MARK BARANOV

Mark Baranov joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first violin section in the 1978/79 season.

Baranov was trained in the Soviet Union at the Gnessin Music Academy in Moscow, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. He served as co-concertmaster of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky, appearing as soloist on many occasions and touring with the ensemble in Eastern and Western Europe and Japan, as well as throughout the USSR. Baranov also performed as a leader of the orchestra’s chamber ensemble, Nonette. He was also a member of the Moscow Radio String Quartet. With these ensembles he toured throughout Europe participating in many important festivals and gave USSR premieres of works by such composers as Schoenberg, Messiaen, Denisov, and Schnittke, and made several recordings on the Melodiya label.

After coming to the United Sates in 1978, he became very active in the Southland’s musical community. In 1983 he founded the critically acclaimed chamber ensemble Trio West with Philharmonic cellist Barry Gold and Baranov’s wife, pianist Lina Targonsky. The ensemble has performed frequently throughout Southern California, including the Philharmonic’s Chamber Music Society series, as well as aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. In 1992 Trio West was invited to perform in Germany at the Festival Bahnhof Rolandseck near Bonn.

Baranov has also appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Music Center. He has been a visiting professor of violin at Biola University and UCLA. He frequently gives master classes throughout the USA and judges many violin competitions.

CHRIS VOSS

Today’s show is a conversation on Meditation for Daily #Stress. A new way of #meditation that doesn't requires effort nor #breath #exercise.  My guest is Michel Pascal is a transformational and spiritual multi-talented artist, meditation teacher, singer, composer, photographer, film director, and author dedicated to supporting underserved populations - including LA’s hardened population of parolees. An author of 20 books on spirituality, including "Meditation for Daily Stress, 10 practices for immediate well-being," a book that describes all his new approach of Meditation. He is the director of the We are never alone film, one of the solutions of the Never Alone movement for Suicide prevention and Mental Health. As a singer Pascal has performed his “Medicine Voice” concerts several times at Carnegie Hall in NYC. This year he will perform the Christmas concert 2021. He has been singing with famous musicians like Myron McKinley, music Director of Earth, Wind and Fire, Verdine White Co-Founder of Earth, Wind and Fire, Paul Pesco, Mark Ledford (vocalist of Pat Metheny Group), and many more.

Mary Rodwell is a professional counsellor, hypnotherapist, ufologist researcher and metaphysician. Mary is the founder and Principal of ACERN (Australian Close Encounter Resource Network) and is recognised Internationally, as one of Australia's leading researchers in the UFO and Contact phenomenon. She is the Vice-President of Star Kids Project Ltd and an Advisory Committee member of Exopolitics.

She has lectured in the USA, Canada, Hawaii, UK and New Zealand and appears regularly in national and international media news programs such as the Australian documentary OZ Files, the BBC television program, Paranormal Files(UK) and Discovery Channel Animal X. She has also participated in a University debate forum on this phenomenon, in 2006 at Oxford University, UK.

Mary's research shows while many "Star Children" sometimes called "Indigo's" have telepathic abilities, and are spiritually awakened and describe seeing "Beings of Light" (angels or light beings), the main difference is that "Star Children" have recollections of encounters with extraterrestrial beings and of being taken aboard extraterrestrial spaceships. Mary's research also explores the evidence from scientific, medical, psychological, and historical perspective to support what she believes is a genetic engineering program, which is part of an upgrading of homo sapiens, and creating a paradigm shift in human consciousness, which these children demonstrate.

ACERN - Australian Close Encounter Research Network

Following is a brief history of the Perth-based UFO Abductee/Contactee Support Group , which was formed in late 1996.  Its evolution has sparked interest not only from its participants, but also from organizations Australia-wide, the media and from overseas.

In 1996, a group of Western Australian UFO researchers decided to form a support group for those people who have had 'encounter' experiences.  In ufology terms, these are called 'Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind' and simply refer to anyone who believes he or she has had some contact or interaction with extraterrestrial life forms.

At this time, they had in mind at least one facilitator for the group.  This was Elizabeth Robinson, a professional therapist/counsellor, trained in group work, who had had her own abduction/encounter experiences.  When Mary Rodwell heard about the proposed support group, she contacted the UFO researchers and explained to them that she had already considered forming a support group for the growing number of such clients she was seeing in her counselling practice.  Mary informed them of her qualifications and background and a meeting was arranged where Mary learnt that they had already formed an advisory committee which included a psychiatrist to ensure that a professional support group was formed.  This was totally in line with Mary's view because, as she had spent ten years in the counselling field, having trained in the UK and had experience in group work, she understood the need to create a credible, professional support network.

It was arranged for Elizabeth and Mary to meet in December 1996, with the hope that they would work together.  The goals were to provide a professional and supportive resource for all those abductees/contactees who needed it.  This support group would offer total confidentiality, with the understanding that they would honour the clients’ experiences and support them emotionally and psychologically.

