Gottlieb, Dr. Dan — Our Body Holds Our Life’s Truth

Dr. Dan Gottlieb is a psychotherapist, author and host of Voices in the Family, a weekly public radio program originating from WHYY in Philadelphia.  In 1980, half his life ago, a wheel from a large truck crushed his car and he has been a quadriplegic ever since.

In this interview, we discuss his current work and physical condition.  He describes a recent severe accident where he was thrown from his wheelchair on the way to his first class to be a stand-up comic, and suffered a concussion and paralysis of his left arm.  Although the pain in his arm remains, he says, “it’s just an arm.”

In this program, Dr. Gottlieb describes how trauma changes human hormones and human wiring; and how the body holds the truth of our lives, without judgment or narrative; and his current work to teach compassion to oneself and others. This program was recorded by phone from his home near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 17, 2013, and is a sequel to his other Radio Curious interviews.

The books Dan Gottlieb recommends are: “Self Compassion: A Healthier Way of Relating to Yourself,” by Kristin Neff and “Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation,” by Sharon Salzberg.

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Bateson, Mary Catherine –- Do We Really Know the People Around Us?

Do we really know the people around us? Our children? Our family? Our friends? Or are we strangers in our own community? Mary Catherine Bateson, the author of a book entitled, “Full Circles: Overlapping Lives, Culture and Generation in Transition,” believes that we are strangers. She describes us as immigrants in time, rather than space.In this interview from the archives of Radio Curious, recorded in April 2000, we visit with Mary Catherine Bateson, the daughter of two distinguished anthropologists, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson.

Originally Broadcast: April 17, 2000.

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Rabbi Levy, Naomi – Healing Through Prayer

What is prayer, how is it done, and what good does it do?  The ability to mourn and grieve is one of the many things that distinguish humans from other animals, as is the ability to pray, or consciously not pray.  When life is good, people often pray less than when times are tough and tough times occasionally visit all of us, with or without prayer.  Our guest is Rabbi Naomi Levy is the author of “To Begin Again, the Journey Toward Comfort Strength and Faith in Difficult Times.”

Rabbi Naomi Levy recommends “The God of Small Things,” by Arandati Roy.

This program was originally broadcast in 1999.

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Smith, Janna Malamud — Why Mothers Worry About Their Children

Is the concept of  “mother blame” a method to control women?  Is motherhood really a fearsome job?  Will a mother’s mistake or inattention damage a child?  Radio Curious discusses these questions and more with Janna Malamud Smith, clinical psychotherapist and author of “A Potent Spell:  Mother Love and the Power of Fear.”

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Miller, Geoffrey — Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behaviour

Consumer behavior is the topic of this edition of Radio Curious in a conversation with Geoffrey Miller, professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of New Mexico, and the author of “Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior”.

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Vedantam, Shankar — Have You Found Your Hidden Brain? Part Two

Radio Curious brings you part two of a conversation about the subconscious mind with Shankar Vedantam, author of “The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives.”  His book encourages us to be aware of how our unconscious mind is capable of controlling our decision making capabilities.  In part two, we examine what compels suicide bombers of the early 21st century to take their own lives and those of others. And are we, in fact, all susceptible to these ideas?  Shankar Vedantam is a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post and 2009-10 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

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Vedantam, Shankar — Have You Found Your Hidden Brain? Part One

Radio Curious brings you a conversation about the subconscious mind with Shankar Vedantam,
author of “The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives.” His book encourages us to be aware of how our unconscious mind is capable of controlling our decision making capabilities. Shankar Vedantam is a national correspondent and columnist for The Washington Post and 2009-10 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

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Miles, Dr. Steven — A Blind Eye to Torture

Radio Curious brings you an interview about torture from our archives in 2006.  Our guest is Dr. Steven Miles, author of “Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and the War On Terror,” a book based in part on eyewitness accounts of actual victims of prison abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than thirty-five thousand pages of documents, autopsy reports and medical records.
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Ley, Dr. David — The Myth of Sex Addiction Part Two

Most people are familiar with sex.  Some like it.  Some like it a lot and seek to engage in sex more than others.  Some people are inclined to think that the desire for “too much sex,” however much that may be, is due to a mental disorder.

In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with David J. Ley, Ph.D. the author of “The Myth of Sex Addiction.”

In the first of two conversations with Dr. Ley, the argument that “sex addiction” is a fraudulent concept is presented.  In part two we discuss the evolutionary development of human sexuality and the many cultural approaches to sexual expression.

We spoke by phone from his office in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 6, 2012, and began Part Two when I asked him to discuss human evolutionary development and sexual behavior.

The books he recommend are “Nymphomania:  A History,” by Carol Groneman, and “Is There Anything Good About Men?:  How Cultures Flourish By Exploiting Men,” by Roy F. Baumeister.

Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below.

Click here to download the podcast.

Ley, Dr. David — The Myth of Sex Addiction Part One

Most people are familiar with sex.  Some like it.  Some like it a lot and seek to engage in sex more than others.  Some people are inclined to think that the desire for “too much sex,” however much that may be, is due to a mental disorder.

In this edition of Radio Curious we visit with David J. Ley, Ph.D. the author of “The Myth of Sex Addiction.”

In this first of two conversations with Dr. Ley, the argument that “sex addiction” is a fraudulent concept is presented.  In part two we discuss the evolutionary development of human sexuality and the many cultural approaches to sexual expression.

We spoke by phone from his office in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 6, 2012, and began Part one when I asked him explain why he characterizes “sex addiction” as a fraud, not as disorder.

The books he recommend are “Nymphomania:  A History,” by Carol Groneman, and “Is There Anything Good About Men?:  How Cultures Flourish By Exploiting Men,” by Roy F. Baumeister.

Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below.

Click here to download the podcast.