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

  • 50: Am I Weak For Taking Medication?

    August 22nd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  17 mins 1 sec
    blessed clara isabella fornari, covid-19, g-herbo, mental health medication, pornography addiction, pregnancy

    Tommy talks about Colorado's COVID-related mental health crisis data and a new initiative started by rapper G-Herbo, introduces listeners to Blessed Clara Isabella Fornari, and answers listener questions about pornography addiction, if taking medication for mental health symptoms is a sign of weakness, and how emotions during pregnancy impact our children moving forward.

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    49: Kim Kardashian and Saint Vincent de Paul

    August 15th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  18 mins 49 secs
    abuse, harm ocd, kim kardashian, orthorexia, saint vincent de paul

    Tommy talks about Kim Kardashian's recent comments about mental illness, discusses a study on breathing techniques from Yale, shares a story about Saint Vincent de Paul, and answers listener questions about orthorexia, navigating a relationship while experiencing Harm OCD, and how to heal after experiencing abuse from a helping professional.

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    48: Just Do Your Dishes!

    August 8th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  19 mins 44 secs
    abuse, blessed laura vicuña, dissociation, manic episodes

    Tommy talks about how making your bed won't fix your mental illness and discusses how to cope with dissociation, introduces listeners to Blessed Laura Vicuña, and answers listener questions about to help a loved one be open to mental health treatment, what a manic episode looks like, and how to navigate a friend sharing news about a history of abuse.

  • 47: You Are Not Your Mental Illness

    August 1st, 2020  |  Season 3  |  18 mins 20 secs
    adhd, blessed miguel pro, emotional support animals, guilt, mental health and policing

    Tommy talks about the burning of a Catholic parish by a man with mental illness and discusses the need for pro-mental health protections in the current conversations about policing. He also shares a bit about Blessed Miguel Pro and answers listener questions about how to handle feelings of guilt about our mental-health induced behaviors, the benefits of emotional support animals, and how to help a child with ADHD make it through the Mass.

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    46: I'm an Imposter!

    July 25th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  18 mins 33 secs
    imposter syndrome, mercy, substance dependence, suffering, trauma, venerable augustus tolton

    Tommy talks about overcoming imposter syndrome and managing anxiety when making big decisions, introduces listeners to Venerable Augustus Tolton, and answers listener questions about showing mercy to someone who traumatized us, the connection between our faith and our recovery from substance dependence, and whether God wants us to suffer without relief and just offer it up.

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    45: God Does Not Call Us To Be Doormats

    July 18th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  15 mins 43 secs
    anxiety, catholic mental health, deep breathing, demonic possession, estranged family, guilt, personality tests, psychosis, saint elizabeth of portugal

    Tommy talks about attachment styles, discusses deep breathing to relieve anxiety, introduces listeners to Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, and answers listener questions about feeling guilty over being estranged from a sibling, psychosis vs. demonic possession, and how to cope with something a friend said that left us feeling rattled.

  • 44: Is Self-Harm a Sin?

    July 11th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  17 mins 8 secs
    catholic therapy, mother mary lange, personality tests, self-harm

    Tommy talks about personality tests and how the suffering of others impacts his life as a therapist, introduces listeners to Servant of God Elizabeth Clarisse Lange, and answers listener questions about self-harm, how to stop second-guessing ourselves, and if there's anything special about a Catholic therapist.

  • 43: Maybe I'll Never Go Back Outside!

    July 4th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  17 mins 59 secs
    anger, blessed concepción cabrera de armida, children, journaling, lockdowns, weather-related anxiety

    Tommy talks about journaling for mental health, discusses how to manage a 9-year-old's anger outbursts, introduces listeners to Blessed Concepción Cabrera de Armida, and answers listener questions about feeling anxious about life after the lockdowns, weather-related anxiety, and fears about suffering the same mental health and neurological conditions as our parents.

  • 42: Your Bad Choices Are Hurting Me!

    June 27th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  16 mins 50 secs
    anxiety, depression, estranged family, non-catholic therapy, religious vocation, saint maturinus, therapy

    Tommy talks about how depression and a religious vocation can co-exist, discusses steps to take when we need therapy but can't get to a therapist, introduces listeners to Saint Maturinus, and answers listener questions about how to handle a conversation with a non-Catholic therapist, how to manage a relationship with an estranged family member, and what to do about irrational anxiety and negative thoughts.

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    41: Does Everything Happen For A Reason?

    June 20th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  16 mins 22 secs
    eating disorders, internal family systems, saint margaret of cortona, secular meditation

    Tommy talks about why it's so hard to pray when we're depressed, explores secular guided meditation, introduces listeners to Saint Margaret of Cortona, and answers listener questions about eating disorder relapse prevention, if everything happens for a reason, and the therapeutic approach known as Internal Family Systems.

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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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.