Category: Mindfulness

Bessel van der Kolk: Fluid, Alive, and Optimistic

Bessel van der Kolk is a clinician, teacher, author, and one of the most esteemed researchers on post-traumatic stress in the world. A veteran professor at universities and hospitals across the United States, Bessel is the New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body and the Treatment of Trauma. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Bessel speak on his many decades researching trauma. They talk about recent developments in the treatment of trauma—specifically the effectiveness of such methods as EMDR, psycho-dramatics, yoga, and introception. Lastly, they discuss the healing of trauma at a societal level and why—despite the suffering he has encountered over the years—Bessel is essentially optimistic about humanity’s ability to heal. (61 minutes)

Larry Ward: Mindfulness in Action, in Business

Larry Ward is both a Baptist minister and a teacher of the Buddhist dharma, personally ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh. A lifelong advocate for nonviolent social change, Larry draws his main inspiration from the life and works of Martin Luther King, Jr. He will be a featured presenter on Sounds True’s Year of Mindfulness program. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Larry discuss how to tap into inner reservoirs of resilience and the factors that keep us from performing our very best work. They consider issues of race and ancestral healing in a time when these questions are prominent in the wider culture. Finally, Larry encourages listeners to develop a “fierce equanimity” and explains just what that means in day-to-day life. (64 minutes)

Reverend angel Kyodo williams: Warrior Spirit

Reverend angel Kyodo williams is an activist, master trainer, founder of the Center for Transformative Change, and the acclaimed author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace and Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. Rev. angel will be a featured presenter on Sounds True’s upcoming A Year of Mindfulness program—a unique yearlong series of monthly talks given by a group of meditation teachers from a diverse background of traditions. In this episode of Insights at the Edge—adapted from an earlier presentation given by Rev. angel during Sounds True’s online Meditation Summit—she and Tami Simon speak on the sense of retreat that attracts many to mindfulness, even when it is an engagement with our inner fullness that is meditation’s most valuable gift. Rev. angel discusses the cultivation of a “warrior spirit” that enriches and empowers our interactions with the world. Finally, Rev. angel offers a meditation practice on these themes called “Effort and Release.” (47 minutes)

Amy Kurtz: Kicking Sick

Amy Kurtz is a health coach and Pilates instructor whose painful, multi-decade struggle with chronic illness made her decide to stand up and take better charge of her life. Now much healthier and happier, Amy describes her nightmarish journey through modern medicine—and how you too can take the reins of your health issues—in the new Sounds True book Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Amy discuss her approach to whole health. They talk about the need for an “A-Team” of expert support during the healing process and how only you can intuitively know what your body needs. Finally, Amy describes becoming what she calls a “glow warrior” and what it takes to truly stand tall in the face of chronic illness. (59 minutes)

Terri Tate: A Crooked Smile

Terri Tate is a clinical nurse specialist, teacher, and down-to-earth inspirational teacher disguised as a standup comedian. Drawing on the experience of nearly dying from oral cancer, Terri infuses stories of some of the darkest moments of her life with a spritely humor. With Sounds True, she has published a memoir called A Crooked Smile, which shares her experiences of cancer diagnosis, falling into the endless machinery of the healthcare system, and emerging with a startling new appreciation for all of life. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Terri discuss the ability to tap into inner guidance and recognition of the different internal voices she learned to discern during her ordeal. Terri reads and comments on a passage from A Crooked Smile. Finally, Terri and Tami consider the greatest lessons learned after going through a life-threatening crisis. (62 minutes)

Hank Wesselman: The Re-Enchantment

Hank Wesselman is a paleoanthropologist and a shamanic practitioner who has devoted his life to exploring the mysteries of human origins. He has authored several books and articles detailing his adventures in altered states and shamanic journeys. With Sounds True, Hank has published The Re-Enchantment: A Shamanic Path to a Life of Wonder, which offers a path for reclaiming a sense of wonder at the many joys of life and the universe. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon and Hank speak on his interpretation of the soul—including the personal over-soul and a world-soul that communicates through every living being. They discuss the imperative need for humanity to return to a more balanced relationship with nature. Finally, Hank describes the qualities he sees as necessary for someone to step onto the shamanic path as a teacher. (69 minutes)

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