Healing Our Ghosts

Norman grew up in a loving Jewish family in the midwest. His father was a veteran and although all seem well, Norman felt a disconnect, a deep-felt sense of suffering all around him that was never Acknowledged or discussed. In his early twenties, Norman experienced a great deal of internal turmoil and when he learned the First Noble Truth, one of the central beliefs of Buddhism, he experienced great relief -- his suffering was not his alone, it was universal. Norman has dedicated his life to the study and practice of Buddhism, to live a life of kindness and compassion, and to sharing his path with a wide audiences. He is the author of more than 25 books, including the brilliant Taking Our Places : the Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up, and Sailing Home: using Homer’s Odyssey to navigate life's perils and pitfallsBio:Zoketsu Norman Fischer is an American poet, writer, and Soto Zen priest, teaching and practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki.[1] He is a Dharma heir of Sojun Mel Weitsman, from whom he received Dharma transmission in 1988. Fischer served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1995–2000, after which he founded the Everyday Zen Foundation in 2000, a network of Buddhist practice group and related projects in Canada, the United States and Mexico.[2] Fischer has published more than twenty-five books of poetry and non-fiction, as well as numerous poems, essays and articles in Buddhist magazines and poetry journals.Links:http://www.everydayzen.org/

Marlon was that nerdy little kid who loved to write and went door to door in his little suit to share church pamphlets. But even a protective family could not shield him from the violence in his neighborhood. Marlon was in elementary school when he was first robbed. His exposure to violence made him hyper-vigilant, but nothing could protect him from being raped at gun point at the age of 14. As Marlon puts it, this event took away his childhood freedom and sentenced him to absolute silence and the beginning of his belief of his own brokenness. At 19, he went to jail, facing a life sentence for his part in a fatal robbery. in Jail he earned a college degree, and designed a workshop that bridged his community of incarcerated men with a student community at Vassar College. After he got out in 2009, he started and led two youth development programs, and became a gun-violence prevention advocate and a leader in the justice reform movement. In this podcast Marlon discusses the social context to our stories and the possibility of moving past judgement to recognize the humanity and potential in all of us, including violent offenders. Bio:Marlon Peterson, a writer, the host of a podcast called Decarcerated, where he interviews people who have spent time in prison about their journeys to success. His Ted talk has been viewed over 1 Million times. In Jail, Marlon earned a college degree, and designed a workshop that bridged his community of incarcerated men with a student community at Vassar College. After he got out in 2009, he started and lead two youth development programs, one called H.O.L.L.A, (How Our Lives Link Altogether), and another called Youth Organizing to Save Our Streets (YO S.O.S). He also earned another degree from New York University, a Bachelors of Science with a concentration on Organizational Behavior. He's a gun-violence prevention advocate and a leader in the justice reform movement. Marlon's writings have appeared in Ebony, Gawker, The Nation, The Crime Report, Black Press USA, Huff Post, The Roots, and other online publications. He has contributed to Kiese Laymon's award winning novel, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America and Love Lives Here, Too by former New York Times columnist, Sheila Rule. Marlon is currently working on his first novel. Links:Marlon’s website: https://www.marlonpeterson.com/Marlon’s podcast: https://www.marlonpeterson.com/decarceratedArticle discussed in the Podcast by Prof. Shawn Ginwright: The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement

When Robin’s father was 12, he hid in a closet while his family was gunned down in one of the first mass shooting in US history. 60 years later, Robin’s niece hid in a closet while her classmates were murdered in the Parkland highschool shooting. Robin decided at that moment to become an activist against gun violence. As the child of a survivor and a school nurse, she knows first hand the damage caused by gun violence. When she learned about ACEs, her activism broadened from fighting against gun violence to thriving to promote trauma-informed schools and communities. Bio:Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently in her 19th year as a New Jersey school nurse in the Camden City School District. She serves on several national boards including The American Foundation for Firearm Injury Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM), a gun violence prevention research non-profit organization and the National Board of Certification for School Nurses (NBCSN). Robin is the Legislative Chair for the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA). She is proud to be a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow and past Program Mentor. She has been recognized in her home state of New Jersey and nationally for her community-based initiative called “The Community Café: A Conversation That Matters.” Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing and population health. These awards include 2019 National Association of School Nurses (NASN) President’s Award; 2018 NCSN School Nurse of the Year; 2017 Johnson & Johnson School Nurse of the Year; and the New Jersey Department of Health 2017 Population Health Hero Award. Robin serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. She was presented the 2018 Rutgers University – Camden Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty. Robin writes a weekly blog called The Relentless School Nurse. You can also follow her on Twitter at @RobinCogan.Links:https://relentlessschoolnurse.com/Here is a link to a new initiative the I am involved in with American Nurse through the American Nursing Association: https://www.myamericannurse.com/american-nurse-welcomes-the-relentless-school-nurse-robin-cogan/Here is a blog post I did about our experience screening Wrestling Ghosts at NASN Conference: https://relentlessschoolnurse.com/2019/09/11/the-relentless-school-nurse-wrestling-ghosts-an-experiential-film/ Here is info about my Community Cafe Initiative: https://relentlessschoolnurse.com/community-cafes/

Elizabeth’s parents are both survivors of the Holocaust. Their trauma loomed large in her childhood. As an adult, Elizabeth learned about epigenetics -- the way trauma changes the expression of our genes and gets passed down to future generations. In this episode, Elisabeth discusses the universal experience of trauma in each of our ancestry, the importance of honoring and remembering the past in its truth, and the potential for redemption in telling our stories. Bio:Elizabeth Rosner is a bestselling novelist, poet, and essayist living in Berkeley, California. Her newest book of non-fiction, SURVIVOR CAFÉ: The Legacy of Trauma and the Labyrinth of Memory, was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and in The New York Times; it was also a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award. Her three acclaimed novels have been translated into nine languages and have received prizes in the US and in Europe. A graduate of Stanford University, the University of California at Irvine, and the University of Queensland in Australia, she lectures and teaches writing workshops internationally. Links:Elizabeth giving a talk at Google headquartersElizabeth's websiteElizabeth interviewed on NPRElizabeth interviewed in the New York TimesElizabeth reviewed in the San Francisco ChronicleBryan Stevenson's website His Ted Talk

Meghan married young with her college sweetheart. The relationship seemed perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, she was experiencing emotional abuse and soon physical abuse. After ending a second marriage, and now a mother, Meghan decided to start her healing journey. Encouraged by her boyfriend, she joined an ayahuasca ceremony and experienced a deep transformation. Out of this experience came a powerful body of work (paintings and poetry) that explores her history with domestic violence, sexual assault as well as her healing journey. Bio:Meghan Spiro is a survivor, visual artist and photographer, and a mother. Her professional work focuses on food & wine, lifestyle brands, products and portraits, working within the Hudson Valley, NYC, and beyond. Her personal work is known for exploring intense female struggles like domestic violence, sexual assault, miscarriage, as well as radical methods of healing, spiritual journeys of wisdom, and the sacred feminine and connection to Mother Earth. Much of her work is autobiographic and self-portrait based. Also a poet, She sometimes blends her poetry with the artwork. Links:http://philasophia.com/http://meghanspiro.com/

Donna developed a serious auto-immune disease when she was a new mom. A simple viral infection left her hospitalized and paralyzed as her body turned against her very own nerve cells. With proper medical care and over time, she was able to walk again. But some symptoms lingered and when she would describe to doctors the neurological symptoms she also faced: depression, memory loss, brain fog, the answer was “well, of course, you’re dealing with so much pain and stress!” But Donna had a hunch that her symptoms were more than the results of the stress caused by her severe illness, and over years of research, she found out that she was indeed right. Very recent scientific discoveries are completely changing our understanding of the brain. And her reporting provides a radical new way of thinking about the brain and its interaction with the rest of the body. Donna provides essential and paradigm-shifting information for anyone who has suffered from depression, Alzheimer’s, or auto-immune diseases. Bio: Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning journalist and internationally recognized speaker exploring the intersection of neuroscience, immunology and human emotion. She is the author of six books, including her latest, The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell that Changed the Course of Medicine. Her mission is to translate the latest science to help those suffering from chronic conditions find hope and healing.Links:https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/

Andrew was bullied as a boy for being gay. As an adult, he suffered from severe depression. Andrew realized that to survive and thrive he must create meaning of his experience, recreate his narrative, and build his identity to incorporate his experience and grow from them. In this episode, Andrew shares his insight on this process of creating meaning, as well as his research into communities that openly support depressed members of the community and how other communities are neglected in getting clinical help. the tension between acceptance and curing, and the ultimate power of compassion.Bio: Andrew Solomon, Ph.D., is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture and psychology; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist in LGBTQ rights, mental health, and the arts. He is Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Medical Center, and a former President of PEN American Center. He is the author of seven books including the best-selling Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity and his award-winning memoir The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. Links: http://andrewsolomon.com

