All the episodes I've devoted to understanding psychedelics and consciousness—along with my favorite books on the topic.
Jul 10, 2026
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2 min read
Our Collective Psychological Development (John Churchill, Psy.D)
Listen now (68 mins) | “There's a deep need for all of us to grow up, like we are now being handed tools of the gods, right? And so we have to grow up and we have to mature..."
Pulling the Thread by Elise Loehnen • Elise Loehnen
Where the Brain and Mind Meet (Karl Deisseroth, M.D., PhD)
Listen now (51 mins) | "What optogenetics does is it's an engine of discovery. It helps us identify what matters, what's causing things to happen in the brain. And we know now the cells..."
The Malleability of the Brain (David Eagleman)
Listen now (65 mins) | “As you grow older, your brain is able to keep rewiring all the time. And so we have this impression that the flexibility of the brain decreases as you get older. But..."
Understanding Your Energy (Prune Harris)
Listen now (57 mins) | “So when we think about this, what is the aura? Many people have an idea of the aura as something that is around you and a lovely bubble or sphere of energy. Maybe you've..."
What Dark Retreat Offers (Andrew Holocek)
Listen now (58 mins) | "Because then it helps you see that, oh my gosh, I spend my entire life distracting from these primordial really uncomfortable feelings. And if I can bring them into the..."
Finding Shadow in the Body (Thomas Hübl): Part 1
Listen now (49 min) | “I often ask, ‘so how beautiful are you when you need something?’ I call this the beauty of needs. And it's amazing how many of us don't feel beautiful at all when we need..."
When Spirituality and Science are the Same (Jeffrey Kripal)
Listen now (60 mins) | “Historically, there's no such thing as a pure tradition. And I also think as human beings, we transcend these religions and we transcend these cultures. And so..."
When Stress Becomes Illness (Gabor Maté, M.D.)
Listen now (66 min) | “Where in your life where you're not saying yes, but there's a, yes. That wants to be said where there's some desire for self-expression..."
Engaging with the Inner Life (John Price, PhD)
Listen now (65 mins) | "I yearn to participate in and provide sacred initiation process for men. And what does that even mean? Well, it means to be initiated into yourself..."
Finding Faith in Our Future (Krista Tippett)
Listen now (52 mins) | “You're going to find a lot of people doing their best, revealing how beautiful and strange we are, and how remarkable we can be..."
Finding the Line Between Savoring and Saving (Jamie Wheal)
Listen now (63 min) | “We as a generational cohort are coming of age where we simultaneously have more awareness of life...and at the same time understand our existential precariousness..."
The Best Books About Psychedelics & Consciousness
While Michael Pollan’s How To Change Your Mind is arguably the most famous book about psychedelics in recent years, there are many others, including Acid Test, which is a biography of one of my personal heroes, Rick Doblin.
