RTalk 'Shame and Blame' - Nathalie Jaspar

29 May 2023

A tongue-in-cheek provocation triggering a conversation about preconceived opinions being weaponized in the ‘game’ of shame and blame.

0:00 Nathalie has her own broadcast ‘Dive into Reiki’. She brought Reiki to the New York Jets and to Fashion Week. Encounters with top athletes and supermodels.

03:39 “We can go anywhere with Reiki.” To the underprivileged as well as to the rich and famous. When shame is synonymous with inhibitions we need to leave our comfort zone.

07:11 Shaming and blaming is weaponising stigmata as a calculated and patriarchal strategy. Nathalie’s aunt’s paradoxical story in which women blame women about being assaulted. An important remedy is compassion.

10:08 Nathalie explains her insight that people who are in the cycle of shame and blame are not mean and deserve our compassion. In politics and across divides of race or gender.

12:09 Brené Brown on ‘blaming’. An instructive and humorous video clip descripting a every-day scene. Nathalie: “We blame so that we don’t have to live in a world that is chaotic.”

15:38 The role of Reiki in business and politics. “If we are more in the world, only good can come of it.” And conversely, the importance of the medical and pharmaceutical field.

19:50 Nathalie works in advertising for the Pharma industry and is committed to alleviate the stigmata of patients who are HIV positive.

23:38 René describes a presentation in an AIDS self-help group where he was on the receiving end of shame and blame. Nathalie explains the dynamics behind such a situation.

26:54 Nathalie muses on the importance of empathy and how we incorporate it in daily life – still honouring our own boundaries. “I don’t go into empathy-overdrive.”

30:34 The story of a farmer who courageously and generously choses the opposite of shaming and instead celebrates the diversity of people and ideas.

36:23 ‘It’s not your fault.’ A powerful video clip illustrating the liberation of self-blame. “Now I want to give a hug to everyone who’s blaming themselves.”

39:10 Two practical exercises from Nathalie for people who have issues around shame or blame.

40:57 The value of doubting exemplified by Mother Teresa’s letters to the Vatican.

Biography

Nathalie Jaspar is a Reiki Master with over a decade of experience. She has studied from various sources and went to Japan to practice Zen Buddhism. She is known for her illustrations and is the author of Reiki as a Spiritual Practice: an Illustrated Guide, and the Reiki Healing Handbook. She is also the host of the Dive Into Reiki podcast that explores the journey of high-profile Reiki masters. Nathalie works also in Advertising and the Pharma industry.

Website: https://diveintoreiki.com/

Podcast Dive into Reiki: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu20lCJNbA0CrlB6TuCOUjg

References

17:00 Jōshin kokyū hō is a meditation technique focusing on the breath.

12:09 Brené Brown on Blame:    • Brené Brown on Blame  

36:47 RTalk ‘Abuse’ with Phillip Hawkins, Part 1: https://reiki-conciliation.org/rtalks… and Part 2: https://reiki-conciliation.org/rtalks…

37:09 Trailer of Good Will Hunting:    • Good Will Hunting…  , Good Will Hunting | ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ (HD) – Matt Damon, Robin Williams | MIRAMAX.

40:57 Mother Teresa ‘Come be my Light’ – the private writings of the ‘Saint of Calcutta’: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_…

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0:00:02.390,0:00:06.560
Welcome to RTalk,
the place where we agree to disagree.

0:00:06.560,0:00:09.260
The topic today: Shame and Blame.

0:00:09.380,0:00:13.870
My guest is from New York, Nathalie Jaspar.

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Welcome, Nathalie.

0:00:27.460,0:00:29.170
...
0:00:02.390,0:00:06.560
Welcome to RTalk,
the place where we agree to disagree.

0:00:06.560,0:00:09.260
The topic today: Shame and Blame.

0:00:09.380,0:00:13.870
My guest is from New York, Nathalie Jaspar.

0:00:25.760,0:00:26.980
Welcome, Nathalie.

0:00:27.460,0:00:29.170
Hi, thank you for having me, René.

0:00:29.280,0:00:31.660
I'm so excited to be here. Thank you.

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I'm really keen to get to know you.

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I will introduce you in a moment.

0:00:37.240,0:00:39.550
Actually, let me do this right now.

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And tell my audience that:
I don't know, Nathalie at all,

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other than having spotted her for a while,

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being the host of her own talk show,
the podcast 'Dive into Reiki'.

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So I was very curious and I'm really excited to

0:00:59.180,0:01:02.080
and look forward to getting to know her today.

0:01:02.200,0:01:02.740
Thank you.

0:01:02.740,0:01:07.290
Nathalie Jaspar is a Reiki master who has studied from various
sources

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and went to Japan to practice Zen Buddhism.

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She is known for her illustrations,
an author of two Reiki books.

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And, as I said, the host of 'Dive into Reiki.'

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During our short preliminary conversation,

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I was intrigued that
she is also in advertising

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and the pharma industry.

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It was in this context that our topic,
shame on blame, emerged.

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But first, Nathalie,
I see from your biography

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that you gave Reiki presentations
to the New York Jets,

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also, at Fashion Week.

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So to tough American football players and elegant supermodels, I guess.

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Tell us more first about that
before we dive into our topic.

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Of course.

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Well, they're all handsome,
players and models. Just kidding.

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(Laughter.)

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When I was starting as a practitioner, a professional practitioner,

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I tried the usual things.

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The mailers. It didn't work.

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And then - talking about the topic of today -

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I let go of all shame and I
started emailing people everywhere.

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People who send, for example, massage- and
Reiki people to homes, and spas. Everywhere.

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And I got invited - from 200
invitations I sent or emailed -

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I actually got invited to go to the Jets.

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And that was amazing.

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So I offered Reiki to trainers.

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And they fell asleep.

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So they didn't go for the
Reiki because they were scared

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that they will all fall asleep,
instead of being these very strong players.

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But I loved it because they were so alpha,

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they came so angry and so pepped up

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and then after two minutes,
they were snoring on the table.

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And then the next one came, it's like,
"I'm not going to fall asleep!"

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And they will fall asleep on the table.

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So all of them fell asleep,
which I didn't know it would be like,

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you know, for soccer or football players.

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And then Fashion Week, it was incredible

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because we think of these people perhaps as just being into looks.

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But you can see they were desperate.

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As soon as two or three people liked it,

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I had a line that went
around like the whole hall

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because they do these things
in hotels for Fashion Week.

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And everybody was asking for
the massage that doesn't touch you.

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Like the massage that is not a massage.

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And what I found in both of them, and you

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can talk about very extreme people,

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like extremely different people, is they all

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need to rest, they all need to relax, and they all appreciate Reiki.

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So I think sometimes
we're limited in where we go.

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And when we keep the language
a little bit more neutral,

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and when we keep it real about relaxation,
we can go anywhere.

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I so agree with you.

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And I'm glad you mentioned that.

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And I'm glad I asked about it.

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And indeed, I know that one
of the national ... not captain ...

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the coach of the German national team,

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he was actually a Reiki practitioner also.

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And sometimes, yes, you're quite right,

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we the Reiki community are welcome

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to look outside our comfort zone and our box.

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Talking about it: sometimes I find that we focus too
much on the people who

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are underprivileged. You know,
the poor, the sick, and so on.

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And of course, they deserve attention,

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and first attention, of course.

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But at the same time, we must be careful

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that we don't overlook that
the wealthy and the rich,

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and the aristocracy,
they equally have a right

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to join Reiki classes.

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Only the venues would probably be a different one if I had to give it to ...

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A student of ours is doing very well in Zurich actually,
catering to the business community.

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Obviously, his format and his venue is a very different one than

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when I teach in the old age home, for example, here in my local city.

0:05:06.800,0:05:07.960
Yes, I agree with you.

0:05:07.960,0:05:11.330
And it's interesting,
you used the word 'shame'.

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And I think, if I understood you correctly,

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you meant to say,
or you associated shame with

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inhibitions, with reluctance, feeling small
talking to these important people.

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Is that the way you
defined shame when you spoke?

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I think there are different levels of shame.

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I think at the end, the root of it is feeling
not enough or something is wrong with you.

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So obviously, the shame I felt by

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'should I email these people and bother them?'

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is very small compared to shame that maybe is causing bigger issues.

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But you can see already that
the whole phenomenon of shame

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is stopping you from doing.

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You know, who am I to email 300 people?

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They're going to think I'm cuckoo.

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Especially because sometimes people ... I don't know if you have seen very American series,

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but Reiki has become kind of a joke.

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Like, oh my god,
don't tell me you're a Reiki trainer!

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Or they all make fun of a Reiki person.

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So like, and you always have this thing ...

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I come from a family who's not spiritual,
who is not into these things.

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And they told me this is witchcraft, right?

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My mom is from Spain,
and she calls it 'brujería'.

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So for me, I always have been
trying to be very formal, working corporate America.

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For me, yeah, going out of that comfort zone as you call it,

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was ... I had to face some shame, like emailing.

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And I became shameless in emailing.
And I love it.

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Yeah, I agree with you.

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And of course, shame has many faces.

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One of the dark faces ... I'm jumping in already a little bit

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although, maybe we still need to talk a little bit about those definitions.

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But, you know, amongst men, hopefully less so ...

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Having said that, no, my son is in the hip hop,

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in the rap scene, and 'dissing' each other
is part of their culture, actually.

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I was about to say, hopefully today, young men

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don't shame and blame each other the way
we used to in my generation when we were young.

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Actually, all the way through, even to high politics,

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you see the practice of shaming and blaming

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as a strategic method and mechanism of Machiavellian character, divide and conquer.

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That kind of thing.

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So very, very authoritarian ... no, it's not the word ...

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very machoesque, very patriarchical, this whole thing.

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When I looked at definitions,

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I found something by a sociologist
from the University College of London.

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He wrote a paper about
'Insider or versus Outsider'.

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These are two catch words, which you actually also
brought up in the 30 minutes with spoke recently.

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And he says, "Shame and Blame" - the duo, so to speak -

0:08:11.840,0:08:17.550
"weaponizes stigmata" - and again,
stigma is a word you also used -

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"weaponizes stigmata as a calculated strategy ...

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and addresses how the shame associated with certain
stigma has taken on the additional dimension of blame."

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Even of being kept responsible, you know, that's when the victim is being turned

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to become the offender. And that kind of thing.

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So would you like to say something about this definition of shame and blame?

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I think, yeah, this is when we go, again,

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the shame I talk was that very low shame.

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This is when shame
becomes ingrained in society.

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And when I read that,
yes, there is a patriarchy,

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but also I'm thinking of women.

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I've been with women,
especially older generation,

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a little older than me.

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And when we watch scenes
of rape or anything,

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they actually see she
didn't defend herself.

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My aunt who passed,
she was much older,

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she believed that women will be raped
because they were short skirts.

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So, I think that's when we're
talking about blame and shame.

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The victims and the people
were so ashamed.

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Women are actually blaming other women
about being assaulted.

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It's incredible
because you can question

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with a person who said like ...
Because we're watching TV

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and the girl kicked the
guy out and she wasn't raped.

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She says, you see women are only raped

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because they don't know
how to defend themselves.

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And I was like ...
And I questioned because I also learned

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you cannot really go from telling shame

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because he's so ingrained in the psyche

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that the only way is to question is like,

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well, why ... why are you blaming
the victim if she's been raped?

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Like some people actually cannot defend.

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I freeze.

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I'm that kind of person
I will completely freeze.

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Some women are blind,
some women cannot hear.

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Some women just may faint.
Some of them have a gun.

0:10:02.080,0:10:08.400
So I think questioning that, for me,
has worked a little bit better than facing it up front.

0:10:08.400,0:10:12.420
Understanding that people who are in the cycle of
shame and blame, they're not being mean.

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They're just actually ... it's the
shame that moves them, right?

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They don't want to be wrong.

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They want to be part
of the group who's safe

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and they're blaming the others.

0:10:19.440,0:10:23.080
So for me, compassion is
the way to really approach it.

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Compassion to myself when I understand
I have shame and blame inside myself

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because I grew up ... I don't know if you can be human

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and not have a certain level
of shame and blame, right?

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And it can be regarding ecology.

0:10:35.920,0:10:38.510
And I think we're actually entering ...
I'm less hopeful than you are.

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I see we're actually entering
a cycle of very dark shame and blame.

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I think politics, as you mentioned, is using it.

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And at all levels,
race, gender, everything.

0:10:49.970,0:10:51.480
I think it's being used.

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And there is a worse shame and
blame that is actually affecting

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even the lives of people.

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Like in the work I do
and we mention about that,

0:10:57.790,0:11:02.000
I work to alleviate the
stigma and blame of having HIV.

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And I think, yeah ...

0:11:02.890,0:11:03.560
(René interrupts.)

0:11:03.630,0:11:06.330
Let's just get there, maybe in a moment.

0:11:07.000,0:11:09.780
You said a lot of very
interesting and important things.

0:11:09.920,0:11:10.920
Yeah.

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And I so find it important what you said about your grandmother, I believe,

0:11:16.430,0:11:21.470
that of course, she comes from a mindset and with belief systems.

0:11:21.680,0:11:26.680
And that's actually the
cause of her worldview,

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her approach about womanhood.

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And of course, how she experienced it,

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where a lot of this is stemming from.

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So if we had to look at
the causal level of that,

0:11:41.160,0:11:44.450
I think you touched on
a very important point.

0:11:45.910,0:11:49.400
And then of course,
it's also a power place.

0:11:49.400,0:11:52.110
And so on.

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Let me, if you ...
let me have on a lighter note almost,

0:11:58.820,0:12:04.120
still introducing the ideas of shame and blame
and what we're talking about.

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Because there is a very interesting woman
who is famous on in the TED talks.

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Her name is Brené Brown.

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And she speaks very
openly about vulnerability.

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She speaks openly about
shame and that kind of thing.

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I found something interesting. I'll show you.

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Blamers ... How many of you,
when something goes wrong,

0:12:28.920,0:12:31.180
the first thing you want
to know is whose fault it is?

0:12:31.320,0:12:34.260
Hi, my name is Brené.
I am a Blamer.

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I'll tell you this quick story.

0:12:36.750,0:12:37.720
This is a couple of years ago,

0:12:37.720,0:12:40.310
when I first realized the
magnitude to which I blame.

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I'm in my house, I have on
white slacks and a pink sweater set.

0:12:43.780,0:12:45.860
And I'm drinking a cup
of coffee in my kitchen.

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It's a full cup of coffee.

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I drop it on the tile floor.

0:12:50.320,0:12:53.710
It goes into a million pieces,
flashes up all over me.

