Behind the Stigma
Hosted and produced by Seiara Imanova, a PhD student from University of Birmingham, Behind the Stigma is a pioneering podcast that bridges the gap between the general public and the fields of Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Each episode offers a deep dive into cutting-edge research, featuring conversations with leading experts and top researchers in the field. Take a listen, as we uncover the science, challenge misconceptions, and bridge the crucial gap between academia and the everyday.
Behind the Stigma
Latest Episodes
The Conscious Universe: Exploring Panpsychism with Professor Philip Goff
In this episode, Professor Philip Goff, philosopher and professor at Durham University, explores the nature of consciousness, panpsychism, and the profound insights from his recent 5-MeO-DMT journey. We discuss some of his ideas, and how panpsy...
The plants are always speaking with Dr. Rebekah Senānāyaka
In this week's episode, I'm joined by Rebekah Senānāyaka, ethnobotanist and PhD graduate in Cultural Anthropology, whose research takes us deep into the Amazonian rainforest. Rebekah spent 27 months immersed in indigenous plant medicine traditi...
Enactivism in Psychiatry with Professor Sanneke De Haan
This week on Behind the Stigma, Professor Sanneke de Haan joins us to discuss how we define mental disorders and what the enactive approach to psychiatry reveals about the relationship between mind, body, and world. We talk about how t...
Mental Disorder as a Harmful Dysfunction with Dr. Jerome Wakefield
In this episode of Behind the Stigma, I sit down with Jerome Wakefield, NYU Professor and originator of the influential “harmful dysfunction” theory of mental disorder. We explore what makes something truly pathological, the fuzzy boun...
The Mental Health Crisis, AI & Careers in Psychology in the UAE
In this episode of Behind the Stigma, I sit down with Dr. Prince Kouassi, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at the American University of Dubai, to explore the landscape of mental health in the UAE. We discuss whether w...