Arash's World Podcast

The Work, Insights, Influence and Legacy of Otto Rank with Robert Kramer and Kirk Schneider

In this episode (more of a webinar really!), I have the distinguished pleasure of talking with Robert Kramer and Kirk Schneider, two of the organizers as well as upcoming speakers for the long-awaited and fascinating Otto Rank International Conference to be held online via Zoom on November 4th and 5th!

We talk about the amazing work and wonderful and profound insights provided by Otto Rank, whom theologian Mathew Fox considers a “saint” and who has left a long-lasting legacy, influence, and mark upon various fields and disciplines across time and space. Rank's ideas are still valid, pertinent, and relevant today and, in fact, more so than ever, but sadly, Otto Rank was “canceled” by psychoanalytic circles and was not given the credit and merit he would have and should have deserved.

Failing to acknowledge and consider the life-changing and transformative ideas of this great thinker has been to the detriment of psychoanalysis. Therapy could have been tweaked to help clients not only discover themselves but also to strengthen their "creative will" and to become not only less neurotic and more efficient in life but to enjoy it much more fully and wonderfully. Moreover, Rank has influenced social work and various movements that lead towards greater justice and more peace, compassion, and empathy in the world. His psychology of difference could help many to bridge their differences and become more peaceful and encompassing in their views, opinions, and lifestyles.

Rank’s views were holistic and even cosmic in nature as opposed to the narrow-minded, specialized, medicalized, and mechanistic neuroscientific behavioral model that many in the field of psychology are following nowadays. And though Rank was silenced in his heyday and for various decades thereafter, his presence is still felt in various disciplines and his voice can be heard. You can find out more about this amazing and unique person at the upcoming Otto Rank International Conference 2023 on November 4 and November 5 presented by the Existential Humanistic Institute!

 

Letting Go of the Ego and the False Self: John Purkiss on How and Why to Drop Everything to Find Pure Consciousness

In this podcast, I have the great pleasure of speaking with John Purkiss who wrote the bestselling book “The Power Of Letting Go: How To Drop Everything That’s Holding You Back” which focuses on “letting go” and how it can bring you not only better health, happier relationships, more creativity, and greater prosperity but how it can also connect you with pure and supreme consciousness.

We talk about the different notions and conceptions of the ego both in the Western and Eastern traditions, how as a body-mind we tend to identify with our job titles and roles, with what we do instead of who we are deep inside as well as the role and the importance of intuition. As John explains, spiritual practices like meditation, mindfulness, and yoga not only clear our minds and help us better read, understand, and follow our intuition but they give us also a glimpse of a state of consciousness that is not bound and limited by the limiting and false self or ego.

Moreover, he provides a three-step process that starts with simply being present and leads to immersing and merging oneself with pure consciousness on one’s path to enlightenment. To do so, John combines analysis with a more intuitive approach by unclutching thoughts, reliving and completing, and hence releasing and freeing ourselves from childhood trauma and emotional pain patterns.

The Science with Personal Experience on the Evidence-Based Intermittent Fasting Revolution with Neuroscientist Mark Mattson

In this episode, I have the great pleasure and honor of speaking with the eminent neuroscientist and renowned expert on Intermittent Fasting: Dr. Mark Mattson. His book “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance” covers his research and findings as well as the background and explanations of the processes in addition to the many health benefits of this practice. In fact, Intermittent Fasting is not only beneficial for anyone suffering from various ailments and chronic illnesses (like I have), but also for anyone who would like to optimize their overall functioning, enhance performance, and live a longer and healthier life!

We talk about how to get started and what to watch out for, the metabolic switch with its different effects on the brain and the body, and how it can not only help alleviate or cure cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma, and sleep apnea but also reduce inflammation and anxiety and lead to weight loss as well. Moreover, engaging in intermittent fasting is a great way of preventing future health issues and complications and boosting one’s overall health. 

Finally, Mark also explains how and why breakfast is not the most important meal and how pharmaceutical companies and the health care system tend to be geared toward profit-making and more interested in treating illnesses as opposed to preventing them in the first place. Finally, we discuss how mild stress or eustress can build resistance and make us more resistant as long as it is followed by enough rest and a recovery mode.

Transcending Stress and Anxiety via TM with Meditation Teacher Bob Roth CEO of the David Lynch Foundation

In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Bob Roth, meditation teacher, author, and CEO of the non-profit David Lynch Foundation. We talk about the wonderful evidence-based meditation technique of Transcendental Meditation introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and which Bob Roth has practiced and taught for over fifty years!

I was curious to know what Transcendental Meditation is, how it is done, and what its effects and benefits are on overall health including the body and the mind. Bob Roth gave us the ocean analogy and how the body and mind are not just connected but that they are basically one and interacting on a spectrum. Furthermore, he explained that TM is a very simple, natural, effortless, enjoyable meditation technique and how TM does not bring or carry with it an agenda, nor is it a philosophy or a religion, and how you can be 100% skeptical and the technique would still work perfectly well for you.

