Margery Runyan, PhD

Margery Runyan, PhD

Twin Talk Podcast2023-02-07T14:22:04+00:00

Dr. Mercy interviews experts in the field of twins, twins themselves, other multiples, families of multiples, and experts in twin studies and families from all over the country. Search your favorite topics or simply start from the beginning. These recordings are educational to those interested in all things twin related. There are 70 episodes to choose from and discounts available for multiple purchases. Enjoy!

  • Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, is a member of the academic faculty at Stanford Medical School and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Director of Allergy Clinics at Stanford Medical Center within the Division of Immunology and Allergy. She is a practicing clinician and a prominent researcher in the field of allergies Dr. Nadeau oversees: Translational Basic Science Research in the laboratory based on tolerance mechanisms of immune cells and Clinical Research on immunotherapy and induction of desensitization vs. tolerance. The Nadeau laboratory focuses on the role of human T cells in allergic diseases. Dr. Nadeau has been working in the field of T cell tolerance for more than 22 years and hypothesizes that disruptions in the normal maintenance of tolerance by T cells lead to some human immune-mediated diseases, like food allergies and asthma. She is currently studying twins for allergy and asthma diseases and has preliminary results that she will share on the program. She is also the mother of two sets of twins.
  • Dr. Margery Runyan, psychotherapist, discusses the practices of Dr. Carl Jung, a disciple of Sigmund Freud until they separated over theoretical differences. Dr. Jung believed that the unconscious had a collective component composed of symbolic energy nodes known as archetypes. Freud believed that the unconscious was filled solely with repressed personal material. Dr. Mercy contrasts ‘symbols’ and ‘signs.’  A symbol belongs to the dream world and intuition; it resonates with deeper levels of meaning as it unfolds within the unconscious and bridges the gap to the consciousness. Signs are equations that have known meanings within the cultural consciousness.
  • Dr. Mercy recorded this program as a tribute to her mother Margery Wing Sisson Runyan who died on April 2, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio surrounded by her family at the age of 91.  Mother Margery and another daughter Anne were guests on an earlier Twin Talk program entitled Family Secrets available in the archives. Dr. Mercy speaks about her mother’s life and then diverges into a discussion of ‘attachment’ in primary relationships. Twins are believed to bond more closely with each other than the mother. Dr. Mercy reviews the attachment theory of John Bowlby, including the types of attachment (secure, ambivalent, avoidant), the problems related to insecure attachment, and methods to ameliorate related issues in psychotherapy.
  • In this episode, Dr. Mercy will present various twin myths and symbols as they appear in dreams and cultures...
  • NOMOTC, founded in 1960, is currently a network of over 450 local clubs and 25000 individual parents of multiples. This non-profit organization funded by grants, donations and dues is dedicated to supporting families through education, research and networking. The organization partners with local support groups, health care providers, researchers and educators to raise public awareness about the unique qualities of multiples. NOMOTC publishes current research, expert columns, book reviews, club news, and multiple birth related articles and participates in medical and psychological research projects that involve multiples and/or their families. It is a national charter member of the International Society of Twin Studies and the COMBO. They operate a Support Service Program to assist individuals in special cases including Pen Pals for parents of disabled multiples, support for Higher Order Multiples and Bereavement Support for those who have lost a child or spouse.
  • The Navajo have occupied their sacred lands in the Four Corners for centuries. The Hero Twins tells the story of two brothers born to Changing Woman and trained by the Holy People to save their people from the naayéé', a race of monsters. Kit Carson joins the story as naayéé'. Kit Carson was ordered to subdue the Navajo in New Mexico through destroying crops and starvation, forcing them to move from their ancestral lands to a distant, inhospitable reservation on the Pecos River.
     
