SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews psychologist, professor, and author Dr. Alan Godwin about his book Ties That Bind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark, focusing on how individuals and societies accept untrue “stories” that merely sound true. Godwin shares growing up in segregated Jackson, Mississippi, where his idyllic childhood coexisted with racial terror across town, illustrating collective normalization of dysfunction. He discusses confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and how adults construct self-justifying narratives, contrasting Jonathan Rauch’s “reality-based community” (evidence, epistemic humility, tolerance for ambiguity) with a “story-based fortress” that discards disconfirming facts and becomes both protection and prison. Using clinical examples like “Katie” and modern cases of relatives drawn into conspiratorial information silos, he emphasizes attachment and identity as drivers of collective deception, argues people are often drawn out by relationships more than information, and concludes that humility is the key skill for better truth-seeking.
00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched
00:52 Meet Alan Godwin
02:42 Growing Up in Jackson
05:43 Stories and Lying
07:46 Bias and Normalization
10:08 Truth Hurts Then Frees
12:37 Reality Based Community
14:46 Story Based Fortress
18:02 Escaping the Fortress
20:14 Katie and Personal Healing
22:00 Harry Potter Blindness
22:50 Accents and Linguistics
23:27 From Self Doubt to Uncle Irving
24:42 Collective Deception Online
26:48 Environment Reveals the Real You
28:57 Information Silos and Gaslighting
30:58 Attachment and Identity Needs
33:57 Sports Fandom as Microcosm
36:14 Crowd Seduction and Nazi Rallies
38:32 Truth Needs Trusted Relationships
40:32 AI Can’t Replace Human Connection
41:41 Humility as the Ultimate Skill
44:35 Closing Thanks and Farewell
Helpful Links:
Dr. Alan Godwin
Dr. Alan Godwin LinkedIn
Ties That Blind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark Book

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces an episode of SuperPsyched featuring physician Dr. Howard Schubiner discussing his updated book, Unlearn Your Pain, and evidence-based approaches to chronic pain that avoid medication or surgery. Schubiner recounts his path from academic medicine to learning from Dr. John Sarno and explains how pain can persist without tissue damage due to neuroplastic neural circuits shaped by stress, emotion, and life experiences, with pain sometimes worsening via nocebo effects from medical messaging and MRI interpretations. He describes criteria suggesting non-structural pain and research indicating most chronic back/neck pain cases may be neuroplastic despite abnormal imaging. Schubiner outlines treatment steps: accurate diagnosis, education about brain-based pain, pain reprocessing therapy to reduce fear and build safety signals, and emotional awareness and expression therapy to address underlying emotions and trauma, citing clinical stories and randomized controlled trial support.
00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched
00:28 Chronic Pain Problem
01:13 Meet Howard Schubiner
02:33 Sarno Origin Story
04:37 Sarno Theory Explained
06:53 How Pain Is Learned
11:21 Compassion and Root Causes
12:34 Pain as Social Justice
15:43 Placebo Nocebo Power
19:17 MRI Words and Nocebo
21:09 Adam Sciatica Story
22:27 When Surgery Helps
23:10 Fibromyalgia Is Real
23:17 Neuroplastic Pain Evidence
23:56 MRI Study Contradiction
26:35 Is It All In Head
27:30 Brain Creates Pain
29:12 Back Pain Recovery Story
31:50 Sensitivity And Temperament
34:02 Peacemaker Pain Pattern
35:33 Endometriosis And Boundaries
39:40 Treatment Steps Overview
42:25 Emotional Expression Therapy
45:05 Movement And Farewell
Helpful Links:
Unlearn Your Pain Website
Unlearn Your Pain Book
Episode 84 - Unlearning Your Pain | Howard Schubinder, MD
The Science Behind The Symptoms Podcast

