Writing as a Healing Tool

Relationships rule our inner world. Understanding how you feel and think about your relationships helps you become more accepting and then more peaceful. You can develop an appreciation for other people's perspectives and stop assigning blame on others. Dr. Jacqueline Heller’s book “Yesterday Never Sleeps: How Integrating Life's Current and Past Connections Improves Our Well-Being” draws upon decades of clinical experience to create a powerful and more positive inner narrative. Her unique combination of neuroscience, memoirs of her life as a child of Holocaust survivors, and patient histories involving a range of psychological ills and trauma help readers to make sense of their own histories and forge a better future. Listen to our conversation with physician & author Dr. Jacqueline Heller as we discuss how to befriend and understand our inner mind, open a pathway to curiosity, improve relationships, empathy, and intimacy. Dr. Jacqueline Heller is a physician, board certified in psychiatry and neurology, psychoanalyst, and bestselling author. She brings a wealth of knowledge of over 40 years of psychiatry practice, assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences within the David Geffen School of Medicine. Having recently retired from her medical practice, she now focuses on passing down her knowledge to psychiatrists in training and the general public alike. Dr. Heller’s book focuses on the learnable skill of self-reflection and how it helps you link emotions to past events and patterns of behaviour. Her book emphasizes how knowing and understanding the story behind our feelings can help soothe and regulate emotions before you react. She also explains how your miraculous brain – creates new neural connections when you take the time to reflect and this helps you improve emotional health and your thought processes. Listen to our conversation with Dr. Jackie Heller as we discuss lifelong inner talk (i.e., good, bad, and ugly). We will focus on strategies for gaining wisdom, love, and kindness, and helping to break cycle of old trauma in driving your life. If you are interested in learning about how integrate your past to better your future, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: For more information about Dr. Heller’s book visit: https://jacquelineheller.com/books/yesterday-never-sleeps/ Learn more about Dr. Jacqueline Heller: https://jacquelineheller.com/about/ To purchase the book visit: https://www.amazon.com/Yesterday-Never-Sleeps-Integrating-Connections/dp/B0C1MBVKYJ Materials to Reference: Heller’s other interviews and talks: https://jacquelineheller.com/talks-interviews/ Heller’s Articles: https://jacquelineheller.com/other-writing/

Disconnected People in positions of power make the world more dangerous for everyone – Bear Psychology Radio hosted by Dr. Anna Baranowsky with guest Dr. Steve Taylor. Disconnected people have the tendency to gravitate toward power.  When Disconnected people rule in positions of power societies trend toward patriarchal, hierarchical and warlike. In contrast, societies with connected leaders trend toward egalitarian, democracy and peace. Although most people have a deep need to be connected, life events/upbringing and trauma exposure can interfere in this profound human characteristic.  A person’s “goodness” and capacity for compassion often results from connection, whereas cruelty often originates from a feeling of being cut off from others. Dr. Steve Taylor, author of “DisConnected: The Roots of Human Cruelty and How Connection Can Heal the World”, teaches us about the consequences of disconnection, how connection ultimately shapes us as a society, and how it can even change us as people. Listen to the conversation with Dr. Steve Taylor as we explore the benefits of being interconnected unpack how valuable human connection is to us all in this complex world. Links & Resources: Dr. Taylor’s book review: https://tinyurl.com/3b2ewhfs Purchase Dr. Taylor’s book: https://tinyurl.com/mvp52h4h Information about Dr. Taylor’s Books: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/books/disconnected/ Materials to Reference: More of Dr. Taylor’s Radio Appearances and videos: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/videos/ Information about Dr. Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/about-steve-taylor/ Events with Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/events/ Online programs with Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/online-courses/

