Access the full free course here, along with grounding guidance and a guide on how to use these resources: Disclaimer - Read Before Continuing: The practices provided here are intended as guidance for navigating one's experience. They should not be understood as medical advice or as a treatment for specific mental or physical conditions. Dr. James Cooke is trained as a research scientist and as a mindfulness teacher, not as a clinician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or any other clinical speciality. It is highly recommended that you get support from a counselor or psychotherapist trained in a modality such as Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) as you navigate this terrain. Participants agree to take full personal responsibility for the effects of exploring their minds using these materials. It is not possible to predict the precise effects for any given individual, and so no guarantees are offered as to the nature of the resulting effects. You alone are responsible for keeping yourself safe. Ensure you have appropriate support as you engage in this work.

Access the full free course here, along with grounding guidance and a guide on how to use these resources: Disclaimer - Read Before Continuing: The practices provided here are intended as guidance for navigating one's experience. They should not be understood as medical advice or as a treatment for specific mental or physical conditions. Dr. James Cooke is trained as a research scientist and as a mindfulness teacher, not as a clinician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or any other clinical speciality. It is highly recommended that you get support from a counselor or psychotherapist trained in a modality such as Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) as you navigate this terrain. Participants agree to take full personal responsibility for the effects of exploring their minds using these materials. It is not possible to predict the precise effects for any given individual, and so no guarantees are offered as to the nature of the resulting effects. You alone are responsible for keeping yourself safe. Ensure you have appropriate support as you engage in this work.

Brooke Lavelle is the Co-Founder and President of the Courage of Care Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating personal and social transformation through relational compassion training, anti-oppressive pedagogies, and systems and community organizing tools. She holds a PhD in Buddhist Studies and Cognitive Science from Emory University, an MA in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism from Columbia University and a BA in Religion and Psychology from Barnard College. Today we discuss the intersection of inner contemplative transformation and the outer transformation of the systems we live in. https://courageofcare.org/  

AMA on Inner Space Institute & retreat updates, living life well, idealism, & breathwork.

Alexandre Christoyannopoulos is a political scholar and leading expert on Christian Anarchism, based at Loughborough University. His PhD on this topic was published as the book Christian Anarchism, a leading scholarly text in this area. He is also the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pacifism and Nonviolence. Today we discuss Christian Anarchism, Pacifism, and Nonviolence.  

Graham Harvey is a professor of religious studies at The Open University in the UK. He is a world-renowned scholar on the topics of animism, modern Paganism, and Indigenous religions. His 2005 book, Animism: Respecting the Living World, is a landmark text in this area and he is the author and editor of many other books on this and related topics. Today we discuss the topic of animism. An Animist Manifesto: https://www.animism.org.uk/HarveyAnimism%20flyer.pdf

The Mystery of Out of Body, Near Death, and DMT Experiences Differentiating DMT and Near-Death Experiences Dr Gabor Mate - The real reason women smokers are at greater risk  

Willoughby Britton is a clinical psychologist, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School, and the director of the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory there. Her lab researches the psychophysiological and neurocognitive effects of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions for mood and anxiety disorders, with a particular focus on potential risks of meditation practice. She is also the founder of Cheetah House, a nonprofit organization that provides evidence-based information and support for meditators in distress, as well as meditation safety trainings to providers and organizations. Today we discuss the potential adverse effects of mediation and how to meditate safely.  

Chris Guimond is an awakening and nondual realization guide who works with the Trauma Release Exercises that I’ve previously spoken about on the podcast. You can listen to my interview with the creator of the TRE approach, David Bercelli (episode 64), if you want more detail on the practices. Chris and I connected over the fact that we’ve found the combination of TRE and nondual integration to be incredibly powerful, yet no one else in this space appears to be talking about it. On her own journey, Chris worked with previous podcast guest Angelo Dillulo (episode 110), and he has now started recommending these practices too, thanks to Chris. I think we’ll see this combination spread in years to come so I'm very grateful to Chris for her work promoting TRE in the awakening and nonduality space. I hope you enjoy the conversation. https://christinaguimond.com/

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Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist and a professor at Tufts University. He is known for co-discovering Xenobots which are living robots made from frog skin cells but his research is wide ranging, contributing to fields such as regenerative medicine and the treatment of cancer, as well as to our fundamental understanding of biological systems. As you’ll hear from our conversation, Michaels’ innovative science is based in a very thorough and rigorous philosophy of the intersection between biology and cognitive processes such as intelligence and memory.  

The Genocide in Gaza & the Psychology of Denial

Access the full free course here, along with grounding guidance and a guide on how to use these resources: Disclaimer - Read Before Continuing The practices provided here are intended as guidance for navigating one's experience. They should not be understood as medical advice or as a treatment for specific mental or physical conditions. Dr. James Cooke is trained as a research scientist and as a mindfulness teacher, not as a clinician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or any other clinical speciality. It is highly recommended that you get support from a counselor or psychotherapist trained in a modality such as Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) as you navigate this terrain. Participants agree to take full personal responsibility for the effects of exploring their minds using these materials. It is not possible to predict the precise effects for any given individual, and so no guarantees are offered as to the nature of the resulting effects. You alone are responsible for keeping yourself safe. Ensure you have appropriate support as you engage in this work.

Alicia Juarrero is President and co-founder of VectorAnalytica, Inc., a data collection and analysis platform. She is also a research associate at the University of Miami and is the author for influential complexity theory text Dynamics in Action. Her new book is called Context Changes Everything and it explores how we can think about causality in emergent systems, such as living things, in terms of constraint.

Jim Newman holds meetings about nonduality, in a style that has come to be known as uncompromising or radical nonduality. This style began with the book The Open Secret by Tony Parsons, and along with Tony, Jim is the arguably most prominent person speaking of nonduality in this way. Whereas some approaches to nonduality advocate the following of a path in order to eventually realise that we are not separate from the rest of existence, the uncompromising perspective sees this as mistaken, the fundamental idea being that because reality is already non-dual, whole, and undivided, there is nothing anyone could ever do to move closer to or further away from the wholeness of what is. Today, we explore the intricacies that somehow seem to arise out of this very simple message.

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Indy Johar is an architect and a co-founder of Dark Matter Labs, an organisation focused on building the novel institutional infrastructures necessary to make societies centred on interdependence, equality, and justice a reality.  He has lectured at various institutions including University College London, Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and has held various positions, such as Advisor to Mayor of London on Good Growth. He also cofounded 00 (project00.cc) a collaborative studio that innovates in the design space, for example by creating an open source solution to housing, their wikihouse. Through 00 he has also co-founded multiple social ventures such as Impact Hub Westminster and Impact Hub Birmingham.  Today we focus on his work on civic infrastructure that could underpin a future of flourishing for humanity.   

I'm excited to announce that I just signed a book deal with Prometheus Books. The title is The Dawn of Mind: How Matter Became Conscious and Alive. In it I lay out a synthesis of physicalism, panpsychism, and idealism, culminating in a scientific account of the biophysics of consciousness, rather than the neuroscience of consciousness. It's less dry than I've made it sound here though, I promise. Slated for release in late 2024. Please pre-order when the time comes, as that helps with the book's visibility.

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Andy Mitchell is a neuropsychologist and therapist. He has specialized in treating patients with rare brain conditions, head injuries and epilepsy, and in the application of mindfulness for neurological patients. As a therapist he has worked with people with a range of mental health disorders. Before entering medicine, his first degree was in English Literature at Oxford University.  https://www.andymitchell.org/

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Rachel Nuwer is a journalist who has reported on science, travel, food, and adventure for the New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American and many other publications. She is the author of Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking and her new book is I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World. Today we discuss all things MDMA. rachelnuwer.com

Topics addressed (in order): Consciousness, causal power, & evolution Is consciousness binary? Technology & consciousness Music & psychedelics Homestead landscaping  

Try membership free for two weeks here: Access the full free Essentials course here, along with grounding guidance and a guide on how to use these resources:  Disclaimer - Read Before Continuing The practices provided here are intended as guidance for navigating one's experience. They should not be understood as medical advice or as a treatment for specific mental or physical conditions. Dr. James Cooke is trained as a research scientist and as a mindfulness teacher, not as a clinician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or any other clinical speciality. It is highly recommended that you get support from a counselor or psychotherapist trained in a modality such as Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) as you navigate this terrain. Participants agree to take full personal responsibility for the effects of exploring their minds using these materials. It is not possible to predict the precise effects for any given individual, and so no guarantees are offered as to the nature of the resulting effects. You alone are responsible for keeping yourself safe. Ensure you have appropriate support as you engage in this work.

Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity which led him to an interest in complexity theory.  This interest has resulted in interdisciplinary collaborations in fields such as consciousness studies and the connection between science and spirituality, topics he explores in his new book Notes on Complexity. neiltheiseofficial.com

​Jared Seide is the Executive Director of the Center for Council, a talking circle practice that we discuss today.  He has designed, piloted and coordinated council-based programs in prisons, assisted living facilities, youth groups, schools, non-profits, faith-based organisations, and social service and law enforcement agencies.  He has also led trainings and retreats focusing on reconciliation and community-building around the world, from Colombia to Rwanda.  He is a member of the Zen Center of Los Angeles, a graduate of the Upaya Institute Chaplaincy Program and has been a Spirit Holder for the Bearing Witness Retreats of the Zen Peacemakers, a contemplative social action community.  Today we discuss the practice of Council. https://www.centerforcouncil.org/ https://www.beyondusandthem.org/

Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a philosopher of mind who specializes in the thought of Whitehead, Nietzsche, and Spinoza, and in fields pertaining to panpsychism and altered states of mind. Following his degree in Continental Philosophy at the University of Warwick, he became a Philosophy lecturer in London for six years, after which he pursued his PhD on Pansentient Monism at The University of Exeter – where he is now a research fellow and associate lecturer.  Peter is the author of the books Noumenautics and Modes of Sentience.  Today we discuss his recent paper on incorporating the exploration of metaphysics into psychedelic therapy. psychedelics@exeter.co.uk  

Timmy Davis and Tara Austin run the Psilocybin Access Rights campaign in the United Kingdom where they are seeking to get psilocybin rescheduled. Today we discuss the campaign and the rescheduling of psychedelics more broadly.

Bobby Azarian is a science journalist and a cognitive neuroscientist who received his PhD from George Mason University. He has written for publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, BBC, Scientific American, Slate, HuffPost, Quartz, and Aeon, and he writes the blog “Mind in the Machine” for Psychology Today.  His recent book is called The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity, all topics we talk about today.

Angelo Dilullo is an anaesthesiologist and teacher of nonduality who had a life-altering spiritual awakening at the age of 24. He is the author of the book, Awake: It’s Your Turn, which contains a practical set of tools and investigations to help people realise that they are not separate from the rest of reality Angelo’s work does an excellent job of breaking down this process into stages, from initial awakening and insight into the constructed nature of the self, through to the integration and realization of this insight in everyday life, and ultimately liberation from suffering. You can find a large library of material on this subject at his youtube channel, Simply Always Awake and at simplyalwaysawake.com.

Metaphysics, Is the mind naturally enlightened & is reality made of love? + thoughts on Terrence Deacon's work

Daniel Ingram is a physician, meditator and the author of the book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddhaas well as the bookThe Fire Kasina, co-authored with Shannon Stein. He is the co-founder of the Dharma Overground, an online community of meditation practitioners.  He also founded The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium, an organisation involved in promoting research into non-ordinary states of consciousness. He is well known in meditation circles for claiming to have achieved full enlightenment as a result of his meditation practice.  Today we discuss meditation, enlightenment, visionary states, reality and how all this relates to science.    

Malin Vedøy Uthaug is a researcher specialising in altered states of consciousness with a particular focus on 5-MeO-DMT. Her PhD work in Psychopharmacology involved conducting observational studies of Ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT use outside of a lab setting.  She moved to The Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London after her PhD where she continued her work on 5-MeO-DMT and expanded her research interests to also focus on Holotropic Breathwork.  Today, she is co-leading a phase-1 clinical trial on the effects of 5-meO-DMT.  She is also an editor for the ‘Journal of Psychedelics Studies’, and a board member for the podcast Psychedelics Today, as well as a co-founder of Norwegian Psychedelic Science.  Outside of her research work she also competes as a freediver for her home country of Norway.  Today we discuss the science and effects of 5-MeO-DMT.  

