Author and former climate journalist Dahr Jamail returns to the podcast to discuss the 20th anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq by United States-led coalition forces. Jamail began his journalistic career as an unembedded journalist documenting the war from the ground beginning in 2003, highlighting the countless war crimes committed by the occupying forces against the civilians of Iraq, superbly documented in his first book on the subject, Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq published in 2007 by Haymarket Books.
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#276 | Severed Bodies: Tangible, Intangible Somas & Call-Out Collateral w/ Tada Hozumi
Intro: 10:54
In this episode, I speak with Cultural Somatics practitioner and teacher Tada Hozumi. This discussion, in many ways, builds upon my previous interview with animist counselor Dare Sohei, a colleague of Tada's, in exploring and articulating the Cultural Somatic framework that encapsulates their approach in addressing systemic oppression, colonized bodies, dance, ancestral trauma, and call-out culture.
To further define Tada's work and the Cultural Somatics framework, they state on their website that:
Cultures are in fact bodies, or rather ‘cultural somas’, that emerge from networks of relationships. Cultural somas are intangible in nature yet can function similarly to our own body that has a delicate nervous system. This fractal relationship between individual and cultural somas shows us that all somas, large and small, are meant to be in co-healing with each other.
The above-mentioned cultural somas are also fields in which all intangible ‘beings’, ones our elder cultures referred to as ancestors, spirits, and goddesses/gods, exist. Even abstract concepts such as white supremacy or misogyny exist as beings in this field. This shows us that we are all a part of a common field and the healing of tangible beings like ourselves is interconnected with the healing of intangible beings that for the greater networks of relationships that we all commonly belong to.
Tada Hozumi is a practitioner, developer, and teacher of emergent methodologies for individual and collective healing that holistically integrate animism, somatics, and justice. At the core of their practice is the understanding that all oppressions, including white supremacy, are energetic ailments of both the individual and cultural body. Individual healing cannot be whole without tending to the cultural, and vice versa, that cultural change cannot be in good faith without tending to all of the bodies that make up the collective.
Episode Notes:
- Learn more about Tada’s work on their website and at The Ritual as Justice School website: https://selfishactivist.com / https://ritualasjustice.school
Video Segment:
#275 | The Poison Contains The Medicine: Ancestral Healing & Unintegrated Trauma w/ Dare Sohei
Intro: 7:44
In this episode, I speak with animist counselor and artist Dare Sohei.
In the very beginning of this discussion, I ask Dare what the animism in animist counseling is. As they state on their website and elaborate on further in this interview:
Animism, briefly, is the felt sense that all matter, all bodies are inhabited with spirit, including non-corporeal bodies such as ancestors, beliefs and ideas, that exert influence on our bodies, actions and cultures. All of our ancient ancestors were animists, even though that term is more modern.
From there, Dare tells me how recognizing of our inherent relationships — whether they are secure or insecure attachments to our bodies, the land, ancestors, more-than-human life, and cultural somas (such as "white supremacy," and this thing we call "The United States of America") — can allow us to address the fundamental disconnection that is producing the crises we find ourselves in presently. This discussion gets a bit emotional for me towards the latter half, as we really dig into the deeper elements of this work, discussing trauma, death, relationship with our bodies, and ultimately where we stand in this time of trouble.
Dare Sohei is a queer mixed-race somatic educator, ancestral healing practitioner, and neurodivergent ritual animist who specializes in helping humans heal relationships with their bodies, the earth, their ancestors, and the more-than-human world. Dare has trained for many years in somatic movement practices, as a dancer/theater maker/trainer on Ohlone land in the SF Bay area, and has a long ongoing study/praxis into the human nervous system and trauma and how that relates to indigenous wisdom and medicine practices.
Episode Notes:
- Learn more about Dare’s work on their website and at The Ritual as Justice School website: https://bodyaltar.org / https://ritualasjustice.school
- The music in this episode was produced by Eli Stonemets.
Video Segment:
#248 | Shifting Baselines: Consensus Reality, Primal Wounds, & The Evolved Nest w/ Darcia Narvaez
Intro: 8:17 | Book Pre-sale
In this episode, I speak with Darcia Narvaez PhD, Professor of Psychology at Notre Dame University. Professor Narvaez is the author and editor of numerous books, including ‘Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom’ and ‘Indigenous Sustainable Wisdom: First-Nation Know-How for Global Flourishing.’ She also writes regularly for Psychology Today with her ‘Moral Landscapes’ column, which explores her work with parenting, child development, self-development, and morality.
The first time I spoke with Darcia was almost three years ago, back when I was first beginning to do interviews for this podcast. A great deal has changed and happened since then, not only with my work specifically, but in the world at large. In contemplating the roots of the fragmented, disruptive responses the novel coronavirus pandemic has generated, I felt compelled to reconnect with Prof. Narvaez to discuss her insights into this subject. This includes an examination of the contemporary, common child-rearing practices in the West (specifically the United States), and how this informs the ideologies/belief systems people attach themselves to in states of crisis and uncertainty, such as ours.
After we explore this subject, I ask Darcia to define the characteristics of the Evolved Nest:
“Every animal has a nest for its young that forms part of an extra-genetic inheritance corresponding to the needs and maturational pace of offspring (Gottlieb, 1991; Oyama, Griffiths & Gray, 2001). Humans evolved to have the most helpless newborns and the most intensive caregiving niche. Childrearing practices consistent with the human nest were practiced for over 99% of human genus existence and still are in some indigenous cultures. Intensive caregiving in early life includes nearly constant touch, extensive breastfeeding, and free play with multi-aged peers as well as positive social support for the mother-child dyad and multiple adult caregivers (Hewlett & Lamb, 2005; Hrdy, 2009). All these caregiving practices are correlated with physical and mental health outcomes, but also with social and moral development.” (https://bit.ly/3fTZHTF)
Darcia Narvaez’s prior careers include professional musician, classroom music teacher, business owner, seminarian and middle school Spanish teacher. Her current research explores how early life experience influences societal culture, wellbeing and sociomoral character in children and adults. She integrates neurobiological, clinical, developmental and education sciences in her theories and research about human nature and human development. She publishes extensively on moral development, parenting and education.
Episode Notes:
- Learn more about Darcia and her work: https://darcianarvaez.com
- Learn more about the Evolved Nest: https://evolvednest.org
- Read Darcia’s column ‘Moral Landscapes’ at Psychology Today: https://bit.ly/2y7m8na
- The song featured in this episode is “Talanzele” by DJ N***a Fox from the album Cartas na Manga.
#247 | Breaking Us Open: Shame, Trauma, & The Double Edged Blade Of Privilege w/ Anthony Rella
Intro: 14:01 | Book Pre-sale
In this episode, I speak with psychotherapist, writer, and witch Anthony Rella.
Much of this discussion with Anthony touches on some very personal topics I'm presently reflecting on and addressing in my own life. This includes personal reflections on intergenerational and collective trauma, somatic responses to conflict in intimate relationships, masculinity, privilege, and our individual and collective responses to the overlapping crises we are in the midst of contemporarily. In conducting this interview, I attempted to present my inquiries into these subjects with openness and vulnerability, while also keeping our explorations broad enough to be received by practically anyone that is receptive to these subjects.
This segment of Anthony’s essay ‘It is Right to Take Time to Grieve’ expresses some of what we explore in this discussion:
“Grief and disappointment are not separate from care, joy, and enthusiasm. All of these feelings are emotions of engagement with this life. Letting things matter to us. Taking risks. Opening our hearts. Asking for what we really want and need, and then getting it. Or not getting it. Or getting it in a way we didn’t want or expect. Or getting it in a way that kind of fucks up the whole enjoyment of it.
Should I turn myself away from my sorrow, grief, and disappointment of not getting, then it remains in me. The space and energy I would have for fresh caring and new daring remains occupied. These feelings begin to become stagnant, shifting into cynicism, pessimism, despair, and irritability. Life no longer seems worth the effort of caring.” (https://bit.ly/3cDDFlO)
Anthony Rella is a mental health therapist living in Seattle, Washington. He specializes in helping men and masculine people cultivate emotional resilience, intimacy, and integrity in relationships. His other passion is working with spiritual wounding, healing, and growth. Anthony is a student and mentor of Morningstar Mystery School and a member of the Fellowship of the Phoenix, and is the author of ‘Circling the Star,’ published through Gods & Radicals Press.
Episode Notes:
- Learn more about Anthony and his work: https://anthonyrella.com
- The essays referenced in this episode are ‘It’s Right to Take Time to Grieve,’ ‘The Anger of White Men,’ and ‘The Prison and the Key: Pagan Perspectives on Suicide (Parts 1 and 2)’: https://bit.ly/3cDDFlO / https://bit.ly/2yTFDA7 / https://bit.ly/35UdfK8 / https://bit.ly/2WLAkuq
- Learn more about and purchase Anthony’s book ‘Circle the Star’: https://bit.ly/2zAEeP2
- Anthony references the National Alliance on Mental Illness website: https://nami.org
- The song featured in this episode is “Sorry” by Fallen Roses, Koosen, & FETS.