The Brain Drain Zone
The Brain Drain Zone
Chris Courtney and Heather Veley
A podcast where a clinical mental health counselor and a dorky writer sit down to discuss and explore the psychology and nerddom that is close to their hearts. Join us as we discuss the psychology of life, comics, music and anything else we can think of. Please read: This is for entertainment purposes only; If you feel you or someone you know is struggling with mental health please seek counseling. If you feel you or somebody you know is in danger, please call a local emergency number or The National Suicide Prevention Line 1-800-273-8255
Season 2 Finale: Internal Chatters Bring May Hatters; a discussion of the schizophrenic spectrum and it's relation to Batman villain, the Mad Hatter
Welcome! And to those returning after the long hiatus, welcome back! After a truly insane year, The Brain Drain Zone is on it's way back into your hearts and minds, although now without my former co host's presence...she will be missed, but I have a feeling that my new co-host will do just as well, if not better starting in June! As it is, this episode was recorded but never edited for release until now, and even thought the episode was originally for May, I figured I owed it to my faithful listeners to try and get it out a little early. That being said, in this episode Heather and I discuss many things from the mechanics of schizophrenia and its related disorders to differences in popular perception, and of course we had to bring in Jervis Tech as our case study example in comics...so join us as we discuss all this and more in the satisfying finale of our short but sweet season 2 of The Brain Drain Zone!
Apr 27, 2023
1 hr 3 min
I have dreamed a dream and lived a nightmare; the psychological complexities of sacrifice in romantic relationships
Greetings all!  Welcome to another episode of the 2nd season of The Brain Drain Zone!  As it is, we are now in February of 2022 and given the fact that we are all still here, the month of romance is still upon us.  Now, we could have done a piece on the psychology surrounding the "relationship" between the Joker and Harley Quinn, but to give that one justice would take a length of time that not even I could do in one sitting; plus since when have we ever taken the easier more conventional path?  This one is bound to be another doozy, so kick back put in those ear buds and take a listen as Heather and I apply psychological principles as well as our own thoughts to romance!  Oh, and fair warning, if you haven't read Season of Mists yet, spoiler alert
Feb 20, 2022
53 min
Season 2, Episode 1: The Qualitative Behavior of PTSD, or A Case Study of Altruism vs. Futility
Greetings all!  Welcome back and thank you for sticking with us through our holiday hiatus.  We are back with a vengeance in January 2022, and we're coming out of the gate hot with not only a review and discussion on PTSD related behaviors and cognitive processes, but the added bonus of a psychologically (and a little philosophically) based palaver on the foundations of altruism and futility.  To accomplish this, Heather and I role out  a sort of comic-based case study on 2 characters who fit the description of each end of the conceptual spectrum, specifically Punisher and Dare-Devil.  Thank you, dear listeners, for being patient with us through the month of December, and I promise to repay you with the best content I can think of as long as Heather and I can keep this thing running!
Jan 18, 2022
1 hr 1 min
Episode 6: A Comparison of Self-Care and Anti-Hero Behavior
Welcome back listeners, and happy post spooky season!  This month, in honor of World Kindness Day, Heather and I decided to discuss a some of the more volatile anti-heroes in comics, as well as how they practice (or don't) their own self care.  We also discuss the importance of engaging in selfcare on a regular basis.  So sit back, and try to enjoy an episode that is admittedly a little less focused than others, but no less entertaining!
Nov 25, 2021
1 hr 6 min
Episode 5: Cowboy Ninja Viking
Happy spooky season everybody!  This month Heather and I finally reveal the subject of our previous teaser...Cowboy Ninja Viking!  In this episode we cover a still somewhat controversial topic in the field of mental health, Dissociative Identity Disorder.  We'll review what it actually is and some of the ways it can manifest as well as our views of its portrayal in pop culture as well as this work.  So turn out the lights, light up a jack-o-lantern and prepare for a dive into a disorder that some don't even consider to be real
Oct 22, 2021
1 hr 5 min
Episode 4: Kraven's Last Hunt
Buckle in everybody, because for this episode we have moved from general concepts to a specific work, titled Kraven's Last Hunt (oddly enough ha)  In this episode we cover the both what characters and themes we can in relation to possible signs of mental health disorders, as well as the handling of serious themes in relevant comics.  We also tease a bit of what's coming up for our Halloween episode next month, and you don't wanna miss that!  So light the lanterns and prepare for another dark but still fun episode! 
Sep 6, 2021
1 hr 8 min
Episode 3: Origins of Arkham Asylum, Past and Present
Hello to any and all faithful listeners!  And to any who may be new, you are welcome as well!  This month Heather and I not only discuss real life asylums past and present and their connections to Arkham Asylum, but we have also been blessed by our first special guest, who has graciously agreed to share some of his own experiences with mental health care.  This is gonna be a a dark and wild one folks, so strap in, bring a lantern and get ready for some good content! 
Aug 21, 2021
1 hr 22 min
Episode 2: Comic Book Madness vs. Mental Illness
Welcome to our second episode!  In the episode Heather and discuss the fascinating differences between mental illness in real life, in comics as well as the umbrella term of "insanity" used as a catch all by comics...come join our discussion as we cover several specific characters in ways you may (or may not) have thought of!
Jul 4, 2021
1 hr 14 min
Episode 1: Introductions
Welcome to the first episode of The Brain Drain Zone!  In this episode Heather and I introduce ourselves (a little awkwardly haha), talk about past and present personal projects, summarize our nerddom and give a sneak peek to future episode topics... Thanks in advance to everybody who tunes in!
Jun 6, 2021
33 min