Developing Meaning

Send us a textMargaret Conley, LCSW, Minister, and IFS Assistant Trainer, joins me to explore how trauma is passed down through families, culture, and society —and how we can heal. Drawing from her own powerful story, Margaret explains the Internal Family Systems (IFS) concept of legacy burdens and how she helps clients release inherited patterns related to race, religion, gender, and family history. This episode is part of my IFS Level 1 training series and offers deep insight into how healing across generations is not only possible—but transforms how we create meaning.Timestamps 00:19 – Welcome to Developing Meaning 04:50 – Meet Margaret Connolly: Healer and Minister 12:40 – Childhood Trauma to Professional Path 27:20 – Discovering Internal Family Systems 47:30 – Understanding Legacy Burdens 1:04:40 – Creating Meaning Through Curiosity 1:14:10 – The Art of Repairing Relationships 1:19:30 – Final Thoughts: Moving at Speed of TrustThem music by The Thrashing Skumz.This episode is produced by Dirk Winter, Fariha Fawziah and Caroline Hinton and brought to you by Consilient Mind LLC.Developing Meaning is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTIONS.

Send us a textCan you imagine learning at 35 that you were adopted?  In this episode Ridghaus, my friend and Level I IFS Program Assistant, shares how this discovery transformed his sense of identity and led him to advocate for adoptee rights and communities.We also explore the profound loss of his 18-year-old son and how he has grieved. Through our conversation, Ridghaus reflects on the "golden threads" that have guided him—moments of insight, connection, and healing. We discuss how Internal Family Systems (IFS) has played a role in his process, helping him hold space for his parts and for others in their own healing journeys.This episode is part of a series on my Level I IFS training experience, in which I introduce the IFS model (#16), introduce my Lead Trainer Jory Agate (#17). Upcoming episodes will introduce another trainer Margaret Conley (#19), who is an expert in complex trauma and legacy burdens, and then an audiodiary (#20) will follow.  My intention in this series is to share this exciting new model of healing with classically trained therapists and anyone else curious about mental health and meaning.  Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction to Developing Meaning and Ridgehouse00:05:42 - Early Life: A Misfit in Kansas00:17:28 - Discovering Adoption at Age 3500:30:49 - Facing Unimaginable Loss and Grief00:43:02 - First Encounter with Internal Family Systems01:00:34 - Becoming a Healer: IFS and Identity Work01:11:27 - Plateaus and Valleys of Meaning01:15:33 - Final Reflections on Intention and Starting OverDeveloping Meaning is NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTIONS, and is NOT MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE.Theme Music by The Thrashing Skumz.This episode was produced by Dirk Winter, Fariha Fawziah and Caroline Hinton and is brought to you by Consilient Mind LLC.

Send us a textThis episode invites listeners to engage in a meaningful past year review, turning away from traditional resolutions toward a more insightful approach to personal growth. By exploring the themes of beginner's mind, questioning assumptions, and the importance of consilience, Dr. Dirk Winter provides a framework for navigating mental health and self-discovery in 2025.• Dissecting the concept of a past year review • Sharing personal peaks and lows from 2024 • Introducing guiding themes for 2025: beginner's mind, questioning assumptions, and consilience • Exploring the significance of various healing modalities • Challenging traditional mental health assumptions • Encouraging listeners to conduct their own past year review and set meaningful intentions Go ahead, do your past year review, get yourself maybe into some beginner's mind question patterns, look for areas of consilience, or come up with your own ideas or mantras for the coming year.Them Music by The Thrashing SkumzProduced by Dirk Winter

Send us a textThe Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level I training is an experiential group learning process that teaches us how to identify and heal traumatized parts of ourselves and others.  In October 2023 I began this training after having recently received a prostate cancer diagnosis.  This episode begins a multi - part series in which I introduce you to fascinating healers I met during my Level I training, beginning with Jory Agate my Lead Trainer.Jory is a minister, IFS lead trainer, a kind and gifted healer, and so much more.  In this episode she offers a compelling narrative of how IFS therapy reaches beyond conventional boundaries, touching the lives of clergy, trans and queer communities, and trauma survivors. Together, we explore connections between faith and therapeutic healing.  Join me as I begin my journey into the land of IFS and begin to transform into an IFS therapist myself. Timestamps00:17 Introducing Jory Agate.07:30 What is IFS?12:40 Spirituality and IFS.15:00 How Jory became a healer.21:00 How Jory found IFS and healed her trauma.32:00 Jory describes her professional practice.36:00 What does a session with Jory look like?39:00 Connecting IFS, Meaning, and Healing.47:00 Connecting through shared Exiles, and wrap up.Theme music by the Thrashing Skumz!This podcast is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and is NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTIONS.