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews leadership consultant Minette Norman about psychological safety and her co-authored book, The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers. Norman defines psychological safety as the belief that in a group you can ask questions, make mistakes, and voice differing views without embarrassment, exclusion, or repercussions, and contrasts it with environments where people agree publicly but dissent privately. They discuss high-stakes consequences of low psychological safety (healthcare errors, the Challenger disaster), organizational costs (reduced innovation and performance, increased burnout and disengagement, reputation management and groupthink), and links to inclusion and hearing from introverts and neurodivergent thinkers. Norman shares practical leadership actions such as redesigning meetings, inviting dissent, asking “What am I missing?”, admitting mistakes, using blameless learning after failures, and sustaining safety through mutual respect; she highlights “the power of the pause” to respond thoughtfully when triggered.
00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched
00:27 Why Safety Matters
03:15 Defining Psychological Safety
05:00 Real World Stakes
06:47 How the Book Happened
11:37 What It Is Not
15:19 The Hidden Costs
21:35 Reputation and Inner Circles
23:34 Building It Day by Day
30:57 Inclusive Meetings for All
36:51 Top Practices to Try
39:30 The Power of the Pause
43:07 Final Takeaways
Helpful Links:
Minette Norman
Minette Norman LinkedIn
Minette Norman Instagram
The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers Book

Dr. Adam Dorsay’s Psychologically Rich TV Picks: Bill Lawrence, Ray Donovan, and Jury DutyDr. Adam Dorsay, Silicon Valley psychologist and host of the SuperPsyched podcast, shares recent TV recommendations he finds psychologically rich. He highlights Bill Lawrence as a hero behind comfort shows like Scrubs and Ted Lasso, praises Lawrence’s new series Rooster with Steve Carell, and recommends the darker, mysterious comedy Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn on Apple TV. He discusses Scrubs returning with recreated sets in British Columbia and renewed cast dynamics, noting its modern medical themes and its reputation for medical accuracy. He also enjoys Shrinking for its relationships despite questionable psychotherapy realism. Moving darker, he recommends Ray Donovan for its pitch-perfect portrayal of family dysfunction and standout performances by Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, comparing its quality to The Sopranos. He closes with Jury Duty, a Truman Show-like semi-reality comedy, and invites listener feedback and subscriptions.00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched00:27 TV Geek Picks00:51 Bill Lawrence Highlights01:33 Bad Monkey Spotlight02:13 Scrubs Returns03:35 Why Shrinking Works04:34 Going Dark Ray Donovan07:03 Wild Comedy Jury Duty08:18 Wrap Up and Subscribe

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews psychologist and ADHD expert Dr. Ari Tuckman about ADHD and productivity, focusing on the gap between knowing and doing and the consequences of untreated ADHD, including broad health and life risks. Tuckman distinguishes ordinary forgetfulness from ADHD as an exacerbation of universal problems, urges taking ADHD seriously without taking it personally, and explains why impatience and shame can build from repeated “missing the mark” moments. They discuss practical strategies for reliability and punctuality, emphasizing intention, realistic planning, saying no, and “feeling the future.” Tuckman contrasts evidence-based treatments (especially stimulant medication, plus therapy, sleep, exercise, mindfulness) with largely unsupported alternatives (supplements, brain training, dietary fixes, chiropractic claims). He outlines differential diagnosis considerations (sleep issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar, autism) and recommends thorough interviews over costly testing batteries, offering tools like analog clocks to externalize time.
00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched
00:28 Why ADHD Matters
01:12 Meet Dr Ari Tuckman
02:50 Forgetfulness vs ADHD
03:58 Why Ari Chose ADHD
05:34 Adult ADHD Then and Now
07:40 Impatience and Self Criticism
10:18 Actually Being On Time
12:40 Planning Paradox Tips
16:47 Feeling the Future
19:12 Treatments vs Alternatives
21:14 Costs of Untreated ADHD
22:23 Medication Without Shame
23:59 Glasses Denial Story
24:56 Diet and Microbiome Reality
26:39 Supplements and Other Myths
28:50 Ruling Out Lookalikes
32:51 Getting a Proper Diagnosis
34:54 Practical Time Tools
36:54 Living Well With ADHD
39:16 Intentions Versus Impact
42:12 Closing Thanks and Subscribe

Helpful Links:
Dr. Ari Tuckman
The ADHD Productivity Manual Book