This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg: “I Think I Look Ugly” – Body Dysmorphia

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Listen here to This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg, a podcast that provides a fascinating look into the human brain, with each episode asking new questions — and finding new answers — about our most mysterious organ. Together with his expert guests, Dr. Stieg takes us on a journey that reveals unexpected secrets at every turn, and redefines what we know about ourselves and our place in the world.

The podcast explores the many fascinating aspects of neuroscience, ranging from how the brain is wired for both sudden bursts of violence and the pervasive inner calm of meditation. Where does confidence come from? How do we remember traumatic events – or do we? How do other animals experience consciousness? Does storytelling change our brains?

Take the journey with us as we explore the very foundation of what makes us human.

Originally released: May 1, 2026

Most of us have a bad hair day or we're not happy if we have a little pimple on our face. But that's quite different from the experience of people with body dysmorphic disorder. (BDD)

More than simple insecurity about one’s appearance, BDD is a disorder in which a person’s perception of their appearance becomes all-consuming and deeply distressing. Perfectly normal looking people can see themselves as horribly ugly. Or one minor detail becomes an enormous fixation, like the patient who said they felt they were just one giant pimple with hands and feet.

In this episode, Dr. Phil Stieg speaks with psychiatrist and BDD expert Dr. Katharine Phillips about how altered visual processing in the brain leads individuals to fixate on minor and often imagined flaws, while behaviors like mirror-checking and reassurance seeking reinforce the cycle of negative perception. Dr. Phillips highlights the serious mental health risks associated with this condition and discusses evidence-based treatments that have led many patients to a meaningful recovery.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit thisisyourbrain.com

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