Shows
Voices of EsalenTerence McKenna, Live at Esalen, 8/5/1997: "Aliens, AI , and Art"Over the course of this wide-ranging talk recorded live at Esalen in 1997 , Terence McKenna explores what may unfold as we begin handing the keys of what he calls a “tired, shattered planet” to a higher intelligence. He wanders through UFO belief systems, psychedelics, and the idea that the human brain itself might operate as a chemical strategy for amplifying quantum effects before they spill into the physical world.
Drawing on psychedelic experience, McKenna notes that many people who ingest high doses of psilocybin in silent darkness report hearing voices and encountering vivid visions; entry points into realms of dense, numinous info...
2026-01-131h 24
Voices of EsalenStanislav Grof on LSD Psychotherapy: Live Talk at Esalen, 1969Stanislav Grof, born in Prague in 1931, was among the most influential figures in the early clinical use of LSD. Sometimes referred to as the Godfather of psychedelic psychotherapy, Grof was was trained as a Freudian psychoanalyst in Prague and was on track to follow in Freud's footsteps when his path was derailed by a powerful LSD session. He changed his life path and became one of the principal investigators of early psychedelic research behind the Iron Curtain, conducting systematic LSD psychotherapy at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague.
Grof’s approach was largely psycholitic - meaning that in contrast to th...
2025-11-1349 min
Voices of EsalenFrom the Archives: John Lilly and the Quest for Satori (1971)Today we revisit a 1971 talk by Dr. John C. Lilly: physician, neuroscientist, tireless psychonaut, and one of the most audacious explorers of consciousness in the twentieth century.
John Lilly was a frequent teacher at Esalen and a close friend of Esalen co-founder Dick Price. He begins teaching at Esalen as early as 1968, focusing on what he called the human biocomputer and lecturing in part on “isolation, solitude, and confinement experiments.”
Lilly is widely known for three things; first, he invented the first isolation tank — a dark and silent vessel filled with a saline solution that is meant to suspend the body a...
2025-10-171h 22
Voices of EsalenEckhart Tolle at Esalen in June, 2001: The Power of NowIn June of 2001, the Esalen Institute hosted Eckhart Tolle for a weekend workshop. By that time, Tolle’s book The Power of Now had already begun an improbable ascent, exploding from a totally unknown into something of a cultural phenomenon.
The central insight of Eckhart Tolle’s work is that the future doesn’t hold your salvation, and it doesn’t pay to get lost in the past, either. What we long for, what we chase after, what we regret, all of it obscures the deeper truth: the only real place life exists is in this living present moment.
In this arc...
2025-10-031h 12
Voices of EsalenHow We’re Really Using AIWhat if AI was capable of being more than just a new and improved Google search? What if there was ways to harness its predictive powers for growth, self-realization, or even freedom?
Today we'll hear from four thinkers: Larissa Conte, a leadership guide and systems healer with a focus on power, on the principle of mutual co-enactment. Then we hear from Cecilia Callas, co-founder of The AI Salon, about convening global conversations that wrestle with the societal stakes of technology. Next is Sadia Bruce, Esalen’s Director of Product, who speaks candidly about using AI as an adjunct to therapy.
An...
2025-09-1842 min
Voices of EsalenFrom Pelvic Floor to Whole Self: A Conversation with Dr. Tia Ukpe-Wallace and Krishna DholakiaThe pelvis, home to our reproductive, digestive, and eliminatory systems, is responsive to stress, pregnancy, birth, hormones, lifestyle, and trauma. When balanced, it supports vitality and ease. When out of balance, it can profoundly affect quality of life.
Joining the conversation are two extraordinary practitioners:
Dr. Tia Ukpe-Wallace, an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist, yoga teacher, and founder of Self-Care Physio, whose own pelvic floor challenges and pregnancy loss fueled her passion for empowering women with knowledge and healing practices.
Krishna Dholakia, a nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and yoga and mindfulness teacher. Through her practice Om...
2025-09-101h 09
Voices of EsalenAlan Watts, interviewed by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy (1966) - Part TwoToday I’m super excited to present to you another episode from the Archives From this trove of 1/2 inch reel to reel tapes that we recently found mouldering in a storage facility near the Monterey Airport - a 1966 dialogue between Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and philosopher Alan Watts and today is PART TWO— notable for being one of the only instances I've encountered of Michael Murphy conducting an interview himself. But hey, when it’s Alan Watts, all bets are off.
So, first, who is Alan Watts? He’s born in England, but moved to the United States in 1938 to pursue Z...
2025-08-2634 min
Voices of EsalenAlan Watts, interviewed by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy (1966) - Part OneToday we present a rare archival conversation between Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and philosopher Alan Watts, recorded in 1966.
Watts, who taught at Esalen from its founding in 1962 until his death in 1973, was among the foremost interpreters of Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. In this wide-ranging dialogue, Watts articulates his theory of human evolutionary development through analytical consciousness and examines our species' complex relationship with the natural world.
The recording provides a glimpse into the intellectual atmosphere of Esalen's formative years, when interdisciplinary boundaries were fluid and fundamental questions about human nature were approached with imaginative freedom.
Enjoy part one of...
2025-08-1833 min
Voices of EsalenKen Robins (a.k.a. Dr. Love): A Somatic Journey from Trauma to TransformationKen Robins has been part of the beating heart of Esalen for many decades. A somatic Gestalt practitioner, couples counselor, and devoted early student of Dick Price, Will Schutz, Jessica Britt and many other Esalen legends, Ken has spent his adult life exploring the transformational power of relationship, presence, and the body’s innate wisdom.
In this conversation, Ken traces his unlikely journey from a violent and impoverished upbringing in postwar London to the barefoot wandering that eventually led him to Esalen in the late 1960s. Along the way, we discuss:
His early taste of encounter group work in the Be...
2025-08-0144 min
Voices of EsalenCaverly Morgan: The Self, The World, and the Space BetweenIn this episode of Voices of Esalen, Sam speaks with spiritual teacher, author, and nonprofit founder Caverly Morgan about the nature of personal ego as well as the collective ego that shapes our culture, relationships, and our sense of separation.
Named one of 2025’s powerful women in the mindfulness movement, Caverly brings a rare combination of Zen training, modern nondual wisdom, and deep relational insight to questions of identity, suffering, and awakening. In this episode she speaks about what it means to wake up together, the challenges of remaining present in a world built on distraction, and the role of co...
2025-07-1840 min
Voices of EsalenThe Esalen Check In: Part 3Last year we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). Some months later, a follow up episode dropped. This practice of the check-in is rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years. It's an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience, often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Today's episode is the logical continuation - Episode 3, feat. Rossano Shepherd, Peggy Horan, Jess Siller, Sawyer Lavelle, Shira Levine, and Sam Stern.
What you'll hear is real, authentic, and unscripted. While our participants were aware of being recorded, they spoke from the heart. We've...
2025-07-1233 min
Voices of EsalenCourage to Connect: Shame-Blocking and Flirtation Skills with Dr. Jacob ToweryIn this lively episode, psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Towery invites us into the heart of his upcoming Esalen workshop on overcoming shyness, releasing shame, and embracing authentic connection. A Stanford-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Towery works with adolescents and adults in private practice. His approach blends evidence-based therapy with playfulness, skillful vulnerability, and social courage.
Here, he guides live shame-blocking and flirtation exercises with two brave Esalen staff members, Liz Lea and Wuya Xu. What unfolds is a real-time demonstration of how presence, lightheartedness, and risk-taking can unlock more joy in our interactions.
Whether you’re looking to meet someone new, rekindle romance, or...
2025-06-3054 min
Voices of EsalenLiving Authentically: A Non-Binary Dialogue with Sarah/Sawyer Lavelle and Abigail/Bo BarnesIn this episode of Voices of Esalen, host Sam Stern sits down with two members of the Esalen community, Sarah Lavelle (also known as Sawyer) and Abigail Barnes (also known as Bo), for a heartfelt conversation about non-binary identity, self-expression, and the journey of living beyond the binary.
Topics include personal stories, pronouns, the evolving language of gender, and the beauty and difficulty of being one’s authentic self in a world still learning how to understand.
Sawyer is a longtime full-spectrum doula, facilitator, and devoted practitioner of meditation, Buddha-dharma, and Relational Gestalt Practice in the tradition of Dick Price an...
2025-05-1450 min
Voices of EsalenYou Were Never Just One Thing: Ramzi Fawaz and the Queer Potential of NowRamzi Fawaz is an award-winning queer cultural critic, public speaker, and educator. He is the author of two books, including "The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics" (2016), and "Queer Forms." (2022). In 2019-2020, Fawaz was a Stanford Humanities Center fellow. He is currently a Romnes Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Please be warned: this conversation is a firehose of brilliance. We cover a frankly outrageous number of topics, including: The politics and poetics of gender/ The radical imagination of the 1960s and 70s/ What happens when college students of today read manifestos from...
2025-04-0948 min
Voices of EsalenIda Rolf in Her Own Words: Lecture & Demo at Esalen (1967 Recording)Today, we're opening the vaults to share a rare and remarkable recording from Esalen’s rich historical archive: a 1967 lecture and live demonstration by none other than Dr. Ida Rolf, the pioneering founder of Structural Integration—more commonly known today as Rolfing.
But what is Rolfing? Often described as intense (and sometimes even painful), Rolfing is a powerful form of bodywork that focuses on the manipulation and realignment of connective tissue—fascia—to promote structural balance and physical freedom. Ida Rolf believed that by methodically reorganizing the body’s structure in gravity, not only could chronic pain and postural issues be resolve...
2025-03-311h 20
Voices of EsalenEsselen Tribe of Monterey County in Dialogue with Esalen Institute (Encore Presentation)Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.
Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administrator and Secretary, Publications Chair, and Cultural Resource Committee member. She also manages the Cultural Archeological Monitoring program and serves her Tribe in that capacity. She is dedicated to educations, and protecting and preserving the cultural he...
2025-03-2458 min
Voices of EsalenCosmic Frequencies: Doug McKechnie's Avant-Garde Moog Performance at Esalen (late 1960s)Once again, we’re diving deep into the Esalen archives to share a fascinating historical recording - this one featuring electronic music pioneer Doug McKechnie.
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Doug McKechnie was at the cutting edge of musical innovation, harnessing the revolutionary Moog synthesizer to create mesmerizing sounds. McKechnie was a contemporary of iconic figures like Wendy Carlos, known for the 1968 record "Switched-on Bach," a collection of pieces by Bach that were performed by Carlos on the Moog synthesizer. This album, which won a Grammy for Classical Album of the Year, played a key role in br...
2025-03-1758 min
Voices of EsalenRoots of Esalen: Richard Horan on Esalen's Garden Origins, Jade Carving, Psychedelics, and the Legendary Art BarnRichard Horan first arrived at Esalen in the mid 1960s, traveling from Los Angeles to Big Sur at the height of a cultural renaissance. He was an early member of the Esalen massage crew and played a pivotal role in founding the Esalen Garden, a space that continues to nourish the land and community today. He was also deeply involved in the psychedelic inquiry of the time.
Over the years, his connections to Esalen deepened: with Gabrielle Roth he had a son, Jonathan Horan. Later, he married Peggy Horan, and together they raised two daughters, Lucia and Jasmine.
Horan's purpose...
2025-03-1025 min
Voices of EsalenThe Esalen Check In: Part 2A few months ago we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). This practice, rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years is an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience. It's often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Today's episode is a continuation - Episode 2.
Our check-in features Alex Shepherd, Peggy Horan, Jess Siller, Faith Blakeney, Shira Levine, and Sam Stern.
What you'll hear is real. It is authentic and unscripted. While our participants were aware of being recorded, they spoke from the heart. We've made every effort to preserve the...
2025-02-2429 min
Voices of EsalenFrederic Spiegelberg's 1968 Talk at Esalen: "India and the Saints"Today we're opening up the vault to share an extraordinary archival recording from one of the most influential figures in Esalen's history, Frederic Spiegelberg — and while that name might not be as immediately recognizable as some of the luminaries who graced Esalen's grounds, like Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, or Gabrielle Roth, understanding Frederic Spiegelberg and his place in Esalen mythology might be key to understanding Esalen itself . . . because in truth, without Frederic Spiegelberg, there might well never have been an Esalen at all.
In 1950, Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy was just another Stanford student when he, by complete accident, attended one of...
2025-02-111h 02
Voices of EsalenMusic From the Big Sur Mountains (Archival recording, late 1960s/early 70s)For the past several years, I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with the famed and slightly disorganized Esalen archives, diving deep into the history of this extraordinary place. I’ve fashioned several multimedia talks out of the material that I’ve uncovered, one on the history of altered states at Esalen, another on the 1970s and 80s. And recently, I had one of those rare, thrilling moments that every archive enthusiast—every crate digger, like me—dreams of.
A while back, I made a trip out to a storage facility near the Monterey Airport, with the producer of this podca...
2025-02-0257 min
Voices of EsalenJosef London, Esalen's Superego, Reflects on Conflict, Loss, and 33 Years of Beloved ServiceJosef London has been a cornerstone of the Esalen community for more than 30 years. In our conversation Josef shares about the leap of faith that brought him to Esalen from Rio de Janeiro in search of healing, transformation, and a place to call home. Today, guests know him from the Gate; he is one of the first people they meet upon arriving at Esalen. He has a delightful smile, but what they may not know is that Josef is steeped in the philosophy of Gestalt, and that he is decidedly not conflict averse - rather, he believes that conflict is...
2024-11-1938 min
Voices of EsalenAkuyoe Graham: Spirit AwakeningAkuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since 1995, SA has been a pioneer in developing restorative, trauma-informed prevention and intervention programs to incarcerated and systems-involved young people in Los Angeles County. Using the tools of meditation, self-reflection, creative writing, visual arts, mentorship, service, and leadership training, all of which have been guided by evidence-based research, SAF is able to accomplish their mission to help underserved youth build character and raise self-esteem. Visit them and be inspired:
https://www.spiritawakening.org
And now for some...
2024-10-1448 min
Voices of EsalenShayla Love: The High-Stakes Game of Psychedelic Capitalism“All of these sort of regular things that biotech companies do, like snapping up patents so that they can get investor dollars moving forward, they’re intersecting with this culture in the psychedelics world, which is sort of anti-ownership. These forces will clash. They oppose with one another.” - Shayla Love, Vice Media
Shayla Love is a senior staff writer at Vice Media whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, the Guardian, and more. Her recent focus has been the field of psychedelics and how they exist and interact with the forces of what some ref...
2024-10-1437 min
Voices of EsalenSuzanne Simard: Finding the Mother TreeSuzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia as well as the author of the excellent new memoir, “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.”
Suzanne is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; she’s been hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in a way that is dazzling and profound. Her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide. Together, we discussed her scientific findings, the dangers of deforestation, how her literary and scientific proclivities intertwine, and what it’s like to have a...
