Sounds True: Insights At The Edge

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Kristin Neff, a professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas and a practitioner of Buddhist meditation. The recent book and documentary The Horse Boy illustrate her and her family’s adventure with autism. With Sounds True, Kristin has created the audio program Self-Compassion Step-by-Step, which includes clinical evidence of the importance of self-compassion along with techniques and exercises for cultivating this pivotal quality. In this interview, Tami and Kristin talk about three pillars of self-compassion, “self-compassion breaks,” and the importance of recognizing our common humanity during difficulties that feel unique and isolating. (69 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Sil and Eliza Reynolds, a mother-daughter team who are leading a revolution to overturn the conventional wisdom that creates rifts between so many mothers and daughters. Sil is a therapist in private practice, while Eliza is a student at Brown University. With Sounds True, they have co-authored a new book, Mothering and Daughtering: Keeping Your Bond Strong Through the Teen Years. In this episode, Tami speaks with Sil and Eliza about ways we can heal the mother-daughter bond especially during the difficult teen years, the essential tools that both mothers and daughters need, and what it means for mothers and daughters at any age to “keep it real.” (66 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Robert Peng, an internationally renowned qigong master capable of generating healing energy through his hands with power equal to a potent electrical charge. Robert has helped countless people regain their optimum health and vitality and will be a featured teacher at Sounds True’s annual Wake Up Festival this August. He is the author of four upcoming Sounds True releases, including The Qigong Master Video Series and the book The Master Key. In this interview, Tami and Robert speak about qigong healing, “breathing like an immortal,” and Robert’s early experiences with his legendary qigong master Xiao Yao. Robert also offers a short practice for nourishing qi. (64 minutes) See Robert Peng live in August 2013. Visit WakeUpFestival.com for more information.

Tami Simon speaks with Matthew Fox, an Episcopal priest, activist, internationally acclaimed spiritual theologian, and author of 30 books. After 34 years with the Dominican Order, Matthew was asked to resign because of his outspoken views on feminism, homosexuality, and other issues. With Sounds True, he created the audio program Radical Prayer: Love in Action, and he will speak at Sounds True’s Wake Up Festival this August. Here, Tami and Matthew speak about the “Cosmic Mass,” group ritual and prayer, the reinvention of culture, and spirituality without religion. They also discuss the marriage of the sacred masculine and the divine feminine and how this marriage is imperative in our time. (64 minutes) See Matthew Fox live in August 2013. Visit WakeUpFestival.com for more information.

Tami Simon speaks with Lama Tsultrim Allione, an author, former Tibetan nun, internationally known Buddhist teacher, and founder of the Tara Mandala retreat center. Lama Tsultrim has created several audio programs with Sounds True, including The Mandala of the Enlightened Feminine and Cutting through Fear, which helps us meet and release the demons of fears and other unhelpful emotions and obsessions. In this episode, Tami and Lama Tsultrim speak about the sacred feminine within Buddhism and how to understand it without creating duality. They also discuss the eleventh-century Tibetan yogini Machig Labdrön and Lama Tsultrim’s journey through grief over the sudden loss of her husband. (69 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Rabbi Rami Shapiro, an award-winning author of more than two dozen nonfiction books, whose poems and short stories have been anthologized in over a dozen volumes and whose prayers are used in prayer books around the world. A congregational rabbi for 20 years, Rabbi Rami will be a featured presenter at Sounds True’s 2013 Wake Up Festival in August. In this episode, Tami and Rabbi Rami speak about his early experiences of nonduality and how his nonduality teachings have evolved dramatically over time. They also talk about preparing for death, teachings and practices to help people “die into the arms of love,” and Rabbi Rami’s unusual take on the practice of forgiveness. (67 minutes) See Rabbi Rami Shapiro live in August 2013. Visit WakeUpFestival.com for more information.