0:12:53.970,0:12:57.780
And the first ... I mean,
a millisecond after it hit the floor,

0:12:57.980,0:13:00.010
right out of my mouth is this:

0:13:00.160,0:13:02.070
DAM YOU STEVE.

0:13:02.220,0:13:04.200
(Laughter)

0:13:04.230,0:13:06.050
Who is my husband.

0:13:06.280,0:13:08.990
Because let me tell you
how fast this works for me.

0:13:11.400,0:13:13.850
Steve plays Water Polo
with a group of friends.

0:13:13.850,0:13:16.250
And the night before he
went to go play Water Polo,

0:13:16.860,0:13:18.400
I said, hey, make sure you come back at 10,

0:13:18.400,0:13:20.410
because I can never fall
until you're home.

0:13:20.720,0:13:22.500
And he got back at 10.30.

0:13:22.640,0:13:25.080
And so I went to bed a
little bit later than I thought.

0:13:25.080,0:13:28.480
Ergo, my second cup of coffee
that I probably would not be having

0:13:28.720,0:13:31.640
had he come home when we discussed.

0:13:31.920,0:13:32.920
Therefore ...

0:13:32.920,0:13:34.800
(Laughter)

0:13:34.800,0:13:39.620
And so the rest of the story is,
I'm cleaning up the kitchen.

0:13:40.120,0:13:46.190
Steve calls, caller ID, and he's like,
hey, what's going on, babe?

0:13:46.310,0:13:47.360
(Brené huffs)

0:13:47.600,0:13:48.600
What's going on?

0:13:48.600,0:13:50.360
(Laughter)

0:13:50.360,0:13:52.270
So I'll tell you exactly what's going on.

0:13:52.350,0:13:53.490
(Chuckling)

0:13:53.680,0:13:58.700
I'm cleaning up the coffee
that spilled all ... Dial tone.

0:13:58.910,0:14:00.340
(Laughter)

0:14:00.500,0:14:02.190
Because he knows.

0:14:05.700,0:14:09.400
This is ... It was important to me to show

0:14:09.400,0:14:12.560
before we start about bigger context.

0:14:12.760,0:14:15.510
Yes, yes. So True!

0:14:15.920,0:14:17.360
In daily life, right?

0:14:17.530,0:14:20.900
We do it with ourselves
and with our spouses all the time.

0:14:21.500,0:14:24.720
But I think it also
makes one accountable.

0:14:24.720,0:14:27.440
Like it's easier to blame
someone else than yourself.

0:14:27.440,0:14:30.960
But also, like sometimes life is so random

0:14:30.960,0:14:32.840
that we prefer to blame.

0:14:32.840,0:14:35.960
There is almost like a reason
versus it's just a random accident.

0:14:35.960,0:14:38.960
Like we're not comfortable
in a place of uncertainty.

0:14:38.960,0:14:42.040
So we try to blame or find a reason,

0:14:42.040,0:14:44.560
so that we don't have to live
in a world that is chaotic.

0:14:44.560,0:14:46.560
And we have to just deal with it.

0:14:46.560,0:14:47.840
You know, it is somewhat hilarious.

0:14:47.840,0:14:50.530
I am a little bit like that, sorry.

0:14:51.320,0:14:56.120
Yeah, I'm trying to achieve
this also with my RTalks

0:14:56.120,0:14:59.530
that people can catch themselves and say,
yeah, me too.

0:15:00.050,0:15:04.960
And it's ... I find that it's very
often in these small daily things

0:15:04.960,0:15:07.760
in the interactions with
my wife or with my son.

0:15:07.760,0:15:10.360
So like she just showed beautifully,

0:15:10.360,0:15:14.960
where I can discover a
deeper rooted mechanism.

0:15:15.690,0:15:19.040
These are ideal playgrounds to start correcting

0:15:19.040,0:15:22.110
and trying and experimenting
new ways of behavior.

0:15:22.400,0:15:26.760
And step by step, I can carry
it out and do it on a greater level

0:15:26.760,0:15:31.410
and finally end up
talking to you about it.

0:15:31.600,0:15:37.200
So we got to talk about
your other activities.

0:15:38.000,0:15:42.040
How dare you, as a Reiki teacher,
work for the enemy? Really?

0:15:42.520,0:15:45.960
How can you possibly, I mean, chemicals

0:15:45.960,0:15:49.320
and particularly the
pharmaceutical enemies?

0:15:49.320,0:15:52.000
It's for many in our community, the devil.

0:15:53.820,0:15:57.170
You know, you should
feel ashamed of yourself.

0:15:57.720,0:16:01.520
And I actually was for many years,
so that you know, for many years.

0:16:01.520,0:16:04.440
No, no, I was, I had two personas.

0:16:04.440,0:16:06.920
I had the Nathalie in the
Reiki community that would go

0:16:06.920,0:16:10.640
to Yoga wear Yoga pants and
was like all peace and love.

0:16:10.640,0:16:13.760
And then I would have the
advertising Nathalie that was all business.

0:16:13.760,0:16:18.440
And then I took a sabbatical and
I realized I actually like work in advertising.

0:16:18.840,0:16:22.280
And the other thing is that work in
advertising really grew my Reiki practice

0:16:22.280,0:16:24.800
because when you talk
about anger and worry,

0:16:24.800,0:16:28.280
I had ... As you said, my
battleground was in advertising world.

0:16:28.280,0:16:32.080
I grew as a person because there
is a lot of stress and all of that.

0:16:32.080,0:16:34.960
And now in advertising,
I used to do beauty

0:16:34.960,0:16:37.530
because I do love beautiful things.

0:16:37.760,0:16:41.080
But it's now mostly with HIV,
like fighting the stigma

0:16:41.080,0:16:43.880
and helping those people get
the verification they need.

0:16:43.880,0:16:46.590
So it feels actually quite well.

0:16:46.960,0:16:49.120
But I think there is no shame now.

0:16:49.120,0:16:51.450
Openly people know I practice Reiki.

0:16:51.490,0:16:55.890
In the Reiki community I actually use my
advertising examples all the time,

0:16:56.700,0:17:00.240
about, hey, I was the other day,
with three crazy bosses in a room.

0:17:00.240,0:17:03.120
I did Jōshin kokyū hō
and everybody smiled.

0:17:03.120,0:17:05.800
And if you're talking about
the example with Brené Brown,

0:17:05.800,0:17:09.530
I have like 10 of those every day
because I do have an ego.

0:17:10.000,0:17:13.760
Someone stole my idea. This is it? The
paranoia in me and having to sit with it

0:17:13.760,0:17:16.400
because I cannot react like
a crazy lady like Brené Brown

0:17:16.400,0:17:18.990
with the husband because
they're not my husband.

0:17:19.640,0:17:21.440
I think it is a great training ground.

0:17:21.440,0:17:24.120
I think sometimes we see Reiki
as like either you are a Reiki

0:17:24.120,0:17:27.560
professional practitioner or
you're not if you do other things.

0:17:27.560,0:17:29.520
And this goes back
where we started, right?

0:17:29.520,0:17:32.040
Like everybody deserves to
have the effects of Reiki.

0:17:32.040,0:17:35.440
Like in my head,
like we should Reiki every politician.

0:17:35.440,0:17:38.680
Like people actually who are
not into the spiritual community

0:17:38.680,0:17:41.880
need more presence of
people who are practicing.

0:17:41.880,0:17:45.880
Right, we bring a certain Zen,
we bring a certain calm to people.

0:17:45.880,0:17:48.360
Everybody is like in the office
like, you have positive vibes.

0:17:48.360,0:17:49.520
I love talking to you.

0:17:49.520,0:17:51.960
Yes, we become a little
bit like the shoulder.

0:17:52.600,0:17:56.080
But bringing common sense,
bringing calm into these environments

0:17:56.080,0:17:57.800
which are so chaotic.

0:17:57.800,0:18:00.880
And if we did that, all of us,
instead of worrying so much about

0:18:00.880,0:18:02.800
am I making money or living out of Reiki,

0:18:02.800,0:18:05.560
just living our practice where we are.

0:18:05.560,0:18:09.280
And also not negating, we may not
be testing to be Reiki practitioners.

0:18:09.280,0:18:10.960
And that is OK.

0:18:10.960,0:18:12.920
I think that will help
the world a lot, right?

0:18:12.920,0:18:16.720
We have, like you will go
into politics, into banking.

0:18:16.720,0:18:20.090
There is a lady who does
outreach to police officers, right?

0:18:20.320,0:18:23.320
Instead of judging them,
she just offers Reiki to them.

0:18:23.320,0:18:26.280
So I think if we are more into the world,

0:18:26.280,0:18:27.960
only good can come of it.

0:18:27.960,0:18:28.960
I agree with you.

0:18:28.960,0:18:31.880
And I would not limit that to Reiki only.

0:18:31.880,0:18:38.350
I mean, my audience also, is a
spiritually generally interested audience.

0:18:40.070,0:18:41.840
You and I are both Reiki teachers.

0:18:41.840,0:18:43.880
So it's natural we speak about Reiki.

0:18:43.880,0:18:46.600
But the same thing is true
for meditation, for yoga,

0:18:46.600,0:18:49.420
for any spiritual practice, really.

0:18:50.040,0:18:51.900
Just to add that.

0:18:55.870,0:19:00.170
I of course was provocative with
tongue-in-cheek when I raised my question.

0:19:00.920,0:19:04.680
And I liked raising that
question because blame and shame

0:19:04.680,0:19:09.600
often, as you beautifully put it,
includes preconceived opinions,

0:19:09.600,0:19:13.780
judgments about certain other people.

0:19:16.450,0:19:21.560
I wouldn't be alive if the
pharmaceutical industry hadn't

0:19:21.560,0:19:26.160
invented anti-malaria medicine.
I wouldn't be alive.

0:19:26.160,0:19:29.440
And most of the viewers,
if they're honest with themselves,

0:19:29.440,0:19:31.680
most of them wouldn't
be alive if it wasn't

0:19:31.680,0:19:35.880
for the achievements of medical,
of modern medical achievements,

0:19:35.880,0:19:38.280
including the pharmaceutical industry.

0:19:38.280,0:19:45.320
So we shouldn't blame and
shame them in our community

0:19:45.320,0:19:50.720
and be in complete contradiction
to what we preach when we teach Reiki.

0:19:50.720,0:19:55.000
But tell me about your experiences,
because that's

0:19:55.000,0:19:59.160
the context where the word stigma came.

0:19:59.160,0:20:01.920
And you already ... I interrupted
you and brought up your work

0:20:01.920,0:20:05.590
with people with HIV, with AIDS.

0:20:06.240,0:20:07.680
So yeah, we ...

0:20:07.680,0:20:09.880
So obviously, when it comes to pharma,

0:20:09.880,0:20:11.720
these people need medication, right?

0:20:11.720,0:20:14.550
So it's really what we're trying to do is more

0:20:15.170,0:20:18.000
enabling them to have less shame and blame

0:20:18.000,0:20:19.600
so they can actually access medication.

0:20:19.600,0:20:21.160
The other day I was watching a research

0:20:21.160,0:20:24.120
and this woman was talking
about her best friend who

0:20:24.120,0:20:26.360
was so ashamed and blamed herself so much

0:20:26.360,0:20:28.320
about having contracted HIV,

0:20:28.320,0:20:30.720
that she actually preferred
to die and not get treatment.

0:20:30.720,0:20:33.990
And she told everybody she
had cancer and it could not go away.

0:20:34.160,0:20:37.350
So part of our job,
more than even selling medication

0:20:37.350,0:20:41.290
- this company is actually hoping
not to have HIV by 2050 -

0:20:41.440,0:20:44.180
is to take away the stigma of having it,

0:20:44.180,0:20:46.600
contracting it, again blaming the person who

0:20:46.600,0:20:49.880
contracted it, having stereotypes
of why they contracted it.

0:20:49.880,0:20:52.680
A lot of people are actually married women,

0:20:52.680,0:20:55.720
people who are having
intercourse for the first time.

0:20:55.720,0:20:57.280
So taking away that stigma

0:20:57.280,0:20:59.800
so these people can actually first

0:20:59.800,0:21:03.360
exist and lift their depression,
but mostly get into treatment

0:21:03.360,0:21:06.040
and have now a life expectancy as ours.

0:21:06.040,0:21:07.560
I'm telling you when I heard that story

0:21:07.560,0:21:10.160
about the woman who died
because she was so ashamed,

0:21:10.160,0:21:11.930
my heart just shriveled.

0:21:12.470,0:21:14.560
So, we're doing a lot of videos,

0:21:14.560,0:21:16.440
again taking away preconceptions,

0:21:16.440,0:21:19.480
preconception that if
you got HIV, you were

0:21:19.480,0:21:22.040
like having relentless sex with everybody

0:21:22.040,0:21:23.600
and that's not always true.

0:21:23.600,0:21:25.040
And if it's true, that's their issue.

0:21:25.040,0:21:26.980
They have the right to do it, right?

0:21:27.360,0:21:29.600
Especially I work a lot
with the Latino community

0:21:29.600,0:21:31.600
where there is even more stigma.

0:21:31.600,0:21:33.440
They don't talk about it.

0:21:33.440,0:21:35.160
Families get destroyed because of it.

0:21:35.160,0:21:37.520
So we're trying to just lower that

0:21:37.540,0:21:39.240
and see these people are beautiful.

0:21:39.240,0:21:43.080
And for me, break my heart,
when I work with them, like to hug them

0:21:43.230,0:21:46.750
and they're just grateful by the fact
that you hug them, right?

0:21:46.960,0:21:49.200
And also, I am very honest,
when I do these interviews,

0:21:49.200,0:21:52.120
I'm like, how would I
feel if I contracted HIV?

0:21:52.120,0:21:54.000
I'm like, I admire them.

0:21:54.000,0:21:55.240
I don't know if I could cope with it.

0:21:55.240,0:21:57.360
Like I totally understand that feeling

0:21:57.360,0:22:01.440
because we have so many
preconceived ideas of that sickness.

0:22:01.440,0:22:02.920
It is not chronic condition.

0:22:02.920,0:22:04.240
You don't die of it anymore.

0:22:04.240,0:22:05.800
It's very easy to treat.

0:22:05.800,0:22:08.200
That we still have that I would like, wow,

0:22:08.200,0:22:09.660
I'm like, I will have shame and blame.

0:22:09.740,0:22:11.840
So I cannot also judge
them for being ashamed.

0:22:11.840,0:22:15.170
We just need to support
each other and educate people.

0:22:15.360,0:22:18.080
And that for me, really, again,
we're talking about spirituality.