2024-10-1445 min
Voices of EsalenJustin Michael Williams: Fear and FaithJustin Michael Williams is an author, speaker and musician who works at the intersection of social justice, mindfulness, and personal growth. Justin has become a pioneering voice of color for the new healing movement. His mission is to make sure that all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives. Together, we discussed the science of transformation, what it means to combat forces of oppression (in a healthy way), identity labels (and how they function for good and for bad within the activist framework), what it means to go beyond anti-racism, Justin's current...
2024-10-1459 min
Voices of EsalenJack Kornfield's 1983 Talk at Esalen: My Dharma JourneyThis episode captures Jack Kornfield's lecture/ Dharma talk at Esalen on September 15th, 1983. Kornfield, one of the most articulate and compassionate voices in modern Western Buddhism, is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah, about whom he speaks at length in this lecture. Kornfield has taught meditation worldwide since 1974 and is considered one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practices to the West. He’s the author of a host of boo...
2024-10-141h 14
Voices of EsalenEncore Presentation: Jeffrey Kripal on the Cultural History of EsalenJeff Kripal is a historian of religions - his work includes the study of comparative erotics and ethics in mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religions, and the history of Western esotericism from gnosticism to New Age religions. He’s also the author of the book "Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion" - a must read for anyone interested in unpacking the conditions of history surrounding Esalen’s birth in the early sixties.
This interview was originally published in 2016.
Coming up at Esalen:
The Embodied Life™: Presencing and Re-Visioning. December 10 to 12th 2021, with Russell Delman and Linda Evans...
2024-10-1451 min
Voices of EsalenQ and A with SamA glimpse under the hood at Voices of Esalen. Host Sam Stern interviews himself, entertaining questions such as How and why did you start Voices of Esalen - What was the first episode of the show and what was it about ? - Were the first episodes popular ? How many people listened to them? - What are your favorite podcasts and who are your favorite hosts? - Who have been some of your favorite people to talk to? - What is the most challenging thing about hosting a podcast ? - What episode gave you some simple practical advice? - What concepts...
2024-10-141h 04
Voices of EsalenAlbert Hoffman: Stan Grof Interviews Hoffman at Esalen, 1984Today we celebrate Bicycle Day, a modern semi-holiday (unrecognized by official governmental agencies yet observed by psychedelic enthusiasts across the globe) that commemorates Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman’s bike ride home from his lab on April 19th, 1943, after ingesting 250 micrograms of lysergic acid diethlymide, and in the process creating the world's first recorded intentional LSD trip. When Hoffman originally synthesized the compound in 1938, in the Sandoz Pharmeacuticals laboratory, in Basel, he had deemed it next to useless, and put it up on the shelf to be forgotten - but five years later, something within him told him to take a se...
2024-10-141h 01
Voices of EsalenJack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman: Hatred Never Ceases by HatredWelcome to a Voices of Esalen archive edition. Our featured lecture was delivered at Esalen as a part of a weeklong training in 2018, by wise teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman.
Jack Kornfield is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma, and has taught meditation internationally since 1974 .After graduating from Dartmouth College in Asian Studies in 1967 he joined the Peace Corps and worked on tropical medicine teams in the Mekong River valley. He later met and studied as a monk...
2024-10-141h 06Voices of EsalenEncore Presentation: Akuyoe Graham on Spirit Awakening Foundation and EsalenAkuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since its inception in 1995, SAF has been a pioneer in developing and offering restorative, trauma-informed, prevention and intervention programs to underserved, incarcerated and systems-involved youth in Los Angeles County.
Akuyoe speaks about how difficult and broken the juvenile justice system is, what tools she gives the participants in her program to empower them, including meditation, writing, and dramatic arts, and how the young people of Spirit Awakening Foundation have come several times to Esalen institute for a...
2024-10-141h 10
Voices of EsalenEncore Presentation: Michael Pollan at Esalen Psychedelic Integration Conference, 2019Today our episode is an encore presentation of Michael Pollan’s keynote presentation at the 2019 Psychedelic Integration Conference at the Esalen Institute. Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, including 2018’s “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.” This tome has become a four-part Netflix show, also entitled “How to Change Your Mind.” Pollan gives a great speech here, touching upon the pervasiveness of the human tendency to want to change consciousness, the ways that noetic understanding can add to healing on the psychedelic journey, the...
2024-10-141h 03
Voices of EsalenEsselen Tribe of Monterey County in Dialogue with Esalen InstituteToday we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October, 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.
Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administrator and Secretary, Publications Chair, and Cultural Resource Committee member. She also manages the Cultural Archeological Monitoring program and serves her Tribe in that capacity. She is dedicated to educations, and protecting and preserving the cultural he...
2024-10-1458 min
Voices of EsalenAdam Bramlage: Microdosing 101Adam Bramlage is Founder and /CEO of Flow State Micro, a functional mushroom company and microdosing education platform. Adam has helped hundreds of people, from professional athletes to people suffering from addiction and depression, achieve results through microdosing in his private practice. This interview gives the basics of microdosing; it's a great primer for anyone just at the beginning of their journey.
Adam will be hosting a webinar with psychedelic pioneer and the father of modern microdosing Dr. James Fadiman, PhD, live from Esalen on January 14th. It's called Microdosing: The Safe, Surprising and Emerging Psychedelic Frontier. To sign up...
2024-10-1433 min
Voices of EsalenDarnell Walker: Seeking AsylumDarnell Walker is Esalen's artist in residence for Spring 2021. Darnell is a writer and creator of children’s media, as well as a powerful documentary filmmaker - his efforts include 2015’s Seeking Asylum, which explored Black Americans’ desires to escape American tyranny and widespread police violence for safer lands, Outside the House, which focuses on Black mental health, and Set Yourself on Fire, a film about sexual violence, . His work investigates education and revolution, with a strong first-person point of view informed by an inspiring DIY ethic. Together we explored his body of work, modes of creativity, and the kind of cha...
2024-10-1452 min
Voices of EsalenKeith Thompson on early Esalen, the Center For Theory and Research, and Paranormal Human PotentialKeith Thompson is an author, independent journalist, talk radio host, and former U.S. Senate staff member. Keith’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Esquire and the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s the author of the new book, The UFO Paradox: The Celestial and Symbolic World of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, in which he reveals how the UFO phenomenon ultimately represents a call from the cosmos for humanity to open to greater dimensions of reality and recognize that our understanding of the universe is still far from complete.
Together we talked about how he discovered Esalen in 1975 from a New Y...
2024-10-1145 min
Voices of EsalenThe Esalen Check-In (Episode 1)Today we have a special episode. We're bringing you something unique and powerful: a real Esalen check-in. This practice, rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years, has become a cornerstone of the Esalen experience, often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Our check-in features an incredible group of people: full-time staff members Nani Almanza, Jess Siller, Alex Shepherd, Sam Stern, and Shira Levine, as well as Faith Blakeney, a participant in the LEEP and REEP residential programs.
What you'll hear is real. It is authentic and unscripted. While our participants were...
2024-09-2533 min
Voices of EsalenAndrew Weil's 1985 Lecture at Esalen on Psychedelic Drugs (MDMA, Peyote, Marijuana)Today our episode centers on a talk given at Esalen in 1985 by Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Weil is a prominent figure and a trailblazer in the field of integrative medicine, which combines conventional medical practices with alternative and complementary therapies such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, and mind-body techniques. (All of this of course used to be rather fringe; Esalen in the 1980’s, was a bit fringe, too. Nowadays, things like acupuncture and herbal medicine raise nary an eyebrow, and Esalen, to be honest, is pretty darn mainstream too.)
On this date in 1985, Dr. Weil speaks about various drugs and psychedelics, as...
