In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast

About In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast

Is a philosophy of mental health possible? And what would it look like? Let’s join together and reflect, in front of the mirror. About us: Hello, we’re Giacomo and Cristiano! We are Master’s students in philosophy and cognitive sciences, at the ‘Berlin School of Mind and Brain’, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. Giacomo strives for pursuing a path as a philosopher of mind and mental health. Cristiano dreams of becoming a psychotherapist, one day. Together, we’re committed to cultivating this dialogue, between philosophy and mental health, which has become our mission, and our passion.

Publisher

Cristiano Bacchi, Giacomo Piselli Fioroni

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 May 2025

Latest episode

9 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

17 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Feb 2026

   Philosophy of the DSM

   The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Some have described it as the “bible of psychiatry.” And, much like the Bible – or a constitution – it feels like one of those texts that quietly shape our society, and our lives, whether we’ve actually read it or not. Its vocabulary slips into our everyday conversations. Its descriptions help form the concepts we use to understand ourselves and others. In short, reading it, understanding it, and maybe even criticizing it, seems almost mandatory. So today we want to ask: what do we actually find inside this manual? What principles guide it? And how can we reflect on it? Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠mirror_podcast_⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) Substack: ⁠⁠⁠In front of the mirror⁠⁠⁠ (https://infrontofthemirror.substack.com/) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠⁠⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp) References: Rossi Monti, M. (2016). Manuale di psichiatria per psicologi. Carocci Editore.

2. 

   26 Jan 2026

   Diagnosis and medical language: Good or bad?

   When we say diagnosis, we’re talking about medicine. When we say health, we’re still talking about medicine. So then - when do we get to talk about psychology? It often feels impossible to talk about mental health without using medical language. Even the words we choose - like “disorders” - show it. Today we’re asking: is all of this a good thing or a bad thing? What impact does diagnosis really have on our lives? Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: ⁠⁠mirror_podcast_⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) Substack: ⁠⁠In front of the mirror⁠⁠ (https://infrontofthemirror.substack.com/) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp) References: Lingiardi, V. (2018). Diagnosi e destino. Einaudi. Rose Cartwright's piece: The Guardian - I was the poster girl for ocd then I began to question everything I'd been told about mental illness

3. 

   12 Jan 2026

   Naming suffering: What is a diagnosis?

   Sooner or later, in life, we have all received a diagnosis. An expert comes to us, or we go to them, and they utter some words that can sometimes change the course of our lives, for better or for worse. Words like “cold,” “gastritis,” “sore throat,” “ADHD,” or “major depression.” Well then, what do these words have in common? Why do we call all of them “diagnoses”? Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: ⁠mirror_podcast_⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) Substack: ⁠In front of the mirror⁠ (https://infrontofthemirror.substack.com/) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp) References: Hacking, I. (1995). The looping effects of human kinds. In D. Sperber, D. Premack, & A. J. Premack (Eds.), Causal cognition: A multidisciplinary debate (pp. 351–394). Clarendon Press/Oxford University Press. Lingiardi, V. (2018). Diagnosi e destino. Einaudi. Lingiardi, V. (2021). Arcipelago N. Variazioni sul narcisismo. Einaudi. Sadler, J. Z. (2004). Diagnosis/antidiagnosis. In J. Radden (Ed.), The philosophy of psychiatry: A companion (pp. 163–179). Oxford University Press

4. 

   22 Dec 2025

   #12 Christmas Special: Our paths

   It's Christmas. We are all very tired. Today, we are bringing you a special episode: we talk about ourselves, our paths, and how we got here. Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: mirror_podcast_ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) Substack: In front of the mirror (https://infrontofthemirror.substack.com/) This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in italiano (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp) (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

5. 

   8 Dec 2025

   #11 Making complexity compelling: Psychiatry and its many lenses with Jazmine Russell

   The possibility of being offered and exposed to a multiplicity of frameworks reflects and respects the complex nature of mental health phenomena. Rather than finding themselves encapsulated within the neat confines of only one narrative, the person would benefit from choosing and adopting one or more stories and narratives that make sense to them. In light of this, we ask: are there frameworks that do more good than others? To what extent should the clinician guide, direct, or even impose particular narratives? Can the epistemic significance of a symptom be overlooked or misinterpreted? In the attempt to make complexity compelling, we are joined for the second time by Jazmine Russell, who is a mental health educator, writer, and interdisciplinary scholar focused on bridging mental health, mind-body healing, and societal change. She is the co-founder of the Institute for the Development of Human Arts, a transformative mental health training institute and the founder & host of the Depth Work Podcast. Drawing on her lived experiences and professional training working both within and outside the mental health system, Jazmine is a holistic counselor and trauma-informed holotropic breathwork practitioner. She co-edited the Mad Studies Reader: Interdisciplinary Innovations in Mental Health (Routledge, 2024). Find her work at ⁠www.depth-work.com⁠ (http://www.depth-work.com/) and ⁠www.JazmineRussell.com⁠ (http://www.jazminerussell.com/) Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: ⁠@mirror_podcast_⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

6. 

