Shows
Our Santa FeRicky Derisz & co-host Scott SeldinA discussion with Ricky Derisz and Scott Seldin on Exploring the relationship of quantum mechanics to non-dualism and the implications for spirituality and everyday life.Ricky Derisz, podcast; mindthatego.comScott Seldin, author, educator
2025-07-1826 min
Conversations For The EndEp 08 - Ricky Derisz: Spiritual Psychosis, Awakening, Transformation, and the ineffable fire of the Unconscious.In this profound episode, we delve into the intricate and often challenging territory where spiritual awakening intersects with experiences sometimes categorized as psychosis. Drawing upon the groundbreaking work of Carl Jung, we explore the power of the unconscious and its role in facilitating radical transformation.We'll examine how intense spiritual experiences, while potentially disorienting, can also serve as catalysts for profound personal growth and expanded consciousness. This discussion aims to somewhat demystify the fine line between a spiritual emergence and psychological distress, offering a nuanced perspective on navigating these intense inner landscapes. Join us as we uncover...
2025-05-221h 29
The MindThatEgo Podcast#61: The Art and Science of Lucid Dreaming with Fariba BogzaranFariba Bogzaran is an artist, scientist and pioneer of dream studies. Between 1986 and 1989 she conducted scientific studies on lucid dreams at the Lucidity Institute at the Stanford Sleep Laboratory.Fariba mixes psychology, art, contemplative practices, shamanism, Taoism, and more. Her artwork is inspired by her deep connection with nature and her collaboration with the hypnagogic and lucid dreaming states of consciousness. She coined the term Lucid Art, which views art as an epistemology, or a way of knowing.Fariba is co-author of Integral Dreaming and Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them. Our far...
2025-04-231h 23The MindThatEgo Podcast#60: Indigenous Dreamscapes and Messages from Ancestors with Claudia BarfootClaudia Barfoot is a psychotherapist, Ancestral Healing Practitioner, and founder of the Land of Possible, which merges western theories of the psyche with indigenous systems of knowledge to facilitate growth and healing.Claudia’s cross-cultural approach combines psychology, psychoanalysis, dreamwork, sacred plant medicines, and ancestral traditions. She is informed by perspectives from the Toltec and Maya peoples of Mexico, as well as the teachings of the Mamos and Sagas from la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Her expansive wisdom provides an insightful perspective on dreams. We discuss: visitations from ancestors, emotional landscapes, the dream body, astral travel, visiting di...
2025-04-091h 12The MindThatEgo Podcast#59: Lucid Dreams and the Stages of Insight with Daniel IngramDaniel Ingram returns to the show following our first conversation, Awakening and the Search for Meaning. Daniel is best known for his cult classic Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha, within which he maps the stages of insight. He is also an emergency medicine physician and part of The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (EPRC) which aims to integrate spiritual, mystical or energetic experiences into healthcare systems.Continuing the dream series, our conversation explores how Daniel integrates dreams into the stages of insight. He shares his definition of standard, symbolic, lucid, and hyper-lucid dreams. ...
2025-03-2657 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#58: Unlocking the Wisdom of Dreams with Lisa MarchianoI’m joined by Lisa Marchiano, an award-winning author and certified Jungian analyst with a private practice in Philadelphia.Lisa is the author of Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself and The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire. Her latest book, Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams, is written with Deborah Stewart and Joseph Lee, her fellow co-hosts of the popular depth psychology podcast, This Jungian Life.Our conversation focuses on making sense of dreams. Topics include: understanding imagery and symbols, unlocking meaning, working with setting, characters, and unfolding st...
2025-03-1255 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#57: UnShaming Through the Dreambody with David BedrickWelcome to episode 57 of the MindThatEgo Podcast and the first of a new series on dreams. I’m joined by David Bedrick, the founder of the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-based Studies, where he trains therapists, coaches and healers, and offers workshops for individuals.David graduated from the Process Work Institute and has been adjunct faculty for over 15 years. He studied under Arny Mindell, the founder of process-oriented psychology. Mindell was a student of Carl Jung, who integrated physics and the body into Jung’s work. David also taught psychology and philosophy courses at the...
2025-02-261h 15The MindThatEgo Podcast#56: The Power of Meaningful Coincidences with Bernie Beitman and Joanna Bauer-SavageEpisode 56 of the MindThatEgo Podcast features a panel discussion on synchronicity with Bernie Beitman, Joanna Bauer-Savage, and myself, which took place in early November in Berlin.
To evoke meaningful coincidences, we asked the audience to contribute questions to a lucky dip. The resulting conversation is nuanced and diverse, including practical guidance and philosophical frameworks.
We discuss the relationship between intuition and coincidence, feeling the pain of a loved one at a distance, the nature of the higher Self revealed in dreams and synchronicities, discerning when to follow signs and when to step back, magical thinking...
2024-11-211h 19
New Thinking Allowed Audio PodcastEmotions and the Brain with Mark SolmsEmotions and the Brain with Mark Solms
Mark Solms is Director of Neuropsychology at the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Cape Town. He is also Honorary Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the St Bartholomew’s & Royal London Hospital School of Medicine and an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists. He is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the American and South African Psychoanalytic Associations and has received numerous honours and awards, including the Sigourney Prize. Mark has published 350 scientific papers, and eight books, the latest being The Hidden Spring (Norton, 2021). Mark is also the...
