All In The Mind

Reading is good for you, but fiction has added benefits.
So how does reading work in the brain? Why are stories so impactful? 
And why, in this era of book clubs and booktok, are literacy rates not thriving?
Get your votes in for Radio National's Top 100 Books Countdown before October 1st. 
Guests:
Professor Genevieve McArthurAustralian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, ACUDirector of Research Translation, Dyslexia SPELD Foundation
Dr Lili YuSenior Lecturer, School of Psychological SciencesMacquarie University Centre for Reading
Dr Raymond MarProfessor of PsychologyYork University
J.A. (Jess) StevensAuthor, A Change of Pace
BecJess' partner
Credits:
Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar
Reporter/producer: Rose Kerr
Senior producer: James Bullen
Sound engineer: Tim Jenkins
Resources:
Reading Writing Hotline 1300 6 555 06
Literacy for Life Foundation
Dyslexia SPELD foundation
More information:
More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this?
The benefits of reading narrative fiction
A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity
What Chinese can teach us about reading
Too many students have 'reading anxiety'. New research suggests it is triggered by problems in primary school
Reading and associations with brain health, cognition, well-being, and mental health
To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

How do you know if you have health anxiety?
For mental health nurse Sarah, she had real health concerns, but they were coupled with panic, spiralling worries and late nights googling her symptoms. So how can you tell if your concerns are causing more harm than good?Today, we're demystifying health anxiety. From the impact it has on individuals, to family and friends, to the flow on effects it can have on the medical system. 
And don't worry, there is good news - it is treatable, so we'll explore what to do if you're feeling overwhelmed by health anxiety. 
Guests:
Sarah (pseudonym)Mental health nurse
Professor Jill NewbyClinical psychologistUniversity of New South WalesBlack Dog Institute
Credits:
Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar
Producer: Rose Kerr
Senior producer: James Bullen
Sound engineer: Isabella Tropiano
More information/resources:
CCI Health Anxiety
This Way Up - Health Anxiety
The Black Dog Institute is doing research on digital treatments for health anxiety. If you're interested in participating, you can find more information here.
To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Sally Gould was a couple of years into her dream job as a paramedic when it all started to fall apart.It wasn’t the trauma and injury she was exposed to on shifts that was getting to her. It was everything else - the hours, the nonsense callouts, the bullying.The experience would leave her isolated and thinking of suicide. But she found a way back.Today, an episode for those of you who fear you’re burning out - or have burnt out.We hear about the personality traits that put you at higher risk of burnout, how to protect yourself and getting back on the path back to good health.
Guests:
Sally Gould
Paramedic; Author, Frog: The Secret Diary of a Paramedic
Gordon Parker
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales
Credits:
Presenter: Sana Qadar
Senior Producer: James Bullen
Producer: Rose Kerr
Sound Engineer: Tegan Nicholls
More info:
Frog: The Secret Diary of a Paramedic (Simon & Schuster).Burnout: A Guide to Identifying Burnout and Pathways to Recovery (Allen & Unwin).
Defining burnout: What is this syndrome and what sets it apart from other labels? (RACGP).
To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meditation sickness, meditation-related adverse effects or meditators in distress – you probably haven't heard these terms, even if you do meditate.
Yet research finds adverse effects occur in half of all meditators. For one in 10, it impairs their functioning or lasts more than a month.
Experts say many people can benefit from meditation, but it can also come with harms.
Today, the second episode of a two-part special on the research into those harms and the personal stories of those who've experienced them. You can hear part one of the series here.
Guests:
Willoughby BrittonAssociate Professor, Brown University Medical School; Director of the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab
Nicholas Van DamAssociate Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences; Director of the Contemplative Studies Center at the University of Melbourne
Willem KuykenProfessor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science, University of Oxford
Jane ReedExperienced adverse effects from meditation and the author of First Telling
SueExperienced adverse effects from meditation
Credits:
Presenter: Sana Qadar
Reporter/Producer: Fiona Pepper
Senior Producer: James Bullen
Producer: Rose Kerr
Extra info:
Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial
Cheetah House
To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Meditation has a lot of benefits, but could it also have risks?
Over the past decade, meditation and mindfulness have been promoted to reduce stress and increase relaxation.
But there is another story of meditation that rarely gets told... one that involves anxiety, insomnia — even psychosis.
Today, how one person went from being an evangelical mindfulness meditator, to a leading researcher on the adverse effects of meditation.
Guests:
Willoughby BrittonAssociate professor, Brown University Medical School and director of the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab
Pawan SharmaAssistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Pattan Academy of Health Sciences School of Medicine
Pierce SalgueroProfessor of Asian History and Health Humanities at Penn State University
Credits:
Presenter: Sana Qadar
Reporter/producer: Fiona Pepper
Senior producer: James Bullen
Producer: Rose Kerr
Extra information:
Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs
Prevalence and 20-year trends in meditation, yoga, guided imagery and progressive relaxation use among US adults from 2002 to 2022
Prevalence and predictors of meditation use in Australia and New Zealand: results from a nationally representative survey
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy improves polysomnographic and subjective sleep profiles in antidepressant users with sleep complaints
Meditation-induced psychosis: a narrative review and individual patient data analysis
Psychiatric Problems Precipitated by Transcendental Meditation
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists
Cheetah House
To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.