Wizardwatch

Welcome to episode #12 of Potterwatch.  In the first episode of 2017 we invite Erica Cotraccia from Ithaca New York to the show.  Erica is a chemical dependency counselor who has been a long time Harry Potter fan who appreciates the way that reading good literature can ease the mind and set us off on a good start to the day.  Erica explores her early experiences with reading the series as a child as well as how she incorporates re-reading the series as part of maintaining mental health.  In Voldemort's corner we take a look at "The Mindful Brain", written by one of the foremost contemporary researchers in the area of mindfulness, Daniel Siegel, who gives us a window into how being attuned to ourselves and others promotes neural integration and therefore, well being.  Is it possible that the way JK Rowling develops her characters taps into our capacity for imagination empathy that promotes neural integration?  Well, you can be the judge of that and while you are contemplating the answer take a listen to a grea