  • If you are a twin, a parent of twins, or close to a twin, you will enjoy the interview with Dr. Barbara Klein, a twin herself and expert in childhood development. Dr. Klein will discuss the strong influences of parenting styles and early childhood experiences on the way in which co-twins relate to each other. These methods of twinning are covered in her book ‘Not All Twins Are Alike.’  She will also answer questions such as; ‘What is it like growing up as a twin? Do twins have difficulty in non-twin relationships? Why do twins fight? Why is twin loss so profoundly difficult for the surviving twin? Why should parents stress the individual differences between their twin children? How can we help gifted and challenged twins?  What are the advantages of co-twins being different?’  Dr. Klein’s twin Marjorie teaches rhetorical writing at Stanford University and Dr. Klein will surely comment on their relationship throughout the life stages of childhood and adulthood.  
  • If you are a twin, a parent of twins, or close to a twin, you will enjoy the interview with Dr. Barbara Klein, a twin herself and expert in childhood development. Dr. Klein will discuss the strong influences of parenting styles and early childhood experiences on the way in which co-twins relate to each other. These methods of twinning are covered in her book ‘Not All Twins Are Alike.’  She will also answer questions such as; ‘What is it like growing up as a twin? Do twins have difficulty in non-twin relationships? Why do twins fight? Why is twin loss so profoundly difficult for the surviving twin? Why should parents stress the individual differences between their twin children? How can we help gifted and challenged twins?  What are the advantages of co-twins being different?’  Dr. Klein’s twin Marjorie teaches rhetorical writing at Stanford University and Dr. Klein will surely comment on their relationship throughout the life stages of childhood and adulthood.
  • Dr. Mercy calls upon her studies of numerology to cover the basics that you need to know to live your life.
  • In this program, Dr. Mercy will discuss studies performed with identical and fraternal twins as participants. If you have been a participant in a twin study perhaps through one of the large registries that exist through the United States and the world, we would love to hear your experiences. Twin studies can be cross-sectional or longitudinal; they often focus on the interrelationship among genetics, shared environment, and non-shared environment in order to determine the relative effects on personality, aptitudes, life experiences, and health. Some studies have been done with MRI technology to measure the size of fetal brains. Dr. Mercy will cover these resources and will also discuss the recent findings that identical twin DNA is not necessarily identical; she welcomes callers to discuss the implications of such results for society and the twins themselves. She will also report on various twin registries across the world, their purposes, and some results of the longitudinal studies that these registries are used to conduct.
  • Dr. Mercy will discuss ‘the twin in the transference’ and share some of her own case experiences. Is there any reason to believe that twins can perform psychotherapy with twins better than singles?  Twins may present with separation, loss of the twin, too much closeness, and difficulty resolving parental issues. What does it take to be a great psychotherapist?  What theories of human behavior define the therapeutic experience?  Does one theory work better than the others?  How do we know what works?  What is evidence-based psychotherapy?  What characteristics of the psychotherapist give the client the experience of getting better?  Several psychotherapists will join the program to discuss what works.  They will continue the discussion from last week with Dr. Barbara Klein about treating twins and share their experiences with twins.  What was the presenting problem and how did the psychotherapy proceed?
  • This program will fascinate the parents of twins particularly because Mike Poff and his wife Pam are raising quads plus three more children.  If we ever thought our hands were full, we must wonder how Mike and Pam balance farming, jobs, and children.  Mike is going to provide an inside view of his wonderful life in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  How do the children manage?  What roles do they play?  What do the quads think about their special status?  How do the quads interrelate?  Does every child have a horse and a dog or does everyone share?  How do the mom and dad coordinate their activities?  Who makes what decisions?  How do they handle conflict and discipline?  How wild and crazy can life be?  What keeps them strong?  Tune in and find out how the Poff family works!  Mike is our special guest, father, and author.  Follow him on his blogs!  He is a member of the Linked In Twins group along with Dr. Mercy. Bio: Mike Poff is a Virginia at-home-father of quadruplets plus three and gentleman farmer. He and his wife Pam, seven children, eight horses, six cats, nine dogs and a smattering of cattle live an interesting, full and blessed life near the Crest of the Blue Ridge. Mike is a freelance writer ever spreading the rants, raves and insights of an at home dad of quads. Mike has a Bachelors Degree in Theology and Associates in Radio & TV Production. He worked for several years in the Roanoke VA media market for WVFT TV27, WBRA Public TV and WFIR/WPVR Radio. Mike has recently written for several magazines and newspapers all in his quest to encourage others in their faith, family and relational lives in general. Twins, Most, The Father Life and Prodigal Magazines have all carried Mike’s work.  
  • Tina Jenicek is a perfect example of a busy single mom with twins.  Her twins are fraternal, a boy and girl 10 years old, attending day camp and learning everything they can at this marvelous age of industry and growth.  We are all wondering if their genetic material and life experiences favor similarities or differences in personality, intelligence, and aptitude. Tina will describe her experiences with the twins from conception through elementary school.  Our conversation will feature questions about the relationship between the twins, her closeness with each, the dominance and birth order myths, school placement, managing competition, ’best friends’, balancing work and home as a single mom, and all the questions that you have always wanted to ask about raising boy/girl twins.  Tina also chairs the Florida Organization of Mothers of Twins in her spare time!  She will discuss their services and supports for moms and dads of multiples.  Call in with your questions to 1-866-613-1612.
