Trauma and the Power of Self-Agency, Knowledge and Love with Mike Niconchuk

For more on Dr. Tammy Lenski's wonderful work, check out her website: www.tammylenski.comCheck out her book The Conflict Pivot: Turning Conflict into Peace of Mind.Explore her deeply thoughtful, smart and highly accessible Conflict Resolution Tools. https://tammylenski.com/conflict-resolution-tools/Reflect with her Query Cards: https://tammylenski.com/conflict-resolution-tools/querycards/And listen to her wisdom on her Disagree Better podcast: https://tammylenski.com/disagree-better-podcast/****The Foreseeable Now is hosted and executive produced by Lu Hanessian. Original music by KANO SOUND. Mixed and mastered by Nick Kepron. Subscribe where you listen, share and follow us @theforeseeablenowpodcast.

Global leadership expert Jennifer Dulski is the founder and CEO of Rising Team, a leadership development platform that creates and provides tools and training, through "blending experience and science to help leaders at all levels ensure people on their teams feel valued, motivated, and connected" - especially in our present remote and hybrid work realities that we've all been trying to understand and re-imagine. We talk about values, vision, vulnerability, and how a single moment at any time of our lives can shift our thinking and set us off on a course that changes the rest of our lives. And the lives of others. Read Jennifer Dulski's bestselling book ~Purposeful: Are You a Manager or a Movement Starter? Find out more about Rising Team ~https://risingteam.com/

World-renowned social scientist, best-selling author of "Forgive for Good," and director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, Dr. Fred Luskin recognizes why forgiveness is so "unpopular." It takes hard work, intentional practice, and deep vulnerability.  Grudge-holding may feel more justified, but it only makes us sick. In his seminal "Forgive for Good" workshop and class series, which he has presented around the world, Dr. Luskin takes people through his forgiveness training methodology that’s been validated through six successful research studies conducted through the Stanford Forgiveness Projects. Workshop participants learn to move from hurt to hope as they learn how to release grudges and free themselves from grievance.  Through his research at Stanford University, over the past 25 years, Dr. Luskin has confirmed that forgiveness has been shown to reduce anger, hurt, depression and stress and lead to greater feelings of optimism, hope, compassion and self confidence. Dr. Luskin holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University. He continues to serve as Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. The forgiveness project has successfully explored forgiveness therapy with people who suffered from the violence in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone as well as the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11.  In addition his work has been successfully applied and researched in corporate, medical, legal and religious settings. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University and is a Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Website:  https://learningtoforgive.com/Dr. Luskin's books: https://learningtoforgive.com/tools/

Rick Miller is a multi-hyphenate wonder. A multi-disciplinary artist. Multi-media, multi-lingual writer, actor, director, educator, musician, singer, and podcast host of the intergenerational series Xing the Gap. He's also the founder and creative director of WYRD Productions, and co-creative director of Kidoons.Rick received Dora and Gemini awards for his critically acclaimed work, which he has performed in five languages on five continents. Entertainment Weekly called him “one of the 100 most creative people alive today...” Check out his podcast here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xing-the-gap-with-rick-miller/id1598424688Explore his works on his website: http://www.rickmiller.ca/Behold his Boom Trilogy: http://www.boomshow.ca/More about MacHomer: http://machomer.com/aboutMacHomer as Educational Curriculum:  http://machomer.com/outreachRick's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/WYRDRickMillerFollow Rick on social:Twitter: https://twitter.com/RickMillerActorIG https://www.instagram.com/rickmilleractor/Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/xingthegap/?hl=enHe also plays in a 10-piece band called Trainwreck, with his life partner Stephanie Baptist:http://www.trainwreck.band/All clips from BOOM YZ courtesy WYRD Productions and Rick Miller Copyright All rights reserved. 

George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College and internationally recognized for his pioneering research on human resilience in the face of loss and potential trauma, listed as one of the top 1 % of the most cited scientists in the world. He is the author of The Other Side of Sadness, and his most recent book The End of Trauma.Dr. Bonanno has been honored by the Association for Psychological Science with its highest award, the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award for his “lifetime of significant intellectual achievements in applied psychological research and their impact on a critical problem in society at large." He has published hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific articles, many appearing in leading journals. He has been listed by the Web of Science among the top one percent most cited scientists  in the world. ~ "INSIDE THE PSYCHOLOGIST'S STUDIO": Lisa Feldman Barrett interviews George Bonanno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF-PfFLnLb8~ “Loss, Trauma and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?” (American Psychologist)https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/gab38/faculty-profile/files/americanPsychologist.pdf   

