Adventures Through The Mind

Latest Episodes:

The Science Of Brain Change: Neuroplasticity and Altered Traits | Rick Hanson Ph.D. ~ ATTMind 69 Mar 30, 2018

Show notes

A central topic of this podcast is our capacity to change our minds.

I don't mean superficially – "Oh, actually yeah let's go see that movie instead." I mean a more fundamental change, our faculty for shifting our very sense of self and perception of the world around us. This type of change is not just an ethereal alteration of mental processes, but an actual redesigning of neural architecture. Our capacity to create such fundamental changes is due to our brain's ability to redesign its structure, lay new synaptic connections, which is called neuroplasticity.

[This episode was originally released as "The Neurobiology Of Altered Traits"]

The guest for this episode of the podcast is here to tell us how we can change our brains to change our lives and why it works. Welcome to Adventures Through The Mind, world renown neuroplasticity expert, Dr Rick Hanson.

Rick Hanson is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 26 languages and include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He's been an invited speaker at NASA, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, and other major universities, and taught in meditation centres worldwide. His work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, and NPR, and now he is here with us on Adventures Through The Mind.

Episode breakdown below.

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See the show notes to this epsiode for links to Rick's work: http://bit.ly/ATTMind69

*** Support On Patreon! Http://www.patreon.com/jameswjesso Leave A One-Time PayPal Donation: https://www.paypal.me/JWJesso *** Episode Breakdown

Neuroplasticity, emotional learning, and the sense of self
How negativity bias influences perception, learning, and memory
Positive Neuroplasticity; using principles of neuroplasticity to cultivate happiness and resilience
"Positive" and "negative" emotions.
The difference between healthy cultivating of goodness and unhealthy evasion of negativity.
The potential dangers of mindfulness
The implications of transcendental or psychedelic experiences for the brain, the sense of self, and the nature of reality itself.

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The Great Shamanic Debate | James Kent vs. Julian Palmer ~ ATTMind 68 Mar 16, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever experienced a psychedelic encounter with a plant spirit or an entity?

Have you ever experienced a spirit realm or being healed by a shaman? Have you ever felt as though you invoked some type of divination or noetic insight while on psychedelics? Have you ever wondered if any of that was real or just merely a hallucination?

The increasing popularity of using psychedelic substances within so-called shamanic ceremonies has introduced ideas and beliefs into the modern world that push conceptual limits of the rational mind. The rise of plant shamanism is a cultural force to be reckoned with and that which we encounter with shamanism feels urgent and real. Yet, however real the experiences with a shamanic encounter may feel, the question still remains: how real is it, really? I asked Julian Plamer and James Kent to come on the show to debate on this question: "What do you believe is the fundamental nature of that which arises within a psychedelic experiences, in particular regards to what is often called The Shamanic paradigm, including the existence of a spirit realm, encounters with plant spirits or entities and the capacity to invoke healing or divination within a psychedelic experiences by way of this paradigm?" It's a juicy one. Enjoy

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Head to http://www.bit.ly/ATTMind68 show notes to this episode.
Check out this episode's sponsor Transzen
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Healing The Past: Intergenerational Trauma & Emotional Responsibility (Lecture)
My 2018 summer European Tour Dates

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We Don't Know Sh!t | Dennis McKenna ~ ATTMind 67 Mar 02, 2018

Show notes

Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, a non-profit organization concerned with the investigation of the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines.

He is also one of the founding contributors to the modern wave of ayahuasca research in particular and psychedelic research in general. In fact, the book Magic Mushrooms grower's guide, which he co-authored with his brother Terence in the 70s, presented the first reliable method for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms at home.

Chances are if it wasn't for Dennis and his brother, none of us would have ever tasted the magic at all.

See below for full episode breakdown.

