My Sister's A Therapist

In which the girls discuss the toxicity of manifestation lore, the role of white supremacy in manifestation, whether manifestation is the new American religion, the many cock-ups of Joseph Smith, and why Trolls 2 cost twenty GD dollars to stream.

References:

Barbara Erenreich: Bright-Sided
Jon Krakauer: Under the Banner of Heaven
Mandira Gowda: Manifestation: A Tutorial from a Hindu
The Secret: Rhonda Byrne
Lydia Sohn: Atlantic: The Aspects Of Manifestation We Shouldn’t Discount 
Mark Manson: The Staggering BS of “The Secret”

In which the girls discuss 90 Day Fiancee, the sultan's palace, sex tourism in Asia,  the amazing guy that was Paul Gauguin, the original Cinderella story, and Bella Poarch!

Love Me: Mail Order Brides
The History of the Mail-Order Bride- Marcia Zug
Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game- Jon Birger
White Sexual Imperialism: A Theory of Asian Feminist Jurisprudence- Sunny Woan


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Bad breakup?  Job loss?  Bad vibes?  Laura teaches you how to rewire your brain and helps you understand why you got in a rut in the first place!  Also, how emojis helped the girls process losing a parent.  Listening to this episode will give you brain superpowers!


Trevor Noah: What Now? Podcast

Laugh, Cry, Live: How the Brain Rewires as We Grieve-Deborah L. Davis, Ph.D

Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love- Helen Fisher, Ph.D

IB Psychology: Synaptic Pruning and Neural Networks- Travis Dixon

Before King Charles was battling disease, he was battling an emotionally distant family.   In this episode, the girls discuss a very important book in Laura's development, Oliver James' They F*** You Up, and the poetry of Philip Larkin.

Reference: 
They F*** You Up, by Oliver James

In this episode, the ladies discuss the Imago Relationship Therapy model, “Getting The Love You Want” Harville Hendrix,  and why it's a life-changer in couples therapy.  On the way, they talk Slipknot, Shamans, and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- and what MAKES chemistry?  Find out!

In this episode, Virginia leads Laura on a quasi factual ramble that touches on the history of tipping in the United States, the Gilded Age, Stepford Wives, and High-Value Men!  Also: was I supposed to be tipping at Home Depot the whole time?

In this episode, Laura defines the personality disorders referred to as B-Clusters, including histrionic, narcissistic, paranoid, and Borderline personality disorders.  Guess which one Ferris Bueller is!

References: 

Margalis Fjelstad- Stop Caretaking The Borderline or Narcissist
TikToker Lee Hammack
Susan Albers- Here's How to Identify (and Cope With) a Covert Narcissist

In this episode, Laura talks about what we should do now to have a better life later on. Virginia talks about the Socratic method, Persian cats, and Lamborghinis, and why our self-esteem is so tied to what other people think.

References: 

Dr. Robi Ludwig. "Your Best Age Is Now"
Dr. Alicia Arbaje- "Strategies for Aging Well"
Erik Erikson's Stages of Development
Peggy Lee- "Is That All There Is?"

For the first time, the girls welcome a guest onto the podcast- therapist and Imago expert Michelle Bohls!  They cover the topic of hidden misogyny- the many ways the deck is stacked against women that we don't even realize.  In this episode, we discuss romance novels, diet culture, and, of course- the Sherman Community Players.

References: 
 Invisible Women: Exposing Hidden Bias In A World Designed For Men, by Caroline Criado-Perez

In this episode, the girls talk about anger in men AND women (take that, haters!), what makes a Karen, the link between anger and recovery, and lots more.  On the way we touch on Marc Maron, Jon Lydon, and the therapeutic benefits of Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid.

References: 

Newton Highwater: Anger Busting 101, Anger Busting Workbook
Jean Holthaus: Deciphering Anger- What It's Trying To Tell You
Bernard Golden: Healthy Anger

Laura and VJ talk about the history of men saying women aren't funny, including Freud, Christopher Hitchens, and Virginia's latest Tiktok troll,  Arthur Greebler.   On the way, we talk Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Amy Schumer.

Virginia fights bravely through Covid to talk on the importance of authenticity and Laura shares her therapeutic thoughts.  Along the way they talk about Socrates, Sartre, Mitch Hedberg, Thanos, Kyle Kinane, Lol Tolhurst, and goths.

References: 

9 Telltale Signs You're Dealing With An Inauthentic Person- Deep Patel

In a much more empathetic episode, the girls chat about how masculinity hurts American men, and how men can repair it.  See?  We like men, sometimes!

References:

Hidden Brain: The Lonely American Man
Men Have No Friends And Women Bear The Burden: Melanie Hamlett 
The Jackie and Laurie Show

The gals talk about how a German terrorist organization became synonymous with frequency illusion, Laura diagnoses herself with ADHD while recording, and we discuss the strange religion that is the TikTok algorithm.

REFERENCES: 

Stop Caretaking the Borderline Or Narcissist: How to End the Drama and Get on with Life- by Margalis Fjelstad

The girls talk about their own experiences with (cis, hetero) marriage, what they liked about it, what they disliked about it, and some more things they disliked about it.  There's a discussion on the history of marriage and the relationship between marriage and women's rights.


If you're a man, please don't message us about your hurt feelings.  Tell your therapist or your pastor.

Virginia wants to know the clinical definition of codependent, and is surprised to find out it's her.  Laura takes her through the history of the term, and the meanings it has taken on.  Virginia discusses why she's named after a U.S. state. There's lots of family lore in this ep- sorry, family.  Hopefully it'll be interesting to non-family members as well!

References:

Codependent No More- Melody Beattie
Understanding the Origins and How To Heal from Codependency-Helen Sairany interviewing Renee Exelbert

In this episode, the girls discuss the history of Christmas,  how to play Hide the Goat, and how their family put the Fun in Dysfunctional.  The Holidays can be hard, and  they've got tips on what to do about it!






References:
The Dynamics of Love: A Scientific Exploration, by Dr. Chamin Ajjan
The Christmas Effect on Psychopathology, by Drs. Randy and Laurie Sansone
Understanding & Coping with the Christmas Blues, The British Association for Anger Management
The Most Difficult Time of The Year: Mental Health During the Holidays, by Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
The Psychology of Cuffing Season, by Michele Thiel 
Ha Ha Harvest Comedy Festival, Portland, OR

The girls would like to let you know that NO fictional characters were harmed in the making of this episode.  They do discuss the mental problems that Wolverine, Randle McMurphy, and Sherlock Holmes have.  There's a lot of Wolverine talk so this ep is unusually horny.  Also, we learn for once and for all, who's more fucked up- Batman or the Joker? 

For your Halloween comedown, the sisters talk about the likely psychiatric diagnoses of their favorite fictional characters.  Was the Crazy Ex Girlfriend really mentally ill?  What's going on with Trading Places' Duke Brothers?  Can we diagnose Derek from the Good Place?  And most importantly, what the heck is Yoda?  Virginia shares her theories and Laura reviews them, based on the DSM-V.   There is some actual mental health information in this episode!  

References:

The Crow, Santa Monica
Trading Places
The Good Place
Star Wars
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

It's a clickbait article headline- Are Comedians Depressed?  After seventeen years in the world of standup, Virginia thinks she knows the answer.  The girls talk about the unhappy ends of comics like Belushi, Farley, Steven Brody Stevens, the inspirational beacon that is Maria Bamford, and then they shit on the Sherman Community Players in Sherman, Texas.

References:

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult- Maria Bamford
SURE THING- Austin Show