On Thursday, June 15 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Center for Spiritual Wisdom will host another installment of its monthly discussion series, A Little About A Lot. The series engages the community in discussions around topics of social, religious, and spiritual interest using short formats like podcasts, web posts, short books, and videos curated from around the digital world. The June 15 installment of A Little About A Lot is entitled Altered States? Navigating our New, Dopamine-Saturated World. We will convene on Zoom from 7:00 to 9:00pm.
Never before in human history have we been so awash in chemical stimulation and the promise of endless chemical rewards. In this installment of A Little About a Lot, we will explore the science behind the mind-body balance as it relates to dopamine, the chemical substance between the reward pathways that—with technology, smartphones, and social media—increasingly dominates our mental landscape. And we will explore how understanding the brain’s set-point allows us to live a more spiritually-attuned and balanced life.
Please consume these materials prior to discussion on June 15 (approximately 45 minutes of content):
1. Blog Post: Aure’s Notes – Summary of Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke (17 min)
2. YouTube video: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence with Anna Lembke (13 min)
3. YouTube video: TED Talk – Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong by Johann Hari (15 min)
About facilitator Brandon Cook : Brandon is a husband and father, passionate about family and relationships. He’s also a writer, trainer, and business/personal coach. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Brandon attended Wheaton College (IL) and studied in Jerusalem, Israel before graduating from Brandeis University near Boston. He also received a Master’s degree in ancient Judaism from Oxford University in the UK. After graduate school, Brandon moved to Long Beach, California and had a transformative experience for over 14 years working as a pastor, coach, and trainer. He has worked as a professional storyteller, and you can read some of his writing (poetry, fiction, and non-fiction) at storyflight.com. Instagram. Finally, Brandon is the Executive Director of the podcast Naming the Real and co-chair of A Little About a Lot.
About A Little About A Lot:
Rather than using feature-length films as the “foggy mirror” into our souls, A Little About A Lot brings shorter formats like podcasts, web logs, and short books, and videos, curated from around the digital world. The series is spearheaded by CSW Associates Terry Decker and Brandon Cook. The series will target different facilitators and topics each month.
The Center will lead and host the 2-hour discussion electronically through Zoom. Participants are asked to consume the curated material (included below and via email after registering) prior to the discussion on June `15. A link to the Zoom session will come to registrants’ inbox in advance of the session.
There is no fee for this event. However, donations to Center for Spiritual Wisdom, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization, will be gratefully accepted. A suggested donation of $5 or more per discussion will help us continue to offer this and similar events.
A Little About A Lot is held the 3rd Thursday of the month.