2024-11-021h 17The MindThatEgo Podcast#55: Undreaming Wetiko: Is Humanity Under the Spell of a Mind Virus? with Paul LevyPaul Levy is a creative artist, a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence, and a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for more than 35 years. He is the founder of the Awaken in the Dream Community and the author of several books, including The Quantum Revelation and Undreaming Wetiko.
Our conversation dives into the murky depths of the so-called mind virus popularized by Indigenous author Jack Forbes, who in his book Columbus and Other Cannibals, refers to wetiko as “the sickness of exploitation.”
Paul is a gifted oracle whose description of subtle and hidden forces of wetiko illu...
2024-10-171h 04The MindThatEgo Podcast#54: Practicing Self-Compassion to Past, Present, and Future You (with Guided Meditation)Welcome to episode 54 of the MindThatEgo Podcast. This episode features my presentation, Quantum Self-Compassion, for the Mystics and Scientists Conference in April 2024. The theme was Love, Forgiveness, and Compassion: Where Spirituality Meets Science.
The first half of the talk introduces self-compassion as a thread across past, present, and future. I share common barriers to self-compassion, uncover misconceptions, and look at the damage of self-dis-compassion, which includes self-rejection, self-judgment, and self-criticism.
I introduce the notion of the True Self as outside of time and the Source of compassion, love, forgiveness, and higher qualities we can extend...
2024-10-0349 min
Connecting with Coincidence 2.0 with Bernard Beitman, MDUnraveling the Mystery of the Headless Buddha: Ricky Derisz, EP 369Ricky Derisz communicates with his heart and his head. Go ahead, get a feel for his wonderful heart energy. He experiences sequential synchronicities. Here is one he tells us. He unintentionally knocked the head of a state of the Buddha that initiated a series of "headless" occurrences. He interprets this one as clues to nonlocal knowledge. Several memes recurred for him: " Off with his head" from Alice in Wonderland, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." "It's the journey, not the destination." Read his chapter in the new book, The Playful Universe to get to know...
2024-09-2858 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#53: Synchronicity: Reason, Revelation, and Religious Implications with Roderick MainWelcome to episode 53 of the MindThatEgo Podcast. Roderick Main works at the University of Essex, where he is Professor in the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies and Director of the Centre for Myth Studies. His research focuses on religion, mythology, literature, and, of course, synchronicity.
His books include Jung on Synchronicity and the Paranormal, The Rupture of Time, Breaking the Spell of Disenchantment, and Revelations of Chance. He is also a fellow co-author on the Playful Universe.
To honor the purpose of that book, I was keen to approach synchronicity firstly from Roderick’s pe...
2024-09-191h 26The MindThatEgo Podcast#52: Depression, Individuation, and the Alchemy of Faith with Jane ClappWelcome to episode 52 of the MindThatEgo Podcast. Jane Clapp returns to the show to explore depression in the context of the alchemical stages of psychological development or individuation.
Jane is a distinguished Jungian analyst who formed Jungian somatics from over 20 years of clinical experience. Exploring the interplay of body and psyche, she specializes in developmental and complex trauma through a mythological and embodied lens.
Our dialogue covers how developmental trauma blocks the psyche’s self-regulating function, anti-life energy and the collective shadow, the spiritual battle of becoming, self-deceit and identification with suffering, the need for support, anchoring into glimmers of...
2024-09-0558 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#51: Islamic Sufism and the Universal Presence of God with Shaykh Fadhlalla HaeriWelcome to Episode 51 of the MindThatEgo Podcast.
I’m joined by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, Sufi mystic, visionary, and an enlightened master who views spirituality as a science and an art, vitally relevant to our times.
Religious scholars and Sufis were part of Shaykh’s formative experiences. His love and understanding of the universality of the Quranic message has imbued him with respect for other religions, spiritual paths and the ability to discern the common elements in our collective journey towards awakening.
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri lect...
2024-08-221h 18The MindThatEgo Podcast#50: Re-Enchanting the Western World View with Richard TarnasTo honour the milestone 50th episode, I’m joined by Richard Tarnas, a renowned historian and archetypal cosmologist. August 8th is the peak of the astrological event known as the Lion’s Gate Portal. The Sun (in Leo) aligns with Sirius, Orion’s Belt, and Earth. Simultaneously, Orion’s Belt aligns with the Pyramids of Giza. Ancient Egyptians revered Sirius, the “spiritual star,” and associated it with gods Osiris and Sopdet. Each year the rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile.
As author of The Passion of the Western Mind and Cosmos and Psyche...
2024-08-081h 35The MindThatEgo Podcast#49: Spiritual Emergency and Seeking the Sacred with Sanya ManzoorI’m joined by Sanya Manzoor, a spiritual emergence coach and lead steward for the Church of Interbeing, Berlin, a grassroots initiative of community gatherings devoted to reconnection through ritual and holistic enquiry.
Sanya supports clients in their mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. She also offers sound journeys, communal ceremonies, talks, meditation practices, and rituals, all to expand the capacity for depth, devotion, and revelation.
In this dialogue Sanya shares her experience of ego death, the grief of lost identity, the painful conditioning of cultural worldviews, and the value of faith and surrender.
We...
2024-07-251h 43The MindThatEgo Podcast#48: The Neuroscience of Mystical Experience with Marjorie WoollacottMarjorie Woollacott is an Emeritus Professor of Human Physiology and member of the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. She is Research Director for the International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and President of the Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences (AAPS).
Marjorie has published more than 200 scientific articles and written or co-edited eight books. Our conversation centres around her paper, co-authored with scholar Ben Williams, Conceptual Cognition and Awakening: Insights From Non-dual S ́Aivism and Neuroscience.
In this lucid synthesis, the pair explore the neural correlations between language, the sense of se...
2024-07-111h 10The MindThatEgo Podcast#47: Thresholds of the Soul with Nick KettlesI’m joined by Nick Kettles, who returns to the show having previously discussed the Stages of the Spiritual Journey. Nick is also my co-creator for the YouTube series, Archetypes of Awakening.
He is a Master Certified Coach and healer with 25 years experience in the human potential movement. He has pursued a meditation practice in the Advaita Vedanta tradition for over 20 years and has worked as a meditation teacher for the last 10 years.
I’ve known Nick for some time and I’ve been fortunate to witness his natural gift as a guide. This conversation explor...
2024-06-271h 10The MindThatEgo Podcast#46: Spiritual Psychosis and the Path to True SanityThis episode features my presentation for the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis (ISPS-US) annual conference in October, 2023. The original title was Metanoia: How Psychosis and Paranoia Ignited My Spiritual Awakening. I completely rewrote the talk a few days before, following a lightning bolt of creative energy that surfaced a structure I’d not previously made conscious.
I called this the Psychotics Twofold Call to Adventure. It’s my attempt to contextualize and integrate experiences of paranoia and psychosis across a 12 year period. I suggest the twofold path of cultivating awareness and creating coherence, to re...
2024-06-1355 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#45: The Science of Forgiveness with Everett WorthingtonI’m joined by one of the world’s leading experts in the field of forgiveness research, Everett Worthington. Everett is a Commonwealth Professor Emeritus working from the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a licensed clinical psychologist.
He has published over 38 books and over 440 articles and scholarly chapters, mostly on forgiveness, humility, positive psychology, marriage, family, and religion and spirituality. He has also developed the REACH Forgiveness model, which is supported by more than 25 randomized trials.
Everett generously gives away free self-help workbooks on practices including forgiveness, humility, and patience, which are link...
2024-05-301h 05The MindThatEgo Podcast#44: The Bhagavad Gita and the Devotional Path of Bhakti Yoga with NikunjaI’m joined by Nikunja, a musician and yoga teacher who bridges the creative arts with ancient philosophy. Following a path of devotion — known as Bhakti yoga — Nikunja teaches the embodiment of the Bhagavad Gita as a way of life.
Nikunja has reimagined chapters from the Gita as part of a project to illuminate yoga’s sacred nature, which extends far beyond physical postures.
In exploring the Gita’s ancient wisdom, we discuss the divine intellect, reading sacred scripture as a spiritual practice, the art of listening, the nuances of yoga philosophy across traditions, single-pointed devotion as a p...
2024-05-161h 31The MindThatEgo Podcast#43: Contemporary Tantra: Re-Exploring Kashmir Shaivism with Ellen EmmetEllen Emmet returns to the show. Ellen is a psychotherapist and facilitator of Authentic Movement. Our first conversation in episode 29, Nonduality and the Shadow, covered psychological aspects of the awakening.
This time we focus on Ellen’s teaching of the Awakening Body and yoga meditations in the tradition of nonduality and Kashmir Shaivism. This is an exploration of our true nature at the level of tactility and feeling.
We discuss gentle practices to relax the somatic sensation of separation and re-enliven the senses, the undefinable nature of tantra, how listening to sensation differs from hedonism and...
2024-05-021h 23The MindThatEgo Podcast#42: Jungian Somatics and the Mythology of Trauma with Jane ClappThis episode will answer the ultimate question to life, the universe and everything. Or maybe not quite everything, but I couldn’t miss the only chance to reference the number 42 from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
That being said, Jane Clapp does answer many questions I had about the inner universe. Jane is a distinguished Jungian analyst who formed Jungian somatics from over 20 years of clinical experience. Exploring the interplay of body and psyche, she specializes in developmental and complex trauma through a mythological and embodied lens.
Our conversation includes somatic symptoms as symbols from...
2024-04-181h 17The MindThatEgo Podcast#41: Reducing Suffering and Integrating Enlightenment with Har-Prakash KhalsaHar-Prakash Khalsa started as a student of Zen meditation in 1984 and went on to become a certified Kundalini Yoga instructor and teacher of Mindfulness meditation in the systematic style of Shinzen Young (whom Har-Prakash has studied intensively with since 1999).
He has written Cultivating the Jewel of Mindfulness, a comprehensive practitioner curriculum, offers private online mindfulness coaching, and supervises solo retreatants at his off-grid farm near Owen Sound, Ontario.
Our conversation covers the spectrum from suffering to enlightenment, from core wounds to Buddha nature, in an approach that will resonate with seasoned practitioners and those looking t...
2024-04-041h 35The MindThatEgo Podcast#40: Embodied Nonduality and the Realization Process with Judith BlackstoneI’m joined by Judith Blackstone. Judith has 35 years experience as a psychotherapist and teacher of the realization process, a direct path for realizing fundamental consciousness, as well as the application of nondual realization for psychological, relational and physical healing.
She currently has seven books in publication, including her latest, The Fullness of the Ground: A Guide to Embodied Spiritual Awakening.
Judith explains the importance of inhabiting the body and developing a strong connection to the core, to integrate the fullness of the self, cultivate wholeness, and connect deeply to life, rather than dissociate or num...
2024-03-211h 06The MindThatEgo Podcast#39: Quantum Synchronicity and Dual-Aspect Monism with Harald AtmanspacherI’m joined by Dr. Harald Atmanspacher, a theoretical physicist with more than three decades of experience in interdisciplinary research. He is known for his work on complex systems, the philosophy of science, mind-matter relations, consciousness, and quantum theory.
Harald co-authored Dual-Aspect Monism and the Deep Structure of Meaning with Dean Rickles, which forms the basis of our conversation. We look at the differences in philosophical frameworks, including dualism, materialism, idealism, and how dual-aspect monism links to synchronicity, where events transcend the mind-matter boundary, connected through meaningful coincidence.
I ask Harald how this model fits with non-dual approaches, such as...
2024-03-0728 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#38: How Conflict Can Transform Relationships with Dr. Michele DeMarcoDr. Michele DeMarco, an award-winning writer and author of Holding Onto Air: The Art and Science of Building a Resilient Spirit. Michele is a trained therapist, clinical ethicist, and researcher. Her research includes moral injury, psychology, trauma, neuroscience, and somatic and creative art therapies, world wisdom and spirituality. She has taught Creative Nonfiction and Conflict Transformation at California Institute of Integral Studies. We focus on the subject of Michele’s series: How to Tend and Befriend Conflict.
If we accept conflict is natural and necessary, what transformation becomes possible? We explore the errors of conventional conflict resolution, how...
2024-02-221h 34The MindThatEgo Podcast#37: The Spiritual Athlete's Path to Success with Tori FranklinTori Franklin is an Olympic triple jumper, a public speaker, the author of You Anthem: Stories and Reflections of Celebration, and the founder of the non-profit Live Happi retreats, which empowers youth through travel, mental wellness, and movement.
In 2022, Tori became the first American woman to medal at the World Championships, winning bronze in the Triple Jump. Her success came a year after performing below her usual standard at the Tokyo Olympics. I was inspired by an article Tori wrote, describing how she turned her career around by trusting guidance from the universe, and taking a huge l...
2024-02-0849 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#36: Transpersonal Ecopsychology and A New Earth with Bethany ButzerBethany Butzer is a Lecturer for the Alef Trust MSc programme in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology and the Assistant Director of the Alef Trust PhD programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. She has an MA in clinical psychology and PhD in social psychology, spent two years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, and was a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of New York, in Prague, where she lives.
Her research includes yoga and mindfulness for youth, transpersonal psychology, synchronicity, parapsychology, and the subject of today’s talk, ecopsychology. Our conversation gra...
2024-01-251h 25The MindThatEgo Podcast#35: Cosmic Mind and Non-Linear Time with Arabella ThaïsArabella Thaïs is a writer, speaker, philosopher, and artist, studying for a PhD in cosmology and consciousness. Committed to the evolution of humanity, her work explores the intersection of poetry, mathematics, beauty, and time, which she teaches at her online school of consciousness, The Temple of Truth. She uses various aesthetic mediums – such as music, film, and experience design – in order to communicate ideas and propel human transformation.
Our conversation is thought-provoking, inspirational, and at times mind-blowing. We dance around existential topics, such as free will, and explore her theory of non-linear time, and its relationship to th...
2024-01-111h 08The MindThatEgo Podcast#34: Beauty, Bliss, and the Dark Night of the Soul with Jesse GittlerJesse Gittler came to my attention through an Instagram reel where he talked about synchronicity and using the quantum dimension as a mode of self-healing. I was having a tough time, and as I watched more of his videos, his voice stoked a dormant part of my psyche. Jesse’s mission is to guide through his spiritual awakening, which he does with no pretense and an abundance of heartfelt passion. His content is refreshing and true.
Awakening is full of paradox, with bliss and beauty counterbalanced by spells of confusion, fear, and suffering. Intense feelings of connection ca...
2023-12-211h 28The MindThatEgo Podcast#33: Awakening and the Search For Meaning with Dr. Daniel IngramI’m joined by Dr. Daniel Ingram. Daniel’s book, Mastering The Core Teachings of the Buddha, is well-known in spiritual circles due, in part, to a mixture of practical instruction, lucid insight, useful maps, and common sense. His teachings are controversial to some, compelling for many, mostly due his bold declaration that “enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away.”
My interest in Daniel’s work is that he’s clearly one of the most advanced meditation experts alive today, with profound insight matched by a down-to-Earth approach that has consideration...
2023-12-141h 29The MindThatEgo Podcast#32: Buddhist Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Rev. Dr. John FreeseReverend Doctor John Freese returns to the show to share his synthesis of Buddhism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. John is a Buddhist minister and spent 12 years as a monk with Thich Nhat Hanh. He has PhDs in practical theology and a Master of Divinity. In addition to his Buddhist counselling practice, he teaches contemplative studies at University of the West and Naropa University.
As John guides me through his model we stop along the way to discuss practical matters, from discerning genuine values, taking meaningful action, handling difficult emotions, being aware of thought, and how to cu...
2023-12-072h 11The MindThatEgo Podcast#31: Psychosis and Spirituality with Isabel ClarkeIn this episode I’m joined by Isabel Clarke, a consultant clinical psychologist with 25 years experience in both inpatient and outpatient care for the NHS. In addition to her clinical work, she supports people experiencing spiritual emergency and extreme states through the Spiritual Crisis Network. Her books include Meeting Mental Breakdown Mindfully, Madness, Mystery and the Survival of God, and, the main talking point, Psychosis and Spirituality.
We explore the similarities between mystical experience and mental breakdown, how the brain filter’s reality, the fluidity of the self, the mythical nature of transliminal dimensions, the transformative potential of psyc...
2023-11-151h 13The MindThatEgo Podcast#30: Jung's Map of the Soul with Dr. Murray SteinIn this episode I’m joined by Jungian analyst and acclaimed author, Dr. Murray Stein, to discuss Jung’s Map of the Soul.
Dr. Stein is a graduate of Yale University, the University of Chicago, and the C.G. Jung Institut-Zurich. He is a founding member of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts. He has been the president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (2001-4), and the President of The International School of Analytical Psychology-Zurich (2008-2012).
He is a training analyst at the International School for Analy...
2023-11-0252 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#29: Nonduality and the Shadow with Ellen EmmetEllen Emmet is a psychotherapist, facilitator of Authentic Movement, and offers meetings in The Awakening Body: Yoga meditations in the tradition of non-duality and Kashmir Shivaism that she learnt from her teachers Francis Lucille and Eric Baret. She offers webinars and residential retreats.
Her offering is an exploration of our true nature at the level of tactility and feelings, but also an inquiry into the hidden corners of the psyche to invite more wholeness into our lives. More specifically, The Awakening Body meetings focus on the body, “allowing it to be our mirror and our pathway, our pr...
2023-10-101h 12The MindThatEgo Podcast#28: Vipassana, Somatic Experiencing, and Trauma-Informed Awareness with Rev. Dr. John FreeseReverend Doctor John Freese is a Buddhist minister in the Dhamma Vinaya Order. He was a monk for 12 years (1998-2010) with Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village and Deer Park monasteries in France and California, and was with two gurus in the Ramana Maharshi lineage in Tiruvannamalai India.
He has just completed his PhD in practical theology from the Claremont School of Theology, where his dissertation compared Buddhist meditation with somatic trauma therapy. Prior to his PhD he completed a Master of Divinity in Buddhist chaplaincy at University of the West. He has a private Buddhist counseling p...
2023-09-061h 55The MindThatEgo Podcast#27: Buddhism and a Brighter Vision of the Future with Emma VarvaloucasEmma Varvaloucas is the Executive Director of the Progress Network, an idea's movement that connects and amplifies voices that are pointing our world in a more positive direction. She is also the co-host of the What Could Go Right? Podcast, and was previously the Executive Editor at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Her unique perspective is shaped by her double-major in journalism and religious studies.
Our conversation follows the arc of first introducing Emma’s background in Buddhism, exploring various tenets and foundations of the philosophy, from ethics, guruism, to the benefits of community. Emma shares the way in...
2023-03-151h 47The MindThatEgo Podcast#26: Empowering The Mental Health Paradigm with Steven C. HayesDr. Steven C. Hayes is the originator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), identified as part of the “third wave of cognitive behavioral therapy.” He’s a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, the author of 47 books, including Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life and A Liberated Mind. Ranked in the top 1,000 most cited scholars in the world, Steven has been referred to as “one of the greatest thinkers, psychological theorists, and clinicians alive.”
With close to 1,000 clinical trials showing its efficacy, ACT synthesizes many approaches, including Western psychology and Eastern philosophy. My interes...
2023-02-222h 13The MindThatEgo Podcast#25: The Lighthouse: A Synchronistic Symbol of Intimacy and IsolationTime for something a little different! This is a reading of my latest MindThatEgo article, The Lighthouse: A Synchronistic Symbol of Intimacy and Isolation. I share a process of working with my unconscious mind to decipher the meaning of this inner voyage at various milestones. The lighthouse is a central symbol, which guided me to understand the significance of the conflict between intimacy and isolation. The woods, and the sea, are accompanying metaphors. As you will hear, the way events unfold defies conventional understanding. In what Carl Jung defined as synchronicity, events are linked by meaning, and require a d...
2022-11-1824 min
Evolving with Nita JainConsciousness, Creativity, Spirituality, and Self-Compassion with Ricky DeriszThis week, I sat down to chat with Ricky Derisz, author of Mindsets for Mindfulness: Awakening From Crisis To Higher Consciousness and creator of MindThatEgo, a new paradigm for mental illness, spirituality, creativity, consciousness, and human potential. In this episode, he shares his insights on meditation, intrinsic motivation, ikigai, intentionality, intuition, interdependence, and intimacy.Time stamps:00:44 The enchanted worldview, meditation, perception, & the nature of reality 04:05 Mind-body connection, interconnected consciousness, metaphysics 07:22 Models of depression: chemical imbalance, root-cause analysis, biological vs spiritual, ego dissolution14:51 Spiritual but not religious (SBNR) label, esoteric vs exoteric, spiritual narcissism
2022-09-151h 15The MindThatEgo Podcast#24: How To Connect To The Soul with Natalie ZeitunyConnecting to the soul is simple and complex. It’s simple because the soul is the essence of who you are. It’s the core of your being. Nothing has to be learned, only remembered. The complexity comes from living in an age and a culture of disconnect, with barriers created by the mind, and intellectual superiority placed ahead of other forms of intelligence, such as intuition, instinct, and heartfelt wisdom.
