In the seventh episode of the neurodissent podcast, we look back over our first six episodes. We discuss some of the major ideas we’ve covered so far: the role of communities in care, the healing power of belief, and the millennia-old conflict between medicine and spirituality. We also consider how practices still in use today […]
We are pleased to announce a special episode of the neurodissent podcast produced for the 4th annual Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival. The theme of this event is “Artificial Intelligence: Applications and Trajectories”. Other podcasts will also be recording episodes on this topic. In the special episode, Molly and Nic explore the idea of seeking out […]
In the sixth episode of the neurodissent podcast, we explore thunder magic rituals. During China’s Song dynasty (960 – 1279 AD), ritual masters formalized thunder magic for the first time, writing down instructions to transmit their magical practices to others. One of those masters was Wang Wenqing (1093 – 1153 AD). In this episode, we […]
In the fifth episode of the neurodissent podcast, we explore exorcism in the Heian period of Japanese history which lasted from 794 to 1195 AD. During this time, priests and mediums performed rituals to exorcise spirits who had possessed people. In this episode, we delve into Heian exorcism rituals, exploring how they might have provided […]
The fourth episode of the neurodissent podcast is now available! In it, we talk about the Christian mystic Margery Kempe. Kempe lived in England from about 1373 AD to 1438 AD. She did something few medieval women did: she wrote a book about herself, with the help of a scribe. In her book, Kempe describes […]
The neurodissent podcast‘s third episode (season 1) is now online! In this episode, we talk about the theologian St. Jerome, who lived in the Roman empire from around 340 – 420 AD. Jerome’s writings were influential during his time, and have remained so for over 1600 years. Among the many things he wrote was the […]
The neurodissent podcast‘s second episode (season 1) is now online! In this episode, we explore healing stories about Jesus Christ told in the Gospel of Mark. In Mark, we find stories of Jesus Christ exorcising demons. Using modern medical or psychiatric knowledge, listeners may recognize these afflictions as diagnoses like epilepsy and posttraumatic stress disorder. […]
Together with my partner in life and thought, Molly Friesenborg, I’ve launched the neurodissent podcast. Both of us are neurodivergent, and, in the podcast, we will look for new (to us) ways to think about and discuss mental health. We will start our search in the distant past. Our first season will focus on the […]
Missy Cooper (Sheldon Cooper’s twin sister): I’ve lived my whole life dealing with the fact that my twin brother is, as Mom puts it, one of God’s special little people. Sheldon Cooper: I always thought I was more like a cuckoo bird. You know, a superior creature whose egg is placed in the nest of […]
Content warning – The first paragraph of this piece describes the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. —-//—- George Floyd was a Black man murdered by a white police officer. The officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes while Floyd struggled and called for relief and mercy. A teenager named Darnella Frazier […]