Psych Attack

'Backrooms' is 2026 film, currently in cinemas. It is a sci-fi / horror / psychological thriller that is gripping and deeply unsettling. After watching it at the cinema this long weekend, I needed someone to discuss it with, and who better than my friend Dr Alexander De Foe. Tune in for a taster if you haven't seen the film but are curious about it. Don't worry - we let you know when to switch off to avoid spoilers.Dr Alexander De Foe is a scholar and author based in Melbourne, Australia. Alex studies altered states of consciousness and how they can be understood within the context of cognitive psychology and philosophy of mind. He is also a university lecturer and counsellor, empowering clients during pivotal lifespan milestones, towards meaning-making and virtue-based living. Alex has over 10 years post-PhD experience in a range of research and educational roles, presently situated at Monash University as a researcher and educator.Sensitive content warningThis episode deep dives on the perceptual and mind state experience of liminal spaces and refers briefly to physical violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & De Foe, A. (2026, June 8). Backrooms and liminal spaces (No. 32) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The audio for this episode was edited by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald.

Snack Attacks are short segments taken from a full episode, so you can have a quick topic taster.This Snack Attack comes from episode 30 'Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama'Dr Suzie Gibson explains what we can learn about ourselves and the society we live in by analysing fictional texts.For links to related research articles and books mentioned in this Snack Attack, go to the full episode show notes.

'Apple Cider Vinegar' is an Australian TV series that was released in 2025. It presents a dramatised version of the real world story of Belle Gibson, an Australian social media wellness influencer. In the series, Belle posts publicly about her experience of brain cancer and promotes alternative approaches to treatment to her millions of Instagram followers. And through a recipe app that was promoted by Apple called 'The Whole Pantry'. The primary conflict of the series being that Belle never had brain cancer.This episode of Psych Attack is a panel discussion between myself (Dr Jaz MacDonald), Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges. Each of us brings a unique lens to our viewing of the series, informed by our own life experiences and professional expertise. The panelDr Jaz MacDonald: my area of expertise is trauma exposure and reactions, as well as mental health. I have a PhD in psychology and am a trained social worker with experience in mental health assessment. I mostly spend my time doing this podcast and working at an Australian research agency, creating practice resources for practitioners supporting children and families. Dr Erica McIntyre is a psychology and public health researcher and educator, now working as an ADHD Coach and Career and Leadership Coach. Erica has a PhD in psychology and has also practiced as a herbalist. Her research focuses on health and wellbeing, specifically health care decision making. Dr Suzie Gibson (PhD in literature and philosophy) is a Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Charles Sturt University. Trained in close textual analysis, Suzie surveys texts across fields and disciplines — literature, film, television and philosophy. She is interested in the ideological underpinnings of texts as well as with their aesthetic import and how it impacts upon their social and cultural meaning. Associate Professor Donna Bridges is a sociologist and a gender theorist at Charles Sturt University. Donna's research focuses primarily on gender inequality and work – specifically women integrating into male dominated fields and the barriers they encounter. This led her to an interest in sexual harassment and violence. Donna is also a creator and host for the podcast 'Conversations for a Brave New World' produced by the Gender Network at CSU. Each month, the podcast shares knowledge, scholarship and research about gender from the diverse perspectives of experts and scholars. The episode I have linked to is one where Donna interviews me (Jaz) about my team's coercive control research and practice resources.Sensitive content warningThis episode refers to cancer, mental illness, and intimate partner violence. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline.Content mentioned in this episodeApple Cider Vinegar, NetflixThe Search for Instagram's Worst Con-Artist, NetflixDederer, C. (2023). Monsters: What do we do with great art by bad people? Sceptre.Schur, M. (2022). This sandwich is morally problematic. But it's also delicious. Can I still eat it? In How to be perfect: The correct answer to every moral question (pp. 185-208). Quercus.Research articles on parasocial relationshipsBaek, Y. M., Bae, Y., & Jang, H. (2013). Social and parasocial relationships on social network sites and their differential relationships with users’ psychological well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 512-517.Balaban, D. C., Szambolics, J., & Chirică, M. (2022). Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica, 230. DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103731.Bennett, L. L. (2024). Understanding parasocial relationships and the mental health impact. [Master's thesis, Louisiana Tech University].Hoffner, C. A., & Bond, B. J. (2022). Parasocial relationships, social media, & well-being. Current Opinions in Psychology, 45. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101306.Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2019). Parasocial interactions and relationships with media characters–An inventory of 60 years of research. Communication Research Trends, 38(2).Madison, C., & Adam, A. (2023). Perceived marginalization, social support, and mental health: The role of parasocial relationships. Modern Psychological Studies, 28(2).Su, B.-C., Wu, L.-W., Chang, Y.-Y.-C., & Hong, R.-H. (2021). Influencers on social media as references: Understanding the importance of parasocial relationships. Sustainability, 13. DOI: 10.3390/su131910919Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B., McIntyre, E., Gibson, S., & Bridges, D. (2026, March 12). Apple Cider Vinegar: Panel discussion about the Australian TV drama (No. 30) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Erica McIntyre, Dr Suzie Gibson, and Associate Professor Donna Bridges for sharing your time and expertise.