In this conversation I’m joined by the perfect guide, Natalie Zeituny. I met Natalie three years ago at the Science and Nonduality Conference in Italy. She is...
2022-08-231h 12
The MindThatEgo Podcast#23: A Simple Beautiful Truth with Hayden ThorpeHayden Thorpe is a solo artist and former frontman of Wild Beasts. His two solo albums — Moondust for my Diamond (2021) and Diviner (2019) — follow five albums with the band between 2008 and 2016, for which Two Dancers was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Since discovering Wild Beasts through their album Smother in 2011, they’ve remained my favourite band, one I’ve returned to time and time again, the soundtrack struggle, triumph, and everything between. Hayden’s music continues the theme. Songs such as Diviner, Golden Ratio, The Universe is Alright Right, translate the ineffable with poetic melodies and spiritually-infused lyricism.
S...
2022-06-221h 35The MindThatEgo Podcast#22: Can Complex Thinking Bring Peace To A World Of Conflict? with Guy BurgessAccording to conflict resolution expert Guy Burgess, the inability to resolve conflict is the greatest threat to humanity. Conflict is the root of interpersonal disharmony, political polarization, us vs. them mentalities, violence, and all-out war. Our future relies on a workable solution. Yet the current tools we have don’t adequately scale to the ever-growing complexity and interconnection of the world.
Three decades ago Guy was introduced to systems theory by a nuclear physicist at a multidisciplinary conference he hosted on conflict resolution. Seeing conflict as a complex adaptive system moves away from the prominent worldview of me...
2022-03-241h 37The MindThatEgo Podcast#21: The Song of the Heart with Sanya ManzoorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanyasa.sai.ra
Website: www.SanyaManzoor.com
Sanya Manzoor is a Holistic Expansion Coach, a poet, a philosopher, a meditation teacher, an artist, and much more. Sanya’s creativity and endless wisdom is a huge inspiration. She’s my lover, my friend, and someone I’m incredibly fortunate to explore the journey of heartfulness with. After three years of discussing the possibility of recording a podcast, we finally did it, and it’s worth the wait.
The metaphor of music and sound extends throughout our talk, from learning the abilit...
2022-02-141h 34The MindThatEgo Podcast#20: Plato's Theory of Forms with Bethany ButzerAncient Greek philosopher Plato’s Theory of Forms captures the idea that, beyond the physical reality of the senses, there resides a non-physical World of Ideas. Within this world there are pure forms, or essences, that are perfect in nature. There are many types of form, from phenomena, objects (such as trees), to concepts and abstract ideas, including virtues.
Plato considered that the role of a Philosopher King or Queen was to integrate these perfect ideas into the physical world. For example, the pure essence of wisdom resides in the World of Ideas, and a wise person is...
2022-02-021h 04The MindThatEgo Podcast#19: Let Faith Guide You Through UncertaintyThis is an exploration of faith, uncertainty, and facing the unknown. In moments of challenge, it's tempting to try and find certainty, to think our way through, to come up with solutions. But some of life's biggest moments don't have quick solutions. They're questions, not answers. They're a process, and usually, there has to be time spent tolerating the discomfort of uncertainty. When we choose to try and control, we cause more suffering. What what if we let go, and embrace life's mystery?
Faith is a reminder that, even if unseen, even if lost, we are still...
2022-01-2041 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#18: Stages of the Spiritual Journey with Nick KettlesMy friend and mentor Nick Kettles joins me to discuss the stages of the spiritual journey. I’ve worked closely with Nick for a few years now. Nick is an incredible guide and teacher, who draws upon his wealth of experience and knowledge across multiple fields of development — from Advaita Vedanta, coaching, breathwork, and Jungian psychology.
Having worked with 1000s to support their awakening and integration, Nick noticed a trend in the different stages that appear to be consistent. What I find most valuable about our talk is that it offers guidance for those who are, in a se...
2021-12-061h 23The MindThatEgo Podcast#17: The Science and Psychology of Extraordinary Awakenings with Steve TaylorI'm joined by Steve Taylor to discuss the micro and macro qualities of awakening, and what Steve calls the panspirits worldview. Steve is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, and the author of several best-selling books on psychology and spirituality. These include Back to Sanity, The Leap, Spiritual Science, and his new book, Extraordinary Awakenings: When Trauma Leads to Transformation.
Eckhart Tolle has described his work as ‘an important contribution to the shift in consciousness which is happening on our planet at present.’ It's clear to why — the world desperately needs a different approach to nat...
2021-11-211h 03The MindThatEgo Podcast#16: Unleash Your Creative Genius with David Paul Kirkpatrick🔊 Video version available on YouTube!
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Show description:
I’m joined by David Paul Kirkpatrick, an American film producer, studio executive and writer, to discuss creativity and depth psychology. David’s experience certainly makes him an expert of the subject, both through his personal journey, and his work with leading creatives. He was production chief at Walt Disney Pictures and President of Paramount Pictures, where he oversaw over two hundred films including Top Gun and franchises including Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Friday the 13th, and Beverly Hills Cop. He is a Golden Globe award-win...