0:22:18.080,0:22:20.720
That for me is spirituality in action.
You know?

0:22:21.640,0:22:23.290
Yes, I do.

0:22:23.850,0:22:25.880
Actually, I was intrigued when you mentioned

0:22:25.880,0:22:30.560
that in our preliminary conversation
because as a young Reiki person,

0:22:30.560,0:22:33.910
I wasn't even a Reiki teacher yet,

0:22:34.360,0:22:36.430
but I knew I wanted to become one,

0:22:36.960,0:22:40.960
I lived in Hong Kong
and we were writing 1990.

0:22:40.960,0:22:43.040
So these were the very early days.

0:22:43.040,0:22:47.470
And the Chinese had certain ideas.

0:22:47.720,0:22:51.960
For example, a lot of Chinese people,

0:22:51.960,0:22:54.760
common people who said homosexuality

0:22:54.760,0:22:57.200
is a disease which only Westerners have.

0:22:57.240,0:22:59.040
We Chinese don't have it.

0:22:59.600,0:23:02.300
Therefore, AIDS is only a Western disease.

0:23:02.760,0:23:06.040
So it was completely a
big taboo and stigmatized.

0:23:06.040,0:23:11.000
And I was keen to practice Reiki.

0:23:11.000,0:23:16.230
So I went actually to
a AIDS self-help group.

0:23:16.530,0:23:21.810
It was led by a wonderful,
wonderful Irish Catholic nun.

0:23:21.920,0:23:23.220
Oh, she was great!

0:23:23.440,0:23:25.580
She was so wonderful.

0:23:27.040,0:23:31.020
But ... I'm transgressing. I'm sorry.

0:23:31.120,0:23:33.040
My memory takes me away because I

0:23:33.040,0:23:37.830
wanted to recount another
incident of stigmatization

0:23:38.130,0:23:41.980
the other way around when
I came back to Switzerland.

0:23:43.160,0:23:48.360
I was very enthusiastic
being a Reiki teacher now.

0:23:48.710,0:23:51.720
My wife and I wanted to
teach Reiki in Switzerland.

0:23:51.720,0:23:53.840
So we offered our services. Like you

0:23:53.840,0:23:59.090
we went to the football players
or to Fashion Week and so on.

0:23:59.280,0:24:03.240
And with the experiences
I had with the AIDS Concern,

0:24:03.240,0:24:16.240
with the group in Hong Kong,
I sent a fax at that time to the Zurich Self-Help Group.

0:24:17.040,0:24:20.130
And they invited me to
give a presentation on Reiki.

0:24:21.240,0:24:24.280
So I had 30 people from that group.

0:24:24.280,0:24:27.280
They were all HIV positive.

0:24:27.440,0:24:29.250
I started to talk

0:24:29.250,0:24:34.640
and shortly after I had started,
one of the participants

0:24:34.640,0:24:38.480
interrupted me and corrected
me and corrected probably

0:24:38.480,0:24:44.920
the birthdate of Mikao Usui.
I probably misspoke, I can't remember.

0:24:44.920,0:24:46.440
He interrupted me and corrected me.

0:24:46.440,0:24:48.520
I said, thank you and I continued.

0:24:49.320,0:24:54.710
And it didn't take long,
he interrupted me a second time.

0:24:55.040,0:24:59.480
And inside, of course,
I started to get very irritated.

0:24:59.480,0:25:02.360
But I tried to keep calm and I continued.

0:25:02.360,0:25:03.840
And he interrupted me again.

0:25:03.840,0:25:08.440
And then he said, I find it a little bit

0:25:08.440,0:25:14.720
steep that you are coming
here to tell us about Reiki.

0:25:14.720,0:25:17.670
I myself, I'm a Reiki teacher, he said.

0:25:18.800,0:25:21.880
And I find it a little
bit arrogant and steep

0:25:21.880,0:25:25.550
because you are not concerned.

0:25:25.840,0:25:27.760
You are not infected.

0:25:27.870,0:25:29.040
How dare you?

0:25:29.040,0:25:30.040
And I stood there.

0:25:30.040,0:25:32.480
And I felt that small.

0:25:32.480,0:25:36.190
So it was like a stigmatization the other way around.

0:25:36.840,0:25:41.360
So that's one of the experiences

0:25:41.360,0:25:45.630
where I was on the receiving
end of blame and shame.

0:25:46.640,0:25:48.190
They come from shame.

0:25:48.190,0:25:52.680
So, when shame becomes a trait,
it becomes blaming other people.

0:25:52.680,0:25:54.060
So it's a cycle.

0:25:54.240,0:25:56.080
He was very ashamed of himself.

0:25:56.080,0:25:57.080
And then you don't have it (HIV).

0:25:57.080,0:25:58.480
So he's blaming you.

0:25:58.480,0:25:59.640
And then you're feeling ashamed.

0:25:59.640,0:26:01.080
And then you're going
to blame someone else.

0:26:01.480,0:26:02.960
So it's a never ending cycle.

0:26:03.500,0:26:03.880
Yeah.

0:26:03.880,0:26:08.080
It's like the sociologist said,
it's being weaponized.

0:26:08.080,0:26:11.480
It's being instrumentalized
in a manipulative kind of way.

0:26:11.480,0:26:16.850
Very often to support one's own agenda.

0:26:17.560,0:26:24.230
And be it only one's own belief systems
and ideas about the world.

0:26:25.630,0:26:28.720
That's ...

0:26:29.080,0:26:32.170
You said something
very important earlier

0:26:33.000,0:26:37.840
where you used the word 'empathy'
when we are in those circles,

0:26:37.840,0:26:42.480
either on the receiving end or
when we are catching ourselves,

0:26:42.480,0:26:47.180
how we are practicing the
strategy of shame and blame.

0:26:48.490,0:26:50.030
That's, I think, important.

0:26:50.240,0:26:54.400
How, in your experience, particularly now

0:26:54.400,0:26:59.750
in the pharmaceutical industry,
in the real world out there,

0:27:00.160,0:27:05.240
in the commercial world, but also
in the medical environment of HIV people,

0:27:07.000,0:27:11.440
tell us a little bit the importance or your experiences of empathy, please.

0:27:12.030,0:27:12.640
Of course.

0:27:12.640,0:27:14.360
So for me, one thing ...

0:27:14.360,0:27:17.560
And again, I was very judgey, honestly,

0:27:17.730,0:27:19.200
In my youth and everything.

0:27:19.520,0:27:21.560
So for me, empathy is really trying

0:27:21.560,0:27:25.800
to let go preconception
and be just on the receiving end

0:27:25.800,0:27:29.820
and feeling that person and put
myself literally in their shoes.

0:27:29.820,0:27:32.160
And like, for example, as I mentioned,

0:27:32.160,0:27:33.800
how would I react if I had HIV?

0:27:33.800,0:27:35.320
I may have been as aggressive.

0:27:35.320,0:27:38.810
And empathy allows me to have
compassion instead of shame.

0:27:38.920,0:27:42.360
So if someone is doing that
circle and then they're blaming me,

0:27:42.450,0:27:45.040
when I understand that it
comes out of shame or pain,

0:27:45.040,0:27:48.570
it's easier for me not to
react and actually stay quiet,

0:27:48.880,0:27:51.480
feel very peaceful,
and bring those people

0:27:51.480,0:27:54.200
like a little bit more
calm and not reacting.

0:27:54.200,0:27:55.640
So for me, empathy is that.

