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    The CRAM Podcast ~ Extraordinary Ideas Unleashed

    The CRAM Podcast features engaging and thought-provoking interviews that explore innovative ideas and exciting new research that’s shaping our lives - whether it's the evolution of the work world, the transformative ways we connect, the re-imagining of home and place, or the dramatic changes in our identity and community. We interview leading researchers and big thinkers about the human condition and the possibilities of tomorrow.
    en-usMary Ito70 Episodes

    Episodes (70)

    What are the most dangerous personality traits?

    What are the most dangerous personality traits?

    Have you heard of “The Dark Triad?”  It sounds like a mysterious crime syndicate in a James Bond movie.   But it’s real. The Dark Triad refers to the worst personality traits a person can have.  Narcissism.  Machiavellianism.  Psychopathy.

    Think of former U.S. President Donald Trump.  NY financier Bernie Madoff.   Serial killer Paul Bernardo.  

    Each of them has at least one of these traits according to a researcher who studies personality disorders.     

    And there’s even a fourth dark trait – sadism.  Put them all together and they form a tetrad of the most dangerous qualities a human can possess.

    Renowned personality researcher Delroy Paulhus gives a compelling overview of why we have these human traits, how they’re exhibited, and even more shocking - why no one is exempt from any of these behaviours.  


    Info on Guest:

    Delroy Paulhus is a personality researcher and professor emeritus of the Dept. of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.   For more info:  https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/del-paulhus/

    An article on the four “dark personalities”:  https://paulhuslab.psych.ubc.ca/research/dark-personalities/


    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  


    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Faster, higher, stronger: Improving how we move whether we’re disabled or Olympic athletes

    Faster, higher, stronger:  Improving how we move whether we’re disabled or Olympic athletes

    Humans are complex beings.

    And one of the most perplexing puzzles that John McPhee is trying to figure out –  is how we move.  

    It’s a question that’s fascinated him for most of his life.

    And during his 30+ years as a systems design engineer, he’s come up with remarkable achievements:

    everything from improving electric and autonomous vehicles,  developing exoskeletons for stroke patients,  and increasing the performance of Olympic  and pro athletes. 

    His lab even developed a hockey blade that allows hockey players to skate faster.

    As well as a baseball pitching machine that can replicate every baseball pitch ever produced in the last ten years.  Even Garrit Cole’s. 

    Canada's leading expert in systems dynamics John McPhee shares his amazing inventions and how he’s advancing the way we move. 


    Info on Guest:

    John McPhee is the Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics and Professor in Systems Design Engineering at the U of Waterloo.   In 2021, Stanford University named him among the top 2% of scientists in the world.  

    For more on his research and inventions:  https://uwaterloo.ca/systems-design-engineering/profile/mcphee

    To watch a video on his work:  https://uwaterloo.ca/systems-design-engineering/contacts/john-mcphee


    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  




    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Does psychotherapy REALLY work? What you should know

    Does psychotherapy REALLY work?  What you should know

    Are there some things about you - habits or behaviours you’d really like to change? Maybe you’re dealing with anxiety?  Or depression?

    Or you’ve been in one bad relationship after another and you want this pattern to stop. You’ve wondered about going for counselling.  But you’re skeptical.  Maybe even scared. Can psychotherapy, or as some people call it – talk therapy - REALLY help??

    Who needs it?  What are the different approaches?  And how often do you need to go to benefit? We cover that and a lot more with clinical psychologist Martin Drapeau.  

    He’s knowledgeable, thoughtful, and open to discussing some of the troubling issues he’s seeing.  I learned a lot!

    Info on Guest:

    Dr. Martin Drapeau is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Counselling Psychology and Psychiatry at McGill University.  For more information on his research and work, please check out these links:

    https://www.mcgill.ca/edu-ecp/martin-drapeau

    https://www.drmartindrapeau.ca/  Dr. Drapeau also has some helpful videos on his website that cover different aspects of psychotherapy and mental health incl. this one on how to choose a psychotherapist:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCQNtQA9Lg0


    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    People behaving badly - what's going on?!

    People behaving badly - what's going on?!

    I bet if you took a random poll, many would say people’s general behaviour has  deteriorated. - a lot. 

    And you can witness this just about anywhere.  On the street with strangers, shopping in a store, when you’re driving – all kinds of rude behaviour.  And you see it with politicians, corporate leaders, celebrities.  And let’s not even get into social media.  

    The world seems less welcoming. .. even dangerous.  

    What’s happened to good manners, politeness, and behaving respectfully towards others?

    We explore the question of bad behaviour,  what it means, and what could be behind it.