Professor Emeritus Gregory S. Aldrete explains some of the hallmarks of Ancient Roman psychology (i.e., their values and motivations). Greg shares rich context and examples, weaving together a story of similarities and differences between life in Ancient Rome and life now. We discuss a wide range of topics, from hand gestures used to compensate for lack of microphones in large arenas, tombstone engravings and graffiti messages, common pets, and sources that historians draw on to find the lesser heard voices of ancient Rome.Greg is Professor Emeritus of history at the University of University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Greg is an ancient historian specialising in the study of civilisations, cultures, and history of the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly Ancient Greece and Rome. Greg is driven to figure out how stuff really worked in antiquity. You can reach out to Greg via email: aldretegs@gmail.comExplore other interesting work by GregBooks The Great CoursesWebsiteI highly recommend subscribing to The Great Courses to access Greg's lecture series The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome. Tim and I spent much of our end of year break in 2024 watching it.Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Aldrete, G. S. (2025, June 22). In the minds of ancient Romans (No. 28) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Professor Emeritus Gregory Aldrete for sharing your time and expertise.

Dr Will Dobud shares insights about his experience of writing and publishing a non-fiction book - a lessons learnt kind of a chat. Rather than focusing on insights from the book content, we talk about the mechanics, processes, and experiences behind bringing together a non-fiction and mental health focused book.Will Dobud, PhD, MSW, is a Senior Social Work Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning practitioner, educator, and researcher. He is recognised as a practitioner with international experience working with children, adolescents, and families. Will’s research focuses on improving young people’s experiences in therapeutic interventions and outdoor therapies and how clinicians can become more evidence-informed in their decision-making. Will also advocates for youth affected by unethical treatments and interventions, highlighted by the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for youth-serving organisations, travelling internationally to help organisations enhance their services for those they serve. Will and I collaborate on a wide range of topics and create practice resources together. Connect with Will on various social media platforms: Facebook, X / Twitter, LinkedIn, InstagramExperiential Practice SymposiumWill is also the co-convenor for the first Experiential Practice Symposium held from 21-23 November on CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus. This is an affordable and accessible event with the theme of “Conversation as Experiential Learning.” Everyone is welcome to attend and facilitate an experiential workshop on learning, mental health, or the philosophy of experience. Learn more here: https://experientialpractice.csu.domains/Other episodes featuring Will25. Kids these days: Understanding and supporting youth mental health9. Exploring outdoor therapiesCite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Dobud, W. (2025, April 12). Writing and publishing a non-fiction book (No. 26) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Will Dobud for sharing your time and expertise.Related Psych Attack Episodes22. Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms13. The role of animals in mental health practice7. Mental health disorders and child developmentRelated practice resourcesBuilding resilience in children and young peopleEngaging young children (0-5 years) in nature playRelated blog postsChild and adolescent mental health conference 2025

