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Lennie Echterling joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about the lessons he learned from landmine survivors, the difference between empathy and toxic positivity, the importance of fostering your posttraumatic growth, and how to use writing to build your resilience. 

Lennie’s Bio: Lennie Echterling, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus at James Madison University with more than 40 years of experience in promoting resilience, particularly during crises and disasters. He has served as crisis counselor, consultant, and trainer following many traumatic stress events, including tornadoes and floods throughout the United States, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the tsunami in India, the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon, the shootings at Virginia Tech, and landmine explosions in the Middle East. His awards include JMU’s Distinguished Faculty Award, Virginia Counselors Association’s Humanitarian Award, Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia Counselors Career Service Award among many others. 

Resources mentioned during this episode: 

The Paradox of Empathy: When Empathy Hurts

Thriving in a Time of Crisis

The Book of Forgiving: The Four-Fold Path Four Healing Ourselves and Our World by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu

Writing to Heal with Laura Davis

Good Night Jung by Lennie Echterling 

Episode Highlights

• Lessons from Landmine Survivors  
• Triggers for Resilience
• Defining Posttraumatic Growth
• The Problem of Toxic Positivity
• The Power of Being with Another Person’s Story
• The Struggle to Trust
• Embracing and Exploring the Chaos Story
• The Role of Neuroplasticity in Storytelling
• Lessons Learned from Final Conversations
• Making Every Day Valentine’s Day
• The Power of Expressing Gratitude  
• Lennie’s Best Writing Advice
• Lennie’s Resilience Practice

Connect with Lennie: 

Email: [email protected]

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Produced by Espresso Podcast Production