In this long awaited conversation, renowned Stanford Neurosurgeon, New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop, and founder of the Center for Compassion at Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. James Doty discusses: 

-His incredible story of wandering into a magic shop at the age of 12 and meeting a woman named Ruth who taught him powerful lessons (in meditation) that would change his life forever. 

-The science of compassion and how cultivating compassion can impact our physical and mental health 

-His journey to founding the Center for Compassion at Stanford 

-What he's learned about compassion from the Dalai Lama 

-And much more 

For show notes, other episodes, and all things related to the Courageous Life check out www.joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast 

Background: James Doty, MD, is a clinical professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University School of Medicine. CCARE is a research center that examines the neuroscience of compassion and altruism collaborating with Stanford colleagues in neuroscience and psychology, as well as throughout the world. He trained in neurosurgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and completed fellowships in pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP). He also spent 9 years on active duty service in the U.S. Army Medical Corp. Dr. Doty is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart that has been translated to over 30 languages. He is also the senior editor of the Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science and Presently is developing collaborative research projects to assess the effect of compassion training on immune function and other physiologic determinates of health, the use of mentoring as a method of instilling compassion in students and the use of compassion training to decrease pain. His work has been quoted in a variety of publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He speaks frequently throughout the world on the science of compassion. For more on Dr. Doty visit www.intothemagicshop.com

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