Tom Ebeyer is the founder of the Aphantasia Network, the world’s largest organisation dedicated to understanding the invisible differences in how people experience mental imagery — or in some cases, don’t experience it at all.

Aphantasia is the inability to visualise images in the mind’s eye — a condition that affects how we remember, dream, feel emotion, and even plan for the future. Most people who have it don’t even realise it.

Expect to learn how Tom discovered he couldn’t picture anything in his head, how aphantasia can protect people from PTSD, why some artists and scientists thrive without mental imagery, how memories and dreams are fundamentally different in people with aphantasia, why it might make you a better thinker, how it shapes creativity, attention, and emotion, what’s actually happening in the brain — and why most people have no idea what their own inner experience is really like.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:55 Understanding Aphantasia: The Basics

04:59 The Spectrum of Consciousness

07:52 Mental Health and Aphantasia

10:48 Coping with Aphantasia

13:57 Memory and Aphantasia

16:55 The Creative Process

19:51 The Impact of Labels

22:53 Dreams and Inner Experience

25:43 Diversity of Conscious Experience

42:42 Exploring Inner Experiences and Prosopagnosia

45:40 Attention and Sensory Awareness

50:23 Understanding Aphantasia and Brain Activity

54:03 Current Research and Future Directions in Aphantasia

58:26 The Mission of the Aphantasia Network

01:02:15 Training and Adapting to Aphantasia

01:07:03 Navigating Life with Aphantasia

01:12:15 The Future of Aphantasia Research

01:19:30 Advice for Those Discovering Aphantasia.

..

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Check out the Full Podcast with leading consciousness researcher Dr Anil Seth here - https://youtu.be/lOSA06K0l1o

Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and one of the world's leading experts in consciousness research. His TED talk Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Experience has captivated over 17 million viewers, and his groundbreaking book Being You explores the incredible mystery of perception and consciousness.Buy Being You (It's Genuinely Great) - https://amzn.to/4ccATngYour brain is constantly hallucinating your reality—it's predicting, guessing, and making mistakes every moment of your life. Understanding these hallucinations can radically alter your view of what’s real, what’s illusion, and how your emotions are truly made.Expect to learn why the famous ‘dress illusion’ broke the internet, how your brain invents colors that don't objectively exist, why emotions aren't reliable signals but brain-generated best guesses, whether your kitchen exists when no one’s observing it, why AI might never experience true consciousness, how optical illusions reveal the brain’s hidden mechanisms, and much more

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist and author of My Stroke of Insight, one of the most powerful and widely viewed neuroscience stories of all time.

At 37, Dr. Taylor suffered a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke that shut down the entire left hemisphere of her brain. As a brain scientist, she watched her mind unravel from the inside out—losing language, identity, memory, and self. But what she found on the other side wasn’t just silence—it was peace, euphoria, and a profound sense of oneness with the universe.

Expect to learn what it feels like to lose your ego, why the present moment can be pure bliss, how the brain builds our sense of self, how trauma and recovery reshape neural circuits, the shocking difference between left and right hemisphere consciousness, what happens when the fear and judgment centers go offline, how Jill rebuilt her brain through neuroplasticity, why she believes anyone can choose peace at any moment, how the Four Characters of the brain drive our behavior, the surprising neuroscience behind “enlightenment,” why psychedelics and stroke are not the same, and much more

Timestamps:

02:00 Introduction to Jill's Fascination with Brains

04:51 Understanding Brain Differences: A Personal Journey

08:01 Stroke vs. Schizophrenia: Exploring Connections

10:56 The Day of the Stroke: A Life-Changing Experience

14:05 The Fascination of the Stroke Experience

17:10 Cognitive Dissonance During the Stroke

19:52 The Aftermath: Recovery and Insights

23:02 Comparing Experiences: Stroke and Psychedelics

26:08 The Impact of Brain Trauma on Spirituality

28:53 Neuroanatomy and Recovery Strategies

32:45 The Complexity and Consistency of the Brain

34:47 Understanding Neuroplasticity and Learning

36:42 The Blessing of a Stroke Experience

39:40 Awakening in the Hospital

44:23 Choosing Recovery Over Surrender

47:10 The Intersection of Science and Spirituality

51:44 Motivation to Rewire the Brain

58:22 The Journey of Neurogenesis and Recovery

01:05:16 The Journey of Recovery and Consciousness

01:12:58 Understanding Whole Brain Living

01:26:12 Differentiation and Control of Brain States.

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

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...

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Dr. Nick Enfield is a linguistic anthropologist and author of Language vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists, a mind-bending exploration of how words shape — and distort — the world we live in.

Language isn’t just a tool for communication. It’s a tool for persuasion, manipulation, and coordination. It rewires our perception, memory, emotions, and beliefs — often without us even realizing it.

