Episode Summary

Dr. Michael Passmore sits down with Dr. Nora Nneka Ekeanya, a psychiatrist, writer, and integrative thinker based in Los Angeles. The conversation moves well beyond symptom management to explore what it truly means to flourish — touching on the intersection of psychiatry, creativity, spirituality, and self-actualization.

About Dr. Ekeanya

Dr. Nora Nneka Ekeanya is a psychiatrist with experience across inpatient, community, forensic, and private practice settings. She is also a poet, visual artist, and advocate for narrative medicine. Her work sits at the crossroads of psychopharmacology, creativity, and spirituality, with a particular focus on guiding high-achieving individuals from simply coping to genuinely thriving.

Key Topics Covered

Dr. Ekeanya’s origin story — how a traumatic childhood, a mental health crisis in medical school, and the intervention of two deans set her on the path to psychiatry The wounded healer — why physicians’ own lived experience with struggle, therapy, and vulnerability makes them better clinicians (referencing Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning) Art and medicine — how poetry, visual art, photography, and film became inseparable from Dr. Ekeanya’s psychiatric practice and personal healing The crisis in psychiatry — burnout, compassion fatigue, over-medicating, piecemealed care, and the systemic pressures that strip psychiatrists of what makes them effective Integrative psychiatry — moving beyond the medication-only model to incorporate supplementation, somatic therapy, spirituality, creative practice, and movement Psychedelic-assisted therapy — a candid discussion of psilocybin, ketamine, and cannabis: their real promise, the current limitations, the gray market in LA, and the critical importance of psychotherapeutic integration TMS and ECT — where neurostimulation fits in the expanding toolkit, and honest assessments of access, cost, and evidence The sacred therapeutic bond — what telemedicine eroded and why physical presence, micro-moments of human connection, and even dancing with a catatonic patient matter Self-actualization for high achievers — why the standard psychiatric model fails people whose lives look good on paper but feel hollow inside.

Resources & Links

Swallowed Words — Dr. Ekeanya’s chapbook of poetry, released 2022 https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Swallowed-Words/dp/B0CC3TVRSQ

Dr. Ekeanya’s private practice https://www.spiritandsoulpsych.com/

Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning https://a.co/d/0byI1N5W

Oliver Sacks, Awakenings https://a.co/d/08Qusf3r

Connect with Dr. Ekeanya https://www.facebook.com/norawithnohhttps://www.youtube.com/@noranneka?app=desktophttps://www.instagram.com/nora_nneka/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/drekeanya/

The Neurostimulation Podcast is hosted by Dr. Michael Passmore, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. The information shared is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider.