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Mind Wise Videos and Podcasts on holistic mental health, healthcare, & well-beingMind Wise is a bimonthly newsletter resource for your interest in mental health and well-being by Ron Parks, M.D., M.P.H., a holistic psychiatrist, consultant, and writer. Author: Updates on holistic mental health, healthcare, wellness, neuroscience, philosophy, and spirituality
Mind Wise videos & podcasts offers perspective and wisdom on holistic mental health, health care, wellness, neuroscience, philosophy, and spirituality, hosted by Ron Parks, M.P.H., M.D., writer, teacher, and consultant. www.inmindwise.com Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Medicine, Mental Health Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Audio Podcast - Don't Push the River: On Losing and Finding Perspective**
Thursday, 23 July, 2026
Don’t Push the River: On Losing and Finding PerspectiveDr. Ron Parks explores a universal struggle: how we over-plan, over-control, and lose ourselves in mental architectures of our own making. Drawing from a vivid dream, Daoist philosophy, Gestalt therapy pioneer Barry Stevens, and a personal experience surviving Hurricane Helene in Asheville, he weaves together several threads:The core insight: Plans and projects start with genuine purpose, but we tend to pile on layers of secondary concerns — deadlines nobody asked us to set, perfectionist details, emotional investments in completion for its own sake — until the original purpose is buried and we’re exhausted by the weight of our own construction.The dream as mirror: Dr. Parks dreamed of building a robotic arm that was nearly finished and functional, only to become paralyzed by peripheral details — naming it, choosing a color, saving it in the right format. He realized the dream reflected his waking life perfectly: getting lost in minutiae until the bigger picture disappears.Two awakenings: A friend’s concerned phone call served as his waking-life interruption, much like dawn breaks a frustrating dream. Both carried the same quiet message: you’ve drifted somewhere without realizing it — reconnect.The river metaphor: Borrowed from Barry Stevens’ 1970 book, “Don’t push the river — it flows by itself.” You can float in it, walk alongside it, or exhaust yourself trying to force its flow. The invitation is to hold plans loosely, stay present, and adapt to what actually unfolds rather than insisting reality match your blueprint.The Daoist thread: Wu Wei — effortless action — isn’t passivity. It’s staying responsive to what’s happening rather than clinging to what you assumed would happen. Adaptability is intelligence in action.The lived reality: Dr. Parks ties the metaphor to the devastating 2024 hurricane that flooded the Swannanoa River near his Asheville home. The river reclaimed its floodplain; one person who went back for belongings was lost, while those who moved to higher ground survived. Nature doesn’t negotiate — it adapts, and so must we.The bottom line for listeners: Completing the project isn’t the goal. The true mission is to stay aware of the larger reality beyond our mental clutter, loosen the grip of over-control, simplify, and remain open to change with adaptability and acceptance. The hand that grasps must stay open enough to receive.** The voiceover for this podcast was generated by Speechify using the Alex GB voice. Speechify converts written content into natural-sounding audio. The program has been very popular among people who consume academic and business content, as well as among individuals with dyslexia and ADHD seeking better reading alternatives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.inmindwise.com
