Evan Thompson is a philosopher and professor at the University of British Columbia. He specialises in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, as well as in cross-cultural philosophy, with a particular interest in Chinese and Indian philosophy and the dialogue between Buddhism and the Western philosophical tradition.  He’s the author of several books including Mind and Life, Why I’m not a Buddhist, The Embodied Mind, co-authored with Francisco Varela and Eleanor Rosch, and Waking, Dreaming, Being.  Today we discuss the idea that all life is conscious, known as biopsychism, and the issues it raises form a philosophical perspective.

Evan Thompson on the philosophy of biopsychism | Living Mirrors #93

Join neuroscientist Dr. James Cooke as he explores consciousness, science and spirituality with scientists, philosophers, spiritual practitioners and key figures in the psychedelic renaissance.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Science

Life Sciences

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

Graham Harvey on Animism | Living Mirrors #127

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

AMA: Thoughts on the future, Mental causes of illness, Body-based psychotherapy, What happens after death?

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.

Willoughby Britton on when meditation causes harm | Living Mirrors #126

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/

Trauma Release Exercises for Awakening and Nondual Realization with Christina Guimond | Living Mirrors #125

Ask questions for the next AMA via patreon or the channel membership community (click the "join" button above): https://www.patreon.com/DrJamesCooke

Evan Thompson on the philosophy of biopsychism | Living Mirrors #93

Download our free app to listen on your phone