Showing Up

Just back from a weekend group experience at a small college in western Massachusetts got me thinking about what it is about groups; why they can be so extremely powerful in either a positive or negative direction. People are not wrong to approach them with caution; what, exactly, are we getting ourselves into when we interact with strangers and allow ourselves to feel, and say, what's been on our minds in our previously-quiet isolation? With thanks to all the people who've ever uttered a sen...

I interview author, and friend, Stephanie Clare Smith about her stunning memoir, "Everywhere the Undrowned." The book is writing at its best as it revisits (through lyrical memory/reflection) the images associated with the summer of her abduction/kidnapping as a 14 year-old left alone in New Orleans. Decades later she cares for the cognitively-declining mother who had left her that summer in the first place. This book is not only for "survivors"; it's for anyone who wants to thrive in life wi...

13 days later, some reflections begin to come into focus. Regardless of your vote, there are real reasons to be concerned. It is time for all of us to turn into adults once again.

Jerry explores the impact of our familiar and cultural tribes on our ability to connect with others. What this all means for the crazy-time that a national election brings for the next 5-7 months is profound, as people face the choice of either hating people we see as essentially different from us or reaching for connections and enjoying the good things that follow. (What are your thoughts? You can communicate directly with Jerry here: https://www.podpage.com/showing-up/contact/)

An extraordinary interview with an extraordinary person -- Hans E. Hageman. His lifestory continues to unfold in the direction of working to heal the world. Through his work with people often written off as "too difficult" or too dangerous to embrace Hans continues to inspire the rest of us to go out of our comfort zone.

What if you found out, a lot later in life, that there were some very important things your about your family-of-origin that didn't quite add up? That there were some important things about the very essence of who you were, and where you came from, that they'd not told you? Author Christine Jacobson went through this experience and wrote about it. It brought her into contact with a side of herself she'd had a dim awareness of, and it didn't come without complications. Her book,...

In which I interview Don Lattin, author of a nonfiction "psychedelic trilogy" of books about San Francisco, Tim Leary, LSD, MDMA, Richard Alpert/Ram Dass, Aldous Huxley and the resurgent prospect of using psychedelic substances (legally) to assist psychotherapy.

Three original members of the 1970's South Shore Long Island rock group, Primeval Ooze, reunite for conversation 50 years later. Topics include: what WAS that we did, and had, 1970-1972, what we went on to do in the decades that followed, the evolution of musical taste, and trying to wrap our heads around the fact that the young rock musicians of the past are now grandparents, have their Medicare cards in their wallets and have children and grandchildren who may or may not be interested in ta...

Further discussion with Dr. Craig Heacock, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado, and host of the psychiatric storytelling podcast, "Back From the Abyss." We discuss the uses and abuses of a range of substances -- some of which seem to hold promise for controlled use in the therapy process, and some of which seem particularly designed for recreational use. What is being seen in states that have already legalized recreational use of marijuana? What can ...

Mitch Sumner, a young Hudson Valley musician, multi-instrumentalist and singer, is featured, along with his new album, CURRENT. Mitch's music defies easy categorization; it cuts across the decades in its use of sounds, layered harmonies, swooping Hammond organ, hot percussion and dreamlike vocal melodies. Mitch spoke to me about his influences, his formative years and how he puts it all together. https://www.youtube.com/mitchsumner https://www.instagram.com/mitchsumnermusic https:...

Utah couples therapist Kristy Gaisford, LCSW and I will be leading a Relationship Boot Camp on November 14th and 15th. We interview each other about what drew us to work with couples, the blessings and the challenges of the work and the how we integrate it into our personal lives. Go to http://www.thesandsoftime.net/workshop-events for detailed info re: the Boot Camp. Or register, directly, at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lc--hqDIrGNdNhPl_74R1seaoCGpWbVJg

I interview children's book author Anastasia Higgenbotham -- a brave soul who doesn't flinch from topics adults would rather not discuss -- about the necessary differences between how children and adults process divorce. More about Anastasia can be found here: https://anastasiahigginbotham.com/