#475. Run Towards the Danger | Sarah Polley

Often, when you’re afraid of something, the best advice is deeply counterintuitive, not to mention inconvenient: to turn toward the source of your fear.

Today we’re going to talk about the fear of confronting your own past with our guest Sarah Polley. 

Polley is an Oscar nominated filmmaker and actress who recently wrote a new book, called Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory. In her book, she explores the relationship between her past and present and how the two are in constant dialogue. 

In this episode we talk about: 

• The story of her concussion and the unusual advice she got from a specialist that became not just a path to recovery, but a sort of personal credo, “run toward the danger”
• What we often do with our stories of childhood shame, and the immense power of talking about it
• How she has come to stop seeing her anxiety as a stop sign
• Her argument that the advice to “listen to your body” is not always the best advice
• The liberating potential of intentionally making uncharacteristic decisions
• Her path to meditation and her current practice
• And the limits of her own “run towards the danger” mantra

Where to find Sarah Polley online: 

Social Media:

• Twitter
• Instagram

Books Mentioned:

• Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory
• Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening 
• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Michael Collins, PhD
• Sarah Polley: ‘It took me years to see how responsible Terry Gilliam was for my terror’
• Lewis Carroll’s Shifting Reputation
• Road to Avonlea 
• Julie Christie
• Away from Her
• Women Talking
• Matthew Brensilver
• Metta
• Near Enemies of Mindfulness
• Take This Waltz
• Stories We Tell

Additional Resources:

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