Cultivating Lifestyle, Connectedness, and Embodiment for Sustainable Change and Transformation

A Beginning and the Foundation

Early in my career, I completed a residency in internal medicine and then in psychiatry. The most notable aspect was the teaching and academic component, which required absorbing a large volume of information and concepts about the practice and administration of care and treatment, based on the consensus of the day’s educational and scientific community. The second component, initially interwoven with the first, involved working with patients, practicing the art of diagnosis and care, and setting up treatment plans—mostly centered on the psychotherapies considered mainstream at the time, and prescribing medication and other physical-oriented therapies.

There was hope and intention on the part of the residency programs and senior faculty that the teachings, concepts, and wisdom from experienced teachers would be incorporated into our memories for future application. It was further expected that the blending of the remembered with hands-on experience would be more deeply embodied and shaped into remembered, actionable, and ethical behavior to best serve future patients.

The Loss of the Reiners: A Cautionary Tale

The tragic and shocking news report

The recent knife attack that resulted in the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, shocked the global community. Both were widely known and admired for their remarkable contributions to the entertainment industry, their generosity to various causes, activism to support others’ rights, and their advocacy for democratic organizations. Rob Reiner was especially beloved for his memorable acting roles and the classic, creative films he directed. Despite their public successes, the Reiner family faced personal challenges familiar to many families with disabled or emotionally struggling members—especially those dealing with substance use disorders and related mental health issues.

Embracing Life’s Ebb and Flow

               A Father’s Journey Back to Himself

My father, then in his seventies, was sitting a short way off from me on the sandy, gravel-like beach that bounded a wide, rapid-flowing river that ran from the mountains through the bottom of the national park where we were staying. The impressive, mighty flowing river absorbed all your thoughts into its splendid displays of power, freedom, nature’s natural beauty, and almighty presence. The morning light emanating from the sky, awakening the senses to the river’s enormity and nature’s presence, seemed to softly filter through curtains of mental fog and preoccupations, like a whisper. He appeared for the first time in weeks to release his tension and despair, the sense of loss, and hopelessness. Now he radiated the spirit of someone who had found his soul and regained his footing and sense of purpose.