Psychology, Actually

Could you spot a psychopath before it's too late, or does their charm switch off the very part of your brain that would warn you?
In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by Dr Emma Kavanagh to explore the psychology of psychopathy, why charismatic people can trigger the "guru effect" in our brains, and how love bombing, gaslighting, and trauma bonding trap people in damaging relationships.
Emma, author of The Psychopath Effect, explains the real traits behind psychopathy, meanness, boldness, and disinhibition and why psychopaths are far more likely to be charming colleagues or partners than violent criminals.
They discuss what it's like growing up with a psychopathic parent, how psychopaths behave differently depending on your value to them, and the subtle nonverbal signals that can give them away. A fascinating, myth-busting conversation for anyone interested in psychology, relationships, and personal safety.
#Psychopathy #Psychology #LoveBombing
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Psychopathy myth vs fact quickfire round
01:51 What is the Psychopath Effect?
05:37 Why subclinical psychopathic traits affect everyone
07:34 Growing up with a psychopathic parent
11:37 Setting boundaries as an adult child
14:10 Why individuation threatens psychopaths
17:03 Can you spot a psychopath immediately?
20:32 The "guru effect" and charisma on the brain
22:54 Warning signs and interpersonal space
23:54 Why psychopaths can be selectively empathic
25:24 Upward licking, downward kicking at work
25:55 Hand gestures, cognitive load and persuasion
29:31 Nonverbal cues: the Duchenne smile
31:35 Psychopathy, personality disorders and diagnosis
37:09 Love bombing explained
41:41 Recognising patterns in true crime documentaries
45:35 Quickfire: common myths about psychopathy
46:09 Why it's hard to leave a psychopathic partner
46:57 Understanding trauma bonding
50:22 Why psychopaths can't sustain kindness
52:39 Where to find Dr Emma Kavanagh

📚 Get your copy of The Psychopath Effect by Dr Emma Kavanagh: https://amzn.to/455qlUu
Links:
Connect with Dr Emma Kavanagh here: https://www.instagram.com/dremmakavanaghauthor/
🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and support the show head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278 or to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOwjrIP_jatiqlAivJE2mgQ/join
📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0
📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97
💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership
🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses
Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)
✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources
📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent
💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity
Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:
If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent

What if the answer that changed your life wasn't actually the final answer? Sometimes the biggest breakthrough begins with questioning a single "no".
In this episode of Inner Work, Dr Marianne Trent explores why rejection hurts, how our brains respond to hearing "no", and why curiosity, perseverance, and self-reflection can sometimes open doors you thought were closed.
#Rejection #PersonalGrowth #InnerWork
💡 Want to support the channel? Like, comment, and share this episode!
📩 Business & Collaboration Enquiries
✉️ Email: Info@GoodThinkingPsychology.co.uk
🎧 Stay Connected With Me
🌍 Aspiring Psychologists Website: www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk
🌍 Good Thinking Psychology Website: www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk
💼 LinkedIn: Dr Marianne Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianne-trent-psychology/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodThinkingPsychologicalServices
🐦 Twitter/X: @DrMarianneTrent
📸 Instagram: @DrMarianneTrent
🎵 TikTok: @DrMarianneTrent.

📚 My Books on Amazon
📖 The Grief Collective → https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
📖 The Clinical Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/3ErIEJs
📖 The Aspiring Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/4jSxc9N
📖 Talking Heads: Stories of Psychology & Mental Health → https://amzn.to/3EvbKaN
📖 An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals → https://amzn.to/3WXBpz9

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.© Dr Marianne Trent

What if the biggest obstacle to becoming a psychologist isn't your qualifications, but simply not knowing all your options? This little-known route could save aspiring psychologists years of time, money, and unnecessary setbacks.
In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by Esther Teo to explore the BPS Assessment of Equivalence, how it can provide an alternative route to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC), and why perseverance can make all the difference. Esther shares her personal journey, explains who may be eligible, discusses common application pitfalls, and reveals how one phone call changed the course of her psychology career. Whether you're considering clinical psychology or another HCPC practitioner psychologist pathway, this episode offers valuable guidance for aspiring psychologists.
#PsychologyCareers #ClinicalPsychology #BPS #GBC
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
00:59 What is the BPS Assessment of Equivalence?
02:10 What is GBC and why does it matter?
03:59 Why Esther didn't have GBC
05:07 Neuroscience to psychology
06:36 Discovering the Assessment of Equivalence
08:40 Why more psychologists should know about this route
09:23 Esther's free GBC guide
10:26 What Esther wishes she'd known sooner
11:01 Rejection, perseverance and getting GBC
15:03 Why giving up could cost you your dream career
17:03 Managing the emotional impact of career decisions
17:56 Applying for Clinical Psychology training
20:30 Why perseverance matters in psychology
21:51 Finding the right career path
22:52 Connecting with people as a psychologist
24:59 Final thoughts