2024-09-0441 min
Voices of EsalenHan Ren on Decolonizing Mental HealthDr. Han Ren is a practitioner of decolonial mental health: she offers liberation-oriented, anti-oppressive, culturally informed therapy, and practices from a justice-oriented, systems-informed framework. Some of her specialties include Asian-American mental health, anxiety, perfectionism, high achievers, children of immigrants/third culture kids, anti-racism, and parenting. Dr. Ren is also a force to be reckoned with on TikTok, amassing a large following on a platform she uses in an attempt to make therapy accessible and applicable to our everyday lives. Together we talked about how white supremacy can be internalized, what it looks like when you center BIPOC mental health in...
2024-09-0453 min
Voices of EsalenBlue Mind Summit, Pt. 1: Wallace J. Nichols on The Healing Powers of WaterToday's episode is part of a series of panels presented at the 9th annual Blue Mind Summit at the Esalen Institute in the summer of 2019. The Blue Mind summit is the brainchild of Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, whose stated mission is to create the new story of water and share it with the world, focusing on the cognitive, emotional, psychological, social, physical, and spiritual benefits that we can derive from healthy waters throughout our lives. By connecting neuroscientists and psychologists with aquatic experts and artists, Dr. Nichols advocates for the health and well-being of people and planet earth. He is...
2024-09-0452 min
Voices of EsalenAdele Lafrance on Psychedelic Therapy for Eating DisordersDr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine. Currently, she is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa.
We talked about her history as a clinician, and why she believes psychedelics may offer a different and perhaps more successful way of treating eating disorders than traditional methods. We also spoke about a system she developed known as emotion-focused family therapy. Dr. Lafrance believes emotion focused family therapy...
2024-09-0445 min
Voices of EsalenJJ Jeffries on Pathways to Joy and His Esalen JourneyKnown to the masses as simply "JJ," JJ Jeffries is a recognizable figure on the Esalen campus, meeting and greeting arrivals with a kind and pleasant vibe, as well as a memorably dry sense of humor. Mentor, Gestalt and Embodied Awareness practitioner, musician, and memory-keeper, JJ teaches a host of classes at Esalen, including "How to Drop Into Esalen" and his suite of "Pathways to Joy" offerings.
JJ describes his pre-Esalen self as a “clueless yokel from Indiana” — the middle child of six boys, “born poor, perpetually confused, raised on corn and really bad TV.” Until he hit his stride at 22, whe...
2024-08-051h 05
Voices of EsalenSnow Raven, Live at Esalen - Shamanistic Spirit, Arctic BeatboxSnow Raven, also known as Suor, a performer from the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Arctic Siberia, now residing in the United States, performed live at Esalen Institute this winter, during our Go Within Series. Snow Raven is renowned for her unique blend of traditional shamanic practices and modern electronic music, which she uses to connect with and teach about her indigenous culture.
Snow Raven's artistic practice is rooted in neo-shamanism. She believes in the interconnectedness of all things. This philosophy extends to her use of technology, which she views as a natural extension of human innovation. She has collaborated...
2024-06-2747 min
Voices of EsalenSravana Borkataky-Varma on Tantra, Subtle Bodies, Ritual, Prana, and EsalenSravana Borkataky-Varma is a historian, educator, and social entrepreneur. As a historian, she studies Indian religions focusing on esoteric rituals and gender, particularly in Hindu traditions (Goddess Tantra). As an educator, she is the Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Houston. At present, she is a Center for the Study of World Religions fellow at Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University. In the past, she has taught at Harvard University, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, the University of Montana, and Rice University.
Sravana is currently working on no less than four book projects: Divinized Divas: Superwomen, Wives, Hijṛās in Hin...
2024-06-0541 min
Voices of EsalenGrounded in Movement: Andrea Juhan on Encounter, Open Floor, and the Healing Power of EsalenDr. Andrea Juhan is a revered figure in the realms of somatic psychotherapy, dance, and yoga. With over forty years dedicated to exploring embodiment through diverse avenues—be it bodywork, somatic psychotherapy, or dance—Dr. Juhan has profoundly impacted the fields of mindful movement and therapeutic practices.
Andrea is not only a licensed Marriage and Family Psychotherapist but also holds a Ph.D. in Dance and Movement Therapy. Her commitment to the development of body awareness and embodied movement practices has guided hundreds of movement teachers, psychotherapists, and healthcare professionals.
As a co-founder of Open Floor International, Andrea has helped fost...
2024-05-1051 min
Voices of EsalenStephen Dubner: Freakonomics, Feynman, AI, and the Future of WorkStephen Dubner is the New York Times best-selling author and host of the podcast Freakonomics. I met Stephen when he and his Freakonomics crew came to Esalen for an on-site interview that centered around deceased Nobel Prize winner and occasional Esalen lecturer Richard Feynman. Feynman assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II; later in his career, he investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
During the 1980s, in Big Sur, three women who had experience with underground psychedelic therapy, Debby Harlow, Barbara Berg, and Cheryl Haley, initiated Feynman through the psychedelic experience. Now, the Freakonomics team...
2024-03-1639 min
Voices of EsalenBig Sur Folk Festival 1969: Part OneFeast your ears on this little gem from our archives - a partial recording of the Big Sur Folk Festival of 1969, which was also captured in a documentary film called "Celebration at Big Sur," directed by Baird Bryant and Johanna Demetrakas, from which this recording was culled.
The Big Sur Folk Festival occurred September 13th and 14th of '69, about a month after Woodstock, and it featured some of the same performers, including Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and John Sebastian, who had left the Lovin' Spoonful the year earlier. The lineup, while not quite at the Woodstock level was st...
2024-02-0837 min
Voices of EsalenOur Ancient Kinship with the Wild: A Conversation with Noël Vietor & Fletcher Tucker of WildtenderIn this particular moment, there is a call to reawaken our inherent belonging to the Earth and to cultivate a relationship with the land that is based on mutual respect, deep listening, and coexistence. Wildtender answers that call.
Noël Vietor and Fletcher Tucker are co-founders of Wildtender. They offer immersive wilderness programs that cultivate intimacy with the natural world, connect with wisdom traditions, and nurture human wholeness. Today, in this conversation, Noël and Fletcher guide us through their philosophy, which is rooted in the ancient paths of kincentric animism, embodied awareness, and the deep, interconnected wisdom of living be...
2024-02-021h 00
Voices of EsalenVertical Vibrations: Laraaji's Dance with Time, Music, and Cosmic Laughter - Live at EsalenLaraaji is often thought of as one of progenitors of new age music. He was discovered by Brian Eno while playing meditational music in Washington Square Park in the early 1980's. After studying classical composition at Howard University’s College of Fine arts from 1962 to 1964, Laraaji was initially drawn to the world of stand-up comedy, which he excelled in. He was featured in the movie Putney Swope, but though the career path of an actor did not blend well enough with his interest in spirituality, laughter remained a key trope in the composition of his life. His playful, trickster persona pl...
2024-01-161h 11
Voices of EsalenHarmonizing with the Uncanny: Sam Recaps 2023 and AI's Surreal Audio InnovationsGood gracious. 2023 was a heck of a year: Not only did Voices of Esalen pass the 1 million download marker, yes indeed, but we had a host of superb guests, and I managed to make friends with the AI and not get replaced - yet.
Beyond the walls of Esalen, 2023 was a little terrifying - by all accounts it was the hottest year in recorded history; according to European Union scientists, global temperatures have not been this high in 125,000 years. Ukraine’s counteroffensive fizzled, and in the United States, Ukraine fatigue set in among lawmakers who dug in their heels against se...