In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about envy and its impacts in our social and sexual lives.Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.Episode content0:00 - Introduction1:16 - Rahim's background and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)6:21 - How Rahim got interested in envy11:48 - The difference between envy and jealousy17:09 - Queer experiences of envy20:07 - Envy and systemic oppression20:53 - How to manage envy25:49 - Has social media made envy worse?29:46 - Online content creators and envy31:22 - Can envy be managed through CBT?34:39 - Why are some people not impacted by envy?40:19 - How to keep up to date with Rahim’s work Works mentioned in this episodeThawer, R. (2022, June 9). The Matrix of Envy in Our Social and Sexual Lives. Medium. Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, Jan 15). Envy in our social and sexual lives (No. 24) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com TranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Taylor A. Braund to hear about his research into digital phenotyping. In particular, we discuss the link between mental health symptoms and keystroke metadata from smartphones. Dr Taylor A. Braund is a Research Fellow at Black Dog Institute and UNSW School of Clinical Medicine, Australia. To see more of Taylor’s work, you can reach out on LinkedIn or Twitter. Research mentioned in this episodeBraund, T.A. (2024). The continued hype and hope of digital phenotyping. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3(448). Braund, T. A., O’Dea, B., Bal, D., Maston, K., Larsen, M., Werner-Seidler, A., Tillman, G., & Christensen, H. (2023). Associations between smartphone keystroke metadata and mental health symptoms in adolescents: Findings from the Future Proofing Study. JMIR Mental Health, 10(e44986). Braund, T. A., Zin, M. T., Boonstra, T. W., Wong, Q. J. J., Larsen, M. E., Christensen, H., Tillman, G., O’Dea, B. (2022). Smartphone sensor data for identifying and monitoring symptoms of mood disorders: A longitudinal observational study. JMIR Mental Health, 9(5):e35549 O’Dea, B., Braund, T. A., Batterham, P. J., Larsen, M. E., Glozier, N., & Whitton, A. E. (2024). Reading between the lines: Identifying the linguistic markers of Anhedonia for the stratification of depression. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. (Paper) Seminal digital phenotyping papersHuckvale, K., Venkatesh, S., & Christensen, H. (2019). Toward clinical digital phenotyping: A timely opportunity to consider purpose, quality, and safety. npj Digital Medicine, 2(88). Insel, T. R. (2017). Digital phenotyping: Technology for a new science of behavior. JAMA, 318(13):1215–1216. Torous, J., Kiang, M. V., Lorme, J., & Onnela, J. P. (2016). New tools for new research in psychiatry: A scalable and customizable platform to empower data driven smartphone research. JMIR Mental Health, 3(2):e16. Some available digital phenotyping platformshttps://www.hsph.harvard.edu/onnela-lab/beiwe-research-platform/https://www.digitalpsych.org/lamp.htmlhttps://www.biaffect.com/ Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Braund, T. A. (2024, Oct 1). Digital phenotyping: Using smartphone metadata to predict mental health symptoms (No. 22) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com Transcript The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsPsych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Dr Taylor A. Braund for sharing your time and expertise. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by Taylor in this episode are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of his employer.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Jade McEwen to hear about her professional and personal experiences of self-care, the benefits of being unapologetically self-promoting, and working out how to be heard in order to get the support you need. Dr Jade McEwen is Assistant Director of Research, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Australia. To see more of Jade’s work, you can reach out on LinkedIn or send her an email. Resources mentioned in this episodeHough, A., & McEwen, J. (2024). Building quality and safeguarding into disability service provision. In: Bigby, C., Hough, A. (eds) Disability Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6143-6_14 The whole book that Jade’s chapter comes from is open access. Thank you to the authors (and their respective institutions) for making this happen! Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B., & McEwen, J. (2024, Aug 1). Self-advocacy and professional relationships (No. 20) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com Transcript The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy. AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to Dr Jade McEwen for sharing your time and expertise. Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae.