"Are we going to lead with fear or empathy?" - attorney Katharine Manning, author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job (HarperCollins Leadership 2021).Katharine Manning has worked on issues of trauma and victimization for more than 25 years. As a Senior Attorney Advisor with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, for fifteen years she guided the Justice Department through its response to victims in cases ranging from terrorism to large-scale financial fraud to child exploitation. Some of the cases she advised on include the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse nightclub and South Carolina AME church shootings, the uprising in Charlottesville, the Madoff investment fraud, and the federal case against Larry Nassar, doctor for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team.Katharine Manning's expertise helps organizations to prepare for and respond to the challenges they face involving employees and clients who may be in trauma. A member of the bar in Washington, D.C. and California, she also served as an attorney with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop in San Francisco, where she represented Fortune 500 companies in class actions, insurance, and media cases. She is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Virginia School of Law and teaches at American University and in the Master’s in "Trauma-Informed Leadership Program" at Dominican University. Website www.katharinemanning.com"We Need Trauma-Informed Workplaces" (Harvard Business Review)https://hbr.org/2022/03/we-need-trauma-informed-workplacesKatharine's book: "The Empathetic Workplace"https://www.katharinemanning.com/my-book/ 

Sameet Kumar, PhD is a clinical psychologist, international speaker, and author of three books, including the best-selling book Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss, as well as The Mindful Path Through Worry and Rumination.For more than twenty, he has specialized in palliative and end of life care, and has extensive experience in the use of spiritual and meditative techniques and therapies to support people through grief and loss. A practicing Buddhist, he has trained several Hindu and Buddhist spiritual teachers.He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Miami. Check out his website: http://www.sameetkumarphd.com/Dr. Kumar's 3-part workshop: https://tricycle.org/mindful-grieving/Facebook: Sameet Kumar, PhD  

Since he was a boy, Gregg Levoy has always been fueled by a lifelong quest for the questions. Little wonder he grew up to become a brilliant journalist, international speaker, and bestselling author of Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life and Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion, among many other publications.He just exudes curiosity, insight and wonder, and shares the gifts of his incredible enthusiasm for life, for curiosity itself and for discovering and living the practices that cultivate aliveness right now. Honestly, I feel like I could ask him anything and he'd give it his full attention and draw deep from his well of intuition and awe, and take a shot at it. He is both wise and wide-eyed, both a giver and a humble receiver. Our conversation is full of soul and surprise - and little suspense. I felt like we were on a kind of an archeological dig. We riff on how to stay in conversation with ourselves during chaos, and why the power of rituals  can mark our turning points in profound ways. And I just love how he spontaneously offers up real-time guidance on some really interesting practices that help us get to the truth of the stories we tell ourselves - to, as he puts it, "make a little edgewise room for doubt just enough that the story begins to change and crumble.”We talk about the power of presence, the hidden energy of stuckness, and his "deep trust in the relationship between setbacks and breakthroughs" as he navigates the now.***Gregg Levoy is the author of Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion (Penguin), and Callings: Finding and Following An Authentic Life (Random House) –rated among the "Top 20 Career Publications" by the Workforce Information Group and a text in various graduate programs in Management and Organizational Leadership. He is a former "behavioral specialist" at USA Today, and a regular blogger for Psychology Today.A former adjunct professor of journalism at the University of New Mexico, former columnist and reporter for USA Today and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and author of This Business of Writing (Writer’s Digest Books), he has written for the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, Omni, Psychology Today, Christian Science Monitor, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, and many others, as well as for corporate, promotional and television projects.He lives in Santa Cruz, CA.Gregg's website www.gregglevoy.comGregg's writing at Psychology Today:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/202204/the-tug-war-between-our-wild-side-and-our-tame-sidehttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/202202/the-power-passionate-curiosity-and-the-fear-ithttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/202108/why-you-have-question-the-stories-you-tell-yourself  