Expect to learn why describing a face can make you forget it, how language evolved not to describe reality but to influence others, why humans are unmatched in social cognition, how categories reshape perception and strip away detail, why smell is nearly impossible to describe in English, how different cultures use language to sculpt emotions and relationships, why learning new languages expands the self, how words create in-groups and out-groups, the dark art of branding and political messaging — and why your sentences might be gaslighting your senses.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:10 The Origins of Language

05:07 The Evolution of Communication

08:17 Language as a Tool for Action

11:16 The Role of Social Cognition

14:19 Language and Tool Use

17:23 The Brain and Language Development

20:11 Language and Memory

23:05 The Subjectivity of Language

25:57 Language Distorting Reality

42:39 Cultural Perception of Smells

44:25 Color Vocabulary and Its Importance

46:45 The Influence of Language on Perception

51:54 Kinship Terms and Cultural Context

58:58 Language and Social Accountability

01:03:46 Emotions and Language Framing

01:12:34 Marketing Language and Brand Identity

01:14:48 The Aesthetic of Branding

01:17:14 The Power of Narrative in Language

01:18:46 The Social Function of Stories

01:22:45 The Role of Stories in Identity Formation

01:30:59 Language as a Tool for Group Identity

01:36:37 The Impact of Language on Perception

01:40:50 Learning Languages to Expand Perspectives

...

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Mike Long is a playwright, speechwriter, and co-author of Taming the Molecule of More — the practical sequel to the bestselling neuroscience book The Molecule of More.Dopamine doesn’t bring happiness — it brings anticipation. It’s the molecule that keeps us scrolling, swiping, craving, and chasing. But when understood and tamed, it can also drive purpose, focus, and deeply fulfilling lives.

Expect to learn why dopamine isn’t about pleasure at all, how it hijacks our relationships, sex lives, and attention spans, the true science behind dopamine fasting and cold plunges, how porn and dating apps rewire the brain’s reward system, the difference between craving and contentment, why “boosting dopamine” is a myth, how to inject novelty into long-term love, how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are changing the science of addiction, and how to finally align your brain’s pursuit system with long-term meaning

Timestamps:

00:01:55 – Understanding Dopamine: The Molecule of More

00:04:56 – The Misconceptions of Dopamine and Happiness

00:07:55 – Taming the Molecule of More: Motivations and Insights

00:10:56 – Dopamine's Role in Human Evolution and Modern Life

00:13:58 – Rewiring the Brain: Valuing the Present vs. Future

00:17:07 – The Impact of Technology on Dopamine Levels

00:19:49 – Finding Meaning in a Dopamine-Driven World

00:23:03 – The Importance of Self-Reflection and Belief Systems

00:25:50 – Dopamine Fasting: Myths and Realities

00:28:56 – Boosting Dopamine: Exercise and Lifestyle Choices

00:43:07 – The Power of Small Daily Actions

00:45:25 – Dopamine and Relationships

00:51:07 – Understanding Expectations in Relationships

00:52:13 – Mindfulness and Reaction to Stimulation

00:56:35 – Injecting Novelty into Relationships

01:02:26 – Navigating Attraction and Cravings

01:07:59 – The Importance of Meaning in Life

01:12:27 – Finding Meaning and Purpose

01:25:08 – Practical Steps to Manage Impulses.

...

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Dr. Joel Pearson is a psychologist, neuroscientist, and founder of Future Minds Lab at UNSW — a cutting-edge research group exploring consciousness, intuition, mental imagery, and the psychology of decision-making in the age of AI.

He’s the world’s leading expert on aphantasia — the inability to visualize mental images — and author of The Intuition Toolkit, a science-backed guide to harnessing the power of the subconscious mind.

Expect to learn how intuition really works in the brain, the 5 science-based rules for trusting your gut, how to train intuition like a skill, the surprising link between interoception and unconscious decision-making, the neuroscience of flow and instinctive action, what aphantasia reveals about emotion and memory, how visual imagery amplifies anxiety, why some people are immune to mental pictures, how AI companions are already warping human psychology, and what happens when we start outsourcing love to machines.

Timestamps:

00:02:03 Exploring the Unconventional Lab of Dr. Joe Pearson

00:08:05 Understanding Intuition: Definitions and Mechanisms

00:13:50 The Role of Context in Intuition

00:17:00 The Neural Mechanisms of Intuition

00:19:59 Intuition in Decision Making

00:22:54 Practical Applications of Intuition

00:26:03 Intuition in Sports and Motor Skills

00:32:38 Intuition and Career Choices

00:34:47 The Role of Intuition in Decision Making

00:38:20 Agency and Mental Health

00:39:52 The Science of Intuition

00:41:31 Real-Life Applications of Intuition

00:45:30 Honing Intuition in Daily Life

00:48:39 Flow State and Intuition

00:54:13 Improving Intuition in the Lab

01:00:31 Measuring the Mind: Psychophysical Technologies

01:02:11 Intuition and Learning: Understanding Decision-Making

01:05:15 Aphantasia: The Inability to Visualize

01:09:34 The Journey into Mental Imagery Research

01:12:44 Personal Experiences with Aphantasia

01:21:26 Memory and Aphantasia: How Do They Interact?