2023-12-2941 min
Voices of EsalenTerence McKenna, Rupert Sheldrake and Ralph Abraham: Trialogue at Esalen, 9/8/89 Pt. 1Please note that Terence McKenna spools forth a kind of complicated, highly erudite babble of text that is designed to be imbibed or absorbed in an almost osmotic fashion. His words don’t necessarily need to be decoded; they can simply be enjoyed, for their texture, for their sound, and absolutely for their message, though the message is often so abstract or so dense or so inventive so as to render it difficult to comprehend. Here are his words, from a random Terence talk delivered at Esalen in 1992: “Our task is not to understand. It is to appreciate.” Yes indeed.
Rupert...
2023-12-2154 min
Voices of EsalenNeil Baldwin on Esalen of the '80's: Gestalt, Gazebo, and Psychic PhenomenaNeil Baldwin is a longtime Esalen community member and preschool teacher, first with Esalen's Gazebo Preschool, established 1977, and now with Big Sur Park School, still located at Esalen. Neil came to Esalen from England in the early 1980’s at the behest of a psychic named Jenny O’Connor. He would end up living at Esalen for more than two decades, working in a great many capacities over the years, and finally settling into his zone of genius, at the Gazebo preschool, where he held sway as a trusted and beloved park keeper and teacher. In this chat, Neil and I disc...
2023-11-1440 min
Voices of EsalenTerence McKenna: The Stoned Ape Hypothesis (8/22/92)Today, we're taking a journey into the Esalen archives to explore the thought-provoking theories of Terence McKenna - an Esalen luminary if there’s ever been one - a thinker who's had a profound impact on modern culture, particularly regarding our understanding of altered states of consciousness.
For those of you who've been with us on this Voices of Esalen journey for a while, you'll know that this isn't our first foray into the world of Terence McKenna - he lectured at Esalen hundreds of times, and we've featured his insights in multiple previous episodes.
But I believe that the mo...
2023-10-0540 min
Voices of EsalenKen Dychtwald: Radical Curiosity, Esalen Memories, and His Life on the Age WaveDr. Ken Dychtwald is best described as a visionary thinker - he’s a psychologist, a gerontologist, a masterful public speaker, and the best-selling author of more than 19 books. Ken has dedicated his life's work to understanding the implications of human potential for all people. Over the course of his career, he has become one of America’s foremost authorities on aging-related issues, shaping our understanding of lifestyle, marketing, healthcare, economics, and the workforce, all in the context of an evolving and aging society.
Ken Dychtwald is the co Founder and CEO of Age Wave, an acclaimed think tank and cons...
2023-09-0739 min
Voices of EsalenTune In, Turn On, Drop Out: Timothy Leary's 1981 Talk at EsalenToday we’re proud to present a recording from the Esalen archives: Timothy Leary, speaking to a rapt audience in June of 1981. Leary rose to national prominence in the early 1960’s, as a clinical psychologist from Harvard who along with Richard Alpert was eventually fired for introducing students to mushrooms and LSD.
After his dismissal from the realm of the Ivy League, Leary’s mystique only grew. In 1964, Leary and Alpert visited Esalen for the first time, where they ended up taking LSD with among others, Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy. In 1966, Leary attempted unsuccessfully to form a religion based around the id...
2023-05-3048 min
Voices of EsalenLife and Death with BJ Miller: A Live Conversation at Esalen InstituteBJ Miller is a renowned palliative care physician, author, and speaker. Well known for his 2015 TED Talk ”What Really Matters at the End of Life,” which has been viewed over 10 million times, BJ is a thought leader in the field of conscious dying.
When he was a sophomore at Princeton University, BJ experienced a tragic accident that resulted in the loss of three of his limbs. He followed a path in the medical field, and fell in love with palliative care while in residency. He has been helping patients and their families ever since.
In this live conversation at the Esal...
2023-02-161h 10
Voices of EsalenDeborah Eden Tull's Dharma Talk at Esalen, January 18, 2023Deborah Eden Tull is the founder of Mindful Living Revolution - a deeply experienced and respected dharma teacher, Tull is a spiritual activist, author, and sustainability educator. She has taught engaged meditation for over 20 years and trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery. With a focus on post-patriarchal thought and practices, Eden integrates compassionate awareness into her offerings, bridging personal and collective awakening in an age of global change.
In this podcast, we’ll be playing a talk that Eden gave to the Esalen community on January 18th, 2023. In it, she ex...
2023-02-0331 min
Voices of EsalenIsmail Ali: A Psychedelic Policy Deep-DiveIsmail Lourido Ali, J.D. is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Ismail advocates to eliminate barriers to psychedelic therapy and research, develops and implements legal and policy strategy, and supports MAPS’ strategy, organizational development, and ethics work. Ismail is a founding Board member of the Psychedelic Bar Association and also presently serves on the Board of Directors for Sage Institute in the California Bay Area. Ismail advises, is formally affiliated with, or has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations in the drug policy reform ecosystem, including Students for Sensible Drug Po...
2022-03-1158 min
Voices of EsalenPayton Nyquvest: Psychedelic Healing and Psychedelic Therapy in the For-Profit SpacePayton Nyvquest is Co-founder and CEO of Numinus, a for-profit psychedelic company based in Canada that empowers people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies. Payton has more than 15 years experience working in finance, investment and retail banking. He pivoted to the emerging psychedelics industry not long after ayuasahca helped him experience deep relief from a lifelong battle with chronic pain. At Numinus, he guides teams in strategy, innovation, research and clinic network expansion and is responsible for raising more than $70 million for Numinus in the past year.
Together we talked about...
2022-01-2738 min
Voices of EsalenJon Hopkins: Music for Psychedelic TherapyJon Hopkins is a Grammy-nominated electronic musician and producer who’s collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno and Coldplay, scored award winning films such as Gareth Edwards’ "Monsters," and has recently released his sixth studio album, Music For Psychedelic Therapy, which aims to function as a trusted and luminous guide for an hour-long psychedelic experience. We unpack his creative process and hopes for this hour-long album, which is specifically designed to mirror length of a therapeutic ketamine journey. We also got into a fascinating conversation about what other recording artists provided inspiration for creating music for psychedelic journeys.
Coming Soon...
2021-12-101h 10
Voices of EsalenJazsalyn: black beyondJazsalyn is the creative and curatorial Director of black beyond, a radical space for artists and activists to define alternate realities for Blackness. As an anti-disciplinary artist, she combines new media and community organizing practices to reimagine Black futures and to decolonize and re-indigenize social and creative practice. Her work has been featured in CULTURED Magazine, Vogue, The New Yorker, and Huffington Post.
Jazsalyn was interviewed for today’s episode by Michelle McCrary. Michelle is a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, mother, wife, and friend who lives on occupied Duwamish land in the Pacific Northwest. She has roots in Coastal Georgia, Sou...
2021-11-1354 min
Voices of EsalenSandor Katz: Fermentation JourneysSandor Katz has taught hundreds of workshops demystifying fermentation and empowering people to reclaim this transformational process. His book, "The Art of Fermentation" received a James Beard award and was a finalist at the International Association of Culinary Professionals. in 2009, he was named one of Chow magazine’s top “provacateurs, trendsetters, and rabble-rousers.” This self-described "fermentation fetishist" treats us to a discussion of his new book, Fermentation Journeys. We talk about food writing and favorite food writers, the benefits of fermentation, being an adventurer in the kitchen, and what's fermenting in his refrigerator.
Coming soon at Esalen:
Gratitude Healing Wisdom for Mo...