    Info on Guest:

    Mervyn Horgan is a sociologist and professor with the Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph.  For more info:     https://socioanthro.uoguelph.ca/people/mervyn-horgan-0

    Sociable Cities Project:  https://www.sociablecities.uoguelph.ca/

    The Civil Sphere in Canada: https://csahs.uoguelph.ca/news/2022/05/the-civil-sphere-in-canada

     

    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    What do your dreams mean - and how do you control them?

    What do your dreams mean - and how do you control them?

    It occupies a significant chunk of our life. But we pay little or no attention to it at all. Dreaming.  

    There are scary dreams, happy dreams, erotic dreams.. and everyday, run-of-the-mill dreams.  But what do they mean?  

    How do we remember them, analyse them, even CONTROL them?  (yes it’s possible) By studying how we sleep and dream we can better understand ourselves and our lives. 

    Listen to cognitive scientist Elizaveta Solomonova on the world of dreams. It will open your eyes.   


    Info on Guest:

    Elizaveta Solomonova is a cognitive scientist who teaches a course called The Science of Dreams at Concordia University in Montreal.  She’s also a researcher with the Neurophilosophy Lab at McGill University.  For more info:   https://sociabilityofsleep.ca/elizaveta-solomonova/

    Cross-cultural sleep & dreams study: https://www.neurophilosophylab.org/s-projects-basic-2

    Psychology Today:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/contributors/elizaveta-solomonova-phd





    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Hope for the new year: A repeat of our interview with Dr. James Orbinski

    Hope for the new year: A repeat of our interview with Dr. James Orbinski

    We hope you're enjoying the holiday season with family and friends. It is a time meant for peace and goodwill and yet, for many, this has been a time of conflict, violence and war. How can we better understand the world during troubled times and even come away with hope? We thought hard about this and we wanted to end 2023 with our interview with Dr. James Orbinski-- first aired in June of this year. It's difficult to listen to. This interview can be disturbing, but it is also incredibly powerful and moving, bringing an understanding of the common humanity we all share. 

    There are very few people who’ve experienced life like James Orbinski - doctor, humanitarian, activist .  He’s had unforgettable experiences on the front lines of aid:  Somalia during its civil war and famine, Afghanistan as the Taliban came to power, and Rwanda during its horrific genocide.  

    And though he’s witnessed the very worst of human behaviour, he has also witnessed the best.  People willing to sacrifice the greatest gift of all – their life – to help those in need.  

    James spent years with the int’l aid organization Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) that received the Nobel Peace Prize under his leadership in 1999.  Today he’s director of the Dadaleh Institute for Global Health Research at York University.

    He continues to work for a better tomorrow – for everyone.

    Info on Guest:

    Dr. James Orbinski is a medical doctor, humanitarian, activist, and currently the Director of the Dadaleh Inst. for Global Health Research and York University in Toronto.  Dr. Orbinski received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Médecins sans Frontières in 1999 when he was President.  

    For more on his background:  https://www.yorku.ca/dighr/person/james-orbinski/

    He is also the author of the bestseller “An Imperfect Offering:  Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-First Century.”  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/124758/an-imperfect-offering-by-james-orbinski/9780385660709  A must read book!  

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   


    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Do you know what makes you happy? You could be wrong

    Do you know what makes you happy? You could be wrong

    It’s the holiday season – a time for family, friends and happy times together. But then the season’s over and we’re back to the worries and grind of everyday life.  Happiness can seem fleeting, so difficult to hold on to.  

    But there’s actually a science around happiness and some answers as to what makes us happy.

    Some of the findings seem obvious.  But others may be surprising including the fact that many people think they know what makes them happy.  But they’re wrong.  

    Are you one of them?

    Info on Guest:

    Lara Aknin is a social psychologist and a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University.  She’s also a co-editor for the United Nations World Happiness Report which comes out every year.  For more info on Lara and her work:

    https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/about/people/current-faculty/laknin.html;

    Lara’s Helping and Happiness Lab:  https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/research/hhl.html

    The UN’s World Happiness Report:  https://worldhappiness.report/


    Add’l Info:  

    Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  And if you’d like to check out our website:  https://cramideas.com/



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    How stress changes the brain and why it’s contagious

    How stress changes the brain and why it’s contagious

    Are you stressed?  Who isn’t! We seem to be faced with constant demands at work and at home.  

    Obligations to family, responsibilities at work, commitments to friends and so on.    And it’s all a race against the clock.  

    As a society,  we seem to be stressed out.  

    And what makes this dilemma even more problematic is that stress is contagious!  That’s right.  The research on this is fascinating.  Just listen to neuroscientist Jaideep Bains.  

    We take a deep dive into our brains to find out what’s happening to us when we’re on stress overload.

    Info on Guest:

    Jaideep Bains is a neuroscientist,  Director of of the Krembil Research Institute and Senior Scientist at the Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network in Toronto.  He’s also a Professor in the Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary.  For more info on Jaideep’s work:  https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/jaideep-bains 

    and https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/jaideep-bains.  
    and https://stressynomicslab.ca/


    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  And if you’d like to check out our website:  https://cramideas.com/



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Delusions: Why do people believe almost anything?

    Delusions: Why do people believe almost anything?

    There are all kinds of delusions.

    Here’s one: You believe you’re the star of a movie and that your life is being watched and recorded.  Every second of it.  And everyone around you – your family, friends, even strangers – they’re in on it.  This is your life and it’s hell.

    This unusual mental disorder, dubbed The Truman Show syndrome (after the movie starring Jim Carrey), was observed by psychiatrist Joel Gold in a number of patients.  He along with his brother, neurophilosopher Ian Gold wrote about it.  

    On this podcast, Ian Gold explores this disorder and other kinds of delusions. The Truman Show syndrome is a serious condition.  But what about delusions a lot of people seem to have –  who aren’t necessarily mentally ill?  How and why does this happen?

    Is this someone you know?  Could it be you?

    Info on Guest:

    Ian Gold is a neurophilosopher.  He’s a Professor of philosophy and psychiatry,  and Chair of the Dept. of Philosophy at McGill University.  For more info about his work and research, check out these links:  https://www.mcgill.ca/tcpsych/faculty/iangold

    Ian Gold’s lab:   https://www.neurophilosophylab.org/


    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  And if you’d like to check out our website:  https://cramideas.com/




    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Are we our memories? How we lose them and how we keep them.

    Are we our memories? How we lose them and how we keep them.

    What is the meaning of memory? Imagine waking up one day with no memory from the time you were 15. That’s what happened to a woman in the Maritimes. She went into cardiac arrest and was in a coma for three weeks. She was 29 at the time but when she awoke, she was a child again.

    It’s such an incredible story that I reached out to Dr. Howard Chertkow, a cognitive neurologist. I wanted to find out how this could happen, and to explore more about memory’s function, how we can preserve it, and how it affects who we are.  

    Info on Guest:

    Dr. Howard Chertkow is a cognitive neurologist and Chair in Cognitive Neurology and Innovation at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, and senior scientist with the Rotman Research Institute:

    https://www.baycrest.org/Baycrest/Research-Innovation/People/Researchers/Scientists/Dr-Howard-Chertkow

    Dr. Chertkow on reducing your risk of dementia:  https://www.facebook.com/baycrestcentre/videos/15-things-you-can-do-now-to-reduce-your-risk-of-dementia-11-protect-your-heart/254144695551740/

    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  And if you’d like to check out our website:  https://cramideas.com/


    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    What REALLY haunts us?

    What REALLY haunts us?

    It’s almost Hallowe’en.  Sure it can be a scary time of year with ghosts and goblins, witches and warlocks, not to mention the living dead. (yuck)

    But what is truly frightening in our lives?  Perhaps it’s something far deeper and darker.  A haunting that you can’t run away from in the light of day or even while you sleep.

    Suzette Mayr has thought a lot about what haunts us as a writer and teacher - how it can prey on us, unsettle and unravel us, and even destroy us.  

    I loved this far ranging, imaginative conversation on haunted houses (she lived in one), why we run to and away from horror, and what it means when you are “the monster” or the other.  

    And yes she believes in ghosts.  

    Info on Guest:

    Suzette Mayr is the award winning author of six novels incl. The Sleeping Car Porter which won the Giller Prize in 2022.   She’s also a Professor of English at the Univ. of Calgary.  https://english.ucalgary.ca/profiles/suzette-mayr

    For more info on Suzette and her work:  https://www.suzettemayr.com/


    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  And if you’d like to check out our website:  https://cramideas.com/




    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Men Behaving Badly – the World’s WORST Tyrants

    Men Behaving Badly – the World’s WORST Tyrants

    Tyrant. 
    A word that can instill fear in millions of people. A monster capable of mass murder to achieve his own ends.  But could one person’s tyrant actually be another person’s hero, even saviour? Who really is a tyrant?  Why do they become one?  And who are the worst tyrants in the world?

    If there’s anyone who’s thought deeply about this topic, it’s Waller Newell, a professor of political science and political philosophy at Carleton University.