01:29:28 Adaptive Advantages of Aphantasia: A New Perspective

01:30:33 Diverse Cognitive Approaches to Mathematics

01:31:32 The Emotional Impact of Imagery

01:32:57 Risk Perception and Empathy in Aphantasia

01:35:09 Understanding Aphantasia Prevalence

01:36:28 The Limits of Understanding Aphantasia

01:38:38 Exploring Multisensory Aphantasia

01:40:23 Future Directions in Aphantasia Research

01:43:55 The Psychological Impact of AI

01:49:00 The Future of Human-AI Relationships

01:51:41 Exciting Developments in Neuroscience..

Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder

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Dr. Robert Prentner is a philosopher of mind and consciousness researcher working alongside Donald Hoffman, co-authoring the *Conscious Agent Theory* — a radical scientific framework that challenges our deepest assumptions about reality.Buy The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes - https://amzn.to/42uSB11According to their work, we don’t perceive the world as it truly is. Our brains evolved not for truth, but for *useful illusion*. Space and time? Icons. Objects? Interface elements. And what you think of as “reality” may be nothing more than a simplified desktop, hiding the chaotic code beneath.Expect to learn why consciousness may be more fundamental than physics, how your brain isn’t conscious — but is simply a representation *within* consciousness, why evolution selected for perception that hides the truth, how AI may already be tapping into conscious patterns, the mind-bending evidence from game theory and mathematics that suggest reality is a constructed hallucination, the key differences between access and phenomenal consciousness, why psychedelics might tear open the interface, what it really means to say “space and time aren’t real,” how the Big Bang fits into this illusion — and much more…...02:08 Perception and Reality: An Introduction 05:05 The Interface Theory of Perception 07:59 Evidence for the Interface Theory 11:15 Complexity of Perception 14:01 Consciousness: Fundamental or Emergent? 17:07 Distinctions in Consciousness 20:05 Panpsychism and Consciousness 23:12 Icons and Their Meaning 25:58 Consciousness in the Animal Kingdom 29:16 Measuring Consciousness 32:10 Space and Time as Constructs 35:12 The Nature of Reality 38:03 Consciousness and the Big Bang 41:02 Experimental Paradigms in Consciousness Research 43:58 Consciousness and Biology 47:10 The Future of Consciousness Research 51:54 The Computability of Consciousness 54:28 Quantum Mechanics and Consciousness 58:25 Psychedelics and Consciousness 01:04:29 The Language of Consciousness 01:10:57 Living with Consciousness 01:17:22 AI and Consciousness ...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)

Dr. Paul Cisek is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Montreal, and focuses on understanding how the brain controls behaviour. Particularly through the lens of motor control and decision-making. His interdisciplinary approach combines neurophysiological recordings, computational modelling, and evolutionary biology to explore how the brain mediates interactions with the world. This type of knowledge makes for an incredibly interesting conversation!

Check out the Full Podcast with the amazing Dr Paul Cisek - https://youtu.be/C6frE6nj1tY

This Giant Moment was taken from #10 Behavioural Geneticist Dr Robert Plomin - How DNA impacts Personality and the Future of Genetic Testing and Manipulation

Check out the full episode here - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vIhY07qFBNms01I1yJvc2?si=InaapK9iTWKHJJU4me8TJQ

Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and one of the world's leading experts in consciousness research. His TED talk Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Experience has captivated over 17 million viewers, and his groundbreaking book Being You explores the incredible mystery of perception and consciousness.Buy Being You (It's Genuinely Great) - https://amzn.to/4ccATngYour brain is constantly hallucinating your reality—it's predicting, guessing, and making mistakes every moment of your life. Understanding these hallucinations can radically alter your view of what’s real, what’s illusion, and how your emotions are truly made.Expect to learn why the famous ‘dress illusion’ broke the internet, how your brain invents colours that don't objectively exist, why emotions aren't reliable signals but brain-generated best guesses, whether your kitchen exists when no one’s observing it, why AI might never experience true consciousness, how optical illusions reveal the brain’s hidden mechanisms, and much more...00:00 Why Your Brain Hallucinates Your Reality02:30 The Dress Illusion That Broke the Internet Explained07:15 Your Brain Lies About Color (and You Believe It)12:40 Messi-Shaped People: How Peripheral Vision Fools You17:35 The Shocking Truth About Optical Illusions23:10 Why Your Emotions Are Just Guesses from Your Brain29:02 The Rickety Bridge Experiment: Misunderstood Arousal34:00 Cold Showers, Pain, and How Your Brain Tricks You38:15 Does Your Kitchen Exist When Nobody Looks?43:50 Panpsychism, Conscious Agents, and Reality as an Illusion49:30 Why Consciousness Might Require Life54:05 Could AI Ever Become Truly Conscious?58:40 How to Know When Your Brain Is Lying to You1:02:30 The Strange World of Synesthesia: Letters Coming Out of Mouths1:06:10 Why Meditation Helps You Decode Your Brain’s Lies1:10:25 Anil Seth’s Biggest Insight from Studying Consciousness...Follow My Neuroscience Podcast - The Giants Shoulder Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=b33232eae67b4126Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/brief-enquiry-to-the-brain/id1752486249Get the Comfiest Sleep Mask on the Planet at https://bit.ly/4ilzfBL (use Code GIANTSMANTA10)