Experiencing stressful or traumatic experiences during childhood leads us to develop certain coping mechanisms to get us through. While these strategies might have helped us feel secure when younger, they often fail us in adulthood. Richard Brouillette’s book “Your Coping Skills Aren't Working: How to Break Free from the Habits that Once Helped You But Now Hold You Back” offers an evidence-based guide using multiple therapeutic modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), schema therapy, and attachment theory to help readers leave behind unhelpful coping strategies that keep us stuck in self-sabotaging cycles. Listen to our conversation with social worker & author Richard Brouillette as we discuss how to break free from habits that keep you from realizing your full potential. Also, learn to leave behind damaging childhood experiences and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. Brouillette is a Social Worker and a schema therapist. He focuses on helping creatives, professionals, and business owners who have reached a performance plateau and want to reduce anxiety, find fulfillment, and strengthen bonds with others. He is also a trauma therapist with experience treating survivors of war. Brouillette was involved in a program in New York City aimed at supporting individuals' creativity and motivation while engaged in achieving exciting community goals. “Your Coping Skills Aren’t Working” focuses on identifying your unhealthy coping mechanisms acquired earlier in life; understand the reasons behind them; discover how to break negative behavior patterns that prevent you from leading a happy life. Along with learning how to develop clarity, stability, and confidence in oneself, it also teaches the reader effective techniques for giving voice to your unfulfilled preferences, vision and desires. If you are interested in learning about how to not let your past need determine your future, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: For more information about Brouillette’s book visit: https://www.self-talk-therapy.com/book Learn more about Richard Brouillette: https://www.self-talk-therapy.com/about Read book reviews on good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61414139 Materials to Reference: Richard Brouillette’s Blog: https://www.self-talk-therapy.com/blog Learn more about Schema therapy: https://www.self-talk-therapy.com/18-schemas  

Raheel Raza, a Muslim Canadian born in Pakistan, migrated to Canada in 1988, has a unique perspective on what is happening right now in the Israel-Hamas war and her reflections on misinformation and what Peace would take.  She has visited Israel 13 times in the 16 years. In her National Post Article “I'm a Muslim and I love Israel. Here's why” published in February 2023, Raza details what she has learned about hate and antisemitism, it’s prevalence in Arab Muslim countries, her hope for Peace and the struggles of supporting Israel at this time. Listen to our conversation with journalist & author Raheel Raza as we talk about her unique understanding of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, with the perspective as a Muslim Canadian Journalist in Canada. Raheel Raza has publications in major newspapers in Canada and appearances on International media outlets like CNN, BBC, Fox News and CBC. She is considered an activist for human rights, a prolific author, supporter of women’s issues and an International public speaker. She also sits on the board of directors for Muslims facing Tomorrow and The Council of Muslims against Antisemitism (CMAA). Raheel Raza has published numerous books including “Their Jihad...Not My Jihad!: A Muslim Canadian Woman Speaks Out” which offers Raza’s insight, opinions and solutions to restoring dignity and respect to Muslims living in the West and “How Can You Possibly be a Muslim Feminist?” where Raza utilizes common sense, a dash of humor and the Qur’an itself to combat against the misogynic barbarism in so many Islamic cultures. Listen to our conversation with Raheel Raza as we discuss her opinions on extremism, radicalization, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. If you are interested in learning more about Raheel Raza’s story, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: Review Raza’s National Post article:  https://nationalpost.com/opinion/im-a-muslim-and-i-love-israel-heres-why For more information on Raheel Raza: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raheel_Raza Links to Raza’s other publications:  https://raheelraza.com/media/ Raheel Raza’s Book “Their Jihad, Not My Jihad!”:  https://www.amazon.ca/Their-Jihad-Not-My-Canadian/dp/0973508728/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=raheel+raza&qid=1599398777&sr=8-3 Materials to Reference: Hamas Ideology Explained: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/hamas-covenant-israel-attack-war-genocide/675602/ The Decolonization Narrative: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/decolonization-narrative-dangerous-and-false/675799/  

What does it mean to lose someone so close to you that your world will never be the same? What if this happens when the whole world is locked down during a global Pandemic, a collective trauma?  How do we navigate terrible loss with great compassion and love?  Journalist Mitchell Consky has something important to share with us about this based on personal experience. During the worst of the COVID pandemic, Consky received distressing news.  His father had been given less than two months to live after being diagnosed with a rare terminal cancer. In his book, “Home Safe: A Memoir of End-of-Life Care During Covid-19”, he describes the challenges he and his family faced with balancing a family-centered approach to end-of-life care with the social distancing demands of the Covid-19 pandemic. Listen our conversation with journalist & author Mitchell Consky as we talk about his family’s journey supporting his beloved father die with dignity during a pandemic lockdown. Consky walks us through the experience of home hospice during a lockdown filled with dance parties; episodes of Tiger King, and his father's deadpan humour. Mitchell Consky is an Toronto based author and journalist with works published in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Walrus, BNN Bloomberg and CTV News. Consky specializes in long-form feature writing and essays about loss, travel, and adventure. He also holds a Masters degree in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a bachelor’s degree in English and Film from Wilfrid Laurier University. Mitchell Consky’s book utilized his journalistic talents to interview his father daily, documenting the last conversations, heartfelt farewells, and the spontaneous hilarity that marked his father's final days. These interviews provided a platform for fatherly affection, a chance for emotional disclosure during the slowed down of a locked down world, and an illustration of how far a family would go to ensure a dying loved one felt comfortable at home. Listen to our conversation with Mitchell Consky as we discuss his experience with end of life care during a global pandemic and saying goodbye to someone you love. If you are interested in Consky’s story and the heartbreaking reality of terminal illness, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: Mitchell Consky’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchconsky/?hl=en For more information about the book visit: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459750272-home-safe To purchase the book visit: https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Safe-End-Life-Covid-19/dp/1459750276 Links to Consky’s Articles: https://linktr.ee/mitchconsky Camp Erin - a camp to help kids who have lost a parent: https://thewalrus.ca/notes-from-grief-camp/

After 20 years in practice, Dr. Jonice Webb noticed the painful struggle of people who grew up in homes where they were emotionally neglected.  She identified this neglect as an "invisible factor" that continued to affect adults often leaving them feeling depleted and dissatisfied or what she described as “Running on Empty”. In Dr. Webb’s books “Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect” and “Running On Empty No More: Transform Your Relationships” she shines a light on this invisible force of CEN.  She discusses how to bring new tools, strategies and self-awareness to grow beyond this limiting life experience and encourages you to grow beyond CEN. Listen to our conversation with psychologist & author Dr. Jonice Webb as we learn about the concept of Emotional Neglect and her tools for helping fix it. Dr. Jonice Webb, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and “psychologist expert” according to the Chicago Tribune and CNBC. Dr. Webb has over two decades of experience in the field of psychology with a particular interest in how childhood factors influence us as adults and the effect of Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN).™ Dr. Webb currently has a private psychotherapy practice where she focuses on the treatment of families and couples. Dr. Webb’s books educate readers about the twelve types of parents who inadvertently emotionally neglect their children; ten issues that emotionally neglected children often struggle with as adults; six strategies for overcoming Emotional Neglect, and how to apply all these tools to different types of relationships including marriages, relationships with emotionally neglectful parents, and their even own children. If you are interested in Dr. Webb’s insights on recognizing Emotional Neglect and beginning the journey in overcoming the impact of CEN, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: For more information about Dr. Webb’s books visit: https://drjonicewebb.com/the-book/ To purchase the books visit: https://tinyurl.com/27vn66pr For more about Dr. Jonice Webb: https://drjonicewebb.com/about-dr-webb/ Webb’s CEN Training Programs: https://drjonicewebb.com/childhood-emotional-neglect-programs/ Therapist Resources for CEN: https://drjonicewebb.com/therapeutic-resources-cen/ Materials to Reference: Take the Childhood Emotional Neglect Questionnaire: https://drjonicewebb.com/cenquestionnaire/ 5 Roadblocks to Dating Caused By Childhood Emotional Neglect: https://drjonicewebb.com/5-roadblocks-to-dating-caused-by-childhood-emotional-neglect/ How Old Feelings From Your Childhood Could Be Controlling You Now: https://drjonicewebb.com/how-old-feelings-from-your-childhood-could-be-controlling-you-now/ 4 Ways You May Be Keeping Yourself Running On Empty: https://drjonicewebb.com/4-ways-you-may-be-keeping-yourself-running-on-empty/