*** Support Us On Patreon! Http://www.patreon.com/jameswjesso Leave A One-Time PayPal Donation: https://www.paypal.me/JWJesso *** Head to http://www.bit.ly/ATTMind67 for all other related links and my blog entry on the theme of this episode. *** Episode Breakdown

The early years: developing the magic mushroom growers guide.
The limitations of the biomedical model for psychedelic research
The encounter and emergence of psychedelics in the culture of the 60 impact - dangerous
How and why Dennis and Terence got into psychedelics.
The McKenna early journey, from the jungle to the university.
What it was like to travel into the jungle for ayahuasca during the early years, before the tourist boom, compared to today.
The danger of the cults and power hunger within ayahuasca culture.
The role of psychedelics in the modern plight of humanity.
The moral dimension of psychedelic technology.
Plant intelligence and mycelial brain of the forest (no?)
Plant/mammal symbiotic co-evolution.
Psychedelic spiritually is cheating?
On Terence
- Beyond the legend. The man, the brother.
- How Terence privately feel about the time wave?
- Did he stop taking mushrooms?
- The challenges of being a psychedelic celebrity
- How does it feel to watch Terence being torn down by his critics?
- Did Terence work for the CIA?
- Dennis favourite story of his brother
The difference between Microdosing LSD and psilocybin
The possible dangers of microdosing LSD?
Cultural implications of microdosing vs macrodosing.
Suggestion and cautions in choosing to guide others in psychedelic experience.
What psychedelic is Dennis still taking?
You don't know shit.
If he were to die tomorrow, what piece of advice would he offer us?

Tantra, Entheogens, and Conscious Sexuality | Elizabeth Bast ~ Ep. 66 Feb 16, 2018

Show notes

Our guest is Elizabeth Bast!

She is on the show to talk about her journey as a tantric practitioner and explore the potentials of a sexually empowered spiritual practice.

We also talk about sexual consumerism; porn; toxic shame; #metoo; the historical use of entheogenic plants in yogic practice; and the (somewhat controversial) archetype of the sacred prostitute.

*** See below for full episode breakdown. See full show notes here: http://www.jameswjesso.com/sex-yoga-and-entheogens-elizabeth-bast-ep-66/ Buy Bast's book: https://www.ebast.net/heart-medicine.html

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------------------------------------------------------ 🙊 🙉 🙈 Episode Breakdown:

- The lack of representation of women in psychedelic culture. - The importance of different ways of knowing. - Unpacking the medical diagnosis of psychosis and delusion in regards to psychedelic experiences. - The purpose of yoga and the role of sexuality within it. - A tantric perspective on sexual energy (kundalini) and how it influences the mind. - Bast's dance journey into Tantra. - Descriptions of "dakini" and "sacred prostitute." - Sacred sex work and the dangers of modern culture's sex imitations (porn). - The effect of pornography on one's capacity for profound sexual encounters. - Finding a sexual teacher. - Sexual shame and popular culture. - The historical use psychoactive plants in yoga. - The modern use of psychoactive plants and substances in spiritual practice. - Lessons on sexual relationships from Iboga. - Bast's prognosis of modern Western society's sexual dysfunction — sexual consumerism, toxic shame, and lack of wise sexual education. - The role of sexual repression/shame in sexual assault; discussing #metoo, #Ididit, and healing social and personal sexual trauma. - Healthy vulnerability vs playing the victim. - Practical steps and caution for starting a sacred relationship to sexuality.

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*** Featured image courtesy of A. Andrew Gonzalez. His art is absolutely breathtaking. Go check out more of his work here: http://sublimatrix.com/

DMT and the Mainstreaming of Psychedelics w/ Rick Strassman MD ~ Ep. 65 Feb 02, 2018

Show notes

On today's episode, we feature the author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Rick Strassman MD. He is a medical doctor specialised in psychiatry with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research. His foundational work with DMT in the 90s was the first human-trial psychedelic research to be done in the two decades following the Controlled Substances Act of 1971. It was the clinical observations and participant reports during those trails that formed his book mentioned above, and the hit documentary by the same name.

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...

Rick continued his investigation into the significance of DMT over the years with a particular focus on endogenous DMT (made within the body) and its role in prophetic states, as well as the progression of psychedelic research in general since then. His second major book on the topic is called DMT and the Soul of Prophecy, in which he explores the relationship between endogenous DMT and prophetic states as they are reported in the Hebrew Bible. Recently, Rick has been releasing a series of blogs on the mainstreaming of psychedelics and the problematic themes he sees emerging in the process.

