Escapades in Mind-Expansion and Cultural Misadventures. Mindrolling Podcast is about coming unstuck and the recent history of awoken awareness. It’s about the intersection of culture, consciousness and realization with Raghu Markus.
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Ep. 596 – Psychedelics: A Master Key to Rewiring the Brain with Gül Dölen
Episode 596
Friday, May 30, 2025 • Duration 01:00:22
Neuroscientist Gül Dölen explores how psychedelics paired with mindful integration can reopen the brain’s sensitive learning windows to rewire habits, heal trauma, and expand consciousness.
Join the 2025 MAPS conference this June in Denver, Colorado and be a part of the movement that will shape the next era of mental health, medicine, and consciousness. MAPS, The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, is a nonprofit organization that provides public resources and leadership as we work together to create legal, responsible, evidence-based pathways to psychedelics. Learn more about the conference and use the coupon code LSRF15 for a special promotion at https://www.psychedelicscience.org
In this episode of Mindrolling, Gül and Raghu chat about:
Gül’s research on psychedelics and how we can translate animal studies into human neuroscience
Looking to Octopuses for sociological answers using MDMA
Critical periods—windows when the brain is most open to learning and environmental influence.
Psychedelics as the master key to reopening critical periods, especially when paired with therapy
Inducing metaplasticity with psychedelics, reshaping harmful patterns, and promoting transformation.
Non-substance methods to reopen critical periods, like sensory and social deprivation
How mystical practices such as meditation and silent retreats can trigger a “beginner’s mind” state for deep insights
How psychedelics propose a learning model rather than a biochemical imbalance model towards approaching depression, addiction, or PTSD
Focusing on post-trip integration to harness long-term benefits from the psychedelic experience
Maximize the integration period to cement insights gained during psychedelic journeys
The social and psychological changes we go through as we age and adapt to new environments/situations
The importance of “set and setting” and how it can influence psychedelic experiences and the formation of helpful or harmful habits
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
About Gül Dölen:
Dr. Gül Dölen is a Professor and the Bob & Renee Parsons Endowed Chair in the Department of Neuroscience, and Department of Psychology, the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr Dölen also maintains an Adjunct Professorship in Neuroscience and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine. Dr. Dölen researches the role psychedelics may have in unlocking critical periods in Dölen Lab. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards.
“It turns out that our results really suggest that psychedelics are those master keys that we have been looking for all this time.” – Gül Dölen
Ep. 595 – Igniting the Heart of Compassion: In Remembrance of Ralph De La Rosa
Episode 595
Friday, May 23, 2025 • Duration 01:12:42
Honoring the life of a longtime friend of the Be Here Network, Ralph De La Rosa, this special episode explores Ralph’s wisdom on moving through trauma via the heart of compassion.
If you’d like to honor Ralph De La Rosa’s legacy by supporting his family, a GoFundMe has been created to help with the significant and unexpected expenses following his passing - Honoring Ralph's Life: Support their family
In this conversation with Jackie Dobrinska from June 2024, Ralph shares his wisdom on the topics of:
The nourishment that daily spiritual practice brought to Ralph's healing journey
Ralph’s difficulties with mental health, bullying, neurodivergence, and gender non-conformity
How spiritual bypassing can distract from real healing and disconnect us from reality
The myth of constant happiness and why true bliss involves emotional depth
Cultivating self-compassion to transform trauma, fear, and emotional heartbreak
Healing from the inside out by embracing pain as a teacher and guide
A 20-minute guided meditation/compassion practice led by Ralph
Ralph’s transformative rehab experience and introduction to Buddhist teachings
Developing an embodied sense of self-love, safety, and inner affection
Exploring subjective perception and rewriting our personal and collective narratives
Using curiosity as a stepping stone when we are struggling to get to compassion
Healing trauma by reconnecting with the inner child (with therapeutic support)
Acknowledging our defense mechanisms and communicating with the parts of ourselves that are stuck in survival mode
Letting go of past emotional residue and rebuilding trust in the heart’s wisdom
Understanding the difference between real love/compassion and codependent patterns/poor boundaries
Today's episode is sponsored by Reunion & Dharma Seed:
Reunion is offering any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion.