Send us a textInternal Family Systems therapy (IFS) is a type of therapy that views the normal human mind as an internal family of inner conscious beings.  In this episode we unpack the key IFS concepts of 'Exiles,' 'Firefighters,' and the 'Self,' offering insights into how our childhood experiences shape our inner dynamics and how we can harmonize our mental orchestra by putting the 'Self' back into our mind's conductor seat. This episode sets the stage for a multiple episode series that brings you with me into my IFS level I training experience and community. Timestamps0:14 - Introducing Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS).5:30 - Definition of Consciousness and Multiplicity.9:45 - Historical Perspectives and Evidence for Multiplicity.12:45 - Exiles and Firefighters.16:00 - The IFS Self19:20 - Blending and Unblending.20:40 - Evidence for the IFS model of the mind.23:00 - IFS Explanation of Psychopathology.28:55 - Healing and Rewiring Through IFS.30:30 - The Unburdening Ceremony in IFS.31:00 - Bruce Ecker and memory reconsolidation34:00 - Ten things I like about IFS.42:00 - A caveat and some disadvantages.Theme music by The Thrashing Skumz.

Send us a textDr. Bliss Lewis is a child and adult psychiatrist, expert in integrative and alternative treatments, and creator of Mind Body 7, one of the most innovative and successful group psychotherapy practices in New York.  She learned natural healing approaches as a child in in Russia and Poland, then combined these interests with modern Western medical training at Harvard, Columbia and NYU.   She also has passion for dance, music, yoga, meditation, and her curiosity and creativity have allowed her to build heart-centered practices and holistic wellness communities around these interests. Discover how trauma-informed care, self-compassion, and artistic expression can guide you towards a more fulfilling existence. Learn more about Dr. Bliss Lewis at:https://www.mindbody7.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@DrBlissLewisLearn more about Developing Meaning Podcast at:https://www.developingmeaning.comTimestamps0:00:17 Exploring Integrative Psychiatry With Dr. Bliss-Lewis0:11:59 Personal Growth Through Dance and Travel0:27:14 Exploring Integrative Healing Modalities0:45:49 Building Integrative Psychiatry Group Practice0:59:52 Exploring Meaning and Life Direction1:13:00 Meaning and Life Rapid Fire Questions1:17:02 Finding Meaning Through Values and Self-Compassion1:23:00 How Bliss Sets her Life IntentionTheme music by The Thrashing SkumzThis show was produced by Dirk Winter and Violet Chernoff

Send us a Text Message.Please enjoy this guided six minute coherent breathing exercise led by Dr. RIchard Brown, co-creator of Breath Body Mind.This is a spontaneous demonstration taken out of our longer Episode 12 Interview in order for you to be able to chose the right time and place to do this exercise.For more information on Dr. Brown's approaches to breathing listen to our full lenght episode 12, or go to www.breathbodymind.com.

Send us a Text Message.For thousands of years  breathing has been used to heal trauma, optimize health, and build connection.  Dr. Richard Brown has spent his life mastering these techniques, and is also an expert in integrative psychiatry, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia.  He has co-authored over 100 scientific articles, chapters, and award winning books on applying these techniques to heal anxiety, trauma, and optimize health.  Together with his wife, Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, he has co-created the Breath-Body-Mind organization, which trains health care providers in using breathing techniques to heal health workers and trauma survivors all over the world, including places like Ukraine, Rawanda, Sudan, and Turkey.  In this episode you will learn how childhood bullying led him to pursue martial arts, and learn techniques that we all can use to heal, optimize health, and find joy.For more information visit:www.Breath-Body-Mind.com andwww.breathbodymindfoundation.org.Timestamps00:00:18 - Breath Techniques With Dr. Brown00:14:06 - Martial Arts Journey Through Life00:27:06 - Breathing Techniques in Spiritual Practices00:41:18 - Global Healing Through Breath Practices00:55:14 - Optimizing Breathing Techniques for Wellness01:08:58 - Global Impact of Breath Practices01:15:53 - Transformative Power of Breathing Practices01:21:09 - Healing Trauma Through Breathing Techniques01:27:49 - Exploring Breath Practices and Global ImpactProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTheme Music by The Thrashing Skumz