    Listen to this compelling conversation by one of the leading authorities on tyrants and tyranny and his concerns about the state of the world today.

    Info on Guest:

    Waller Newell is a professor of political science and political philosophy at Carleton University in Ottawa.  He’s also the author of seven books including three on tyrants and tyranny.  He’s currently a visiting faculty fellow and professor at the Hamilton Center for Civic and Classical Education at the University of Florida.  For more information on Waller, his books and other work:  https://www.wallernewell.com/

    https://carleton.ca/bhum/people/waller-newell/

    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    What foods can INCREASE your risk of cancer?

    What foods can INCREASE your risk of cancer?

    Here’s a startling fact.

    Lifestyle factors such as what you eat and whether you exercise can affect your risk of cancer by as much as 50%!!

    But there’s so much confusing info when it comes to food.  And we all want that magic bullet.

    One week it’s tofu.  Then it’s acai.  Then it’s goji berries.   

    We try the latest dieting craze hoping it’ll make us healthier and give us a longer life.

    But it’s time to separate fact from fiction.  

    Listen to nutrition expert Rachel Murphy who’s got the hard evidence on food and its relationship to cancer.   

    Get the lowdown before you eat another edamame!!!


    Info on Guest:

     Rachel Murphy is a nutrition scientist and an Ass’t Prof. School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.  For more info on Rachel and her work, check out these links:

     https://www.bccrc.ca/dept/ccr/people/rachel-murphy  and https://spph.ubc.ca/faculty/rachel-murphy/


    Add’l Info:

    We appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast.  And subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  

     


    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    The Anxious Generation: Why are today's children so anxious and what can we do?

    The Anxious Generation:  Why are today's children so anxious and what can we do?

    Do you feel there’s a general anxiety that’s been on the rise in our society – especially among young people?  Many seem worried, unsettled, fearful.  

    And their worries seem all encompassing:  school, relationships, jobs, money, their health, the economy, the environment, global instability. They worry about their future and the future of the planet. 

    I’m sure my friends and I had similar worries when we were young but I’m not sure our worries were as many and as consuming as they are for today’s young people.  

    What’s going on and what can we do about it?  We take a deep dive into this issue with Jo Henderson, a clinical psychologist who’s worked with many children and young adults. 

    If you’re a Millennial or GenZ,  or a parent of one, you’ll want to hear this conversation. 

    Info on Guest:

    Dr. Jo Henderson is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health at the CAMH in Toronto.  For more info on Dr. Henderson: 

    https://www.camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/joannahenderson

     

    Add’l Info:

    We appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast.  And subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Why is serendipity important in life?

    Why is serendipity important in life?

    As more and more of our lives become increasingly online, what happens to those chance encounters, moments of discovery, and unexpected but meaningful interactions with others – the serendipity of life?

    You might think working remotely is easier and more productive.  And maybe it is. You have control over your day.   And as far as relationships go, let’s just text or maybe zoom. Less complicated.  But are we losing something important?  As messy as life can be, it’s the messiness that makes us human and gives meaning to our lives.   A.I. is not messy.

     So we’d like to replay this podcast from a year ago as we think it’s especially relevant today.

     How vital is serendipity to your life?

     Info on Guest:

    Anabel Quan-Haase is a Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and the Dept. of Sociology at Western University.  For more information about Anabel and her work:  https://sociology.uwo.ca/people/profiles/Quan-Haase.htm

     Add’l Info:

    We appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast.  And subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  

     

    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    WHO are WE? The characteristics of every living generation

    WHO are WE?  The characteristics of every living generation

    How do you define a generation?  Think about it.

    What do you think of when you hear the term baby boomers, millennials or any other generation?  They bring to mind a specific group of people who share a common set of characteristics.

    Competitive, selfish, innovative?  Oh those are Baby Boomers,

    Lazy, self-entitled, environmentally conscious?  Got to be Millennials.

    Anxious, unfocussed and multi-tasking?  You’re talking GenZ.   

    Every generation has certain characteristics that have been ascribed to them. But is there any truth to these descriptions?  Listen to what sociologist Lisa Strohschein says!


    Info on Guest:

    Lisa Strohschein is a Professor in the Dept. of Sociology at the University of Alberta.  She is one of the  coauthors of the textbook “Sociology: Your Compass in a New Social World” which comes out in Feb. 2024.  For more info on Lisa and her work, go to https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/las5.


    Add’l Info: 

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Our TRIBAL instinct: the powerful force that shapes who we are

    Our TRIBAL instinct:   the powerful force that shapes who we are

    Me against you.  Us against them.