   24 Nov 2025

   #10 Making sense of psychiatric symptoms: from lived experience to philosophical exploration with Jazmine Russell

   Mental health crises might be investigated from a variety of perspectives. The lived experience of mental health conditions can be considered an irreplaceable source of knowledge. It is through lived experience that we become aware of aspects that are often neglected, such as the ways our bodies try to communicate with us and alert us, or how our personal histories are revealed to us through the very phenomena we tend to call "symptoms". Jazmine Russell is a mental health educator, writer, and interdisciplinary scholar focused on bridging mental health, mind-body healing, and societal change. She is the co-founder of the Institute for the Development of Human Arts, a transformative mental health training institute and the founder & host of the Depth Work Podcast. Drawing on her lived experiences and professional training working both within and outside the mental health system, Jazmine is a holistic counselor and trauma-informed holotropic breathwork practitioner. She co-edited the Mad Studies Reader: Interdisciplinary Innovations in Mental Health (Routledge, 2024). Find her work at www.depth-work.com (http://www.depth-work.com/) and www.JazmineRussell.com (http://www.jazminerussell.com/) Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: @mirror_podcast_ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

7. 

   10 Nov 2025

   #09 On the nature of psychiatric symptoms

   What are hallucinations, depressive episodes, or panic attacks? We know what they are, of course - psychiatric symptoms. The problem is that we don’t know what they are - ontologically. Which is to say: are they the manifestations of a compromised neurobiological mechanism? Or perhaps phenomena carrying a meaning to be deciphered? Adaptive strategies, defense mechanisms? The ninth episode is a philosophical inquiry into the nature of psychiatric symptoms and the power of the conceptual lenses we wear to understand them. References Eagle, M. N. (2011). From classical to contemporary psychoanalysis: A critique and integration. Routledge. Ritunnano, R., Humpston, C., & Broome, M. R. (2022). Finding order within the disorder: A case study exploring the meaningfulness of delusions. BJPsych Bulletin, 46(2), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.151 (https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.151) Russell, J. (2024). How delusions can uncover sources of harm and pathology: The epistemic value of interoceptive & unconscious information. Philosophy and the Mind Sciences, 5. https://doi.org/10.33735/phimisci.2024.11490 (https://doi.org/10.33735/phimisci.2024.11490) Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: Instagram: @mirror_podcast_ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_/?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg%3D%3D#) This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il podcast in Italiano (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

8. 

   27 Oct 2025

   #08 What does change mean? Self, identity, and the goal of psychotherapy

   The question of all questions: What do we mean when we say that therapy brings about change? Then, if there are different types of therapy, are there also different kinds of change? And furthermore, when it comes to the person - "who" is changing? And, where should we start if we want to build the sense a person has of being themselves? References: Kellog S., Torres A. (2021) Chairwork invites you to shift perspective on who you are. Aeon Kiverstein J, Rietveld E, Denys D. (2021) World Wide Open. Aeon Rossi Monti M. (2016) Manuale  di psichiatria per psicologi. Carocci Editore. Rosfort, R., & Stanghellini, G. (2015). The Patient as an Autonomous Person: Hermeneutical Phenomenology as a Resource for an Ethics for Psychiatrists . In J. Z. Sadler, W. van Staden, & KWM. Fulford (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Psychiatric Ethics (Vol. 1, pp. 319-335). Oxford https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198732365.013.26 Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg==) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

9. 

   13 Oct 2025

   #07 A philosophical obsession and the search for character: when do we become what we are?

   When do we become who we are? What makes me the person I am, and not someone else? How far back should we go, to find that out? And what does it mean to embrace our destiny, to own our story? Today we are thrilled to discuss these topics with Susi Ferrarello, philosopher, Professor at California State University, East Bay, and philosophical counsellor. Susi's book: Ferrarello, S. (2024). The Phenomenology of Pregnancy and Early Motherhood: Ethical, Social, and Psychological Perspectives (1st ed.). Routledge.Other references: Ammaniti, M., & Gallese, V. (2014). The birth of intersubjectivity: Psychodynamics, neurobiology, and the self. W. W. Norton & Company.Beebe, B., & Steele, M. (2013). How does microanalysis of mother–infant communication inform maternal sensitivity and infant attachment? Attachment & Human Development, 15(5–6), 583–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2013.841050 Hillman, J. (1996)The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling.