Deb Dana is a master healer, teacher,  author, and the creator of a unique polyvagal-informed approach to therapy that is based on The Polyvagal Theory of Dr. Stephen Porges.In this episode you will learn about the neuroscience of human connection, and how our autonomic nervous system is composed of three distinct internal states that determine how we feel and how we create meaning.Learn more about Deb Dana's work and workshops at www.rhythmofregulation.comTimestamps:00:00:18 Understanding Polyvagal Theory and Nervous System00:18:07 Early Influences and Therapy Modalities00:34:15 The Power of Polyvagal Theory00:50:16 Healing Trauma Through Nervous System00:56:00 Exploring Mental Health Paradigm Shifts01:05:38 The Meaning of Life and Connection01:14:13 Exploring Healing and Connection With ExpertsTheme music by The Thrashing SkumzProduced by Dr. Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffDeveloping Meaning is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTIONS.  Learn more at DevelopingMeaning.com.

Dr. April Minjarez is the only therapist I know who is both experienced at healing infant trauma and an end of life doula.  She is also an expert in multiple trauma healing modalities including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and an amazing mentor, teacher, and healer.In this episode you will hear how a terrifying experience with gangs in middle school inspired April to become a therapist.  You will also learn how EMDR therapy stimulates healing by reprocessing components of traumatic memories, and how this modality can integrate ketamine journeys.  Also, you will learn April's compelling one word answer to my question about the meaning of life.Theme music by The Thrashing SkumzProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffDeveloping Meaning is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE and NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTIONSTimestamps0:19 - Finding Meaning in Therapeutic Modalities11:31 - Middle School Gang Story19:20 - Evolution of Therapeutic Modalities23:32 - EMDR Therapy for Trauma Processing40:00 - Integrating EMDR and Ketamine48:51 - Working with Grief and Loss58:00 - The Meaning of Life According to April1:02:02 - Being Mortal by Atul Gawande1:06:00 - Wrap Up and Look Ahead

When Richard Brockman was seven years old his mother died by suicide.  He went on to become an expert in trauma and suicide, and is now a Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia, Psychoanalyst, Playwright, Author and my mentor and friend.   He recently published his memoir, Life After Death: Surviving Suicide, which tells his story of loss and healing from both a first person and a neuroscience perspective.  In this conversation you will learn much about how to heal trauma from perspectives of story, neuroscience, and meaning. Theme music by The Thrashing SkumzProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTimestamps0:17 - Healing Trauma and Surviving Suicide10:43 - Personal Connection's Impact in Psychiatry25:29 - Questioning Freud's Theories in Therapy30:15 - Understanding Meaning and Story in Psychology42:04 - Trauma, Story, and Healing50:31 - Healing Trauma Through Love and Storytelling1:04:03 - Healing Trauma and Finding Gratitude1:10:45 - Taking Steps Towards Healing and Recovery1:17:38 - Healing and the Meaning of Life1:26:28 - Appreciation, Friendship, and Future Plans

In this episode I discuss how a year end review can help us prioritize and plan for the year ahead.  I review what I have learned from this podcast so far and look ahead toward upcoming episodes and topics in 2024.Produced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTheme Music by The Thrashing Skumz

