Madness Radio: Voices And Visions from Outside Mental Health explores 'madness' from beyond conventional perspectives and mainstream treatments, featuring survivors, authors, advocates, professionals, and artists.
Hosted by Will Hall, Madness Radio launched in 2005 on Valley Free Radio and aired more than 150 shows since then. We're heard on KBOO in Oregon, syndicated on other stations through Pacifica, and podcasting on iTunes and Google Play. Check our About page.
Madness Radio Producer is Nina Packebush. Thanks to past Producers Leah Harris and Jeremy Lanzman.
Madness Radio is now an affiliate of Mad In America Radio!
Check out www.madinamerica.com.
Listen to recent shows below, subscribe on the right, browse by topics, search by keyword, or list all 175+ shows by date and title. Shorter versions are also available.
Madness Radio is creative commons copyright! Please copy, post, and share freely. And get involved: send topic ideas, leave comments, ask FM stations to air us, leave an iTunes review, or make a donation.
Beyond Biological Reductionism: Raymond Tallis

Can people’s behavior really be explained by neuroscience and our evolutionary needs as hunter-gatherers — or is this just a popular fad? Does understanding the brain really solve the mysteries of being human?
Neurologist Dr. Raymond Tallis, philosopher, Academy of Medical Sciences Fellow, and author of Why the Mind is Not a Computer and Aping Mankind: Neuromania, Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Humanity, exposes the bad science and faulty logic behind pop obsessions with the brain and evolutionary psychology.
http://www.raymondtallis.com
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3712980.ece
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2012/09/your-brain-pseudoscience
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:34 — 47.3MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
- Show topics:
- Books
- Genetics
- Mad Science
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
Multiple Worlds: Anusuya StarBear

Is it possible to navigate the “multiple worlds” that emerge during psychotic experiences? Are voices and altered states also like a shamanic journey, needing guidance to find your way?
Anusuya StarBear has heard voices and gone through altered states her whole life. A tragic near-death experience 20 years ago left her with severe and chronic physical pain — and the calling to be a healer. Today visionary painting and Native American spirituality transform her pain into a creative pathway as a Process Oriented therapist, coach, and energy healer.
http://www.anusuyastarbear.com/
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:26 — 48.0MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Madness and Renewal: Michael Cornwall

What if people struggling with madness could explore their emotions in a supportive sanctuary? Do frightening ‘psychotic’ experiences have the power to transform and heal? Is breakdown also breakthrough?
Michael Cornwall became a therapist after surviving his own crisis — without medication or psychiatric treatment. For more than 30 years he has worked in the tradition of Carl Jung and R.D. Laing to support people to go through psychotic states in medication-free community settings, including John Weir Perry’s Diabasis House in the 1970s.
http://www.madinamerica.com/author/mcornwall/
http://altmentalities.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/michael-cornwall-diss.pdf (PDF)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:03 — 48.6MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Coming Off Psych Meds: Laura Delano

What do you do when medications for your emotional problems become worse than the problems themselves? Laura Delano went to a psychiatrist at age 18, and for the next decade was prescribed nineteen different psychiatric drugs. After devastating physical and emotional effects, she began a journey to become medication free — and re-discover who she is. What lessons did she learn?
Laura blogs regularly about her experiences at Mad in America, works for a mental health agency in Massachusetts, and is an advocate for drug alternatives and safe withdrawal.
http://www.madinamerica.com/author/ldelano/
(Link to coming off meds guide: http://willhall.net/comingoffmeds/)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:01 — 46.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Healing Sex: Staci Haines

Childhood sexual abuse is pervasive in our society, leaving lifelong wounds that affect men as well as women. Is it enough to hold perpetrators accountable, or are there deeper causes of abuse? Do police, courts, and child protection services help heal — or lead to more trauma? And how can body-oriented approaches move beyond the limits of talk therapy?
Child sexual abuse survivor Staci Haines, author of Healing Sex: A Mind-Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma and co-founder of Generation Five, discusses transformative justice and liberating society from child abuse.
http://www.generationfive.org
http://www.generativesomatics.org
http://bit.ly/MrJeRp
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:58 — 49.4MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Meaning From Voices: Eleanor Longden

Hearing voices is strongly connected with traumatic experiences, but are voices a brain malfunction or a creative strategy for protection?
UK psychologist Eleanor Longden survived a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and went on to be a leading researcher around voice hearing, trauma, and dissociation. She is a pioneer in the movement to understand voices as a normal human experience — and truly help people by healing trauma.
http://ind.pn/3ltxoe
http://bit.ly/NjDA77
http://bit.ly/z01Fhn
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:12 — 48.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Ethical Therapy: Toby Watson