Tami Simon speaks with Mark Nepo, a New York Times #1 bestselling author and a cancer survivor who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 35 years. Mark has created several audio programs with Sounds True, plus a new interactive video learning course called A Pilgrimage of the Heart: Discovering Your Authentic Voice and Inner Courage, which launches March 19th. Mark will present at Sounds True’s Wake Up Festival this August, including a pre-festival workshop on writing and spiritual growth. In this interview, Mark speaks about how to relate helpfully to our pain, sincerity as a specific type of intelligence, the role of pilgrimage, and the spiritual path of the artist. (64 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Robert Moss, a lifelong dream explorer, shamanic teacher, and student of the Western Mystery Tradition. Robert is a former professor of ancient history and philosophy and the author of several books. With Sounds True, he has created the audio learning course Dream Gates: A Journey into Active Dreaming. In this episode, Tami speaks with Robert about how we can listen to our dreams, and the process he calls the “Lightning Dreamwork Technique.” He speaks about how synchronicities can help us navigate our life and our spiritual practice, and shares insights on what we can learn from our dreams, including how they can allow us to connect with alternate versions of ourselves. (61 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Erin Olivo, an assistant clinical professor of medical psychology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the former director of the Columbia Integrated Medicine program. With Sounds True, Erin has created the audio learning program Free Yourself from Anxiety: A Mind-Body Prescription. In this episode, Tami speaks with Erin about three essential skills to help us regulate our emotional reactivity, and explores what it might mean to develop a “wise mind” in relation to our emotions. She also shared on-the-spot tips to help us when we feel triggered by stress, and her insights on how we can reduce chronic negative self-talk. (61 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston’s graduate college of social work who has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. Brené is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Daring Greatly, and with Sounds True she has created the audio learning course The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on Authenticity, Courage, and Connection. In this episode, Tami speaks with Brené about the cultural myth that equates vulnerability as weakness instead of recognizing it as the greatest measure of our courage. They also examine Brené’s research about the qualities that allow someone to live in a wholehearted way. (66 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Snatam Kaur, one of the most recognized voices in the world of devotional chant. Snatam is an American artist who was raised in the kundalini yoga tradition and schooled in kirtan meditation and Gurmukhi, the Sanskrit-based language of Sikh scriptures in northern India. She is the lead singer for the Celebrate Peace tours and has released eight records. In this episode, Tami Simon speaks with Snatam about her bottom line in terms of daily meditation practice, what has been her go-to mantra in life, and how motherhood keeps her ego in check. She also shares three excerpts from The Essential Snatam Kaur, her Sounds True compilation of her favorite sacred chants for healing. (76 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. David Grand, a pioneering psychotherapist, lecturer, and performance coach. Dr. Grand is best known for his discovery of the internationally-acclaimed therapy called Brainspotting. He’s the author of the book Emotional Healing at Warp Speed, and his new book called Brainspotting: A Revolutionary New Therapy for Rapid and Effective Change will be released with Sounds True in the spring. In this episode, Tami speaks with David about what Brainspotting is and why it represents a new evolution in brain-based therapy. Dr. Grand reveals the central insight of Brainspotting—that where you look affects how you feel—and offers a simple practice that you can try right now. (60 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Sally Kempton, a teacher who has practiced, studied, and written about meditation and spiritual philosophy for more than 40 years. With Sounds True, Sally has authored Meditation for the Love of It and the recently released book Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga. In this episode, Tami speaks with Sally about how we can seek guidance and blessing from a goddess, the role of imagination in invoking goddess energy, the light and shadow sides of each goddess, and the relationship between goddess energy and the awakening of Kundalini in the human experience. (69 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Jeff Foster, who was voted one of the world’s 100 most spiritually influential living people by the Watkins Review in 2012. Jeff teaches from his own awakened experience, belonging to no tradition or lineage, and makes his teaching accessible to all. With Sounds True, he has created a new book, The Deepest Acceptance: Radical Awakening in Ordinary Life, and an accompanying audio program. In this second half of a two-part interview, Jeff speaks with Tami about addiction, physical pain, and the core challenge of being with discomfort. He also talks about illusions about spiritual awakening as a permanent state of bliss and what “real spirituality” might mean. (74 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson, who incorporates integrative family medicine with energy healing. Dr. Chiasson is Canadian board-certified in family practice and has a private integrative and energy medicine practice in Tucson, AZ. With Sounds True, she has created several audio programs, a home study course, an online training program, and her new book, Energy Healing: The Essentials for Self-Care. In this interview, Dr. Chiasson speaks about allowing energy to flow into the body through assemblage points. She also talks about sacred touch, leads us in a heart center meditation, and explains what it means to access a unified field of energy through all three dan tians. (70 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Stephen Cope, a psychotherapist who studies the relationship between Western psychology and Eastern contemplative traditions. Stephen is the founder and director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living, the largest yoga research institute in the West. With Sounds True, he has created the audio program Yoga for Emotional Flow: Free Your Emotions through Yoga Breathing, Body Awareness, and Energetic Release. In this interview, Stephen speaks with Tami about deeper dimensions of yoga, including how yoga helps us undo core patterns of aggression and craving in the body. Stephen also discusses “riding the wave,” a process for leaning in and fully experiencing emotion. (61 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Marion Woodman, a renowned international teacher, workshop leader, and Jungian therapist. A widely read author on analytical and feminine psychology with over half a million books in print, Marion has created several Sounds True audio courses, including The Crown of Age and Sitting by the Well. In the second half of this newly released, two-part interview recorded in the year 2000, Tami speaks with Marion about forgiving our mistakes. Marion also talks about the marriage of spirit and matter, what it might mean to live with mystery, and why humans can never be fully conscious. (79 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Marion Woodman, a renowned international teacher, workshop leader, and Jungian therapist. A widely read author on analytical and feminine psychology with over half a million books in print, Marion has created several Sounds True audio courses, including The Crown of Age and Sitting by the Well. In the first half of this newly released, two-part interview, recorded in the year 2000, Tami speaks with Marion about the cancer diagnosis Marion received and how it has changed her perspective on life. Marion also speaks eloquently of the courage to face our mortality, how life can be seen as a series of birth canals, and the gifts of humor and faith that come to us with age. (60 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, the founding president of Pacifica Graduate Institute and a pioneer in the study of dreams. Dr. Aizenstat has explored the power of dreams using depth psychology and his own research for 35 years. With Sounds True, he has created the audio program DreamTending: Techniques for Uncovering the Hidden Intelligence of Your Dreams. In this episode, Tami and Stephen speak about why he believes dreams are not just conceived in our personal subconscious but are living expressions of the mind of the universe itself, how we can have a relationship with the images that we encounter in dreams, and what it might mean to say that the body is always dreaming. (69 minutes)

Tami Simon speaks with Starhawk, one of the most respected voices in modern Goddess religion and earth-based spirituality. Starhawk travels internationally teaching magic, the tools of ritual, and the skills of political activism. She is the author or co-author of 12 books including Spiral Dance and The Earth Path, and her audio programs with Sounds True include Earth Magic and The Beginner’s Guide to Wicca. In this episode, Tami speaks with Starhawk about how we communicate with the natural world and the important tenets of Wiccan religion, including a full moon ritual we can try. She also spoke about her view of the most important leverage points for making effective change in the world. (64 minutes)