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Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics

by Craig Heacock MD

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About the show

Back from the Abyss will change the way you think about psychiatric illness. Instead of dwelling on DSM diagnoses and treatment theories, you hear patients tell their stories of how they fell into darkness-- and how they found their way back. It's intimate, psychologically rich, medically interesting, sometimes heartbreaking, often irreverent, and ultimately hopeful. Join psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock as he hosts this deep dive into powerfully moving stories of hope and healing, as well as topical explorations of psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychedelics.

Latest episodes

The legacy of institutionalization-- Orphanages, attachment trauma, borderline personality disorder, and C-PTSD

September 25, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

This is the story of Milena, starting with her early years in a Bulgarian orphanage, then the hope and promise of being adopted by an American family, and finally the emerging and increasingly ominous consequences of early attachment…
Psychiatric Illness in Parallel-- Bipolar vs Schizoaffective Disorder, Genes vs Environment, Insight vs Anosognosia

September 11, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

In this season 8 opener Rosy shares both her experience recovering from bipolar disorder and the heartbreak of watching her beloved son begin to show signs of an even more extreme form of bipolar disorder called schizoaffective disorder…
Summer Special Part 2-- Laura Mae Northrup and her treatment journey

August 14, 2026 · 1 hr 14 min

In this second of two parts, Laura Mae Northrup shares stories of how she found a healing path through connection, therapy, and psychedelics. Support the show Laura Mae Northrup https://www.lauramaenorthrup.com/ Elemental…
BFTA Summer Special: Healing sexual trauma with psychedelics and entheogens-- Laura Mae Northrup shares her journey

July 31, 2026 · 31 min

This is the first of a two part summer special with Laura Mae Northrup, who was first featured in the original BFTA summer special back in 2022. In this first episode, in an excerpt from her wonderful podcast called Inside Eyes, we hear…
Season 7 Wrap-up...plus a farewell and a big change coming for BFTA

May 15, 2026 · 11 min

After seven years and so many powerful stories, Craig announces a tectonic shift in the BFTA plates. Support the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/396871/support Closing song-- "Come and go" by Timber Choir Bringing Therapy into Med…
Complex PTSD vs Classic PTSD-- Medical trauma and MDMA assisted therapy

May 1, 2026 · 1 hr 0 min

Amidst 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…
The Hidden Minefield of Positive Countertransference

April 17, 2026 · 14 min

In 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…
The gasoline and the match— Bipolar disorder, THC, and manic activation

April 3, 2026 · 49 min

Today’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…