CIIS Public Programs
Episodes
Jennifer Natalya Fink: On the Future of Disability Lineage
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Disability is often described as a tragedy, a crisis, or an aberration even though 1 in 5 people worldwide have or will have a disability. Why is this...
Mónica Guzmán: On Having Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Divided Times
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted twice for Donald Trump. Mónica is also the chief storytelle...
Deepak Chopra: On the Inner Path to True Abundance
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Spiritual teacher and international bestselling author Deepak Chopra believes there is an inner path to prosperity and wealth that—once charted and ...
Rupa Marya and Raj Patel: On Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
According to renowned political economist Raj Patel and physician and activist Rupa Marya, our bodies, our societies, and our planet are inflamed. In ...
Laura Northrup: On Building a Values-Driven Healing Practice in a Profit-Driven World
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being a healer today often means navigating complexities and challenges. Healers of all modalities can feel sidelined, underfunded, or delegitimized w...
Nick Walker: On the Intersection of Queerness and Neurodivergence
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past 17 years, queer autistic author and educator Nick Walker has played a key role in the emergence of the neurodiversity paradigm—a frame...
Jessica Hernandez: On Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the undeniable fact that Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate devastation, Indigenous science is very rarely found in...
Mark Epstein: On the Zen of Therapy
02 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For years, Mark Epstein kept his beliefs as a Buddhist separate from his work as a psychiatrist. But as he became more forthcoming with his patients a...
Elizabeth Earnshaw: An Inclusive Approach to Navigating Relationship Issues
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned certified Gottman therapist and author Elizabeth Earnshaw offers a culturally tuned-in, LGBTQIA+ friendly approach, and an accessible guide t...
Paul Stamets: On Psilocybin Mushrooms and the Mycology of Consciousness
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for hundreds, likely thousands of years. Currently, more than 65 universities in North America and Europe have bee...
Jacoby Ballard: On a Queer Dharma
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Through his yoga teaching and writing, Jacoby Ballard explores the intersections of yoga, capitalism, cultural appropriation, and sexual violence. He ...
Apela Colorado: On Indigenous Spirituality and Wisdom
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Apela Colorado is a traditional cultural practitioner and Indigenous scientist dedicated to creating a bridge between Western thought and Indigenous w...
Richard Tarnas: On the Planets in 2022
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The evidence of consistent correlations between planetary alignments and world events as seen through the lens of archetypal astrology can provide us ...
Kaira Jewel Lingo: Lessons On Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Experienced mindfulness teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo provides accessible advice on navigating difficult times of transition by drawing on Buddhist teachi...
Alicia Garza: On Building Transformative Movements
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As one of the country’s leading organizers, Principal at Black Futures Lab, and a co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter, Alicia Garza's work has...
Marine Sélénée: On Family Constellations Therapy
10 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Family Constellations begins with this premise—it did not start with me. Many of us become entangled with the unhappiness of those who came before u...
Rhonda Magee: On the Inner Work of Racial Justice
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a society where unconscious bias, microaggressions, institutionalized racism, and systemic injustices are deeply ingrained, healing is an ongoing p...
Kate Johnson: On Radical Friendship in an Unjust World
13 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The divides we experience within us and between us are not only a threat to our physical and emotional health—they are also the weapons and the outc...
Kile Ortigo: On Psychedelic Integration and Existential Exploration
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the second renaissance and re-emergence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the general public and therapists alike are confronted with new ar...
Da’Shaun Harrison: On the Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fat Black people in the United States are subject to socio-politically sanctioned discrimination, abuse, condescension, and trauma. In their writing a...
Lucy Jones: On Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World
02 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In her latest book, Losing Eden, acclaimed journalist Lucy Jones interweaves her deeply personal story of recovery from addiction and depression aided...
Jeremy Lent: On the Web of Meaning
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In his latest book, The Web of Meaning, author and integrator Jeremy Lent investigates the ways in which seemingly disparate streams of thought are co...
Michelle Cassandra Johnson: On the Practice of Presence for Healing Personal and Collective Grief
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In unsettling and uncertain times, the individual and collective heartbreak that lives in both our bodies and our communities can feel insurmountable....
Rebekah Taussig: Views from An Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. Examining the complexities of disability issues with wisdom, humor, and...
