Unpopular Culture

In this week's episode, professor Michael Drane meets with Geoffrey Wallis, author of 'A Voice From the Inside: Notes on Religious Trauma in a Captive Organization.' Geoffrey, who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity, shares his experience of leaving the Jehovah's Witness church, which he identifies as a captive organization, and the psychological and emotional trauma that ensued once he began to seriously question his beliefs. Listen in as they explore religious trauma, social...

In this week's episode, the UPC team is bringing you some shady psychological stories we found on Reddit, and we’re gonna give you our psychological and technological impressions. For this first story, first Ryan schools us on internet lingo, and then we dive into the psychology of someone who recorded a woman and her boyfriend having sex outside their window. If you have any scary encounters, send them our way to hello@upcpodcast.com Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you...

In this week’s episode, professor Michael Drane completes Part 3 of his series on ‘7 Reasons for Cannibals.’ He reviews the previous ingredients before diving into identity confusion, inferiority, and psychosis. This episode is reserved exclusively for our Stalkers of the podcast, so if you would like to catch the full episode, go to: patreon.com/upcpodcast Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the show. * * * Follow us on all platforms at @upcpodcast Unpopular Culture...

In this week’s episode, Professor Michael Drane provides an in-depth analysis of the motives for cannibals—part 2. We review 2 additional motives for cannibalism: Psychopathic Narcissism and Power & Thrill. Listen in as he dives into the minds of Luka Magnotta from the Netflix Documentary ‘Don’t Fuck with Cats’ and Dorangel Vargas (aka the Hannibal Lector of the Andes). Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the show. * * * Follow us on all platforms at @upcpodcast Unpopular...

On Sept. 30th, 1995 in Bellaire, Ohio -- 16 yr old Ryan Brooks was staying over at his friend Erik’s house. Like most teenagers, Ryan and Erik were up late hanging out. Ryan was out so late that he decided to check in with his parents. Ryan calls home at approximately 1:30 AM and his older brother Nathan answers the phone. “Tell mom and dad that I’m staying with Erik tonight." His older brother Nathan responds: “No, I think mom and dad want you home." Believing that his parents want him...

In this week's episode, the UPC Dream Team is bringing you back in time. Listen in as Professor Michael Drane, Pat Owen, Ryan Lee, and Ashley Haynes-Gibson discuss mental health care standards, stereotypes and practices in the 1800s, the emergence of interventions we see and use today, outlandish diagnoses, and more! For a refresher, be sure to check out our first episode in this series: History of Mental Illness Prior to the 1800s. Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the...

We all know what cannibalism is, but do we know WHY it exists? What drives a person to eat another person? The answers might surprise you. This episode is the first of a series where Prof. Michael Drane explores the many reasons why cannibals exist. Stay tuned for part 2! Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the show. * * * Follow us on all platforms at @upcpodcast Unpopular Culture Podcast is a Forensic Psychology podcast created and hosted by Professor & Psychotherapist...

In this week’s episode, listen in as Professor and Psychotherapist Michael Drane and Cybersecurity Engineer Ryan Lee, dive into the psychology behind Medieval torture. This request was brought to us by our beloved Stalker Katherine, who was particularly interested in the psychology of medieval torture coupled with voyeurism. We review different Medieval devices used during this time, the psychology of the sadist/masochist/voyeur, as well as some lesser-known cases like Bernd Jürgen Armando...

In this week's episode, Professor and Psychotherapist Michael Drane and MFT Intern Ashley Haynes-Gibson answer Laura's questions from our previous Relationship Live Show. Laura, 43, has engaged in a lot of therapeutic healing and wants to know how to find the right partner, as well as friends, after leaving the Mormon Church 12 years ago. Listen in as we discuss Adlerian Psychology around what constitutes a 'mid-life crisis’, how to develop a healthy schema of relationships, how to base...

Have you ever been curious about the lived experience of Schizophrenia? All of us have the ability to have our senses fooled. It’s a balance of probability that more of us don’t experience it ourselves. In this week’s episode, Cybersecurity Engineer Ryan Lee and Professor and Psychotherapist Michael Drane discuss Ryan’s experience using a well-known Schizophrenia simulator. Listen in as we review the often-distressing symptoms of Schizophrenia, what types and styles of voices can be present...

