Highlights from this session:

• The neuroscience of in-group and out-group distinctions and stress responses in marginalized communities
• Developing a collective nervous system that assists in the evolution versus the destruction of the planet
• Enhancing the self-expanding emotions of gratitude, compassion, and awe as antidotes to contempt and shame

Dr. Sará King is a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, education philosopher, social-entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow in Neurology at OHSU (Oregon Health Science University) in the Oregon Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in Neurological Disorders, a Garrison Institute Fellow and Society for Neuroscience Associate, and a member of Google’s well-being think tank “Vitality Lab.” She is also the founder of MindHeart Consulting, a scientific consulting firm through which she offers up “The Science of Social Justice” framework and the “Systems Based Awareness Map” (SBAM) which she created to explore our capacity to heal intergenerational trauma and promote the well-being of “collective nervous systems.”

Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight and teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families, and communities. He is the author of many books, including five New York Times bestselling books, such as Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence, and the upcoming IntraConnected. Dr. Siegel also serves as the Founding Editor for the Norton Professional Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology which currently contains over eighty textbooks.

Highlights from this session:

• Secondary resilience as a corollary to secondary trauma
• The necessity of caring for yourself when caring for your community
• The tradition of Témoignage; bearing witness to suffering, and the obligation to raise public awareness

Athena Viscusi, LCSW has been working in international humanitarian aid since 2010, and previously worked in Washington DC, providing mental health care to immigrants and refugees. She has directed mental health and psychosocial interventions for Doctors Without Borders in response to natural disasters such as earthquakes, epidemics, and man-made disasters such as war and genocide. Currently she provides emotional support to front line staff in humanitarian projects. Her pro-bono work includes forensic examinations, and evaluations for asylum applicants.

Highlights from this session:

• Opening to Black, Brown, and Indigenous knowledge to develop a clear understanding of the past 400 years
• The epigenetic and intergenerational transfer and healing of trauma
• The importance of resourcing through coaching, community, and bodywork to unpack white supremacy

Magogodi oaMphela Makhene is a writer and social entrepreneur. She leads Love As A Kind of Cure, a social enterprise that dismantles white supremacy through live events and immersive learning. Since their 2020 birthday bash for Toni Morrison at the Brooklyn Museum, Love As a Kind of Cure has galvanized women like Arundhati Roy, Nikki Giovanni, Krista Tippett, and Joy Harjo in this work. Magogodi has been featured in The BBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Harvard Review, and received fancy pants awards from luminaries like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel. Get her antiracist shouts, raves, and raucous asides delivered to your inbox every Thursday—side effects have been known to include epic dance moves, loud laughs, and giving a damn. Magogodi is a proudly Soweto-made soul.

Highlights from this session:

• Facing the difficulties manifested in our neurology, psychology, and conditioning as part of the spiritual path
• Trauma therapy as a tool to open one’s spiritual nature, and be able to handle spiritual energies
• The difficult but necessary practice of actualizing spiritual realization into our everyday lives

A. Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait, and later studied at the University of California in Berkeley. His work inquires into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature. Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach. He is the author of 20 books, including Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type; Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart; and The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence.

Highlights from this session:

• The effects of globalization on how traumatic news is presented
• The resiliency gained from approaching journalism ethically
• The key role that journalists play in helping us understand and heal from collective trauma

Elana Newman is the McFarlin Professor of Psychology at The University of Tulsa, Research Director at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, and Co-Director of The University of Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity, and Injustice. She is a journalist ally and PTSD/traumatic stress expert.  She is a skilled clinician and trainer in a wide range of trauma-related therapies and disaster interventions across the lifespan, and co-editor of the book Trauma Therapy in Context. Currently, she provides training about trauma science and trauma-related newsroom practices to journalists. Newman is a past president of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies.