Reverend 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...

In 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...

In 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...

Ellen 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...

Reverend 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...

Emma 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,...

Dr. 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...

Time 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...

Connecting 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...

Hayden 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....

According 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...

Instagram: 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...

Ancient 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...

This 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...

My 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...

I'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...

🔊 Video version available on YouTube!   --- 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...

Dr. 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...

I’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,...

When 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.

In 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...

(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...

I'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...

CRAZYWISE 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...

The 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...