As both Mary and Elizabeth were keen to begin, they advertised the Abductee/Contactee Support Group in NOVA, Western Australia’s Holistic Journal in March 1997 and the following month. They obtained further publicity for the group by having two articles published in the May 1997 issue of NOVA.  These were 'Counselling the Abductee', written by Mary and a 'A Secret Life Awakened', written by Elizabeth which was about her own encounter experiences.

Mary and Elizabeth also had enquiries from people who were interested in the phenomenon and wanted to attend the group out of curiosity.  It was important to explain to them that this was a therapeutic support group that was only for abductee/encounter experiencers, where group privacy and confidentiality were paramount.

Time and time again, with small variations, they were the typical abductee/contactees pattern.  One young woman in her twenties, who was severely traumatised by her experiences, said it took tremendous courage for her to attend the meeting.  She said afterwards how pleased she was that she had found the courage to come. "I had always dreamed of something like this, but never believed it would happen."  This statement epitomised how valuable a support group is and confirms the need to continue with it.

It was clear that the needs of the group were not just about isolation and past experiences, but also for therapeutic support for on-going experiences.  There is a desire by many abductees/contactees to try and make sense of this enigma, a desire to understand it and its meaning in their lives.  This includes support for the paradigm shifts that many of them have to make.

One of the main stumbling blocks to any new venture is money.  Mary and Elizabeth had no financial resources, so the support group has had to fund itself.  There was no money for advertising.  Some of the abductees/contactees said they would do their own publicity for the group, via word-of-mouth, but they had to find other ways to inform those people in isolation where they could find help.  They did have some assistance with this from the local UFO researchers, who referred clients to them

They also had support of some periodicals from complementary fields that kindly advertised their Support Group free of charge.  These were Astrally Yours and The Healing Circle.  Although this advertising was very welcome, it did not inform the wider community.  Soon it meant that they had to go public via media outlets such as magazines, newspapers, radio and television.  To do this was hugely confronting for both Mary and Elizabeth.  They were both professional people who had credibility in the conventional therapeutic world.  They could not predict what the consequences would be both professionally, or personally.  For Elizabeth, there was the added dimension of exposing herself as an abductee/contactee.

Both Mary and Elizabeth knew that with the media, much of the material would be sensationalised and put out of context.  In fact, this did happen in several popular women's magazines who told their version of the story -often in lurid colour and with prose that resembled a horror script!  With resignation Mary and Elizabeth finally subscribed to the saying: "All publicity is good publicity!"

Mary suspects they will struggle for credibility for some time.  "It goes with the controversial nature of this phenomenon.  Media exposure, no matter how lurid, can still reach those who are looking for help.  For the open-minded in the community, it may just start them thinking.  The close-minded, however will probably remain so.  Even if a spaceship landed on their front lawn, they would probably want to deny it was there."

To date, the Support Group's exposure had been quite successful and has reached many of those in isolation with this experience.  One letter received from a gentleman in his forties said: "Thank you so much for what you are doing, at last I now know I'm not mad!"

It was important to access more information from the professional therapeutic world and it was discovered that the USA had the most to offer in this respect.  Mary contacted the PEER (Program for Extraordinary Experience Research) organisation president, Dr John Mack, who is a psychiatrist and the author of Abduction.  This organisation invites professional therapists to share their information through newsletters and workshops.

The second resource was the Academy of Clinical Close Encounter Therapists (ACCET) in Sacramento, California, a professional organization whose members are psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors and those in the therapeutic field who are working with abductees/contactees.  ACCET run workshops worldwide.  Mary became a clinician member of ACCET in 1997 and from their list of members has access to other therapists.  It was with interest that to date, Mary counted one hundred and five members.  Only recently, a gentleman from Hobart, Tasmania, was referred to her through ACCET.  This proves that building contacts and networking is so important.

Moreover, as a result of the media publicity and amount of advertising that had been done, Mary and Elizabeth started to receive an increasing number of telephone calls from local psychologists, therapists, counsellors and others in the healing fields.  So, in the latter part of 1997, they were invited to meet with Mary and Elizabeth to share in their understanding of the phenomena and to inform them of what they were doing. Mary and Elizabeth were delighted and heartened by their support and enthusiasm during the meeting and as a consequence, formed the Australian Close Encounter Resource Network  (ACERN).

It was under the banner of  ACERN  that Mary and Elizabeth attended the Australian International UFO Symposium, in Brisbane in October 1997.  Before their departure, they had three main aims, which were: to advertise  ACERN,  to network with other support groups and professional therapists and to gather the latest information.  They were able to achieve much of the above and were delighted when one of the symposium speakers, Cecilia Dean, not only showed support and interest in their organization, but also advertised and spoke about it at the symposium and took the information back to America.

The trip had been extremely worthwhile and it had been very special for  ACERN to meet so many well- informed individuals and be able to resource them for information.  They also attended the Budd Hopkins' workshop for therapists and experiencers.  Through this exchange, they received further validation that they were on the right track.

