Épisodes

  • The Hidden Drivers of Polarisation: Why People Become Radicalised — Dr. Joel Vos
    May 28 2026
    In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Joel Vos, a researcher and psychotherapist who specialises in meaning in life, existential psychology, and the roots of polarisation and extremism. Dr. Vos has conducted research at universities across Europe and has worked directly with individuals involved in political movements and radical groups. His work brings together academic research and real-world experience, offering a clear perspective on why people radicalise and how societies can respond. In this conversation, they explore: — Why polarisation and extremism are rooted in threats to meaning in life — The four ways people respond when they cannot live the life they want — Why many government approaches to extremism fall short, and what may work better — The idea of existential compassion, and why it may help reduce conflict — Practical ways to engage with people whose views you strongly oppose And more. You can learn more about Dr. Vos’s work at https://joelvos.com. --- Dr Joel Vos PhD MSc MA CPsychol AFBPsS FHEA is a psychologist and philosopher, a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society. He lectures and conducts research at the Metanoia Institute in London. He is the director of IMEC International Meaning Events and Community. He has trained as an existential-humanistic, cognitive-behaviour, group and contextual family psychotherapist. He has given therapy to thousands of clients in different mental health care settings, including his private practice. He has developed psychological treatments which has been validated in clinical trials, and which are now used worldwide. --- Interview Links: — Dr. Vos’ websites: https://joelvos.com — Dr. Vos’ books: https://joelvos.com/books
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    1 h et 2 min
  • Boyd Varty — A Lion Tracker’s Guide to Presence, Purpose, and Self Transformation
    May 21 2026
    In this episode, Niall speaks with Boyd Varty, a wildlife tracker, storyteller, and author of the bestselling books “Cathedral of the Wild”, and “The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life”. Boyd grew up at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, where he learned the ancient art of tracking from master Shangaan trackers. In this conversation, they explore: — How a near-death experience at eighteen revealed a state of consciousness beyond fear — Why tracking animals can teach us how to track our own lives and find what we’re truly looking for — The link between disconnection from nature and the search for meaning — Why transformation begins with saying, “I don’t know, but I want to” — How to follow a sense of aliveness in the body as a guide for decisions And more. You can learn more about Boyd’s work, retreats, and books at https://boydvarty.com/ and boydvarty.com/course-listing/track-your-life-masterclass. --- The wildlife and literacy activist Boyd Varty, author of the memoir Cathedral of the Wild, had an unconventional upbringing. Born to a family of conservationists, Boyd grew up on Londolozi Game Reserve in the South African wilderness, a place where man and nature strive for balance, where perils exist alongside wonders. Founded more than 90 years ago as a hunting ground, Londolozi was transformed into a nature reserve beginning in 1973 by Varty’s father and uncle, visionaries of the restoration movement. But it wasn’t just a sanctuary for the animals; it was also a place for ravaged land to flourish again and for the human spirit to be restored. When Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment, he came to the reserve to recover. Since childhood, Boyd shared his home with lions, leopards, snakes, and elephants and has spent his life in apprenticeship to the wisdom of nature. Boyd survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose. As a university student, he studied psychology and ecology, supplementing his education by learning martial arts in Thailand, hiking through the jungles of the Amazon, and apprenticing to a renowned tracker from the Shangaan tribe deepening his intimate knowledge of the natural world. Boyd grew up speaking the local language and learning the true meaning of coexistence between people and with nature. Boyd continues to, like a tracker, follow unconventional pathways. He has worked intensively over the past 7 years in ceremonial spaces as an apprentice to a Peruvian shaman while generating his own system of coaching called “track your life” with draws lessons from the ancient art form of tracking to help people find more meaning, purpose and motivation. At the core of his work is the impulse of life towards healing, wholeness and wildness. He works in both the USA and South Africa to connect people to nature and to their own true inner nature. Boyd Varty is a major voice of the new consciousness. He engages audiences across the world on the subject of forging connections in ourselves, in our communities and with the earth. He speaks to those who long for a way of interaction both simpler and more profound than the way most of us live in the world today. Boyd has a psychology degree from the University of South Africa. He is a certified Master Life Coach, the author of two books and a TED speaker. Boyd has spent the last ten years refining the art of using wilderness as a place for deep introspection and personal transformation. Having taught his philosophy of “Tracking your Life” to companies and individuals all over the world he has been featured in the New York Times and NBC. --- Interview Links: — Boyd’s website: http://boydvarty.com — Track Your Life Masterclass: https://boydvarty.com/course-listing/track-your-life-masterclass
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    1 h et 2 min
  • The Deeper Truths Hidden Inside Christianity — Aaron Abke
    May 14 2026