Amanda Montell: On Cults, Language, and Social Science
07 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What makes cults so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fal...
Suzanne Simard: On Finding the Mother Tree
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Suzanne Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence and hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in ...
Alice Sparkly Kat: On Postcolonial Astrology
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Astrologer and author Alice Sparkly Kat is ushering in a new wave of astrology that is intersectional, inclusive, and geared towards queer and POC com...
Gopal Dayaneni and Carla Maria Pérez: On Environmental Racism
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Racism permeates every aspect of society. Environmental racism is a form of systemic racism in which people of color are disproportionately burdened w...
Carol Queen: On the State of Sex in 2021
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Carol Queen has been on the frontlines of the sex-positivity movement since the 1970s. A cultural sexologist, author, and co-founder of San Francisco’...
Brian T. Anderson: On the Therapeutic Applications of Psilocybin
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Psilocybin has been decriminalized in many cities in the United States and most recently has been approved for use in psychotherapy in the state of Or...
Marcela Lobos: On Awakening Your Inner Shaman
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The stress, conflict, and crises of the outer world are a signal: the time has come to awaken your inner shaman. However, you don’t need to be initi...
Craig Chalquist: From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Resilience
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the climate changes, many therapists have been helping patients with a relatively new diagnosis that has a variety of names: eco-anxiety, climate a...
Mia Birdsong: Reclaiming Connection and Community
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The American Dream as it has been defined for more than a century is about the well-paying job, the nuclear family, and upward mobility. But what both...
Keren Tzarfaty: On the Therapeutic Applications of MDMA
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
MDMA is currently in phase three of clinical trial research studies for the treatment of trauma in the United States, Canada, and Israel. In this e...
Erin McMorrow: On Healing the Planet and Ourselves from the Ground Up
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We know our planet is in trouble and we’re seeing direct effects on human heath as a result. It’s estimated that we have fewer than 60 harvests le...
Zach Norris: Defund Fear
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the effects of aggressive policing and mass incarceration harm historically marginalized communities and tear families apart, how do we define safe...
Nedra Glover Tawwab: Setting Boundaries to Find Peace
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Healthy boundaries. We all know setting healthy boundaries can help us to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relat...
Breeshia Wade: An Antiracist Take on Oppression and Sorrow
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us understand grief as sorrow experienced after a loss—the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or a change in life circumstance...
Anita Moorjani: Sensitive Is the New Strong
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Empaths not only sense other people’s emotions, but also absorb them—sometimes to their disadvantage, often leading to overwhelming sensory overlo...
Revisiting Kazu Haga: On Healing Resistance
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On each Tuesday of this month, in celebration of Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander voices, we are revisiting conversations from our archives...
Jennifer Mullan: On Decolonizing Therapy
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is well known that mental healthcare and therapy are not systems that are readily accessible to everyone, especially those from marginalized commun...
Revisiting Sister Dang Nghiem: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Power and Heal Trauma
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On each Tuesday of this month, in celebration of Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander voices, we are revisiting conversations from our archives...
Raquel Bennett: On the Therapeutic Applications of Ketamine
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has been growing rapidly in recent years with decriminalization efforts moving forward on local, state...
Revisiting Jeff Chang: On Race in America
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On each Tuesday of this month, in celebration of Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander voices, we are revisiting conversations from our archives...
Anjuli Sherin: Cultivating Joyous Resilience
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Joy and resilience: we need both to thrive. But even though resilience is rightly buzzing as a self-care goal, we live in a world that makes it attain...
Revisiting Angela Chen: On Asexuality, Desire, Society, And The Meaning Of Sex
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On each Tuesday of this month, in celebration of Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander voices, we are revisiting conversations from our archives...
Jennifer Racioppi: Cosmic Health
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s much more to astrology than weekly horoscopes, personality types, and predictions for the future. For astrologer and transformational coach ...
Rachel Ricketts: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In her work, racial justice educator Rachel Ricketts has developed heart-centered and mindfulness-based practices to dismantle white supremacy by addr...
Langston Kahn: On Shamanic Tools for Reclaiming Wholeness in a Culture of Trauma
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To create a world free from oppression, we have to come face to face with the beliefs, stories, and actions that maintain these systems within ourselv...
