The Thinking Mind Podcast: Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

Today Alex discusses the 2014 film Nightcrawler directed by Dan Gilroy. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an unhinged freelancer who seeks out violent events late at night in Los Angeles, so he can film them and sell the footage to a local TV news station.
We discuss the anti-social personality, the danger of bad incentives, how language can be used as a manipulative tool, the subtle insidiousness of content creation, red flags to watch out for when meeting new people and much more. 
Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.
Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/@thinkingmindblog/note/p-183600902?r=3tgitv&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Dr. Laith Al-Shawaf is an award-winning professor, research psychologist, and writer at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on emotions, cognitive biases, and personality & individual differences. He is the primary editor and curator of the 70-chapter Oxford Handbook of Evolution and the Emotions, published in 2024.

You can find his scholarly work, popular science writing, and podcast appearances on his personal website (laithalshawaf.com) and on his X profile, @LaithAlShawaf
FB: https://www.facebook.com/laith.alshawaf/  Instagram: @laith.alshawaf.psych
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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/2026-is-the-year-of-the-horse-but
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Neil Agius is a Maltese former Olympian and world record-breaking ultra long-distance swimmer. Neil has completed some of the longest unassisted open-water swims in history, including record-breaking crossings between Sicily and Malta and a 142km non-stop world record in 2024. Most recently Neil completed the Gozo 7, swimming around the island of Gozo 7 times in 7 days. 
Expect to learn: 
- What it takes physically and psychologically to swim for 24 - 60 + hours 
- The role of micro-goals, radical acceptance, visualisation, breathwork
- How a sense of purpose and social connection can sustain performance when the body is nearly depleted
- The importance of embracing failure, persistence, and much more.
You can find out more about Neil here: https://neilagius.com/
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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.
Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Professor Emma Robinson is Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. Professor Robinson conducts research with rodents, which can help us to better understand how emotions get formed by the brain and how novel fast-acting antidepressants like ketamine and psilocybin (aka the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) could cause antidepressant effects. 
We discuss how animal research can help us understand human emotions and very human conditions like depression, and why psychedelics might work to treat it.
Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast 
Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: 
https://substack.com/home/post/p-183600902
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line. 
Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Jacob Ward is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering technology, power, and the unintended consequences of innovation. He’s currently a reporter-in-residence at Omidyar Network and the founding editor and host of The Rip Current, a newsletter and podcast about the hidden forces shaping modern life.
He previously served as a technology correspondent for NBC News and Al Jazeera, and has featued as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Don Lemon Show. He was editor-in-chief of Popular Science, and is the author of The Loop: How Technology is Making a World Without Chocies , a book on how artificial intelligence influences human decision-making.
Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.
Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright on 3rd Feb 2026:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597
If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast