A Fine Time for Healing

Today's special guest, Erica Hornthal, is a board certified dance/movement therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor based in Chicago. Erica is also author of Body Aware, a book devoted to movement, and Founder of Chicago Dance Therapy where she assists clients in moving their bodies to move their minds. When she found herself in the thick of crisis counseling after the horrific July 4th, 2022 shooting at the parade in downtown Highland Park, IL, it became clear to her that people seeking emotional support, as well as the volunteers, had one thing in common that nobody was addressing- their nervous systems were in utter distress. As a movement therapist, this realization was nothing new. However, in this moment, she found herself wishing she had a body-based emotional first-aid kit to guide these survivors out of their heads and back into their bodies and the idea for The Movement Therapy Deck was born. Now, her 52 Movement Therapy cards with embodied practices to relieve stress/anxiety, heal from trauma and find emotional balance are available to the public via Target, Amazon and her website. They offer perfect prompts to acknowledge, move through and release emotions and are accessible to everyone no matter age or physical ability.

Today's special guest, Dr. Christine Gibson's latest book, "The Modern Trauma Toolkit: Nurture Your Post-Traumatic Growth with Personalized Solutions," is a guide that couldn't come at a more crucial time. Dr. Christine is a respected physician, international speaker, and trauma clinician, combines cutting-edge brain biology theories, such as the polyvagal theory and epigenetics, with holistic approaches to offer personalized solutions. Her book empowers readers to understand how their bodies respond to stress and equips them with the tools to reshape their reflexes for post-traumatic growth. This book is not just for those who have experienced trauma firsthand. It's for anyone seeking to cultivate resilience, mindfulness, and a greater understanding of their own mental well-being. From "Iffirmations" that plant seeds of possibility to the innovative "Solutions Studio" method for catalyzing change, this book provides a diverse range of actionable techniques suitable for various individuals and communities. Dr. Christine Gibson is a family physician, trauma therapist, and author. She's also on social media as TikTokTraumaDoc with >130k followers. She has a Masters in medical education and is halfway through a doctorate and has been involved in academics and education - creating Calgary's fellowship in Health Equity. She runs an international non-profit Global Familymed Foundation, a cooperative, and a new company to train professionals how to manage workplace trauma - Safer Spaces Training.

Today's special guest, Eric Leskowitz, M.D., a Harvard trained doctor, argues that the biofield is real in his book The Mystery of Life Energy: Biofield Healing, Phantom Limbs, Group Energies, and Gaia Consciousness.. Dr. Leskowitz, with his expert blend of medical insight and scientific curiosity, takes readers on a reiveting journey through the various expressions of life energy. From the personal level of individual healing to the vast, interconnected realm of global consciousness, his book lays bare the undeniable efficacy of energy-based therapies. Eric Leskowitz, M.D., is a retired Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychiatrist who practiced pain management for over 25 years at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. He has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is the author/editor of four books. Hia documentary about group energies and sports, The Joy of Sox, aired nationally on PBS in 2012. He lives in Western Massachusetts.