Dr. Melanie Blair Pincus is a neuroscientist, artist, and educator with a passion for crafting experiences that catalyze self-discovery and transformation. Melanie became interested in modalities that spur personal growth and rewire the brain during her PhD in neuroscience at Emory University, where she studied the legacy of early-life stress on the developing brain. She is compelled by both play and non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) as powerful tools that promote flexible brain states for healing and flourishing. In her roles as chief scientific officer for two psychedelic startups, she has designed multi-omics psilocybin research programs with botanical mushrooms to explore the potential of NOSC for personal growth. Melanie’s new venture, Syncopy Design Lab (syncopydesignlab.com), is an experience design studio creating experiences that facilitate deeper states of connectedness to self, community, and the natural world. The lab weaves together transformative principles, biosensing technology, neuroaesthetic design, play, and NOSC to offer impactful art installations, workshops and retreats.
In the tradition of the Five Elements, the spirit leads us to the source of function or dysfunction. As a pelvic health specialist, I have found that the spirit of the points on the pelvis are particularly important in supporting our clients, as they connect deeply with the spirit. Working with the points on the pelvis is often pivotal for the client and thus requires a well-designed foundation.
To plateau and profit or release and replace is an ethical dilemma we clinicians will face sometime during our career. In work situations in which oversight ranges from limited to excessive, we navigate our practices, businesses and/or positions between the poles of profit and loss, moral and legal. The question is: What do we do when the patient's clinical progress becomes stagnant, yet they will freely continue to receive treatment?
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Long COVID has challenged conventional medical paradigms. There is certainly a growing need for therapies that bridge traditional pharmacology with integrative strategies. Among the more unconventional options, nicotine – delivered via low-dose transdermal patches – has surfaced as a potential tool. While the idea may sound wacky, emerging evidence and clinical anecdotes suggest it warrants exploration.
