The Washington Post and Newsweek have teamed up to produce a fantastic interview series called “Divine Impulses.”

Journalist Sally Quinn interviews influential thinkers, spiritual leaders, celebrities and politicians about their “divine impulses,” or their understanding of the Divine (or God) and spirituality and how that influences their lives.

Quinn interviews a wide range of people, who offer a wide range of perspectives. Some of the folks she has interviewed include: Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose-Driven Life; Deepak Chopra, author and spiritual teacher; Ashley Judd, actress and activist; Joel Osteen, author and pastor; Caroline Casey, astrologist; and Desmond Tutu, archbishop and activist.

Check out the list of interviews and enjoy watching the interviews online. (And don’t be surprised if you end up watching all the interviews in one sitting!)

Below are highlights from one of my favorite interviews, the interview with religion historian Karen Armstrong, who wrote the best-selling book A History of God.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that really matter.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

My friend Nicole Scott, who’s now working for Nuru International, introduced me to this quote.  It continues to resonate in me.

In my recent post about cuddle parties, I mentioned that touch is one of the primary ways we humans give and receive love. Needless to say, touch is also one of the most powerful ways we give and receive love — and recent research results demonstrate the power of touch.

USA Weekend (the weekend edition of USA Today) recently published a blurb highlighting the results of research conducted by James A. Coan, a neuroscientist in the University of Virginia’s psychology department. Here’s a snippet from the blurb:

Brain scans of women under stress show they get calmer when holding a man’s hand, even that of a stranger. Stress reduction was most dramatic when the woman and man had close emotional ties. Hand holding may also lower a woman’s perception of pain, much like a painkiller.

I’d like to hold somebody’s hand today. Do you think I should ask first?

For more info about the research, visit UVA’s research site: affectiveneuroscience.org.

Physical touch is one of the primary ways we humans give and receive love. Yet, in my opinion, physical touch is waaaaay undervalued and underutilized (at least in the U.S.).

As a single guy, I often feel starved for touch. (That’s why I drive down to 5th Street and pay Mona $25. Kidding.) I don’t think, however, it’s just single people who feel a need for more touch. I know married people who feel a big need for touch.

Slowly I’m getting better at asking for the physical touch that I want. Every once in a while I’ll ask one of my friends for a back rub. That’s progress. I’d love, however, to be touched more often. (Just to be clear, I’m not talking about sexual touch; I’m talking about appropriate touch between friends.)

My ideal world is a place where affection flows freely, including physical affection. Imagine:  friends holding hands with friends (including men holding hands with other men); friends offering spontaneous back, neck and shoulder rubs; friends cuddling as they watch TV and movies.

(You may be thinking, Andy needs a girlfriend. And that may be true. Ha. But, again, I think physical touch is a major pathway to give and receive love — and that’s true in friendships as well as romantic relationships.)

Until my ideal world arrives, at least I have the opportunity to attend a Cuddle Party. Yes, it’s true, cuddle parties are spreading around the country.

A few months ago, I saw a news report about cuddle parties. At first I was creeped out. But I quickly acknowledged a few things: 1) this is the kind of touch I want(!); 2) attending a cuddle party would probably help me grow in my capacity to give and receive physical touch; 3) cuddle parties could help us (the world) take a developmental step forward in our capacity to give and receive love, especially using physical touch.

Do cuddle parties still sound weird? Here’s an excerpt from the cuddle party website:

This is the real weirdness: past the age of twelve or so, we’re supposed to curtail our physical contact with other adults. As adults we STILL NEED TO BE HELD! Held, hugged, touched, stroked, caressed, piled atop on, reclined across, nuzzled, and affectionately massaged. Cuddle Parties are a place to begin exploring and reclaiming the sense of affectionate touch and play we naturally displayed and enjoyed as children, and that we need to be happy, healthy adults.

Now, cuddle parties would be creepy and unhealthy if they weren’t safe. But the folks who started the cuddle party movement are all about creating safe, healthy environments.

You can read all about cuddle parties on the FAQ page. You can also find a party near you!

Happy cuddling!

Joseph Campbell, who died in 1987 at age 83, is perhaps best known for this simple but profound saying: “Follow your bliss.”

Campbell was a scholar, who studied the role of mythology in cultural and human development, especially in the areas of spiritual, psychological and religious development. (Side note: Campbell was a big fan of psychologist Carl Jung, who I’m a big fan of, too.)

