Dr. Lawson’s presentation is called “Not Just A Pump: Reclaiming the Heart from Science Back Into Soul”
My cardiology rotation during medical school taught me about the pathophysiology of the heart as a pump for blood. But before the Renaissance with its revolution in medical knowledge, the heart meant much more—the source of courage, of emotions, of vital heat, even the seat of the soul. In this presentation, we will explore the physiology of the heart using the poetic basis of mind and a mythic lens, discovering what hard science can show us when we view its knowledge symbolically. From the way the heart knows how often to beat through sensing pressure, to the vulnerable nature of the heart’s own blood supply, to the drastic circulatory changes that occur around the time of birth, there are important psychological lessons to be extrapolated from the wisdom of the body. Join me in an effort to reclaim a bit of the scientific heart back into the realm of soul.
About Dr. Lawson
Amy Lawson, MD, is a practicing pediatrician in San Francisco. She is also writing a PhD through Pacifica Graduate Institute on the intersection of mythology and medicine, exploring mythic narratives that help explain physician burnout and suffering. She is passionate about dream interpretation, reading tarot, and bridging the worlds of science and depth psychology.