In Episode 2, my co-host Athena and I continue our exploration of the Narnia series, along with a few other books that captured my imagination at a critical time in my life.

In the previous episode, Athena shared her thoughts on C.S. Lewis' book, Prince Caspian, and how it helped her to better understand herself as a person with a disability, and as an artist. Continuing in this vein, we focus on another book in C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, The Silver Chair. This book captured a sense of alienation I was experiencing as I was entering my teens. It shares some commonalities with books like Le Morte d'Arthur and Child in Darkness, all of which captured a sense of danger and darkness, as well as adventure and possibility. These books helped me navigate my own fears as a young person trying to find my place in the world.

Books:

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

Child in Darkness by Robert Hill

Mental health resources:

If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, please know that community resources are available that can help you. 

If you live in Canada, this website lists resources in your local area:

https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/looking-for-local-resources-support/

If you are experiencing an emergency, please dial 9-1-1.

The Chronicles of Narnia were a series of seven books written by the British author C.S. Lewis in the 1950s. The most famous of the books is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, a story of four children who flee to a countryside house at the outbreak of WW2 and discover a magic wardrobe that leads to a fantastical world called Narnia. 

In this episode, Athena talks about the ways in which the Narnia books opened up her imagination and inspired her own creative endeavours.

Links

https://www.narnia.com/

https://www.cslewis.com/us/

Season 1 interview with Athena

Tilted Windmills Healing Centre

Softly Spoken Season 2 is coming!

Season 2 builds on the theme of evolving identities from season one by exploring not just the moments, but the ideas that have grabbed  and moulded us. I share some of my own influences, and am joined by my co-host, my wife Athena. We share books, movies, podcasts, and stories  in a variety of mediums that have had a lasting impact on the way we think about ourselves, others and the world we live in.

Subscribe now wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Softly Spoken is a Tilted Windmills Healing Centre production. Hosted and produced by Stefan de Villiers. Co-host is Athena Cooper. Cover art by Athena Cooper. Music and sound production by Stefan de Villiers, using Garageband and Audacity.

Links

Tilted Windmills Healing Centre

Tanner Murtagh is a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of neuroplastic pain - that is, pain that is not caused by structural issues. Himself a survivor of chronic pain, Tanner practices a relatively new form a treatment called pain reprocessing therapy. It is based on the work of Dr John E. Sarno, who has investigated the role that psychological factors play in fuelling the experience of pain.

In this interview, Tanner describes the ways that his own experiences of pain has shaped his identity - from his early days as a musician, to his recovery from addiction to, more recently, becoming a father.

Links

Tanner Murtagh's website

Dr Sarno's book Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Journal article on pain reprocessing therapy

This week's episode is a conversation I had with my wife, Athena Cooper, back in 2017 about her experiences navigating chronic back pain. Athena was born with a genetic condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), which means her bones are brittle and break easily. A common side-effect of OI is the development of scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine or backbone. Athena shares her experiences recovering from multiple broken bones growing up and the continued struggle with chronic pain in her back... and how she has learned to embrace her body's limits.

This is the first of two episodes exploring the world of pain and its relationship to identity.

Last week we heard the first part of an interview with our guest, Paola Akl. In Part 1, Paola talked about the Lebanese side of her identity (she is half Colombian, half Lebanese) and she talked about how, after her mother's death, she made a trip to Lebanon for the first time. During this life-changing visit, she reconnected her mother, with her Lebanese origins and with herself.

In Part 2 of my interview with Paola, she shares what happened after she returned to Colombia from her trip to Lebanon. On her return to a war-torn Colombia, Paola found herself eager to dive back into life and work. She takes us on a journey from the jungles of Colombia as a war victim psychologist to the breakup of her marriage, to the relatively new world of practicing online psychotherapy before online psychotherapy became standard practice during COVID-19. 

While her life took a different direction than she anticipated, Paola has found joy in the relationships and career she has built.

Link to Part 1 of Paola's story

Link to the online psychotherapy business where Paola works (website in French and English)

In Part 1 of two episodes, our guest, Paola Akl, talks about navigating the Lebanese side of her identity.  Raised in Colombia by a Lebanese mother, Paola finds connection with the Lebanese community in Quebec, Canada while studying in an exchange program there. After her mother dies, she makes a  journey that will change the way she thinks of herself and reconnect her to her mother.

Tune in next week to hear Paola share the twists and turns her career took following her return to Colombia after a life-changing trip to Lebanon. 

Links

Meetual - online psychotherapy (website is in French and English)

Today's guest is Anne, a friend and colleague. Some of her other identities include: East Indian (Tamil), immigrant, mother, sister, daughter, social worker, mental health counsellor, and youtuber. Born in Zambia, she shares what it was like to be the daughter of teachers who traveled the world, navigating the death of her father in Nigeria at age 10, and growing into adulthood as  the daughter of a widow in India. She shares the joys and challenges of becoming a parent while aspiring to a career of her own. And she talks about her more recent forays into youtubing.

Links

Anne's Youtube channel

Today's guest is Lin Hammill. Lin is a mathematician, a visual artist, a home renovator, a retired math professor and a refugee sponsor, among many other identities. Her life has had its fair share of peaks and valleys, starting with her early life, where violence threatened her survival. Lin shares key moments that propelled her forward, including watching a TV documentary about nuclear physics, going to art school and dropping out, panhandling on the streets of Toronto, and deciding to return to university in her 30s following the death of her mother. Creative throughout her life, she elaborates on the similarities between math and art, and describes  the accomplishment that she is most proud of - it might surprise you. 

Links:

To see some of Lin Hammill's mathematically-inspired art and drawings, visit her website at: linhammill.ca

Today's guest is Annette de Jager. Annette is a retired university professor and a former high school science teacher. She was born in the Republic of South Africa and grew up in what is today called Namibia. 

Despite early dreams of a paramedical career, life - and the societal scripts of the time - had different plans for her. Annette learned independence and endurance growing up in Southern Africa. As she approached sixty, a life-changing decision loomed. Necessity taught her how to survive and even thrive - opening her to cultures and traditions different from her own.