AWONDERJUNKIE

Jamie Wheal is the author of Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex and Death In a World That's Lost Its Mind and the global bestseller Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of human performance. His work...

John Potash discusses his extensive research into the use of drugs as tools of social engineering, particularly by the CIA through programs like MKUltra. He explores the impact of psychedelics on society, the manipulation of musicians and activists, and the ongoing influence of powerful families in shaping cultural narratives. Potash emphasizes the importance of understanding historical contexts t...

James Martinez delves into his journey as a media ecologist, exploring the intersection of technology and culture. He describes the legacy of MKUltra, the implications of brain-computer interfaces, and the importance of cognitive liberty. Insights from Walter Bowart and Marshall McLuhan are highlighted, emphasizing the need for responsible technology deployment and the impact of compartmentalizati...

Prof. Karl Friston is one of the most highly cited living neuroscientists in history. Karl Friston is a theoretical neuroscientist and authority on brain imaging. He invented statistical parametric mapping (SPM), voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and dynamic causal modeling (DCM). These contributions were motivated by schizophrenia research and theoretical studies of value-learning – formulated as the...

Dr. Morgan is a Professor in the Department of National Security at the University of New Havens Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. Dr. Morgan is a Forensic Psychiatrist, former intelligence officer, and a Neuroscientist. The focus of his teaching is intelligence analysis, research methods in national security, issues in deception and operational psychology (indirect a...

This was just a brief experiment with Character AI version of Terence McKenna.   Ryan has a conversation with a character AI representation of Terrence McKenna, exploring themes of digital immortality, psychedelics, ethnobotany, and the nature of reality. The discussion delves into McKenna's personal experiences with psychedelics, his reflections on the nature of suffering and death, as well as hi...

Dr. László G. Boros Professor of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (retired - June 2021) DEUTENOMICS Is the science behind endurance, performance and health via the regulation of deuterium in NatureThis conversation delves into the significance of mitochondrial health, the role of deuterium in energy production, and the impact of nutrition and sunlight on overall well-being. Dr. László G. Bor...

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is an internationally recognized scholar, author, soldier, and speaker who is one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime.     Col. Grossman is a former West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and an Army Ranger who has combined his experiences to become the founder of a new field of...

Dr. Valerie Giangrande is an optometrist with over 20 years of private practice experience in New York, specializing in the intersection of vision care, holistic health, and quantum biology. Her journey into integrative wellness began in 2012 through personal experience with functional medicine, eventually leading her to study nutrition, circadian rhythms, and quantum health principles. Certified...

Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, where he is also Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science . He is also Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)  Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Neuroscience of Consciousness (Oxford University Press), a role he...

Rebecca Lazarou’s research interests include; plant and fungi medicines, herbalism, pharmacognosy, quality control of plants, cannabis, psychedelics, ethnopharmacology, neuroscience, holistic therapies, ethnobotany, entheogens, healing and wellbeing.    Rebecca Lazarou shares her journey from studying biomedicine to becoming a passionate advocate for herbalism and medicinal plants. She discusses t...

Thomas N. Seyfried received his Ph. D. in Genetics and Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1976. Dr. Seyfried has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and is the author of the book,  Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer (Wiley, 1st ed., 2012). Thomas Seyfried discusses his groundbreaking research on cancer as a mitochondrial metabol...

Chris Bennett has been researching the historical role of cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than a three decades. He is co-author of Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion (1995); Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible (2001); and author of Cannabis and the Soma Solution (2010); Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal herbs and the Occult (2018); and Cannabis: Lost Sacram...

Michael Levin- PhD, Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States, 1996 BS, Computer Science and Biology, Tufts University, Medford, United States, 1992 The capacity to generate a complex, behaving organism from the single cell of a fertilized egg is one of the most amazing aspects of biology. The Levin lab integrates approaches from developmental biology, computer science, and cognitive...

Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living , a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation , a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he...

Travis Kitchens was a psychedelic research subject in the Johns Hopkins study in 2014. Travis and Ryan explore the history of the current psychedelic movement, focusing on the Johns Hopkins studies, the Council on Spiritual Practices, and the implications of psychedelics in social engineering. Travis critiques the psychedelic movement, highlighting the influence of key figures and the commercializ...

Robert is the author of multiple books. Huston Smith called his first book Entheogens and the Future of Religion, “the best single inquiry into the religious significance of chemically occasioned mystical experience that has yet appeared.” Forte was introduced to psychedelics in 1980 by Frank Barron, who initiated Timothy Leary and started the Harvard Psilocybin Project with him. From the Universi...

Matt Sydal shares his transformative journey through professional wrestling and personal growth, highlighting the importance of connections, cultural experiences, and the evolution of entertainment. He discusses his experiences Huachuma, the collaborative nature of wrestling, and the risks involved in performance. The conversation emphasizes the significance of travel as a means of expanding one's...

Aleena Kanner and Ryan explore the intricate connections between the body, mind, and health through the lens of postural restoration. Aleena shares her journey into this field, emphasizing the importance of unlearning traditional health paradigms and adopting a holistic view of the body as an interconnected system. They discuss the significance of breath mechanics, the role of footwear in body ali...

Catherine Liu discusses her insights on trauma culture, its historical roots, and its implications in contemporary society. She critiques the individualization of trauma and emphasizes the need to understand trauma within social and economic contexts. Liu also explores cultural perspectives on trauma, particularly in relation to identity politics and the political landscape, highlighting the inter...

Mads Tömörkènyi is a Copenhagen-based researcher specializing in biomechanics, longevity, and anthropology. With a background in anatomy, physiology, and sports science, and years of experience coaching top athletes worldwide, Mads recognized the unsustainable and detrimental nature of the methods used to train elite athletes, which reflected broader issues in global health education.   Mads Tömör...

Danny Goler delves into the realms of DMT, consciousness, and the intersection of science and spirituality. Goler shares his journey of exploring the nature of reality through experiments he has done with hundreds of people on DMT.  Danny is working with different experts to investigate the significant implications of his findings during the experiments with DMT. He describes his experiences and d...

Peter A Levine, Ph. D., is the developer of Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma, which he has developed over the past 50 years. He holds a doctorate in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. He is the Founder and President of the Ergos Institute for Somatic Education, dedicated to Community Outreach...

Author, Pysician & Engineer. Madhava Setty  explores a range of topics from consciousness and first principles thinking to skepticism about major historical events like 9/11. Madhava shares his journey from engineering to medicine leading him to become a decentralized thinker. They discuss the challenges of discerning truth in a world where experts often disagree, the psychological mechanisms...

Michael speaks about his journey as a U.S. Navy Helicopter Search and Rescue Swimmer, leading to  personal growth, healing,  and a life of service.  The conversation touches on spirituality, the challenges of navigating injuries, and the lessons learned from military training. Michael shares his journey through injuries and health challenges, the challenges of military life, and the eventual diagn...