SPRING 2021: Resources We Love

What We’re Reading...and watching, and listening to, and generally loving :)

There is so much content available to us these days, and the barrage of “How Tos” and “Beware Ofs” can feel absolutely overwhelming. With what is left of our limited time and bandwidth, we deeply want to be nurtured and comforted, or perhaps gently challenged to explore something new-- we most certainly do NOT wish to be further beset with burden. With the aim of helping you cut through the noise, here is a look into what our clinicians are looking towards these days for their own support and learning. 

Kate Kelly, Director

My first recommendation is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by twin sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski. Grounded in science with loads of practical advice—complete with helpful worksheets and exercises—it feels like the right book for the overwhelm and exhaustion we’re all feeling right now. It’s helped me understand the biological stress response cycle in a much deeper way and be more strategic in my response to it. Instead of trying exclusively to eliminate external stressors—good luck with that, right?!—I’m finding more efficient ways of completing the stress response cycle from the inside out. The Nagoskis teach that restoring our mind and bodies to a balanced state can be as simple as quick physical activity: jumping up and down, laughter, breathing, or a 20-second hug!

My other pick for pure inspiration is Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in the Time of Pandemic and Beyond by Matthew Fox.  A profound visionary, theologian, and mystic, Julian of Norwich (1342- ca. 1429) lived her entire life—much of it sheltered-in-place—during the Bubonic plague, which historians believe killed between one-in-two and one-in-three people in Europe. Despite living in a global pandemic—with, of course, no vaccine!—Julian remained amazingly grounded in a love of life and gratitude and did not run from the death that was all around her; in fact, from her small room in quarantine, she counseled many who were suffering. Rather than joining with the blame and despair narrative of the time, which held that the plague was God’s way of punishing humans, Julian—a champion of the divine feminine at a time when patriarchy ruled—cultivated what author Miribai Starr calls “a radically optimistic theology”: a pantheistic view of God in nature, and a belief in the ultimate goodness in nature in Mother Earth. 

Amelia Aburn

I’m currently reading "Breath" by James Nestor - It is a really interesting deep dive into the healing power of respiration and how our understanding of breathing has evolved over time. He writes using his own personal story in a way that illuminates how little our western culture has really understood about the importance of our breath and building lung capacity as a means to caring for ourselves and enlivening our spirits. I'm half-way done and it has already felt transformative for me as I have been so inspired by the research he thoughtfully weaves throughout and am implementing the techniques for my own personal and clinical practice.

Elizabeth Ebaugh

I am currently enjoying some podcasts that came to me spontaneously that I had never seen before. One is Love and Liberation with Olivia Clementine and in particular the one with Kendra Cunov: Interdependence, Sacred Sovereignty and Shamelessness. In this podcast she shares how she helps people ask clearly for what they want. Very interesting. I am also exploring Relationship Alive with Neil Sattin and the one where he explores How to get Honest with Yourself. 

Liz Hagerman

One of my go-to recommended blogs for parents of children under 5 is Janet Landsbury's Respectful Parenting. She also has a podcast, "Unruffled." Janet is good at helping us get into the minds of infants, toddlers and young children. They are not small adults, but like completely different creatures! Observing, understanding and responding to our children rather than assuming and reacting is one part of her approach. 

Also, I love to listen to audio books and am now listening to The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. It is rated for ages 8-12. The theme of community is so reassuring, and since it is an historical novel, it's educational too! The author's beautiful, lively and imaginative descriptions of animals and nature bring me right into the world of an Ojibwe family in the 1800's. It is a settling, grounding read.

Mali Jimenez

I am reading 'The Illustrated Herbiary, Guidance and Rituals from 36 Bewitching Botanicals' by Maia Toll. Chock full of gorgeous illustrations, this book takes the reader on a journey through the enchanting world of plants and herbs. Perfect for children and teens as well, it is a wonderful introduction into both the magic and medicine of our plant allies. It includes profiles of Hawthorn (one of my favorites), Yarrow, Nettle, St. John's Wort, and many more. As the author states in the introduction: "This book gives voice to the plants' Medicine songs, so you can feel their energy for yourself and access their cadences for your own learning and healing." Also included in the book are 36 oracle cards that the reader can use to do readings to address questions or dilemmas in their life.

Carmelita Naves

One of the things that I have enjoyed doing is listening to podcasts. One that I found interesting and would like to share with you is the "Play Therapy Parenting" podcast by Dr. Brenna Hicks. She covers very relevant topics about which I can see myself discussing with many of the parents with whom I work. I hope you can check it out and use it as a way to stimulate your thinking on parenting tools as well as help you better understand your children and get even more connected to them.

Lisa Oakley

I am in a documentary club with some friends and we recently watched Allen vs. Farrow about the very disturbing and abusive relationship that Woody Allen cultivated with his young adopted daughter. It also portrays the ugliness of the legal proceedings and custody process.  It is a well done documentary (4 episodes on HBO) but be aware that it contains graphic descriptions of child sexual abuse.  

I feel like I need to offer a fun feel-good alternative!  So I'd also recommend the series, Modern Love, on Amazon Prime, based on the New York Times column of the same name.  Each episode is a story about people finding love and connection at different ages, stages and places in their lives.  I believe they've also made it into a podcast. 

Veronica Suleiman

I recently read a book that [Kate Kelly, Director] recommended.  It is called The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. I liked it because it helped me understand how biological trauma is. It not only affects your psyche and your relationships, but it can have an overwhelming effect on the body. It also talked about the various things that can help with trauma in addition to medication and therapy, such as yoga, theatre, dance, and singing. 

Lida Sunderland

I try to never miss an episode of psychologist Lisa Damour’s podcast, Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting. Together with the journalist Reena Ninan, Damour deftly explores the hazards, hiccups, and hilarities of raising families with gentle discernment, and her highly relatable and easily applicable expertise. The podcast started in summer 2020, so its relatively small archive of episodes are all relevant to our current moment of uncertainty and unease. 

I am also in the midst of reading “The Body is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor. Her book is a powerful reminder that the little voice in our head that can be an endless loop of shame and doubt is in fact not ours, but rather an echo of an infected society and culture. With personal reflections, a global perspective, and simple prompts and tools, Taylor teaches us how to embrace “radical self-love,” just as we are. And she has done more than write a book; TBINAP is also a dynamic online community.