Closure Optional

In this episode I discuss my recent experiences as a virgin of online dating in the 21st century, and what it showed me about the nature of being a “self”. How do you sell your “self” to dudes on the internet when no one really knows what a “self” is… I give some valuable tips on making a Tinder profile from my extensive week-long experience, and then self-destruct in a metaphysical quagmire about the illusion of “self”.

1. I discuss a concept called “Ship of Theseus” or the “Theseus Paradox”
2. For interesting reading, Sam Harris' book on “self” – “Waking Up”
3. Non-regeneration of the Cerebral Cortex
4. Neuroplasticity – The Brain that Changes Itself, Dr. Norman Doige

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey it's Christmas time and everyone's insane in attempt to relax over the holiday break, so I thought it would be fun to do some experimental podcasts at the end of the year… Stuart comes to my house and gives me a hypnotherapy session for this one, and you can join in if you want to! If you do, however, want to do the session with us, just make sure you're laying down somewhere and preferably not driving a giant machine.

Stuart was on this podcast in Episode 22 if you'd like to hear how he helps people become the best in the world at what they do. And if you'd like to find out more about what he does, his website is here, Elite Minsdet Institute.

• Stuart Walter
• Stuart speaking for EMI
• Stuart on Stage
• Stuart

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve is a Australian Military Veteran who cured his debilitating PTSD through the exploration of altered states of consciousness; states induced by martial Arts, meditation, and yes, psychedelic compounds. He is one of the founders of PRISM, a non-profit organisation that works to develop and integrate psychedelic research back into mainstream science and medicine in Australia.

Steve is a change consultant and researcher currently specialising in the future of human consciousness, and this is a great conversation about adapting to change, both on a personal level and at a global scale. We discuss climate change, the evolution of human awareness, and the importance of set, setting, and education in exploring altered states of consciousness. 

To see more of what Steve does, please check out his website here.

The lecture I'm talking about is here: https://www.eman8.net/elev8-live-switzerland-2018/

PRISM – Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine

MAPS – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Breaking Open the Head – Daniel Pinchbeck – Book about the cultural uses of Psychedelics and Psychedelic research in psychotherapy.

Gregg Braden – Steve mentions his theories on Alien interference with our DNA

Lee Carroll – Channelling information from other dimensions

Michael and Annie Mithoefer – MDMA Assisted Pscyhotherapy

Harm Reduction Australia

DanceWize

Steve's Radio Show – http://programs.bayfm.org/future-sense

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kris is a writer, photographer, and philosopher, and one of my best friends though we've actually never met each other in real life. I met him in a writers group on Duncan Trussell's podcast forum, and we've spent 5 years talking to each other through the internet…

This is a wonderful conversation about how I recently experienced a mental earthquake when I released an offensive podcast and then regretted it completely, and then recognised my shame and admitted it publicly, and all the neurotic bullshit that goes along with that. The podcast we are discussing is the one directly preceding this one, Episode 34, about a social masturbation circle.

We discuss the merits and pain of humiliation, shame and self-assessment, and how to really learn from things that make you feel like a worm. To find out more about Kris, his website is https://www.kristopherdrummond.com/  and you can find him on Instagram here, and Facebook Here

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*UPDATED* – Holy shit you guys this was a monster – I was sick of telling the story about the time I masturbated in the woods with a bunch of strangers, but I managed to get it out of me finally in an entertaining and hopefully enriching way for you, and I've added some educational tidbits too because I felt cheap and gross* just talking about sex stuff without also giving you something neat to think about. I discuss the neurochemistry of connection, how our brains develop the ability to manage those chemicals, and how we can actively change the structure of our brain by hugging people and cumming on their faces. Probably not so much that last thing. Thank you, as always for listening!

*Note – the main reason I felt (and still feel) cheap and gross about the podcast is that I've realised in hindsight, and after talking to Victoria about it, I've come across very cynical, sarcastic, and judgemental, despite repeatedly saying that I wasn't trying to be a cunt, I still was… Victoria is coming back on the podcast to discuss this episode, and some of the major projecting I'm doing (unfairly) to the other girls because I felt like a dickhead doing something so far out of my comfort zone. It's their fault I'm uncomfortable, right? I'm sorry, also, if you're one of those girls and I turned you into a cartoon for the sake of being “funny” – I can't know why anyone does anything, and it was unkind of me to caricatureize real people who can't defend themselves.

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Show Notes:

STUDY REFERENCES

Note: The link for each study is at the BOTTOM of each list of points/extracts. Eg: the first 6 points can be found in the study listed at #7.

