Embodied and Trauma-Aware Pedagogy

In this episode I sit down with Frances Garrett, a scholar of Tibetan culture, history, and language. We talk about Frances’s interests in embodiment and movement, and how her experiences as ballet dancer, surfer, and rock climber connect with her work on religion and healing. Our conversation focuses on her commitment to embodied and trauma-aware pedagogy, and how in the interest of flourishing, she engages the whole person in the learning process. Along the way, we talk about Tibetan bards, sacred mountains, and the importance of long walks.

Enjoy! And, if you want to hear from more experts on Buddhist medicine and related topics, subscribe to Blue Beryl for monthly episodes here.

Resources

• Michel Strickmann, Chinese Magical Medicine (2002)

• Frances Garrett, Religion, Medicine and the Human Embryo in Tibet (2008)

• Frances Garrett, Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History (2020)

• Tsering Yangzom Lama, We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies (2022)

• Susan Hrach, Minding Bodies (2021)

• Jesse Stommel's ungrading website

• Susan D. Bloom, Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) (2020)

• Cate J. Denial, “A Pedagogy of Kindness” (2019)

• Frances's website

• Windvane Project

Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange.