Brain Shaman

Dr. Ilene Naomi Rusk is a neuropsychologist and functional medicine brain health consultant who helps heal people with trauma and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's. Her education, training, and experience are vast, dancing like a constellation of stars through the nervous system night. We captured glimpses of it today, focusing primarily on the important role that connection and...

This is a solo episode reflecting on the behavioral and sensory locks and keys to our inner world, that beautiful melty sacred space where imagination, possibilities, dreams, creativity, freedom, and the unconscious come alive, where we are no longer controlled by the external puppeteers and can instead awaken to the authenticity, simplicity, and greatness of our true natural being.  Today, we dis...

Roland Verment is a neuropsychologist, biohacker, and the owner of Neurobics , an at-home neurofeedback service. In this interview, we discuss how to understand and change the brain via neurofeedback and nootropics. We talk about brain waves (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) and how they correspond to various brain states, regions, neurochemicals, and disorders, including: OCD, ADHD, autism,...

Ken Middleton is the author of Bamboozled: How Alcohol Makes Fools of Us All and the editor of the publication AINYF (Alcohol is NOT Your Friend) . In this episode, Ken shares helpful tools and strategies for quitting alcohol. These include: exercise, nutrition, education, sleep, hobbies, social connection, finding a supportive partner, and having a big goal. We also discuss: the neuroscience of a...

In this episode, we discuss strategies for managing and reducing alcohol cravings, uncovering alternative pathways to satisfy the deeper needs that fuel them.  Today, we delve into 11 needs, exploring alternative actions to address each: water nutrition social connection sex touch movement sleep feeling of possibility, novelty, chaos, & adventure stimulation (light, sound, etc.) stress reducti...

In this episode, we're joined by Osinakachi Akuma Kalu , the founder of TAFFD's , dedicated to enhancing health and biological longevity for Africans through educational initiatives. He's also an author, futurist, musician, and speaker. Our discussion centers on traditional African health practices, mindsets, and tools, covering: social connection, community, movement, nutrition, fa...

Josh Sackman, cofounder and president of AppliedVR, joins us today to talk about pain management using virtual reality (VR). We discuss the bio-psycho-social dimensions of pain, and how to manage and reduce it accordingly. Some of the evidence-based tools and features discussed include: breath (e.g. box, 4-7-8, Wim Hof, diaphragmatic breathing, etc.), visualization, social connection, mindfulness...

In this episode, our guest is Jan Kounen , French film director and producer, VR creator, author, comic book artist, and Ayahuasca expert explorer. The conversation focuses on various aspects of the Ayahuasca experience, such as: vision, sound (the chants/songs known as "icaros"), embodiment, fear, thinking, cognition, surrender, fragility, reality, perception, self-discovery, pain, beau...

Enjoy a relaxing meditative vacation for your ears with these Hindu chants from Jamie Ananda McConochie . Close your eyes, perhaps sing along, and get swept along on a journey deep into yourself and the cosmos from which you emerged. You can listen to these while meditating, getting ready for bed, or even while making love. Unlimited listens permitted. Let these sounds echo into and expand your be...

In this episode, Jamie Ananda McConochie teaches us all about tantric sex, masturbation, health, and relationship practices. Yes, you will learn how to last longer in bed, love, and life. But you'll also learn how to increase your energy, focus, creativity, presence, and pleasure by using chanting, breathing, voice, movement, meditation, eye gazing, and other sensory-based practices. These te...

In this episode, join Norah Al-Azzam, an expert in neuroscience and RNA, as we delve into the intricate cellular biology of rare neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Explore the complexities of conditions like ALS, Huntington's disease, Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS III), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), gaining insights into the pivotal roles played by RNA, proteins, and sugars....

In this episode, we talk with the International Caregivers Association (ICA) about dementia. It is a seven-way conversation with basically the entire team: Dr. Ethelle Lord , Dr. Jennifer Stelter , Dr. Andrew Harrison , Ryan Stoffko , Bill Pemberton , and Pad . You will learn about what it is, potential risks and causes, the various types (e.g. Alzheimer's, frontotemporal dementia, vascular d...

Loretta Breuning returns, with her new book - Why You're Unhappy: Biology vs Politics . In this episode, we discuss that book - debunking various myths about happiness and teaching you how to surf the continuous waves of unhappiness. Take back control over your brain by taking small repeated steps toward goals that fulfill your biological and existential needs. Stop waiting for, chasing, or e...

This is an interview with Glenn S. Cohen , the author of Neurological Intelligence: Volumes 1 and 2. Join us on a wild ride through Glenn's neurological life, as he shares various tools and techniques that have helped him and can help you too. We all have wounds from our past, inner children trapped in time, and destructive habits and thought patterns that we'd like to replace.  The tool...

This is an interview with ADHD coach Tony Coward . We talk about how to navigate life with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - from the fear, frustration, perfectionism, distraction, hyperarousal, and feeling of "not enoughness," to the boundless imagination, creativity, excitement, and out-of-the-box thinking that, if properly harnessed, can lead to immense levels of succe...

Michael Allison is an educator and coach who uses polyvagal theory to help athletes optimize their resilience, performance, and overall nervous system. In this episode, we talk about the neurophysiology of safety, danger, connection, competition, and play. Learn to "meet your body where it is" and use play as a way to regulate your nervous system, connect with others, and improve almost...

Nathalie Giraud Desforges is a sex, couples, and IFS therapist. We talk about how to use tantra to connect with our body, mind, multiple selves, nature, and each other. Concepts from Internal Family Systems (IFS) weave through the conversation.  Learn to be kind and compassionate to both the "good" and "bad" parts and people in both your inner and outer world. Get jiggy with yo...

Faye Sahai is the managing director at Telosity Ventures , a venture capital firm that invests in digital wellness and mental health startups. In this interview, you will learn all about current trends in mental health and the some of the latest technologies and solutions striving to improve it. We discuss this from various angles: cultural factors, human connection, trust, autonomy, agency, perso...

This is an episode about finding balance between our two main modes of perception: interoception (the inner world) and exteroception (the outer world). Sometimes we get stuck too far in one direction, either internally within our body-mind or externally out there in the world of other objects and things. We are always dancing between these two realities, struggling to keep our balance with a foot...

Michael Morin Nissen is a psychologist, body-oriented psychotherapist, and TRE trainer. In this episode, we talk about various trauma therapies such as Tension and Trauma Release Exercises (TRE), bioenergetics, and body-oriented psychotherapy.  We discuss the history behind such therapies as well as how they can be used to help people with, for example, multiple sclerosis (MS), depression, or chil...

This is an episode about distraction, busyness, to-do lists, dreams, goals, pleasures, and how all such things are preventing you from seeing yourself and living your authentic life. Stop adding noise, drop whatever it is you think you need or want to do, and roll with the true spirit hidden inside. Time is disappearing as you cover it up with things that do not really matter. We keep ourselves bu...

This is your brain on Christmas. Hop on this wild neurochemical sleigh ride through the brain. Learn how things like serotonin and dopamine affect your behavior during the holidays. More importantly, learn how to optimize them to ensure that you will indeed have a very merry Christmas. Life is a battle between connection and solitude, a see-saw between having and wanting, being and becoming, prese...

This is an interview with Kirill Krasnogir , the CEO of Cleverpoint , which combines VR with physiological sensors (such as EEG, EMG, and ECG) to analyze and assess your mental health state. It helps people determine and track the state of their nervous system - levels of stress, fatigue, anxiety, risk of burnout, and more. Get to know your unique psychophysiology through emerging technology. We d...

This episode is all about traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Our guest is Adrian Harel , the founder and CEO of Medicortex , a Finnish company that is developing a non-invasive TBI diagnostic tool that detects the biomarker through saliva and urine. Together we explore various aspects of traumatic brain injuries: definitions, types, causes, signs, symptoms, diagnostic tools, technologies, treatments,...

David Hardy is a functional neurologist and the host of The Hardy Brain podcast .  In this episode, he provides a sort of crash course on the brain and nervous system. Specifically, you will learn how to use certain bodily movements (e.g. with the eyes, breath, mouth, and jaw) to both interpret and alter your brain state. A dual theme running throughout this episode is concussions, head trauma, an...