Then, Bob Roth goes over the three major types of meditation and explains how with TM, once you learn it, you can use and practice it for the rest of your life. Scientific studies have demonstrated that it reduces stress and anxiety, increases performance and creativity, and optimizes the brain with restful alertness via alpha 1 brainwaves. In fact, with each session, you can reach a state and level that is twice as deep as the deepest part of deep sleep according to research at Harvard Medical School.

In many ways and manners, we often rely on medication to deal with our health issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and insomnia despite the inherent and potential dangers and side effects of pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, TM is non-pharmaceutical and brings with it additional health benefits to our body by tuning up our nervous system while also giving both of them the rest and deep relaxation they need and require. As a matter of fact, we often spend more care, time, and attention on our cars and vehicles than on the maintenance, upkeep, and improvement of our health and well-being.

Finally, as Einstein has said “Life should be filled with magic and wonder” and with the ability to turn and dive deep within, we can not only heal deep-seated trauma and tap into the body’s internal healing self-repair mechanism but also connect with our inner core self, lead a calmer, more centered, and more productive life, make better and wiser decisions, and live and enjoy our existence much more fully and deeply.

Not Your Fault: How Trauma, the Inner Child, and Subconscious Reasons Lead to Self-Sabotage with Trauma-Informed Coach Laura Connell

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of talking with trauma-informed Author and Coach Laura Connell about her fascinating book “It’s Not Your Fault: The Subconscious Reasons We Self-Sabotage and How to Stop”.

Laura explains that at the root of many issues in our personal and professional lives is childhood trauma often stemming from dysfunctional families and unhealthy environments in which children were not cared for adequately and their needs were not met in addition to often being ignored, abused, and rejected by parents and caregivers.

This then shapes and forms the nervous system priming its fight-and-fight survival mode while at the same time creating the inner child within us that is trying to protect us by using and adhering to maladaptive coping skills that often include self-sabotage.

In these situations and under these circumstances, we lack the joy and enjoyment of life as we remain in a perpetual state of hypervigilance defending ourselves against threats and trying to keep us safe from harm. Moreover, we often subconsciously overreact to minor incidents and engage in negative thinking when someone phones and contacts us by expecting the worst or believing that we have done something wrong or are in trouble now.

But as Laura points out, we can practice and learn how to set boundaries because, without boundaries, it's impossible to have an authentic life. She also presents ways of reducing if not eliminating negative self-talk. These remedies need to be somatic in nature as CBT and behavior modification do not address the deeply held problems and issues, and often it is not due to a lack of willpower but rather a lack of self-knowledge. This is also why affirmations tend not to work in these cases and may even make things worse.

Finally, it is important not to be driven by external validation but rather to allow and give yourself some time and space for self-care as well as hobbies and activities you enjoy alongside real sensory delights. In this way, you are showing yourself appreciation and it impacts your self-esteem because you are telling your brain that you value and appreciate yourself for the valuable and beautiful being you already are both within and without.

 

On Individual and Collective Trauma, Holistic Healing, and the Difference between Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth with TikTokTraumaDoc Christy Gibson

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with the versatile and multi-talented TikTokTraumaDoc Dr. Christy Gibson who wears many hats including but not limited to being a physician, speaker, trauma clinician & specialist, and the author of “The Modern Trauma Toolkit: Nurture Your Post-Traumatic Growth with Personalized Solutions”!

We talk about the prevalence of trauma, how it can affect each one of us on different levels and at different places and workplaces, and how it often goes unnoticed and is not processed to the detriment of one’s own health and well-being as well as to that of others.

Dr. Gibson wrote the book to provide us with simple and useful body-based somatic tools to manage and deal with stress. Her approach is holistic in nature and includes a variety of personalized solutions and activities that are evidence-based and based on neuroscience and that reach and address the subconscious, preverbal memories and experiences encoded in our implicit memory.

Moreover, she talks about the current hesitation of changing and updating approaches, methods, and systems that are not or are no longer beneficial to our overall health and wellness. Since trauma is a reality and has affected and continues to affect all of us in different ways and manners, ranging from the pandemic to political conflicts and climate change, it is more than necessary to use the proper and effective tools to not only attain resilience but to tap into the new and more encompassing realm of posttraumatic growth.

Finally, with more research and more openness to innovation and respect for the individual’s lived experiences, the medical system would see dramatic shifts and improvements in healing trauma and disease while at the same time maintaining, fostering, and boosting overall physical, mental, and emotional health with a holistic paradigm at heart and in mind.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal on Defeating SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) with Bright Light Therapy and Other Holistic Tools

In this episode, I have the great pleasure to speak with Researcher and Psychiatrist Dr. Norman Rosenthal, the author of “Defeating SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder): A Guide to Health and Happiness through All Seasons” and the very person who put SAD on the map. At the time, Dr. Rosenthal experienced pushback from colleagues but once it made it to Jeopardy, people became more aware of this disorder.

