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Psych meds can change a life, but not always in the direction we intend. We sit down with psychiatrist Christian Monsalve to wrestle with a question most people never hear in a medication appointment: are we aiming for symptom control, or are we helping someone build a life that actually feels worth living? Christian brings a rare blend of psychiatry, ethics, and philosophy to the table, and it reshapes how we think about “successful treatment.”

We get specific about psychiatric medications, especially SSRIs, and the real-world tradeoffs patients report like emotional blunting, feeling numb, and losing connection with a partner or kids. We also talk SSRI withdrawal, tolerance, and why increasing the dose can sometimes delay the day you can safely come off. Christian explains why deprescribing and medication tapering often require slow, individualized plans and why he calls good tapering work a “graduation date” that lets people get back to purpose, relationships, and meaningful work.

We also unpack the uncomfortable systems issue: many clinicians train in acute hospital settings where they learn how to start medications to stabilize a crisis, but they don’t always see the long arc of dependence, withdrawal, and long tapers that happen in outpatient life. We discuss informed consent, when to refer out, practical resources like the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, and research-informed frameworks for well-being including Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your treatment plan is helping you flourish or just helping you cope, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone navigating a taper, leave a review, and tell us: what do you wish you had been told before you ever filled that first prescription?

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

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Send us Fan Mail

Something is off in modern mental health, and you can feel it the moment real human pain gets translated into a diagnosis code and a prescription. We sit down with psychologist Roger McFillin to unpack what he saw change during COVID, why so many clients started echoing the same beliefs, and how the medical system can train both patients and clinicians to outsource inner authority to “experts” and protocols. If you’ve ever questioned SSRIs, psychiatric drugs, or the chemical imbalance story, this conversation gives you language for what your gut already suspects.

Roger traces his path from a traditional CBT and DBT background to a sweeping paradigm shift that blends trauma-informed care with spirituality, meditation, and postmaterial views of consciousness. We talk about informed consent, emotional blunting, the real-world harms people report from medication, and why tapering safely matters. Jenn also shares a personal milestone, her first day not being medicated since she was sixteen, and what it means to hope for your own light, creativity, and connection to come back online.

From there, we widen the lens to culture: how fear conditioning shows up in clinician training, how social media can accelerate identity-based self-stories, and why disconnection makes us easier to influence. Roger argues the way out is not more bureaucracy, but mass resistance and parallel systems that put relationship, meaning, agency, and human connection back at the center of healing.

If this sparked something in you, share the episode with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find Gaslit Truth. What part of the mental health system do you most want to see rebuilt?

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

Day one at zero sounds like a finish line, but for Therapist Jenn Schmitz it is also the start of a whole new chapter. After roughly 26 years on SSRIs and 1,139 days of tapering Lexapro, she finally crosses “zero” and tells the unfiltered truth about what it took: the fear, the patience, the symptom tracking, and the moments where withdrawal did not look like “anxiety” so much as a nervous system on overload.

We rewind to how it began: teenage pressure, disordered eating, heartbreak, and a prescribing path that ran through a pediatric provider, then an OB-GYN, then primary care. No psychiatrist. Lots of certainty. Plenty of “chemical imbalance” messaging. Jenn also shares what she found when she pulled her old records, including an earlier SSRI start than she remembered and a switch driven by free samples, which opens up a bigger conversation about pharmaceutical marketing and real-world prescribing habits.

Then we get practical. We break down why Lexapro withdrawal can surge 12 to 14 days after a cut, how reinstating and holding can be the safer move, and what “microtapering” looks like when you are reducing by tiny amounts and adjusting to real life. Jenn explains using liquid dosing, dilution for the last milligrams, and the mindset shift that matters most: you can always slow down and make a new decision.

We also talk about what comes after antidepressant discontinuation, when emotions return and you have to relearn empathy, parenting, and identity without emotional blunting. If you want a grounded, experience-based conversation on SSRI tapering, nervous system regulation, resilience, and fueling your brain with basics like protein and amino acids, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone tapering, and leave a review with your biggest question about coming off SSRIs.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

A psychiatrist with 37 years in the field and more than 30,000 patients sits down with us and says something most professionals won’t say out loud: he knew from day one that parts of what he was taught were wrong. Dr. Fred Moss joins the Gaslit Truth Podcast to unpack how the mental health system can turn normal human struggle into pathology, why DSM diagnosis often becomes “alphabet soup,” and how quickly a label can shift from helpful language to a lifelong identity. If you’ve ever felt reduced to ADHD, bipolar, ODD, or any other code, you’ll recognize the tension we’re naming.

We also dig into the uncomfortable side of “expert culture.” Clients often arrive furious when we don’t hand them a neat answer, especially after spending years chasing lettered therapies and quick fixes. Fred talks about living a split reality: staying competent in traditional psychiatry and medication management while believing that connection and communication matter more than protocols. We get specific about how risk assessment can be driven by fear of litigation, and how “informed consent” can quietly become a legal shield instead of a human conversation.

Then we go to the turning point Fred describes in 2006, when he began taking patients off psychiatric medications and saw many improve in ways he didn’t expect. It raises big questions about overmedication, tapering, withdrawal education, and whether parts of the system are built to perpetuate the very problems they claim to treat. We close with the core takeaway we can’t stop thinking about: there may be nothing wrong with you, and human connection is the heart of healing.

If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s tired of being labeled, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

A brutal headache sounds simple until it becomes the doorway to years of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, opioids, and a procedure that can erase memories. We’re joined by writer and poetry therapist Ann Bracken, whose life mirrors a painful family pattern: she watches her mother get treated for depression and anxiety through heavy medication and dozens of ECT treatments, vows it won’t happen to her, then finds herself pulled into the same current.

