Polynesian Paralysis Podcast

In the book What Would You Do If You Had No Fear? Living Your Dreams While Quakin’ in Your Boots by Diane Conway published in 2004, the author asks a variety of people the simple question "What would you do if you had no fear?" A woman named Janet responded by saying "Yes" when offered the opportunity to sail to the Caribbean and later to the South Pacific where she experienced...

In the 2002 book Double Lives: Crafting Your Life of Work and Passion for Untold Success , David Heenan describes 10 extraordinary individuals who led "double lives".  Having lived in Hawaii for many years, the author included two guys who also lived in Hawaii and excelled in both business and art.  The author includes 20 keys to living a "double life" and some of these keys co...

Partners in Pleasure: Sharing Success, Creating Joy, Fulfilling Dreams - Together is a book written by Paul Pearsall in 2001. Using life lessons gathered from ancient Polynesian and Hawaiian cultures, Dr. Pearsall suggests that being on "Hawaiian time" or experiencing "Polynesian Paralysis" can give you a new perspective on life and help you understand the benefits of being sti...

A Little Book of Aloha contains a collection of Hawaiian proverbs and inspirational wisdom as collected by Renata Provenzano in 2001. It includes a quote from Clifford Nae'ole the Hawaiian cultural advisor at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua on the island of Maui. He describes the experience of Polynesian Paralysis as being on "Hawaiian Time" and he find it makes him happy.  For him, Pol...

The book Sailing the Dream (1999) written by John F. McGrady describes his adventures sailing a 34-foot sailboat from Seattle to the South Pacific and back to Hawaii. Not just a sea story, Sailing the Dream is a metaphysical pilgrimage that encourages the reader to join in and take a second look at the values that steer their own lives. While in Bora Bora, John experienced Polynesian Paralysis. Fo...

The book A Widow's Might written by Carolyn Ellis Lipscomb in 1999 describes the remarkable life of Carolyns mother, Mattie Norman Ellis, who was known as "Mama". After 13 years of marriage, Mama (age 33) became a widow in 1933 during the Great Depression of the 1930s. With 6 children, no savings, and a meager secretarial salary, Mama managed to keep her family together. She was a m...

The Trouble With Paradise (1998) written by David A. Ross is a fictional story that begins with the disappearance of Amelia Earhart over the south pacific in 1937 and then overlaps with a visitor to Maui in 1997 who experiences Polynesian Paralysis and ends up adrift in the ocean. “Paradise… Just when we think it’s within our grasp, the scene changes, integrity dissolves, and only fundamentals rem...

In this episode we review an article that appeared in the March 1995 issue of Travel Holiday magazine. The article written by Frederick Turner is titled Secret Florida and describes the unique panhandle of Florida - once called West Florida. " Separated from the peninsula by both climate and history, the panhandle possesses a character all its own."  The article describes how visitors ca...

In November 1995, Robert C Schmitt wrote an article for the Hawaiian Medical Journal titled Medical Progress in a Remote Archipelago .  Schmitt severed as the Hawaii State Statistician and wrote or co-authored 4 books and more than 200 articles and numerous government reports. 18 of his articles appeared in the Hawaiian Medical Journal.  Hawaii residents currently have the longest life expectancy...

In the travel guide SAMOA - Western and Amercian Samoa written by Deanna Swaney and published by Lonely Planet in 1994, the author provides an overview of travel to these islands in the South Pacific.  She warns visitors that almost everyone experiences "Polynesian Paralysis" and find themselves relaxing on the beaches and enjoying the relaxed lifestyle in this tropical paradise. The onl...

SURFIN'ary is a dictionary of Surfing Terms and Surfspeak compiled and edited by Trevor "Coconut" Cralle who is considered the world's leading authority on surf slang. The book includes a brief history of surfing and each page of this 362-page book includes surfing pictures, artwork, and surfspeak. "You can't help but learn something new and entertaining on every page...

Maui Bound is an 132-page hardback book that contains excellent photos by over 30 photographers. The text is provided by author Tom Stevens. Not just another coffee table book, the photographs in this book will gently touch you with nostalgia for life in Maui in the early 1990s. "Polynesian Paralysis" is mentioned in Chapter 6 on page 94. For more information about Polynesian Paralysis,...

