Saint Dymphna’s Playbook

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

130 episodes of Saint Dymphna’s Playbook since the first episode, which aired on June 8th, 2019.

  • 90: I Feel Like A Fraud!

    July 3rd, 2021  |  Season 4  |  19 mins 42 secs
    abuse, blessed jutta of thuringia, emdr, faith, feelings, forgiveness, therapy

    Tommy talks about the therapeutic approach known as EMDR, introduces listeners to Blessed Jutta of Thuringia, and answers listener questions about how faith and feelings go together, how to navigate being asked to help at the parish when we don't feel good enough, and what forgiveness means in the context of healing after abuse.

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    89: A Vatican Document on Mental Health?

    June 26th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  23 mins 52 secs
    diagnosis, extroverts, pandemic, saint albert chmielowski, vatican

    Tommy talks about the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of extroverts, introduces listeners to Saint Albert Chmielowski, and answers listener questions about how to come to terms with a mental health diagnosis, the impact anger has on our health and spiritual wellbeing, and a new Vatican document that talks about mental health and emotional wellbeing.

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    88: Can I Lose My Job if I Go To Therapy?

    June 19th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  17 mins 42 secs
    blessed yolanda of poland, depression, family, marriage, therapy

    Tommy talks about atypical symptoms of depression, introduces listeners to Blessed Yolanda of Poland, and answers listener questions about the feeling we have when a doctor suggests a medication for our mental health, if our job can be at risk simply because we seek out mental health treatment, and if we should avoid marriage and having kids because of our struggles with depression.

  • 87: When They Don't Respect Your Boundaries

    June 12th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  18 mins 45 secs
    blessed franz jägerstätter, boundaries, outpatient treatment, racial disparities

    Tommy talks about racial disparities in diagnosing mental health experiences, introduces listeners to Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, and answers listener questions about how to deal with a family member who won't respect healthy boundaries, the effectiveness of intensive outpatient programs for anxiety, and how best to help a spouse who is living with an anxiety disorder.

  • 86: Vocation Anxiety

    June 5th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  17 mins 31 secs
    depression, postpartum anxiety, saint madeleine sophie barat, self-care, vocations

    Tommy talks about the new work being done to better understand the physiology of mental illness, introduces listeners to Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, and answers listener questions about how to cope with anxiety related to finding your vocation, how to help a friend suffering from postpartum anxiety, and how to deal with feelings of guilt about the impact depression had on our ability to take care of ourselves.

  • 85: Healing and Deliverance Prayer

    May 29th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  19 mins 47 secs
    anxiety, church teaching, deliverance prayer, depression, procrastination, saint rose venerini, social media

    Tommy talks about the potential link between depression and social media, introduces listeners to Saint Rose Venerini, and answers listener questions about coping with anxiety and depression in the context of defending Church teaching, how to work through procrastination, and the idea of healing through deliverance prayer.

  • 84: Agoraphobia and Confession

    May 22nd, 2021  |  Season 4  |  23 mins 4 secs
    agoraphobia, anxiety, blessed marie anne blondin, confession, relationship ocd, therapist

    Tommy talks about not being able to get to confession because of one's anxiety and a new mental health program coming to AppleTV+, introduces listeners to Blessed Marie Anne Blondin, and answers listener questions about Relationship OCD, how to go about finding a good therapist, and how to help a spouse whose anxiety and panic keeps them from Mass.

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    83: Major Depression and Postponing Pregnancy

    May 15th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  25 mins 2 secs
    borderline personality disorder, childhood emotional neglect, pregnancy, saint francis of paola

    Tommy talks about whether therapists should share their personal opinions, discusses Kristen Bell's recent words on mental health, introduces listeners to Saint Francis of Paola, and answers listener questions about Childhood Emotional Neglect, how to help a child with Borderline Personality Disorder, and how to navigate having kids vs. postponing pregnancy when considering one's own depression.

