For episode 227 of the Metta Hour, we are continuing our Mental Health Series. In this series, Sharon sits down with different teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health by applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice.

For this fifth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with psychiatrist, clinical researcher, and meditation scholar-teacher, Joe Loizzo, MD, PhD. Joe is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Columbia-trained Buddhist scholar with over forty years’ experience studying the beneficial effects of contemplative practices on healing, learning and development. He is an Assistant professor at Weill-Cornell Medical College, the founder of the educational non-profit Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, and author of several books.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

In this episode, Sharon and Joe discuss:

• The conflict in the Middle East
• How Joe came into the field of Mental Health
• How the field has evolved thus far
• How events of the world affect the personal
• Should mental health care plans include service?
• How stigma around treatment is evolving
• Contributing factors to the Mental Health Crisis in the U.S.
• The impetus for founding Nalanda Institute
• The role Joe played in Sharon’s early teaching
• Eastern vs Western approach to psychology
• The compassionate approach to the human condition
• Learning to work with our minds is not a luxury
• Where psychedelics fit in
• The future of Mental Health

The conversation closes with a guided meditation led by Joe. To learn more about Joe’s work or his different books, you can visit his website.

If you would like to suggest a topic for this series, you can email [email protected] with your questions and suggestions.

Mental Health Resources

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call 988 or (800) 273-8255
• Psychology Today Find a Mindfulness-Trained Therapist
• Active Peace Yoga with Reggie Hubbard
• The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman
• Mark Epstein Psychiatrist & Author with a Buddhist Lens
• Nalanda Institute Contemplative Psychotherapy Program
• Express Yourself Black Man Healing Community for Black Men
• Black Boys Om Black Boys & Men Healing & Wellness Education
• Cloud Sangha Community For Meditation & Wellness
• The Trevor Project Support for LGBTQ Mental Health
• Therapy for Black Girls Mental Wellness for Black Women and Girls
• The Friendship Bench Creating Safe Spaces & Community
• Hope for Bereaved Grief Support Groups
• Option B Grief, Trauma and Loss Support

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