  • Dr. Mercy interviews female 53-year-old twins who have recently been confronted with a dire diagnosis threatening the survival of the second born twin.  Sonya and Tonya believe in their hearts that they are identical. Their mother and father were not sure.  They are very similar in every way and have a strong telepathy which includes feelings each others’ emotions and symptoms.  Their lives have also been similar, marrying husbands who were insecure about the twinship, having two children (boy and girl), and staying close until Tonya developed the disease of alcoholism.  The twins talk about this disease, how they coped, Tonya’s recovery and their reunification. Tonya has recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and this second disease has challenged Tonya to remain hopeful and Sonya to face her twin’s mortality. Dr. Mercy will speak with them again after a biopsy is performed in August.  Stay tuned.  
  • These beautiful young adult twins have reached a point in their development that fascinates clinicians and researchers.  They are moving out of the sheltered states of childhood and adolescence and learning to create their own lives.  Moving away from home, relocating to another state, finding jobs which match their credentials, evaluating potential partners, and planning for motherhood are all rites of passage which twins experience in different ways from singles.  Some of these rites occur earlier for one twin than the other, potentially creating stress and strain in the twinship.   The choices that they are making, together and apart, now have adult consequences and as Robert Frost has said in ‘The Road Not Taken’ ‘knowing how way leads on to way’ these choices will have a fundamental effect on the twinship in later years.  Listen to their points of view and world views on Twin Talk.
  • An interview with Sally Rhine Feather PhD on Twin Parapsychology. Dr. Feather is the eldest daughter of Joseph Banks Rhine and Louisa E Rhine, who are considered to be the founders of modern parapsychology.  Feather served as a child subject at the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory founded by her father, and later worked there as a research assistant, both before and after attending college, and after obtaining a doctorate in experimental psychology from Duke University (1967).  Her research topics included psi abilities of animals, correlation of memory and ESP performance, and help-hinder effects in a PK task. Following another lifelong interest, Feather obtained further training in clinical psychology at University of North Carolina in 1969 and devoted the next several decades to clinical psychology in mental health centers and private practice until retirement in 2004.   A move back to North Carolina in the early 1990’s enabled her to get re-involved in the Rhine Research Center.  Since 1994 she has served in various administrative capacities including the board of directors and for several years as volunteer executive director.  She co-authored a popular book on ESP experiences (St. Martins, 2005) and received the 2010 Career Achievement Award from the Parapsychology Association.
  • Dr. Mercy interviews Dr. Nancy Segal, Professor of Psychology and Director of Twin Studies at the California State University, Fullerton, will be discussing twins switched at birth. As a fraternal twin, psychologist and researcher, Dr. Segal has been uniquely positioned to perform ground-breaking studies on twins including her work at the University of Minnesota with twins separated at birth and reunited in adulthood and her most recent study on the development of Chinese twins adopted internationally both apart and together. Her other research has included the behavioral similarities of virtual twins (same age unrelated children raised together) and the behavioral consequences of twin loss. Dr. Segal is considered one of the foremost experts on the nature versus nurture controversy based on her quantitative studies of twins’ behaviors. Dr. Segal will be prepared to discuss the nature of twin relationships, twin development, twins accused of cheating at school, and twin relationships within the family. Dr. Nancy Segal has written seven books about twins.  Dr. Segal has authored approximately 250 scientific articles and book chapters in addition to her many books. A recent paper won a 2007 Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Foundation. She is also an Associate Editor of Twin Research and Human Genetics, the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies. She serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including Twin Research and Human Genetics, Evolution and Human Behavior and Human Ethology.
  • Paula Abdullah is the mother of five teenage children living in Deatur, Illinois. Four of the teens are two sets...
  • Dr. Mercy discusses the process of synchronicity proposed by Dr. Carl Jung, a disciple of Sigmund Freud, a practicing psychiatrist in Switzerland during the 20th century, and a proponent of the collective unconscious. He used the term synchronicity to describe acausal events that occur simultaneously in the realm of Consciousness. In 'On the Nature of the Psyche,' Jung regretted that synchronicity is bound to the notion of Time. In mathematical terms, Time is the curvature of Space. Thus Jung concluded that the Archetypes have not only psychic reality but also relate in some fashion to the Space/Time continuum. Two events might occur at different times within the Unconscious where Time is distorted and then be linked in the Consciousness as if they occurred simultaneously. Dr. Mercy is thus compelled to speculate that Two Twins may have arrived on earth simultaneously even though in the realm of the Twin Archetype they have been joined outside of the human experience of Time.
     
