YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hello there
I have been listening to the podcast for a year or so now and have listened to nearly every episode lol only just joined the forum cos it's difficult to talk about things with people in real life:/
does anybody else somewhat abuse this podcast? For me it has become compulsive, I have a ritual of listening to at least one episode while playing computer games / scrolling through tumblr and I do this every day. It's mostly as a way to escape and listen to this fantastic podcast but also to kind of trigger myself in a way? How can I just enjoy something without making it into an addiction

Yes! I do the same exact thing. I listen almost daily and have heard about 70% of the episodes. I know what you mean about using it to trigger you. I think that is the perfect way to put it. I enjoy the way it makes me think about my issues and triggers repressed memories. It has given me so many jumping off points to start to tackle all this crap. I've made more progress in my therapy since listening to this podcast and I think it's because I've allowed it to trigger me. Also, I just love Paul and his sarcasm

Yes I agree that listsning to the podcast therapeutic and just interesting and insightful! it's funny when sometimes I want to recommend an episode to a friend then i worry that they'll be freaked out at how openly very dark and weird things are talked about, as I am used to it from listening so often and loving the show. I definitely seek out episodes with people I can relate to which is very comforting and helpful but also triggering. I know it's my own fault and what I'm doing but I can't help it- I think if you suffer from / have experienced certain issues you end up being fascinated by it and obsess over it even more- not healthy but understandable I guess!
I would love to just have a good old chat with Paul and cuddle his dogs lol