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Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption.

Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling.

Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.

Conversations

Professor Lorimer Moseley is neuroscientist, who specialises in the complexities and mind-boggling nature of pain - what it is, why it exists, how it works and when it can go wrong.

For most of us, pain is a fundamental part of being alive, and staying alive and yet none of us will ever experience the exact same pain as someone else, which makes it incredibly difficult to understand.

Every day, we stub our toes and burn our tongues. Some of us break bones and suffer from more serious illnesses and conditions.

What you feel when your skin is broken or a ligament is torn is there to tell your brain to be careful, that something is wrong and needs to be protected.

But what happens when doctors can't find any damage? When the tissues in your hips or the pictures of your brain seem perfectly fine, but still, there is agonising pain that refuses to leave you alone?

Lorimer was a physiotherapist who came to this very specific neuroscience after his own experience with chronic pain, following a pretty gruesome sporting injury that by all accounts had been fixed by surgery.

He realised that as he was learning more about how changes in the body are detected (like temperature and pressure), and communicated as pain to the brain through the central nervous system, his own chronic pain started to diminish.

Since then, Lorimer has published hundreds of papers and several books on the topic, in his pursuit to help people also dig themselves out of the hellish cruelty of chronic pain.

Further information

You can find more resources from Professor Moseley about tackling persistent or chronic pain online at TameTheBeast.org

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

The Executive Producer of Conversations in Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Richard Fidler. 

It explores persistent pain, migraine, arthritis, neurology, psychology, distrust of the medical system, pain relief, hypersensitivity to pain, doctors who believe you, chronic conditions, endometriosis.

The mind f**k of pain — retraining your system to tackle chronic pain

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Troy Cassar-Daley is one of Australia's most beloved country music stars, with a string of awards and albums to show for it.

But his latest album, Between the Fires, is a reflective, deeply personal exploration of grief, love and his childhood, caught between the two worlds of his Indigenous mother and his Maltese-Australian father. 

Help and support is always available

You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.

Troy Cassar-Daley is a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man, and one of Australia's most beloved country music stars.

As a 17-year-old musician just starting out, Troy joined a band called Little Eagle. Soon afterwards, he won the Tamworth Starmaker Quest, and within a few years, Troy was a fully-fledged country music star.

In his long career, Troy has won 40 Golden Guitars and 5 ARIA Awards, among many other accolades. 

In his latest album, Between the Fires, Troy digs deep into his own family history, with songs of grief, love and connection.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about country music, rock music, musicians, music teachers, country towns, driving, cars, vintage cars, Malta, Maltese, Indigenous culture, Aboriginal history, family, culture, multiculturalism, racism, intergenerational, family relationships, marriage, divorce, depression, grief, suicide, Country Music Association, CMA Awards, Golden guitars, music awards, Deadly awards, identity,

Best of 2024 — Troy Cassar-Daley

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Rebecca Huntley spent 50 years trying to process PTSD brought on from a traumatic childhood. But it was only when she decided to experiment with MDMA as a treatment that Rebecca's life began to change. 

Rebecca Huntley's public life as a broadcaster, an author and a social researcher made her well-known to many Australians.

But in private, Rebecca spent years grappling with complex PTSD and childhood trauma.

At 50, while walking the Camino, she realised that despite decades of therapy, she was still living with a roiling anger about what had happened to her as a child.

She decided to undergo MDMA therapy delivered by an underground healer. 

The treatment changed Rebecca's life and her view of the world.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about childhood trauma, parenting, PTSD, abuse, MDMA, psychedelics, therapy, acid, hallucinogens, psychologists, psychology, healers, mental health, anxiety, depression, Australia, families, relationships, alternative medicine, memoirs, autobiographies, human experiences, human interest stories, controversial drug treatments, experimental treatments.

Best of 2024 — Rebecca Huntley

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Jack Beaumont (not his real name) grew up in a turbulent family in Paris before joining the French Air Force as a young man. After a devastating mid-air accident, he joined the DGSE and became a French secret agent and he now uses his first-hand knowledge to write spy thrillers set in the world of international espionage. 

Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former intelligence operative and the author of several spy thrillers.

Jack grew up in a turbulent family in Paris and when he got older he decided to train as a jet fighter pilot with the French Air Force.

During a training dogfight at supersonic speed, Jack suffered a devastating injury that meant he could no longer fly jets, but he still wanted a job steeped in adventure and danger.

So he began piloting covert spy missions, and eventually became a spy with France's secret intelligence service: the DGSE, maintaining up to five secret identities as a time.

While he now lives in a beautiful part of Australia with his wife and family, Jack has struggled to leave behind the extreme hyper vigilance of his early working life.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about spys, secret service, France, French Secret Service, DGSE, French Air Force, French Military, fighter pilots, fighter jets, back injuries, spinal injuries, disability, mid-air accidents, thrillers, novels, nom-de-plume, pen names, Australia, authors, writing, publishing, private schools, Napoleon, boarding school, Paris, families, family relationships, international relations, diplomacy, CIA, MI5, crime fiction, global politics.

Best of 2024 — Jack Beaumont

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Anita Heiss is a Wiradjuri woman and a prolific author. Her latest novel, Dirrayawadha, brings together Indigenous and colonial history, as well as Wiradjuri language, into a 19th century love story between an Irish convict and a brave Wiradjuri woman. 

Anita Heiss is a Wiradjuri woman, an author of many books and a Professor of Communications at The University of Queensland.

Many of Anita's books focus on great love stories, and the inspiration for these romances came from the enduring, devoted love she saw between her parents – the very Austrian “Joe-the-carpenter”, and Elsie, a proud Wiradjuri woman.

Anita’s latest book goes back to the 1800s, bringing to life the brutal frontier wars in Bathurst, when martial law was declared.

Her book is called Dirrayawadha - which is a Wiradjuri command meaning 'rise up'. 

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about authors, novels, romance, adventure, politics, Australian history, Indigenous history, Aboriginal culture, Indigenous languages, academics, universities, parents, childhood, marriage, multiculturalism, racism, Sydney, Bathurst, frontier wars, convicts, first nations, Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Best of 2024 — Anita Heiss

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.At the make or break moment of his choreography career, the last person Rafael expected to hear from was Australia’s pop princess, Kylie Minogue.

Rafael Bonachela was born in the dying years of Franco’s Spain, into a patriarchal culture that didn’t appreciate little boys who wanted to dance. 

As the eldest of four brothers, his father expected him to be an example of academic achievement and bravado.

This hardline approach slowly drove his father away from the family, though when it came time to say goodbye, Rafael saw an unexpected side of him.

At the age of 17, when the wide world beckoned, Rafael left his home country without a backward glance, grasping with both hands the opportunity to become a professional dancer.

After a last ditch attempt at becoming a choreographer, he received an email from Kylie Minogue. And the rest is history.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about Spain, Spanish, Catalonia, Catalonian, General Francisco Franco, Spanish history, small towns, villages, dancing, Fame, choreography, dance school, choreographers, London, Australia, Sydney, Sydney Dance Company, classical dance, music, theatre, performing arts, high school, homosexuality, gay, LGBTQIA, coming out, death, grief, artistic director, naked, nakedness, undressed, modern dance, contemporary dance.

Best of 2024 — Rafael Bonachela

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Pauline McGrath's life changed forever when her husband of 30 years, David, was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Together Pauline and David set out to take advantage of the incoming Voluntary Assisted Dying laws about to come into effect in Queensland. Since David's death, Pauline has been has kept her promise to him to speak openly about their experience and be an advocate for VAD. 

A few years ago, Pauline McGrath came home from work and found the lights on and the dog already fed.

This was something which had never happened in her 30-year marriage to David, a director of paediatric medicine at Queensland Children's Hospital.

Straight away, Pauline asked David, "Who has died?"

Her beloved husband told her he had a brain tumour, and that voluntary assisted dying was going to be an option for Queenslanders in six months.

This moment began a heartbreaking but ultimately empowering path for David, Pauline and their family.

David's wish was for Pauline to speak openly about their family experience. So that's what she's been doing while grieving her husband, supporting her two daughters, and embarking on the next chapter of her own life.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about VAD, voluntary assisted dying, euthanasia, palliative care, cancer, brain tumor, relationships, parents, children, daughters, marriage, love, grief, good death, mourning, grieving, medicine, doctors, hospitals, Queensland, Brisbane, paediatricians, cancer treatment, advocacy, dying, end of life laws.

Best of 2024 — Pauline McGrath

Gideon Haigh is a prolific author, but it took him decades to write down the story closest to his heart — the life and tragic death of his brother, Jaz, who was killed in a car crash at just 17 years. But eventually, on a hot summers evening, it all came pouring out onto the page, and became his book My Brother Jaz.

