In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast

Cristiano Bacchi, Giacomo Piselli Fioroni

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/18d. Total Eps: 17

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.

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🇫🇷 France - philosophy
25/07/2026
#97
🇫🇷 France - philosophy
24/07/2026
#80
🇫🇷 France - philosophy
23/07/2026
#69
🇫🇷 France - philosophy
22/07/2026
#47
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
15/07/2026
#97
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
26/06/2026
#83
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
25/06/2026
#53
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
07/06/2026
#90
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
15/05/2026
#80
🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
05/05/2026
#75

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Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://infrontofthemirror.substack.com/
4 shares
https://erikengdahl.se/autism/isnt/
2 shares
https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1444011
2 shares

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Score global : 42%

Publication history

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

Monday, June 16, 2025 • Duration 32:20

What makes a pattern of behavior, thinking and feeling a disorder, a pathology?

Is it the presence of a dysfunction, suffering, a conflict with societal norms?

Can these criteria truly demarcate what is defined as pathological from what is not?

In this episode, Cristiano will scrutinize these very criteria, questioning them.

This episode continues the analysis that Giacomo began in the previous one, between normality and normativity.

References:

Bortolotti, L. (2023). Why Delusions Matter. Bloomsbury PublishingButler, PV (2000)

Reverse Othello syndrome subsequent to traumatic brain injury. Psychiatry. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2000.11024897.

May, J. (2023). Neuroethics: Agency in the Age of Brain Science. New York, US: Oxford University Press.

McKay R, Langdon R, Coltheart M. (2005) "Sleights of mind": delusions, defences, and self-deception. Cogn Neuropsychiatry. doi: 10.1080/13546800444000074.

Münch R, Walter H and Müller S (2020) Should Behavior Harmful to Others Be a Sufficient Criterion of Mental Disorders? Conceptual Problems of the Diagnoses of Antisocial Personality Disorder and Pedophilic Disorder. Front. Psychiatry. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.558655

Nesse RM, Stein DJ. (2012) Towards a genuinely medical model for psychiatric nosology. BMC Med. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-10-5.

Stanghellini, G. (2018). Metaphors of pathology. International Review of Psychiatry, 30(2), 140–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1444011

The British Psychological Society. (2014). Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia.

Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical: https://erikengdahl.se/autism/isnt/

Downside Up | A short film by Peter Ghesquiere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNxO-wv3S9o

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

⁠⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠⁠

⁠⁠Twitter/𝕏: @mirror_podcast⁠

This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano⁠

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What is "disordered" in 'psychiatric disorder'? Questions of normativity

Monday, June 2, 2025 • Duration 30:11

When one claims that something or someone is normal, what do they mean?

And when one claims that is not, normal?

Could investigating what a norm is, or what a rule is, ever help us make sense of all of it?

In this episode, Giacomo embarks on a journey through the concepts that underlie and support our idea of normality. In the next episode, Cristiano will continue by talking about boundaries.

References:

Carrère E. (1993). I am alive and you are dead. A journey into the mind of Philip K. Dick. Picador.

Copp D. (2022). Normativity in Metaetichs. Stanford Encyclopidia of Philosophy.

Vogt H. Hoffman B. Getz L. (2016). Personalized medicine: evidence of normativity in its quantitative definition of health. Springer.

Wegwood R. (2018). The Unity of Normativity. The Oxford Handbookk of Reasons and Normativity.

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠

⁠Twitter/𝕏: @mirror_podcast

This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano

What is "psychiatric" in 'psychiatric disorder'?

Episode 1

Monday, May 19, 2025 • Duration 22:50

When one claims that a disorder is psychiatric:

What is the intrinsic nature of this adjective?

What makes some kinds of experiences psychiatric, instead of something else?

And, in what way do these experiences affect the person who goes through them?

References:

de Haan, S.(2020). Enactive Psychiatry. Cambridge University Press.

Dennett, D. C. (2013). Intuition pumps and other tools for thinking. Penguin Books.

Freud, S. (1940). An outline of psycho-analysis. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis.

Kandel, E.R. (2018). The disordered mind. What unusual brains tell us about ourselves. Robinson press.

Schwarz, R.C. Sweezy, M. (2023). Internal Family System Therapy. The Guilford Family Therapy.

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

Instagram: @mirror_podcast_

Twitter/X: @mirror_podcast

This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano

Sigmund Freud and a new form of human relatedness

Monday, May 5, 2025 • Duration 20:35

What was Sigmund Freud's greatest discovery?

What's the difference between a psychotherapist, and your trusted hairdresser?

And what makes the therapeutic relationship truly unique?

We discuss all this and more in our pilot episode!

References:

Ogden, T. H. (2005). This art of psychoanalysis. Dreaming undreamt dreams and interrupted cries. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Freud, S. (1940). An outline of psycho-analysis. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 21, 27–84.

Eagle, M. N. (2011). From classical to contemporary psychoanalysis: A critique and integration. Routledge.

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠

⁠Twitter/𝕏: @mirror_podcast

This project exists in Italian as well: In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano

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Trailer - In Front of the Mirror

Thursday, May 1, 2025 • Duration 01:27

Trailer - In Front of the Mirror

Having or being? Questions of ontology pt. 2

Monday, July 28, 2025 • Duration 36:09

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

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

Having or being? Questions of ontology pt. 1

Monday, July 14, 2025 • Duration 32:04

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

Sapolsky’s video on the neurobiology of depression: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

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

⁠⁠Instagram: @mirror_podcast_⁠⁠

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

Monday, June 30, 2025 • Duration 29:00

"Is this pathology neurological or psychiatric?". Physicians often wonder about it. How can they identify and distinguish between these two categories?

What if the two are entangled, as the case of organic pathologies with psychiatric symptoms shows?

And since when are shoes part of psychiatric semeiotics?

Today we are pleased to discuss these topics with David Tèstérini, physician and neurologist.

About the guest:

David Tèstérini holds a degree in medicine with a specialization in functional neurology, along with academic training in bioethics, philosophy, and epistemology. His studies at prestigious institutions across the USA, UK, Germany, and Italy demonstrate a diverse and globally informed perspective. His research critically examines the epistemological underpinnings of medical practice, investigating how knowledge in neuroscience and medicine is constructed, interpreted, and applied. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, phenomenology, and enactivism, he has also explored the complex interplay between consciousness, perception, cognition, motor function, and embodied experience, with a particular emphasis on the relationships among pain, movement, and cognitive processes. Grounded in postmodern epistemology, his work seeks to establish a transdisciplinary paradigm that integrates the connections between the brain, body, and lived experience. This approach ultimately aims to redefine how suffering is understood and engaged with across diverse fields of knowledge and practice.

References:

Dew, R. (2009) Why psychiatry is the hardest specialty. American Journal of Psychiatry.

Milone, P. (2023) The Art of Binding People.

Rossi Monti, M. (2024) Manuale di psichiatria per psicologi. Carocci Editore.

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

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

Monday, October 13, 2025 • Duration 41:52

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.

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

Monday, December 8, 2025 • Duration 37:08

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 and ⁠www.JazmineRussell.com⁠

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

Instagram: ⁠@mirror_podcast_⁠

This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano

In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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In Front of the Mirror - The English Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other13

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other13

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