BEHAVIOURAL IMPACTS OF STRESS IN UTERO AND SEPARATION AFTER BIRTH

1. Changes in behaviour – risk taking and less cautious compared to others reared normally.
2. Stressed moms raised their kids normally, but their sons had the same shitty risk-taking behaviour from the stress their mom had. Once raised by a control mom, they could reduce the effects, so it might be in their milk etc.
3. makes the animals unable to carefully evaluate unknown territories, and assess risk. We show further, that these alterations are transmitted to the following generation even in the absence of  any further exposure to stress.
4. The mild behavioral deficits resulting from unpredictable MS alone are more pronounced when separation is aggravated by concomitant unpredictable maternal stress, suggesting that stress has a cumulative effect on behavioral responses. Unpredictability of MS is also likely to exacerbate the behavioral defects, consistent with the previous observation that chronic stress in adult rats or mice is more detrimental when unpredictable than when predictable
5. The fact that F2 MSUS pups raised by F1 control dams, but not F2 control pups raised by F1 MSUS dams, had an immediate decrease in weight that persisted into adulthood indicates that F2 MSUS mice did react to cross-fostering itself, suggesting the possibility that some epigenetic marks may have been disrupted as well.
6. In humans, the inability to properly respond to danger and evaluate one's environment, and impaired behavioral control, are major symptoms of several behavioral and psychiatric disorders such as personality disorders, antisocial behaviors, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and drug addiction
7. REFERENCE:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3034937/
8. In a further study of voluntary ethanol consumption, we found that adult mice that had experienced MS showed greater cumulative 20% ethanol consumption in an intermittent access paradigm compared to controls. Our data confirm that the MS paradigm can reduce cognitive flexibility in mice and may enhance risk for substance abuse.
9. REFERENCE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4834230/
10. The results of this dissertation suggest that altering the early social environment by means of the maternal separation procedure can disrupt the ability to recognize conspecific odor cues, which are fundamental components in establishing and maintaining social relationships later in life.
11. REFERENCE: https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1084&context=etd

NEUROCHEMISTRY:

1. Changes in receptors in hippocampus – regulates memory and plays a role in depression and   anxiety.
2. We found a significant loss of neurons in the dentate gyrus (hippocampus) in MS mice compared to controls. Apparently a single maternal separation can impact the number of neurons in mouse hippocampus either by a decrease of neurogenesis or as an increase in neuron apoptosis.
3. REFERENCE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2226080/
4. While oxytocin KO and WT females display pregnancy block in response to an unfamiliar male, as expected, only oxytocin KO females display a social memory deficit by blocking pregnancy when a familiar male (their previous mate) is encountered after a 24 hour separation (Wersinger et al., 2008). Interestingly, continuously paired oxytocin KO females do not pregnancy block, likely because with constant exposure, they do not have the opportunity to ‘forget’ their mates.
5. indicating that they fail to recognise the familiar mouse and are unable to discriminate between the familiar and novel mouse
6. Administering oxytocin appears to affect some behaviors that are features of autism. Infusion of Pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin, decreases repetitive behaviors in autistic adults (Hollander et al., 2003). Adults with autism or Asperger’s syndrome also exhibit enhanced memory for affective speech after intravenous oxytocin administration
7. improves the ability to infer the mental state of others from social cues in the eye region (Domes et al., 2007). This increase in scanning the eye region may raise feelings of empathy by providing more social information and thus a greater subsequent understanding of social cues.
8. REFERENCE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992605/
9. This is a group of articles about Oxytocin in relation to social pair-bonding (including the one that Rhonda Patrick is talking about on JRE with the voles) We emphasize the significance of the conserved oxytocin neural system in mother-infant bond information, with several studies having shown that oxytocin plays a fundamental role in establishing this bond (Kendrick, 2000; Young et al., 2001; Wang and Aragona, 2004; Young and Wang, 2004).
10. Although there was no significant correlation between oxytocin levels during pregnancy and MFAS scores, the group having increasing oxytocin patterns during pregnancy tended to show higher MFAS scores. Feldman et al. (2007) examined maternal plasma oxytocin levels at the same points as those used in Levine's study along with analysis of maternal representations and maternal behaviors in the first postpartum month. Oxytocin levels in early pregnancy and postpartum correlated significantly with attachment representation and maternal behaviors, such as gaze at infants, affectionate touch, and frequent infant checking. Feldman and colleagues also focused on mother-infant behavioural synchrony and showed a correlation between maternal salivary and plasma oxytocin levels and affection synchrony
11. These results suggest the presence of a clear positive relationship between mothering style and attachment, and oxytocin activity in mothers.
12. infants whose parents had high oxytocin levels had significantly higher oxytocin level than infants whose parents had relatively low oxytocin levels. A recent study showed that social vocalization from the mother to the daughter stimulates oxytocin release and reduces stress responses in humans (Seltzer et al., 2010). These results suggest that social signals from the mother stimulate the oxytocin system in infants.
13. plasma oxytocin levels of young adults had a significant correlation with their maternal and paternal care, which was measured by self-report (Parental Bonding Instrument). Meinlschmidt and Heim (2007) targeted young adults who had experienced early childhood trauma by divorce or separation of parents at an age of less than 13 years. They measured salivary cortisol levels after the nasal administration of either oxytocin or placebo. In the control group, oxytocin administration decreased cortisol levels; however, this was not the case in the divorce/separation experienced group.
14. REFERENCE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3289392/

