Today I’m speaking with Dr. Michael Shermer. Michael has been on the Joe Rogan podcast multiple times, is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the host of the Science Salon Podcast, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. For 18 years he was a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is also a New York Times best-selling author of such books as Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain.

I invited Michael on because I wanted to hear from a professional skeptic how to think critically so we get closer to the truth, which is what this entire podcast is all about. In this interview he shared techniques to avoid our brain tricking us into believing things that aren’t true, what Michael believes that many skeptics don’t, his take on UFO’s in light of government released video footage, how to improve our personality traits, how in the world birds could evolve wings, and much more.

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I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what you like about the podcast, what you don’t, ideas for future guests, etc:

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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Links to resources Michael mentioned:

Not Born Yesterday by Hugo Mercier

Rapoport’s Rules of Debate (Wiki)

Intelligence Squared Debates:

Unf*ckology by Amy Alkon

Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink

The Language Of God by Francis Collins

The Parasitic Mind by Gad Saad

Contents

[4:14]- Michael shares techniques to avoid our brain tricking us into believing things that aren't true.

[9:52]- Suggesting real high-level, civilized debate platforms.

[15:28]- Bill Eddy and his book "Why we elect sociopaths and narcissists".

[24:39]- Sharing current views about UFO's

[31:08]-Explaining capitalism and how poverty can be minimized in the world.

[39:36]-Sharing personal experiences with UFO's/Alien abductions

[44:49]-Bringing an end to psychosis, depression, suicide, violence, conflict, and war.

[50:58]-Motivation should be given to the people who are feeling low in their life

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Ravi Ravindra. He holds a PhD in physics and has held post-doctoral fellowships in Physics, History, Philosophy of Science and Religion. Ravi's spiritual search has led him to the teachings of Krishnamurti, G. Gurdjieff, Zen, Yoga, and a deep immersion in the mystical teachings of both the Indian and Christian classical traditions. He is the author of several books on religion, science, mysticism, and spirituality.

In this interview he shared the importance of picking a path and then sticking with it, the deeper purposes of spiritual practices rather than holding spiritual beliefs, the importance of seeing meditation not as something you only do sitting on the ground cross legged, why we can’t use our linguistic minds to answer the biggest questions of life, and much more.

Would love to hear from you! Let me know what you like about the podcast, what you don’t, etc:

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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Go to Ravi’s website here.

Here is Ravi’s guided meditation on YouTube

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Today I’m speaking with Bill Eddy who pioneered the High Conflict Personality Theory (HCP). He is both a therapist and a lawyer, practicing law in family court for 15 years and as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for 12 years. He has been an international speaker, has a popular blog on the Psychology Today website with over 3.5 million views, and is the author or co-author of sixteen books including the book we discuss today, Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths And How We Can Stop.

In this interview he shared the 4 characteristics of High Conflict Politicians,  why they need  targets of blame, why today’s media is perfect fuel for these personality types, lessons to learn from High Conflict Politicans of the past, how to spot High Conflict Politicians when you vote, and much more.

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Would love to hear from you! Let me know what you like about the podcast, what you don’t, etc:

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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Go to Bill’s website, The High Conflict Institute.

Get his book, Why We Elect Narcissists & Sociopaths And How We Can Stop! on Amazon.

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Andrew Holecek, who has studied and taught lucid dreaming, Tibetan Buddhism and other non-dual spiritual traditions for literally decades. In his early 20’s he had a transcendent experience that lasted 2 full weeks and was powerful enough to have him wondering whether he was losing his mind. Really. That flamed his interest in studying esoteric traditions for most of his life, so in this interview it was no surprise he blew me away with the depth of his knowledge on every single topic we touched on. 

In this interview he shares his current meditation practice, the role psychedelics can play in spiritual growth under the right conditions, the fine line between enlightenment and insanity, what happened when Ram Daas gave his guru 25 hits of acid, whether or not he believes the soul ever dies, a specific practice that uses the power of love to fuel our spiritual awakening, and much more.

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Would love to hear from you! Let me know what you find useful and what I can improve with my podcast. I’m here to serve you :).

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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Go to Andrew’s website to see his books and online courses on ludic dreaming, the art of dying, and more.

Go to Andrew’s online community called Night Club to connect with other people interested in lucid dreaming, meditation, etc. and get access to his interview series.

Today I’m speaking with Marisa Meddin. What makes Marisa fascinating is she works as a medium, helping people communicate with the deceased through her writing. Wait, what did I just say? I know it may sound unbelievable. But if Marisa can really do this, it may help us get closer to the truth to one of the deepest questions there is - namely, what happens after we die?

In this interview she shared why people are suspect of mediums, how she discovered her gift, something simple she does that makes her work less susceptible to bias, several examples of very specific facts coming through her writing that couldn’t have been researched or guessed, and much more. Enjoy.

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Would love to hear from you! Let me know what you like and what I can improve with my podcast. I’m here to serve YOU :).

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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To get a free example of the type of writings Marisa produces from loved ones who are no longer with us, go to https://marisameddin.com/

Today I’m talking to Jonathan Fischer, who has been a Certified Hypnotherapist for 14 years. Jonathan graduated from the only nationally-accredited school of hypnotherapy in the United States, and has been the chief hypnotist and sole content creator of Mindifi Hypnosis apps, which are used for self-improvement and have millions of downloads.

In this episode, we discuss the definition of hypnotherapy, how hypnotherapy works, and how everyday people can practice hypnotherapy to overcome their fears and break free of negative habits.

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Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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If you would like to have a free consultation with Jonathan or to just learn more about hypnotherapy, do visit http://www.mythicheart.com or email Jonathan at [email protected].

Okay, today is a little experiment in the form of a short betweenisode. I recently watched the romantic comedy Palm Springs on Netflix. Not only was it hilarious, it brought up some deep existential questions regarding time loops, the meaningful of life, and a hidden force behind love.

If you like this - or don’t - let me know:

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

If you hear a guest on another podcast you’d love me to interview, shoot me an email.

And don’t forget to leave reviews - helps me get the word out. Thanks!

Today I’m excited to welcome to the show Dr. Roger Walsh. For over 30 years Roger has been researching how to enhance well-being: pyschologically, socially and spiritually. He holds degrees in psychology, neuroscience and medicine, was a fulbright scholar, has met the dali lami on several occasions and has as his contemporaries people like Ram Das and Jack Kornfield.

Among his books is Higher Wisdom, where he along with his co-author interviewed people like Albert Hoffman, the inventor of LSD, and Stanislov Grof, one of the founders of the psychedelic therapy movement and someone who has supervised or led over 4000 guided LSD sessions.

In this interview he shared:

- what maps of post-conventional development are and why they should matter to us

- the dangers of studying maps of spiritual development

- why he believes what we consider normal is actually arrested development of the human potential

- what it was like for him to break the world record in high diving at the age of 23

- and much more.

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I’ve love to hear from you! What you like about the podcast, ideas for future guests, etc.

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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If you are interested in enhancing your spiritual and psychological well-being, do check out Roger’s website which contains various books, videos, and articles. In addition, here is Roger’s book Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind which deals with practices that tend to be universal across contemplative traditions. 

For concrete maps of psychological development, do check out Nine Levels Of Increasing Embrace In Ego Development by Susanne R. Cook-Greuter OR the Vertical Development Academy. 

Please leave a review on iTunes, subscribe, and share this podcast with your friends!

Today I’m interviewing paranormal Dream Researcher Andy Paquette. I wanted to have Andy on the show because he is one of the world’s foremost experts on precognitive dreams, that is, dreams that tell the future. Arguably he has had more precognitive dreams than anyone on the face of the planet so this is quite the special interview. I’ve occasionally had precognzitive dreams off and on for a number of years and so I wanted to pick his brain.

I’m curious about this topic because if it’s true that some dreams accurate predict the future in a way that can’t be explained by random chance, it then calls into question much of what he know about space and time, our mental abilities, and even our identity. It really could be a game changer and I feel it’s worth exploring to get closer to the truth of what’s happening here.

In this interview we cover:

- his precognitive dreams of 911 and the ramstein air show disaster

- how to recall more of your dreams

- the value of not always knowing the future

- studies of kids who potentially recall past lives

- and much more.

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I’ve love to hear from you! What you like about the podcast, ideas for future guests, etc.

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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If you are interested in parapsychology, or precognitive dreams, Andy recommends reading the research of prominent parapsychologist, Dr. Ian Stevenson, which deals not only with precognitive dreams but with reincarnation as well. 

If you what you hear please leave a 5-star rating for the Truth Junkie Podcast with Kevin Bates on iTunes, subscribe, and share this podcast with your friends!

To many, myself included, death is one of the scariest and most “real” topics that exists. That’s why today I’m super excited to welcome to the show Jane Whitlock.

Jane is a trained “death doula” who provides guidance for individuals and families during the end-of-life process. She started her work after taking care of her husband who died after a 4 month illness with kidney cancer.

In this interview she shares:

- what can happen to your values when you accompany people through the death process

- specific “death practices” you can model to remind yourself of the preciousness of life

- how to avoid critical mistakes that leave your family “holding the bag” after we pass

- how to live life so at the end you’re at peace

- how to handle the question of when to fight a diagnsosis and when to accept it

- and much more.

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I’ve love to hear from you! What you like about the podcast, ideas for future guests, etc.

Email: [email protected]

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

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If you or a loved one are looking for a death doula in the US, do refer to the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance. You can also look for resources on Doula Jane’s website. Here is Doula Jane’s TEDxMinneapolis Talk "What I Learned About Life from Death." And here is palliative medicine physician BJ Miller’s TED talk What Really Matters at the End of Life.

If you liked this episode, do leave a 5-star rating on iTunes, subscribe, and share this podcast with your friends!