Relationships That Invite Health: An Overview of Basic Attendance Part 1
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Dear Listeners, This Podcast series on the Windhorse practice of Basic Attendance explores the discipline as an expression of the wisdom, compassion and resulting reciprocity that can manifest in ordinary human relationships when cultivated within a ground of openness and relational warmth. I came to the Windhorse approach after graduating from the Naropa Institute—now University—in 1980, and I had the good fortune to be around when this was being envisioned with other Naropa graduates. My attraction to this vision and practice had to do with the emphasis on a person being fundamentally...
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Could I Be A Voice For Those Still Suffering? Pt. 5
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Dear Listeners, Welcome to today’s podcast, the conclusion of our five-part series of Julia’s first-person recovery story. By its nature, what’s being told here is certainly unique, as each person’s journey is completely individual. But in this case, the highly unusual nature of our series goes further, as her team—Janneli Chapin, Jack Gipple, and Chuck Knapp—are also sharing their perspective, making this a truly rare opportunity to experience the multifaceted inner workings of a recovery journey. We had originally planned to have this series end after four segments. However, once...
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Could I Be A Voice For Those Still Suffering? Pt. 4
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Hello friends and listeners, I am so glad that you are here, and I hope that you will enjoy today’s podcast. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to watch the first 3 podcasts. I was very excited to have been given the opportunity to make these podcasts with Windhorse, and in particular with Jack, Janneli and Chuck. In 1992 I took a medication that triggered a severe bipolar episode that sent me spiraling into a nightmare that lasted more than 20 years. You can hear about many of my experiences on the first 3 podcasts as Jack, Janneli , Chuck and I discuss our relationships over...
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Could I Be A Voice For Those Still Suffering? Pt. 3
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Dear Listeners, Welcome to today’s podcast, a first-person recovery story which we believe is a unique contribution to the resources on extreme state psychology—particularly around the phenomenon of cutting. In Part Three of this five-part series, we again join the members of Julia’s long-standing Windhorse team—Janneli Chapin, Jack Gipple, and Chuck Knapp—as they discuss the 12 years of their working together, along with her psychiatrist, Dr. Green. Today’s dialogue covers a wide and dynamic arc. Beginning with the horror and helplessness of Julia’s former life having almost...
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Could I Be A Voice For Those Still Suffering? Pt. 2
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Dear Listeners, Welcome to today’s podcast. In Part Two of this five-part series, we once again join the four members of Julia’s long-standing Windhorse team as they continue to discuss their stark experiences and the realities of her recovery—particularly as this conversation takes them more vividly into her experiences of cutting. Speaking with unusual directness about the dynamics they experienced with each other and with the larger mental health system, this open-hearted discussion explores the power dynamics that harm and those that heal. Again, they speak about—and most...
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Could I Be A Voice For Those Still Suffering? Pt. 1
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Welcome to today’s podcast, a first-person recovery story which we believe is a unique contribution to the resources on extreme state psychology—particularly around the phenomenon of cutting. The arc of our story begins with Julia, who’s lost in a hellish life predicament, feeling “intrinsically ruined”—with no sense of a way out. At this point, pretty much everything she’s known as reliable reference points have been lost, and her confused acts and thoughts are only begetting more confusion and pain. Making matters worse, the trauma that lies at the root of her extremely...
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Recovery is possible, no matter how disturbed a mind has become
Windhorse Journal Podcast
In this podcast, four long-time Windhorse practitioners discuss the 4th (and last) principle of recovery: “No matter how disturbed a mind has become, recovery is possible." The conversation touches on the loss of connection with self, others, and the world—and the unique path each person walks to reclaim and reintegrate those parts of themselves that are innate but covered over by confusion.
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Recovery is the path of discovering one’s own health and sanity
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Anyone who’s considered the territory of recovery from extreme mental states knows this to be a vast and subtle topic. And if this is a concern of yours, it’s also critical to reasonably understand—otherwise you may not recognize some of the key patterns as they’re occurring.
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The Integration of Windhorse and Open Dialogue
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Welcome to this podcast discussion that explores the integration of the Windhorse approach with Dialogical Process that derives from Finland’s Open Dialogue treatment approach. We are also fortunate to publish here an original paper by Phoebe Walker, The Evolution of Dialogic Practice within the Windhorse Project, that provides substantial background for this exploration
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Co-Presence: The Legacy of RD Laing – Part 2
Windhorse Journal Podcast
Welcome to this podcast, which is part 2 of Co-Presence: The Legacy of R.D. Laing. Again, our group of distinguished guests includes Nita Gage, Michael Thompson, Fritjof Capra, and Jeff Fortuna. If you’ve been fortunate to already hear part 1, you know you’re in for another feast of the mind and heart.
info_outlineDear Listeners,
Community Programs is, by its very nature, a place for Windhorse clients and staff to connect, learn, and celebrate together. When COVID-19 hit our hometown of Boulder in early March, and we all dispersed to our homes to protect our physical health and that of those around us, Community Programs was called to re-invent itself. In the words of Laura Hale, Peer Support Specialist, facilitators and participants had to “find structure out of ether.” Connecting in person was no longer an option, yet the need to connect was of utmost importance. Many of our community members found the initial isolation and stay-at-home orders overwhelming and downright frightening. So, with the help of Zoom, and the flexibility and persistence of our staff and clients, Community Programs became virtual pretty much overnight. We even found that a virtual format resulted in more community participation and an expansion of programming. Clients and staff dropped into Dinner Club, Yoga, or the Stress Management Class from the comfort of their own home and, in the words of Alicia Mandel in the following podcast, there was still connection with one another on the “spiritual and emotional level”, even when a physical connection was absent.
Fast forward two months to the current podcast, in which we drop in on a conversation amongst those that have been living this reality: JoAnn Dorio Burton (Community Programs Administrator), Joe Calcagno (Peer Support Specialist), Alicia Mandel (Client), and Laura Hale (Peer Support Specialist). From losing connection to community, employment, and a sense of safety, these resourceful and resilient people discuss the journey from shock to adaptation to—in the words of Joe Calcagno—transformation during this time. Through anecdote and honest reflection, they paint a picture of how this time has been challenging yet enlightening. They reflect upon how they get through each day and how each has worked with their thoughts and utilized their coping skills ‘tool box’—not only to empower themselves but to support the greater Community Programs community.
It is easy to get lost, overwhelmed, and siloed while isolating. However, this podcast illustrates the profound human potential to overcome atrophy simply by tuning in, daring to connect, and—in the words of Laura Hale—”not wasting precious peace of mind” by focusing on things outside our control. As Joe Calcagno puts it, “this wasn’t a vacation I necessarily wanted to go on . . . but all you ever want to do is try to get better.”
Have a listen and take care of yourselves,
Judy Halloran