"We heal the past by embodying the present. Now, now, now, now, now. That's all we have. When we change the present, history changes." ~ Bethany SaltmanBethany Saltman is a phenomenon. She's also the author of a brilliant and poignant book called Strange Situation: A Mother's Journey into the Science of Attachment (Ballantine Books, 2020). This book absolutely floored me. “A fascinating mix of memoir and the history of a major revolution in the scientific theory of the relationships we form in our first year of life…” —BOOKLIST (Starred Review)It was her pursuit of the answer to a daunting question - what kind of mother am I? -  that captivated me. This question led her to search for, find, and follow clues that offered no map, no timeline, and no guarantees...and also eventually led to unforeseen discoveries about herself, her family, the science of attachment, the guiding figures she would meet along the way, and of course the scientist she would only know through archives, records, recordings, and notes - Mary Ainsworth, the attachment researcher who captured Bethany’s imagination and heart.From her Zazen meditation years seated on her cushion “being with what is” to the years of searching to discover what is, what was, and what might be, Bethany teaches us what it means to see ourselves and our children more clearly. We talk about the practice of awareness, the power of sensitivity, the reality of presence, the process of seeing and trusting in ourselves, self-care as child-care, and the predictive power of delight. This conversation is just a wonder. LISTEN, SUBSCRIBE, SHARE and FOLLOW us on social @theforeseeablenowpodcast. LINKS:Strange Situation is now out in paperback.Bethany's website https://www.bethanysaltman.com/Strange Situation ~ video https://www.bethanysaltman.com/related-videosA couple of Bethany's acclaimed articles:https://www.thecut.com/2016/06/attachment-theory-motherhood-c-v-r.htmlhttps://www.thecut.com/2014/10/we-fought-for-affirmative-consent-in-the-90s.htmlBethany's "Secret Teachings Study Group" ~ https://www.bethanysaltman.com/mary-ainsworth-attachment-study-group 

A profound, illuminating, and unvarnished conversation with neuroscientist Mike Niconchuk about polarization and the biology of belonging; the power of science, storytelling, and the narrative of trauma; the constant balance between urgency and safety; and what's possible when we center collective care, and take a "do no harm" oath with ourselves as "wounded healers" trying to reduce suffering in the world. Mike demythologizes the concept of ‘bouncing back,’ calls "science-activists" into action, and shares why he believes "nothing is more relevant than how the body responds to trauma." Mike Niconchuk is the Program Director for Beyond Conflict’s work on Trauma and Violent Conflict. Beyond Conflict combines nearly 30 years of experience in conflict prevention, resolution, and reconciliation with the latest cognitive and behavioral science. Mike leads the strategy and execution of initiatives focused on trauma and violence prevention in the U.S., Germany, Jordan, and Lebanon. These initiatives focus on the link between neuroscience and participation in group violence and the mind-body effects of conflict, forced displacement, and violence on youth and adults. He’s the author of the Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology, a unique psycho-educational and trauma recovery program for communities affected by trauma and adversity. The Field Guide is grounded in the belief that “science is a right and self-awareness is an asset”. First piloted in the Za’atri Refugee camp in Jordan with 160 participants, it now exists in both print and mobile app formats. In one of the largest neurophysiology studies ever conducted in a post-conflict setting, the Field Guide was determined to be effective in reducing mental health stigma, PTSD symptoms, and emotion regulation, even 3 months later.Listen, subscribe, and share. The Foreseeable Now is hosted and produced by Lu Hanessian. Co-production and original music by KÁNO SOUND.PROGRAM NOTE:  This conversation was recorded a few months ago. Our conversation remains both timely and timeless. *****SHOW LINKS ~Beyond Conflict  https://beyondconflictint.org/The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology TFG) is a trauma-focused psychosocial program that uses storytelling, psychoeducation, and self-care exercises delivered across 12-15 sessions by trained peer facilitators to (1) clarify why and how adverse experiences can affect the brain, body, and social behavior, and (2) ameliorate the negative effects of stress and trauma and promote help-seeking behaviors.https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/self-help-tool-reduces-refugees-psychological-distress-and-mental-health-stigma-301148042.htmlWATCH:"Program aims to help Syrian refugees recover from psychological trauma"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9w0K-gw0lchttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrian-refugees-importance-of-mental-health-aid-inside-zaatari-refugee-camp-in-middle-east/Some of the research mentioned in this episode:"Why Rejection Hurts" by Naomi Eisenburgerhttps://www.edge.org/conversation/naomi_eisenberger-why-rejection-hurtshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661304001433Dr. Paul Zak https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trusthttps://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin?language=enCheck out these interviews, articles, and presentations featuring Mike:An interview with Mike in the Europe Now Journal  https://www.europenowjournal.org/2017/01/31/our-brains-on-conflict-trauma-healing-and-the-politics-of-fear-an-interview-with-mike-niconchuk/UNHCR ~ https://www.unhcr.org/innovation/connecting-neuroscience-storytelling-psychology-can-create-measurable-impact-refugee-youth/RESOLVE Network Global Forum 2018 ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bruiloSuD2E