Shrink Rap Radio

Victor Yalom, PhD, is the founder, CEO and resident cartoonist of Psychotherapy.net, producers and publishers of over 300 training videos in the fields of counseling, psychotherapy, social work, and addiction treatment. He maintained a full time practice psychology practice in San Francisco for over 25 years, and currently continues to co-lead a psychotherapy group and see occasional clients. He has conducted workshops in existential-humanistic and group therapy in the US, Mexico, and China.  He has produced over 75 training videos, and continues to be inspired the many master therapists he has been privileged to work with, including existential-humanistic psychologist James Bugental, and his father Irvin Yalom.  In his spare time he enjoys painting, welding, woodwork, and most recently table-tennis (having migrated off the tennis court after developing tennis elbow). More information on Victor and his artwork is at sfpsychologist.com.

Nancy Haug is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Psychology at Palo Alto University. She is core faculty in the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Haug leads the Harm Reduction and Addiction Treatment Laboratory at Palo Alto University. Dr. Haug has ongoing collaborations at both the Stanford Psychiatry Addiction Medicine Program and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Her current research interests include implementation of evidence-based practices in addiction treatment, harm reduction practices for substance use and medical cannabis provider training. Projects include using social media platforms to provide psycho-education for opioid overdose and heavy alcohol use, as well as studying medical cannabis patients and dispensary staff members. Dr. Haug is a licensed clinical psychologist in California since 2004 and maintains a small private practice in San Jose, CA.

Dr. Haug earned a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She completed a clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) in the area of public service and minority mental health. She was on the SFGH medical staff as an attending psychologist where she taught medical students and mentored psychology fellows. Dr. Haug was previously a faculty member in the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and an Instructor at UC Berkeley Extension in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Studies Program.

Chi's Bio

For most of my life, I battled addiction, depression, and low self-esteem. In my 20’s, I spent a total of 16 months in silent retreat, including a month in darkness. I went to Burma twice to take temporary monastic vows and practice with the monks. I tried really hard to heal myself. Still, I was unfulfilled. I lacked discipline and was unable to keep up a practice on my own. I constantly fell back into patterns of misery.I was desperate. In my longing for happiness, I finally took the plunge into my first psychedelic experience with five tabs of LSD (the recommended starting dose is ~1 tab). Wow! What a shock to my psyche. For a long time, I thought psychedelics were “dangerous” and “bad.” I wrote them off as drugs for immature people. Now, I realized I’d been told a lie all along. As Terrence McKenna says, “psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behavior and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.” Soon after my LSD journey, I had my first experience with magic mushrooms, and my life has been transformed ever since. I’m honored to be called by the mushroom to serve as a humble messenger for the psilocybin vision of love, interconnectedness, and peace. I am happy to be able to serve those who are called to experience the magic. My job is to listen, hold space, practice patience, and love.

Leti’s Bio

When I was 9, I took my mom’s side in her bitter divorce with my dad. I cut off contact with him, “the bad guy,” and didn’t see or speak with my dad for 25 years. While living with my mom, I was driven by fear of not being the perfect daughter. I didn’t want to cause my mom worry so I created a mental checklist for myself — be quiet (invisible when possible), study hard, go to college, get a good job, and get a steady boyfriend. I accomplished these things, but still felt incomplete. After college, I worked 16 years at a big organic cosmetics company trying to fit into the corporate world. My desires to be seen as a perfect daughter manifested themselves in my relationships with my bosses and co-workers. I became successful and started making a lot of money, but I knew the corporate world would never fulfill me. After realizing how much joy yoga and meditation brought in my life, I finally mustered up the courage to leave my high-paying job and started diving deeper into my practice. When I had my first psilocybin journey in Thailand, I felt I had discovered a miracle. The more journeys I have and the more people I guide through their own experiences, the more my heart opens to the beautiful and sad mystery of life. Magic truffles have helped me connect with mother earth and higher consciousness. They’ve helped me work through deep traumas. In my mind truffles are the healers and I am just their humble servant. My life is dedicated to creating safe, caring, and loving environments so people can experience the healing powers of magic psilocybin truffles.