Toko-pa Turner: On Dreams and Belonging
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whether we feel unworthy, alienated, or anxious about our place in the world, the absence of belonging is the great silent wound of our times. In thi...
adrienne maree brown: On Pleasure Activism
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author, Black feminist, and social justice activist adrienne maree brown has been talking, writing, and celebrating the intersection of pleasure and a...
Richard Tarnas: On the Planets and World Transits in 2021
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all recognize we are living in the midst of a major threshold of transformation, a profound drama facing the Earth community with tremendous conseq...
Devon Price: Laziness Does Not Exist
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Like many Americans, social psychologist Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Dr. Price was an overachiever ...
Sister Dang Nghiem: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Power and Heal Trauma
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Born in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, mindfulness teacher Sister Dang Nghiem (Sister D)is an inspiration for anyone who has ever suffered from abu...
Lama Rod Owens: On Rage, Love, and Liberation
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Considered one of the leaders of a current generation of Buddhist teachers, Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, and an authorized...
Martin Yan: On Food and Wellbeing
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chef extraordinaire and popular TV host Martin Yan has spent decades promoting Chinese and pan-Asian cuisines on his popular TV show Yan Can Cook. Pas...
Lauren Martin: Overcoming Your Worst Moods for a Better Life
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Five years ago, author and journalist Lauren Martin had a good job in New York, an apartment in Brooklyn, and a boyfriend she loved, but she was wrest...
Revisiting Richard Tarnas: What’s Happening in the Stars Right Now
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are revisiting an episode originally recorded early in the COVID-19 pandemic during one of our first live streaming online events on Apr...
Revisiting Matthew Walker: Why We Sleep
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with neuroscientist Matthew Walker about his groundbreaking explora...
Revisiting Jessica Lanyadoo: Mystical Advice For Living Your Best Life
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo about self-compassion, astrology, ...
Revisiting Celeste Headlee: Conversations That Matter
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation with journalist Celeste Headlee exploring ways to have meaningful c...
Angela Chen: On Asexuality, Desire, Society, And The Meaning Of Sex
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through life not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about gender roles, romance ...
N. Scott Momaday: On Keeping the Earth
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most distinguished voices in American literature, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday has devoted much of his life to...
Revisiting Nik Sharma: A Brown Kitchen
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are revisiting an episode from our archives featuring a conversation about food, family, and more with author and chef Nik Sharma origin...
Rick Doblin: The Future of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), has been a relentless advocate for de...
Dr. Joy Arlene Renee Cox: Fat Girls in Black Bodies
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a body justice advocate and leader Dr. Joy Arlene Renee Cox believes that the spaces carved out by third-wave feminism and the fat liberation movem...
Riccardo Manzotti: On The Nature Of Consciousness
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Both science and philosophy have traditionally conceived of the self as though it were separate from the world. Italian philosopher, psychologist, and...
Larry Ward: Healing America’s Racial Karma
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Shot at by police as an 11-year-old child for playing baseball in the wrong spot, as an adult Larry Ward continued to experience racialized trauma whe...
Dr. Ramani Durvasula: On the New Normal of Narcissism
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a world where entitlement, incivility, and narcissism are incentivized. How do we learn to negotiate a world that often gaslights us and em...
Mordecai Ettinger: The Biopolitics Of The Medical Industrial Complex In Pandemic Times
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In these pandemic times, and times of racial justice uprising and reckoning, the failure of U.S. and global health care systems to meet human need or ...
Mikki Kendall: On Hood Feminism
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, ...
Marianne Ingheim: Finding Self-Compassion
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We all tell ourselves stories about who we are. Many of these stories are self-critical and disempowering. Through the practice of self-compassion, we...
Best Of: Voices for Justice in the Golden State
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we are showcasing selections from three previous episodes featuring California-based voices for change. We begin with Kazu Haga joined in...
Jessica Lanyadoo: On Astrology For Real Relationships
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Kirah Tabourn, educator, creator, and astrologer of THE STROLOGY, talks with Bay Area astrologer and medium Jessica Lanyadoo about her...
Molly Howes: A Good Apology
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Drawing on her decades of clinical experience with couples, and incorporating spiritual practices, social justice perspectives, current news stories, ...