We have him on the show for this episode to touch on how he feels about the impact his work with DMT has had on psychedelic research and the psychedelic subculture. We also talk god, prophecy, and even politics.

Enjoy.

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See the full show notes and my blog entry on this episode: http://bit.ly/ATTMind65

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Episode Breakdown

Rick's feelings towards the profound impact that DMT: The Spirit Molecule has played in the psychedelic subculture.
Setting the record straight on DMT and the pineal gland.
DMT's potential role in prophetic states, endogenous production as well as exogenous consumption.
Theoneurology vs Neurotheology - the relationship between God and the brain.
Modern day prophets in the DMT subculture.
Mainstreaming psychedelics:
- Stifling inquiry into the full nature of the psychedelic experience through fundamentalism, dogmas, and orthodoxies in the biomedical model for psychedelics.
- Renaming psychedelic drug adverse effects as "challenging experiences"
- Non-clinicians advocating for policy changes with clinical implications—specifically attempts to re-schedule psychedelics.
- Homogenizing widely disparate religious traditions by proposing that they all share a "common mystical core."
Questions From ATTMind Patrons:
- DMT vs Changa.
- Extended State DMT infusion: What is it and what's the point?
- Rick's current and future projects.

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*** Special Thanks To Patrons: Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Clea S., Andy D., Joe A., Angela & James J., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!

A Police Officer's Perspective on Drug Prohibition w/ Maj. Michael Hilliard Jan 19, 2018

Show notes

Michael Hilliard began his 27-year policing career in 1975 as a patrolman in an economically depressed neighborhood in East Baltimore. He served as an internal affairs detective where he coordinated Baltimore youth programs and led an undercover squad that investigated violent crimes and low-to mid-level drug crimes.

He is on the show as a representative of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, or LEAP. They are a nonprofit organization "composed of police and other criminal justice professionals dedicated to educating the public about the harms of drug prohibition", advocating "for solutions across a broader range of drug policy and criminal justice issues"[source]. LEAP wants to end the war on drugs, and Maj. Michael Hilliard is on the show to talk about why.

During the interview, we speak on more than just the issues around drug policy, prohibition, and what brought Maj. Hilliard to his current advocacy against the drug war. We also speak of the problematic image police represent as agents of said drug policy, as well as issues of abuse of power, following unethical orders, and being seen as predators by the people they have sworn to protect.

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See the full show notes and my blog entry on this episode: http://bit.ly/ATTMind64

***

Episode Breakdown

Why Hilliard became a police officer.
How he went from leading investigations against drug crimes to lobbying against drug prohibition.
The impact of the drug war on crime, communities, and public safety in general.
Why we should to legalize, regulate, and control drugs.
Losing friends to the drug war.
Problems with law enforcement's current mentality towards drugs.
The drug war's role in worsening the opioid crisis.
The police cultures' perception of the drug culture and where it differs from the truth.
A police officer's experience 'busting' someone for possession.
The issue of police misuse of power.
Police community cover-ups and crooked cops.
Ethical responsibility when faced with unethical orders.

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IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS podcast, PLEASE SUPPORT ME IN PRODUCING it FOR YOU BY OFFERING WHAT YOU CAN IN A ONE-TIME PAYPAL or Bitcoin donation, OR BY BECOMING my PATRON ON PATREON.

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You can also share this post via social media or simply tell a friend about it.

It is by community support that this podcast and website continues to exist (and exist ad-free!). Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥

*** Special Thanks To Patrons: Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Clea S., Andy D., Angela & James J., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!

Integrating Ayahuasca (and "her" voice in your head) w/ Rachel Harris Ph.D. ~ Ep. 63 Jan 06, 2018

Show notes

What does ayahuasca integration mean and how do we do it? This is a question our guest for this episode, Rachel Harris Ph.D., has been exploring intensely though research, clinical practice, and her own direct experiences.

Rachel Harris, PhD, although retired now, was a practising psychotherapist for 35 years. She received a National Institutes of Health New Investigator's Award, has published more than forty scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals, and has worked as a psychological consultant to Fortune 500 companies and the United Nations. She is also the author of the recent book Listening to Ayahuasca.

