The MindThatEgo Podcast

🔊 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 an...

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....

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 199...

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 Commitmen...

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 comm...

(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'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 wou...

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 wit...

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 a...

How do you overcome temptation, build new habits, and behave and express authentically? How do you move from daydreaming to action? How do you change your life? Most of us view change as all-or-nothing. But this linear approach of success and failure makes it difficult to create lasting change. In this episode I explore an alternative — the Stages of Change Model of behavioural change. Struggling...

Perfectionism is defined as a "combination of excessively high personal standards and overly-critical self-evaluation." This episode focuses on perfectionist tendencies with emotions. Beliefs such as "I should always be happy," "anxiety is weakness," or "normal people don't feel so low," fuel feelings of frustration, shame, or hopelessness. But common concepts of healthy emotionality is skewed, in...

October the 10th is World Mental Health Day. This year’s theme is suicide prevention. Every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide. This has to change. Mental health stigma is reducing. But it’s still incredibly tough to talk openly about suicidal tendencies. We may feel shame. We may feel burdensome. We may want to avoid worrying or upsetting those we love. However, talking about suicid...

What if psychological crises were opportunities for spiritual awakening? That's the question that motivated Phil Borges to direct his documentary, Crazywise. While documenting indigenous and tribal cultures for over 30 years, he realised the healers and visionaries had each undergone a personal transformation our culture may label a breakdown, psychotic, crazy... Unlike in the West, these "disorde...

Ricky is joined by Valerie Mason-John (a.k.a Vimalasara), an award winning author, public speaker, and co-founder of Eight Step Recovery. The structure of the discussion is based on her book, Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction. Expanding on the Four Noble Truths, Valerie (and co-author Dr. Paramabandhu Groves) distill ancient wisdom to create a practical approa...

Ricky is joined by Dr. Kelly Rohan, psychologist and leading expert on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Though light therapy is the common treatment for SAD, Kelly's research of SAD-specific Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has proven targeting unhelpful thoughts and challenging habitual behaviour can drastically alleviate symptoms. No longer do any of us have to feel helpless victims to biology an...

Ricky is joined by David Gandelman, founder of Grounded Mind and co-host of the Energy Matters podcast. David has over 10 years experience dealing with thousands of clients, many of whom have one burning question — how do I heal from heartbreak? In this discussion, Ricky and David explore why heartbreak is so devastating, from a spiritual, psychological and personal perspective. Are rebounds ever...

In this premiere episode, Ricky is joined by Dr. Roger Walsh, Professor of Psychiatry, Philosophy & Anthropology at the University of California. Roger has spent three decades researching wellbeing, combined with deep spiritual practice and self-exploration. Roger's writing has earned him numerous international awards. His book — Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices — is the topic of th...