Dr. Yukari’s Listening Lounge #14-2, American Willing to Listen
[ Dr. Yukari’s Listening Lounge ]
Consultations will be available to discuss your challenges and worries faced in daily life involving family, relationships, anxiety, stress, grief & loss.
The first 2 sessions are free of charge. Contact us at the address below for any questions or to reserve your 60-minute zoom session.
Email: info@honolulumyohoji.org
Guided by the hope of St. Nichiren, we continue to work towards a peaceful society. Honolulu Myohoji Mission collaborates with Psychologist Dr. Yukari Kunisue, a trained and experienced therapeutic life coach, to offer a safe online space: Dr. Yukari’s Listening Lounge
Fran in Australia around 1998
During one of her days of traveling, Fran was on the night train headed from Bombay to Hoshangabad in Central India. She shared a sleeper cabin with an Indian woman in her 60’s. The woman introduced herself and explained that she was on her way to attend her nephew’s wedding. Fran gave her a handmade name card with the title “Futurist”. The woman asked Fran if a futurist is someone who can understand people’s future and proceeded to ask if Fran can tell her about her son’s future. She expressed her concerns that her son may be doing illegal drugs while he works in Saudi Arabia. She also worried that her son might bring home an Arab girl as her future daughter-in-law. Fran listened to her story and offered the mother some feedback.
After this interaction, Fran was surprised to see a line of over 20 people waiting outside of her sleeper cabin. The woman had broadcasted that Fran is a futurist who gave excellent advice regarding her son. Despite Fran explaining that a futurist is not the same as a psychic, everyone insisted to have her listen to their stories. A man expressed his concerns about his sick cow, while a couple expressed their concerns over their daughter and her future marriage, and an older couple also wanted to know about their grandson’s future. Fran carefully listened to their stories.
During her travels, she heard stories including one from a woman who was raped in Yugoslavia during the war. She also heard a story from someone who ran a factory in Vietnam where they manufactured Napalm and firebombs. She also heard stories from young Thai prostitutes who had no other choice but to sell their bodies to support their family. Fran also traveled back to the US to listen to homeless people in various towns. She also learned that people in every corner of the world, seek someone to listen to the issues, concerns and stories they have. Fran was also convinced that change takes place in this world once society starts listening and understanding each other.
Prior to her death in 2020, Fran continued her travels for her project of an “American Willing to Listen”. She emphasized, “let us find and listen to the stories of each other. Let us all remember that we all have power to change and listen deeply”. She was 69 years old at the time of her passing.