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

What an amazing interview. That's two great interviews in a row. I'm really warming up to this site.

When I saw Laurenne's picture I though "oh no, here we go..." an age-appropriate warm, attractive woman, Paul is going to get emotional and make everything about his mom! Laurenne's story was very compelling and maybe I've just listened to too much of the show recently... but I have been preferring Paul's interviews with men for this reason. I completely understand Paul's draw to women like Laurenne, but it doesn't always make for the best podcasting in my opinion.

Well, here's my perspective. I am very interested in Paul's feelings about his mom, and I never find it boring when he talks about her. I love hearing updates on how he's processing their relationship. I also have complicated feelings about my mom, and Paul's self-analysis makes me feel better about myself, and less guilty about my own survival strategies. I truly think the podcast would lose something if Paul did not open up about his own struggles, and if that means occasionally he gets a little self-absorbed, so be it. None of us is perfect.

I should add that I did not identify with Laurenne as much as Paul did, but I still really enjoyed the interview.

I agree with the sentiment of your post. Paul's story with his mom is, and continues to be, compelling and it's important for him to connect with his interviewees on this level, especially if they are not listeners and have a similar issue. It has gotten a bit old for me but I usually don't mind listening to it again. However, as a regular listener, I think he very predictably opens up to warm, attractive women his age (which he admits) and these interviews get steered away from the guest and their story. His interviews with men or women of a different category tend to have more of the dramatic storytelling and arcs of their illness as Paul lets them speak for longer periods of uninterrupted time and seems to be more in a receiving mode in these interviews. Rather than making it a shared, emotionally charged (sometimes a bit forced?) discussion about their parental issues, Paul lets these interviews develop more of a unique personality where he digs into tangents on their path occasionally, discusses a wider variety of mental illnesses and just seems more receptive as an interviewer.

Homestar, I have to say I agree with you about the predictability of Paul's dynamic with certain women -- and I knew Laurenne would be one of them the moment I saw her photo! And while it doesn't bother me (because, as I said, I like it when Paul opens up about his mother and he usually does with these women), I can see how it might cause an eyeroll or two from someone else!