Narratively Speaking

Doug Wilson, author of "Kundalini Running", joins me on the podcast to celebrate the final upload of his audiobook and to talk about the physical mechanisms of consciousness and whether or not one can exist without the other.

Like all my conversations with Doug, it's a bit of a mind-bending discussion where no idea is off the table.

Enjoy!

## Episode Links ##

Making Sense #168 "Mind Space and Motion":

https://samharris.org/podcasts/168-mind-space-motion/

What hallucination reveals about our minds | Oliver Sacks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgOTaXhbqPQ

Elon Musk's Neralink Presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA77zsJ31nA

"The Man With Two Brains" Clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT0CScFzp1o

Get Doug's awesome book Kundalini Running:

https://kundalinirunning.com/

On previous episodes we've talked about narrative therapy and telling stories through character.

This episode we investigate the intersection of these two ideas. Can identifying personas as characters improve mental health? Rod Evans, turntablist, music producer and the other half of Angus McAlpine's rap duo "Broken Aesthetiks", joins us to share his story.

Because, apparently character-based therapy is already a thing!

We've all heard of the New Age religion. But what does it mean and what, exactly are we signing up for when we throw our hat in that ring?

The answers might surprise you.

### Episode Links ###

What is the New Age movement?https://www.gotquestions.org/new-age-movement.html

Theosophy:https://youtu.be/zlqH_VVsWqs

Perennial philosophy: https://youtu.be/P_CNg4dpU54

Helena Blavatski's Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky

New Age Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age

How Deceived I Was In New Age Beliefs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5oYgok_p7g

Yoga is not Satanic (probably): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDY53a0Hhak

Proof The New Age Movement Is Satanic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtkGgtExLcY

Indeed, with the Jeffrey Epstein suicide (or was he #suicided), the question of "fairness" and "justice" have been on everybody's mind.

Will this turn of events silence the alternative media, or unite their voices in revolution? It appears to be a dangerous gamble for the powerful.

Let's discuss...

### Episode Links ###

It's Cooperation, Stupid:

https://www.ippr.org/files/images/media/files/publication/2012/03/cooperation_leadbeater_Mar2012_8769.pdf

The Ultimation Game Explained:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTg9qyMTIUQ

Monkey Inequality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg

Richard Dawkins explains The Selfish Gene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9p2F2oa0_k

In this 30th episode of Narratively Speaking, we travel from the cramped interior of an office elevator to the infinite expanse of the entire universe as we revise some of the through-lines we've followed since the podcast began. We cover free will & determinism, the scale of human perspective, and discuss the possibility that our consciousness is a filter for the stuff of the universe.

Big ideas only in this episode! Will you join?

### Episode Links ###

Intro clip (Lucy):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nELxnSK1SHk

Sam Harris - Taking the Redpill on Free Will:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFazP2nBIqQ

Sam Harris on the Illusion of Free Will:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t_Uyi9bNS4

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/arthur_c_clarke_101182

### NSP collaborators ###

Adem Koci: @podcastanon

Doug Wilson: @kundalinirunning

Angus Younga: @angusyoungaofficial

Joel Pearse: @campfirebreath

Rod Evans: @djelevate

Jessica: @jezebelisgone

Not particularly notable as a Hollywood superstar, Brand burst into the mainstream media pushing political a message of revolution and political non-compliance. The establishment weren't quite sure what to make of him.

Whether you're a fan or hater, the one thing Russel Brand is not is boring. Let's have a look at his career and the story he tells.

### LINKS ###

Intro Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD-DYjqW7HQ

Russel Brand: https://www.russellbrand.com/podcasts/

Where Did Russell Brand Go? https://www.kqed.org/pop/64857/where-did-russell-brand-go-the-answer-is-more-interesting-and-complex-than-youd-think

Russel Brand on Paxman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YR4CseY9pk

23 minutes with Russel Brand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Hz8DJWFEA

Russel Brand's political revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WATd8hqnjZE

Russel Brand on Fame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg4NQRn7Xos

Russell Brand interview with Mehdi Hasan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBaVG_Oiwtw

The Trews - Emergency: VOTE to Start Revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGBTcIHN0U

The Trews - Why I Backed Labour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdQVDpqBgiE

The Trews - Final Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvoqQT41wos

Today we talk to Joel Pearse; mental health support provider, rapper and aspiring comedian, who, unbeknownst to him, was actually a major catalyst for the creation of this podcast.

We discuss, among other things, his experiences working as a mental health support provider at a youth center, and how he applied the practice of Narrative Therapy to help troubled kids re-write the own stories they told themselves.

And you'll never guess one of the influences that convinced him to explore this line of treatment...

Today I have a discussion with Alex Snarsky, an old friend whom I hadn't seen for 13 years but happened to bump into while shopping for audio cables at the HiFi store he worked at. We started talking and found we had both developed interests in consciousness, meditation and Ayahuasca over the 13 years we had been apart.

The rub? It was Alex's last day at the store. If I had gone a day later, we would never have crossed paths.

Here's Alex's story of heartbreak, discovery and synchronicity.

### Intro Clip ###

Repo Man - Flying Saucers & Time Machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRJ5cCP0ZPE

### Show notes and links ###

Seven Types of Synchronicities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FhR7cGgYo

Joe Rogan talks Ayahuasca and DMT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_fuE9La6Xg

The real reason why DMT is banned - Graham Hancock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ElVv3RG2M

Graham Hancock's banned TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hShqKn5cg

Rupert Sheldrake talks Morphic Resonance on Under The Skin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAS-QzWvj8g

It seems everyone I respect and listen to meditates. They say, Harvey, have you tried mindfulness and meditation? It changed my life, it'll change yours too, just give it a try --

ALRIGHT! I feel like I've been just fine without it, but here's your meditation episode you heathens!

Let see if there's anything to this ancient practice...

Very calm, serene links:

Catharsis Myth, Metaphor or Reality: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/evil-deeds/200909/anger-and-catharsis-myth-metaphor-or-reality

Catharsis Theory and Media Effects: https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/catharsis-theory-and-media-effects

Aggression & Catharsis Dr Brad Bushman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASKXG4kf4n4

What I've Learned - Change your Brain's Default Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAVPDYhW_nw

Sam Harris: Mindfulness is Powerful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwac6Uk-zyk

Joe Rogan Experience - Dan Harris on Mediation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB3RGu8Go2s

This is your Brain on Meditation: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/use-your-mind-change-your-brain/201305/is-your-brain-meditation

The Neuroscience of Why Meditation Works: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-meditation-works_n_4702629

It's often tempting to assume that the worst part of trauma is the tangible, physical experience.

But the core element of any trauma that stays with the victim throughout his or her lifetime is the memory of the event, more than the physical scars inflicted.

It's the story of the trauma that continues to affect human consciousness, long after the physical wounds have healed. So, is it really fair to diminish the effects of purely emotional trauma, or are these the issues that we need the most help with?

Let's discuss...

Intro Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVJBu3NEi0

Episode Links:

Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/

Traumatic stress: effects on the brain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/

Psychology Today - How to Heal the Traumatized Brain: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/workings-well-being/201703/how-heal-the-traumatized-brain

Learning Brain vs Survival Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoqaUANGvpA

Dr. Vincent Felitti - How Childhood Trauma Can Make You A Sick Adult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3cCAcGeG8E

Nadine Burke Harris - How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk