 2 secs
addiction, lent, narcissistic personality disorder, penance, saint josephine bakhita
Tommy talks about how to set healthy Lenten penances and how to cope with news that a holy hero may not have been so holy, introduces listeners to Saint Josephine Bakhita, and answers listener questions about why those suffering from addiction make bad choices, how to improve a relationship in the midst of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and tips for coping with Church-triggered panic attacks.
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34: Anxiety! In The Quarantine
April 4th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 48 secs
anxiety, bipolar disorder, bisexuality, covid-19, death, saint damien of molokai, transgenderism
Tommy talks about how to cope with anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to best work with individuals who identify as transgender, introduces listeners to Saint Damien of Molokai, and answers listener questions about what to do when a child comes out as bisexual, how to help a family member with Bipolar Disorder who doesn't want help, and how to cope with anxiety related to the death of loved ones.
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33: Compassion or Co-Dependence?
March 28th, 2020 | Season 2 | 18 mins 53 secs
anxiety, co-dependence, compassion, mass, mental health and priesthood, penance, saint joan of arc, self-harm
Tommy talks about extreme penance vs. self-harm and discusses why in the world we might develop feelings for our therapist, shares a bit about Saint Joan of Arc, and answers listener questions about when compassion becomes co-dependence, what to think when a mental health diagnosis closes off the priesthood, and how to help a family member who stopped going to Mass because of anxiety.
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32: A Box of Bones Marked "Expedite"
March 21st, 2020 | Season 2 | 16 mins 25 secs
anger, anxiety, childhood experiences, intrusive images, loneliness, saint expeditus
Tommy talks about battling loneliness and the first steps to take when you want to get help, introduces listeners to Saint Expeditus, and answers listener questions about anger when working through childhood experiences, how to cope with anxiety at school, and how to approach intrusive images that confront us without our consent.
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31: God Loves Me, But I Don't
March 14th, 2020 | Season 2 | 18 mins 56 secs
ash wednesday, boundaries, lifespan integration, parental relationships, saint edith stein, self-love, shame
Tommy talks about therapists wearing their ashes on Ash Wednesday and the need to love ourselves if we want to experience the love of God, shares a little about Saint Edith Stein, and answers listener questions about overcoming shame, setting healthy boundaries in a relationship with our parents, and the new therapeutic modality known as Lifespan Integration.
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30: Are My Flashbacks Real?
March 7th, 2020 | Season 2 | 18 mins 25 secs
death of parent, father evan harkins, flashbacks, grief, medication, saint john vianney, suicide
Tommy talks about the the recent suicide of a Kansas City priest and the importance of not over-pathologizing ourselves, shares a little about Saint John Vianney, and answers listener questions about flashbacks, grieving the death of a parent, and how to respond to Catholics who think using mental health medication is just "drugging our bodies."
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29: The Re-Birthing Weekend!
February 29th, 2020 | Season 2 | 18 mins 45 secs
hell, miscarriage, mortal sin, saint elizabeth ann seton, therapy, traumatic birth
Tommy talks about the importance of finding a modality of therapy that connects with you and discusses the wide range of emotions that can come after a miscarriage, introduces listeners to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, and answers listener questions about responding to DMs about mortal sin, the idea of hell making it hard to feel God's love and mercy, and how to prepare for a happy birth after the experience of a medical trauma.
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28: This Too Shall Pass
February 22nd, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 50 secs
counseling, grief, parenthood, pregnancy, saint noel chabanel, study abroad
Tommy talks about supporting a teen with mental illness and how spirituality connects with counseling, introduces listeners to Saint Noel Chabanel, and answers listener questions about grieving the loss of someone we don't remember, navigating the emotions of studying abroad, and how to prepare our mental health for pregnancy and having children.
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27: At-Home Date Nights
February 15th, 2020 | Season 2 | 20 mins 15 secs
childhood abuse, early cognitive difficulties, family issues, marriage, saint ignatius of loyola, suicide
Tommy talks about the importance of focusing on your relationship as a married couple and how to address suicide with young children, shares a little bit about Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and answers listener questions about recovering from childhood abuse, navigating relationships with difficult family members, and supporting a loved one experiencing early cognitive difficulties.
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26: The Most Depressing Day of the Year
February 8th, 2020 | Season 2 | 17 mins 2 secs
blue monday, dialectical behavior therapy, military ptsd, saint flora, sin
Tommy talks about the the idea of Blue Monday and the heartbreak of Christian pastors being fired over their mental health, introduces everyone to Saint Flora, and answers listener questions about how to stop dwelling on the sins of others, the DBT (Dialectical behavior therapy) idea that there are no absolute truths, and how to help a loved one with military-related PTSD.
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25: Just Pray Harder!
February 1st, 2020 | Season 2 | 20 mins 15 secs
addiction, family issues, prayer, religious orders and mental health, saint augustine
Tommy addresses the lie that praying more will always lead to healing and talks about how to navigate relationships with family members who are hostile to our faith, shares a little bit about Saint Augustine, and answers listener questions about religious orders rejecting people because of their mental health, when to speak up in a relationship, and how to help our loved ones suffering from addiction while also taking care of ourselves.