Jed’s father had a mental breakdown when Jed was only four. Jed visited him every Sunday at a psychiatric hospital where he witnessed his deterioration until, eventually his father could no longer recognize him. This daunting experience propelled Jed on a path to become a psychotherapist and a life spent focusing on men’s health and wellbeing. In this episode, Jed talks about the impact of a father’s absence on a child’s development and what it takes to have a truly fulfilling marriage. (hint: after the honeymoon, don’t bail, face and heal your childhood wounds so you can move to the next stage of intimacy and love). Bio: Jed Diamond , PhD, is the director of MenAlive and has been a licenced psychotherapist for nearly 40 years. MenAlive is a health program for men to eliminate stress that undermines their health and wrecks relationships. This program is also for women who care about the health of men in their lives. Jed is also an author of many books including My Distant Dad: Healing the Family Father Wound, a story about finding his father and both of their journeys of healing and redemption. Jed has been on the Board of Advisors of the Men’s Health Network. He is also a member of the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male and serves as a member of the International Scientific Board of the World Congress on Men’s Health.Links: https://menalive.com https://www.webmd.com/jed-diamondTwitter & Facebook @menalivenow

Sebern, at age four, was abducted and abused. Her parents never believed her and by the time she was a young adult, she ended up in lengthy psychiatric hospitalizations. She somehow pulled together and became a thriving psychotherapist and director of a residency program for severely disturbed youth. Despite Sebern and her team’s efforts, the success rate for this youth was abysmal. But in her 50s she discovered neurofeedback and felt, for the first time in her life, the quieting of the fear in her brain. It shifted completely her understanding of what was preventing the kids in her care to progress and led her to study neurofeedback and become one of the leading practitioner and teacher of neurofeedback for healing developmental trauma. In this episode, Sebern explores the impact of trauma on the brain and what that means for the future of understanding and healing mental illness. Bio: Sebern F. Fisher, MA, is a psychotherapist and neurofeedback practitioner in private practice who specializes in the aftermath of neglect and abuse in early childhood. She focuses on training the traumatized brain to learn its own regulation which it can learn at any age. She trains professionals nationally and internationally on neurofeedback and on the need to integrate neurofeedback with psychotherapy. Her book, Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma: Calming the Fear-Driven Brain, has helped her readers understand how the traumatized brain can give rise to explosive feelings, irrational thinking and destructive behavior. When the brain learns its own regulation, its owner can engage meaningfully in psychotherapy and in life. The book is now also available as an audiobook on Audible. Links:https://www.sebernfisher.com/https://www.sebernfisher.com/neurofeedback-in-the-treatment-of-developmental-trauma/

Louise is a Harvey Weinstein Silence Breaker. Speaking out was fueled by her desire to share her insight on the link between childhood trauma and sexual abuse in adulthood. But her experience with the media was often re-traumatizing. Her story too often was reduced to that of being a victim and her expertise, as the director of a trauma advocacy organization, overlooked again and again. In this episode, Louise explore why childhood trauma can set the stage to more victimization in adulthood, as well as why the trauma-informed movement must be led by survivors.Bio: Louise Godbold is the Executive Director of Echo-- an organization whose mission it is to educate trauma survivors about trauma and resilience in order to promote survivor empowerment, resolve individual and community-level trauma, and create the safe, stable, nurturing relationships that break the cycle of generational trauma. Louise is the developer and lead trainer for Echo’s professional development curriculum on trauma- and resiliency-informed practice. She is also a trauma survivor and #MeToo silence breaker. Links: Echo website: https://www.echotraining.orgEcho's 2020 Conference: https://www.echotraining.org/conf2020/Article about code of conduct for media when interviewing survivors: https://psmag.com/ideas/a-code-of-conduct-for-how-media-should-interview-survivors-of-sexual-traumaBessel Van Der Volk, The Body Keeps The Score: https://besselvanderkolk.net/the-body-keeps-the-score.htmlStill Face Experiment: https://www.wrestlingghosts.com/what-is-trauma

