Episode 76 - Heal

Amaya is in the “studio” this week with Ben and the pod-cats.  Amaya and Ben are eager to talk about the topic word and their individual healing journeys, but first, Amaya sets a challenge for herself (for the record the tally was “one hundred percent”=1 and “totally”=4, so only 5 punches were required).  It should go without saying, but as always with these two, there will be a wide assortment of tangents explored including: Michel Gondry movies, medical symbols, bandaids, recreational drug experience stories, and the joys of being single.  To wrap it up, the hosts talk about the unique storytelling in Witch Beam’s 2021 game “Unpacking,” their favorite “comfort food” games, and FLOOR CHICKEN?

00:00:21 - Amaya says we’re on a healing journey, and the “hot girl walk”
00:02:00 - Hold Amaya accountable by punching yourself, and the definitions of the word heal
00:04:20 - Origin of the world heal, Ben ponders, and the first thing Amaya thinks of
00:06:41 - Part of the healing arc is finding the new normal, and the origin of the podcast
00:09:15 - The ways we manage our stress, the importance of feeling okay, and journaling 
00:12:21 - Ben’s sage-like advice about forgiveness, and Amaya doesn’t have a time machine
00:14:42 - “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and the concept of erasing memories
00:16:50 - Ben takes Amaya down the Michel Gondry rabbit hole  

*** Ben would like to apologize to Michel Gondry for calling him Michael; he sincerely apologizes for any undue harm that has befallen Michel’s family as a result of his ignorance.

00:19:10 - Ben talks about the curious case of the Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius 
00:21:33 - Different rods… Caduceus, Asclepius, and… OF DEATH!
00:23:34 - Using bandaids for attention, imagining getting shot, and the healers of the world
00:26:22 - Amaya talks about “The Body Keeps the Score…” by Bessel van der Kolk
00:28:31 - Different types of healing, being labeled as an introvert, and conversational burnout
00:31:55 - Knowing yourself, being single, social norms, and finding your own stability
00:35:54 - Finding comfort in spirituality and hope, and medicinal healing with mushrooms
00:38:13 - LSD brain, Timothy Leary, and learning from other people’s drug experiences 
00:41:29 - Knowing people struggling with addiction, “Beautiful Boy,” and comedy
00:43:27 - Talking about the wonder game “Unpacking” and it’s “narrative” about healing 
00:46:29 - The awards won by Unpacking, and how Wren Brier came up with the concept
00:49:26 - Minecraft, The Sims, Animal Crossing, and The Last of 1 and 2
00:52:50 - Amaya’s Rock Band drumming and the healing power of music
00:54:01 - Upcoming guest Brian Colburn and his new show My Weekly Mixtape

*** Check out Brian’s show on you favorite podcast services or from the website at https://myweeklymixtape.com/

00:58:18 - What the heck is “floor chicken?”
01:00:12 - Final thoughts on the word heal