Medicinal Media

06/04/2026

You know that feeling when a song gives you chills? Turns out there’s a whole neuroscience behind it.
does.things Summer Tao on the neuroscience of musical chills, why they happen, and why chasing that feeling is actually really good for you.

With illustrations by .mcconomy.illustration

06/02/2026

What if the thoughts and emotions you experience didn't define you?

Cameron shares how mindfulness helped him build greater self-compassion, navigate difficult emotions, and see new possibilities for himself and others.

Peace in Schools is a nonprofit offering for-credit mindfulness courses in public schools. Led by trauma-informed, heart-centered educators, these classes give students space to shed expectations, be vulnerable, connect safely with peers, and learn tools they can carry into adulthood.

Shared with love by Medicinal Media, a nonprofit devoted to creating and curating mental wellness content, with a focus on young people and families.

05/17/2026

Medicinal Media selects: Indivisible Arts Youth Program

Indivisible Arts' Award-Winning Youth Art Program offers students the experience of complete creative freedom, while nourishing their ideas and self esteem. With access to virtually any medium, students develop their own concepts and bring them to life.

https://www.indivisiblearts.org/ 💥💓

05/15/2026

Medicinal Media selects: Arts & Healing Initiative 💜

"Our mission is to transform lives through the innate power of the arts, guided by mental health practices, to foster healing, connection, and resilience for all."

Our mission is to transform lives through the innate power of the arts, guided by mental health practices, to foster healing, connection, and resilience for all.

05/14/2026

In our latest Stronger Together conversation, Sue Thotz of Common Sense Media shares thoughtful, compassionate insight on what it means to build a healthier relationship with technology, especially for young people growing up online today.

🎥 https://youtu.be/cmNxgFFUzf4?si=FUxxXxRrI3n6x7YQ

In this 15-minute Q&A, Sue reflects on:
📱 compulsive scrolling
🧠 mental health and digital well-being
💖 values, habits, and self-reflection
👍🏽 supporting kids and families without guilt or shame

Watch the full video and explore the Stronger Together series on our website.

How do we build a healthier relationship with technology without shame or guilt? In this conversation, Sue Thotz, Director of Outreach at Common Sense Media,...

05/12/2026

“Comfortable. Peaceful. Free.”

Those are the words Evelyn uses to describe her mindfulness class through Peace In Schools.

In this powerful interview, Evelyn opens up about emotional repression, self-judgment, and how mindfulness helped her become more compassionate with herself.

“Before this class, I would… cover up whatever feeling I was feeling with disgust.”

“It definitely helped me be more self-compassionate.”

“Now I’m able to acknowledge my emotions.”

Led by trauma-informed, heart-centered educators, Peace In Schools creates safe spaces where students can slow down, reflect, connect, and simply be themselves.

We’re honored to share this story from the Peace in Schools documentary project as part of our ongoing collaborations spotlighting youth mental wellness and the transformative impact of mindfulness education.

🎥 Watch the full video and more coming soon at medicinalmedia.com/explore/peace-in-schools 💛

05/08/2026

This Game Labs for Good video, featuring programs at the University of Southern California and Columbia University, includes an important project by the Palix Foundation's Alberta Family Wellness Initiative, which continues to create brilliant and important projects such as Brains: Journey to Resilience, using humor to engage young viewers to understand the Resilience Scale—a metaphor for translating knowledge.

https://www.medicinalmedia.com/explore/game-labs-for-good

Thanks to USC:

Featured projects in The Garden Lab of the Creative Media & Behavioral Health Center are supported by:

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)

Palix Foundation

USC Visions & Voices

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

With partners:

LA General Medical Center Burn Unit

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Clinical & Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh

FrameWorks Institute

Thanks to Columbia:

Dennis Morgan, Columbia instructor/founder, CEO Harlem CoLab

Elliot Hu-Au, Columbia assistant professor, Computer Science Education

Sharleen Loh

Kazuki Saito

Haeram Jang

University of Southern California:

Professor Marientina Gotsis

Kaitlin Bonfiglio

Garrett Flynn

Olivia Siu

Weston Bell-Geddes

Yue (Valerie) Deng

Zoe Francis

Marielle Brady

Take a look inside the game labs at Columbia University and USC as experts lean on the research to learn more about the potential beneficial applications of games in health.

05/05/2026

If talking to a chatbot feels easier than talking to a person, that makes sense. It’s also worth understanding why.

Writer Tammy Danan examines AI companions, teen loneliness, and what real connection actually gives you that a chatbot never can. 💕

📝 See the full article at the website: https://www.medicinalmedia.com/explore/ai-teen-friendship

illustrations by Cinta Fosch of Barcelona

With gratitude to our friends Common Sense Media and Common Sense Education

04/23/2026

Foster youth carry a lot. They deserve care that meets them where they are.

Full article here: https://www.medicinalmedia.com/explore/foster-youth-mental-health

Roger Williams University student journalist Kate Tortolini reports on mental health support inside the foster care system, and what it looks like when kids actually get what they need.

Republished in collaboration with Communities of Hope Civic Media and the Solutions Journalism Network.

With illustrations by Anna Pavlovetc (cover) and student .iocca

MedicinalMedia

04/16/2026

Cherishing that time of year again with our community 🌸