2021-10-3044 min
Voices of EsalenVivien Sansour on the Palestine Heirloom Seed LibraryVivien Sansour is the founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library. Trained in the field of Anthropology, Vivien has worked with farmers worldwide on issues relating to agriculture and independence. She is a 2020-2021 Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative Fellow at Harvard University where she is working on an autobiographical book documenting her work saving seeds in Palestine and around the world. Together we discussed how food sovereignty aligns with the struggle of Palestinian resistance , how biodiversity reflects and intersects with cultural diversity, how the military occupation of Palestine affects the farming practices that go on there, and how love i...
2021-10-1850 min
Voices of EsalenAyana Young: For the WildAyana Young is a protector of wild nature and host of the podcast For the Wild - an interview-based show that examines and champions intersectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology, and land-based restoration. Topics include the Future History of Water, Queering Permaculture, Unruly Beauty, the Divine Time of Fungal Evolution, the Violence of Globalization, and much more. Together we talked about capitalisim, her involvement with the early stages of Occupy Wall Street, why she lives off the grid and how exactly that works with being an activist and media producer, the manner in which she curates her guests and c...
2021-08-191h 07
Voices of EsalenRichie Reseda and Indigo Mateo: Question Culture and Fighting Patriarchy in Prison SystemsRichie Reseda and Indigo Mateo are the co-owners and founders of Question Culture, an activist-artistic art label whose projects support grassroots organizing. Richie Reseda is an abolistionist-feminist, formerly incarcerated in the state of California and the subject of the CNN documentary" Feminist in Cell Block Y," a film that chronicles his journey educating and combatting toxic masculinity within the walls of the prison system. Indigo Mateo is a singer, healer, abolitionist, survivor, and artist. She’s releasing her sophomore album on the label this summer. Indigo met Richie while visiting him in prison; her partner, 88, also an artist on the Qu...
2021-07-231h 07
Voices of EsalenReverend Bodhi Be: Dying WellReverend Bodhi Be is the Executive Director of "Doorway into Light," a non-profit that seeks to re-invent and revolutionize the funeral home and the funeral industry, transforming the “business of dying” and returning it to “sacred service." Bodhi is an ordained minister in the universal Sufi lineage, an independent funeral director, hospice volunteer, end-of-life bereavement counselor, as well as a grandparent, coffin maker, death doula, educator, artist, and entrepreneur. He lives on Maui, where he is also the founder and president of the Death Store, Hawaii's only community educational resource center and store for those who are living with a life-t...
2021-06-1052 min
Voices of EsalenBill Donius: Unlock Your BrainBill Donius is the New York Times Best Selling author of Thought Revolution: How to Unlock your Inner Genius. Bill is the creator of a simple but powerful methodology designed to unlock potential in all areas of your life by using your non-dominant hand as a direct pipeline to right-brain wisdom. Bill is an innovator, a facilitator, former CEO of a major bank, and a member of Esalen’s board of trustees. He’s helped major corporations and organizations all over the world tap into their creativity and intuition.
And now this ... Are you looking for support in navigating the uniq...
2021-05-1429 min
Voices of EsalenThe Psychedelic Moment, Pt. 9: Sara Gael on Psychedelic Harm Reduction and the Zendo ProjectSara Gael is the Harm Reduction Officer at the MAPS-sponsored Zendo project. Sara received her master's degree in transpersonal counseling psychology at Naropa University. She started working with MAPS in 2012, coordinating psychedelic harm reduction services at festivals and events worldwide with the Zendo project.
Sara served as Director of Harm Reduction at MAPS from 2017 to 2020, and she continues to train individuals and organizations in principles of psychedelic peer support. Sara is a therapist for MAPS clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in Boulder. She also maintains a private practice as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, integration, Non-ordinary States of...
2021-04-1642 min
Voices of EsalenThe Psychedelic Moment, Pt. 8: Terence Ching on Intersectionality in MDMA Research StudiesTerence Ching is a US-based Chinese Singaporean currently completing his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut. Terence has assumed a co-therapist role in a MAPS-sponsored trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, where he infused the research process with culturally-informed recruitment and assessment procedures. Terence is working on his doctoral dissertation with an emphasis on examining possible differences in efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD between white participants and participants of color across MAPS-sponsored study sites. We spoke about intersectionality, diversity with regards to identity, and how psychedelics can change conditions previously thought of as intractable, such...
2021-04-0255 min
Voices of EsalenDeborah Medow on Massage, Magic, and Mischief: Fifty Years at EsalenDeborah Medow is an Esalen legend. She came to Big Sur and the Esalen Institute in the late 1960’s, and found it so much to her liking that she never left. Deborah was an early acolyte of Dick Price, who encouraged her to become one of Esalen’s first yoga teachers. Deborah found her home as a massage therapist, where, as part of an early crew that featured trailblazers like Peggy Horan, Brita Ostrom, and Vicki Topp, she helped to develop and shepherd a school of touch that would influence practitioners around the world. Through more than 50 years of service to E...
2020-12-1155 min
Voices of EsalenMaija West: The True Meaning of ThanksgivingMaija West is the CEO and a Founding Board Member of the Healing and Reconciliation Institute, which weaves together opportunities to take responsibility for historical and ongoing traumas to invoke a shared humanity. On the occasion of Thanksgiving, Esalen’s Christine Chen spoke to West, an trusted educator and facilitator who often speaks on behalf of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, to offer perspectives on the story of Thanksgiving, as well as sharing guidance about learning and allyship with coastal tribal communities in and around Esalen Institute.
Esalen Institute is in a long-term, ongoing educational process in partnership with the...
2020-11-2625 minVoices of EsalenTerence McKenna's 1992 Talk at Esalen, Part Two: Politics and EthosToday, another archive edition. We’re presenting part two of a lecture series given at Esalen in 1992 by the one and only Terence McKenna, ethnobotanist, mystic, psychedelic adventurer. The talk is entitled "Politics and Ethos," but as you’ll hear, McKenna forsakes those topics quickly in favor of a more robust discussion that includes shamanism, synesthesia, paranormal phenomena, climatology, astronomy, renaissance humanism, and telepathy-- all of this subsumed within the discourse of the psychedelic experience.
It’s good fun to listen to McKenna’s playful explorations with language - for example, some of his ecstatic phrasings include references to “the heaving noti...
2020-11-131h 00Voices of EsalenTerence McKenna's 1992 Talk at Esalen: Politics and EthosThis Archive Edition of Voices of Esalen features a talk by the inimitable Terence McKenna, delivered at Esalen in August 1992. For those not familiar with his work, McKenna was the ultimate psychedelic intellectual: an acclaimed ethnobotanist, mystic, and hyper-articulate lecturer, he spoke and wrote fluently about a variety of subjects, including entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, semiotics, technology, futurism, environmentalism, and human consciousness, to name only a few. His rambling brand of wisdom is admittedly sometimes challenging to decrypt, yet his admirers find that a McKenna lecture is always worth the time, and that the wisdom of the words, even those which defy r...
2020-11-0641 minVoices of EsalenAbraham Maslow's 1966 Lecture at Esalen: Motivations of Self-Actualized PeopleThis archival talk was delivered at the Esalen institute in September of 1966 by famed American psychologist Abraham Maslow, best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated around the idea that the most basic or pressing needs, like food, safety and security, must first be satisfied in order to address needs such as love and belonging, esteem, and finally, self-actualization. Maslow and his school of humanistic psychology was extraordinarily important for Esalen’s development in its early years. Maslow's curiosity about the psychological development of basically normal and healthy individuals in part formed the foun...