🎓 Download your free BPS GBC Equivalence Guide here: https://gtps.kartra.com/page/BPS-Guide
Links:
🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and support the show head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278 or to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOwjrIP_jatiqlAivJE2mgQ/join
📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0
📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97
💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership
🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses
Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)
✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources
📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent
💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity
Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:
If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent

What if the thing you've been searching for isn't confidence or happiness, but a genuine sense of safety? Feeling safe can transform how you think, connect, and experience the world.
In this episode of Inner Work, Dr Marianne Trent explores why psychological safety is essential for emotional wellbeing, how our nervous system learns to expect danger, and why finding moments of safety can be the first step towards healing.
#PsychologicalSafety #MentalHealth #InnerWork
💡 Want to support the channel? Like, comment, and share this episode!
📩 Business & Collaboration Enquiries
✉️ Email: Info@GoodThinkingPsychology.co.uk
🎧 Stay Connected With Me
🌍 Aspiring Psychologists Website: www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk
🌍 Good Thinking Psychology Website: www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk
💼 LinkedIn: Dr Marianne Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianne-trent-psychology/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodThinkingPsychologicalServices
🐦 Twitter/X: @DrMarianneTrent
📸 Instagram: @DrMarianneTrent
🎵 TikTok: @DrMarianneTrent.

📚 My Books on Amazon
📖 The Grief Collective → https://amzn.to/4hNHru5
📖 The Clinical Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/3ErIEJs
📖 The Aspiring Psychologist Collective → https://amzn.to/4jSxc9N
📖 Talking Heads: Stories of Psychology & Mental Health → https://amzn.to/3EvbKaN
📖 An Autistic Anthology: Neuro-Narratives of Mental Health Professionals → https://amzn.to/3WXBpz9

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.© Dr Marianne Trent

Could one of the most effective wellbeing tools already be sitting in a knitting bag? Sometimes the simplest habits can have a bigger psychological impact than we expect. In this episode of Psychology, Actually, Dr Marianne Trent is joined by Dr Mia Hobbs and Dr Paula Redmond to explore how knitting and crochet can support mental health, emotional wellbeing and self-care through evidence-informed psychological principles.
#MentalHealth #Knitting #Psychology
Highlights: 00:00
Introduction
00:36 Why knitting benefits mental health
04:19 The rise of analogue hobbies
05:00 Why younger people are embracing knitting
09:13 Learning to knit from childhood
11:23 Knitting, safety and self-compassion
15:40 Knitting during grief and psychological distress
16:25 Is knitting an affordable wellbeing tool?
18:18 The evidence for knitting and mental health
20:38 Challenging the "grandma hobby" stereotype
21:58 Can knitting support hand health?
23:36 Creative Restoration and therapeutic knitting
25:54 Knitting, attention and screen time
29:39 Why I Knit podcast
30:43 When Work Hurts podcast
32:10 Where to learn more

Links:
📲 Connect with Dr Mia and Dr Paula Redmond here: https://www.instagram.com/knittingistherapeutic/ https://www.instagram.com/drpaularedmond/
Creative Restoration Webpage: https://creativerestoration.org/about-us/
🫶 To join my podcast membership to get early access to episodes and support the show head to: https://the-aspiring-psychologist.captivate.fm/support or to the Apple Podcasts App: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-aspiring-psychologist-podcast/id1605628278 or to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOwjrIP_jatiqlAivJE2mgQ/join
📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0
📖 To check out The Aspiring Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3CP2N97
💡 To check out or join the aspiring psychologist membership for just £30 per month head to: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/membership
🖥️ Check out my short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/online-courses
Ask Marianne your most pressing psychology career question and she will send you a FREE bespoke reply! Grab your free psychology success guide here and fill in the most pressing concern box: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk (scroll to the bottom of the page)
✍️ Get your FREE Supervision Shaping Tool now: https://www.aspiring-psychologist.co.uk/free-resources
📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent
💬 To join my free Facebook group and discuss your thoughts on this episode and more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aspiringpsychologistcommunity
Like, Comment, Subscribe & get involved:
If you enjoy the podcast, please do subscribe and rate and review episodes.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any actions taken based on this content are at your own risk.
© Dr Marianne Trent