Shrink The Nation is a psychology podcast about politics, media, and American insanity — hosted by board-certified psychiatrists who drink bourbon and actually know what they’re talking about.
Each week, we take whatever the news is lighting on fire and ask a better question:
What the hell is going on psychologically?
We break down current events as they’re actually experienced — through fear, ego, narcissism, tribalism, and spectacle — and explain why smart people keep getting pulled into dumb arguments.
This isn’t a lecture.
It’s a conversation.
We argue with each other, bust each other’s balls, laugh at the absurdity, and use real psychology to make the chaos intelligible — without yelling, moralizing, or pretending everything’s fine.
You’ll hear sharp psychological takes on politics and culture, explanations that make you say “ohhh… that makes sense,” dark humor, bourbon-fueled honesty, and frameworks you can reuse when the next news cycle melts down.
We’re not here to calm you down.
We’re here to help you see clearly — and enjoy the process.
Shrink The Nation is for anyone who wants to understand what’s happening, laugh a little at the madness, and come back next week feeling smarter than they did last time.
Shrink The Nation is a psychology podcast about politics, media, and American insanity — hosted by board-certified psychiatrists who drink bourbon and actually know what they’re talking about.
Each week, we take whatever the news is lighting on fire and ask a better question:
What the hell is going on psychologically?
We break down current events as they’re actually experienced — through fear, ego, narcissism, tribalism, and spectacle — and explain why smart people keep getting pulled into dumb arguments.
This isn’t a lecture.
It’s a conversation.
We argue with each other, bust each other’s balls, laugh at the absurdity, and use real psychology to make the chaos intelligible — without yelling, moralizing, or pretending everything’s fine.
You’ll hear sharp psychological takes on politics and culture, explanations that make you say “ohhh… that makes sense,” dark humor, bourbon-fueled honesty, and frameworks you can reuse when the next news cycle melts down.
We’re not here to calm you down.
We’re here to help you see clearly — and enjoy the process.
Shrink The Nation is for anyone who wants to understand what’s happening, laugh a little at the madness, and come back next week feeling smarter than they did last time.
Uncle Sam shows up at 3 a.m., top hat on, eyes red from doomscrolling, convinced the shadows are organized and the neighbors are operatives. We’re not diagnosing a person; we’re reading a national mood. Conspiracies are the crunchy snack for anxious brains, but they don’t make a meal.
First, we draw the clinical line: paranoia is a delusion aimed at “me,” while conspiracist ideation is a subclinical, society-wide suspicion that hidden groups run the show. Then we map the defense mechanisms that light the fuse: splitting into “pure us vs evil them,” and externalizing our own mess onto the out-group.
History check: Salem wasn’t just superstition; it was anxiety plus scapegoats with a body count. Over 200 accused, 20 killed. Panic organizes fear but shreds agency, and we’ve repeated the pattern more than once.
Why now? Because when uncertainty spikes and personal control feels low, conspiracies promise clarity and belonging. They thrive on our pattern-hungry brains and negativity bias; when paranoia goes mainstream, democracy wobbles.
The cost isn’t abstract. The deeper you chase the dots, the more you hand away agency. You’re “researching,” not repairing anything in front of you.
Prescriptions
• Uncertainty first aid: pause and breathe; verify with lateral reading; talk it out offline with a trusted person. Slower is saner.
• Occam’s Razor + X-Files: prefer the simple, human-error explanation; save the cinematic cabals for reruns.
• Re-entry plan: if someone chooses to leave a conspiracy community, welcome them back. Belonging is the antidote to the rabbit hole.
Bourbon roll call: a wheated pour to start, because even hard topics go down better when the mash bill isn’t trying to fight you.
"Got Thoughts? Outrage? A Diagnosis of Your Own? Send us a text"
Shrink The Nation is where America lies on the couch — and we pour the bourbon.
Hosted by board-certified psychiatrists and mental health pros with backgrounds in military, media, and systems thinking, we break down the psychology behind politics, culture, and public dysfunction.
Smart. Funny. Clinically sharp. Slightly buzzed.
Subscribe, rate, and share if you’re part of the exhausted middle looking for sanity in the noise.
For feedback or hate-listening invitations, hit us at socials@shrinkthenation.com.
Follow us everywhere: @shrinkthenation on X, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky
Shrink The Nation — On the Couch With America.