We first want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the scientists, spiritual leaders and
celebrities who have been gracious enough to be a part of this special film. Below is a
list of these wonderful people.
Please visit their respective websites to learn more.
Please visit our
resources page
to explore the various books, videos and websites offered by our experts.
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TAL BEN-SHAHAR, PH.D.
Harvard University
Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer. He taught the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the third
largest on "The Psychology of Leadership"--with a total of over 1,400 students. He currently teaches at the
Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, where he co-founded The Institute for Positive Psychology in Education.
Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporation, the general public, and at-risk populations.
Topics include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, mindfulness, and leadership. An avid sportsman, Tal won the
U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships. He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and BA in
Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard.
Tal is also a New York Times best-selling author with his ground-breaking book "Happier".
It was soon followed up by "The Pursuit of Perfect" and several other articles and publications. To learn more about Tal, his books
and his consultations and lectures please visit his website at
www.talbenshahar.com
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DEEPAK CHOPRA, M.D.
Chairman and Co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing
Deepak Chopra, MD, is one of the best known and widely respected leaders
in the field of mind/body medicine in the world today. Integrating the
ancient Indian science of Ayurveda with traditional Western medicine and
recent discoveries in the field of quantum physics, he forged a holistic
approach to healing that has had enormous popular appeal as well as
widespread professional acceptance.
Chopra's accomplishments extend far beyond the halls of the medical
schools of Tufts and Boston Universities, where he once taught, or the
Boston Regional Medical Center where he was formerly chief of staff.
He has authored over forty-two books and one hundred audio, video,
and CD-ROM titles, which have been translated into thirty-five languages
and have sold over twenty million copies worldwide. He is a highly
sought-after workshop presenter and inspirational speaker, and has
achieved nearly guru status with many of his admirers.
In 1995, he established
The Chopra Center for Well Being
in California, and is among the founding directors of the
Alliance for the New Humanity
. Chopra is the recipient of the Einstein Award
through Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with the
American Journal of Psychotherapy.
Time magazine hailed Chopra as one of the top one hundred heroes and
icons of the twentieth century, and credits him as "the poet-prophet
of alternative medicine." You can learn more about Dr. Chopra and his work
on his website at
www.chopra.com
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DONOVAN
Singer / Songwriter
Upon his emergence during the mid-'60s, Donovan was anointed
"Britain's answer to Bob Dylan". In 1966, he released his breakthrough album,
Sunshine Superman, which in its exotic arrangements and
pointedly psychedelic lyrical outlook heralded a major shift from
his previous work; the title track topped the charts on both sides
of the Atlantic, with the enigmatic "Mellow Yellow" reaching the number
two spot a few months later.
In 1967 Donovan traveled to India alongside the Beatles to study with the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a journey which inspired him to renounce drug
use and encourage his listeners to turn to meditation. In 1968
Donovan resurfaced with The Hurdy Gurdy Man, scoring a Top Five
smash with the hallucinatory title cut; the record also yielded the
hit "Jennifer Juniper."
Barabajagal from 1969 generated
Donovan's final Top 40 hit, "Atlantis".
Throughout the '70s he slowed down a bit, produced a few albums and
collaborations, and essentially retired from writing and recording
altogether.
The Donovan revival began in earnest in 1991 when Happy Mondays titled a song
in his honor for their groundbreaking "Pills 'n' Thrills & Bellyaches; he
later toured with the group as well. Five years later, Donovan released his
comeback LP, Sutras, helmed by producer-du-jour Rick Rubin.
In 2004 he reappeared with the
intimate and stylish Beat Cafe, a collection of nearly all-original songs
produced by keyboardist John Chelew. You can learn more about Donovan on his
website at
www.donovan.ie
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LARRY DOSSEY, M.D.
Author and International Advocate of the Role of Mind in Health
Dr. Larry Dossey earned his medical degree in 1967 from
Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Before completing his
residency in internal medicine, he served as a battalion surgeon in
Vietnam, where he was decorated for valor. Dr. Dossey helped establish
the Dallas Diagnostic Association, the largest group of internal medicine
practitioners in that city, and was Chief of Staff of Medical City
Dallas Hospital in 1982.
The author of nine books and numerous articles, Dr. Dossey is the former
Executive Editor of the peer-reviewed journal
Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, the most widely
subscribed-to journal in its field.
He has lectured all over the world, including major medical schools
and hospitals in the United States --Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Cornell,
the Universities of Pennsylvania, California, Washington, Texas, Florida,
Minnesota, and the Mayo Clinic.
The impact of Dr. Dossey's work has been remarkable. Before his book
Healing Words was published in 1993, only three U.S. medical
schools had courses devoted to exploring the role of religious practice
and prayer in health; currently, nearly 80 medical schools have instituted
such courses, many of which utilize Dr. Dossey's works as textbooks.
In his 1989 book, Recovering the Soul, he introduced the
concept of "nonlocal mind" -- mind unconfined to the brain and body,
mind spread infinitely throughout space and time. You can learn more about
Dr. Dossey on his website at
www.dosseydossey.com
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JORDAN GRAFMAN, Ph.D.
Cheif Investigator, National Institutes of Health
Jordan Grafman received his B.A. from Sonoma State University in
Rohnert Park, California in 1974 and his Ph.D. in Human Neuropsychology
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981. Dr. Grafman then joined
the Vietnam Head Injury Study at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in Washington, D.C. as Neuropsychology chief. In 1986, Dr. Grafman became
a senior staff fellow at the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health.
In 1991, he was named Chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience
Section, a position he still holds.
Dr. Grafman also is on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University,
holds a number of other adjunct faculty positions at Washington area
universities, and is a co-principal investigator with the Defense
and Veterans Head Injury Program.
Co-editor of the Handbook of Neuropsychology as well as several
other texts on the frontal lobes, head injury, and neuroplasticity,
Dr. Grafman is the author of over 200 publications. He is recognized for
his work on the functions of the human prefrontal cortex, recovery of
function following brain injury, and learning and memory. You can learn
more about Dr. Grafman and his work at the National Institutes of Health
at the NIH website at
neuroscience.nih.gov
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WILLIAM R. HEADLEY, C.S.Sp, Ph.D.
Dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies,
University of San Diego
William R. Headley, CSSp, PhD, is a sociologist, counselor and Catholic priest. He has a broad background in Church leadership, justice,
peace and international aid with experience in over 70 countries. Bill was the Major Superior (1979-85) of the USA-Eastern Province of his
Holy Spirit (Spiritans) community. While Provincial of the Spiritans, Headley served on the Executive Committee, Conference of Major Superiors of Men;
was the first President of the Africa Faith and Justice Network/USA; and was instrumental in starting the Washington Office on Haiti.
In 1986, he conducted for Jesuit Refugee Services a study of Nairobi, Kenya?s refugees.
Called to Generalate administration for the Spiritans in 1987, Bill started his Community's first International Justice and Peace Office (Rome, Italy).
He directed it for five years. Haunted by intra-state conflict witnessed in Africa, Fr. Headley used a sabbatical to research grassroots efforts at
peacemaking in Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine, South Africa and Haiti.
As a peace builder, Bill has assisted conferences of bishops in Ghana, Nigeria, the Balkans, Sudan, Haiti and Burundi.
He has a doctorate in sociology (New York University), advanced degrees in counseling and theology and has done postdoctoral work at
Harvard Divinity School, George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and the Gandhi Peace Institute, New Delhi.
In August 2007, Bill became the founding Dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
(www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies)
at the University of San Diego, San Diego, CA.
The Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies is reputed to be the only academic School of Peace in the USA.
On May 14, 2009, Bill will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Ministry from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois.
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SWAMI KRIPANANDA
Shoshoni Yoga Retreat
Swami Ma Kripananda (KripaMa) serves as resident swami at Shoshoni Yoga Retreat, an ashram and thriving spiritual community,
located in the Colorado Rockies just outside of Boulder, CO.
She has studied and practiced yoga and meditation for 30 years, and has been a senior meditation teacher under the guidance of
Rishi Mahamandaleshwar Sri Shambhavananda, founder of the Shambhava School of Yoga, for 15 years.
KripaMa draws on her life experiences as mother, poet, corporate executive, and Sanskrit scholar along with deep devotion to the sacred,
to fuel her passion for teaching and writing about meditation.
Learn more about Shoshoni Yoga Retreat and the Shambhava School of Yoga at
www.shoshoni.org
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DEB SHAPIRO
Spiritual Teacher, Bodymind Counselor, Author
Deb Shapiro and her husband Ed are the authors of the bestselling: BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You and the World.
They are weekly Featured Contributors to
Oprah.com/spirit
,
Huffingtonpost.com/living
, and
Care2.com
.
They have led meditation retreats and personal development programs worldwide for over 25 years; and they are corporate consultants and personal coaches,
having worked with CEO's and senior management of major corporations. They are the writers of the daily Chillout inspirational text messages for
Sprint cell phones.
Together, Deb and Ed are the authors of fifteen books on personal development, meditation and social action;
and they have hosted their own TV series, Chill Out, which was rated the most popular show on Channel Health TV.
They are featured speakers at expos and events worldwide.
Deb is a leading authority of, and is highly respected for her intuitive understanding of, the bodymind relationship.
Her latest book, Your Body Speaks Your Mind, has been nominated for the 2007 Nautilus Book Awards.
You can learn more about Deb and her work on her website at
www.edanddebshapiro.com
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BETTIE YOUNGS, Ph.D., Ed.D.
Executive Director of Professional Development Services, Inc.
Bettie B. Youngs, Ph.D., Ed.D., is the critically acclaimed author of thirty-six books translated into twenty-four languages.
Dr. Youngs is a former Teacher-of-the-Year, and University Professor of Educational Administration and Management, Graduate Division.
Currently she is Executive Director of Professional Development Services, Inc.
Widely considered an expert with a pulse on social issues influencing family and workplace issues, she is a frequent guest on television and radio talk shows,
including The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Oprah, Good Morning America and The View. Time magazine,
U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, The Washington Post, Redbook, Working Woman, Parents magazine, and the
National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) have all recognized her work.
Though Bettie's earlier work focused on education and developmental issues for youth, family and educators; in recent years she is best known for her
series of poignantly written short-story books that clearly and warmly elucidate the human spirit, captivating the American psyche and winning her
wide-range appeal with audiences young and old alike.
Bettie is the recipient of numerous publishing awards, including having an Imprint bearing her name. She is Founder and CEO of
Bettie Youngs Books Publishing Co.
(www.bettieyoungsbooks.com)
and Founder and co-publisher of Teen Town Press, an imprint for teens
(www.teentownpress.com)
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HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
Head of State and Spiritual Leader of Tibet
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935,
to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two the child,
who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet.
Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.
In 1950, at the age of sixteen and still facing nine more years of intensive religious education, His Holiness had to assume full political power
when China invaded Tibet. In March of 1959, during the national uprising of the Tibetan people against Chinese military occupation, He went into exile.
Since then He has lived in the Himalayan foothills in Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, a constitutional democracy since 1963.
Dharamsala, aptly known as Little Lhasa, also has cultural and educational institutions and serves as a "capital-in-exile" for 130,000 Tibetan refugees
living mainly in India; others are in Nepal, Switzerland, the UK, the United States, Canada and thirty other countries.
In the past decade, the Dalai Lama has tried to open dialogue with the Chinese. He proposed a Five-Point Peace Plan in 1987-88, which would also
stabilize the entire Asian region and which has drawn widespread praise from statesmen and legislative bodies around the world, but the Chinese have
yet to enter into negotiations.
Since 1959 His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been the leader of the Tibetan government in exile. His travels in the cause of peace and a free Tibet
have made him an international diplomat for peace and freedom, and in 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The associated Nobel citation quote reads:- "The Committee wants to emphasise the fact that the Dalai Lama, in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet,
consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve
the historical and cultural heritage of his people."
(Producers' Note: Video footage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama used in this film was recorded at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado
on September 17th, 2006.)
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