We talk about the importance of light for our biological and psychological functioning and how BLT (Bright Light Therapy) can in some cases have similar effects as antidepressants but without side effects. As Norman points out, it is best to combine different approaches, methods, and treatments to attain and achieve more wide-ranging and lasting benefits.

Moreover, we discuss the holistic view that would include foundational habits that we implement and integrate into our daily life by also adding and exploring Intermittent Fasting, mindfulness as well as meditation techniques, such as TM. In fact, Dr. Rosenthal has been practicing transcendental meditation for almost two decades and has written books on its transformative and healing effects.

Finally, we delve into the odd but surprisingly therapeutic practice of “bain de surprise” during 19th century France in which people would be unwittingly dunked into ice-cold baths. Though generally not recommended nowadays, a cool shower or cold bath during summer can often bring relief, and as Dr. Rosenthal explains, this can be one of many tools and tricks for one's personal toolbox to treat and work with Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Transforming Mental Health Care and Diagnosis with Creativity and Self-Expression with the UnDoctor Dr. Fred Moss

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of talking with the UnDoctor, the Non-Diagnosing Psychiatrist, Author, and Podcaster Dr. Fred Moss about transforming mental health diagnosis and treatment and the importance of creativity, true self-expression, and listening to and connecting with our fellow beings.

There is a general lack of authenticity and genuine relationships with ourselves and others. Many are afraid of speaking in their own true voice and of sharing what they really feel and think because they are concerned about potential consequences and repercussions.

But this self-expression from the core self is vital for mental health and wellness especially since there is often a great distance between who we really are and what we show up as while often saying things that we do not actually believe.

To prevent mental dysfunction and anguish and to improve overall health and well-being, we can re-discover and re-connect with our true nature and explore these aspects via the performing and visual arts and including other creative endeavors that can range from music, dancing, singing, cooking, writing, gardening, and drama to cleaning and photography.

At the same time, we can try to gradually increment and incorporate our own unique voice and express our true being while also moving away from conventional methods and treatments that often include medication. Moreover, we have a lot to gain from embracing spirituality and divinity in order to see beyond our human lives and heal and be of service to others.

Brave Acts and Heroic Efforts in the Face of Unthinkable Evil: The Dangerous and Unbelievable Escape from Dachau with Susan Servais

In this episode, I have the pleasure to talk with Susan Servais, the daughter of Kathe Mueller Slonim who wrote the chilling, moving, and inspiring book and memoir “Escape from Dachau: A True Story of Survival, Courage, and a Daring Escape in the Face of Unthinkable Evil”.

Susan gives an overview of Germans of Jewish origin that were living and contributing to the arts, music, and science of the region throughout time and history. In fact, her grandfather was a war hero from World War One fighting for Germany whereas her grandmother volunteered for the Red Cross at the time.

And yet, when the Nazis took power, none of that mattered to them and Jews were not allowed to own property, work, or even go to public schools. Many were taken to concentration camps and died under horrid and abominable conditions. Fortunately, through the heroic efforts of a cousin, her grandfather was saved.

We also talk about other brave people who stood up against evil and risked their lives doing good. Moreover, many children were hidden and saved by Catholic authorities. There were also various other Germans who not unlike Schindler helped Jewish victims.

Finally, we appreciate the efforts of the German government initiative to invite former German citizens to visit the country under the program entitled “Return of the Lost Citizen”. For the first time, Susan's mother opened up about her experiences, and right after, she decided to write this book. Kathe Mueller Slonim passed away in 2021.

Me versus Us: Individualistic and Communitarian Value Systems, Family Life, Parenting and Learning Across Different Cultures with Dr. Cornelius N. Grove

In this episode, I have the great pleasure to speak with ethnologist and author Dr. Cornelius N. Grove about his fascinating book “How Other Children Learn: What Five Traditional Societies Tell Us about Parenting and Children’s Learning” which examines the parenting styles and learning of those communitarian cultures and compares and contrasts them with the North American individualistic setting and context.

One of the main differences is the effects of their environment and living conditions on their relationship with and rationale for having children. This comes with different worldviews where in North America we tend to foster individuality and focus on the needs of the individual child while in traditional communitarian societies, everything is geared towards what is best for the extended family and their group and community needs.

This is exemplified in child-rearing and parenting styles around doing chores. The North American parent tries to persuade their children to do chores and praise and reward them for it as if it were a favor, whereas, in traditional and indigenous societies, this is the expected outcome and norm and starts from a very early age. Children in North America receive parental care and attention, and we strive to satisfy and fulfill their needs and desires, while in communitarian (collectivist) societies, the children are expected to give and provide labor and care to the other members of the family and group.

Finally, we discuss the potential takeaways, how being and feeling useful to one’s society and community can help counteract feelings of loneliness and isolation and foster belonging and feelings of self-worth. Moreover, we debate the influence and effects of education as well as the lack thereof and how we can better understand and appreciate the many differences across nations and cultures.