Kamen works as a lifestyle management consultant who explores the art and science of happiness as a speaker, author, and positive psychology expert. Through her globally syndicated podcast, books, media appearances, and documentary film, Lisa has impacted millions of people around the world.

LISA CYPERS KAMEN

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Strong Enough to Feel and Heal: Mental Health, Resilience, and the Stories We Survive with Dr. Suzan Song, MD

Chronic fear and anxiety are destabilizing to the human nervous system. Healing stories can help calm and balance us, serving as vital mental health and resilience strategies. As we learn to re-craft our narrative and implement structured rituals as tools for building resilience through pain, we allow our trauma and the societal pressures dictating who we should be to dissipate. Rooted in resilience and positive psychology, this transformative process affirms that knowing we matter to someone else can guide us through the darkest moments, offering a profound sense of meaning, connection, and direction in our lives.

To understand some small practices for building resilience through pain, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Dr. Suzan Song, an internationally recognized humanitarian psychiatrist and anthropologist.

Suzan offers insights about the effects of trauma on the human psyche and the healing practices from her book, Why We Suffer and How We Heal. She describes how to release the stress of living in an environment of ambient threat through re-crafting our narrative, performing rituals, and embracing purpose.

Original Air Date Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Tune in:

Meet Our Guest:

Suzan Song, MD, MPH, PhD, is an internationally recognized humanitarianpsychiatrist and anthropologist with over two decades of experience advising on mental health systems in conflict zones across Africa, the Middle East, andbeyond.

Trained at the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, and at the University of Amsterdam, she has served as an adviser to the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, and numerous humanitarian agencies, and has treated thousands of survivors of torture and human rights violationsworldwide.

Her latest book, Why We Suffer and How We Heal (Harmony/Penguin Random House, 2026), offers a universal framework for navigating life’s hardships across cultures and contexts.

Book: Why We Suffer and How We Heal: Using Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose to Flourish Through Life’s Challenges

Suzan Song, MD, MPH, PhD—Mental Health & Resilience:

Chronic fear and anxiety are destabilizing to the human nervous system. {2:55}
Healing stories are mental health wellness strategies. {6:50}
Rituals as tools for building resilience through pain. {22:36}
The three friends of winter practice increase positive mental health and resilience. {30:55}

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WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING?

Check out the Harvesting Happiness podcast episode library and special More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on Substack and Medium.

Follow Suzan Song, MD, MPH, PhD:

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“Low-lying fear and anxiety can destabilize us.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “Being the reporter and being the storyteller are different perspectives of the same circumstances.” @drsuzansong on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “The stories we tell are shaped by our memories, which are subject to reconstruction.” @drsuzansong on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “With an ambient threat, we go into cognitive fatigue. We are tired of thinking.” @drsuzansong on @HHTalkRadio Share on X

Grab More Joy Below:

Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life — A boot camp manual for greater emotional fitness. Happiness waits for no one and sometimes we all need support. What is getting in the way of your happiness right now? Explore lifelong relationships as part of your journey to happiness.

H–Factor: Where is Your Heart? — Lisa’s documentary film explores the journey of human happiness. Emotions are contagious and happiness is a universally desired state. We tend to forget we all have the freedom to be happy or the liberty to be miserable each day. Our lifelong relationships have a big influence on this journey.