    In this interview, Niall speaks with Aaron Abke, an author and spiritual teacher who left a career in ministry to pursue a deeper understanding of consciousness and spiritual awakening. After what he describes as a transformative two-week period where he was “incapable of suffering,” Aaron devoted his life to understanding freedom from suffering and helping others find it. In this conversation, they explore: — The difference between “outcome happiness” and “no reason happiness” — How Aaron defines the ego, and why he sees it as innocent rather than something to fight — Why he believes only what we don’t give can ever be lacking in our lives — How surrendering personal control can lead to greater freedom and fulfilment — His perspective on “Christ consciousness” and what it means to see divinity in others And more. You can learn more about Aaron’s work at http://www.aaronabke.com. — Aaron Abke is the author of The Three Beliefs of Ego. A spiritual teacher and thought leader who delivers a fresh new perspective on self-realization, his online academy for consciousness expansion, 4D University, has more than 10,000 members. Multiple Gaia TV series, chart-topping spirituality podcasts, and SiriusXM radio programs have showcased Abke’s passion and purpose, which is to awaken this planet to the awareness of our oneness. He lives in Austin, Texas. Visit him online at http://www.aaronabke.com. --- Interview Links: — Aaron’s website: http://www.aaronabke.com — Aaron’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aabke — Aaron’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronabke — Aaron’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AaronAbke — Aaron’s Book: https://amzn.to/4rsmgDj
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    1 h et 1 min
  • Healing Traumatic Attachment Patterns — Dr. Janina Fisher
    May 7 2026
    In this interview, I’m joined by Dr Janina Fisher — a clinical psychologist, author, and former trainer at Harvard Medical School. She is the developer of Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment and widely regarded as a leading pioneer in the field of attachment and trauma-informed care. This conversation focuses on how Janina's insights and approach can be applied to working with traumatic attachment. Expect to Learn: — Why frightened or frightening parenting can be just as harmful as abuse. — The relationship between traumatic attachment and borderline personality disorder — How attachment patterns influence the “window of tolerance” — Dr Fisher’s advice for the next generation of therapists. And more. You can learn more about Dr Fisher’s work at https://janinafisher.com. --- Janina Fisher, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and a former instructor, Harvard Medical School. An international expert on the treatment of trauma, she is an Advisory Board member of the Trauma Research Foundation and the author of three books, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation (2017), Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: a Workbook for Survivors and Therapists (2021), and The Living Legacy Instructional Flip Chart (2022). She is best known for her work on integrating mindfulness-based interventions into trauma treatment, and she is also the creator of Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) therapy. --- 3 Books Dr. Janina Fisher Recommends Every Therapist Should Read: — Healing Trauma: Attachment, Mind, Body and Brain — Dan Siegel and Marion Solomon - https://amzn.to/4fOVm38 — Neurobiology Essentials for Clinicians — Arlene Montgomery - https://amzn.to/4dzfIex — Handbook of Attachment — Jude Cassidy and Phillip Shaver - https://amzn.to/3YBqiO0 Interview Links: — Dr Janina’s website - https://janinafisher.com
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    54 min
  • Dr. Christof Koch - Exploring the Further Reaches of Human Consciousness
    Apr 30 2026
    In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Christof Koch, Chief Scientist of the MindScope Program at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, former Professor at Caltech, and author of “Then I Am Myself the World”. Dr. Koch is a leading researcher in the science of consciousness and a key proponent of Integrated Information Theory. In this conversation, they explore: — Why consciousness may be fundamental, while physical matter exists only in relation to other things — How an experience on a beach in Brazil changed his understanding of reality — The discovery of “covert consciousness” in patients thought to be in vegetative states — How the perturbational complexity index (PCI) shows a clear boundary between conscious and unconscious states, and why this matters — How Integrated Information Theory approaches the question of free will You can learn more about Dr. Koch’s work at https://christofkoch.com. --- Dr. Christof Koch is a Meritorious Investigator at the Allen Institute. Christof received his baccalaureate from the Lycée Descartes in Rabat, Morocco, his B.S. and M.S. in physics from the University of Tübingen in Germany and his Ph.D. from the Max-Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics in 1982. Subsequently, he spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1987 until 2013, Koch was a professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, from his initial appointment as Assistant Professor, Division of Biology and Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1986, to his final position as Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive & Behavioral Biology. See here for Christof’s academic pedigree and his students. Christof joined the Allen Institute for Brain Science as Chief Scientific Officer in 2011 and became President in 2015. Christof writings and interests integrate theoretical, computational and experimental neuroscience with philosophy and contemporary trends, in particular artificial intelligence. His latest book, Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It, publish in May 2024. His previous book, Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist, blends science and memoir to explore topics in discovering the roots of consciousness. Stemming in part from a long-standing collaboration with the late Nobel Laureate Francis Crick, Christof authored the book The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach. Koch also authored the technical books Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons and Methods in Neuronal Modeling: From Ions to Networks, and served as editor for several books on neural modeling and information processing. --- Interview Links: — Dr. Koch’s website: https://christofkoch.com — Dr. Koch’s book: https://amzn.to/4mIKG9W
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    51 min
  • Integrative Attachment Therapy — Dr. David Elliott
    Apr 23 2026