0:27:55.640,0:27:58.840
It's understanding that
these people are suffering.

0:27:58.840,0:28:01.480
And when they're shaming
you and blaming you,

0:28:01.480,0:28:03.240
it comes out of suffering.

0:28:03.480,0:28:05.520
So that for me is very helpful.

0:28:05.520,0:28:08.280
And also sometimes when I
have a very strong judgment

0:28:08.280,0:28:12.600
about someone, I try to really
get out and be that person

0:28:12.600,0:28:15.040
and then I realize, OK, it doesn't mean

0:28:15.040,0:28:17.520
I'm going to justify
someone going over me,

0:28:17.520,0:28:19.690
but I understand where
they're coming from.

0:28:19.840,0:28:21.400
And that makes things better.

0:28:21.400,0:28:23.320
Unless I haven't slept, then I'm like,

0:28:23.320,0:28:24.660
I'm not a nice person.

0:28:25.720,0:28:28.080
I think empathy is very
important and empathy

0:28:28.080,0:28:29.160
but with boundaries, right?

0:28:29.160,0:28:32.080
So some people are so
empathetic that they get

0:28:32.080,0:28:34.040
the suffering of everyone on and on.

0:28:34.040,0:28:35.040
No that's ...

0:28:35.440,0:28:36.420
They are paralyzed.

0:28:36.560,0:28:39.280
So I think it has to be an empathy,

0:28:39.280,0:28:42.290
a self-care empathy,
an empathy that has a role.

0:28:42.290,0:28:45.120
Like I'm being more compassionate
because I'm empathetic.

0:28:45.120,0:28:49.040
I don't go into empathy-overdrive
and empathy with everything.

0:28:49.040,0:28:52.400
So I think it's also sometimes
we're very proud of being,

0:28:52.400,0:28:53.920
having been an empath.

0:28:54.280,0:28:56.040
And I think that also has to be, you know,

0:28:56.040,0:28:58.570
you need to be grounded,
you need to know how to use it.

0:28:58.800,0:29:02.400
And when to use it, and not to be
always like absorbing everything.

0:29:03.520,0:29:06.640
And of course,
the whole thing is true for yourself,

0:29:06.800,0:29:09.600
not just for others, because internally,

0:29:09.600,0:29:13.240
you probably, and I,
and probably all the viewers too,

0:29:13.240,0:29:17.280
are experiencing that
they're shaming themselves,

0:29:17.280,0:29:18.800
that they're blaming themselves,

0:29:18.800,0:29:21.080
that they're being
judgmental with themselves,

0:29:21.080,0:29:24.160
that they're actually
lacking what you just described.

0:29:24.160,0:29:28.800
Empathy is not just for the others,
but also for yourself.

0:29:28.800,0:29:31.200
And I find it is very closely linked

0:29:31.200,0:29:35.020
to the word, you know, when you described

0:29:35.700,0:29:38.140
empathy having boundaries.

0:29:38.680,0:29:40.360
I agree with that very much.

0:29:40.360,0:29:43.320
And I think it's very
important that we understand that.

0:29:46.520,0:29:49.720
And yet, the profound level of empathy

0:29:49.720,0:29:54.520
is almost like the twin
sister or twin brother,

0:29:54.520,0:29:56.960
I don't know, of unconditional love.

0:29:56.960,0:30:01.010
The word 'unconditional' here is very,
very important.

0:30:01.680,0:30:04.480
And for me, it's very
interesting, because I go

0:30:04.600,0:30:06.040
sometimes with people I don't know.

0:30:06.040,0:30:09.260
I like talking to people,
like, I'm not a shy person.

0:30:09.360,0:30:10.480
But I do have judgment.

0:30:10.480,0:30:13.040
And when I, then I need to
go to my place of empathy,

0:30:13.040,0:30:15.350
and that judgment melts away.

0:30:15.640,0:30:17.440
You know, it literally melts away.

0:30:17.440,0:30:19.440
So for me, empathy, that's the reason it is,

0:30:19.440,0:30:22.560
it is to melt away judgment,
is to melt away stigma.

0:30:22.560,0:30:24.120
Because how are you going to blame someone

0:30:24.120,0:30:26.920
if you really are empathetic
and you're open-hearted

0:30:26.920,0:30:30.720
and you can feel what they feel,
then for me, that's the solution.

0:30:30.960,0:30:33.080
But again, when we're
empathetic with everything,

0:30:33.080,0:30:35.520
then empathy becomes almost like a trap

0:30:35.520,0:30:37.160
versus something that can really take us,

0:30:37.160,0:30:39.840
as you say, to the place
of unconditional love.

0:30:43.400,0:30:49.000
I remember when I was ... My children were

0:30:49.000,0:30:52.980
at the Rudolph Steiner, at the
Waldorf School for two years.

0:30:53.320,0:30:58.520
And the people there, the teachers
and the parents of the children,

0:30:58.520,0:31:00.920
they're very nature-oriented.

0:31:00.920,0:31:04.560
So once the year,
the fathers in particular

0:31:04.560,0:31:09.640
go with the boys into
the forest and we built

0:31:09.640,0:31:12.390
cabins, huts, and things like that.

0:31:12.640,0:31:17.360
Now, I'm not, by background,
such a natural person,

0:31:17.360,0:31:21.180
I'm not skilled with my
hands and things like that.

0:31:21.280,0:31:22.400
And I felt terrible.

0:31:22.400,0:31:24.790
I thought, what am I
going to do with these boys?

0:31:25.280,0:31:28.850
And my neighbor was a
farmer and a carpenter.

0:31:29.040,0:31:31.000
So he was looking forward to it.

0:31:31.000,0:31:35.270
And I knew he's going to probably build a log cabin

0:31:35.270,0:31:37.660
or something within two hours.

0:31:38.000,0:31:40.960
And I was, I was ...
inwardly, I was petrified,

0:31:40.960,0:31:42.050
and I was sweating.

0:31:42.450,0:31:45.520
But I was allocated six, seven boys,

0:31:45.520,0:31:47.680
and I went with them into the forest.

0:31:48.240,0:31:51.720
And then I took a string,
and I wrapped the string around five,

0:31:51.720,0:31:54.120
six trees, it gave a huge circle.

0:31:54.120,0:31:57.560
And I asked them to go and
get big branches with leaves.

0:31:57.560,0:32:02.560
So I asked them to just lean
them against this artificial wall.

0:32:02.560,0:32:04.640
And somehow I made a
few strings at the back

0:32:04.640,0:32:07.350
and I had them put leaves on top.

0:32:08.320,0:32:10.840
And then, ...I was petrified.

0:32:10.840,0:32:15.240
And then the moment came
when all the grown-ups

0:32:15.240,0:32:18.640
went from one of the huts
to the other to admire them

0:32:18.640,0:32:21.140
and look what the others have done.

0:32:21.200,0:32:23.560
And I thought, oh no,
they're going to laugh at me.

0:32:23.560,0:32:26.990
I was petrified. And my neighbor, Jacob.

0:32:30.320,0:32:38.070
He ... he walked into this thing,
this construction.

0:32:38.560,0:32:42.070
And he said, wow! Wow!

0:32:42.760,0:32:44.910
This is like a dome.

0:32:45.200,0:32:46.700
Oh, beautiful.

0:32:49.950,0:32:52.560
But when you say that, it's
because that's an interesting, right?