10. 

    28 Jul 2025

    #06 Having or being? Questions of ontology pt. 2

    It has even been said that depression, anorexia, and phobia are not something we ‘have’, rather they are modes of being of the person. But what does ‘being’ depressed, anorexic, or phobic mean? It has even been said these pathologies do not happen to the person, they are worlds instead, which persons inhabit. So: one does not have autism, one is autistic. Or, at least, this is what they say. It has even been said that one has become schizophrenic, as if it were the culmination of a personal, and unique trajectory. But, which formulations can make justice to the lived experience of the person? In this episode Cristiano will be the spokesperson of the “being” formulation. But Giacomo has got some objections. So: does one have a mental illness, or should we rather say that one is mentally ill? If the titles didn’t make it clear enough, this debate is our focus for this, and the last episode. References Bollas, C. (2015). When the sun bursts: the enigma of schizophrenia. Yale University Press. Carrère. E. (2011) Lives Other Than My Own: A Memoir Laing, R. D. (1960) The divided self: An existential study in sanity and madness. Penguin Books Lingiardi, V., & McWilliams, N. (Eds.). (2017). Psychodynamic diagnostic manual: PDM-2 (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press. Stanghellini, G., Broome, M. R., Fernandez, A. V., Fusar-Poli, P., Raballo, A., & Rosfort, R. (Eds.). (2019). Oxford handbook of phenomenological psychopathology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198803157.001.0001 (https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198803157.001.0001) A video adaptation produced by the World Health Organization (2012), based on Matthew Johnstone’s book (2005). I had a black dog, his name was depression (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc) Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: ⁠⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg==) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

11. 

    14 Jul 2025

    #05 Having or being? Questions of ontology pt. 1

    One says that depression, anorexia and phobia is something we ‘have’, and ‘suffer from’. But what does ‘having’ a psychiatric condition mean? One says these pathologies happen to the person, and are foreign to them. So: one is not autistic, one has autism. Or, at least, this is what they say. One says that this formulation is first and foremost a moral conquest. In assuming so, we stop blaming the person. But can this really alleviate the stigma? In this episode Giacomo will be the spokesperson of the “having” formulation. But Cristiano has got some objections. So: does one have a mental illness, or should we rather say that one is mentally ill? If the title didn’t make it clear enough, this debate will be our focus for this, and the next episode. References: Laing, R. D. (1960) The divided self: An existential study in sanity and madness. Penguin Books Sass, L. A. (2007). `Schizophrenic Person’ or `Person with Schizophrenia’? An Essay on Illness and the Self. Theory & Psychology, 17(3), 395-420. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354307073152 (https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354307073152) Sapolsky’s video on the neurobiology of depression:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc) 14 years later, Sapolsky has updated his lecture.Link to the new version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUXcBTQXKM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUXcBTQXKM) Every other Monday, at 12pm. Follow us on: ⁠⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/mirror_podcast_?igsh=MXV0bGFzOHFvMGw5cg==) This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano⁠ (https://open.spotify.com/show/1EJjbkbZOfAd0tN5LJybQp)

12. 

    30 Jun 2025

    #04 From a medical point of view: between ‘neurological’ and ‘psychiatric’. In dialogue with David Tèstérini

    Physician David Tèstérini discusses the entanglement of neurological and psychiatric pathologies, exploring how physicians identify and distinguish between the two categories in this interview.

13. 

    16 Jun 2025

    #03 What is "disordered" in 'psychiatric disorder'? Questions of boundaries

    Host Cristiano scrutinizes the criteria that define a pattern of behavior as a psychiatric disorder, questioning the boundaries between pathology and normalcy.

14. 

    2 Jun 2025

    #02 What is "disordered" in psychiatric disorder? Questions of normativity

    Giacomo explores the underlying concepts supporting our idea of normality and questions what it means to claim something or someone is not normal in psychiatric disorders.

15. 

    19 May 2025

    #01 What is "psychiatric" in 'psychiatric disorder'?

    This episode explores the intrinsic nature of the adjective "psychiatric" in psychiatric disorders, examining how these experiences uniquely affect individuals.

16. 

    5 May 2025

    #00 Sigmund Freud and a new form of human relatedness

    Sigmund Freud's work on psychoanalysis and human relationships is examined, revealing the unique aspects of therapeutic connections and their impact on understanding the human mind in this episode.

17. 

    1 May 2025

    Trailer - In Front of the Mirror

    This trailer introduces "In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast."

Podcast Authority Score: 14 / 100

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