WELCOME TO SEASON 4! In this first episode of the season, host Lisa Keefauver invites Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a researcher she has long admired, to join her in a conversation that explores grief, stress, and rituals. Although they do touch on the wisdom she has gained from her seminal work in the areas of intergenerational trauma and stress and PTSD, they also got much more personal, including exploring what Dr. Yehuda learned about grief and ritual growing up in an observant Jewish household and community. 

Dr. Rachel Yehuda is an Endowed Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Trauma. She is also Director of Mental Health at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Yehuda is a recognized leader in the field of traumatic stress studies, PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. In 2019, Dr. Yehuda was elected to the National Academy of Medicine for her seminal contributions to understanding the psychological and biological impact of traumatic stress. In 2020, Dr. Yehuda established and now directs the Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research.

Learn more about Dr Yehuda’s work on psychedelic psychotherapy: The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research And don’t forget to check out Rachel Yehuda’s Publications. 

(03:01) - Her earliest memory of grief

(07:27) - How different cultures see death and grief, and how to express empathy and compassion with actions rather than words 

(20:55) - Making space for emotions in early grief

(25:20) - Acknowledging your own grief so that you can be present and supportive for others when a loss occurs. 

(35:29) - The process of grief - moving on without letting the past take away your future  

(44:21) - The impact of grief and the importance of meaning making

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