Dr. Darcia Narvaez on Restoring Connective Tissue

Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology Emerita at the University of Notre Dame and a research pioneer integrating work on child flourishing, human moral development, healthy psyche, and Indigenous Peoples' worldview. Professor Narvaez talks here about her breakthrough works, the meaning of "The Evolved Nest," and her new book, "Restoring the Kinship Worldview." She also shares principles and strategies for restoring feelings of connectedness, calm and security to your own life and to couples, families, and communities.

About Darcia

In addition to being Professor Emerita of Psychology Emerita at Notre Dame, Darcia is a fellow at the American Psychological Association, and at the American Educational Research Association. She has written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books. Her book, Neurobiology and The Development of Human Morality won the William James Book Award. Her newest book, Restoring the Kinship Worldview, is co-authored with Indigenous worldview scholar, Four Arrows.

References

• The Evolved Nest
• Neurobiology and The Development of Human Morality
• Restoring the Kinship Worldview
• Four Arrows (co-author / co-editor, “The Kinship Worldview”)
• 9 components of the Evolved Nest
• Alloparents 
• Iain McGilchrist, The Master and his Emissary
• Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Honorable Harvest (from Braiding Sweetgrass)
• Linda Hogan (Chickasaw Nation)
• Genevieve Vaughan,  Maternal Gift Economy
• Nature’s Gift Economy
• David Abram, Spell of the Sensuous 
• Human microbiome 
• Symbiosis
• Melvin Konnor
• James Prescott 
• Allan Schore, neurobiological attachment
• Jon Young, Coyote games
• Tamarack Song, games to develop intuition
• David Bohm, physicist, “The real intelligence is insight intelligence and it comes in from the outside.”

Program

0.00 Welcome & Intro

I. THE KINSHIP WORLDVIEW 

2:50 What is a “worldview”? 
4:30 What is a “Kinship” worldview?
6:58 Contrast the Indigenous worldview of connection with the Western worldview of disconnectedness 

II. THE EVOLVED NEST

9:35 What are the characteristics of an “evolved nest”? 

11:35 Components of the Evolved Nest:

>>  11:45 Soothing perinatal experiences

>>   13:00 Breast feeding

>>   14:25 Lots of affectionate touch, no negative touch

>>   15:20 A welcoming social climate

>>   16:25 Alloparents who are responsive 

>>   16:55 Self-directed play with multiple-age playmates

>>   17:55 Nature connection 

>>   19:14 Routine healing experiences 

22:20 On being an animal 

III. RESTORING THE KINSHIP WORLDVIEW

24:55 Talking about the book -- What are you trying to convey with the precepts? 

30:18 Darcia: To understand our Nature as a Human species is to understand what Thriving looks like

>>   happy, calm, quiet minds, gleeful, childlike

>>   sense of humor that’s not hostile

>>   holding hands, sitting together, enjoying being together… 

>>   try to make the other person laugh and feel safe

>>   there’s no big ego, it’s “us”.
32:00 The Honorable Harvest, Darcia shares favorite quotes, including: “Sustain the ones who sustain you and the Earth will live forever.”

34:50 What healing medicine feels like; Tom shares a quote

37:05 Darcia: We have a lot of unhealed grief and trauma we pass on, instead of taking time to heal

37:30 What is the relationship between the Sacred Feminine and The Maternal Gift Economy? 

40:25 Communion, holy union, co-creation, and our interconnectedness 

41:10 Darcia on Nature connection and her “Ecological Attachment”, experiment

42:30 Rooted and connected: “Our roots extend out from our skin and our other body cavities.” 

43:20 The microbiome; "We are communities"

44:00 Where does your passion for restoring kinship come from? How are you teaching this? 

IV. RESTORING OUR WORLD
48:10 What should we be doing to restore The Nest?

>>   Make sure you yourself are centered; Nature connection is one of the best ways to heal. 

>>   Learn to get back to social joy. 

>>   Learn to guide the conscious mind into connection; build the communal imagination. 

52:12 What is sustaining your spirit right now?

>>   I sing to the 6 directions

>>   I sing on my land

>>   Lying on the Earth, leaning against a tree, huggling with spouse

>>   Try to make my husband laugh, sing and dance together.

>>   Keep aware: "I am and always will be part of the Earth."

V. CONCLUSION

54:30 Final thoughts

>>   The first precept: the recognition of spiritual energy in Nature; find that guardian spirit... 

57:00 Tom reads a final quote, on Community Welfare (Dona Enriqueta Contreras)

57:56 End

Quotes

Everything the baby experiences engraves the brain for life. So you want to make sure you don’t distress the baby because then you’re shifting the trajectory away from wellness towards illness or ill-being or adversity.

(In a) welcoming social climate, the mother feels supported, the baby is wanted, the community is delighted with having the baby around, and the baby feels like they belong, that they can make a difference, make other people smile and laugh as they are made to smile an...