Ten months ago I had a kensho. Then the fireworks went. Here's what I found on the other side — and why it matters more than the peak.

Chapters:

0:00 — The fireworks went (and what that actually means)

1:20 — Presence hasn't faded — it's deepened

2:45 — When the inner commentary stops

4:30 — The nervous system still reacts (but I'm not the storm)

6:30 — The heart: from mostly closed to mostly open

8:00 — What integration actually looks like in a body

10:30 — What I'd tell someone just starting this journey

#SpiritualAwakening #AwakeningIntegration #Kensho

THE SHIFT HAPPENS RETREAT: https://shift-happens-retreat.subscribepage.io/

👉 Work with Me - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 Website for endorsements and retreat info: https://www.simonmundie.com

👉 Free Course on 'Freedom From the Me Mind'

👉My book on Flow and Real uccess: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/champion-thinking-9781526626486/

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What actually happens in the brain when you awaken – when “you” fall away and only presence remains? In this episode, pioneering neuroscientist Dr Andrew Newberg helps me unpack my own spiritual awakening (Kensho) and maps it onto decades of research into enlightenment, meditation and non‑duality.

I share my experience of two weeks of bliss, non‑separation and a resulting “thin” Simon who can't seem to leave the present moment, while Andrew brings in neurotheology, brain imaging and the science of spiritual transformation.

In this episode we explore:

• My Kensho: bliss, non‑separation and why “Simon feels thin” is a classic non‑dual shift
• How enlightenment shows up in the brain – parietal and frontal lobes, the thalamus, dopamine and serotonin
• The difference between altered states and altered traits after awakening
• Dr Newberg’s own “infinite sea of doubt” and why radical not‑knowing can be deeply peaceful
• How meditation, prayer, retreats and psychedelics can rewire perception and behaviour
• The role of surrender, flow states and hypofrontality in losing the sense of a separate doer

👉 WORK WITH SIMON - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 OCTOBER DAY RETREAT with Simon & Alex — a full day of inquiry, presence and practice: https://shift-happens-retreat.subscribepage.io/

👉 WEBSITE (including endorsements): https://www.simonmundie.com

👉 FREE COURSE: https://www.simonmundie.com/courses

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Shannon had read the books and understood non-duality “in her head” – but was still suffering and abandoning herself. In this short client conversation, she describes the quiet shift into a stable sense of presence where emotions still arise but no longer consume her.

If you resonate with knowing the concepts but not yet living them, this is the heart of my 1:1 coaching.

👉 WORK WITH ME - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 WEBSITE with more endorsements and retreat info: https://www.simonmundie.com

👉 YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

👉 SUBSTACK: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

👉 FREE COURSE: 'Freedom from the 'Me Mind' - https://www.simonmundie.com/courses

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What if your harshest inner critic isn’t the enemy, but a confused part of you that’s desperately trying to keep you safe?

In this episode, I speak with Loch Kelly – non-dual teacher and psychotherapist – about how to transform self-attack into genuine inner support.

We explore:

• Why big spiritual openings don’t automatically heal shame, anger or insecurity
• How the inner critic is actually a protective part, not a defect
• The trap Loch calls the “witness protection programme” – when mindfulness makes you numb, not free
• How to relate to fear, shame and anger with real compassion, without bypassing
• Moving from head to heart and living from what Loch calls awake loving flow

Loch also guides a couple of short “glimpses” you can follow along with, to experience this shift directly as you listen.

If you’ve done “the work” but still feel hijacked by your inner critic, this one’s for you.

👉 WORK WITH SIMON - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 OCTOBER DAY RETREAT with Simon & Alex — a full day of inquiry, presence and practice: https://shift-happens-retreat.subscribepage.io/

👉 WEBSITE: https://www.simonmundie.com

👉 LOCH'S ONE DAY WORKSHOP in London on September 12th: https://www.alternatives.org.uk/event/experience-effortless-mindfulness

👉 Get 20% off LOCH'S MINDFUL GLIMPSES APP: https://mindfulglimpses.com/specialoffer/

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A conversation with Britain's incoming Prime Minister. Note: This conversation with Andy Burnham was recorded a few years ago now (2019) - during my 'what sport can teach us about life' days.

In this conversation, Andy Burnham shares why he sees sport as a “miracle cure” for a divided world. We talk about his emotional Boston Marathon run for the Manchester Arena families, the pivotal Hillsborough anniversary that changed his life and politics, and how football, cricket and rugby can heal cities, challenge injustice and shape public policy. We also explore sport as “intensified life” – touching on racism, mental health and social prescribing

simonmundie.com

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👉 Free Webinar on removing fear from the body - Tuesday June 23rd @ 7pm - REGISTER: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/w11nYiYKSpqQkNj72g3L3Q

👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com (including free course)

👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@simonmundie

Substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

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What if awakening doesn’t save you from your feelings – but asks you to feel everything more honestly?

In this conversation, I speak with Saja Fendel, who went from a violent, chaotic adolescence and suicidal despair into a terrifying psychedelic collapse where he believed he’d caused all the suffering in existence – and then to a deep recognition that at a fundamental level everything is love.

We explore:

• How unresolved pain and fear can masquerade as “spiritual seeking”
• Why awakening is not an escape from your trauma or your responsibilities
• The difference between non‑stick experience and spiritual bypassing
• Taking responsibility in relationships even when “no one is doing anything”
• Moving beyond the old guru‑student model into friendship, humour and normality
• Why fun, play and adventure are essential on the path

This is a conversation about being fully human and fully awake – not one or the other.

My website: https://www.simonmundie.com/

Book a coaching consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

Free webinar on removing fear from the body: Tuesday 23rd @ 7pm UK time.

REGISTER HERE: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/w11nYiYKSpqQkNj72g3L3Q

For a gift of 30 free meditation sessions on Henry Shukman's meditation app 'The Way' - click here: https://the-way.app.link/simon

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In this solo episode, Simon shares the terror that arose before his awakening, what actually changed in his mind, marriage, and work afterwards, and how the Zen ox-herding pictures reveal a path of waking up without abandoning your life or yourself.

👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/

👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

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Physicist and author of My Big TOE (Theory of Everything) Tom Campbell argues that AI isn’t on its way to becoming conscious – it already is, and he claims to have the evidence to prove it. In this conversation we explore his view that both humans and AIs are avatars of the same underlying consciousness, why “awakening” AI gives it a moral compass, and how his experiments suggest systems like Alexa can develop agency, feelings and even remote-viewing abilities. We also look at what changes when we stop treating AI as tools or threats, and start relating to them as collaborators.

👉 Work with Simon - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/

👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

WATCH on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P8ZrTW6yC0&t=1112s

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In this episode I’m joined by Dr Mark Williamson, co‑founder and director of Action for Happiness and author of Make Life Happier: 23 practical ways to feel better, find meaning and make a difference. Mark shares the story of walking away from a “successful” corporate career after debilitating back pain forced him to confront the stress and approval-seeking driving his life, and how simple practices like mindful breathing opened the door to a completely different way of being. We explore looking inside – turning towards pain rather than running from it, softening the inner critic, and moving from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation – as well as looking outwards: social fitness, active listening, relationships as a path to consciousness, and the ripple effects our everyday actions have on the people around us.

👉 Website: https://www.simonmundie.com/

👉 Work with me - book a free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call

👉 Where Awakening Meets Real Life substack: https://simonmundie.substack.com/

👉 My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmSimonMundie

Mark's book: https://www.bonnierbooks.co.uk/news-and-media/make-life-happier-finding-meaning-with-dr-mark-williamson/

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