Joyelle was sexually abused at 11 by a high-school boy, which became the grounds for bullying and isolation. As an adult, she thrived and became a talented vocalist and teacher. Joyelle felt like she had done the work of dealing with her past traumas: she had gone to therapy, practiced yoga and meditation. And then she had kids and her trauma came barging in. Postpartum depression hit hard and she felt so isolated and shameful. She knew she could not be alone, struggling to parent with PTSD, and so she created an online community and published a book. And she became a coach, to help others parents with trauma learn how to heal and break the cycle.Bio: Joyelle is a speaker, mothering coach, and multi-media creator, working to break the silence that keeps childhood abuse survivors stuck in shame and self-hatred. She illustrated and self-published the children’s picture book Princess Monsters from A to Z, a book about accepting all the “monstrous” parts of ourselves that we might feel are un-loveable. Together with Dawn Daum she formed an online community for parenting survivors of childhood abuse and created the anthology Parenting with PTSD.Links:www.joyellebrandt.comFacebook: @joyelle.brandtTwitter & Instagram: @joyellebrandtIntegration Based Stress Removal http://www.bmi-ibsr.com/ibsr---the-protocol.htmlSelf Soothing Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRnZRbgqDccOut of the Storm website about complex PTSD https://www.outofthestorm.website/And this is my friend Victoria who would be great for the podcast: http://fiercefatty.com/aboutHere is her TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Ml3yr32bU

Elizabeth tried everything— meds, therapy, alternative approaches— to manage her depression and suffering, but nothing gave her lasting results. She didn't give up, and, over the years, came up with her own method, Mindfulness for a Messy Life. To help her overcome difficult times, Elizabeth reminds herself that “I can’t let the bad stuff win.” Through memories of herself as a hyper sensitive child who was cruelly bullied to her adulthood of high achievements despite agonizing self-loathing and mental anguish, Elizabeth shares her strategies for healing and thriving. Bio: Elizabeth Kemler is an author, educator, mental health advocate, coach, music-maker and performer. She is also a long-time battler of depression and anxiety. Mindfulness for a Messy Life isElizabeth's innovative self-care program that approaches depression and anxiety as your own most informed, affirming and empowering ally. Based on decades' worth of in-depth research and lived experience, MfML will help you gain transformational insights into the source of your symptoms while building a powerful set of tools that offer you both immediate relief and cumulative healing.Links: https://www.mindfulnessforamessylife.comAnd: Elizabeth's album, The Weight of Mortal Skin, where she traverses the rocky terrain of the human heart with stories of anguish and aching, revelation and deliverance. http://elizabetherinkemler.com

Victor watched his sister die when he was not yet 4. He has no memories of the 2 years following that event. It took him a long time to discover EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique which is also known as tapping) which he describes as a life changing discovery. Victor Lee Lewis, who can be seen in the film Wrestling Ghosts, shares his insight on healing from severe trauma, discusses the healing powers of EFT and other somatic modalities, and explore the difference or complexity of healing from attachment trauma vs. PTSDBio:Victor Lee Lewis, MA, is the Founder and Director of the Radical Resilience Institute, and Radical Resilience Coaching and Consulting. He is a Progressive Life Coach, trainer, speaker, and social justice educator. His work supports transformative change agents in improving and maximizing their emotional resilience, mental flexibility, and personal performance and effectiveness. Victor brings a unique socially progressive vision to the work of personal growth, personal empowerment, and emotional health. He is a Neuro-Linguistic Programing Master (NLP) Practitioner, an NLP Health Practitioner, an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Advanced Practitioner, an AAMET-certifed EFT Trainer, a certified NLP hypnotherapist and a resilient and thriving trauma survivor.https://victorlewis.vpweb.com

Cissy "grew up in hell", she says. Hyper-competent and emotionally disconnected, she managed to keep her trauma at bay, until it came crashing in in the form of panic attacks in college. She was diagnosed with PTSD and started therapy, but her redemption came through writing and through mothering her adopted child. Through mothering she realized what she truly missed as a child: to feel safe, to be seen, to be loved. It's not the bad stuff that happened to her that matter the most, it's what was missing. Once she could see that, she could heal.Bio: Cissy White’s goal is to make talk about trauma and healing less clinical and more conversational, less abstract and more accessible. She's currently working at the ACEs Connection as the Northeast Community Facilitator and Parenting with ACEs Community, Manager. She has given national speaking events, and her advocacy and writing have been featured in publications such as the Atlantic, the Boston Globe, Revelist, Ms. Magazine, and Spirituality & Health. She believes the trauma-sensitive movement must be survivor-led and anything that claims to be trauma-informed must be informed by trauma survivors.Links:Health Journeys (Guided Imagery Resources)Belleruth Naparstek, founder of Health Journeys, author of Invisible Heroes: Trauma Survivors and How They HealBernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine & Miracles ACEs Study-RelatedACEs Connection,ACEs Too High,Childhood Disruptedbook by Donna Jackson Nakazawa and TedTalk on Childhood Traumaby Dr. Nadine Burke Harris