  • 82: Existential OCD

    May 8th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  20 mins 53 secs
    covid, depression, existential ocd, saint teresa of the andes

    Tommy talks about the disparities in COVID-related mental health experiences, discusses concerns about privacy on mental health apps, introduces listeners to Saint Teresa of the Andes, and answers listener questions about how to help a loved one with depression who can be overwhelming at times, how to approach identifying as LGBT as a religious sister, and how to help someone suffering from existential OCD.

  • 81: How Do People Afford Therapy?

    May 1st, 2021  |  Season 4  |  22 mins 10 secs
    anxiety, blessed marguerite rutan, pandemic anxiety, verbal abuse

    Tommy talks about how to find a therapist that doesn't charge an arm and a leg, discusses how teachers can support students and families, introduces listeners to Blessed Marguerite Rutan, and answers listener questions about how to prepare for the return of anxiety after the pandemic, how to approach the situation of a young child engaging in seemingly sexual behaviors, and how to recognize and recover from verbal abuse.

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    80: When Holy Week Brings Memories of Our Trauma

    April 24th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  22 mins 13 secs
    flashbacks, relationships, saint julie billiart, scrupulosity, therapeutic modalities, trauma

    Tommy talks about how to figure out which therapeutic modality is right for you and explores a recent study on exercise and anxiety during the pandemic, introduces listeners to Saint Julie Billiart, and answers listener questions about how a priest can help scrupulous penitents, how to battle intrusive thoughts of anxiety about where a relationship may be headed, and how to survive Holy Week when one experiences flashbacks and intense memories of trauma from the past.

  • 79: Another One For The Scrupulous Out There

    April 17th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  26 mins 9 secs
    blessed maria de san jose, childhood trauma, mental health and employment, religious ocd, scrupulosity

    Tommy talks about potential patron saints for those of us experiencing suicidal ideation and discusses a study that shows the mental health impact of surviving Covid-19, introduces listeners to Blessed Maria de San Jose, and answers listener questions about the impact of childhood trauma as we live through adulthood, how to approach our mental health needs with an employer, and what to do when we experience Religious OCD.

  • 78: Setting Healthy Boundaries Helps Everyone

    April 10th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  24 mins 47 secs
    blessed angela salawa, borderline personality disorder, depression, healthy boundaries, suicide prevention

    Tommy talks about the national 988 suicide prevention lifeline and the view of depression being shared on You Tube, introduces listeners to Blessed Angela Salawa, and answers listener questions about how to support a loved one with depression who lives across the country, how to cope with a friend saying they can't listen to our struggles any more, and how to set healthy boundaries with someone suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder.

  • 77: When A Loved One Can't Stop Stealing

    April 3rd, 2021  |  Season 4  |  19 mins 41 secs
    alcohol, blessed nikolaus gross, church teaching, kleptomania, prince harry

    Tommy talks about Prince Harry's advocacy for mental health and discusses a couple of exciting new laws in Nebraska, introduces listeners to Blessed Nikolaus Gross, and answers listener questions about how to support a loved one with kleptomania, how to navigate family functions with a loved one who is rightfully anxious around alcohol use, and how to share Church teaching without being a jerk.

  • 76: Mental Illness and Mortal Sin

    March 27th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  19 mins 2 secs
    child death, culpability, diet and exercise, hopelessness, irest nidra, mortal sin, st. alix le clerc

    Tommy talks about what we can say when someone has experienced the death of a child and discusses the impact of diet and exercise on mental health, introduces listeners to Saint Alix Le Clerc, and answers listener questions about how to help an 18-year-old who feels hopeless, how mental illness impacts our culpability for mortal sin, and if a Catholic can engage in iRest Nidra in a therapeutic context.

  • 75: The Danger of "Just Stop Worrying"

    March 20th, 2021  |  Season 4  |  22 mins 30 secs
    anxiety, bipolar, roommates, saint marianne cope

    Tommy talks about a recent video that attempted to help people with anxiety and explores how we can actually help our loved ones who are suffering from anxiety, introduces listeners to Saint Marianne Cope, and answers listener questions about how to explain weird Catholic things to a non-Catholic therapist, how to encourage a loved one with Bipolar Disorder to get help, and how to maintain boundaries in the midst of a toxic roommate relationship.