Showing Up

Some thing(s) have been percolating, in the arena of being annoyed/confused or just disappointed, by many of Mr. Dylan's ways ever since I first heard listened to him as a 12 year-old in the basement of my suburban home. I finally get around -- 59 years later? -- to unpacking them and having a reckoning, of sorts, with Robert Zimmerman/Bob Dylan. 

Spanning back the last fifty years brought up some vivid memories of my early reactions to Bruce. The evolution of my response might of interest to you or completely insignificant. You have your own reactions and trust your own ears, eyes, heart and brain. But my taking to The Boss wasn't immediate. I guess I don't like being bossed around. But....well, listen for yourself. 

Just back from a weekend group experience at a small college in western Massachusetts got me thinking about what it is about groups; why they can be so extremely powerful in either a positive or negative direction. People are not wrong to approach them with caution; what, exactly, are we getting ourselves into when we interact with strangers and allow ourselves to feel, and say, what's been o...

I had the privilege of interviewing my friend Ron Plue and discussing the ins and outs of life, itself, from his vantage point of nearly 91 years. Spiritual development, points of view re: optimism and pessimism and the inevitable losses that come with aging are considered in light of the power of living in the moment. 

I interview author, and friend, Stephanie Clare Smith about her stunning memoir, "Everywhere the Undrowned." The book is writing at its best as it revisits (through lyrical memory/reflection) the images associated with the summer of her abduction/kidnapping as a 14 year-old left alone in New Orleans. Decades later she cares for the cognitively-declining mother who had left her that summe...

Some reflections on The Beatles' song/purported-advice 58 years after.  Does it hold up? Was it ever true? Nope. Well, what then? What is needed, and how do you get it? I prefer the words of Procol Harum: "For the answer lies in learning, and in teaching we are taught. There's nothing hidden anywhere, it's all there to be sought." 

13 days later, some reflections begin to come into focus. Regardless of your vote, there are real reasons to be concerned. It is time for all of us to turn into adults once again. 

In this episode, Jerry revisits and reflects on the concept of forgiveness, exploring its complexities and the importance of personal growth. He discusses the limitations of unilateral forgiveness and emphasizes that true forgiveness is a process that requires understanding and personal investment. Jerry also highlights the significance of letting go of past hurts and the need for meaningful chang...

Jerry explores the impact of our familiar and cultural tribes on our ability to connect with others. What this all means for the crazy-time that a national election brings for the next 5-7 months is profound, as people face the choice of either hating people we see as essentially different from us or reaching for connections and enjoying the good things that follow.  (What are your thoughts? You c...

After a long hiatus, Jerry Sander returns to the show, with reflections about 2023, where he's been and some hopeful energies for 2024. 

An extraordinary interview with an extraordinary person -- Hans E. Hageman. His lifestory continues to unfold in the direction of working to heal the world. Through his work with people often written off as "too difficult" or too dangerous to embrace Hans continues to inspire the rest of us to go out of our comfort zone. 

Our special guest today -- someone who has never appeared as a guest before -- is author Jerry Sander, previously (and currently) the host of the podcast-in-hiatus (?) Showing Up. In this bracing interview Jerry explains the nearly one year disappearance of Showing Up from his loyal community of listeners and explains what 2021-2022 held for him. His book, The Guyland , an episodic memoir about gr...

What if you found out, a lot later in life, that there were some very important things your about your family-of-origin that didn't quite add up?  That there were some important things about the very essence of who you were, and where you came from, that they'd not told you? Author Christine Jacobson went through this experience and wrote about it. It brought her into contact with a side...

This is the second part of my interview with Don Lattin, author of a nonfiction "psychedelic trilogy" of books about San Francisco, Tim Leary, LSD, MDMA, Richard Alpert/Ram Dass, Aldous Huxley and the resurgent prospect of using psychedlic substances (legally) to assist psychotherapy. Will "psychedelic psychotherapy" come into being as a mainstream, insurance-reimbursable reali...

In which I interview Don Lattin, author of a nonfiction "psychedelic trilogy" of books about San Francisco, Tim Leary, LSD, MDMA, Richard Alpert/Ram Dass, Aldous Huxley and the resurgent prospect of using psychedelic substances (legally) to assist psychotherapy. 

How does the love of music -- and the creative impulsive to change/adapt it -- get transmitted across generations? I interview L.A. musician and producer Josh Shpak about his journey. Learning from jazz masters, from legendary trumpet/trombone player Mic Gillette (one of the original members of Oakland's powerhouse Tower of Power) and a myriad of other influences on both the East and West coa...

Three original members of the 1970's South Shore Long Island rock group, Primeval Ooze, reunite for conversation 50 years later. Topics include: what WAS that we did, and had, 1970-1972, what we went on to do in the decades that followed, the evolution of musical taste, and trying to wrap our heads around the fact that the young rock musicians of the past are now grandparents, have their Medi...

In which the discovery of cool is understood via the form of a Farfisa keyboard and the musical company of two preteen rock musicians. Guest interviewee is Marc Blam, the first guitarist welcomed to the finished basement of my suburban Long Island home in 1967. Spoiler alert: two old guys reminiscing.  A playlist of relevant music is here: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2yLgS45YaWhVXz0I...

Further discussion with Dr. Craig Heacock, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado, and host of the psychiatric storytelling podcast, "Back From the Abyss." We discuss the uses and abuses of a range of substances -- some of which seem to hold promise for controlled use in the therapy process, and some of which seem particularly designed for recreational use...

In which I speak with Colorado psychiatrist Dr. Craig Heacock about psychedelic drugs and their potential use as healing agents in therapy. Topics range from the prejudice against these previously-banned drugs, their link to the 1960's and ancient healing techniques. We explore uses and misuses of mood-altering substances, talk some about Timothy Leary, Ram Dass and what Dr. Heacock sees as a...

Mitch Sumner, a young Hudson Valley musician, multi-instrumentalist and singer, is featured, along with his new album, CURRENT.  Mitch's music defies easy categorization; it cuts across the decades in its use of sounds, layered harmonies, swooping Hammond organ, hot percussion and dreamlike vocal melodies. Mitch spoke to me about his influences, his formative years and how he puts it all toge...

Nationwide coverage, featuring correspondents Joe Nolan (New Jersey), Lillian MacKenzie  (Virginia), Maureen Gomeringer (North Carolina), prognostic/numbers guy Donnie Illinois (Chicago), Santo Ciccarello  (Long Island), Mrs. Kinda Needamap (upstate New York), Jeremy Pouffe (Europe), Anita Fix (Seattle), Vidar Hageman (Virginia), Jill Schramm (from the Minot Daily News, North Dakota), and Marina U...

Utah couples therapist Kristy Gaisford, LCSW and I will be leading a Relationship Boot Camp on November 14th and 15th. We interview each other about what drew us to work with couples, the blessings and the challenges of the work and the how we integrate it  into our personal lives. Go to http://www.thesandsoftime.net/workshop-events for detailed info re: the Boot Camp. Or register, directly, at: h...

The end of spring and the beginning of summer 2020 seem like a long time ago. It was when we -- a group of white, suburban people, at the suggestion of a black friend -- began to talk about racism: how we knew about it, how we experienced being in the racial majority growing up and what we thought should be done about it now. I interviewed two members of that biweekly Saturday morning group, durin...

I interview children's book author Anastasia Higgenbotham -- a brave soul who doesn't flinch from topics adults would rather not discuss -- about the necessary differences between how children and adults process divorce. More about Anastasia can be found here:  https://anastasiahigginbotham.com/