Steve Curtis is an investor, entrepreneur, adventurer and revolutionary thought leader. Raised by a low-income single mother, Steve started his first business at 19 with a $500 credit card and grew it into a business with a half-billion dollar valuation before he sold it. Today, he leads a group of globally-impactful companies and non-profits spanning natural pharmaceuticals, consumer package goods, film, hospitality, technology and venture capital.

Steve’s career trajectory changed radically at age 24 when he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer for which there was no cure and only 2 years left to live. Steve hired an MD, built a research team and traveled the world to develop a cure. From researchers at global expert centers like Yale and Stanford to healers and shamans in far-off jungles, he sought to cure the incurable. Learning he couldn’t make a drug fast enough, he followed the trail of “spontaneous remission," setting the prognosis-defying goal of summiting Everest instead. Five years later, he had done both. Healing without the use of any modern medicine, he was left with unquestionable truth and a vision for changing medicine globally.

Steve channeled his passion into writing a book to teach his insights, creating a foundation to advance research in healing, and developing a number of businesses that all center around creating the state of awareness that allowed him to heal.

Steve has become an influential thought leader in international politics and has influenced the lives of millions of people through the products he has created. His venture capital business is advancing new perspectives in science, medicine and technology with investments in AI, quantified self, VR, AR, spiritual science, block-chain, and psychedelic medicine.

 

Young-Eisendrath has lectured and appeared on discussion panels for numerous public events and conferences, such as TEDx, The Aspen Institute, Omega Institute, Mind and Life Institute, Pacifica Graduate Institute, The Rowe Center, and The Helix Center. She also hosts a podcast called Enemies which analyzes human hostilities and applies psychology, psychoanalysis, art, spirituality, and relational theory in conversations about belonging and othering in our relationships and ideologies.

Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD, is a Jungian analyst, psychologist, and psychotherapist in private practice. She is the clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont and the founder and director of the Institute for Dialogue Therapy. She is past president of the Vermont Association for Psychoanalytic Studies and a founding member of the Vermont Institute for the Psychotherapies. Polly is also the chairperson of Enlightening Conversations, a series of conversational conferences that bring together participants from the front lines of Buddhism and psychoanalysis. Polly has published sixteen books, as well as many chapters and articles, that have been translated into more than twenty languages, including The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance and The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Discovery, and Love Between Equals: Relationship As A Spiritual Path.

 

Karen Ferry M.A. has worked in the field of education for over 35 years. She has experience in both primary and secondary classrooms, tertiary institutions and home education environments. Her roles have included classroom teaching, administration and coordinating educational events to enhance student wellbeing. She has provided professional assistance to educators in Australia and internationally.

Karen presents at conferences, community groups, schools and youth groups. Her studies into brain science and neuropsychotherapy have enabled her to incorporate excellent educational practice with the neurobiological evidence behind why certain strategies are effective and other approaches can be detrimental to student learning.

Karen has co-authored with her friend and colleague Matthew Dahlitz, The Teachers Essential Guide to the Brain, an educational resource for educators, administrators and parents.

Karen is also a qualified and experienced Counsellor (Master of Counseling, University of Queensland) and has furthered her study into the field of Brain Science and Neuropsychotherapy.  She is the director of CORTXION - Counseling and Consulting Services, in Melbourne, Australia.

Karen has authored Benson the Boxer: A Story of Loss and Life and Benson the Boxer Program for Loss and Grief: A Manual for Therapists, Educators and Parents Working with Children. These resources are psychoeducational tools for therapists, educators and teachers to use to assist children and young people when they find themselves in a ‘stuck’ place, unable to move forward after loss

https://shrinkrapradio.com/images/631-–-Working-with-Childrens-Grief-and-Loss-with-Karen-Ferry.mp3

Paul J. Leslie, Ed.D.,

is a psychotherapist, researcher, trainer, and author in Aiken, South Carolina.

