The Pulse Folgen

On this episode, we explore the stories of people who survived extraordinary trials, from life-threatening illnesses to assault, and ask what came after survival. We’ll hear what it’s like to survive — and come back from — locked-in syndrome, explore the emotional roller coaster of being a young cancer survivor, and find out how one writer created guide to intimacy after sexual assault.

More than a hundred thousand people in the U.S. are on the national transplant list waiting for a life-saving organ. Hospitals across the country transplant more than 45,000 organs each year and there are rules and protocols about how it is supposed to go. But what happens when the process fails?The New York Times investigative reporter Brian Rosenthal joins us to discuss some recent cases where doctors discovered that patients were still alive and conscious when the donation process was underway. He talks with host Maiken Scott about a relatively new method of procuring organs, called circulatory death donation, and new pressures on procurement organizations that could be jeopardizing safety.Rosenthal and his colleague Julie Tate recently published an investigation in The New York Times called, “A Push for More Organ Transplants Is Putting Donors at Risk.”

Shame has a way of making us feel alone — like we’re the only ones in the world struggling with something. It can make us withdraw or feel depressed, out of control, and helpless. In the worst cases, it can destroy our self-esteem and even lead to self harm. But shame can also be a force for positive change, from enforcing social norms, to pushing us to improve our behaviors and circumstances. On this episode, we untangle why we feel it, where shame comes from, and how it affects our behavior and health. Lots of us have hangups about what we look like in swimsuits — but wait until you hear about what “kind of attire” used to be acceptable at pools. We’ll explore the evolutionary roots of shame, how one woman discovered what was behind her monthly meltdowns, and how shame figures into treatment approaches in the opioid epidemic.