AMA: The mathematics of separation and unity

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Staci Haines is a leader in the fields of somatics and trauma healing. She is the author of “The Politics of Trauma: Somatics, Healing and Social Justice” and “Healing Sex: A Mind Body Approach to Healing Sexual Trauma”. In 1999 she founded generationFIVE, a non-profit whose mission is to end the sexual abuse of children within five generations through a transformative justice approach. She is a senior teacher at Strozzi Institute, and a co-founder of generative somatics, an organization dedicated to building transformative capacity in social and climate justice movements. Today we discuss the intersection of embodied trauma healing and transformative social change. Content warning for discussion of child sexual abuse around the 1 hour mark.

Shamil Chandaria is an expert in artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience as well as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and meditator, and is also a good friend.  He was a founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, the world’s first psychedelic research centre, He provides funding for the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford University as well as for research on the neuroscience of meditation at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. In 2022 he was awarded an OBE in the UK for services to Science and Technology, Finance and Philanthropy.  Today we talk about one of the topics he is most passionate about, the connections between awakening and the contemporary model of the brain as a prediction machine.   Shamil Chandaria is an expert in artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience as well as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and meditator, and is also a good friend. He was a founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, the world’s first psychedelic research centre. He provides funding for the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford University as well as for research on the neuroscience of meditation at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. In 2022 he was awarded an OBE in the UK for services to Science and Technology, Finance and Philanthropy. Today we talk about one of the topics he is most passionate about, the connections between awakening and the contemporary model of the brain as a prediction machine. The Bayesian Brain and Meditation talk:    

I’m very pleased to announce the creation of the Innerspace Institute.   The institute will have both an online presence at innerspaceinstitute.org and a physical base at The Surrender Homestead in the mountains of southern Portugal.     We conduct scientific research on consciousness, altered states, & psychedelics and will be offering courses on the brain, consciousness, complexity science, & scientific approaches to spirituality, as well as the neuroscience of cognition, emotion, psychedelics, & meditation.     Join the mailing list now at innerspaceinstitute.org/contact to make sure you don’t miss out on our upcoming offerings.   @innerspaceinstitue on Instagram @innerspaceinst on Twitter  

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Paco Calvo is a Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Murcia in Spain where he runs the Minimal Intelligence Lab, also known as MINTlab. He is a leading figure in the philosophy of plant behaviour and signalling, a field also known as plant neurobiology. His research is situated at the intersection of plant biology and cognitive science, and he is the author of the new book planta sapiens.  Today we discuss plant intelligence and the possibility of plant consciousness.

Duncan Trussell is a comedian best known for his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour and the Netflix series The Midnight Gospel. He routinely explores topics relating to spirituality in his comedy, particularly the work of teachers such as ram dass and jack kornfield. This episode was recorded before my son was born and we discuss my impending fatherhood, DMT, ketamine, and the bhakti yoga path of love.

Apologies for the audio issues in this episode, I've attempted to filter out the noise. The tech issue will be fixed for the next episode. topics in order addressed: wu wei, nondual intimacy, how to keep one's heart open in hell, fatherhood, conscious subjects, process philosophy, lmitations of the words ‘feelings’, ‘body’ and ‘mind’

In this AMA I share thoughts on Love, nonduality, Fasting, top-down causality, free will, ideas & social change, panexperientialism, and Highlights from my time podcasting.

Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist working on psychedelic therapy.  She has worked as the Clinical Lead for Imperial College London’s pioneering trial of psilocybin for depression and now works as the Clinical Director at Synthesis Institute, a psilocybin retreat in the Netherlands.  Dr Watts’s research focuses primarily on the mechanisms of psychedelic therapy, where she has explored the importance of acceptance, connection, and embodiment, which make up her ACE model of psychedelic integration.  She has recently launched the ACER Integration community, an approach to psychedelic integration with a strong focus on nature connectedness. 

My appearance on the Natural Awakening podcast with Wystan Bryant-Scott.

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Paul Hedderman is a nondual speaker and author of the books On Having Never Left, Escape to Everywhere, and Under A-Rest. Today we speak about nonduality and recovery from addiction.

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Inês Hipólito is a philosopher and an Assistant Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, specialising in cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and Artificial Intelligence. She is the Founder and CEO of Mission AI and Lead Ethicist at VERSES AI. Today we discuss cognition, complexity, and Artificial Intelligence.