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We were very lucky to squeeze into the very busy shooting schedule for Craig Wilson, Daniel Raffaele, and Peter Cross as they continue their massive journey across Australia filming a new documentary called ‘High As Mike'. The film follows Mike, a cancer patient with a brain tumour that will eventually leave him blind, as he rides his bicycle around Australia in search of answers about whether or not Medical Cannabis will save his sight. They travel from Tamworth, all the way up to Brisbane and back down again, talking to neuroscientists, Medical Cannabis patients, politicians, lawyers, police and doctors in order to understand if Cannabis works, how to gain access to it legally, and why so many people are still using the black market.

This is a great conversation about the current state of Medical cannabis in Australia; it's not your usual stoners talking shit about weed, this is a group of men who never thought they'd need Cannabis for anything, and who now are convinced that if they were diagnosed with cancer, their first stop would be Nimbin and not their doctor…

The film will be shown sometime next year, HERE, on the Gold Coast, so I'll make sure to update you on the dates and times, but you can follow them on Facebook here or instagram here, and they also have a page on the Documentary Australia Foundation webpage, where you can email the team and support the film.

Thank you, as always for listening!!

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay and Matt are musicians from the band (group?), Arroyo – I don't know the difference between a band and a group, but these guys are fucking rad. This is a great conversation about music, art, the vulnerability of being someone with something to say, how commercialised art can be a disgusting mis-representation of it's original meaning, and how most of the media we're fed is pure bullshit.

SHOW NOTES:

This is the video I'm talking about at the very start, their first single, “Please Just Let Me Know”

This is their second single “Hold”

Check out their Facebook page and Instagram for Tour dates in a city near you

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oooweeee this guy is a fantastic bag of bones, muscles and brains (but mostly brains); Jordi helps elite fighters cut weight for MMA and other combat sports in order to safely and effectively achieve their fight weight, which can be a loss of up to 20% of their total body weight!! This is a great conversation about how he helps the best of the best get their body into supreme condition before a fight; we talk about his recent trip to the US to work with the UFC, and his work with our friend, the new WBC World Champion, Ben Johnston, as well as some neat little insights into the psychology of food and addiction.

If you'd like to see more of Jordi and what he gets up to, his facebook page is here, and his instagram is here.

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aidan is an Irish Comedian living in Bangkok who used to be an Investment Banker but he quickly realised that God was going to punish him for being evil so he became a comedian and with a short detour into Buddhist Christianity while writing a comedy show about Jesus versus Buddha. This is a great conversation about the nature of existence, how to avoid feeling like a fraud, how to run away from a fight and how Jesus was probably a terrorist.

Check out Aidan's website for tour dates, videos, and everything else he does at http://www.aidankillian.com/ or find him on Facebook here

References: In the podcast we talk about the book “The Artist's Way” and “Zealot“.

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adrian is a wellness coach who uses somatic and cognitive therapy to help men resolve issues with anxiety, stress, anger and shame. He is also involved with Polyamory, which means his girlfriends have other boyfriends who have other girlfriends (and maybe boyfriends too). During the course of the podcast we discuss how he helps men get back inside their body to resolve their issues, what Shadow Tantra Retreats are all about, and the very real and raw implications of having an “Open Relationship” – it's not all jizz and orgies guys, sometimes, it fucking hurts.

To see more of what Adrian does, his website is https://erosmethod.com/ or the Eros Method on Instagram and Facebook.

Please subscribe to Closure Optional here: itunes, Stitcher, Android, Email, or wherever you like to hear your podcasts and help this cute little thing grow. If you’re on an Android device, I’ve found that Podcast Addict works the best. Thank you for listening, as always.

This podcast is made possible by Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach Physiotherapy, Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai and YOU, the listener, at patreon.com/lorna bremner.

Closure optional Theme is created by Kurt Chatfield.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.