2020-10-3055 minVoices of EsalenJames Fadiman: a Psychedelic History LessonJames Fadiman is known as the author of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide and as one of America's most well-known proponents of microdosing. While a Harvard undergrad, he was the "teacher's pet" of Ram Dass, then known as Richard Alpert; as a graduate student at Stanford University, he became a research assistant at Myron Stolaroff's famed International Foundation for Advanced Study, an early non-profit situated in Menlo Park that guided the uninitatited into the psychedelic experience and studied the outcomes. Fadiman was also one of the first teachers at the Esalen Institute, beginning in the fall of 1962 with the workshop "The...
2020-10-2343 min
Voices of EsalenJasmine Star Horan on Experimental Early Childhood Education at EsalenJasmine Star Horan is the author of “The Gazebo Learning Project: A Legacy of Experiential & Experimental Early Childhood Education at Esalen.” The Gazebo School is a somewhat legendary institution, encapsulated with the Esalen institute, founded in the mid-1970's by Janet Lederman, one of the early outdoor preschools. Jasmine Horan was born at Esalen - she is the daughter of foundational massage teacher Peggy Horan and sister of Lucia Horan, noted 5 Rhythms teacher. Jasmine attended the Gazebo preschool as a child, where she grew up in an environment where the opportunity for free play and free choice was constant. Child-centered lear...
2020-09-1851 min
Voices of EsalenStanislav Grof in 1985 : Transpersonal Psychology and Quantum PhysicsArchive Edition: Today we're pleased to bring you an interview conducted on August 5th, 1985, with the godfather of psychedelic psychotherapy, Stanislav Grof. At this point, Grof had been a scholar-in-residence at Esalen for more than ten years. The interview was conducted at Esalen by a young Perry Holloman, now a well-known figure at Esalen himself, having become over the course of his career an accomplished bodyworker and beloved Gestalt therapist. During this recording, he and Stan investigate the emergent tendencies of transpersonal psychology, and the context from which they emerged out of Abraham Maslow's and Tony Suttich's Humanistic psychology, touching...
2020-05-0850 min
Voices of EsalenRam Dass's 1987 Lecture at Esalen: "The Compassionate Heart"A Voices of Esalen Archive Edition: Ram Dass speaks at the Esalen Institute on October 18th, 1987.
Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert in 1931. Initially famous for being part of the Timothy Leary-led LSD revolution at Harvard in the early 1960’s, he was also well known for his book "Be Here Now," a kind of illustrated counter-cultural Bible written in 1971 which drew upon many of the transformative experiences he'd undergone during his spiritual travels in India.
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Ram Dass was also known for his kindness, his leadership, and the inventive foundations he started: notably, the SEVA foundation, which he speaks about in depth in...
2020-03-0257 min
Voices of EsalenZak Dychtwald on Young China: The Restless GenerationZak Dychtwald is the author of "Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World." Zak, a second-generation Esalen thought leader, came to Big Sur as part of Esalen's Conversations on the Edge Series, where we bring together leading experts and visiting teachers to explore a pressing issue of our time. Zak is a leading expert on youth culture in China. Together we discussed many aspects of Chinese millennials, including common misconceptions on either side, how the project of childhood functions in China, how the Chinese real estate market is propped up in many ways by...
2020-02-1157 min
Voices of EsalenChungliang "Al" Huang: Tai Chi Master and Esalen Legacy HolderChungliang Al Huang is a tai chi master, writer, philosopher, dancer, and one of the most important and enduring teachers in Esalen’s history. Born in Shanghai, China, Huang moved to the United States to study architecture and cultural anthropology. In Los Angeles, he fell into a career as a professional dancer through a chance meeting with Sammy Davis Jr. In the mid 1960’s, Huang became a close collaborator with the philosopher Alan Watts, who would introduce him to the Esalen Institute. He soon became a beloved teacher at Esalen, known for his tai chi teachings on the deck of the...
2020-02-0344 minVoices of EsalenTerence McKenna's 1982 Lecture at Esalen: "Tryptamine Hallucinogen Consciousness"We’re pleased to introduce a new segment where we dive deep into the history of the Esalen Institute, in order to focus on a lecture previously recorded here in Big Sur. Today our subject is Terence McKenna and his talk entitled “Tryptamine Hallucinogen Consciousness”, recorded in December, 1982. McKenna was an American ethnobotanist, author, lecturer and widely-respected psychonaut known internationally for his work with shamanism, metaphysics, consciousness, and of course, psychedelic medicines. He’s the author of "The Invisible Landscape," "The Archaic Revival," "Food of the Gods," and "True Hallucinations." His playful yet highly powerful mode of intellectual inquiry around the topi...
2019-11-041h 14
Voices of EsalenGordon Wheeler on the History of Gestalt Psychology at EsalenGordon Wheeler is the president of Esalen. He's also a licensed clinical psychologist, as well as the author of numerous books on Gestalt psychology, including Gestalt Reconsidered, Beyond Individualism, and The Heart of Development. He is noted for his work integrating the Gestalt tradition with relational and developmental psychology.
Gordon teaches and trains clinicians around the world, also serving as editor and director of GestaltPress. Today we invited him to educate us about the history of Gestalt psychology at the Esalen Institute.
2019-09-3045 minVoices of EsalenPsychedelic Integration, Pt. 3: Rick Doblin on MAPS, MDMA, Esalen, and PTSDRick Doblin is the founder and executive director of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He’s been a tireless proponent of the effort to develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics. At Esalen, he discussed the historical trajectory of MAPS, the legal narrative surrounding psychedelics - in particular MDMA - and why MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has been proven to be so effective for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He also spoke on what the future holds for clinical trials, and how the Esalen Institute was foundational to his journey.
2019-07-1757 min
Voices of EsalenPsychedelic Integration, Part 2: Michael Pollan on How to Change Your MindMichael Pollan's keynote address from the Psychedelic Integration Conference at Esalen Institute, 2019, is part two of a seven-part series drawn from the week's lectures. Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers: "Cooked," "Food Rules; In Defense of Food"; "The Omnivore’s Dilemma," "The Botany of Desire," and now “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence,” a masterful book written by one of the leading immersive journalists of our time. Historically, the field of psychedelics is controversial, and controversy naturally arouses a certain degree of suspic...
2019-07-1058 minVoices of EsalenPsychedelic Integration Conference at Esalen, Pt. 1: Introduction with Allan BadinerThe first in a 7-part series, this episode will present a sampler of some of the most notable moments of the 2019 Psychedelic Integration Conference at the Esalen Institute. Environmentalist, conference convener, and Buddhist author Allan Badiner introduces each of the participants, and discusses why psychedelics have become a key touchstone in our current society. Over the course of this 7-episode arc, you'll hear from Michael Pollan, Rick Doblin (MAPS), Paul Stamets, Dr. Ben Sessa, Julie Holland (Moody Bitches, The Pot Book), Marsha Rosenbaum, Kristi and David Panik, Martin Lee (Acid Dreams, and other leading experts in the field.
2019-07-0256 minVoices of EsalenPeggy Horan on Esalen in the late 1960's and Her Life in Big SurPeggy Horan is a longtime Esalen staff member, known far and wide for her exceptional work as an Esalen massage therapist and massage teacher. She has been practicing and teaching Esalen Massage for four decades and is the author of Connecting Through Touch, A Couples Massage Book. It was my pleasure to visit Peggy recently at her home on Gorda mountain, which she shares with her husband, artist Richard Horan. I’m joined in the interview process by Lucia Horan, Peggy’s eldest daughter, who assisted me in delving into the rich legacy and history of a beloved and respected comm...