Can psychotherapy be a replacement for medication for psychosis and extreme states? Should therapists hospitalize suicidal clients against their will — even when they could be traumatized by the very care intended to protect them?
Dr. Toby Watson, clinical psychologist, discusses how to be an ethical therapist in an era of medications, diagnostic labels, and forced treatment.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:30 — 46.3MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
- Show topics:
- Art
- Coming Off Meds
- Professionals
- System Reforms
Bipolar Children: Sharna Olfman

Why are so many children being diagnosed bipolar? Do medications treat disease – or just keep children under control? What else can parents do when faced with difficult behavioral problems?
Sharna Olfman, Psychology Professor at Point Park University and editor of the book Bipolar Children, discusses the growing social and economic pressures to label children bipolar.
http://dai.ly/epbcoO
http://scr.bi/yFfoRN
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:26 — 46.2MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Amazonian Healing: Metsa Niwue

Shamans of the Amazon jungle heal the spirit by communicating with plants and singing people back to health. Can indigenous medicine, including the psychedelic ayahuasca, help anxiety, depression, and addiction? What do healers of Peru have to teach us about mental health?
Metsa Niwue, a curandero who has studied for more than sixteen years with the Shipibo and Quechua Lamista peoples, discusses the promise and potential dangers of traditional Amazonian plant medicine for the west.
http://vegetalismo.org
http://www.neip.info/upd_blob/0000/982.pdf
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:56 — 45.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Chemical Crucifixion: Grainne Humphrys

Could a young man’s overwhelming visions of Christ and apocalypse be a creative response to life trauma, rather than signs of paranoid schizophrenia? Does madness unfold differently depending on whether it is supported – or feared?
Irish activist and punk musician Grainne Humphrys, herself a survivor of an extreme state, discusses the campaign for the release of former partner John Hunt. John has been incarcerated and drugged against his will since 2005, sparking international outcry.
http://freejohn-loverevolutionary.blogspot.com
http://www.mindfreedomireland.com
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:33 — 38.1MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Healing Veterans: Paula Caplan

How can we truly help combat veterans facing the aftermath of war? Is veteran trauma a sign of mental illness, or a healthy response to violent situations? Are medications and therapy the answer?
Paula Caplan, author of When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home: How All of Us Can Help Veterans, discusses healing the wounds of war by listening to the stories of veterans in our communities.
http://whenjohnnyandjanecomemarching.weebly.com
http://www.paulajcaplan.net
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:35 — 47.3MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Dignity of Elders: Carole Hayes-Collier

Why are nearly a third of all elders in nursing homes given anti-psychotic drugs, despite life threatening side effects? Are medications being used as chemical restraints? Can nursing homes be places of dignity — or should they be abolished?
Carole Hayes-Collier was diagnosed schizophrenic at 19 and left to a lifetime of hospitalization. When she recovered, the abuses she witnessed inspired her to join the Gray Panthers and dedicate her life to elder rights and mental health.
http://graypanthers.org
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119672919018312521.html
http://www.canhr.org/stop-drugging
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:27 — 42.5MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Talking About Suicidal Feelings: David Webb

How common are suicidal feelings? Is a psychiatric illness behind suicidal despair — or a meaningful and even spiritual life crisis? Does forced hospitalization really provide help?
Suicide attempt survivor David Webb, author of Thinking About Suicide: Contemplating and Comprehending the Urge to Die, discusses how speaking openly about suicidal feelings, rather than reacting with panic and fear, is the best form of suicide prevention.
http://www.jungcircle.com/DWebb.html
http://thinkingaboutsuicide.org
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:25 — 46.2MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Physics, Dreaming and Extreme States: Arnold Mindell

What is reality? Why do people in extreme states feel connected to the universe, and experience uncanny and even supernatural events? Does quantum physics have something to teach us about madness? What if therapists were like indigenous tribal shamans, entering into clients’ “psychotic” worlds as if stepping into a dream?
Arnold Mindell studied with pioneering scientists Richard Feynman and Norbert Wiener and then became a Jungian therapist and founder of Process Oriented Psychology. He discusses his more than 40 years of work with individuals and groups, including people diagnosed with psychosis, and the ancient belief in a purposeful dreaming reality behind everyday events.
http://www.aamindell.net/blog/books#arny
http://www.processwork.org/
http://www.sonic.net/~billkirn/mindell_interview.html
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:16 — 48.8MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Exporting Mental Disorders: Ethan Watters

How did pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline create “depression” in Japan — and a billion dollar market for its anti-depressant drug Paxil? Why do people diagnosed with schizophrenia recover more in Tanzania than they do in the US? Can western-style psychotherapy help tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka?
Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, discusses how mental disorders are cultural products, defined in the US and then exported around the world.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:46 — 43.8MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
Recent Comments