  • Dr. Mercy speaks about her life in Paris at the age of 19 in 1968 studying at the University of Paris with her twin sister Malinda. The twins lived together in the 17th arrondissement near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysee. There Dr. Mercy was introduced to Antoine de Saint Exupery the famous pilot and author of The Little Prince. In ‘Le Petit Prince,’ Saint Exupery describes his encounter in the desert with The Little Prince who comes from a tiny planet with three volcanoes and one rose. He tells of his travels to other planets in search of a friend and in the end learns his most important lesson from a Fox. Dr. Mercy tells his story with a depth of feeling reserved for the grandest of all lessons.
     
  • Dr. Jane Greer has lectured across the country on marital/family problems, women’s issues, and sibling (twin) issues.  She is frequently contacted by the national news media to speak as an authority on these topics. In her book, The Afterlife Connection, Dr. Greer began with the belief that the bond that exists between the living and the dead including co-twins is not purely a psychological one, but is in fact much more dynamic and empowering. Dr. Greer guides us to learn that transcommunication is not simply a "hello from heaven" but a powerful therapeutic tool that is available to any of us. Through transcommunication, the pain of grieving can be made more bearable, ambivalent relationships can be healed, and a loved one's messages can bring relief and joy. Drawing on her new book, What About Me? Dr. Jane will help us understand the sharing, connection and selfishness that can lead to Twin Rivalry.
  • Dr. Mercy interviews Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, MD.  After an undergraduate education in neuroscience, Dr. Powell, a nationally prominent Johns Hopkins-trained neuropsychiatrist and former clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, examines the evidence for many types of psychic phenomena, from telepathy and precognition to psychokinesis, and finds several well-designed and rigorously supervised studies that prove the existence of some psychic phenomena. This raises the important question: how is this possible? Diane Hennacy Powell, who studies unusual psychological phenomenon has been studying twins separated and kept together at birth. She has found that some twins do have a special kind of connection and that twins that grow up together and in the same environment can become very close. (Powell MD, Diane Hennacy. "Twin Telepathy and the Illusion of Separation." Noetic Now Journal. Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2015).
     
  • The Clark triplets were born and raised in Perry, OK the youngest of 14 children born to Gordon and Irene Clark.  They moved to Edmond, OK in 1984 to finish their college education and all remained there until Sept, 2010 when Chris and his wife Linda moved westward to Piedmont, OK.  Cary and his wife Janet have a blended family of Kyle (21) and Dakota (12).  Chris and Linda have children Curtis (27) and Lindsay (25) and their spouses Misty and Matt, along with grandsons Coby and Logan.  Charles and Debbie have a blended family of Mazey (20), Matthew (19), Kaycee (18), and Joshua (16). The triplets all became interested in computers at a young age and have pursued careers in computer programming.  For the first 13 ½ years of their careers, they all worked at the same firm.  Since that time at least 2 have usually worked together. Currently, Cary and Chris do. Besides computers, the triplets are avid sports fans and enjoy working on classic Chevrolets. Program description: The Clark triplets are amazingly alike in every way. Raised in Oklahoma, often working and raising families nearby, they have enjoyed a journey rarely experienced, the life of triplets.  How do wives, children, bosses, even neighbors react to three identical men?  How confusing can this be?  Dr. Mercy met this handsome threesome at the International Twin Association in which they are very active.  What a delight!  She is wondering what happens when a duo becomes a threesome. What new dynamics develop?
     
  • Program description: Bob Davidson discovered in adulthood that he was born a twin.  His aunt revealed to him late in her life that his twin brother was relatively undeveloped and thus stillborn.  The brother was not named.  This family secret came as a revelation because Bob had always wanted a brother and at times had been sure that he did have a brother somehow somewhere. He did have two younger sisters and befriended many men throughout his life to fill this empty space of brotherhood.  Listen to Bob reflect on his lifetime from the perspective of 70 years of age, looking back on some of the most fascinating changes in society and in his own concept of the meaning of life.  He will discuss the experience of lost twinship, being raised as a singleton and only later discovering his true identity as a twin.  Raymond Brandt the founder of Twinless Twins believes in twin bonding in utero.  Bob will shed light on his missing pieces. Bio:  Bob Davidson is now 70 years of age and only learned in late adulthood that he was born a twin.  He was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, and raised there with two younger sisters.  After high school, he joined the Navy and flew as a navigator.  Later he worked towards his own pilot license and still meets with other men who are also 'high flyers.'  Bob married and had six sons. He worked throughout New York City as an iron worker and was eventually injured.  He retired and now runs a farm in Duchess County, New York and a citrus grove here in SW Florida.  He met Dr. Mercy through a mutual friend and they were immediately attracted spiritually and emotionally as twins.
  • Dr. Mercy provides a guided tour through the sages of the monomyth known as the hero's journey. In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero's journey, or the monomyth, is the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. Earlier figures had proposed similar concepts, including psychologist Otto Rank and amateur anthropologist Lord Raglan. Eventually, hero myth pattern studies were popularized by Joseph Campbell, who was influenced by Carl Jung's analytical psychology. Campbell used the monomyth to analyze and compare religions.
     

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