She is on the show to talk about her research with ayahuasca and what integration means, however, a very interesting tangent-at-depth emerged during the conversation between her and I: hearing voices, in particular hearing the voice of ayahuasca in your head as though it were an entity of external agency and intelligence, during and after the ceremony. To say that this is an intellectually dicey topic in the realms of conventional psychiatry and psychology, might be an understatement, but include in that fact that Rachel herself proposes to hear this voice and it was what guided her along her groundbreaking research and we have thoroughly entered the medical and academic fringe.

I very much enjoyed this connection with Rachel Harris and trust that you will too. Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

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See the full show notes and my blog entry on this episode: http://bit.ly/ATTMind63

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Episode Breakdown

Research foundations, extent, and observations.
Relating to the spirit of ayahuasca.
Hearing voices: religious or psychosis?
God as an attachment relationship
Ayahuasca as the perfect therapist.
Criticisms of biological psychiatry's approach to mental illness.
Differentiating psychosis from spiritual awakening.
Dark entities and entity attachment.
Spiritual bypassing and spiritual materialism
Integration: theories and practicalities.
The importance of community transparency and social relationships in the integration process.
Tips for finding safe and supportive ayahuasca experiences.

***

IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS podcast, PLEASE SUPPORT ME IN PRODUCING it FOR YOU BY OFFERING WHAT YOU CAN IN A ONE-TIME PAYPAL or Bitcoin donation, OR BY BECOMING my PATRON ON PATREON.

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You can also share this post via social media or simply tell a friend about it.

It is by community support that this podcast and website continues to exist (and exist ad-free!). Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥

*** Special Thanks To Patrons: Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Andy D., Angela & James J., Robbie G., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!

The Benefits Of Marijuana w/ Joan Bello ~ Ep. 62 Dec 22, 2017

Show notes

Joan Bello is the author of The Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological and Spiritual. She has been writing on cannabis since before the internet; since getting information meant driving from library to library hunting the stacks; since any mention of cannabis in public might have meant federal investigations and jail time. It was during the height of the Drug War that she published this book; when the knowledge was forbidden, and she has continued to advocate for it since.

Her perspective on the benefits of marijuana was an outgrowth of her training at the Himalayan Institute under the tutelage of Swami Rama, who she describes as an advanced Tantric Master. Joan has been a Hospice Worker, an editor, a grower, an activist, a jail counselor, a fugitive from the law and even a prisoner. She was the director of the class action lawsuit that sued the U.S. government for its prohibition of therapeutic cannabis in 1998. She also has a Master of Science Degree in eastern studies and holistic health.

At 75 years old, Joan Bello is an elder of the modern cannabis movement.

We welcome her to ATTMind to share some of her stories from the trenches of the drug war, her perspectives on where we are and where we are going with cannabis as a society, as well as her perspectives on what benefits cannabis does, and does not, have to offer us as individuals and as a society.

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See the full show notes and my blog entry on this episode: http://bit.ly/ATTMind62

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Episode Breakdown

What led Joan Bello to dedicate her life to cannabis activism.
The 1998 class action lawsuit against the U.S. government for its prohibition of therapeutic cannabis.
A yogic/holistic perspective of marijuana's impact on the autonomic nervous system.
Her view from the trenches at the start of the drug war.
The problems we might face with the corporatization and commercialization of marijuana.
"Microdosing" vs. chronic use.
The story of Joan's first Dab, at 75 years old.
So-called cannabis addiction and why cannabis won't help you heal your psychological problems.
The benefits of marijuana used with a therapeutic container---for psychology and spirituality.
Joan's hope for our future with cannabis.

***

IF YOU ARE ENJOYING THIS podcast, PLEASE SUPPORT ME IN PRODUCING it FOR YOU BY OFFERING WHAT YOU CAN IN A ONE-TIME PAYPAL or Bitcoin donation, OR BY BECOMING my PATRON ON PATREON.

No amount is too small; anything is something.

You can also share this post via social media or simply tell a friend about it.