    As humans, we form tribes or groups we belong to.  And they can be divisive and lead to rejection, isolation, and violence to those on the “outside.”   

    But tribalism can also mean family, community, solidarity. 

    David Samson is an evolutionary anthropologist who studies our “tribe drive.”  How does it work and what do we gain or lose from it?  How can it explain heroic acts done for strangers?  And can it be used for the good of the human race, rather than something that pits us against each other? 

    A fascinating and timely conversation on one of the most important aspects of human nature.  


    Info on Guest:

    David Samson is an evolutionary anthropologist with the Dept. of Anthropology at the University of Toronto.  He’s also the author of “Our Tribal Future:  How to channel our foundational human instincts into a force for good.”      

    For more on David Samson’s work:  https://davidrsamson.com/

    University of Toronto site:  https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/anthropology/people/david-samson


    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  Thanks for listening!  



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Lessons for Living… and Dying

    Lessons for Living… and Dying

    *A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE CRAM PODCAST

    Very few people have led the life that Thupten Jinpa Langri has experienced. 

    At 11 years of age, he entered a Buddhist monastery after his parents fled Tibet and became refugees in southern India.  

    Soon after he met the Dalai Lama who noticed the brilliance and curiosity of this young student.  It was the start of a life-long relationship.  He’s been the Dalai Lama’s interpreter for almost forty years and translator of many of his books.  

    Jinpa eventually left monastic life and has become a world renowned scholar, researcher, speaker and writer on Tibetan Buddhism and the vital role of empathy and compassion in our lives.   

    I recently had a chance to interview this remarkable man at the 2023 Roots of Empathy Symposium in Toronto.  

    Here’s my conversation with him on what it means to live a meaningful life… and death. 


    Info on Guest:

    Thupten Jinpa Langri is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, researcher and interpreter for the Dalai Lama.  He is the Founder and President of The Compassion Institute,  an adjunct professor at the School of Religious Studies at McGill University, and visiting research scholar at the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences.  He’s the author of several books incl. “A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to be Compassionate can Transform Our lives.”

    For more info on his work:    

    https://www.mcgill.ca/religiousstudies/people/emeritus-and-affiliated-faculty/thupten-jinpa-0


    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.  A special thank you to Roots of Empathy and Thupten Jinpa Langri for permission to use this broadcast.  

    To view the full broadcast of the 2023 ROE symposium, go to:   https://youtu.be/SfaEeVSMSVs



    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    The Pain of It All: Conquering Chronic Pain

    The Pain of It All:  Conquering Chronic Pain

    Many people live with constant pain.  

    They’ve seen all kinds of specialists.  They’ve tried all kinds of therapies and drugs.  They’ve even had surgery.  But they still have pain.  

    Doctors have told them it’s “all in your head.”   It’s not.

    That’s according to Dr. Andrea Furlan, a pain specialist who’s made it her life’s work to research the mechanisms of chronic pain and what actually works to alleviate it.  

    She’s been one of our most popular interviews and we’ve asked her back to talk about her new book: “8 Steps to Conquer Chronic Pain.”

    Yes there is hope.  

    Info on Guest:

    Andrea Furlan is a physician, and senior scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; scientist at the Inst. For Work & Health; and senior scientist at the KITE Research Inst., University Health Network.  She’s the author of “8 Steps to Conquer Chronic Pain: A Doctor’s Guide to Lifelong Relief.” 

    Check out Andrea’s videos on pain on her youtube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnFys9ZXBE0uyDhKHUi-dA

    Add’l Info:

    We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!


    Why do we say I DO?!

    Why do we say I DO?!

    Why do we STILL get married?  

    We can live together – cohabit.  Or we can live apart but have some kind of commitment, or understanding, or arrangement.  There are so many options for people in relationships today. 

    Why do we need the stamp of marriage?

    Take this unexpected and eye-popping journey through the history of marriage and discover why people around the globe have said – and continue to say - “I do!” 

    Award winning historian Elizabeth Abbott looks at some of our strangest customs:  from babies being betrothed, to couples marrying themselves to people marrying others who aren’t even alive.   

    You’ll never look at marriage the same way again!

     Info on Guest:

    Elizabeth Abbot is a historian and Senior Research Associate in the Arts with Trinity College at the University of Toronto.  She’s the award winning author of a number of books incl. A History of Marriage, A History of Celibacy, A History of Mistresses, and Sugar: A Bittersweet History.  For more info on Elizabeth and her work:  https://www.trinity.utoronto.ca/directory/abbott-elizabeth/

     Add’l Info:

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    We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!