0:32:52.560,0:32:56.040
I feel as a society we want
to be all the same, right?

0:32:56.040,0:32:59.440
We want to ... And no two brains are alike.

0:32:59.690,0:33:01.720
Instead of celebrating difference,

0:33:01.720,0:33:05.040
this shame and blame is
trying to make it all together.

0:33:05.040,0:33:08.630
But if you go to an escape room,
- I don't know if you have escape rooms in Switzerland?

0:33:08.630,0:33:09.240
(René nods.)

0:33:09.240,0:33:11.200
If you have 10 people with the same brain,

0:33:11.200,0:33:13.640
you're not getting out because
you need mechanical brain,

0:33:13.640,0:33:16.180
you need a pattern oriented brain,
you need different brains.

0:33:16.400,0:33:19.160
So for me, it's always
been very interesting.

0:33:19.280,0:33:22.880
Why in society do we
want to be ...like,

0:33:22.880,0:33:24.920
all the same instead
of accepting difference?

0:33:24.920,0:33:27.840
And perhaps it's because I grew
up in three different countries.

0:33:27.840,0:33:30.240
And you know, I don't even understand

0:33:30.240,0:33:32.720
why you would want to be exactly the same.

0:33:32.720,0:33:35.560
Like, why is so threatening for you ...?

0:33:35.560,0:33:36.800
Probably, we'll have taken a string

0:33:36.800,0:33:37.960
and I have said a story, right?

0:33:37.960,0:33:40.040
We all have very different gifts.

0:33:40.040,0:33:42.600
And it always amazes me
how ashamed we are of not

0:33:42.600,0:33:44.000
being like the others.

0:33:44.000,0:33:47.160
But also, we're blaming also
when people are not the same.

0:33:47.160,0:33:47.920
It's very interesting.

0:33:47.920,0:33:50.990
And I don't know why we're
so trying to be the same.

0:33:51.960,0:33:54.360
Yeah, interesting observation.

0:33:54.360,0:33:57.000
Anyhow, it was important
for me to tell the story

0:33:57.000,0:34:02.400
because it showed how, in practical life,

0:34:02.400,0:34:04.120
sometimes with something very small,

0:34:04.120,0:34:06.960
the focus was not on, oh, this doesn't

0:34:06.960,0:34:09.640
this doesn't comply with my understanding

0:34:09.640,0:34:13.120
of what the exercise was all about.

0:34:13.120,0:34:16.920
There is a person who
solved it entirely different.

0:34:16.920,0:34:19.920
I'm going to just emerge into it

0:34:19.920,0:34:23.040
and allow it to touch me.

0:34:23.040,0:34:26.040
And then have the
courage and the graciousness

0:34:26.040,0:34:29.040
and generosity to share it.

0:34:29.040,0:34:31.720
And I think we can do
that in every day's life.

0:34:31.720,0:34:35.560
And those mechanism of shame and blame,
we can feel them.

0:34:35.560,0:34:39.720
And these are good opportunities
to practice this, I think.

0:34:39.720,0:34:41.880
I think so too,
because they're easier, right?

0:34:41.880,0:34:44.920
And then you build up
courage and you start small,

0:34:44.920,0:34:49.200
but then that courage builds
up because it goes well.

0:34:49.200,0:34:51.600
And then you start
changing the world, right?

0:34:51.600,0:34:53.680
I was like that to my 20s.

0:34:53.680,0:34:54.640
Like I want to change the world.

0:34:54.640,0:34:57.200
Well, it starts with yourself,
like those doing a dome

0:34:57.200,0:34:59.240
instead of like freaking out, right?

0:34:59.240,0:35:00.760
Or trying to do what you cannot do

0:35:00.760,0:35:03.040
because you're not gifted with carpentry.

0:35:03.040,0:35:05.960
So acceptance of the
self and courage from me

0:35:05.960,0:35:08.200
are the things we need for
shame and blame and the empathy,

0:35:08.200,0:35:09.550
of course, for the others, right?

0:35:10.050,0:35:12.080
But yeah, we build
things with small things.

0:35:12.080,0:35:14.400
And I think we want to
achieve so many big things

0:35:14.400,0:35:17.890
that we disregard those tiny experiences.

0:35:18.160,0:35:20.800
And those are the ones
that make magic happen.

0:35:21.080,0:35:23.090
Yes, yes, I agree.

0:35:23.400,0:35:24.690
I agree.

0:35:24.960,0:35:28.720
Talking of magic happening,
I've prepared another little video clip.

0:35:28.960,0:35:30.200
I'm going to show it.

0:35:30.200,0:35:37.820
It is also focusing on
resolving the ... shame and blame game.

0:35:41.240,0:35:45.600
And of course, like you rightly said,
there are very important methods and tools.

0:35:46.010,0:35:53.490
Our common one is the Reiki and to me,
the most important thing in this is to do the self-treat,

0:35:53.530,0:35:57.310
which brings me to the place of empathy,
which you so beautifully described.

0:35:58.000,0:36:05.950
And so this video is coming
towards the end of our conversation.

0:36:06.640,0:36:08.430
I want to show it to you.

0:36:09.420,0:36:12.920
You may also start
to think about maybe there

0:36:12.920,0:36:16.330
is one or two things which
I haven't addressed yet.

0:36:16.390,0:36:20.070
What is important to
you to say about the topic.

0:36:20.480,0:36:21.680
But first, the video clip.

0:36:21.680,0:36:23.800
And it's a famous movie.

0:36:23.800,0:36:26.720
You will probably recognize it,
a scene from it.

0:36:27.190,0:36:32.920
There's a young boy who has been
the victim of shame and blame in the worst.

0:36:32.920,0:36:35.530
He has been abused.

0:36:36.520,0:36:38.720
It's a big topic, abuse.

0:36:38.720,0:36:44.920
I'm actually currently releasing
two sequences on this topic,

0:36:44.920,0:36:47.420
which are highly recommendable.

0:36:48.160,0:36:51.680
So this young man,
he's meeting finally a person he

0:36:51.680,0:36:57.120
can trust, a teacher, a mentor,
a therapist, and this therapist

0:36:57.120,0:37:00.000
is holding in his hands the young man's

0:37:00.000,0:37:06.550
file with the pictures how
he has been ... terrible things down to him.

0:37:06.960,0:37:09.680
And they are in the
office of the therapist,

0:37:09.680,0:37:11.700
and this is the scene.

0:37:12.040,0:37:14.040
You see this?

0:37:14.040,0:37:14.890
All this shit.

0:37:20.330,0:37:21.510
This is not your fault.

0:37:24.510,0:37:26.120
Yeah, I know that.

0:37:26.920,0:37:28.380
Look at me, son.

0:37:30.050,0:37:31.510
It's not your fault.

0:37:32.550,0:37:33.780
I know.

0:37:34.770,0:37:36.180
It's not your fault.

0:37:39.880,0:37:40.480
I know.

0:37:40.480,0:37:41.840
No, no, no.

0:37:42.080,0:37:43.970
It's not your fault.

0:37:46.200,0:37:47.000
I know.

0:37:47.000,0:37:48.230
It's not your fault.

0:37:48.400,0:37:49.470
All right.

0:37:49.680,0:37:50.840
It's not your fault.

0:37:54.160,0:37:55.210
It's not your fault.

0:37:56.200,0:37:57.550
Don't fuck with me!

0:38:00.960,0:38:02.150
It's not your fault.