It is by community support that this podcast and website continues to exist (and exist ad-free!). Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥

*** Special Thanks To Patrons: Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Andy D., Angela & James J., Robbie G., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!

Drugs In The Bible and The Shamanic Origins Of Christianity w/ Reverend Danny Nemu ~ Ep. 61 Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

There are drugs in the bible and the most high were getting really high on 'em.

...

So what if I were to tell you that the ancient Israelites upon which these the religions are based were a cult of desert pagans following the wisdom of shamans who used plant-based concoctions in hallucinogenic rituals to induce altered states of consciousness; and that the very structure of those religions today are based on clandestine distortion of the original teachings in order to disconnect the populous from direct connection to the divine in order to establish and maintain sociopolitical control?

That is what the guest for this episode of Adventures Through The Mind, Reverend Danny Nemu, is here present a case for.

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See bit.ly/ATTMind61 for full show notes and reference links

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Episode Breakdown

What drugs are in the bible and where you can find them.
Aphrodisiacs and sexual promiscuity in the bible.
The different names (and personalities) of God.
The presence of DMT-containing Acacia across the folklore of ancient Israelites and the Egyptians.
A breakdown of different psychoactive concoctions in the bible and their pharmacological effect, including:
- The Holy Anointing Oil.
- Manna.
- The Showbread.
- The incense used in the holy tabernacle.
The origins of The Old Testament and the modern bible.
How and why the biblical texts have been clandestinely modified.
The anarchistic beginnings of Christianity and how the Israelites became monotheistic (they weren't originally).
The ontological necessity of the physical resurrection of Christ for maintaining political and societal control hierarchy within Christianity.
What this all means for the average person today.

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SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you are enjoying this content, please support me in producing it for you by offering what you can in a one-time PayPal donation or by becoming a patron on Patreon.

No amount is too small; anything is something.

You can also share this post via social media or simply tell a friend about it.

It is by this community support that this podcast and website continues to exist (and exist ad-free!). Thank you for helping this project continue. ♥

Special thanks to patrons Thomas & Melanie H. Greg A., Dean H., Andy D., Angela & James J., Robbie G., Ian C., & Reese. H. for their extra generous support!

Intimacy, Iboga, and Heroin Addiction w/ E. Bast & Chor Boogie ~ Ep. 60 Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Many people struggle with addiction their whole lives. Their story one of (hu)man vs. addiction, their story often ending with addiction the victor.

But what if that is not the way the story needs to be written? What if there is a way out that helps us suffering to reach into the root of our pain and find our love for life again?

The guests for this episode of the podcast, Elizabeth Bast and Chor Boogie, believe true freedom from addiction is possible with an ancient African root bark called Iboga.

They believe this not only because of the growing scientific research and the countless anecdotes about iboga's potential available on the internet but because it is also their lived experience.

Elizebeth and Chor join us on the show to talk about heroin addiction, how it impacted their intimate relationship, the redemption they found in Iboga, and what iboga taught them about what it takes to heal the pain at the root of addiction in oneself and the hearts of those we love.

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See Full Show Notes and all related links: http://bit.ly/ATTMind60

Connect with me for a Skype call: http://www.jameswjesso.com/contact/je...

Buy HEART MEDICINE: a true love story by Elizabeth Bast: http://www.ebast.net/heart-medicine.html

*****

Support The Show.

If you are enjoying this content and want to reciprocate the value you are receiving from it, I kindly invite you to become my patron on Patreon, or drop me a PayPal donation. Thank you

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***

Episode Breakdown

The problematic language around addiction.
A portrait of an addiction-impacted romantic relationship.
A journey into heroin addiction.
Heroin's impact on the trust, honesty, and intimacy in their relationship.
How Iboga found its way in.
What iboga taught them about what it means to be in a sacred partnership.
Iboga's potential role in the ongoing opioid crisis.
A poignant and pointed discussion on what it takes to heal addiction.
The traditional origins of the Bwiti and the mythic origins of Iboga.
The challenges iboga and iboga culture will face with its growth in a global marketplace and colonialism in general.
The cultural impact of connecting with iboga for the African diaspora in North America.

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