Back from the Abyss will change the way you think about psychiatric illness. Instead of dwelling on 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
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Psychiatric Illness in Parallel-- Bipolar vs Schizoaffective Disorder, Genes vs Environment, Insight vs Anosognosia
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 mor
Sep 11 1 h 02 min
Summer Special Part 2-- Laura Mae Northrup and her treatment journey
In this second of two parts, Laura Mae Northrup shares stories of how she found a healing path through connection, therapy, and psychedelics.
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Laura Ma
Aug 14 1 h 13 min
BFTA Summer Special: Healing sexual trauma with psychedelics and entheogens-- Laura Mae Northrup shares her journey
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
Jul 31 30 min
Season 7 Wrap-up...plus a farewell and a big change coming for BFTA
After seven years and so many powerful stories, Craig announces a tectonic shift in the BFTA plates.
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Closi
May 15 10 min
Complex PTSD vs Classic PTSD-- Medical trauma and MDMA assisted therapy
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 p
May 1 1 h 00 min
The Hidden Minefield of Positive Countertransference
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 snea
Apr 17 14 min
The gasoline and the match— Bipolar disorder, THC, and manic activation
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 bipola
Apr 3 49 min
How can we actually prevent suicide? Guns, access to means, and the hope of Donna's Law
The US has a major suicide problem, around 50,000 people every year, and 60% of these suicides are gun suicides. The number one risk factor for completed suicide is not d
Mar 20 1 h 01 min
A somatic therapist and her apprenticeship of grief
Today’s story explores how we love, how we grieve, and how we eventually find some sort of equilibrium thereafter. This episode is a heartbreaking, yet beautiful story by
Mar 6 1 h 04 min
A gift of therapy- Discovering the wisdom of the body with psychedelic-assisted therapy
Kari reconnected with her birth mother in her 40s and finally began to understand the suffering for which she had no words. This is a story of adoption and reunification,
Feb 20 47 min
A Nurse + Grief + Alcohol + Adderall— Finding Hope for Healers
Kate started her addiction journey at a young age, using substances as a salve for her terrible grief. Later, drugs and alcohol helped her to cope with the transition to
Feb 6 1 h 04 min
The Scary Med List-- A Case Consultation with Dr. H
Dr. H dives deep into a patient's scary, confusing, and ill-advised list of psych meds to illustrate some deeper truths and lessons about psychopharmacology and the
Jan 23 22 min
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Ketamine, and Psychiatry 3.0
Dr. H sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher, Medical Director of the TMS Clinic at the University of Colorado- Anschutz to explore the growing role of TMS and neurom
Jan 9 1 h 11 min
When psychiatric illness isn't just psychiatric-- The immune system, PANS, and psychiatric mimicry
There is a growing awareness in psychiatry that not all psychiatric illness is psychiatric— some percentage of what presents in psychiatric settings is actually triggered
Dec 26 2025 1 h 20 min
10 Questions to Deepen Psychotherapy-- Inviting the Here and Now
Psychotherapy can often get stuck in a there and then storytelling mode....how do we shift the therapeutic encounter into the immediacy of the Here and Now? Here Dr. H s
Dec 12 2025 16 min
Is DID real? Parts, alters, exiles, and what's allowed in the therapeutic space
Dr. H sits down with Jade Miller, a peer support specialist and advocate for public education about DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). In the first part of this episod
Nov 28 2025 1 h 07 min
Parenting through the storm-- Adoption, trauma, acceptance, and humility
BFTA storyteller Frank shares the joy, confusion, chaos, utter fear, and deepest gratitude when he and his partner Brad adopted and raised two boys, ages 4 and 2, from th
Nov 14 2025 1 h 01 min
When our minds forget our bodies remember-- A trauma therapist comes back to life
Rachael, a trauma therapist and today's storyteller, describes how her early childhood abuse was buried by the protective mechanism of dissociative amnesia. As Rach
Oct 31 2025 1 h 13 min
Treatment-resistant bipolar disorder-- Finding stability at last
This story is a mirror to Elizabeth’s story from season 1 episode 1. Today’s storyteller Sarah was so moved by Elizabeth’s story that it helped her to trust Dr. H's
Oct 17 2025 54 min
Hiding in plain sight-- Life, work, and therapy on the autistic spectrum
In today’s story we explore what it’s like to be on the autistic spectrum, and more specifically, how a later life diagnosis can totally change the way you view the world
Oct 3 2025 1 h 05 min
Chart trend
Position in the Medicine chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#97#192JunJulAugSep
#16
all-time peak
40
days in the top 50 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 16, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
As a non-clinician interested in mental health, I find each of BFTA's episode formats informative and inspiring.
The primary episode formats include:
1— Discussions with people brave enough to share their stories in a semi-public setting -- one that Dr. H fashions into a safe container through which they (and we) can often find catharsis and transformation.
2- Discussions with other mental health experts working in various clinical settings.
3- Monologues in which Dr. H offers insights on various topics.
4- Recordings of therapy sessions conducted by other clinicians, such as the captivating episode from Jan 3rd '25 (S6-E8).
Within a few weeks of discovering BFTA early this year, I had consumed a few dozen episodes from recent seasons. At that point, I decided to start at the beginning, with S1-E1, and roll forward from there.
The content and production value were good from the start, and noticeably improved over the seasons -- to the point where I find BFTA compares favorably to any of the scores of pods and YouTube channels I've explored on mental health, therapy, and psychedelics.
BFTA seems unique in many ways -- the most potent, I feel, is Dr. H's generous, empathetic, and authentic nature. The brief music interludes, in both timing and mood, help the listener process material that can be emotionally intense or informationally dense.
Thank you, Craig and Chris, for this labor of love ... for keeping it free, ad-free, and very real.
An_Odonian · May 2025
This podcast is so good! As a psychotherapist, I listen to this podcast to learn and I often visit an episode repeatedly. I’ve also recommended episodes to my clients. Dr. Craig is warm and smart and explores relevant and helpful topics. Thank you for this work!
AngieBac · Feb 2025
As a psychotherapist I find this podcast endlessly helpful and moving. I’ve learned a ton about medication management and how to conceptualize depression and other ambiguous diagnoses. Also Dr Craig seems to be such a kind soul. What a breath of fresh air.
CCCBE · Dec 2024
Dr. Heacock has really created something special with BFTA. It is heart felt, informative, and entertaining. It is an honest, deeply personal look at healing and at psychiatry. I love the way it spans the perspective of both patients and clinicians.
To have such a resource freely available worldwide is a great gift. Bravo!
Shark_MD · Dec 2024
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
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About Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics on Reason.fm
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories | Psychotherapy, Trauma, and Psychedelics, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