"The more efficient a force is, the more silent and the more subtle it is. Love is the subtlest force in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi(quote lifted from Bruce's bio page)How can you know what type of therapy is most likely to be helpful when the number of psychotherapies is vast and growing ?  One way is to learn from Bruce Hersey, who has 30 + years of clinical experience and a wide range of expertise, including Ericksonian Hypnosis, Psychodrama, EMDR, IFS, and Coherence Therapy. In this episode Bruce describes his evolution as a therapist,  and how he found convergent principles between 3 treatment modalities: EMDR, IFS, and Coherence Therapy.  Bruce describes his integrated approach for healing trauma, and how he created the Syzygy Institute, which teaches these methods to therapists.You will also hear about Bruce's take on Meaning, and how music and the song Titanium helped him during a challenging time.Timestamps:00:00:23 - Intro00:05:00 - Concilience and EO Wilson00:15:00 - Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP00:17:19 - Psychodrama00:28:00 - EMDR, bringing adaptive and dysfunctional memory networks together00:34:12 - Power and Challenges of EMDR00:40:17 - Ego States and IFS in EMDR00:44:00 - Understanding IFS and EMDR Connection00:50:52 - Comparing Dual Attention in EMDR and IFS01:02:00 - Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories01:14:20 - Caution and Meaning in Healing Therapies01:19:00 - The Meaning of Life According to BruceProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTheme Music by The Thrashing Skumz

Join me as I share an audio diary of my first encounter with Ketamine, which is a legal psychedelic medication  that can treat depression, trauma and more.  Set  in the serene Menla retreat center of the Catskill Mountains, this episode describes my participation in a week-long  training program designed to teach mental health clinicians how to utilize the healing power of Ketamine.  During this immersive experiential training, I become increasingly connected with a team of peers, as we guide each other's Ketamine journeys and learn from a team of expert clinicians led by Dr. Phil Wolfson, Bessel Van der Kolk, Gita Vaid, Licia Sky and Peter Corbett.   This episode may be especially interesting to mental health clinicians who are curious about what it is like to participate in an immersive experiential Ketamine training program.Timestamps0:16 - Psychedelic Journey: Welcome to my Audio Diary11:56 - Tuesday: My First Morning at Menla KAP training, History of Menla15:00 - Wednesday: Pearls From Our First Full Day21:39 - Power of Ketamine and Group Dynamics24:47 - Thursday: My First Ketamine Journey, Bessel's Teaching About Trauma and DMN36:00 - Friday: Sitting for Others43:08 - Saturday: My 2nd Journey - IM this time, Combining Breath, Movement and Ketamine52:00 - Sunday: Sitting a 2nd Time, A Swim with Naga Spirit55:21 - Meaning and Connection Through Ketamine JourneysProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffMusic by The Thrashing Skumz

What would make a successful Columbia Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst fly across the country to write a story about a one-legged wrestling superstar?  What does it mean to be Neurotic, and how can we recognize and change repetitive self-defeating patterns? In this episode we explore unconscious motivations with my friend, colleague and former supervisor, Dr. David Merrill.  Dr. Merrill  describes how he made important life decisions that led him to become a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.  We seek to understand and explain the process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and how lying on the couch can facilitate introspection.  We also discuss what type of problems psychoanalytic therapy is particularly helpful for, and the importance of honesty, kindness, and courage in psychotherapy. As our world becomes increasingly divided and distracting, we reflect on the need for kindness, self-reflection, and listening, as well as the importance of creativity and connection with Nature in finding balance. Buckle up for a captivating discussion that navigates the complexities of the mind, illuminating how psychoanalysis, literature, and introspective journeys shape our understanding of life's meaning.

