In the neurodissent podcast, Nic Subtirelu and Molly Friesenborg talk about neurodivergence, mental health, and psychiatry. We use history, philosophy, and social theory to explore the mind and the things that threaten to harm it.
In this episode, Nic and Molly discuss the infamous witch-hunting text, the Malleus Maleficarum, which means "The Hammer of Witches" in English. The book was first written around 1486 by two men who were part of the Inquisition. They were tasked with identifying, prosecuting, and punishing suspected witches. This book was their manifesto about how witchcraft worked, how people could identify witches, how they might protect themselves against their powers, and how these witches should be punished (spoiler alert: the punishment was usually death). In this episode, we focus on how the authors of this text understood the mind by looking at their descriptions of demonic possession brought on by witches. Look for our next episode -- episode 9 -- which will focus on a different aspect of the same book.
11 Sept 2023
Love, Wonder, & Healing
In our seventh episode, Nic and Molly look back over our first six episodes. We discuss some of the major ideas we've covered so far: (1) the role of communities in care, (2) the healing power of belief, and (3) the millennia-old conflict between medicine and spirituality. We also consider how practices still in use today by indigenous groups carry on millennia-old traditions of love, wonder, and healing that resist the individualizing and isolating forces found within contemporary psychiatry and capitalism.
29 Aug 2023
A Stochastic Parrot for a Therapist
This is a special episode recorded for the 2023 Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival. The theme of this event is "Artificial Intelligence: Applications and Trajectories". In the special episode, Nic and Molly explore the idea of seeking out care or comfort from ChatGPT or other artificially 'intelligent' chatbots. In other words, we look at whether ChatGPT would make a good therapist or not. We draw on linguistics scholarship as well as our own personal experience using chatbots -- both ChatGPT and Em -- to inform our conversation.
31 Jul 2023
Thunder Magic
In this episode, Nic and Molly and discuss thunder magic rituals, which have a long history dating back at least to China's Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD). During the Song dynasty, thunder magic masters had significant power in the emperor's court, demonstrating how revered thunder magic was at the time. We discuss the life of Wang Wenqing, a thunder magic master who was later deified. Today, thunder magic masters still appeal to Wang to strengthen their craft. Check out this episode to hear how masters use magic to exorcise spirits and heal and strengthen themselves and others!
22 Jun 2023
The Exorcists of Heian
In this episode, Nic and Molly explore exorcisms from the Heian period of Japanese history (794 - 1185 AD). The people of Heian believed that demons could possess them and affect their mental and physical health. They called on exorcists to help protect them. We explore these exorcism rituals, asking whether they might have provided care for people suffering from mental distress, especially women who were mistreated by men. Also, Molly was struck by a hiccups demon in the middle of the episode. We hope you'll check it out!
28 May 2023
Margery Kempe & Other Creatures
In this episode, Nic and Molly talk about the medieval Christian mystic, Margery Kempe, who lived in England from around 1373 to 1438 AD. Kempe is one of the few medieval women to write a book about her life. We explore her book and its stories of Margery seeking out advice and help from religious figures to help her better understand her mind. In particular, we look into how Margery sought to find out if her mental and emotional experiences were caused by God and the Holy Spirit or, instead, by demons.
7 May 2023
St. Jerome & the Fires of Lust
In this episode, we talk about the theologian St. Jerome, who lived in the Roman empire from around 340 - 420 AD. Jerome's writings were influential during his time, and have remained so for over 1600 years. Among the many things he wrote was the story of his friend, St. Hilarion, who, according to Jerome, was an exorcist. We note how similar Jerome's exorcism stories are to the stories of Jesus exorcising demons in the Gospel of Mark. We also talk about how much Jerome hated Hippocrates and Asclepius. We hope you'll listen!
23 Apr 2023
Jesus Christ & the Demoniacs
In this episode, Nic & Molly explore the exorcism stories found in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, specifically the Gospel of Mark. We discuss how the writer of Mark portrays Jesus Christ healing people afflicted by demons. We talk about how early Christianity sought to distinguish itself from the healing that took place at asclepiad sanctuaries. We also ask whether Hippocrates, or the author of On the Sacred Disease, would have thought Jesus was a quack.
9 Apr 2023
The Hippocraposse
In our first season, we go back in history in order to explore a world before modern psychiatry. We talk about demonic possession, exorcism, and other spiritual phenomena that might act as ways for people to try to improve their mental health. Our first episode begins with Ancient Greece, considering how Hippocratic physicians and the cult of Asclepius treated people suffering from mental illness or distress.
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