#132 Leveraging Intelligence from Our Animal Side | Beth Anstandig, MFT

There's a great quote from James Joyce: “Mr. Smith lived a short distance from his body.”

As you'll hear in this interview, we have evolved over the centuries to distance ourselves from our bodies. That makes us very different from the other animals who reside on this planet. In so doing, we have become estranged from a lot of data that could serve us: when we are tired, we might not listen and engage in a difficult conversation instead of taking a nap and put and important relationship at risk. When we are hungry, we might not listen, and fill our bodies with something fast, easy, but in no way nourishing. Or we might forgo eating entirely and, while “hangry,” make a bad decision. Or, how many times have we neglected our bodies when they've needed to move and instead, sat through a meeting or power through an email only to give less than our best selves?

Animals don't tend to do that. Instead, they tend to listen to the cues of their body and respond to those cues.

What can we learn from our animal neighbors to help us be more human? Fortunately, I know just the person to ask! Beth Anstandig is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Northern California. She’s also the author of a tremendous book called The Human Herd. I loved this book and Kirkus Reviews said it’s a book that can, “improve readers’ emotional health and leadership skills” and that it’s a “thought-provoking look at ways of dealing with the stresses of life.”

So, listen in as Beth and I talk about leveraging intelligence from our animal side. Book Link: https://amzn.to/3P9FRrE