0:38:02.600,0:38:03.920
Don't fuck with me, all right?

0:38:03.920,0:38:05.480
Don't fuck with me.
Not you.

0:38:05.480,0:38:06.920
It's not your fault.

0:38:11.320,0:38:12.990
(Boy weeps.)

0:38:16.190,0:38:17.880
It's not your fault!

0:38:23.320,0:38:25.440
Oh, my god.

0:38:26.920,0:38:27.920
Oh, my god.

0:38:27.920,0:38:29.580
I'm so sorry.

0:38:45.920,0:38:47.000
OK?

0:38:51.630,0:38:54.920
I wish I ...

0:38:54.920,0:38:58.250
Now I want to give a hug to
everyone who's blaming themselves.

0:39:00.040,0:39:04.520
But I think you asked me about a
couple of things I would love to say.

0:39:04.520,0:39:06.520
And I think it's a
practical exercise, right?

0:39:06.520,0:39:10.360
Because we can have these
conversations and the inspired exchange.

0:39:10.360,0:39:12.960
I think I will invite people to two things.

0:39:12.960,0:39:17.840
To first check if they have shame, to
do a checklist of what they feel ashamed of,

0:39:17.840,0:39:21.040
and also check what is stopping
them from doing or being.

0:39:21.040,0:39:24.040
And to work on that shame,
either meditation, Reiki,

0:39:24.040,0:39:27.560
a therapist, there is help, there are
their people who can help us to help.

0:39:27.560,0:39:31.040
And again, a little bit of shame
sometimes keeps us in the right way.

0:39:31.040,0:39:35.360
There is a need for that light shame
so people don't misbehave too crazy.

0:39:35.360,0:39:39.020
But really, that intrinsic shame,
I will go inwards and check.

0:39:39.160,0:39:43.440
And then also check if you're blaming
someone or something in your life often,

0:39:43.440,0:39:44.760
not just once.

0:39:44.760,0:39:48.760
And check why. What is behind that
blaming of that person, of that thing,

0:39:48.760,0:39:50.740
or destiny, or the government.

0:39:51.000,0:39:51.800
And check a little bit.

0:39:51.800,0:39:52.680
Is it fear?

0:39:52.680,0:39:53.760
Is it your own shame?

0:39:53.760,0:39:56.320
And just get to know
yourself a little better.

0:39:56.320,0:40:00.960
So when we embrace shame and blame,
almost like these are pointers of places

0:40:00.960,0:40:05.760
I can actually get to know myself better,
they become easier to bear, right?

0:40:05.760,0:40:09.360
Because I do think in a way either
because I was educating like that,

0:40:09.360,0:40:13.200
if it comes up a lot, shame and blame,
we don't need to act on it.

0:40:13.200,0:40:15.800
We can actually use it for good.

0:40:15.800,0:40:19.320
It's like, OK, this is pointing
to something that I need to work on.

0:40:19.320,0:40:23.400
And for me, I think getting to
know myself and understand myself,

0:40:23.400,0:40:28.120
self-exploration is really what
I enjoy about my practice.

0:40:28.120,0:40:30.720
And believe me, I do martial arts
and I'm really bad.

0:40:30.720,0:40:34.120
So I'm exposed to shame every day, but
that shame is helping me grow as a person

0:40:34.120,0:40:36.250
and develop that courage
we're talking about.

0:40:36.440,0:40:38.020
So don't be scared of shame and blame,

0:40:38.020,0:40:40.360
unless it's a very social thing and they're attacking you.

0:40:40.360,0:40:42.270
But in general, use it to grow.

0:40:42.960,0:40:44.320
You know, use it as pointers.

0:40:44.320,0:40:47.920
Where is that root of that
shame and blame and work on it.

0:40:49.120,0:40:54.680
That's a very valuable
closing to our conversation.

0:40:54.680,0:40:56.330
Thank you very much.

0:40:57.040,0:41:00.680
In fact, coincidentally,
I have a book on my desk.

0:41:01.400,0:41:05.480
It doesn't deal with shame and blame,
but it deals with the shame.

0:41:05.480,0:41:08.760
And you said something very important.

0:41:08.760,0:41:10.680
Maybe that's quite a healthy thing.

0:41:10.680,0:41:15.340
This book deals with doubting,
questioning and doubting.

0:41:15.560,0:41:21.160
And it's actually Mother Teresa's
letters to her mentor in the Vatican,

0:41:21.160,0:41:25.280
where she is for a lifelong, for decades,

0:41:25.280,0:41:32.060
she's writing about the inner turmoil of
questioning and doubting and feeling shame

0:41:32.360,0:41:37.720
about... For example, she is saying
that telling my nuns that they should

0:41:37.720,0:41:41.510
converse, communicate, commune with Jesus.

0:41:41.680,0:41:43.060
That's her belief.

0:41:43.120,0:41:45.280
And Jesus will respond to them.

0:41:45.280,0:41:48.200
And then she writes to
her mentor and she says,

0:41:48.200,0:41:51.200
but Jesus doesn't ... has
stopped talking to me.

0:41:51.200,0:41:52.560
I haven't heard him.

0:41:52.560,0:41:58.680
And what the hypocrite I am, so
she is in this turmoil of feeling shame

0:41:58.680,0:42:01.720
and being doubting.

0:42:02.160,0:42:07.600
And when this book came out,
it was quite a ... it created quite a stir,

0:42:07.600,0:42:13.650
because it was actually released
against her explicit wish.

0:42:13.840,0:42:15.840
She didn't ... and then she died.

0:42:15.840,0:42:17.800
And many years later, the Vatican decided,

0:42:17.800,0:42:22.600
because the Vatican,
but also psychologists and neurologists,

0:42:22.600,0:42:28.640
say exactly what you have just said,
that these processes,

0:42:28.640,0:42:32.520
that they are actually a
healthy part of our human condition

0:42:32.520,0:42:37.600
and of our growth, actually, of our
spiritual awakening in this context.

0:42:37.840,0:42:44.160
So thank you very much, Nathalie,
for having joined me today

0:42:44.160,0:42:46.510
and for your wise words.

0:42:47.920,0:42:50.550
How was this conversation with you?

0:42:50.760,0:42:52.560
I actually enjoyed very much.

0:42:52.560,0:42:54.920
And I think I'm going to be
even more active about checking

0:42:54.920,0:42:56.560
my list of shame and blame.

0:42:57.610,0:42:58.520
Because it's funny,

0:42:58.520,0:43:00.630
I'm like, I do have a little
bit of resistance to it.

0:43:00.800,0:43:04.070
So I think it's often
whatever resistance was left.

0:43:04.070,0:43:05.890
So I'm very grateful, thank you.

0:43:06.480,0:43:07.760
I thank you.

0:43:07.760,0:43:09.280
I'm saying goodbye to you.

0:43:09.280,0:43:12.140
For now, I wish you a nice day.

0:43:12.240,0:43:15.080
And bye-bye, Nathalie.

0:43:15.080,0:43:16.790
Bye. Thank you so much.

0:43:17.000,0:43:18.190
You're welcome.

0:43:18.600,0:43:22.440
Dear viewers, thank you very
much for having watched us.

0:43:22.440,0:43:25.640
The next episode will come
out in three weeks' time.

0:43:26.000,0:43:28.000
In the meantime, please subscribe.

0:43:28.160,0:43:29.200
Thank you very much.

0:43:29.200,0:43:30.280
Recommend us.

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