In this episode, Dr. Roman Palitsky, a clinical psychologist and Director of Research Projects at Emory Spiritual Health, discusses the connections between spirituality, meditation, and mental health. He highlights the lesser-known risks of meditation and psychedelics, practices often celebrated for their benefits but not thoroughly examined for their challenges.
A Surgeon’s Journey to the Heart of Health: Yoga as a Means of Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health
Medicine in general, and surgery in particular, can seem so mechanical and cold. In a world in which bodies are seen as biological machines and medical appointments consist of sitting quietly while the doctor sits with her back to you typing into a computer, the voice of Dr. Carla Haack is both refreshing and inspiring. Dr. Haack has been a towering presence in the Emory University School of Medicine. Among her many titles are Assistant Professor of General and GI surgery, Medical Director for Care Coordination for Emory University Hospital and Emory University Orthopedic and Spine Hospital and Henry B. Tippie Clinician Scholar, all of which fail to do justice to the outsized impact she has had on the University’s medical community. In this podcast, we join Dr. Haack to discuss the beauty of surgery when set within the larger psychospiritual context informed by Dr. Haack’s long-term commitment to yoga as a means of physical health and emotional well-being. Join us as we explore the many surprising ways in which yoga and surgery can inform each other to provide an inspiring vision of medicine characterized by a commitment to healing the body, mind, and spirit.