Derek Davies wrote an article for The Honolulu Weekly in November 1991 titled Hiding Behind The Aloha Spirit. After 25 years as the editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review , Davies spent a year in Hawaii as a journalist at the East West Center in Honolulu. Davies decries duplicity in the name of Aloha, but he also admits that he experienced "Polynesian Paralysis", was happy most days,...

Marlene Freedman wrote a book about the island of Molokai - The Friendly Isle in 1977. She describes the relaxed lifestyle and easy way of life that causes residents on this island to experience "Polynesian Paralysis".  Molokai is a special place where you can find a "feeling of solitude, peacefulness and a unity with nature." For more information about Polynesian Paralysis, pl...

In the April 1989 issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, there was a story written by Sage Walker titled Indian Giving . The story describes a woman's journey to a remote cabin in the mountains of New Mexico to quit smoking. She ends up experiencing Polynesian Paralysis and having an encounter with a spiritual being. For more information about Polynesian Paralysis, please visi...

The book HAWAII (1986) includes photographs by Frank Salmoiraghi and text by Jocelyn Fujii. Each page of this 128-page hardback book contains excellent examples of the history and natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and life in Hawaii in the 80s. Polynesian Paralysis in included in the chapter on Local Style as something similar to "Hawaiian Time" or being late. When you live a relaxe...

In the book CATWALK - The Art of Model Style , Marie Helvin describes her life growing up in Hawaii and becoming a supermodel. Marie did not want to succumb to Polynesian Paralysis and be stuck in Hawaii; she would follow her dreams. Polynesian Paralysis can help you take time to be still and discover the strength inside yourself, which can give you courage to take action and live your life to the...

In their book The Peripatetic Diabetic, Good Health, Good Times, and Good Food, For the Diabetic who wants to have it all published in 1984, June Biermann and Barbara Toohey describe how someone with diabetes can live an active and healthy life. One suggestion they give to reduce stress and enjoy life is to experience Polynesian Paralysis. Polynesian Paralysis is NOT a disease or medical condition...

In the 1983 book, The Journey Is Everything - A Journal of the Seventies , Helen Smith Bevington describes her personal experiences month by month from January 1970 to December 1979.  When she visits Hawaii to see her son David and grandkids, she learns about Polynesian Paralysis. She writes, "The way to take a journey is not to be concerned with arrivals or departures, or in search of someth...

In the book HAWAII RECALLS: Selling Romance to America - Nostalgic Images of the Hawaiian Islands 1910 to 1050 , author DeSoto Brown collected and assembled hundreds of historic examples of promotional materials that were used to convince many people that Hawaii was the most romantic place on earth. DeSoto claims that Betty Grable's father lived in the tropics and experienced Polynesian Paral...

In this episode we review the book Malice in Blunderland or How the Grits Stole Christmas by Allen Fotheringham (1982).  As one of Canada's most controversial political critics, "Dr. Froth" has been called "the greatest cobweb blower and guff-remover in Canadian journalism." In this book he writes about politics in Canada and seems to believe that residents of Vancouver, t...

In this episode of the Polynesian Paralysis Podcast, we review an article from the spring 1981 issue of the La Salle College magazine. Robert S. Lyons Jr, the editor of the magazine, joined a group of La Salle alumni on a 9-day trip to Hawaii where many of the visitors experienced Polynesian Paralysis. La Salle College, now La Salle University, is a private Catholic university in Philadelphia PN....

Channel 5 in Seattle had a regular locally produced a variety talk show called "Seattle Today" that ran from 1974 to 1991. In 1979, co-hosts Chris Lenz and Shirley Hudson traveled to Hawaii to interview Pay O'Day and Lan Roberts, both popular radio personalities in Seattle and Hawaii. During the interview, Lan Roberts mentions his personal experience of Polynesian Paralysis.

In the April 1978 issue of Latitude 38, a sailing magazine, Steve and June Jones wrote an article about their sailing adventures from England to the Caribbean. Upon arriving at the island of Bequia in the Grenadines, they experienced "Polynesian Paralysis".  For more information about Polynesian Paralysis, please visit our website at http://www.rxaloha.com Polynesian Paralysis is the sen...

In this episode we review the book Who Wrote the Book of Love?  written by Thomas Farber in 1977. The story on page 68 describes the interactions and discussions between the two boat captains in the south pacific over the decision of a crewmember (a young woman) who decides to switch boats. The trouble arises, when one captain finds out that his new crewmember was also the girlfriend of the other...