As the Abductee/Contactee Support Group celebrated its first anniversary in April 1998, over seventy individuals with abduction/contact experiences had contacted  ACERN,  as well as local and overseas therapists, researchers and UFO groups.  The group continues to prosper, with many of the initial members saying how they now feel more confident and less isolated.  Some have been courageous enough to go public.  It has been an amazing group journey.  The ages range from fourteen years to sixty, with more females than males.  Some of the members support other family members who are experiencers, but do not attend the group.  For some, it is their children who are having the experience.   ACERN  has heard from a broad section of society, including housewives, schoolchildren, farmers, labourers, university students, teachers and psychologists.  The experience has also touched the Aboriginal, European and Asian cultures.

Most of those attending the group have on-going experiences.  Meetings are held monthly and have a set agenda.  Minutes are recorded for all meetings and then the members are invited to share any new experiences.  Techniques or strategies are discussed and they share whatever is helpful, including their intuitive understanding of the experience.  Resource material is discussed, including books and videos.  If they need one-to-one support, they ask either at the meeting or later by phone.  Apart from verbal discussion, strategies for integration such as drawing, meditation and written expression are encouraged.  A 'buddy system' has been introduced and for the members, who wish to participate, it has been very helpful.

ACERN continues to explore opportunities to advertise, as their priority is to reach the  many abductees/contactees out there which they believe may be having difficulty coping.  It is important to say that of the many people who are having encounter experiences who have contacted  ACERN, slightly less than a third are traumatised.  Many people cope with this experience quite well and some say that it has been a very special experience, which has transformed their lives.  They really believe it has opened them to a 'greater multi-dimensional reality'!

Awakening: How Et Contact Can Transform Your Life: How Extraterrestrial Contact Can Transform Your Life by Mary Rodwell

TREVAN MCCLURE

“I feel like my purpose is to create the soundtrack for people’s personal self-discovery, encouraging the blossoming of their inner truth, which always leads to a more authentic and harmonious world.”

“Just be yourself and let yourself be free” — ‘Be Free’ / SinceriT Album

“Dream on… Like we used to” — ‘Like We Used To’ / InfiniT Album

DR. IBRAHIM JAFFE, MD

Dr. Jaffe, MD brings the teachings of Medical Spiritual Healing (MSH) to people suffering worldwide, from various types of illness, disease and personal issues.The healing results have been startling! Ibrahim Jaffe, MD is a physician, Master Healer, and a Sufi Spiritual Guide who has pioneered the integration of Western Medicine and Spiritual Healing. Together, the Medical Spiritual Healing technique has helped in healing over 100,000 people suffering from various types of problems and life-threatening illnesses.

Medical Spiritual Healing combines the ancient teachings of Sufi Spiritual Healing with energetic or subtle healing which is then applied to illness, suffering and spiritual transformation. MSH works to find, and heal, the hidden spiritual, psychological, emotional, and energetic aspects of disease, while concurrently treating with traditional western methods.

Dr. Jaffe, MD’s Institute supports people to heal by teaching the Medical Spiritual Healing method through their Foundations of Medical Spiritual Healing courses.  Students are supported directly by Dr. Jaffe and his Master Healers via teachings and healings, while also working directly with their personal physicians, healers, or healthcare practitioners.

The University of Medical Spiritual Healing (UMSH) offers various courses and trainings to help teach these methods. Specialized courses are taught on Self-Healing—utilizing the MSH techniques, for professional practitioners seeking a Healer Certification in MSH, and to those students interested in personal transformation through Sufi Spiritual walking.

Dr. Karen Sutton is a Board Certified orthopedic surgeon from Yale University School of Medicine where she was an Associate Professor. She specializes in sports medicine with surgical expertise in arthroscopy of the shoulder, knee and hip. Dr. Sutton officially joined HSS as an attending on November 1, 2017.

As the Head Team Physician for United States Women’s Lacrosse, Dr. Sutton is responsible for providing care for the National Team athletes.  She was elected to the Sports, Science and Safety Committee for United States Lacrosse where she advises the Board of U.S Lacrosse on injury prevention and management.  She also serves as Team Physician for Yale University Athletics, Albertus Magnus College and the professional Women’s Tennis Association.  During her fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine, she assisted in the orthopedic care of the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins and the New England Revolution.

Dr. Sutton’s passion for sports medicine stems from her years playing lacrosse at Duke University where she was Team Captain for 3 years, Regional All-American, Academic All-American, and led her team to the Final Four.  She is dedicated to caring for athletes.

Dr. Sutton is an elected member of the American Orthopedic Association, acknowledging scholarship in orthopedic surgery.  She serves on multiple committees on the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine.  She is an editor of leading orthopedic journals, including The American Journal of Sports Medicine, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.  She has made substantial contributions to research, publishing over 30 publications and giving over 70 presentations on topics from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction to treating the female athlete to shoulder issues in breast cancer.

Dr. Sutton began her academic career at Duke University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry, graduating with distinction.  She earned her medical degree at University of Maryland.  She completed her orthopedic surgery residency at Yale University School of Medicine followed by fellowships in sports medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine and pediatric sports medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine.