Connecting Minds

Watch this episode in video: https://youtu.be/NL6STpEe6RY

Shownotes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/07-michael-sapiro/

It's a great honour and privilege to present our guest today, Dr Michael Sapiro. We talk about why we suffer and how to use his ACORNS methodology to help us through it. We end the episode with Michael's Hope guided meditation!

Michael Sapiro, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, Dharma teacher, writer, meditation researcher, and former Buddhist monk. He is on faculty at Esalen Institute, is a Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and is completing a study on time travel, hope, and love with Dr. Julia Mossbridge of The Institute for Love and Time. Dr. Sapiro completed his postdoctoral fellowship in advanced psychology at the Boise VA Medical Center where he specialized in rural health, PTSD, and combat trauma. Dr. Sapiro is often on podcasts, and teaches nationally on the art and science of transformation, expanded human capabilities, self-care, and nondual meditation for personal and community growth. His work integrates meditation practices, psychology, noetic sciences, and social justice, and is dedicated to personal awakening for the sake of collective and planetary transformation. He can be found at michaelsapiro.com.

Links to Michael’s resources and social media: 

Website: https://www.michaelsapiro.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_mike_boise/

Guided meditations: https://www.michaelsapiro.com/resources/#meditations

Link to essay mentioned: https://medium.com/@drmichaelsapiro/down-play-or-walk-away-how-my-dog-socialized-me-to-be-wiser-and-kinder-during-covid-19-5b06bfc0ea0a

Topics discussed on this episode:

• Mike’s background and the work he does as a clinician and researcher.
• The non-dual teaching.
• Why are humans suffering so much? Craving, contention, ignorance.
• Recognition is a medicine.
• Practicing love, compassion and forgivess is an antidote to contention, anger and hatred.
• What are our true needs that our destructive behaviours are trying to fulfil?
• Self-awareness is the first step.
• ACORNS: From Awareness to Action – An awareness and compassion-based model for living a life of wisdom and ease
• Awareness
• Calm
• Open-hearted
• Reflect – clarity of situation, what needs are not being met?
• Now what? Ready to problem solve..
• Skillful action – take the action you just discerned as wise
• Applying ACORNS to tough issues such as grief, loss of a loved one, or our own mortality.
• The power of loving kindness.
• Psychedelics can give us a glimpse into the oneness that we all are.
• Individual awakening and the radiating presence and love it brings facilitates healing and transformation for others.
• The Bodhisattva vow.
• We end with the Hope Guided Meditation.

Watch this episode in video: https://youtu.be/9wVPn8mLX_E

Today’s guest is Jeremy Weate, the CEO of Universal Ibogaine.

Ibogaine is a the extract from the Iboga plant, which grows in West Africa places like Gabon, and is a sacrament in the Bwiti tradition.

Ibogaine has tremendous potential to treat addictions and as someone who has seen first hand what addictions can do to people, families, and larger social groups, this is a cause very near and dear to me and I will support it anyway I can. That’s why I was delighted to when Jeremy agreed to come on the show. 

As you may know the opioid addiction crisis in North America affects many millions of people, heroin is just a tiny percentage of with prescription drugs being the real devastating agent. Of course Europe and Asia are steadily following suit and that’s just opiates. Let’s not forget stimulants like crack and cocaine, and of course the ubiquitous alcohol which is ravaging places like Ireland and the UK.

Episode shownotes: https://christianyordanov.com/06-jeremy-weate/
Jeremy's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyweate
Universal Ibogaine: https://www.ibogaineinc.com/

Topics discussed on this episode:

• Jeremy’s background and how he discovered iboga.
• His initiation into Bwiti in Gabon.
• The iboga experience and effect on the body.
• Microdosing iboga - considerations and effects.
• The ibogaine treatment process for addictions. The differences in approach between opiate vs stimulant addiction treatment.
• The rationale behind using ibogaine HCL extract vs iboga root bark. 
• The iboga/ibogaine integration process.
• The preparation process for patients and the risks of ibogaine vs opioids.
• The scale of the opioid crisis, beyond heroin, with opioid-based painkillers as a major contributor.
• Universal Ibogaine’s direction and plans for the future.

We all have trauma and pain that is buried deep inside us. It’s not a matter of IF we do, but of what it is.

On this episode of Connecting Minds, I talk with Peter Conley of Integration Station about healing past wounds by accessing and releasing stored traumas using various modalities. We also discuss the all-important topic of integrating peak experiences so we may truly benefit from them.

Peter Conley is the Founder of Integration Station, a resource for Psychedelic Integration. Integration Station provides protocols, tools, and awareness of modalities to improve your mental health and performance. He is a certified yoga instructor, completed a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat, and advocates for the responsible use of altered states of consciousness as therapeutic modalities.

Episode show notes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/05-peter-conley/

Links to Peter’s website and social media:

Integration Station website: https://integration-station.com/

Peter’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterDConley

 In the episode of Connecting Minds we have James W. Jesso, author, public speaker, and host of the Adventures Through the Mind podcast. James has deep respect for psychedelic medicines and his work is inspired by his healing path through depression, substance abuse, and trauma, and focuses on translating the profound insights of the psychedelic experience into a higher quality of life, for both the individual and society.

Episode show notes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/04-james-w-jesso/

Watch this interview in video:  https://youtu.be/LnfFPSy05MA

Links to James' website, podcast, books and social media: 

Website: https://www.jameswjesso.com

Adventures Through the Mind Podcast: https://www.jameswjesso.com/podcast/

Decomposing The Shadow: Lessons From The Psilocybin Mushroom: https://www.jameswjesso.com/decomposing-the-shadow/

The True Light Of Darkness: https://www.jameswjesso.com/true-light-darkness/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jameswjesso

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdventuresThroughTheMind

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameswjesso

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameswjesso/

Topics discussed on this episode:

• James’ experience with psychedelics.
• James gives us a crash course in psychedelics, what they are, what they can be used for, and some of the history which led to them coming into the limelight and then being made illegal, and the recent psychedelic Renaissance where ongoing research is showing promise for their use in depression, PTSD, addiction, end-of-life anxiety, and other mental conditions.
• How the medicalisation of psychedelics can lead to their integration into society.
• How psychedelics can help us to deal with our own traumas and wounds.
• The Shadow and the Golden Shadow.
• What is psychedelic integration
• The potential dangers of psychedelics when not used right.

In this episode of Connecting Minds I had the honour to chat with Brendan Vermiere. 

Brendan is a Functional Medicine Consultant, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Master Nutrition Coach, Master Personal Trainer, USAW Sports Performance Coach, and Crossfit Certified Trainer.

He began his career as a personal trainer and nutrition coach at the age of 19 after disappointingly being medically discharged from the United States Navy Seal training pipeline due to an injury. After being exposed to the power of functional lab testing in the start of his career, he began intensely pursuing that as a career path which has led him to be widely regarded as one of the top leading experts in Metabolic Health and Holistic Education.

In our discussion we cover a number of topics related health and mental well-being as well the functional health paradigm.

Episode show notes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/03-brendan-vermiere/

Watch this interview in video:  https://youtu.be/ua_lAa5crjg

Links to Brendan’s website and social media: 

Website: https://www.metabolicsolutionsllc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_holistic_savage/

Brendan’s podcast: https://anchor.fm/holisticsavagepodcast

In the episode of the Connecting Minds we welcome Gary Gach. Gary’s lifelong career is as a freelance writer and scholar of Buddhism. That is, he’s been writing formally since he was ten and meditating since he was eight. He teaches in the Plum Village tradition of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and has been facilitating a weekly practice group, Mindfulness Fellowship, in San Francisco for over ten years.

Gary has studied with wise teachers such as Alan Watts, Suzuki Rōshi and other great Zen masters, a Hasidic master who was the 15th in his lineage, and the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. He has written 10 books, which I highly encourage you to check out! (Links to a couple I love down below.)

It was truly an honour to have him on the show! In this episode we discuss Buddhism and how to integrate its teachings in our daily lives.

Episode show notes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/02-gary-gach/

Watch this interview in video: https://youtu.be/3bGdFKsL16g

Links to Gary’s books, website, and social media:

Gary’s website: http://garygach.com/

Links to Gary’s resources and social media pages: http://linktr.ee/GaryGach

Pause Breathe Smile – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation Is Not Enough: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pause-Breathe-Smile-Mindfulness-Meditation-ebook/dp/B079GJGQXP

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Idiots-Guides-Buddhism-Lifestyle-Paperback-ebook/dp/B00AR183OW

Video of Thich Nhat Hanh speaking shared with me by Gary, Your Birthday is a Continuation Day : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ-y7Amn0F4

On this inaugural episode of Connecting Minds, we have Susan Hess Logeais, the writer/producer/director of the just-released feature length documentary The Way of the Psychonaut: Stanislav Grof’s Journey of Consciousness, released on 14th October 2020

The film explores the life and work of Stanislav Grof, Czech-born psychiatrist and psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer. Stan’s quest for knowledge and insights into the healing power of non-ordinary states of consciousness, influenced the discipline of psychology and profoundly changed many individual lives.

In this episode we talk with Susan about how her journey, her discovering Stan Grof’s work, and working with him on creating the film about him. We also get into some deeper topics which were fascinating!

Episode show notes here:  https://christianyordanov.com/01-susan-hess-logeais/

Watch this interview in video: https://youtu.be/zhl9yW3QuSU 

Links to Susan’s work and websites:

Watch The Way of the Psychonaut: https://www.thewayofthepsychonaut.com/

Susan’s website: https://susanhesslogeais.com/

Become a member here to watch expert interviewee Q&A’s and get other resources and updates about the project: https://www.thewayofthepsychonaut.com/learn

The film is also available on:

• Vimeo download/on-demand: https://wotp.vhx.tv/
• Apple TV
• Google Play: 
• Amazon Direct: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08K927SCC/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Links to Stan Grof’s work:

His website, where you will find his books and other many resources: http://stangrof.com/

Grof Transpersonal Training (Holotropic Breathwork): http://www.holotropic.com/

Topics discussed in his episode:

• Susan’s background in ballet and how she transitioned into into film-making.
• How she got into Stan Grof’s work.
• Meeting Stan Grof and convincing him to work together on a film to tell his story.
• Who is Stanislav Grof?
• Working with LSD. Unlocking the psyche.
• Co-founding Transpersonal Psychology.
• How the birth process and its traumas can affect us.
• Stan’s work in Esalen.
• The Perinatal Matrices.
• Rites of passage and the mono-myth of death and rebirth.
• The development of Holotropic Breathwork after LSD was made illegal.
• The process of making The Way of the Psychonaut
• The importance of bringing this project to the world. The need for a massive shift in our human consciousness.
• The expert interviews in the film and their pushing of the envelope of our scientific understanding of the mind, the world, and reality.
• Susan’s spiritual practices.
• Using dreams to find answers during periods of creativity.
• Archetypal Astrology and the work of Richard Tarnas.
• Tarnas’ book Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Psyche-Intimations-World-View/dp/0452288592
• Working with psychedelic medicines.
• Susan’s strategies and practices to stay healthy.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!