2021-10-071h 26The MindThatEgo Podcast#15: The Union Of Yoga and Jung with Leanne WhitneyDr. Leanne Whitney joins the show to explain the nuances of Jungian depth psychology and Patanjali’s yoga sutras. How do these two systems of the psyche fit together? Where are their similarities and their differences? Is there a way of synthesising the wisdom of both, to create a union of West and East?
Leanne is an independent scholar in the fields of depth psychology and consciousness studies. She works as a transformational coach, yoga teacher, and documentary filmmaker, and for over twenty-five years has researched the mind body connection and their interrelation with pure consciousness.
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2021-09-021h 27
Mind, Body & BeyondHow to go on a solo retreat (with Ricky Derisz)Ricky Derisz, the creator of MindThatEgo.com and the author of Mindsets for Mindfulness: Awakening From Crisis To Higher Consciousness, talks about going on a self-led, solo retreat.Ricky has been on multiple solo retreats, and he’s got a lot to teach us about how to make your retreat a meaningful one.We talk about:Why a solo retreat is so important for your spiritual growthHow to prepare and what to bringWhat to expect — and how to leave room for the unexpectedAll the ways your brain tries to distract you and how to overco...
2021-08-0829 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#14: Authentic Awakening vs. Spiritual Ego with Stephan BodianI’m joined by Stephan Bodian to discuss the difference between authentic awakening and spiritual ego. Stephan is a licensed therapist and spiritual teacher who has pioneered the integration of Western psychology and Eastern wisdom.
He is the author of numerous books, including Wake Up Now, Beyond Mindfulness and Meditation for Dummies, which has sold half a million copies since its launch in 1998.
Stephan has practiced for many years with masters in the non-dual wisdom traditions of Zen, Dzochen and Advaita Vedanta, and received Dharma transmission from Adyashanti in 2001.
Since 2007 he has led an...
2021-07-2149 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast(Micro-Episode) Dealing With Scattered And Impulsive ThinkingWhen the mind is scattered, and we become easily distracted, what's the solution? Here I break down the difference between impulse and action, and offer a few techniques in refining focus and not becoming caught up in "chasing" thoughts as they arise. There's some influence from meditative practices along with "urge surfing" from Russ Harris' Happiness Trap, based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
2021-07-1014 min
Guru PleaseBeyond the Ego with Ricky DeriszLet’s redefine mental illness as a different state of consciousness that can move us toward a spiritual life. Depression, suicidal ideation, paranoia, and schizophrenia contain a set of experiences that can teach us and reveal aspects of life and of ourselves that we wouldn’t otherwise see. Ricky is a Life, Spirituality and Wellness Coach. He writes about spirituality, philosophy, mindfulness, meditation, and psychology in his blog Mind That Ego.Quotes to remember: “If we can embrace suffering and not crave happiness and not be overly resistant toward difficult feelings, that’s going to l...
2021-07-0255 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#13: Synchronicity And The Nature of Reality with Bethany ButzerIn this enthralling episode I'm joined by Bethany Butzer, PhD, to discuss her upcoming paper in the Journal of Consciousness Studies: Does Synchronicity Point Us Toward The Fundamental Nature of Consciousness? Our discussion is as personal as it is scientific, and Bethany's knowledge and wisdom is matched by her enthusiasm and heart.
The more I understand synchronicity, the more I see it as a communication between mind and matter. I could write a thousand words on this, but the universe decided to speak on my behalf. Immediately following the talk I received an astounding synchronicity linked to...
2021-03-071h 16The MindThatEgo Podcast#12: Welcome to the Age of Re-Enchantment: How Magic Will Transform Mental Health And The World(This talk is from an event hosted at osmos, Berlin, on 22 January 2020. The same topic which I presented at SAND 2019.)
The signs are there. They've been there for thousands of years. In this talk I'll take you through a personal journey of my "Hero's Return" from the darkness of depression and psychosis, to a world of magic and mysticism.
As above, so below; as the Hermetics proposed, I'll argue why this individual awakening process is being mirrored on the global scale. I'll illustrate how the process of alchemising existential despair, or spiritual awakening, is unfolding acr...
2021-01-101h 40The MindThatEgo Podcast#11: The Science of Spirituality with David LorimerI'm joined by David Lorimer, the chair of the Galileo Commission and Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network. The topic of our discussion is the science of spirituality. Or the spirituality of science. Depends how you look at it.
"Science is full of metaphors of becoming and interconnectedness. If we could catch ourselves up as a culture with this view and make it primary, we would realise we’re all embedded in the same life, the same consciousness, and the same system.”
This is an encyclopedic journey that will nourish your intellectual curiosity. I re...
2020-10-151h 09The MindThatEgo Podcast#10: Shamanic Wisdom For Healing And Awakening with Phil BorgesCRAZYWISE director Phil Borges returns to the show for a fascinating discussion based around Phil's knowledge of shamanic wisdom for healing and transformation. We discuss the nature of consciousness, awakening, the structure of the brain, discoveries from neuroscience, meditation, the nature of time, and so much more.
What stood out the most for me during Phil's description of his experiences with meditation was the sense of novelty. Phil has spent three decades visiting tribes and cultures so far removed from normalcy. And yet through meditation, he's discovered a sense of newness and enchantment through the ability to...