I’ve only read snippets of his writings, but I want to read more. His ideas fascinate me, and many resonate with me.

If I understand Campbell correctly, the most important thing you can do for yourself and the world is “follow your bliss” … because that will lead to your own fulfillment and meet the needs of the world.

Yet, according to a blurb on the Joseph Campbell Foundation website, “it is important to note that following one’s bliss, as Campbell saw it, isn’t merely a matter of doing whatever you like, and certainly not doing simply as you are told. It is a matter of identifying that pursuit which you are truly passionate about and attempting to give yourself absolutely to it. In so doing, you will find your fullest potential and serve your community to the greatest possible extent.”

I appreciate what therapist Margaret Paul wrote in reference to Campbell’s saying: “Following your bliss – following what brings you joy – is the way toward your highest good. How wonderful that we have such a direct and profound way of knowing what is in our highest good!”

Now, if only following my bliss was as easy as it sounds! I find it difficult to trust my bliss.

To that, Campbell might say, “… don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Campbell’s life and ideas, check out the Joseph Campbell Foundation website and the Joseph Campbell Wikipedia entry.

A few months ago I attended an all-day seminar presented by Peter Levine (in photo at left), the creator of Somatic Experiencing (SE), a short-term, naturalistic approach to the resolution and healing of trauma.

I’m excited about this approach — it resonates with me.

Basically SE helps people get in touch with and harness the body’s innate capacity to heal itself from trauma.

What is trauma? Therapist Pia Mellody defines trauma as anything that’s less than nurturing. Based on that definition, most of us have experienced trauma (and still experience trauma from time to time).

According to Levine, when we experience trauma, our bodies respond by activating survival energy. When this energy is not fully discharged and integrated, it remains frozen (or trapped) in our nervous system, where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.

Levine’s SE approach enables the frozen response to thaw, move ahead in time and then complete, healing the trauma (and alleviating traumatic symptoms).

If you’re interested in learning more about SE, I highly recommend Levine’s book Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. Also, check out Levine’s website, TraumaHealing.com. If you’re a parent, I encourage you to check out Levine’s newest book, Trauma-Proofing Your Kids, which I plan to read soon.

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, recently gave the commencement address at Harvard’s graduation ceremony. During her address, which is touching, funny and deep, she talked about the benefits of failure.

While sharing about some of her own failures, she said: “… failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was … I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive … rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

I think that’s a pretty good description of the transformational journey from false self to true self.

You can read or watch the entire address on the Harvard Magazine website.

The good folks at Shadow Work recently produced the Clean Talk CD. Alyce Barry (in photo at left), who helped produce the CD, describes the Clean Talk process as “the cleanest, most effective way of making any difficult conversation safe and productive.” I plan to order a copy.

Yes, I’m a single guy with no kids blogging about parenting and child development. I’m passionate about (and fascinated by) human development — and I have a soft spot in my heart for child development.

I recently discovered an organization called Inner Bonding. The founders, Dr. Margaret Paul (in photo at left) and Dr. Erika Chopich, developed a process called Inner Bonding, which helps people develop emotionally and spiritually. I really like the work they’re doing, and I plan to write more about it later!

But right now I want to introduce you to the Parenting Advice section of the Inner Bonding website. There are some great articles, most of which are free, though you may have to become a basic member of the site (and basic membership is free). I actually don’t remember the process I had to go through to get access to the free articles — ha!

A recent parenting article is called “Following a Child’s Lead,” and I really appreciated it. Here are some other articles: “Are You Addicted to Your Children?” “Are You Present With Your Children?” and “Validating vs. Indulging Children’s Feelings.” View the whole list of articles.

I hope the articles are helpful. Let me know what you think!

Ever since Oprah and Eckhart Tolle started broadcasting via the web their conversations about Tolle’s book A New Earth, some Christians have voiced concerns about the content of Tolle’s book and his conversations with Oprah. From my understanding, some Christians feel that Tolle’s teachings may be dangerous for Christians and may be a threat to Christianity.

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest who I’m a big fan of, recently wrote a wonderful, short article called “Eckhart Tolle and the Christian Tradition” (it’s in PDF format). In the article, Rohr explains why he appreciates Tolle’s teachings and how they mesh with Christian tradition.

If you’re concerned about Tolle’s teachings, or are interested in how they might mesh with Christian tradition, this short article may be helpful for you.