News & Events

Jesse Mangan, host of the Committable podcast, joins me with the Medicare For All podcast team. “Usually on the Medicare for All Podcast, we talk about people who want healthcare but can’t get it, but today we’re talking about people getting healthcare they have specifically refused: folks who have been involuntarily committed. For plenty of our listeners, the idea of being held against your will at a psychiatric institution feels like a nightmare from another time – something out of gothic fiction or horror movies set far in the past… In fact… a 2020 UCLA study found that in the 25 states where they actually keep data on this, the numbers of involuntary psych detentions have been sharply rising

“Lost Debate is a weekly podcast from The Branch that brings you news, ideas, and arguments from around the political spectrum. We engage in the good-faith discussions that too much of our society and media miss. It’s hosted by Ravi Gupta, a former Obama staffer turned school principal.”

Ravi and Rob “explore the realities of abuse and exploitation within the psychiatric system, the growing movement to expand involuntary commitment powers, which often target homeless individuals, and whether mental health and psychiatric laws infringe on due process rights.” Listen here.

Lori Ashcroft of Recovery Resilience Solutions hosts a podcast called Viva La Evolution that’s “not just a place to receive information, but a place where together we can make authentic connections and feel safe enough to talk about the real things that help and hinder our mutual goals of creating opportunities for people to recover. We want to talk about the approaches that really work and bring us and those we serve hope, joy, resilience, and recovery. And we also want to examine the hard things that we are often hesitant to discuss. In other words, let’s get real about what IS working and what ISN’T working. Let’s learn to

In his Explorer Poet podcast, Josh Mortensen and I discuss a wide range of topics related to my book, including as he describes it on his website “theater, poetry, acting, Canada, the United States, journalism, involuntary commitments, Carl Jung, Stanislav Grof, Robert Whitaker, psychology, North America, money, fraud, forced psychiatric intervention, difficult times, electric shock therapy, psychiatric drugs, depression, mortality, stories, transference, projection, frame of references, pathology, numbing out, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, authority, authoritarianism, politics, polarization, resistance, forced injections, fear mongering, educational systems, schools, institutions, mental health laws, policing, control, nursing homes, long-term care, economic equity, wages, housing costs, the World Health Organization, acknowledging there is a problem, mutual aid, and human connection.”

Check out the

Gina Cavalier is working on a series and book about moving through suicidal feelings, and interviewed me for her Liberated Healer podcast.

Mack Morris was one of the first people to educate me about the challenges faced by people with multiple disabilities and sensitivities, especially in relation to mental health care systems from which they alternately seek assistance or get threatened. Now, she interviews me for Intuitive Public Radio. Listen or watch here.

From the Intuitive Public Radio page:  “There is deep pain in the world, especially for those who are most vulnerable and without resource access. When flawed systems fail us during critical moments, it affects not only our own lives but the lives and livelihoods of family and community members all around us…. Rob’s work and this conversation help anchor pro-active compassion — to expand access and choice while

Hunter Keegan is an artist, musician, podcaster, author, and activist, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2015 shortly after graduating from Penn State University with his bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Hunter and I had a lively and probing conversation on his Bipolar Recorder podcast! Listen to it here.

Jazmine Russell interviewed me for her Depth Work podcast: “DEPTH Work is a podcast for those who love to dive into transformative healing practices. We talk about mental health, madness, trauma, mind-body practices, energy work, ancestry, spirituality, societal change, somatics, and more. As a complex trauma survivor, holistic counselor, and co-founder of a transformative mental health training institute (IDHA-NYC.org), I believe that our deepest pain is guiding us towards our greatest transformation. Let’s dive in!”

Jeff Brown interviewed me for his podcast The Enrealment Hour: “Join author and sacred activist Jeff Brown, as he cuts through the denials, deceptions, and distractions that prevent us from living our truest lives. Let’s talk about dismantling the oppressive structures of today, and co-creating a world that honors our inherent magnificence. It’s time. Welcome to the Enrealment Hour.”

Jeff is a strong critic of the pharmaceutical industry, and also a popular advocate for holistic approaches to health and well-being, and these perspectives informed our discussion.

Click here to listen, or here on Spotify,or here on Apple podcasts.

Jessica (Watson Miller) Ocean interviewed me for Changing Crisis Care: The Psych Crisis Podcast. Jessica lost her brother after he had a brutal experience with involuntary psychiatric interventions.

“psychcrisis.org is working to change the system that responds when someone has a mental health crisis so it actually helps. On this podcast, we interview people with deep knowledge about some part of the system to ask ‘what needs to change?’ and ‘what is in the way?'”

Click here to listen.