He specializes in resource-directed approaches to working with individuals and

families. Paul is a licensed professional counselor in the states of Georgia

and South Carolina, and a National Board Certified Fellow in Hypnotherapy. He

has a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and is presently the coordinator of

the psychology program at Aiken Technical College, South Carolina. He has

authored five books including “Potential not Pathology: Helping Your Clients

Transform Using Ericksonian Psychotherapy” and “The Art of Creating a Magical

Session: Key Elements for Transformative Psychotherapy.” His website is www.drpaulleslie.com

All the psychology you need to know and just enough to make you dangerous... This podcast features renowned psychologist,Dr. David Van Nuys , brining you in-depth interviews on a broad array of psychological topics including: psychotherapy, dreams, consciousness, depth psychology, business psychology, developmental psychology, mind/body psychology, personal growth, psychology and art, research psychology, social issues, and spirituality. The roster of world-class guests includes: Philip Zimbardo, Charles Tart, Irvin Yalom, Jonathan Haidt, Sara Lazar, Robert Altemeyer, Stanley Krippner, Arnold Mindell, Dacher Keltner, Michael Meade, and David Barlow among others.

Jeremy Pollack holds a Master's degree in Evolutionary Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton under anthropologist John Patton. His thesis research was in the evolution of religious cognition and intergroup conflict. Jeremy also holds a Masters degree in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding (NCRP) from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Currently, he is earning his PhD in Psychology at Grand Canyon University, where he manages the Social Cognition & Behavior Research Lab. Jeremy was a research associate at the Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture at UCLA from 2011-2016, and has published several peer-reviewed scientific articles and written a number of research papers in the areas of conflict psychology, formidability assessment, intergroup conflict, religious cognition, and human cooperation. See Jeremy Pollack's research here.

Unique from most academic professionals,

Jeremy is also an accomplished entrepreneur and management professional. After

several years working as a marketing executive, Jeremy opened a martial arts

studio in 2008, growing it into one of the largest martial arts academies in

Los Angeles with multiple locations, before selling the business in 2012. Jeremy

then went on to found Compelling Content Solutions, a digital

content creation agency, which currently employs more than a dozen content

creators for marketing and ad agencies representing hundreds of clients, from

small businesses to international brands. He is currently the CEO and founder

of Opptimize, a platform that brings conflict resolution

and problem-solving to companies.

Jeremy is an avid martial artist, holding a

black belt in Hapkido as well as high-level belts and instructor certifications

in a variety of other styles. He sings and plays guitar in a classic rock/blues

band, loves to travel, and has recently taken up blacksmithing. He served as

member of the armed forces from 2014-2016 in the Military Police unit of the

California State Military Reserve, a component of the Army National Guard (CA).

Family and friends are at the top of his priorities, as is his spiritual

and psychological growth. He is constantly curious about the world, the mind,

and the prospect of helping others achieve greater internal peace. Jeremy lives

between Los Angeles, CA and Silicon Valley, San Francisco, CA.

* Ken Falke is a

21-year combat veteran of the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)

community and retired Master Chief Petty Officer. Ken is highly respected

around the world as an innovative and forward thinking thought leader on the

subjects of wounded warrior care, military and veteran transition,

counterterrorism, military training, and innovative technology development. * Ken’s passion is

taking care of his fellow combat veterans and their family members and is

chairman and founder of Boulder Crest, and organization focused on the

teachings of posttraumatic growth, and the EOD Warrior

Foundation. Ken spends the majority of his time educating the public

and private sectors on the issues surrounding the long-term care of our

returning military personnel and their families from the last 16-years of war. * Ken is a serial

entrepreneur. As the Founder and CEO of his first company, A-T Solutions, the

company is a recognized international expert and valuable global asset in

combating the war on terrorism. At the forefront of providing training and

consulting services in the Anti- and Counter- Terrorism industry, A-T Solutions

was named four consecutive years to the Annual fastest growing

privately held companies in the U.S. Also recognized in Entrepreneur Magazines’

Hot 500 List, the Washington Technology “Fast 50”, Smart CEO’s

“Future 50”, and the winner of the very prestigious Greater Washington Area

Government Contractor Award in the category of companies $75M-$100M. In 2010,

Ken was named as the Entrepreneur of the Year for the Fredericksburg, Virginia

Regional Chamber of Commerce and selected as a finalist in the prestigious

Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year program.* Ken also

founded Shoulder 2 Shoulder, Inc. a multimedia technology company

and prior to selling his share of the company, he served as the CEO for six

years.