For a long time my passion was horseback riding. I practiced for hours every day in order to train my body and my mind to be in tune with my horse and the sport. My intense passion allowed me to excel to the top of the competition, with dreams of Olympic gold seemingly within reach. But when I was seventeen,…
For thousands of years, people have had strong connections to animals and often believe they had special powers. Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats, while some Native American tribes thought eagles could deliver prayers to God. Such beliefs have been relegated to folklore, but animals have proven their talents and value to humans in many ways. Gorillas and chimpanzees can learn a…
Second Acts is a series of interviews with interesting people who discovered new pathways midway through their lives. Mirabai Starr is professor of comparative religions at the University of New Mexico, Taos. She translated Dark Night of the Soul and The Interior Castle, and then a cascade of other works based upon the teachings of spiritual mystics. Her first book in her…
When Dr. Richard Ash developed rheumatoid arthritis years ago, he began taking the standard therapy of steroids to suppress his immune system. But instead of finding relief from his symptoms over the course of long-term treatment, he incurred more suffering due to side effects from the medications. Dr. Ash felt there had to be a better way. So he looked…
According to study findings just published in Nature Neuroscience, targeted brain training during sleep may soften the blow of painful memories. This research may have a far-reaching impact on the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Neuroscientist Katherina Hauner and her colleagues at Northwestern University used a form of exposure therapy on volunteers to establish…
I slouched my 5-foot-8-inch frame into Greg’s office weighing a mere 108 pounds. Power posture? Definitely not. But I had yet to learn about that. For the previous year I’d been battling an undiagnosable illness that had doctors all over Manhattan scratching their heads: An adverse reaction to an antibiotic had catapulted my body into a complete meltdown. With liver,…
The merits of acupuncture for pain relief and treatment of other conditions have been well documented, as well as challenged by naysayers. For me, those tiny needles have always hit the right spots. I’ve had close to a dozen acupuncture sessions over the years, and always walked away with my comfort restored. But during one treatment, I received much more…