2019-04-0940 min
Voices of EsalenPerry Holloman on Massage, Gestalt, and Esalen's TribePerry Holloman is an internationally renowned massage instructor - he has been a teacher and practitioner of Esalen Massage, Deep Bodywork, and body-oriented approaches to Relational Gestalt Process work for more than 30 years. He and his wife Johanna Holloman teach in the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and enjoy legions of faithful followers with their brand of Deep Bodywork. Together we explored a bit of the history of the last 40 years of the Esalen institute, from dishwashing to dancing, to his mentors at Esalen, and the tribal nature of the community in the 1980's. He's one of the more articulate...
2018-11-091h 21Voices of EsalenSuzanne Scurlock-Durana: Healing from the CoreSuzanne Scurlock-Durana is one of the world’s leading authorities on conscious awareness. A longtime leader at Esalen, Suzanne is a Craniosacral therapist and an instructor with the Upledger Institute. She created the comprehensive Healing From the Core training curriculum, empowering her audience with practical tools that enable them to experience joy in each moment without burning out. She also teaches a popular women-only course at Esalen called Healing the Pelvic Floor. Suzanne is about using full body presence to improve every aspect of your life, from your health and well-being to your relationships, your career, your creativity, and your fi...
2018-10-2055 minVoices of EsalenJanet Stone: Global Yoga WarriorJanet Stone is a beloved yoga teacher and longtime faculty at the Esalen Institute. Janet grew up on a self-described “slightly crazy hippie farm” in Northern California, where she ate tofu, baled hay, and cleaned rabbit cages. As an adult she spent eleven inspiring years in film and TV production, then traveled the world, visiting New Zealand, Egypt, and then northern India, where she began her yoga journey. Janet lives in San Francisco and continues to travel the world, teaching and leading. Some of her favorite things, per her website, include "Tantric Shaivism (go, Hareesh), Egyptian Licorice Mint Tea, the sear...
2018-08-1739 minVoices of EsalenStanislav Grof on Psychedelic Psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork, and His Life at EsalenStanislav Grof is not only one of the godfathers of psychedelic psychotherapy -- not only one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology -- not only a renowned researcher into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness to gain insights into the human psyche -- he was an integral part of the fabric of the Esalen Institute during the 1970's and 1980's, helping to shape the culture in Big Sur via his popular workshops and month long programs.
In our interview, we talked about his relationship with Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and how he came to be invited...
2018-07-1843 min
Voices of EsalenKen Dychtwald on 1970's Esalen, Bodymind, XPrize, and Beating Alzheimer'sKen Dychtwald is a lifelong friend of Esalen and certified amazing guy. Besides being the best-selling author of more than ten books, he's a ground-breaking gerontologist, a psychologist, an educator, a professional lecturer (one of the best to ever pick up a microphone), a superb storyteller, a consultant to several White House administrations, an amazing father and husband -- and apart from all that, he knows quite a lot about Esalen back in the day. As Voices of Esalen begins to develop into a larger body of work, I'm finding that some of the holes in our history are gradually...
2018-07-021h 08Voices of EsalenBob Walter on the Life and Work of Joseph CampbellBob Walter is the executive director and board president of the Joseph Campbell foundation. Walter was Joseph Campbell’s editor for the last ten years of his life and the editorial director of "The Historical Atlas of World Mythology." Following Campbell’s death in 1987, he served as literary executor of Campbell’s estate, and continues to oversee the publication of Joseph Campbell’s writings. We got a chance to chat about the work and the life of Campbell, a central figure in Esalen’s history, as well as the human potential movement. Bonus: I got the chance to play some original J...
2018-05-1851 minVoices of EsalenSteven Harper on Wilderness in Big Sur and at the Esalen InstituteSteven Harper is a wilderness guide, author, artist, and longtime teacher at the Esalen Institute. He focuses on wild nature as a vehicle for awakening; his work is inspired by a deep connection to inner wild nature. Steven is a contributor to the emerging field of ecopsychology, and has written at length on the subject. He was also a longtime student and close friend of Esalen founder Dick Price, and in our conversation, Steven’s son Kai and I spoke to him about his history with Dick. We also touched upon Esalen in the 80’s, what it was like to rais...
2018-03-201h 13
Voices of EsalenDorothy Charles on the History of Gestalt at EsalenDorothy Charles writes, "The practice of being present is simple and not easy. We call it a practice because that’s what it takes – returning to the moment whenever I notice that I’m not present." Dorothy is a long-time and beloved teacher and Gestalt Practitioner at Esalen since 1985, where she continues to lead workshops and training groups. Dorothy received her training at Esalen with Richard and Christine Price. She lives in Aptos, California, where she and Christine Price lead and curate Tribal Ground, an educational and congregational organization dedicated to Gestalt Awareness Practice, Relational Gestalt Practice, and recognizing the sacred...
2018-02-1351 minVoices of EsalenPhillip Burrus, former Executive Chef at Esalen, on Sustainability, Land Stewardship and Great FoodToday we take a small step back in time to speak with Phillip Burrus, longtime member of the Esalen community and former Executive Chef. Recorded in the spring of 2017, only days before Phillip and his wife Isabel Chave-Manso set off for the next chapter of their lives in Spain, we spoke at length about Phillip's take on sustainability, the importance of locally-grown produce in food preparation, land stewardship, and community in Big Sur. He is a brilliant guy. If you ever wanted to learn more about what goes on in one of the best healthy kitchens in California, have a...
2017-10-1941 min
Voices of EsalenMichael Murphy, Co-Founder of Esalen, on the Institute's Origin StoryMichael Murphy is the co-founder of the Esalen Institute, a key figure in the Human Potential Movement and an extraordinary human being. He is the author of many remarkable books, including Golf in the Kingdom, The Future of the Body, Jacob Atabet, and In the Zone: Transcendent Experience in Sports. Today we spoke about the 1960's and how Esalen was born, touching upon his encounters with notables like Hunter S. Thompson, Alduous Huxley, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), Timothy Leary, Sri Aurobindo, Abraham Maslow, and Esalen's co-founder Richard Price. Michael also described his own origin story, from his altar boy roots...
2017-01-2053 min
Voices of EsalenJeff Kripal on the Cultural History of the Esalen InstituteJeff Kripal is the Chairman of the Board of the Esalen Institute and holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. His fascinating work includes the history of psychic phenomena, comparative erotics and ethics in mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religions, and the Esalen Institute itself. He is the author of the foundational text "Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion," a must-read for anyone interested in the Esalen Institute. His present areas of writing and research include the articulation of a New Comparativism within the study of religion that will...
2016-11-2851 min
Voices of EsalenCheryl Strayed and Steve Almond on Writing from the HeartThis week's episode is a special one - brilliant writers Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond are actually hosts of another podcast, Dear Sugar Radio, and they are so excellent at banter and speaking articulately that all I had to do was get out of the way and let them do their thing. And I'm so glad I did. You probably know Cheryl Strayed from her memoir, #1 New York Times Bestseller, Wild; she is also the author of Tiny Beautiful Things, Torch, and Brave Enough. Steve Almond is the author of CandyFreak, My Life in Heavy Metal, God Bless America, and...
2016-07-2746 min
Voices of EsalenIan-Michael Hebert on the Fine Art of Sustainable DevelopmentIan-Michael Hebert is the former Property Development Manager at the Esalen Institute. In 2016 he spoke to us about the state of Esalen's renewal, the challenges and triumphs of sustainable building, and plans for the future. We talk about Stanislav Grof's holotropic breathing, shamanic portals, perinatal matrices, re-experiencing one's own birth, fatherhood and how amazing it is, visions of a post-capitalistic society, intergenerational alchemy, his admiration for Dick Price and the Murphy family, his roots in the wilds of Alaska, Esalen as a refuge for revolutionaries, and much more.
Today's music is Dave Depper's "All the Pieces Come Together", licensed under...
2016-05-0443 min