    Dr. David Elliott is a clinical psychologist, former president of the Rhode Island Psychological Association, and Harvard graduate. He teaches internationally on attachment, personality, and psychotherapy process, and is the co-author of Attachment Disturbances in Adults. In this conversation, we explore: — The ‘ideal parent figure’ method and how it can be applied to heal attachment wounds — The three pillars of integrative attachment therapy — The benefits and limitations of the therapist becoming the client's good attachment figure. And more. You can learn more about Dr. Elliott’s work at https://www.davidelliottphd.com. --- Dr. Elliott received his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1989 from Harvard University. His clinical training while at Harvard included externships at the Tufts University Counseling Center, the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Massachusetts, and a clinical psychology internship at McLean Hospital, the psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital, where he worked on the Adolescent and Family Treatment Unit and at the hospital’s mental health outpatient clinic. He was licensed as a Psychologist in Massachusetts in 1990, and in Rhode Island in 1993. Recognizing from an early age that there are many dimensions to human experience, any and all of which can contribute to well-being or to difficulty, Dr. Elliott has maintained a commitment to learning and understanding the whole range of human possibility — from the deepest confusions and struggles of psychosis, to the patterns of personality that create personal and relational conflicts, to the development of the self in ways that promote both independence and intimacy, and to higher levels of growth that allow for flourishing and even a recognition of oneself as beyond the limits of the personal self. --- Interview Links: — Dr Elliott’s website - https://www.davidelliottphd.com 3 Books Dr Elliott Recommends Every Therapist Should Read: — Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World - Sue Marriott & Ann Kelley - https://amzn.to/4cn9ttG — A Compelling Idea: How We Become the Persons We Are - Alan Sroufe - https://amzn.to/4cvP31X — Attachment Disturbances in Adults: Treatment for Comprehensive Repair - Daniel P. Brown & David S. Elliott - https://amzn.to/4cvPcCx
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    1 h et 3 min
  • What Neurosurgery Taught Me About Materialism, Consciousness, and Free Will — Dr. Michael Egnor
    Apr 16 2026
    In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Michael Egnor, a professor of neurosurgery at Stony Brook University who has performed over 7,000 brain operations. He is also director of the neurosurgery residency program and has published extensively on the relationship between mind and brain. In this conversation, they explore: — Why decades of brain mapping research suggest that reason and free will cannot be produced by neural activity — Cases of patients missing large portions of their brain who function normally — What paradoxical lucidity in dementia patients reveals about consciousness — How research on patients in persistent vegetative states challenges materialist assumptions — Why evidence from neuroscience points to the existence of an immaterial mind And more. You can learn more about Dr. Egnor’s work through his book, “The Immortal Mind". — Michael Egnor’s practice includes patients diagnosed with Arnold Chiari deformity, hydrocephalus, cranio-synostosis, brain tumors, and spina bifida, as well as children with severe head trauma. He has an international reputation for research on hydrocephalus, and he is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Hydrocephalus Association in the United States. --- Interview Link: — Dr. Egnor’s Book: https://amzn.to/4bIAiv3
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    1 h et 5 min
  • Navigating “Possession” in Psychotherapy — Robert Falconer
    Apr 9 2026
    In this episode, Niall speaks with Robert Falconer, a writer, consultant, and teacher who has spent nearly two decades working with complex psychological experiences that sit outside conventional therapeutic frameworks. Robert is the author of ten books and specialises in working with people experiencing what Internal Family Systems calls “unattached burdens” — intrusive psychological patterns that seem to originate outside a person’s own history. His most recent book, “Spirit”, documents a decade of written dialogues on consciousness and healing. In this conversation, they explore: — Why the belief that minds are isolated and impermeable may contribute to psychological distress — How intergenerational trauma can be passed down through epigenetic mechanisms — The difference between parts of ourselves and external psychological influences — Why fear is the main way intrusive patterns maintain their influence — The role of interoception in mental health, and how Internal Family Systems approaches these cases And more. You can learn more about Robert’s work at http://robertfalconer.us. --- In 2023, Bob published his book about IFS and unattached burdens – The Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession, and it quickly became a best-seller in its category. Prior to that he co-authored Many Minds, One Self (2017) with Richard Schwartz and since then he has published When You’re Going Through Hell …Keep Going (2024), and his latest book, Spirit (2025), a summary of many of the journals of his daily dialogues with Spirit. For the past 20 years or so Bob has devoted himself full-time to IFS work (Internal Family Systems Therapy). In that time he has completed all levels of IFS training offered, and has been a program assistant more than 18 times. Bob has been at many workshops and events with Richard Schwartz both as assistant and participant. In addition to studying with many of the other senior IFS trainers, For all of his therapeutic work, both professional and personal, Bob now uses IFS almost exclusively. Before this Bob used and explored many forms of therapy, starting with Ericksonian hypnotherapy which he studied with Carol Erickson. He received his master’s degree and hypnotherapist certificate under her tutelage. Then he met and began studying with Jack and Helen Watkins, the creators of Ego State Therapy. Before beginning his graduate work, starting in 1971, Bob was a regular at with the Esalen Institute where he has attended more than 120 events and workshops. At Esalen Bob met and worked with many of the leaders of the human potential movement and focused on Gestalt Therapy mainly with Mariah Fenton Gladys and Christine Price. In the 80s and 90s Bob also studied codependency and addictions with Pia Mellody. --- Interview Links: — Robert’s website: https://robertfalconer.us/ — Robert’s books: https://amzn.to/4t2AuLX
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    1 h et 2 min