Sherri Mitchell: Indigenous Wisdom For Healing Trauma
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sherri Mitchell (Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset) is a Native American attorney, teacher, and award-winning activist who grew up on the Penobscot Indian Rese...
Cindy Shearer: Art As Inquiry
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, viewing art is a creative act that can be a catalyst for inquiries into our world. In this episode, wr...
Calvin Baker: Race, Integration, and the Future of America
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years after meaningful efforts toward civil rights, the US remains overwhelmingly unjust. Our current solutions to make the world more equitable...
Cecilia Muñoz: Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the first Latinx person to direct national domestic policy issues, Cecilia Muñoz knows the difficulties of getting ahead without trailblazers to f...
Elizabeth Allison and Natalie Metz: Human Health and Ecological Resilience
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to more fully reveal injustices, inequities, and imbalances that contribute to climate change, ecological degradation,...
Karla McLaren: On Embracing Anxiety
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When facing anxiety, we usually try to make it go away. But what if this emotion was actually trying to help? According to empathy pioneer and author ...
Christine Brooks and Hannah Paasch: On Cultivating Connection
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As social distancing becomes a new way of life, connecting with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors can be difficult and stressful. Suddenly we...
Sopan Deb: Missed Translations
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As he approached his 30th birthday, Sopan Deb found comfort in his day job as a writer for the New York Times and as a practicing comedian. But his st...
Melody Moezzi: Exploring Rumi to Make Sense of Ourselves
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Quit being a drop. Make yourself an ocean.” Rumi’s inspiring and deceptively simple poems have been called ecstatic, mystical, and devotional. ...
Kevin Powell: On America Today
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Activist and writer Kevin Powell has emerged as one of the most acclaimed voices in America today, tackling some of the biggest issues of our time thr...
Zara Zimbardo and Patrick Reinsborough: Beyond Apocalypse
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What dreams might be taking root through this nightmare? How might works of cli-fi and other apocalyptic narratives help us prepare for our future and...
Revisiting Cornel West: The Burden Carried by African American Men
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, we are continuing to highlight conversations from our archives that feature black th...
Sharon Salzberg: On Cultivating Balance
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode recorded on February 8, 2019, world-renowned meditation teacher and New York Times bestselling author Sharon Salzberg is joined by AI ...
Revisiting Angela Davis: A Life of Activism
07 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature blac...
Revisiting Joy DeGruy: On Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature blac...
Revisiting Damon Young: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature blac...
Revisiting Ijeoma Oluo: So You Want To Talk About Race
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and #AmplifyMelanatedVoices, this week we are highlighting four conversations from our archives that feature blac...
Zara Zimbardo and Patrick Reinsborough: Apocalypse Now
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, therapist and cultural anthropologist Zara Zimbardo is joined by narrative strategist and climate activist Patrick Reinsborough for a...
Antonio Ramirez: On Ethics In Shamanism
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After observing modern shamanic trainings with a growing concern, clinical psychologist and scholar Anotonio Ramirez began exploring more traditional ...
Thomas Hübl and Brian Swimme: On Healing Collective Trauma
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode featuring spiritual teacher Thomas Hübl along with cosmologist and CIIS professor Brian Swimme was recorded during a live streaming webi...
Rhonda Holberton and Ceci Moss: Art In The Digital
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode featuring digital artist Rhonda Holberton and curator Ceci Moss was recorded during a live streaming webinar on April 10, 2020. Their con...
Richard Tarnas: What’s Happening in the Stars Right Now
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode featuring CIIS professor and renowned scholar Richard Tarnas was recorded during a live streaming webinar on April 23rd, 2020. In his t...
Best Of: Poetic Justice
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode showcases selections from three previous episodes featuring poets who explore a variety of social justice issues through their work. This...
Chris Bache: LSD and the Mind of the Universe
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and psychedelic explorer Chris Bache’s book, LSD and the Mind of the Universe chronicles his experiences and insights from 73 high-dose LSD s...
Larissa Zimberoff and Julie Guthman: The Future Of Food
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Modern technology has, and continues to transform the ways we grow, prepare, distribute, eat, and think about our food. In this episode, food journal...