Episode 271 | Embodied Cognition And The Body’s Role In Thought With Rebecca Fincher-Kiefer, PhD

03/30/22 • 40 min

In this episode, we are discussing embodied cognition and the role of bodily processes in thought. In the field of pain care, we strongly lean on theories of how the brain works and how we can use the nervous system to modulate pain. Many of these theories are rooted in the idea that the brain is the seat of cognition and views the brain as a CEO, which controls both thinking as well as our body.

However, newer theories such as embodied cognition take a different perspective which emphasizes the significance of the physical body in our cognitive abilities. Embodied cognition is a theory that draws on the work from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, physiology, and even artificial intelligence. This new research points towards bodily processes in forming how our cognition is generated.

We are joined by Professor Rebecca Fincher-Kiefer, PhD, who is a Professor of Psychology at Gettysburg College and discusses the potential application of embodied cognition. Her research interests include the investigation of embodied cognition and how all that we know and understand is grounded in our bodies.

She's on the cutting edge of this field of study, which includes the publication of a textbook called How the Body Shapes Knowledge: Empirical Support for Embodied Cognition. In this episode, you will learn all about embodied cognition and its potential influence on pain, health, and human behavior. Without further ado, let's learn about embodied cognition and meet Professor Rebecca Fincher-Kiefer, PhD.

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Episode 270 | How And Why To Add Mindfulness To Physical Activity With Anne E. Cox, Ph.D.

In this episode, we're discussing how mindful movement can shift the experience of exercise or physical activity for people. This is important because the mindful movement can help people exercise in a way that is more fluid and easier, alleviate pain and with body image something they oftentimes struggle with when they begin an exercise program. Some of you may know that as a kid and adolescent and even into college, I was a gymnast. Mindful movement is something that was comfortable for me.

However, I didn't fully dive into what mindfulness was with regard to movement until about the year 1997. At my first job at St. Vincent's Medical Center, there was a free yoga class that was offered by a yoga studio down the block called Integral Yoga in New York City's Greenwich Village. It has wonderful yoga classes and I became hooked on yoga as a form of mindful movement. Although I've never become certified in yoga, I've done thousands of hours of many different types of yoga methods and techniques. I always recommend it for people with pain. Somewhere around the year 2000, I worked for a practice here in New York City that specialized in Sports and Performing Arts Medicine.

As part of that practice, we use the Pilates method of body conditioning for rehabilitating people with pain, as well as the performing artists and dancers that would come into our clinic. Moving with the mind or mindful movement is a big part of what Joseph Pilates created. He has five principles of mindful movement that he includes in his method, which is called Contrology. They include breathing, centering concentration control as well as precision. You see people bringing in these principles of movement into various types of movement methods and practices.

You'll meet Professor Anne Cox, whose research has been focused on understanding key determinants of physical activity-related behaviors as a professor and a researcher, has completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training and uses the knowledge of mindful movement to examine the effects of yoga on things like mindfulness, body image and the promotion of the physical activity.

In this episode, you'll learn all about mindful movement and how mindfulness shifts the experience of movement or physical activity? How does yoga increase mindfulness and how does being mindful affects body image or physical activity motivation? Without further ado, let's begin and meet Professor Anne Cox and learn how and why to add mindfulness to physical activity.

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Episode 272 | The Magic Of Motion: Innovations In Physical Therapy And Health Promotion With Jazmine Tooles, PT, DPT

If you have been following along with this show for some time, you know the one area that interests me. A question I often ask myself and propose to you is how can we educate the public about effective pain management and raise awareness of the physical therapy profession? I have been working with a select group of professionals one-on-one on different types of outreach projects and protocols as well as connecting with innovative physical therapists who have created practice models or businesses that center on health promotion or raise awareness of the PT profession.

In this episode, you will meet Dr. Jazmine Tooles. She is a physical therapist who created the business called Explore the Magic of Motion. Explore the Magic of Motion was created in 2012 to raise awareness of the physical therapy profession. The way Jazmine achieved this was by working with the Girl Scouts of America to develop an approved Girl Scouts patch or badge. Jazmine is also a lifetime Girl Scout herself and created these patch programs to teach 6th to 12th grade Scouts about healthy living through exercise while also having them investigate the professions that utilize exercise for healing such as physical therapy.

Fast forward, Explore the Magic of Motion is a full business that has reached over 500 participants since its inception. It has grown to provide an interactive health and wellness learning experience not only for the community but also for clinicians as well as students. In this episode, you will learn about how Jazmine developed Explore the Magic of Motion, its history, what it offers now, and who it serves. Without further ado, let’s begin and meet Dr. Jazmine Tooles.

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