If you’ve ever wondered what kind of a parent you are, and whether your kids are going to wind up spending the equivalent of a college degree in therapy (or maybe they already have), I think you’ll be grateful for my conversation with Bethany Saltman. Her journey as a mom and her book Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey into the Science of Attachment is a gift to every parent, who like me, has been bombarded by well-intended advice about how to be the best parent in the world.
I speak to the author of Gravity’s Century: From Einstein’s Eclipse to Images of Black Holes, named one of the best science books of 2020 by NPR’s Ira Flato. The alternative title for this episode is Ex-nihilo Entanglement. This is the first of several episodes I plan to have on The Soul of Life that touches on quantum physics, the brain, and existence.
In this episode of The Soul of Life I speak with Dr. Michael Mithoefer, the lead investigator that has successfully piloted the first-ever study of MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, into the third and final stage of FDA approval for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Mithoefer is featured as a lead character in the 2015 book Acid Test by award-winning journalist Tom Shroder, a meticulously researched history of the controversy and unprecedented healing properties associated...
In this episode of The Soul of Life I speak with Olga Khazan, a talented writer that covers health, gender and science for The Atlantic. Before that she wrote for the LA Times and the Washington Post. And she just published a book called Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider’s World. Did you know that pregnant women are scientifically shown to become more xenophobic—fearful of outsiders—during their first trimester? Turns out, that’s when they are most susceptible to infections so...
I speak with Dr. Richard Schwartz, the founder of an evidence-based psychotherapeutic model called Self-Leadership (also known as Internal Family System’s therapy or IFS) that is widely recognized as one of the most compassionate and comprehensive psychotherapies available. We discuss Mary Trump's book Too Much and Never Enough and how the abuse that Mary reports in Donald Trump's family could explain his fear-driven narcissism.
In this episode of the Soul of Life I speak with Rev Dr. Dennis Edwards, a minister in cities for 30 years, about staying whole in Christian communities where it may not always be welcome to let your real feelings show. We talk about Black lives Matter and the awakening of White people to the uncomfortable truth about the burden of fear that many Black Americans carry every day.
On 9/11 Dr. David Min rushed to ground zero to treat firefighters. He later developed PTSD and would credit this breakdown for his talent as a doctor that can reach into the soul. I asked him to solve my mysterious and debilitating neurological symptoms, but he gave me far more than I could have ever imagined.
I talk with songwriter and social worker, Dan Menz-Erb. Dan has played in the pop/funk band Holy Ghost Machine Gun. We discuss where he found his soul and let go of religious dogma that taught him to be afraid of people different from him, and his identity as a musician and social worker.