UPC is bringing back another cult classic—Borderline for Bees with Boots. Listen in as Professor Michael Drane, Andy Baker and Ashley Haynes-Gibson discuss Borderline Personality Disorder, the complexities of living with BPD, common misconceptions, and more! Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the show. * * * Follow us on all platforms at @upcpodcast Unpopular Culture Podcast is a Forensic Psychology podcast created and hosted by Professor & Psychotherapist Michael Drane....

Have you ever wished you were in a mental institution prior to the 1800s? No? Me either. Turns out mental health care has come a long way in regards to just about everything. This week, listen in as the dynamic trio Professor Michael Drane, UPC Admin Andy Baker, and Grad Student/Researcher Ashley Haynes-Gibson discuss the type of mental health treatment that was available, how the mentally ill were viewed by society, famous artist’s and monarchs who were rumored to be mentally unwell, and...

It’s 7PM, February 16th, 1981. Arne Cheyene Johnson, 19, has just been arrested for the murder of his 40-year-old friend and landlord, Alan Bono. Arne Stabbed Bono over 20 times after getting into an altercation about an unknown female. Fascinatingly, Arne Johnson claimed to have no memory of the event, stating that he was possessed by the devil after an exorcism was performed on his girlfriend’s brother David Getzel. Following his conviction, Johnson served 5 years of his 20-year-sentence...

Catfishing. We’ve all heard of it. People appear to be prettier than they are on Tinder or Plenty of Fish and you think to yourself, ‘there’s no way this person is real.’ But what happens when you’re right? What happens when the person you’ve been in love with for the past ten years is a lie? In this week’s episode, listen in as Professor Michael Drane and Cybersecurity Engineer Ryan Lee explore the Psychology of MTV’s ‘Catfish’--Season 8, Episode 32 with Caitea and Paul. They look at the...

Is he DANGEROUS? Where do you stand on the public BACKLASH? In 2008, Vince Li, while in a psychotic state, Decapitated and cannibalized the person he was sitting next to after voices in his mind commanded him to do so.. Li was found criminally not responsible due to mental illness, and is now free in the public, sparking debate and public outcry. Some say Li is a danger to the public, others say he deserves a second chance. What are the social implications of either one of these decisions?...

While mainstream society might scoff at your twisted sense of humor, the benefit of using humor in dark moments is a well-studied coping mechanism. In this episode- Prof. Michael Drane sits down with Tawny Platis from The Death is Hilarious Podcast to talk about this misunderstood aspect of the human psyche. * * * Follow us on all platforms at @upcpodcast Unpopular Culture Podcast is a Forensic Psychology podcast created and hosted by Professor & Psychotherapist Michael Drane. Working...

In this week’s episode, Professor Michael Drane presents one of America’s most notorious serial killers, the Truck Stop Killer. Also known as Robert Ben Rhoades, Ben acquired his fame after a police officer unsuspectingly checked on his semi-truck, parked haphazardly on the side of the road, only to discover that Robert was ‘working’ on his next victim. Listen in as he explores the killer’s ideology, their motive, the horribly gruesome details surrounding his torture and disposal of their...

We asked you to tell us what’s on your mind, and you did not disappoint. 1. Do women with narcissistic personality disorder get misdiagnosed with Borderline often? 2. Someone wants you to talk about the threshold for human pain tolerance; “is there a limit, what happens when that limit is reached, why do different people have different tolerance levels?” 3. What tech scares you most and why? We answer these questions and more on this episode. Check out our next live show on YouTube...

In this week’s episode, the UPC Team is bringing you our very first Live Show! Relationship Questions Edition… We brought on Michael Drane, Andrew Baker, Ashley Haynes-Gibson, and Ryan Lee to answer questions from our beloved Stalkers, as well as the audience, around personality shifts due to stress, money in relationships, and how to manage a Master’s Degree while being in a relationship. We really enjoyed making this episode for you, and we’d love to hear your feedback! Our next Live Show...

What are the psychological ramifications of having a narcissist in your life? How do you protect yourself from the chaotic world of the clinical narcissist? Listen in as Professor Michael Drane retells the tragic death of Lisa Steinberg, the victim of an excessively narcissistic parent, as well as the origin of “Battered Wife-Syndrome”. This is a reloaded episode from 2019. Stay safe out there friends, and we hope you enjoy the show. * * * Follow us on all platforms at...