We talk through how emotional distress can show up as physical pain, how the chemical imbalance narrative can shut down curiosity, and how “help” can turn into overmedication when informed consent is missing. Ann shares what it’s like to be offered MS Contin and OxyContin for chronic headache, to be told not to cut a pill in half without being told why, and to feel “psychic numbing” that makes life feel unreachable. We also unpack ECT from the patient’s seat: the fear, the sales pitch, the confusion, and the memory black holes that follow.

Then the conversation turns toward agency and recovery. Ann explains how poetry therapy, journaling, self-compassion, spiritual support, and paying attention to what pain is communicating help her step off the medical merry-go-round, taper medications, and make hard choices about the relationships around her. If you’re searching for real-talk mental health stories about antidepressants, SSRIs, tapering, opioid prescribing, ECT side effects, chronic migraine, and trauma, this one will stay with you.

Subscribe for more, share this with someone navigating meds or chronic pain, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

One medication switch shouldn’t be able to rewrite your whole life, but that’s exactly what a prescribing cascade can do. We sit down with Senthil, who traces a startling path from long-term blood pressure treatment to an ER visit, an “anxiety” label, and a rapid pileup of prescriptions that includes benzodiazepines, SSRIs, sleep meds, and an antipsychotic. The most chilling part is how quickly the experience changes his mind and body: insomnia, racing thoughts, GI distress, and suicidal intrusive thoughts that feel alien to who he’s always been.

We talk candidly about informed consent and what happens when clinicians treat the crisis version of a person without zooming out to ask what caused the crisis. Sendel describes being told not to Google medications, being given diagnoses after the fact, and being bounced through “doctor shopping” that’s really a search for someone to listen. The conversation also gets real about the hidden costs: fear of being near his newborn twins because of harm thoughts, strain at home, brain fog at work, and sexual dysfunction that he links to antidepressant effects.

Then we shift to what helped: learning from patient-led education, documentaries like Medicating Normal, and peer communities, plus a long, careful taper using the Ashton Manual. We also highlight overlooked basics that can intensify nervous system symptoms, including vitamin D and vitamin B12 deficiency, nutrition, and stress load. If you’ve been searching for answers about benzodiazepine withdrawal, antidepressant withdrawal, polypharmacy, and safe tapering, Sendel’s story offers hard-won clarity and practical hope. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

You keep hearing that longevity is about pricey supplements, constant lab tests, and the latest biohacking gadget. We don’t buy it, and neither does our guest, Ron Russell, author of Longevity Visa and founder of LongevityVisa.com. Ron is also a longtime vegan chef who has cooked for clinical cardiology patients and taught hundreds of plant-based cooking classes, so he lives at the intersection of real-world food and longevity science.

We start with a question most of us are quietly asking: if you want to eat for the health you want 20 years from now, what should be on your plate today? Ron makes the case for whole natural foods over ultra-processed convenience meals, then gets specific about high-impact staples like dark leafy greens, legumes, berries, and other anti-inflammatory foods. We also break down what “Blue Zones” actually are, what their diets have in common, and why the goal is health span, not just a longer life.

Then we map out a practical longevity framework you can apply immediately: nutrition, fasting (including intermittent fasting), movement plus strength, and mind-body habits like stress management and gratitude. We talk sleep hygiene basics, why “genetics made me do it” is often a story we’ve been taught, and how budget-friendly foods like beans and lentils can make healthy eating more accessible than people think. If you want a simple, repeatable longevity plan that fits real life, this conversation is your starting line.

Subscribe for more grounded health conversations, share this with a friend who’s overwhelmed by wellness advice, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz

Send us Fan Mail

“Bone on bone.” “You’re just getting older.” “PT didn’t work.” Those phrases can trap people in fear, passivity, and expensive next steps. We sit down with Dr. Clayton Durr, PT, DPT, host of Heal Without Harm, to break down what effective physical therapy should look like when the goal is real recovery, not cookie-cutter visits and endless appointments.

We talk about why strength training is one of the most underprescribed tools in healthcare, and how building muscle over time can change pain, mobility, and quality of life. We also get specific about expectations: strength and tissue capacity don’t transform in two weeks, and when we chase instant relief we often mistake a normal process for failure. Along the way, we draw a sharp line between soreness and pain, and explain why language matters so much for both physical rehab and mental health.

Then we zoom out to the big levers that decide whether your body can actually heal: protein intake and total calories, sleep, hydration, and stress management. Dr. Durr shares a simple “house rebuild” metaphor that makes the rehab process click, plus what he’s seen with surgery cascades, neurogenic inhibition, and even sham surgery research that highlights the power of belief. If you’ve ever been told a scary story about your MRI, knee arthritis, or back pain, this conversation will help you ask better questions and choose smarter next steps.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck, and leave a review telling us the most unhelpful line you’ve heard about pain.

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

Savorista Coffee is offering our listeners 25% off their premium craft decaf and half caf blends with bold flavors, ethically sourced beans, and natural decaffeination. Small-batch roasted for exceptional taste. E

Use promo code GASLIT at checkout!

https://savorista.com/discount/GASLIT

💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

Support the show

Are you tired of being gaslit and want to DEEP THROAT some more truth? We want to hear from you! Message us your gaslit stories at thegaslittruthpodcast@gmail.com

While you are at it, Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube @thegaslittruthpodcast.
Be sure to Hit that subscribe button and get alerts for more episodes!

Thanks for listening!

Follow Us individually at

Dr. Teralyn:

• Instagram @Dr_Teralyn
• Facebook @DrTeralyn
• Tik Tok @Dr_Teralyn

Therapist Jenn:

• Instagram @TherapistJen
• TikTok @Jenn.Schmitz