2020-09-061h 24The MindThatEgo Podcast#9: Connecting With Your Inner UniverseThe aphorism "know thyself" has fuelled self-discovery for millenia, stretching back to Ancient Egypt. The phrase, favoured by Socrates, was even allegedly inscribed at the Ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi. More recently, depth psychology encourages exploring the unconscious aspects of the Self, to uncover the richness that resides within.
In this episode I discuss why self-connection is an essential catalyst in the process of growth. Discovering the universe within — with all its nuances, patterns, shadow and beauty — ignites the journey of wisdom. Embarking on this journey requires a skilled approach to self-enquiry, to begin to unde...
2020-02-0727 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#8: How to Change Your Life and Live AuthenticallyHow do you overcome temptation, build new habits, and behave and express authentically? How do you move from daydreaming to action? How do you change your life?
Most of us view change as all-or-nothing. But this linear approach of success and failure makes it difficult to create lasting change.
In this episode I explore an alternative — the Stages of Change Model of behavioural change. Struggling to stop drinking alcohol? Struggling to go to the gym regularly? Looking to overcome ego-temptation and live from the heart?
Crucially, these stages are cyclical and every-changing. The st...
2019-11-1453 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#7: Emotional PerfectionismPerfectionism is defined as a "combination of excessively high personal standards and overly-critical self-evaluation."
This episode focuses on perfectionist tendencies with emotions. Beliefs such as "I should always be happy," "anxiety is weakness," or "normal people don't feel so low," fuel feelings of frustration, shame, or hopelessness.
But common concepts of healthy emotionality is skewed, in favour of positivity and fear of so-called negative emotions.
This episode unpacks emotional perfectionism and its various guises (self-oriented, socially prescribed and other-orientated) and offers applicable solutions to move towards a place of acceptance and self-compassion.
2019-10-1748 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#6: Let's Talk About SuicideOctober the 10th is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is suicide prevention. Every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide. This has to change.
Mental health stigma is reducing. But it’s still incredibly tough to talk openly about suicidal tendencies. We may feel shame. We may feel burdensome. We may want to avoid worrying or upsetting those we love.
However, talking about suicide can be life-saving.
In this special episode, I share my mental health story. I’ll share tools and techniques — from emotional regulation, thought management, meditation, mindfuln...
2019-10-1057 minThe MindThatEgo Podcast#5: Crazywise with Phil BorgesWhat if psychological crises were opportunities for spiritual awakening? That's the question that motivated Phil Borges to direct his documentary, Crazywise. While documenting indigenous and tribal cultures for over 30 years, he realised the healers and visionaries had each undergone a personal transformation our culture may label a breakdown, psychotic, crazy... Unlike in the West, these "disorders" are seen as gifts.
Phil's Ted Talk on the subject has nearly 2 million views, and it's easy to see why. Having watched Crazywise after a friend recommended it to me, I was eager to talk to Phil. I wasn't disappointed — our discussion in MindThatEgo Podca...
2018-10-211h 11The MindThatEgo Podcast#4: Eight Step Recovery with Valerie Mason-JohnRicky is joined by Valerie Mason-John (a.k.a Vimalasara), an award winning author, public speaker, and co-founder of Eight Step Recovery.
The structure of the discussion is based on her book, Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction.
Expanding on the Four Noble Truths, Valerie (and co-author Dr. Paramabandhu Groves) distill ancient wisdom to create a practical approach to tackle addiction. These steps are:
- Step One: Accepting human life will bring suffering.
- Step Two: Seeing how we create extra suffering.
- Step Three: Embracing impermanence to show us suffering can end.
- Step Four: Bei...
2018-10-071h 12The MindThatEgo Podcast#3: Banishing Winter Blues with Dr. Kelly RohanRicky is joined by Dr. Kelly Rohan, psychologist and leading expert on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Though light therapy is the common treatment for SAD, Kelly's research of SAD-specific Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has proven targeting unhelpful thoughts and challenging habitual behaviour can drastically alleviate symptoms.
No longer do any of us have to feel helpless victims to biology and body-clock when summer ends; by working on our thoughts and creating healthy behaviour patterns, it's possible to banish the winter blues.
Talking points:
- What CBT is and how it combats SAD.
- Noting common cognitive distortions contributing to low mood.
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2018-09-161h 15The MindThatEgo Podcast#2: Healing From Heartbreak with David GandelmanRicky is joined by David Gandelman, founder of Grounded Mind and co-host of the Energy Matters podcast. David has over 10 years experience dealing with thousands of clients, many of whom have one burning question — how do I heal from heartbreak?
In this discussion, Ricky and David explore why heartbreak is so devastating, from a spiritual, psychological and personal perspective. Are rebounds ever a good idea? What happens when we don't take time to heal? Why do we sometimes gravitate to partners not suited to us?
Feeling heartbroken and don't know where to begin? This discussion includes practical tools to kick st...
2018-09-021h 03The MindThatEgo Podcast#1: Essential Spirituality with Roger WalshIn this premiere episode, Ricky is joined by Dr. Roger Walsh, Professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy & Anthropology at the University of California.
Roger has spent three decades researching wellbeing, combined with deep spiritual practice and self-exploration. Roger's writing has earned him numerous international awards. His book — Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices — is the topic of this discussion.
Roger's transformative work has extensively uncovered useable tools all of us can practice to open us to new ways of living. These tools can help uncover our potential, transforming our inner-universe into an abundant landscape of analysis and learning.
Far from dogmatic religion, this is l...
2018-08-191h 29