Are you curious about psychedelic retreats? Join us for an insider's perspective with Justin Townsend, CEO of MycoMeditations, the oldest and largest psilocybin mushroom therapeutic retreat center in Jamaica. We discuss the process of safety screening, and the potential of using psychedelics to overcome trauma, ease depression, and reconnect with our authentic selves.  Justin shares his personal journey, from tech startups, to the European psychedelic underground, to learning and teaching breathwork and meditation, and then joining MycoMeditations in Jamaica.  Having facilitated thousands of healing journeys, he shares how these retreats can provide unique insights into our individual and collective human condition. We probe the metaphysics of consciousness and healing and examine how psychedelics can influence belief and faith, which can alter our physiology and bring greater understanding and meaning to our lives.   As we conclude our conversation, we reflect on Carl Jung's concept of Individuation and Integration, and the transformative stories of guests at MycoMeditations. We discuss life and work in Jamaica, and highlight the importance of surrender and authenticity. We invite you to immerse yourself in this captivating world of psychedelic therapy – a world that promises to challenge, inspire, and transform.Caution: DON'T CONSUME PSYCHELICS WITHOUT CONSULTING YOUR PERSONAL TRUSTED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.Timestamps0:17 Exploring Psychedelics13:32 Psilocybin Retreats and Group Therapy25:49 Background and Path to Psychedelics40:59 Psychedelics, Mystical Experiences, and Therapeutic Potential42:15 Roland Griffith's 3 Mediators of Psychedelic Experience49:55 Bad Trips vs Healing Journeys53:35 Therapeutic Healing and Transcending Rationality1:02:16 Approaches to Trauma and Memory1:05:26 Parental Fantasy Bond Trauma1:13:49 Exploring Consciousness and Metaphysical Perspectives1:21:55 Meaning of Life Questions1:29:59 Carl Jung's Individuation and Integrating Your Shadow1:32:33 Life In Jamaica1:39:40 Legacy and Authenticity in Psychedelic Healing1:45:19 The Concept of Letting Go1:49:04 Next Episode: Psychoanalysis, Short Story Writing, and Meaning with Dr. David Merrill

            Dr. Jean Marmoreo has been a family physician for upwards of forty years. For most of those years, she practiced mid-life medicine while breaking marathon records and hiking all around the world. Her speciality shifted in 2016, when MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) was legalized and she became one of Canada's first MAiD practitioners. Having worked in the end-of-life medical spheres for the past seven years, Jean has witnessed numerous last days and multitudes of family goodbyes.             Many believe that denial of death is at the root of human anxiety, and that awareness of our mortality is central to creating meaning.  Join me for a conversation about meaning with one of the most experienced medical professionals in field of end of life medicine. In this episode, Jean and I discuss why people choose MAiD; how MAiD alters the pre-death experience; how MAiD has affected her faith and psyche; and how meaning factors into this complex medical practice.Produced by Dirk Winter and Violet Chernoff

Many emerging therapies like EMDR, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, and Psychedelics target a client's “Felt Sense” and “Embodied Knowing” rather than intellectual and cognitive insight.  The term “Felt Sense” was coined by philosopher Eugene Gendlin, who developed a peer to peer therapy process called Focusing in the 1950s.  Here we present a conversation with Focusing expert Annette Dubreuil on the history, allure, and methodology of this internal psychotherapeutic process. Annette describes her personal connection to Focusing, her experiences as a long-time Focusing facilitator, and her specific teaching process, the Pupa process.  She also describes Gendlin's Thinking at the Edge method for creativity, and how we can combine knowledge from different fields to enhance creativity and meaning.  Stick around till the end to learn the meaning of life according to Annette Dubreuil and consider whether Focusing may be right for you.Timestamps3:15 - Definition of the “felt sense”9:30 - Annette introduces Focusing14:00 - Annette's discovery of Focusing17:30 - Combining Polyvagal Theory and Focusing 23:10 - Giving credit to Eugene Gendlin 24:32 - Crossing therapy processes and modalities (“Thinking at the Edge”)26:59 - Combining the 8 C's of IFS and Focusing 30:10 - Focusing and Heart Energy 32:07 - Annette's transition from Focusing client to collaborator 35:00 - How empathy factors into Focusing38:00 - Tanya Singer's meditative monks42:00 - Catastrophic thinking46:27 - Annette's background 49:20 - Victor Frankl's 4 Components of Finding Meaning54:36 - “Meaning issue” in Annette's clients56:40 - Conversation about Dirk and Annette's shared experience 59:30 - Psychedelics and Focusing 1:01:30 - Annette's personal focusing practice1:05:00 - Focusing prompts1:06:47 - Rapid Fire questions and wind downProduced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTheme music by The Thrashing Skumz

Have you ever wondered what your psychiatrist or therapist has figured out about life's big questions?  In this first episode adult and child psychiatrist Dr. Dirk Winter begins his exploration of what clinicians have learned about how to build more meaning and purpose into our lives.  Also, Dr. Winter suggests a daily meaning enhancement technique that combines Victor Frankel's 4 components of meaning with hypnotist Mike Mandell's daily questions technique.Produced by Dirk Winter and Violet ChernoffTheme Music by The Thrashing Skumz