Active Pause ®

In this conversation, Rae Johnson talks about how the body is implicated in social justice work, and how to engage our bodies in the process of activism. Rae’s approach incorporates key ideas from many social justice theorists and somatic practitioners, and distills them into three key areas: (1) doing your own work, (2) working for […]

In this conversation, we explore how people deal with power, and the goal of mutuality in relationships. This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only, and as a printable PDF transcript. Hilary Bradbury is a scholar-practitioner focused on the human and organizational dimensions of creating healthy communities. A professor of organization studies […]

Susan Rudnick’s comments about the sexual abuse of women by powerful men derive from Karen Horney’s formulation of the Real Self, as she articulated it in Neurosis and Human Growth. Even if we are severely alienated from that Real Self, it is still there, and we do continue to have human need for authentic connection to ourselves […]

This conversation with Rae Johnson was inspired by the recent spate of accusations of sexual harassment. We talk about it as not about sex and gender, but about power. The conversation is also available as a  printable PDF transcript. Rae Johnson, PhD, RSMT is a somatic scholar/practitioner working at the intersection of embodiment studies and social justice. […]

Is biology destiny? Freud asked this question in the context of discussing women’s abilities and roles. Now, in the wake of a seemingly endless streak of abuse scandals involving prominent men, it may be legitimate to ask whether male sexuality is inherently aggressive. This is the starting point for this conversation with Barnaby B. Barratt. […]

In therapy, we deal with embodied experience. Shouldn’t research also have an embodied approach? This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only, and as a printable PDF transcript. Jennifer Frank Tantia, PhD, MS, BC-DMT, LCAT is a somatic psychologist and dance/movement psychotherapist, specializing in trauma and medically unexplained symptoms. She teaches research […]

This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only (below video). Stephen Batchelor” width=”150″ height=”150″ />Stephen Batchelor is a writer, translator, teacher and artist. Born in 1953, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the age of twenty and spent ten years training in the Tibetan Geluk and Korean Sŏn orders. […]

In this conversation, Sarah Peyton shares practical advice on how we can improve the way we relate to ourselves, grounded in an understanding of the underlying brain functions. This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only (see below). Sarah Peyton, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, teaches people how language changes relationship […]

Marjorie Schuman is a psychoanalyst who has practiced Buddhist mindfulness meditation and relational psychotherapy for over three decades. She says: “Early on in my practice, I realized the profound truth that this very moment is the perfect teacher, as Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron famously said.  I knew intuitively that there was wisdom in problems and […]

Linda Ciotola talks about a mindfulness approach the she practices and teaches: the Mindful Witness role. This conversation is available as a podcast and as a printable PDF transcript. Linda Ciotola is a Certified TEP: trainer-educator-practitioner of psychodrama, group psychotherapy, and sociometry; and an accredited Certified Trainer in the Therapeutic Spiral Model ™ of psychodrama used specifically […]

Once hailed as the best extreme skier in the world, Kristen Ulmer has come to value fear. She has learned that fear is not here to cause us problems. In fact, the only true issue we face with fear is our misguided reaction to it (not the fear itself). So we need to rebuild our […]

Originally, I had contacted Kathy McGuire to interview her on the topic of empathy. As we talked about what this might entail, we decided to practice what we preach: We did not rush into doing the interview, and we took time to process what we wanted to accomplish through this project. As a result, the […]

In this conversation, we explore ethics and embodiment. This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only, and as a printable PDF transcript. Dirk Marivoet is the director of the Institute for Bodymind Integration in Ghent (Belgium). He studied Core-Energetics under John C. Pierrakos, MD; Postural Integration®, Energetic Integration and Pelvic-Heart Integration […]

In this conversation, we explore the concept of “Beginner’s Mind” in a down-to-earth way. This conversation is available as a video, as well as audio only, and as a printable PDF transcript. Russell Delman’s dedication to the study of awareness and human potential began in 1969 as a college undergraduate. The main influences on his teaching […]

This recording is about the “Practice of Embodied Presence”, guidelines for connecting directly with the personal and sacred wisdom of your body. If you are caught up in the thoughts and feelings of the fight, flight, freeze body, you are already recycling the past. If you learn how to tune into your presencing body, you […]

In this conversation, we explore both the underlying reasons for needing to gather in community; and how that harkens back to our family of origin and the many issues that challenge our capacity to sustain connection. We specifically refer to Focusing-oriented communities, but the conversation is meant to be of interest to all people interested […]

This conversation with Manju (Peter Gill) is about his experience of what happens when he takes time to pause and notice how it feels to be in the world. Manju (Peter Gill) is one of the UK’s foremost Focusing trainers – teaching since 2004, and leading retreats, workshops and classes for more than twenty years. […]

Improvisation means that there is something, which we can’t see because we are so occupied with our plans. To improvise means be aware of the moment and its resources. The resources are mainly nonverbal. The room, our body, the sound of the voices, the rhythm of our dialog and our environment and our imagination are […]

Linda Ciotola talks about how she practices and teaches mindful eating. This conversation is available as a podcast and as a printable PDF transcript. Linda Ciotola is a Certified TEP: trainer-educator-practitioner of psychodrama, group psychotherapy, and sociometry; and an accredited Certified Trainer in the Therapeutic Spiral Model ™ of psychodrama used specifically for working with trauma survivors. […]

Richard Schwartz describes how we can understand ourselves better if we think of our inner conflicts as arguments between parts of ourselves. He outlines the kind of mindful interaction through which we can assume effective leadership of these conflicting parts: We learn to compassionately listen to their deep needs underneath the bluster. There is a short demo […]