#42: The Importance of Feeling Understood — Ṣadé (Elizabeth) Kammen

Ṣadé Kammen has struggled with neurodivergence all her life, but what she now identifies as depression, anxiety and autism spectrum disorder weren't taken seriously by her family. Though she struggled to feel understood growing up, she went on to become a strong mental health advocate at Yale, and today fights for those dealing with mental disorder as well as those dealing with social injustice. The latter has unfortunately been predominant in Ṣadé’s experience as a black queer woman facing racism and gender biases, and she views Survivor — the medium through which we connected to have this interview — as a powerful lens into these shadow sides of our culture. Shadows (at least large cultural ones) don’t disappear overnight, and Ṣadé's struggles with some strained relationships (being currently estranged from her mother) persist. Nonetheless, she has developed coping strategies as well as learned how to live in the present moment, in her body (which keeps the score — great book by the way). The Body Keeps the Score is just one and the Harvard implicit bias test is just another of many great resources in the show notes this week.

My interview with Ṣadé marks a point of pause for Redeeming Disorder. I’ll be back later this summer once I’ve set myself up to podcast from southern Ecuador! There, I’ll be practicing, writing and learning about regenerative farming and permaculture.

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Intro Music: All is Well by Austin Basham

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Links from the Episode:

Harvard Implicit Bias Test
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The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
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The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown
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Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
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Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Ted Talk Ṣadé mentions
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Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Journal Article Ṣadé Mentions
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Social Baseline Theory: The Role of Social Proximity in Emotion and Economy of Action by Beckes and Coan
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Cognitively Based Compassion Training (CBCT) at the Emory Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics with Lobsang Tenzin Negi
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Trailer for Kiss the Ground

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