Sanctuary Blog
Latest Sanctuary Post
Finding Our Way Back Home: Ram Dass on Breaking the Cycle of Addiction
A beloved teacher on spiritual practice and the pain that traps us in old patterns
Sanctuary Posts
Coldplay’s “Yellow” Like You’ve Never Heard It Before
Think you know what a Coldplay song sounds like? Think again. But the re-imagining of the song is just one of the surprises in store when you watch this moment from America’s Got Talent 2023.
The Evidence Is In: A Walk in the Woods Really Is Good for the Soul
Many of us know it from our own experience. Now there’s science to back it up: time in nature brings a host of benefits for our bodies, minds, and emotional wellbeing. This article from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine provides an overview of the latest research. Spoiler: it’s all good news.
A Work of Genius In the Hermitage
It was a gift of General Potemkin to Catherine the Great; it was a challenge for one of the great inventors of 18th-century England. It remains an extraordinary, and entirely functional, work of art.
Out of the Mouths of Babes (and Comedians)
Comedian DJ Pryor says that he’s always spoken to his children (even when they were toddlers) as if they could understand his every word. The approach seems to be working with 15-month-old Kingston, who holds detailed conversations with his dad. Sure, it’s in a language known only to the two of them, but that hasn’t stopped the world from being charmed.
Abba’s Chiquitita, Filipino Style
A father & kids music group sings the pop classic in a way you’ve never heard before.
Oh, What a Little Breath Work Can Do!
Intentional breathing practices have been around for millennia, but Western medicine has taken notice of their potential benefits only recently. This great primer on breath work covers the numerous ways it can improve wellbeing and reduce stress and anxiety. It also shows you some easy, no-fault ways to get started.
Peaceful Music, Glorious Nature: Sometimes It’s All We Need
We all know, in theory, that calm and soothing music can reduce our stress and anxiety. How often do we give it the chance, though? On this website, gentle piano combines with some of the most stunning nature video you could hope for.
“I’m In Recovery, But I’m Not Recovered.” Jamie Lee Curtis Opens Up About Her Struggle With Opioids
“To call yourself an alcoholic or a drug addict is a badge of honor,” the actress says. Jamie Lee Curtis is one of Hollywood’s most well-known actresses, but for years she kept her struggle with opioid use a secret. In this brief but extremely candid interview, she describes her journey from heavy use to recovery, and the turning points that she credits with saving her life.
“Addiction Is a Disease That Thrives in The Dark”: A Younger Sister’s Plea For an End to Fear and Shame
Sam Fowler and her parents spent many years hiding her brother’s substance use disorder (SUD) from the world. The experience convinced Sam that openness, and even vulnerability, are better choices.
“Lipstick and Cocaine”: In Kaz Hawkins’ Wrenching Song, Love Proves Stronger Than Both Hate and Addiction
“You can do this, you can do this. Just one more fight.” Northern Irish singer Kaz Hawkins had lived a long time with abuse when her then-partner slit her throat and left her for dead. “Lipstick and Cocaine,” the song she wrote in the aftermath of the incident, pulls no punches. And that makes the tale of survival and recovery it sketches all the more powering.
Traumatic Stress and the Body: Healing Together
We are hardwired to respond strongly to trauma—and those responses can linger even when the source of trauma’s gone. In Part One of a marvelous discussion, psychiatrist and author Bessel van der Kolk helps us understand our own involuntary behavior when faced with (or remembering) trauma, and how we can change that behavior for the better.
Emotional Dysregulation: When “Getting in Touch With Our Feelings” Isn’t the Problem
Emotional dysregulation is a common effect of PTSD and other forms of trauma. When we suffer from it, our feelings become so intense that we lose control. Real damage to ourselves and our Loved Ones often follows. In this video, Anna Runkle offers simple, practical techniques for maintaining control and avoiding such damage.