CIIS Public Programs

This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with neuroscientist Matthew Walker about his groundbreaking exploration of sleep and its transformative power to change our lives for the better.

This episode was originally recorded live with an in-person audience on October 9th, 2017. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo about self-compassion, astrology, and why you should never look at your crush’s chart.

This episode was originally recorded live with an in-person audience on March 20th, 2019. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with journalist Celeste Headlee exploring ways to have meaningful conversations in a politically and socially polarized time.

This episode was originally recorded live with an in-person audience on February 22nd, 2018. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

As psychedelics continue to move into the mainstream, more people are exploring their use for healing through spiritual transformation. Throughout human history the primary use of psychedelics has been for spiritual practices. Indigenous cultures continue to use plant medicines to connect with their cultural and spiritual beliefs. Yet today’s society tends to devalue or deny the spiritual impact of psychedelics, focusing instead on neurological and other medically related health benefits.

In this episode somatic psychologist Francoise Bourzat and psychedelic therapist Danielle Herrera explore the interconnection of spirituality and psychedelics. Francoise and Danielle offer an exploration of psychedelics as a tool for spiritual healing and transformation while also touching on the cultural appropriation of Indigenous traditions within psychedelic spirituality in addition to sharing their experiences working with psychedelics in therapeutic practices.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on November 19, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, romance and consent, and the pressures of society? In her latest book, Ace, journalist Angela Chen set out to further understand her own asexuality by examining the perspectives of a diverse group of asexual people.

In this episode, Angela is joined by journalist Sabrina Imbler for a conversation about what it means to be asexual in a world that’s obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 29, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

One of the most distinguished voices in American literature, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday has devoted much of his life to celebrating and preserving Native American culture, especially its oral tradition. A member of the Kiowa tribe who was born and grew up on Indian reservations throughout the Southwest, Dr. Momaday has a deep attachment to the land he knows well and loves deeply. In his latest book, Earth Keeper: Reflections on an American Land, Dr. Momaday reflects on his native ground and its influence on his people and the person that he is.

In this episode, Indigenous scholar and activist Melissa Nelson talks with Dr. Momaday about his life, his work, and the importance of remembering that the Earth is a sacred place of wonder and beauty; a source of strength and healing that must be protected before it’s too late. Dr. Momaday reminds us that we must all be keepers of the Earth.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on November 12, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation about food, family, and more with author and chef Nik Sharma originally recorded on December 4th, 2018 in front of a live audience at CIIS.

We recognize that our university’s building in San Francisco occupies traditional, unceded Ramaytush Ohlone lands. If you are interested in learning more about native lands, languages, and territories, the website native-land.ca is a helpful resource for you to learn about and acknowledge the Indigenous land where you live.

Visit ciispod.com for a transcript of this episode.

Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), has been a relentless advocate for developing legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics paired with psychotherapy for decades.

In this episode, licensed psychotherapist and CIIS assistant professor Gisele Fernandes has a fascinating conversation with Rick about the future of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Diving into his vast knowledge of the science of psychedelics, Rick discusses how drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA affect your brain. He shares how, when paired with psychotherapy, psychedelics could change the way we treat PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and more.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 23, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

CONTENT ADVISORY

This episode contains references to the existence of traumatic events such as assault, rape, and suicide.

As a body justice advocate and leader Dr. Joy Arlene Renee Cox believes that the spaces carved out by third-wave feminism and the fat liberation movement fail at achieving true inclusivity and intersectionality. She believes that fat Black women need to create their own safe spaces and community—instead of tirelessly working to educate, chastise, and strive against dominant groups.

Dr. Cox’s latest book, Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Our Own, breaks down the myths, stereotypes, tropes, and outright lies we’ve been sold about race, body size, belonging, and health.

In this episode, educator and sexologist Bianca I. Laureano talks with Dr. Cox about rejecting the myths and lies that hold back fat Black women, and ways for their communities to flourish.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 7, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.

Both science and philosophy have traditionally conceived of the self as though it were separate from the world. Italian philosopher, psychologist, and AI engineer Riccardo Manzotti asks us to consider consciousness in a radical new way: Our conscious experience is actually one and the same with the external world.

In this unique conversation, philosopher Abre Fournier joins Riccardo as he offers an exploration of the nature of consciousness and our everyday life through Spread Mind Theory.

This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 17, 2020. A transcript is available at ciispod.com.