Embodied Pathways: Recent Episodes
Adrian Harris
Discover how to nurture your connection with nature and your own embodied wisdom. This podcast is part of the Embodied Pathways project (https://embodiedpathways.org/).
In this episode, I’m privileged to speak with three indigenous spiritual leaders. In the first interview I talk to two members of the Willkasara Medicine Family, who have been leading Plant Medicine Ceremonies and Retreats for 50 years. Wachan Bajiyoperak is from a lineage of Peruvian Medicine People. His partner Martika Gomez is a descendent of the Kogi people. They live with their daughter, Shiqwarkenty, in the Sacred Valley of the Inca in Peru. They work with powerful plants including Grandfather Wachuma, the spirit medicine from the San Pedro cactus.
My second interview is with Shaneihu, a member of the Yawanawá tribe, and chief of his village in Brazil. Shaneihu has received teachings from different Yawanawa spiritual leaders is steeped in their traditional knowledge.
He spends most of his time at Yawarani village, where he receives small groups for spiritual learning and healing. I was fortunate enough to interview him live during a rare visit to the UK.
The Willkasara Medicine Family:
https://www.willkasara.org
Learn about the Yawanawá People:
https://ikixara.com/
Professor Lisa Blackman is a researcher in body studies, media, and cultural theory, with a particular interest in subjectivity and embodiment. Lisa is involved in mental health research and was one of the early pioneers of the Hearing Voices movement.
Lisa was born with a rare congenital condition that made her different from others, and this experience influenced her work in disability awareness and the implications of living with a non-normative morphology.
Her interdisciplinary education, including psychology, philosophy, anthropology, and critical psychiatry, shapes her work. Lisa is interested in challenging normative assumptions about what it means to be human and a subject, rejecting dualistic categories, and embracing radical relationality and interdependence.
In her research with a Hearing Voices group, Lisa observed transformational processes that led to changes in the embodied experience of the voices, resulting from shared experiences and a sense of community. She believes that acknowledging interdependency as the starting point is crucial for addressing the multiple crises we face and argues that the individual is porous and interwoven with others.
Glen Mazis, an emeritus professor of Philosophy and Humanities, brings a unique perspective to the study of embodiment. His work as a Merleau-Ponty scholar and a published poet underscores the significance of embodiment and how our physical presence in the world offers us a distinct experience.
His interest in embodiment is rooted in many years of philosophical study and his ongoing challenge to the idea that being embodied is a curse. Glen finds depth and interconnectedness in living through the body, a perspective shaped by the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, a philosopher known for his focus on the body and its relation to the world.
Glen advocates that the body is our pathway into the world, enabling us to connect with other beings and entities, creating an immersive, interconnected experience of reality. Glen's voice resonates with urgency as he argues for a more embodied understanding of the world. He expresses concern about the prevalence of a 'disembodied culture' that prioritizes mental manipulation over connections with others and the environment.
Glen stresses that feeling the wonder and interconnection with nature is crucial for addressing ecological concerns. He also challenges the perception of individualism, emphasizing that social bonds and interwoven experiences are primarily expressed through embodied interactions.
Additionally, Glen asserts that humans need to recognize their animal nature, acknowledging that our exceptional capabilities are rooted in our shared animal bodies.
In this episode, I continue my exploration of embodiment by interviewing two prominent figures in the field. First, Philip Shepherd, an actor and creator of the Embodied Present Process, shares his views on how embodiment involves joining the world through feeling and bringing the whole of one's intelligence into coherence with the present. Philip discusses how modern culture fosters disembodiment and offers insights into re-embodying through practices that enhance fluidity, groundedness, spaciousness, centeredness, and attunement.
Next, Claire Dale, a former dance company leader and co-author of Physical Intelligence, explains how she developed the concept of Physical Intelligence. Claire emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing the body's chemistry - hormones like oxytocin and serotonin - to achieve flexibility and resilience. She provides practical techniques such as the 'serotonin twist' to help listeners reduce anxiety and improve their Physical Intelligence.
The episode delves deep into how embodiment and Physical Intelligence can transform our experience and interactions with the world.
Join me on a transformative journey as we explore the multifaceted realm of embodiment with insights from thought leaders in the field. Mark Walsh opens the discussion with his nuanced definitions of embodiment, illuminating its role in our identity and relationships. Mark explores various definitions of embodiment, from the subjective study of the body to an intelligence that encompasses awareness, choice, self, and the other. He touches on embodiment as an umbrella term for body-mind arts, including yoga, martial arts, and somatic practices, emphasizing the distinction between physical activities and those genuinely embodied through awareness and self-development. Mark conveys the richness of embodiment, moving beyond seeing the body merely as a 'brain taxi' to appreciating it in its lived, experiential wholeness.
The conversation shifts as I welcome Ray Johnson, who offers an enriching dialogue on interoception and intercorporeality. Ray brings a queer-identified scholar's lens to the discussion. Ray explores interoception, proprioception, exteroception, and intercorporeality, showing how each offers unique insights into our relationship with our bodies and the world around us. They unpack the integral relationship between embodiment and activism, highlighting the significance of nonverbal communication in conveying messages that may not align with our spoken words. Ray examines the concept of implicit bias, how it leaks through our body language, and how it can impact trust and perception in interpersonal interactions.