In this episode, I catch up with Dr Sarah Ashton to hear about her work in the area of sexual health and intimacy. In particular, we focus on kink and paraphilias, where they come from, as well how to treat a paraphilic disorder and work with clients experiencing shame.Dr Sarah Ashton is a registered psychologist, Board Approved Supervisor, training author, and the Director and Founder of SHIPS. Sexual Health and Intimacy Psychological Services (SHIPS) is a progressive psychology organisation in Melbourne, Australia. They provide sex, intimacy and mental health treatment & training.You can follow SHIPS’ work on LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and their blog. Sensitive content warningThe episode focuses predominantly on the importance of understanding the whole person, including their erotic experiences and desires. We talk about a wide range of erotic experiences and the conversation covers experiences that are fulfilling and pleasurable, as well as some examples of disorders where harm is done. This episode refers to sexual assault, pedophilia and exhibitionism. Specific case examples and lived experience are not discussed. Please take care while listening and if you are feeling discomfort and think you would benefit from some support, please reach out to your GP or contact a service like Lifeline. Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Ashton, S. (2024, June 5). Sex therapy, kink and paraphilias (No. 18) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comTranscriptThe transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

In this episode, I team up again with Dr Rachael Fox (journal editor and academic). We reflect on our publication experiences to share insights that will be especially useful for listeners new to publishing. We discuss:· choosing a journal· the importance of scope, formatting, and proofing· what to consider when converting a dissertation or thesis into a publication· getting support from colleagues· communicating with journal editors· the mechanics of submission portals· receiving and responding to reviewer feedback. Dr Rachael Fox is Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Australia. Rachael is Editor of the Australian Community Psychologist, an open access peer-reviewed journal. If you want to keep up to date with Rachael, you can reach out via her university profile page. Resources mentioned in this episodeThe following two tools may be useful in findings suitable journals for your work:Master Journal List (Clarivate)Jane (Biosemantics) Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B. & Fox, R. (2023, August 3). Tips and tricks for publishing in psychology (No. 16) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comAudio editThe audio edit for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content. Transcript The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

In this episode I catch up with Dr Rachael Fox, journal editor and academic, to discuss what publishing in psychology is and take a critical lens to highlight some issues and barriers to publishing. We discuss:· critical and community psychological approaches to research· why people publish in psychology· common ways quality is thought about in psychological research and publishing· kinds of journals and how they are ranked· how research either about or conducted by certain groups of people can be excluded through mainstream publishing practices. Dr Rachael Fox is Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Australia. Rachael is Editor of the Australian Community Psychologist, an open access peer-reviewed journal. If you want to keep up to date with Rachael, you can reach out via her university profile page. More info about the ideas covered in this episodeContesi, F. & Terrone, E. (2018). Introduction. Philosophical Papers, 47(1), 1-20.Fox, R, Nic Giolla Easpaig, B. (2021). Engaging critical methodologies in qualitative research methods with undergraduate psychology students. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(1), 228– 240.Hagve, M. (2020). The money behind academic publishing. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening.Tracy, S. J. (2012). The toxic and mythical combination of a deductive writing logic for inductive qualitative research. Qualitative Communication Research, 1(1), 109-141. Van Noorden, R. (2013). Open access: The true cost of science publishing. Nature, 495, 426–429. Cite this episodeMacDonald, J. B & Fox, R. (2023, March 13). A critical look at publishing in psychology (No. 14) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.comAudio editThe audio edit for this episode was completed by Amy Edwards. Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald did a final edit for content. Transcript The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

This episode focuses on Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald’s research in trauma exposure and mental health in TV news workers. We discuss how camera operators and reporters have different kinds of trauma experiences, the importance of social support, substance use, and symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout.

This episode and the next one focus on Dr Evita March’s research in the area of cyber psychology. In this first part of our discussion, we start by using mate selection as an example of evolutionary psychology. We then go on to see how the dark tetrad of personality can help us understand antisocial online behaviours like trolling. In the next episode, we dive into Evita’s research on cyber dating abuse.