Embodied awareness practitioner Jill Satterfield joins Raghu to unpack how meditative poses, creativity, and slowing down can help us release pain, move energy, and heal somatically.
In this delightful episode of the Mindrolling Podcast, Raghu and Jill Satterfield converse about:
Out-of-body experiences through immersive art and altered states of consciousness
Jill’s college days and spiritual insights from taking peyote in the desert
Finding a spiritual path through chronic pain and emotional suffering
How trauma and pain disconnect us from bodily awareness
The physiological impact of imagination on the body and nervous system
How meditative and yogic poses can open areas of our body & psyche for exploration
Witnessing processes within the body via ‘slowing down, staying in something, and moving energy’
Somatic healing during retreat and bringing concentration into the body
Adaptive postures for meditation and yoga, and allowing flexibility within our practice
The benefit of curiosity for altering our perspectives and opening the heart
Noticing that pain is an umbrella for many feelings, including some that are pleasant or interesting
Today's episode is sponsored by Reunion & Dharma Seed:
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
Join Krishna Das, the most well-known voice of Bhakti chanting (Kirtan) in the West, and David Nichtern - a senior Buddhist teacher, founder of Dharma Moon, guitarist in Krishna Das’ band, and producer of several of his albums - for a warm and engaging conversation about these two paths, their shared roots, and how they intersect in contemporary spiritual practice.
Ep. 593 – A Journey Through Psyche & Spirit with Melinda Edwards, MD
Episode 593
Friday, May 9, 2025 • Duration 01:01:33
Dr. Melinda Edwards sits down with Raghu for a journey through psyche and spirit, revealing the doorways that led her out of trauma, into healing, and ultimately home to her heart.
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Dr. Melinda Edwards discuss:
How Dr. Melinda Edwards grew up as a child of medical missionaries in Guatemala
The build-up of trauma in Dr. Edwards’ life and how it manifested as an eating disorder
How meeting Ram Dass transformed Melinda’s life and guided her to Neem Karoli Baba
Ram Dass’ example of holding unconditional love and compassionate presence for others
Using our issues and contractions as an individualized path forward for spiritual growth
Considering the value of psychedelics for accelerating a spiritual journey
The powerful impact of full commitment and surrender during meditation retreats
Addressing common misconceptions about autism and how autistic individuals process emotions
Dr. Melinda’s experience teaching her daughter “how to be human” and to navigate this chaotic world
Living Darshan, Dr. Edwards’ non-profit, aimed at increasing the understanding of neurodiversity
The challenge and importance of keeping our hearts open, even in moments of resistance
Finding shared humanity in the people and traits we fear, reject, or dislike in others
Facing our inner rage, grief, and pain in response to the global political and emotional climate
This episode is sponsored by Reunion & Dharma Seed:
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats |
Ep. 592 – One Undivided Reality with Buddhist Teacher Haemin Sunim
Episode 592
Friday, May 2, 2025 • Duration 01:02:19
International bestselling author and Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim joins Raghu Markus to explore awakening, emotional healing, and returning to joy in a unified reality.
In this episode, Raghu and Haemin explore:
Haemin’s early spiritual influences, including his fascination with J. Krishnamurti
Understanding genuine freedom as freedom from the known
Oneness and the truth of a unified, non-dual reality beyond inner and outer divisions
The formless nature of awareness and unconditional love
Awareness as an independent presence, not something we own
Befriending emotions and seeing the roots of stress and trauma
Facing our shadow and recognizing where resistance lives in us
Turning inward to examine personal triggers rather than blaming others
Questioning limiting beliefs and inherited thoughts from childhood
Welcoming difficult emotions with compassion, as Ram Dass once taught
The deep longing to return home to our true, unified self
Experiencing the natural joy of being versus the tension of needing to be right
Seeing our shared humanity—even in those we consider enemies
Cultivating compassion and answering the call to serve others
This episode is sponsored by Reunion & Dharma Seed:
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
Join Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell for a conversation about finding our own voice, our own expression, and our own way of connecting with people.
Ep. 591 – The Intimate Way of Zen with James Ishmael Ford, Zen Buddhist Priest & Ordained Minister
Episode 591
Friday, April 25, 2025 • Duration 59:49
Discussing his new book, The Intimate Way of Zen, Nondual spiritualist James Ishmael Ford joins Raghu for an exploration of our relationship to all things.
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and James explore:
James’ upbringing and how his maternal grandmother was the spiritual orientation for his family
Having an intimate relationship with all things
The goal of discovering what this life truly is
Spiritual friendship which is deep, profound, and life-changing
Unconditional love and considering our judgment of others
About James Ishmael Ford, Zen Buddhist Priest & Ordained Minister:
James has walked the spiritual path for more than fifty years. He's danced with Sufis, studied with Christian mystics, lived in Buddhist monasteries, and eventually was ordained a Zen priest. Later, he was also ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister. James' path has taken him to a life "between" several traditions, bringing him into a nondual spirituality. Trying to unpack what that actually means in his life, and with a tip of the hat to Erasmus, James claims a physiology of faith; a Buddhist brain, a Christian heart, and a rationalist stomach. You can learn more about James on his and keep up with his most recent project, the Unanswered Question Newsletter, .
Ep. 590 – Sacramental Medicine with David Silver
Episode 590
Friday, April 18, 2025 • Duration 01:09:31
Exploring psychedelics as sacramental medicine, Mindrolling comrades David Silver and Raghu Markus discuss William Richards'book, Sacred Knowledge.
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and David ponder through:
The relationship between psychedelics and religious experiences
The tale of Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Baba, and LSD
Responsible use of psychedelics for reliability and potency
David’s experience with peyote shamans in South Dakota
Finding out the ground of our own beings
Viewing everything as God and everything as equally remarkable
How spiritual awakenings are often initially nurtured through a psychedelic substance
Considering set, setting, and our intentions before ingesting any entheogen
Complete unity as Raghu’s first memory of a psychedelic experience
David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.
Ep. 589 – How to Have a Happy Relationship with Kimberly Brown
Episode 589
Friday, April 11, 2025 • Duration 57:41
Author and meditation teacher Kimberly Brown explains how we can transform our relationships through Buddhist practices and principles.
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Kimberly discuss:
How Kimberly was led to the dharma after experiencing panic attacks
Kimberly’s journey leaving therapy practice and delving deeper into mindfulness
How relationships can become stale and predictable when we solidify our partner
Opening up to who our partner is in the moment rather than our idea of them
The difference between love and a yearning to possess or cling
Love as a deep intimacy with all things
Accepting rupture and miscommunication as a normal part of relationships
Being able to repair after a conflict arises within a relationship
Approaching all things with grace and openness
Loving-kindness and looking at the intention behind all of our actions
Not skipping over the relational to get to the ultimate
"To solidify and harden another person and another person's reactions and voice, there's no more freshness and the relationship can get very stale and predictable. That's oftentimes when resentment comes up. Part of not knowing is being able to open to what's really there, who the person really is right in this moment." – Kimberly Brown
Ep. 588 – Your Extraordinary Mind with Zach Leary
Episode 588
Friday, April 4, 2025 • Duration 01:03:03
Zach Leary returns to Mindrolling to discuss his upcoming book on navigating the psychedelic boom of the 21st century.
Preorder your copy of Zach’s book, Your Extraordinary Mind: Psychedelics in the 21st Century and How to Use Them, HERE.
