We all have the power to transform our pain and sorrow into a beautiful offering throughout our lives. This is a deep truth that Susan Cain writes about in her new book, Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the bestselling author and lecturer about a new understanding of high sensitivity and the connection between sorrow and joy. 

Give a listen to this heart-opening podcast exploring: How an experience of the bittersweet can lead to profound transcendence; the creative stimulation we can access in the gap between what is and what we wish were; stepping out of the paradigm of winning at all costs; the connection between high sensitivity and an attunement to the bittersweet; our human longing for a more perfect and beautiful world; the link between sorrow and kindness; how confronting our sorrows presents a fork in the road; the archetype of the wounded healer; moving on versus moving forward; healing our inherited traumas; leaning into the question, "What am I longing for?"; and more.

This episode first aired live and on video on Sounds True One. To watch Insights at the Edge episodes live and on video, and to access additional bonus Q&A;, please visit join.soundstrue.com to learn more.

Susan Cain: Bittersweet: The Hidden Riches in Sorrow and Longing

Tami Simon, Founder and Publisher of Sounds True interviews spiritual teachers, visionary writers, and living luminaries about their newest work and current challenges—the growing edge of their inner inquiry and outer contribution to the world.

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Tapping is a simple form of energy psychology that can help you transform difficult emotions, overcome addiction, anxiety, or depression, change self-defeating habits, and more. Today, there are over 175 peer-reviewed scientific studies supporting its efficacy. Yet despite 20 years of growing evidence, many people remain skeptical. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the authors of the new book, Tapping, Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD, about why the technique works and how to practice it successfully. 

Listen in to this exciting, illuminating conversation on: energy medicine and the subfield of energy psychology; thought field therapy and emotional freedom techniques; how tapping produces such incredibly fast results; auras and chakras; acupressure points and piezoelectricity; the acceptance statement and other tapping protocols; breaking the cycle of inner judgment and negativity; the deep and authentic personal work tapping requires; subjective units of distress (SUDs) and the affect bridge; obstacles to change and psychological reversals; tapping as a tool for trauma healing; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video with exclusive access to Q&As; with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD: The Power—and Proof—Behind Tapping

Where does creativity come from? How do we uncover our authenticity and deepest expression in a society that would have us cover it up to fit in? What is the connection between creativity and healing? Join Tami Simon in conversation with poet, artist, and author James McCrae as they discuss these questions, the role of the artist today, and his new book, The Art of You: The Essential Guidebook for Reclaiming Your Creativity.

A wonderful listen for creatives of every type and anyone who's ever had the thought, "I'm not creative," Tami and James talk about the courage to choose authenticity; the magnetic nature of vulnerability; creativity as a spiritual path; intuition as a portal to the invisible dimensions; emotion: the energy that fuels creativity; shadow work and the "creative purge"; the yin and yang of creativity; cultivating the soil; giving your ego the appropriate job; the metaphor of the sunflower; listening: the first stage of creativity; social media, art, and technology; viral ideas and the origination of the term meme; curiosity and the spirit of exploration; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As; with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

James McCrae: Why We Need the Art of YOU

What have we done to our mothers? Sociologists call our times “the era of intensive mothering,” a period in which moms must be it all and do it all for their children and families. Psychotherapist and maternal mental health specialist Erica Djossa has made it her mission to teach today’s mothers how to take care of their well-being in a sustainable way. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Erica about her much-needed new book, Releasing the Mother Load, and the steps we can take to challenge the norms and change the culture around mothering. 

Enjoy this empowering discussion of: values-centered mothering; mothers as martyrs; the pressures facing a generation of “overinformed, overeducated, and overwhelmed” moms; equally sharing our household duties; the cost of cognitive or invisible labor; boundaries; using the “load map” to redistribute the work; “mom rage,” its roots, and the unique nature of anger in motherhood; identifying the “red light and green light” times for difficult conversations with partners (and sticking to them); overcoming perfectionism; self-compassion; re-parenting yourself while you’re parenting your children; the disempowering belief that I’m failing as a mom; effective self-care for moms (it’s not just bubble baths!); advice for making changes—start small; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As; with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Erica Djossa: Releasing the Mother Load

What is the treasure that we all seek? What is it that we are looking for above all else? Contemporary spiritual teacher and author Rupert Spira believes that it's the feeling of sufficiency, of ease, of peace—or the realization of our innermost nature as being. In this podcast that is at once expansive and experiential, Tami Simon speaks with Rupert about his book You Are the Happiness You Seek and the insights he has gleaned through a lifetime of spiritual exploration and practice. 

Tune in for a liberating conversation covering the practice of pausing or "going back to being"; letting go of resistance and turning toward our unhappiness; bringing a complete "yes" to your current experience; the inquiry, who is the one that's experiencing?; the pure "I Am"; the original ADD: Awareness Deficit Disorder; the problem with the word "enlightenment"; recognizing the gaps between our thoughts and feelings; why what happens to the body doesn't happen to our being; the absolute level and the relative level; the practical implications of deepening our recognition of being; love: the felt sense of our shared being; freedom from "the tyranny of ego"; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As; with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Rupert Spira: The Quiet Joy of Being

A healthy relationship—whether that's between two people or two nations—is not one in which everyone agrees; it's one where it's safe for differences, and we have the skills to honor all of our needs. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with renowned mediator and bestselling author, William Ury, about his new book, Possible and the insights he has gleaned through more than four decades of conflict-resolution across the globe. 

If you only listen to one podcast this year, may it be this one! Tami and William discuss: Meeting animosity with curiosity; shifting perspective and the metaphor of the balcony; self-observation; how more silence leads to more cooperation; the 3A trap: avoid, accommodate, or attack; the link between creativity and conflict; why negotiation is more about listening than speaking; reaching "second order agreement"; creating a "golden bridge" across our divides; universal needs and the question, what do you really want?; humble audacity; the notion of bringing in the third side; the importance of reconciliation; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As; with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Susan Cain: Bittersweet: The Hidden Riches in Sorrow and Longing

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