Next, I introduce Olu Taiwo, a storyteller and scholar who masterfully weaves together personal anecdotes and academic knowledge. He draws parallels between the ancient wisdom of Tai Chi and modern neuroscience. Olu defines embodiment as the agency of being and knowing within one's body, which he illustrates with the idea of 'engrams' - habituated bodily knowledge. He explains how engrams can be beneficial for learning techniques but also responsible for negative patterns like poor posture or unhealthy habits. Olu also shares the wisdom he gained from his encounter with a life-threatening illness, underscoring the importance of gratitude and presence. He presents embodiment as a continual process, a journey rather than a destination.
The conversation concludes with Charlene Spretnak, who introduces dynamic interrelatedness, revealing how contemporary biology reveals our deep interconnectivity. She unpacks how recent discoveries in human biology challenge the mechanistic view of the human organism that has prevailed for centuries. Dynamic interrelatedness offers a radical understanding of the body-mind connection, human relationships, and our interaction with nature. The implications of recognizing our relational nature are vast, affecting personal growth, healthcare, education, and our response to the climate emergency. She considers how this knowledge could transform our approach to community preparedness, healthcare practices, and support for climate refugees, ultimately reimagining public policy and societal structures in harmony with our interrelated existence.
In this episode, we step back and take a wider overview of what I call the embodied pathways: What connects diverse practices like Focusing, Rolfing, Authentic movement and meditation? Our guide on this exploration is Don Hanlon Johnson, who has spent over half a century studying how transformative body practices can enhance personal and social change. Don’s work takes cutting-edge theory and develops it through experiential practice. What emerges is a remarkable body of work on embodied consciousness and spirituality. Don is the author of numerous books and articles and is a Professor of Integral, Transpersonal, and Somatic Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Don weaves together warm personal stories of his extraordinary life and profound insights into what it means to be fully human. He spent years at Esalen and has known many of the key figures in the world of embodied awareness, including Carl Rogers, Ida Rolf and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Don has also had personal experience with many of the somatic practices that inspire people worldwide. Join us on a journey of discovery into the rich world of somatics.
https://donhanlonjohnson.com/
Focusing is a powerful way to access the wisdom of the body. It was identified by Eugene Gendlin in the 1950s and is widely used in therapy. In 2009 Alicia Danforth suggested that Focusing could be a valuable tool in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Very few people have explored this possibility, and João da Fonseca is one of them. João is a Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist with 20 years of clinical experience. He’s qualified in a wide range of approaches, including Transpersonal, Existential, EMDR and Focusing-Oriented Therapy. João is at the forefront of psychedelic-assisted therapy and currently works at the ‘Liminal Minds’ ketamine clinic in Portugal.
In this fascinating discussion, I have the pleasure of chatting with Jennifer Tantia, a Somatic Psychotherapist and Dance Movement therapist based in New York City. Jennifer shares her unique journey from being a professional dancer to becoming a therapist. She discusses her time in the East Village, working in gyms as a personal trainer, and her deep dive into somatic psychology and embodied research. Jennifer also enlightens us about the sixth sense - interoception. We explore interoception and how it intersects with somatic psychology, psychotherapy and Focusing.
We explore the extraordinary power of Authentic Movement, and Jennifer offers some valuable insights into helping clients become more present. Listen in as we explore an example of how to help a client access their emotions through physical sensations and the importance of trusting one’s intuition and gut sense of safety in relationships.
The episode concludes with an exploration of how we can weave together presence, interoception and Authentic Movement. We delve into how movement can open us up to unexpected insights and how we can use these moments to help us process our emotions and experiences. We also discuss how to stay present with our felt senses and how trust and curiosity can help us open up to unexpected experiences.
Jennifer Frank Tantia, PhD, LCAT, BC-DMT is a Somatic Psychotherapist and Dance/movement Therapist in New York City, practicing for the past 18 years. She has been teaching somatic psychology and embodied research at universities and training programs in the US and internationally for the past decade. Dr. Tantia co-edited The Routledge International Handbook on Embodied Perspectives in Psychotherapy: Approaches from Dance Movement and Body Psychotherapy (2019) and received a Marian Chace Foundation grant for her latest book, The Art and Science of Embodied Research Design: Concepts, Methods and Cases (2020).
Website: www.soma-psyche.com
Dr Sam Gandy is involved with cutting-edge research into psychedelics and nature connectedness. He's worked with the Beckley Foundation, Onaya Science and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London. In this conversation, Sam explores the capacity of psychedelics to influence human relationships with nature. The research suggests that the psychedelic experience can enhance nature connectedness: We consider the evidence and the factors that might underpin this phenomenon. We explore connectedness, mysticism, ego dissolution and how we might use ecotherapy to enhance psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Claire Thompson is the author of Mindfulness and the Natural World and The Art of Mindful Birdwatching. She takes mindfulness practice back to where it works best - the natural world. In this very personal interview, Claire considers the power of awe, enlightenment and the way that nature can be both deeply holding and liberating. Hear tales of mystical enchantment, spiritual insights and alternative routes to awakening ecological awareness. Move beyond labels, learn to manage the controlling mind and find embodied connection to the natural being that you truly are.
Find out more at Claire's website: Mindfulness of Nature
Stephanie Gottlob is an improvisational movement artist who takes her work into the wild. Stephanie has spent extended periods living and dancing in different biomes across North America: rainforest, swamp, freshwater lake, arctic tundra and many more. Stephanie talks about the profound nature connection that emerges from this kind of deep engagement with place. We explore art, embodiment, relationship, activism, spirituality and the mysterious ways that these are all connected. You’ll hear why we need ancient forests to be fully human and how you can touch the wild wherever you live.