Last week’s death by a Canadian during an ayahuasca ceremony at a Peruvian shamanic centre—an apparent act of self-defence—brought unwelcome but perhaps necessary attention to this Amazonian plant medicine. Ayahuasca tourism is increasingly popular with Westerners seeking healing from physical illness or mental anguish, or simply a sense of meaning amid the growing alienation in our […]
The profound power of an Amazonian plant – and the respect it demands
Posted on December 21, 2015 at 6:00 PM by Stephanie Lee
How to Build a Better Culture of Good Health
Posted on December 1, 2015 at 2:27 PM by Stephanie Lee
“I never get angry,” says a character in one of Woody Allen’s movies. “I grow a tumor instead.” Much more scientific truth is captured in that droll remark than many doctors would recognize. Mainstream medical practice largely ignores the role of emotions in the physiological functioning of the human organism. Yet the scientific evidence abundantly […]
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Tories’ Cynical Monument to Victims of Communism
Posted on March 19, 2015 at 5:28 PM by Stephanie Lee
What is the principle behind Ottawa's planned massive memorial to the victims of Communism if not to advance Conservative ideology? Ottawa’s promised new memorial to victims of Communism threatens to be both an esthetic monstrosity and a tribute to moral obtuseness. Many have expressed alarm about its visual impact, from the mayor of Ottawa to Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, without deterring the Harper government from financially and ideologically backing the project.
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Are Violent Teens Suffering ‘The Rage Of The Unparented’?
Posted on November 15, 2014 at 2:47 PM by Stephanie Lee
Recent news should alarm all but the most complacent observers of today’s youth scene. In Toronto, two teenagers have been stabbed to death by their peers in the past few weeks, one just outside his own home as he tried to prevent some party-crashers from entering. Also in Toronto, three adolescents are on trial for […]
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Jian Ghomeshi and the Problem of Narcissistic Male Rage
Posted on November 4, 2014 at 11:49 PM by Stephanie Lee
His public persona shattered, Jian Ghomeshi’s overweening narcissism has become the subject of public scorn. His reported violence against women, whether inside or outside sexual interplay, has been rightly denounced. Yet making this scandal all about Ghomeshi, we risk ignoring the broader sources of male narcissistic rage towards females. We are dealing here with far more than the pathological quirks of an apparently disturbed and charismatic individual.