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
This week on Mindrolling, Raghu and Zach chat about:
What propelled Zach to write his new book
The explosion of psychedelic use in the 21st century
Zach’s personal history as the son of Timothy Leary and a close friend of Ram Dass
The film, Dying to Know, about Tim Leary and Ram Dass
The origin story of LSD in the book Tripped by Norman Ohler
MAPS work in redefining the modern age of psychedelics
Ep. 587 – Art as a Tool for Transformation with Amanda Sage
Episode 587
Friday, March 28, 2025 • Duration 01:01:28
Visionary Artist, Amanda Sage, joins Raghu to talk about using art as a tool for transformation and awakening.
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and Amanda discuss:
How Amanda ended up in the midst of the psychedelic art world
Visionary experiences from meditation and community
Combining visionary art with techniques from the old masters
Art as a tool for transformation rather than just a commodity
The technology of sacred art and artists as small blooms of awakening
How LSD helps Amanda see the finer layers of reality
The flow state of creation and being guided through the artistic medium
Check out Vision Train, Amanda’s co-creative space.
About Amanda Sage:
Amanda Sage is an artist driven to contribute to the development of regenerative culture by using painting as a tool for transformation within the individual and collective. Her paintings represent multidimensional aspects of humanness in harmonious balance, inspiring a re-membering of an energetic inter-connectedness that is present and shared with all things. Learn more about Amanda on her .
Join Krishna Das, the most well-known voice of Bhakti chanting (Kirtan) in the West, and David Nichtern - a senior Buddhist teacher, founder of Dharma Moon, guitarist in Krishna Das’ band, and producer of several of his albums - for a warm and engaging conversation about these two paths, their shared roots, and how they intersect in contemporary spiritual practice. Learn more about this FREE online gathering - THE HEART & MIND OF PRACTICE: BUDDHISM & BHAKTI
About Ralph De La Rosa:
Ralph De La Rosa (he/they) was a teacher of human spirituality, an internationally published author and a trauma-focused psychotherapist. Ralph worked in private practice and was a seasoned meditation teacher known for his radically open and humorous teaching style. He was personally mentored by Richard Schwartz, founder and developer ofInternal Family Systems. Check out Ralph’s book, Outshining Trauma, which focuses on trauma and radical self-compassion. Learn more about Ralph on his website.
“We're all holding traumas. We've all been bruised by life in large or small ways. What that is, is an invitation to find and open the heart of compassion, the heart of loving kindness that already exists within you. It's right there.” – Ralph De La Rosa
Jill Satterfield has been a quiet pioneer in the integration of embodied awareness practices and Buddhist teachings for over 30 years. Her heart/mind and body approach developed from somatic and contemplative psychology, 35 years of Buddhist study, extensive meditation retreat time and decades of living with chronic pain. At the invitation of her primary teacher, Ajahn Amaro, Jill was the first to offer mindful movement and somatic practices on silent retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and then the Insight Meditation Society 30 years ago. She has developed teacher trainings and mentoring programs that integrate embodied awareness with Dharma ever since. Learn more about Jill’s numerous offerings on her website.
"Imagination creates a physiological response. What you imagine changes your body—it changes your mind. If you're thinking about your guru, your teacher, someone you love, it changes your body." – Jill Satterfield
Join Krishna Das, the most well-known voice of Bhakti chanting (Kirtan) in the West, and David Nichtern - a senior Buddhist teacher, founder of Dharma Moon, guitarist in Krishna Das’ band, and producer of several of his albums - for a warm and engaging conversation about these two paths, their shared roots, and how they intersect in contemporary spiritual practice. Learn more about this FREE online gathering - THE HEART & MIND OF PRACTICE: BUDDHISM & BHAKTI
About Dr. Melinda Edwards:
Melinda Edwards, MD is a mother, writer and physician in Charleston, SC. Her medical training and her life’s journey home to her own heart inform her work as a psychiatrist. Supporting others in their discovery of the love that we all are is one of her greatest joys. She is the founder of the 501c3 nonprofit organization Living Darshan and is the author ofPsyche & Spirit: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Quest for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism. Keep up with Dr. Edwards on her website or on her Instagram.
"Our psychology, our contractions, our issues, whatever comes up is itself the doorway back home to our hearts. Isn't that a miracle? Each of us has a perfectly individualized path laid out right in front of our noses each moment." – Melinda Edwards, MD
Born in South Korea and educated at Berkeley, Harvard, and Princeton, Haemin Sunim received formal monastic training from Haein monastery in South Korea. He taught Asian religions at Hampshire College in Massachusetts for seven years. He is one of the most influential Zen monks in the world. His first book, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, has been translated into more than 35 languages and sold over four million copies. His second book, Love for Imperfect Things, was the number one bestseller of 2016 in South Korea and became available in multiple languages in 2019. Haemin resides in Seoul when not traveling to share his teachings. Check out his website to learn more and grab yourself a copy of his most recent book, When Things Don’t Go Your Way.
“Though there is an objective world out there, it is not ‘out there’. It is how the mind creates this world seemingly outside of us. In fact, it’s not outside of us. There is no inner and outer division—it’s just our conceptual distinction. In reality, there is one, undivided reality.”- Haemin Sunim
“For me, the goal is to find 'what is'. I originally framed it as 'Is there a God?’ I realized I had the question wrong, and at some point it was 'what is God?'. Today, I would say, 'what is this?'” – James Ishmael Ford
This episode is sponsored by Reunion & Dharma Seed:
Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.org
Join Buddhist Teacher David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell for a conversation about finding our own voice, our own expression, and our own way of connecting with people. Learn more about this FREE online gathering - AUTHENTIC PRESENCE: FINDING YOUR OWN VOICE
“When you take these substances, you must have the right atmosphere, the right people with you, the right reason for doing it. These things have to be thought very carefully about.” – David Silver
Kimberly Brown is a popular Buddhist meditation teacher and Certified Mindfulness Instructor and since 2011 she has led thousands of classes, retreats, and workshops with individuals and groups merging self-compassion, emotional resilience, mindfulness, and Buddhism. As a leading voice in the contemporary meditation community, she teaches public classes regularly at the Rubin Museum, Mindful Astoria, Shantideva Meditation Center, and All Souls Church. She works in private practice both one-on-one and with companies and non-profit groups. She is a faculty member and Senior Instructor in The Interdependence Project’s esteemed Mindfulness Teacher Training program. She is an accredited teacher and member of the Mindful Directory and the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. She balances her two decades of traditional Buddhist training and study with Western therapeutic modalities. Her background includes psychoanalytic training at Washington Square Institute, a master’s degree from City College of New York, and undergraduate study at Hunter College. She has extensive formal meditation retreat experience at Insight Meditation Society, Palypung Thubten Choling, and the Garrison Institute, and has received in-depth teachings from meditation masters Ponlop Rinpoche, Lama Norlha Rinpoche, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, and Venerable Pannavati.
Pros and Cons of the medical movement in psychedelic research
The benefits of practice coincided with psychedelics for inner expansion
The necessity of integration after a psychedelic experience
Psychedelic research into neuroplasticity and transforming trauma
Check out this MAPS page, where you can see a video of Ram Dass and Laura Huxley reading This Timeless Moment together
About Zach Leary:
Zach is a speaker, writer, Dharmic realizer, and psychedelic advocate. He is also a journey facilitator at Evolution Retreats and Heroic Path to Light. Zach hosts the MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Podcast where he explores an incredible treasure trove of audio archives sourced from the amazing talks, presentations, and panels that have taken place at past Psychedelic Science conferences and other unique events.
“I see far more success in the psychedelic sphere with people that have something to augment the experience with. If you go back to your desk on a Monday morning and are just unaware of these transformations and not making any effort to tap in, it will fade. I think it's an essential ingredient that you need to make it successful.” – Zach Leary
“Painting, you transmit a story. There’s a transmission that happens beyond words. It’s an interesting technology and tool that has been used by humans through the ages. What is the broader opportunity, especially now in this world that we live in, for art to be a tool for transformation.” – Amanda Sage
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