Ep347: Nurturing the Mind - Dr Nida Chenagtsang & Dr Caroline Van Damme

In this episode I host a dialogue between Buddhist teacher and doctor of Tibetan Medicine Dr Nida Chenagtsang and adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist Dr Caroline Van Damme.

Drs Nida and Caroline reflect on a half decade of collaboration in which they have explored the meeting of Western psychology and psychiatry with Tibetan medical and Buddhist models.

They discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each others’ systems, consider placebo as an explanatory mechanism for traditional health systems, question the benefits of an over-therapised culture, and contrast Tibetan and European approaches to knowledge.

Drs Nida and Caroline also discuss the role of traditional ideas of spirit possession in today’s clinical contexts, share anecdotes of exorcisms and psychosis, and offer their best insights and techniques to truly nurture the mind.

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Link in bio.

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - How did their collaboration begin?
02:38 - Dr Nida’s long standing interest in Western Psychology
06:38 - Meeting Dr Caroline
08:30 - Sowa Rigpa Counsellor Course
13:23 - The power of individualised therapy
16:14 - Reflections on Buddhist psychology and Sowa Rigpa
22:23 - Trauma and childhood conditioning
23:52 - Tibetan vs European ways of thinking
28:50 - Industrial revolution, scientism, and mind-body dualism
30:43 - Open-mindedness when working with psychotic patients
33:04 - Family therapy
36:57 - Weaknesses of Tibetan medicine
42:59 - Traditional medicine leans into placebo
45:46 - Do malevolent spirits cause psychological illnesses?
46:54 - African cultural ideas about spirits and black magic
47:40 - Do exorcisms cause further trauma?
53:12- Dr Nida reflects on the strengths of Western Psychology
57:05 - Too much digging for trauma
58:49 - European Garden vs Tibetan Forest
01:03:23 - Psychological illness from a spirit-influence perspective
01:05:04 - Exorcism rituals as a psychological tool
01:08:01 - Machig Labdron and the greatest evil spirit
01:08:40 - Using spirit-beliefs to encourage personal hygiene
01:09:23 - Exposure therapy
01:11:53 - A Canadian account of possession
01:14:32 - Dr Nida’s African patients
01:15:33 - A ghost story case study
01:21:04 - Duty of care
01:23:00 - The importance of sleep
01:27:54 - Nurturing the mind
01:33:42 - Blaming parents
01:36:55 - Compassion vs positivity
01:39:30 - Attributing everything to childhood trauma
01:42:09 - “Nurturing the Mind” online course

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To find out more about “Nurturing the Mind: A Dialogue between a Psychiatrist & a Yogi“, visit:
- sowarigpainstitute.org/course/nurturing-the-mind

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Previous episodes with Dr Nida Chenagtsang:
- guruviking.com/search?q=nida

Previous episodes with Dr Caroline van Damme:
- guruviking.com/search?q=caroline

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Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James