Recovery from trauma is not simply about healing the mind but about healing the body as well. Often the approach when treating trauma is solely focused on the mental and emotional effects and fails to address the physiological imbalances that trauma leaves behind on our bodies. In Dr. Arielle Schwartz’s newest book “Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Applying the Principles of Polyvagal Theory for Self-Discovery, Embodied Healing, and Meaningful Change”, she guides the reader using yoga practices to help release the burdens of trauma and begin the journey of healing the psyche and the body. The book utilizes a variety of principles to provide a deeper understanding of how our bodies and brains react to stress and trauma leaving the reader feeling informed and empowered. Listen to our conversation with psychologist & author Dr. Arielle Schwartz as we learn about the importance of embodied healing in treating and recovering from trauma. Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, prolific author, wife and mother with a passion for treating individuals with trauma. Dr. Schwartz runs a private clinic where she treats clients as well as trains other therapists in her Resilience-Informed Therapy approach for helping people recover after experiencing trauma. She has also been teaching therapeutic yoga since 2008 with a specific focus on nervous systems recovery after trauma. Dr. Schwartz’s is also the author of “The Complex PTSD Treatment Manual: An Integrative, Mind-Body Approach to Trauma Recovery” which guides clinicians through successfully treating patients who have had prolonged exposure to traumatic situations. The manual focuses on utilizing mindful body awareness to build distress tolerance, cultivate self-compassion, and facilitate trauma recovery drawing from Dr. Schwartz’s own years of experience in the field.  She is also the author of “Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Applying the Principles of Polyvagel Theory for Self-Discovery, Embodied Healing and Meaningful Change”. If you are interested in Dr. Schwartz’s insights on healing from trauma using both the mind and body, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: For more information about Dr. Schwartz’s books visit: https://drarielleschwartz.com/books-by-dr-schwartz/ To purchase the books visit: https://tinyurl.com/5dbhjk66 For more about Dr. Arielle Schwartz: https://drarielleschwartz.com/dr-arielle-schwartz/ Find Dr. Arielle Schwartz’s Blog here: https://drarielleschwartz.com/arielles-blog/ Dr. Schwartz’s Trainings and Presentations: https://drarielleschwartz.com/trainingspresentations/ Materials to Reference: Therapeutic Yoga: https://drarielleschwartz.com/therapeutic-yoga-classes-in-boulder/ Learn about Resilience Informed Therapy: https://drarielleschwartz.com/resilience-informed-therapy/ Somatic Therapy for PTSD: https://drarielleschwartz.com/somatic-therapy/ EMDR as a Treatment for PTSD: https://drarielleschwartz.com/emdr-as-a-treatment-for-ptsd/ Play Therapy Principles: https://drarielleschwartz.com/play-therapy/play-therapy-principles/

Every wonder why you make poor food choices? Have you ever tried a new diet just to end up miserable and eating even more than before? Kim Shapira will help us understand how to put an end to disordered eating habits and improving your health and happiness in the process. Shapira recognizes that unhealthy food habits can occur as a result of life stressors and old patterns of self-soothing.  Her work focuses on getting back on track and using food for health. Kim Shapira, author of “This Is What You’re Really Hungry For”, teaches us how to develop a healthy relationship with our food free of restriction and the need to constantly eat “healthy”. Her method allows you to lose or maintain your current weight, alleviate blood pressure issues, increase your energy level, reframe any unhelpful beliefs about food, identify foods that are not for you, and manage your emotions in healthy ways. Listen to the conversation with Kim Shapira as we explore Shapira’s six simple rules to changing your relationship with food. Shapira is a celebrity dietitian, nutritional therapist, and author who has spent the last 25 years transforming people’s relationship with food and helping them lose weight the right way. Shapira has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Tulane University and a Master’s degree in Human Metabolism and Clinical Nutrition from Boston University. She has practiced her unique approach to keeping weight off in private practice, hospitals, sports clinics, addiction centers and even universities. In her book, Shapira breaks down the science behind getting both your brain and body on board with being healthy; explains why fad diets do not last, and empowers you to be the boss of your own body. If you are interested in learning more about how to start and stay on your health journey, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: Kim Shapira’s Book: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/thisiswhatyourereallyhungryfor Information about Kim Shapira’s Methodology: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/method Information about Kim: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/meet-kim Materials to Reference: More of Kim Shapira’s Products: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/shop Kim Shapira’s Blog: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/blog Contact Kim Shapira: https://www.kimshapiramethod.com/contact

