Podcast
Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics
Hosted by Craig Heacock MD · EN
How do we find a way out of the darkest depths of despair? Psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock hosts a deep dive into powerfully moving stories of hope and healing, as well as topical explorations of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychedelics.
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Season 7 Wrap-up...plus a farewell and a big change coming for BFTA
2w ago00:10:49Tap to summarizeAfter seven years and so many powerful stories, Craig announces a tectonic shift in the BFTA plates.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportClosing song-- "Come and go" by Timber ChoirBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/Support the show
Transcribe →Complex PTSD vs Classic PTSD-- Healing medical trauma with MDMA assisted therapy
May 101:00:02Tap to summarizeAmidst a long catalog of previous BFTA stories featuring complex or developmental PTSD, today’s story is one of classic DSM-style PTSD, it’s a story of both medical and parenting trauma, of facing the fear of annihilation and death. In this three part story, first we hear Tracy tell of the increasingly severe medical challenges of her children, then Tracy flashes back to describe her own terrifying emergency hospitalization as a 5 year old, then finally we trace Tracy’s treatment journey through traditional psychotherapy and eventual MDMA-assisted therapy as she tries to find a way to calm her nervous system and find peace.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/Support the show
Transcribe →The Hidden Minefield of Positive Countertransference
Apr 1700:14:02Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode Dr. H shares his thoughts on the unexpected risks of feeling too much positive energy and/or identification with a patient. This talk is also a sneak preview into the workshop that Dr. H teaches with Dr. Hillary McBride called "I Love You I Hate You...Are You My Mom?'Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →The gasoline and the match— Bipolar disorder, THC, and manic activation
Apr 300:49:06Tap to summarizeToday’s story is one of genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and finally a psychiatric flame thrower. Whitney’s uncle had a particularly severe form of bipolar disorder and she too began to develop mood instability and depression as an adolescent. When we think of environmental triggers for mania, we tend to think of sleep deprivation, substances, and the postpartum period. And through her 20s and 30s, Whitney began to have more serious bouts of hypomania during times of sleep deprivation or in her postpartum periods. But it took an increasingly severe weed habit to bring her to the horrors of mania with psychosis. Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →How can we actually prevent suicide? Guns, access to means, and the hope of Donna's Law
Mar 2001:01:10Tap to summarizeThe US has a major suicide problem, around 50,000 people every year, and 60% of these suicides are gun suicides. The number one risk factor for completed suicide is not depression or anxiety or addiction….it’s access to means, and it turns out that it’s actually not that easy to impulsively kill yourself, unless you have ready access to a gun. We are finally starting to talk about ways to keep guns out of the hands of potentially suicidal people, and a concrete step in that direction is something called Donna’s Law— a program where people can voluntarily be put on a no-sell list during times of psychological crisis or instability. Donna’s Law is named after Donna Nathan, who impulsively bought a handgun in 2018 in New Orleans and shot herself during a period of psychiatric crisis. There were no barriers in place, no waiting period or no-sell list...Donna found easy access to means and paid the ultimate price.We first hear the voice of Katrina Brees, Donna’s daughter. Katrina tells us more about who Donna was, how she lived and how she died. After we hear from Katrina, Dr. H leads a discussion with two prominent Colorado voices for both Donna’s law in particular and suicide prevention in general— Dr. Dave Iverson is a Denver-based psychiatrist, a board member of Colorado Ceasefire, and lifelong advocate for society’s most vulnerable folks, including those on the streets or in the justice system… also Ginny Mack joins the conversation, she is a Ft Collins-based psychiatric nurse practitioner, a Navy Veteran, and a longtime advocate for suicide prevention efforts on the state and local level. Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportDonna's Law for Suicide Preventionhttps://www.donnaslaw.com/Donna's Law for Coloradohttps://www.donnaslawforco.com/Colorado listeners who would like to get involved in the awareness campaign for Donna's Law, please email:donnaslawforco@gmail.comGolden Gate suicide studyhttps://www.goldengate.org/assets/1/6/suicide-deterrent-seiden-study.pdfBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →A somatic therapist and her apprenticeship of grief
Mar 601:04:50Tap to summarizeToday’s story explores how we love, how we grieve, and how we eventually find some sort of equilibrium thereafter. This episode is a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story by Colorado-based somatic therapist Darci Meyers about her journey through multiple losses, grief, and ongoing recovery.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportDarci Meyershttp://www.darcimeyers.com/Bringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Explore every episode through themes, domains, formats, and speakers. The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to the podcast. https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →A gift of therapy- Discovering the wisdom of the body with psychedelic-assisted therapy
Feb 2000:47:52Tap to summarizeKari reconnected with her birth mother in her 40s and finally began to understand the suffering for which she had no words. This is a story of adoption and reunification, of forgetting and remembering, of finding a truth without words in the wisdom of the body. Kari’s birth mother was able to see something deep in Kari that she had never had words for….and thus began her path toward healing.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BChttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/i-love-you-i-hate-you-are-you-my-mom/Elemental Psychedelics Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Traininghttps://www.elementalpsychedelics.com/ketaminetrainingExplore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers.The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode.https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →A Nurse + Grief + Alcohol + Adderall— Finding Hope for Healers
Feb 601:04:48Tap to summarizeKate started her addiction journey at a young age, using substances as a salve for her terrible grief. Later, drugs and alcohol helped her to cope with the transition to nursing and the unending demands of a hospital setting. But as with all addicts, this strategy worked until it didn’t….Kate eventually had to find a new way to cope if she was going to survive past her 30s.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportKate Gibson (The Coleman Institute)Kate@thecolemaninstitute.com; Kate.gibson.dnp@gmail.comBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/BFTA on IG @backfromtheabysspodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers.The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode.https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →The Scary Med List-- A Case Consultation with Dr. H
Jan 2300:22:57Tap to summarizeDr. H dives deep into a patient's scary, confusing, and ill-advised list of psych meds to illustrate some deeper truths and lessons about psychopharmacology and the med management model of psychiatry.Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/Explore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers.The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode.https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Ketamine, and Psychiatry 3.0
Jan 901:11:12Tap to summarizeDr. H sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher, Medical Director of the TMS Clinic at the University of Colorado- Anschutz to explore the growing role of TMS and neuromodulation in psychiatry. They explore questions such as:•How should we think about TMS vs ketamine in the treatment of depression? Trauma? OCD?•Who are the best candidates for TMS? •What are the relative merits of intensive TMS (SAINT) vs standard protocols?•How might TMS and ketamine work together to promote psychiatric stability?Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/supportDr. Elizabeth Fenstermacherhttps://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/33013Patient selection for TMS- Case report with Dr. Fenstermacherhttps://journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/fulltext/2025/11000/case_report__personalizing_transcranial_magnetic.3.aspxBringing Therapy into Med Management-- An intensive workshop for psych NPs and PAs, June 3-6 2026 in Ft Collinshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/bringing-therapy-into-med-management/"I Love You, I Hate You, Are You My Mom?" An intensive experiential workshop exploring transference and countertransference with Dr. H and Dr. Hillary McBride, June 18-20 2026 in Vancouver/Chilliwack BCExplore the podcast through themes, domains, formats, and speakers.The BFTA CODEX is a listener-built and curated field guide to every episode.https://bfta-codex.orgBFTA episode recommendations/Podcast pagehttps://www.craigheacockmd.com/podcast-page/Support the show
Transcribe →