Your “shadow self” isn’t the evil version of you. It’s the parts you hide, deny, or feel ashamed of — and the more you pretend it isn’t there, the more it tends to leak out sideways.
In this episode of Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”), host Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) and co-host Tony Medeiros (“IndyPocket”) talk shadow work without the mysticism, clichés, or spiritual cosplay. Inspired by Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, we focus on practical self-acceptance: how to face darker thoughts, urges, and emotions without acting them out, glamorizing them, or turning them into self-destruction.
We also talk about being unapologetically yourself. Laugh at what you find funny. If dark humor is part of how you cope with this world — and you’re not targeting, humiliating, or harming people — it’s not your job to live in fear of someone else’s outrage. We draw a line between humor as healthy processing vs. humor as cruelty, and how self-respect matters more than performing “acceptable” emotions.
We also get into censorship and cancel culture: who gets “allowed” to cope out loud, how fear of being labeled can push people deeper into secrecy, and why nuance disappears when everything becomes outrage content.
In this episode, we talk about:
Share one dark joke you use to cope (and the boundary you keep it within) in our Discord, “The Struggle Bus” — we can handle it. (link below)
Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! (AKA “BTMHOOI!”) is a candid mental health podcast rooted in lived experience: schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, BPD, PTSD, trauma recovery, coping skills, and dark humor that helps make serious mental illness more understandable and human.
Hosted by Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) with frequent co-host Tony Medeiros (“IndyPocket”), we cover psych wards, psychiatric medication, disability, religious trauma, good therapy, bad therapy, and practical real-world coping — plus the societal and relationship issues that shape mental health every day. The goal isn’t just “fighting stigma.” It’s education, clarity, and honest conversation.
We interview everyone from everyday people to public figures, clinicians, and professionals, because mental health struggles don’t care who you are. If you’re willing to share your story or expertise, we aim to offer a safe, judgment-free space where you can speak openly — and still have some fun while doing it.
New episodes drop every other Monday at 6am EDT.
Want community and support? Join our Discord, “The Struggle Bus”: https://discord.gg/emFXKuWKNA
All links (TikTok, YouTube, Streaming, etc.): https://linktr.ee/BTMHOOI
Podcast cover art by Ryan Manning