I know you are creative and innovative at your core. However, most of us just don’t know how to access the deep wealth of creativity that sits inside. Dr. Ronald Alexander’s book “Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self” guides you through using mindfulness practices to train your mind so that it more easily opens the portal to core creativity: the unconscious mind. I am really excited about this show as it focuses on opening up to a powerful element of our true nature. Listen to our conversation with psychotherapist & author Dr. Ronald Alexander as we learn ways to go beyond ordinary creativity and unlock your creativity. Dr. Ronald Alexander, PhD, is a psychotherapist and international trainer who has spent more than 5 decades guiding and advising both renowned artists and the rest of us regular folks in his effective strategies for opening the portal to core creativity. Dr. Alexander’s book uses a number of effective tools including powerful guided visualizations, meditation, insights from highly creative artists, stories of ordinary people who achieved clarity and profound transformation, and more to provide those interested with a practical guide through the creative process. Listen to our conversation with Dr. Ronald Alexander as we move through areas we feel stuck in and grow our confidence in their creative abilities using the mind states of Absorbing Mind, Open Mind, and Generating Mind to access our core creativity. If you are interested in Dr. Alexander’s insights on cultivating core creativity and unlocking genuine creative breakthroughs, this show is for you. Links & Resources: Ronald Alexander’s Open Mind Training Program: https://ronaldalexander.com/overview/ For more information about the book visit: https://ronaldalexander.com/core-creativity/ To purchase the book visit: https://www.amazon.ca/Core-Creativity-Mindful-Unlock-Creative/dp/1538149567 For more about Dr. Ronald Alexander: https://ronaldalexander.com/about-dr-ronald-a-alexander/ Alexander’s Audio Programs: https://ronaldalexander.com/meditation-audio-programs/ Materials to Reference: More of Dr. Alexander’s books: https://ronaldalexander.com/wise-mind-open-mind/ Ronald Alexander’s Blog: https://ronaldalexander.com/dr-rons-blog/ Learn more about the ingredients for creativity: https://www.inc.com/tanner-christensen/the-six-resources-that-lead-to-creativity-according-to-research.html

Disconnected people have the tendency to gravitate toward power.  When Disconnected people rule in positions of power societies trend toward patriarchal, hierarchical and warlike. In contrast, societies with connected leaders trend toward egalitarian, democracy and peace. Although most people have a deep need to be connected, life events/upbringing and trauma exposure can interfere in this profound human characteristic.  A person’s “goodness” and capacity for compassion often results from connection, whereas cruelty often originates from a feeling of being cut off from others. Dr. Steve Taylor, author of “DisConnected: The Roots of Human Cruelty and How Connection Can Heal the World”, teaches us about the consequences of disconnection, how connection ultimately shapes us as a society, and how it can even change us as people. Listen to the conversation with Dr. Steve Taylor as we explore the benefits of being interconnected unpack how valuable human connection is to us all in this complex world. Dr. Taylor is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, and the chair of the Transpersonal Psychology section at the British Psychological Society. He is also the bestselling author of The Calm Center, The Leap and the Clear Light. His work has been described by Eckhart Tolle as “an important contribution to the shift in consciousness which is happening on our planet at present.” In his book, Dr. Taylor provides us with unique knowledge of human behaviour, social issues and a new perspective on human nature. If you are interested in learning more about how rediscovering the consciousness of our connection to each other is the only way we can live in harmony with ourselves, with each other, and with the world itself, this podcast is for you. Links & Resources: Dr. Taylor’s book review: https://tinyurl.com/3b2ewhfs Purchase Dr. Taylor’s book: https://tinyurl.com/mvp52h4h Information about Dr. Taylor’s Books: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/books/disconnected/ Materials to Reference: More of Dr. Taylor’s Radio Appearances and videos: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/videos/ Information about Dr. Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/about-steve-taylor/ Events with Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/events/ Online programs with Steve Taylor: https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/online-courses/