Gideon Haigh's brother Jasper was 17 years old when he died in a car crash.

Until this year, Gideon and his mother were the only two people who really knew what happened to Jaz on that tragic night.

Gideon has spent decades perfecting answers to questions about his brother — answers that never invited further discussion.

This year, something peculiar happened, and in a few days, Gideon poured his pent-up recollections onto the page, to be turned into a book about the story of his brother, Jaz.

This episode of Conversations discusses sibling relationships, brothers, death, mourning, parent-child relationships, families, grief, writing, the publishing industry, car accidents, road accidents, motor vehicle accidents, autobiographies, biographies, memoirs.

Best of 2024 — Gideon Haigh

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Candice Fox is one of the world's most successful crime writers, but she when she is not at her writing desk, you can find her rushing around Sydney rescuing stranded and injured wallabies, cockatoos, lizards, frogs and ducks. 

Listen to Richard's first Conversation with Candice Fox here. 

Candice Fox is one of the world's most successful crime writers.

Her latest work is about a female agent who goes undercover in a rogue firefighting crew in New York City.

To research the book Candice travelled to New York to meet up with firefighters and find out more about the real people working in firehouses.

While Candice is a prolific writer and a mum, she's not someone who believes in downtime.

When she's off duty from her writing desk, she straps on a tiny torch and a tool belt, and hurtles around Sydney rescuing stranded and injured wallabies, cockatoos, lizards, frogs and ducks, often with her small daughter Violet as her sidekick.

Candice has also recently taken up oil painting, inspired by some of her charges from her work in animal rescue.

“This episode of Conversations discusses Australian wildlife rescue, Australian fauna, animal rescue, volunteer work, injured animals, firefighters, first responders, New York, NYC, 9/11, September 11, crime fiction, crime novels, crime thrillers, crime writers, crime authors, novelists, book publishing, research, families, motherhood, mother-daughter relationships, families, family history, family legacy, childhood memories, prison, prisoners.

Best of 2024 — Candice Fox

Reflecting on a year of phenomenal guests, we are bringing you a selection of the Best Conversations of 2024.

Kasey Chambers grew up surrounded by country music, singing around the campfire with her family, and listening to her father's cassettes of old country classics. She now makes her own country music, which has won her a devoted following and recognition as one of Australia's favourite country music stars. 

Kasey Chambers started singing around the campfire as a little girl.

She and her family spent much of the year camping on the Nullarbor Plain, where her dad would hunt for foxes and rabbits.

Kasey and her brother Nash had a free range childhood, and went to sleep to the sound of their father's rifle as he worked through the night. 

Singing came naturally to Kasey, and she loved all the old country classics, as well as some Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen.

Kasey has spent her life making music and connecting with audiences. It’s what she believes she was put on the earth to do.

This episode of Conversations contains discussions about country music, Australian outback, hunting, families, guitars, singing, vocals, musicians, singers, Country Music Association, CMA, Country Music Awards, Golden Guitars, ARIA Awards, music awards, popular music, Crowded House, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, family relationships, marriage, divorce, parenting, women musicians.

Best of 2024 — Kasey Chambers

In 2008 Nathan Dunne was night swimming in Hampstead Heath in the middle of winter when a psychological catastrophe struck him. He felt his sense of self split in two, and an unbearable pain overtook him. He couldn’t work out what had happened to him, and neither could the doctors.

CW: This discussion contains sensitive mental health details and mentions suicide.

Nathan was driven to attempt suicide, and endured years of misdiagnoses from doctors and medications that didn't work.

Nathan didn't have the words to describe the confusion, pain and splitting of self he was experiencing.

For years, water was the symbol of his undoing.

When Nathan returned home to Australia and his parents' care, his mum gave him a copy of his grandfather's war memoirs.

Here, Nathan found a link that showed him the healing qualities and the beauty that were possible in water.

Eventually, Nathan found a doctor who could explain his symptoms and finally give them a name — depersonalisation.

Further information

If you need help, you can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.

When Nothing Feels Real is published by Murdoch Books.

Read more about dissociative disorders and depersonalisation on the NHS website.

Read about dissociative disorders and depersonalisation specifically in relation to young people on the Orygen website.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.

Depersonalisation — when Nathan lost his sense of self and nothing felt real

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