
Brain Shaman
Brain Shaman is a philosophical and scientific journey towards better brain health. Michael Waite discusses how you can change your brain state and overall nervous system via behavior, nutrition, nature, and technology. Mental illness, addiction, and low brain function are destroying so many people and societies. By becoming increasingly disconnected from our natural mind-body-world and plugged into the artificial ones, we are getting sicker, weaker, and less free. We must become more conscious of how the information that we consume (in the form of action, food, drugs, sensory input, media, etc.) affects our brain. This podcast teaches you how to reconnect with your primordial nature, reprogram your brain, regain your freedom, and redirect your life.
Latest episodes

Aug 30, 2023 • 1h 42min
Richmond Heath: Death, Grief, Pain, and Rainbows in the Dark | Episode 38
Richmond Heath is a physiotherapist and the founder of TRE Australia. Join us on a story-filled adventure through death, pain, suffering, and grief, and into a beautiful vibrant land where trauma and pain are verbs and you are fully feeling, pulsating, and alive. By going into the darkness, you can reconnect with yourself, others, and reality.Learn more: - TRE Australia website: treaustralia.com - Free online TRE course: trecourse.comRESOURCES:GROUPS: - MenergyPEOPLE: - Alia Crum - Anna Lembke - Carol Dweck - David Berceli - Deva Daricha - Jonah Robins - Peter Levine - Stephen Porges - Tony FitzgeraldPLACES - Linga Longa Aboriginal Philosophy Farm- Grantville- Phillip Island

Aug 23, 2023 • 1h 4min
Stumbling on Freedom: The End of Free Will and Return of the Butterflies | Episode 37
Explore the illusion of free will and how it affects our lives. Discuss the interconnectedness of the brain, body, and world, and the influence of past experiences, culture, and instincts on our actions and thoughts. Discover the concept of a self as stories we create and the role of language and reasoning. Uncover the influence of unconscious actions on life choices and the importance of embracing change. Delve into innate desires, the power of language, and the impact of external forces on our lives.

Aug 16, 2023 • 37min
The Magic of Being Wasteful: Throw Away the Bronze and Go for the Gold | Episode 36
In this episode, we talk about how to get rid of all the average or good junk in your life and fill it up with greatness.

Aug 9, 2023 • 59min
Srini Pillay: Adventures In Non-Dual Reality — Thinking, Perceiving, and Living Beyond Linear Boundaries | Episode 35
In this episode, we talk with Srini Pillay - a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, brain researcher, technology entrepreneur, author, speaker, musician, and much much more. We talk about the non-dual nature of the our mind, body, life, the world and how by reconnecting with the nonlinear patterns (of nature, technology, and ourselves), we can melt down the previous limits to our reality and discover new ways to think, experience, learn, and live. Some topics we get into include: perception (vision, embodiment, imagination ...), geometry (shapes, lines, fractals...), math, movement, technology (VR and AI), nature, distraction, identity, art, symbols, music, creativity, education, energy, life, subjectivity, discovery, and more. It's all about the rhythm and patterns of your thinking, perception, behavior, and therefore life. Let's adventure into the non-dual and non-linear spaces of reality, and, by doing so, feel more alive and rediscover and recreate who we are. Join this conversation to discover how to find those spaces and thereby enter into your new identity and reality.RESOURCES:BOOKS - Yoga Sutras of PantajaliCONCEPTS: - confabulation - default mode network - dharana - dhyana - epigenome - exposome - meaningful coincidence - methylation - mirror neurons - proteome - psychological halloweenism - samadhi - samyamaPEOPLE: - Carl Jung- Joseph LeDoux - Krista Kim - Marianne Williamson - Marsha Angell - Martin Heidegger - Michael Gazzaniga - Patrick Candela -----LEARN MORE ABOUT SRINI: - personal website: drsrinipillay.com - Reulay: reulay.com - NeuroBusiness Group: nbgcorporate.comCONNECT: - Instagram: @drsrinipillay - Twitter (X): @srinipillay - Facebook: /SriniPillayMD - LinkedIn: /drsrinipillay

Aug 2, 2023 • 60min
5 MORE Portals Into the Impossible: Mouth, Posture, Space, Time, and Identity | Episode 34
Here are 5 more portals into the unconscious world of neverending possibility and imagination: mouth, posture, space, time, and identity. If you find more, please leave a comment. And also leave a key or magic spell to help open it.

Jul 27, 2023 • 1h 9min
5 Portals Into the Impossible: How to Unfocus to Unlock Your Potential | Episode 33
This is an episode about how to unfocus your eyes, ears, nose, breath, and movement in order to tap into your unconscious, that inner land of imagination, where you can discover new possibilities and create a new you. Change how you use your body, and you can change your perception of what is possible.

Jul 21, 2023 • 1h 33min
Alex Greene: Zen, Feldenkrais, Rolfing, TRE, Movement, and Embodiment | Episode 32
In this episode, we talk with Alex Greene about how to reconnect and align with our bodies and the energy of the universe, and how all that affects our being and mind. He's body worker, somatic coach, TRE provider, nervous system therapist, zen priest, and the host of the Red Beard Embodiment podcast. We dig into a lot of interrelated topics, including: Taoism, Zen Buddhism, breathing, hara, muscles, trauma, stress, tension and trauma releasing exercises (TRE), physical habits (sitting, posture, walking, etc.), polyvagal theory, the Feldenkrais Method, Rolfing, gravity, early childhood development, bodily awareness, speed of movement, neuroplasticity, massage, touch, memories, connection, disconnection, dissociation, the nervous system, perception of possibility, modes of focus and attention, Eastern vs. Western art, language, fluidity vs. rigidity, sense of self, parenting, learning, communication, voice, and martial arts.Connect with Alex Greene: - personal website: www.alexgreene.com - podcast: Red Beard Embodiment (also available on Spotify, Apple, etc.)- therapy practice: www.redbeardsomatictherapy.com - Youtube channel: @AlexGreeneTRERESOURCES: BODYWORK PRACTICES: - Feldenkrais Method - Rolfing - TRE BOOKS: - A Zen Approach to Bodytherapy by William "Dub" Leigh- Stalking Wild Psoas by Liz Koch - The Unfettered Mind by Takuan Sōhō- The Vital Psoas Muscle by Liz Koch CONCEPTS:- dantien (丹田) - dissociation- hara (腹) - mushin (無心)- qi / ki (气 ) / 気) - samadhi (समाधि) - tao (道) - zazen (座禅)PEOPLE - Bodhidharma- Everett Ogawa- Ida Rolf- Moshé Feldenkrais - Norman Doidge - Tanouye RoshiPLACES:- Chozen-ji (Zen temple & dōjō in Honolulu, Hawaii) PHYSIOLOGY: - iliacus (muscle)- iliopsoas (muscle) - motor cortex (brain region) - psoas (muscle) - sacrum (bone) - sensory cortex (brain reg

Jul 10, 2023 • 59min
Molly Watts: Change How You Think, Change How You Drink — Rewiring Your Alcohol Habits | Episode 31
This is a conversation with Molly Watts (host of The Alcohol Minimalist podcast) about alcohol and the brain. We discuss the harms and benefits of the substance, what it does to the brain, how we can start drinking less, and how we can change any harmful habit. Some of the questions we ponder include: - What happens in the brain when we drink alcohol? How does it impact neurotransmitters like glutamate and GABA?- What are some paths to overcoming alcohol addiction, aside from AA and abstinence programs?- What are some misunderstandings we have about alcohol, and why do we have them?- What is "gray area" drinking?- How can you determine whether your habit of drinking alcohol is serving you?- Is alcohol actually relaxing you and reducing your anxiety, or is it making things worse?- How can education about the neuroscience of alcohol help you recover from your overuse of it and find better alternatives to feeling better?- What happens after your blood alcohol concentration is past 0.005%? - Are there any therapeutic benefits to alcohol?- How does alcohol give us happy neurochemicals? How long does that last?- How do our thoughts drive us to drink, or help us stop drinking?- How do we change our habits (of thought and behavior)?- How can we strengthen (and stop weakening) our prefrontal cortex?- What are some basic things you can do to help curb your addictive cravings toward things like alcohol?- Do we desire alcohol more when we are lacking certain things in life (e.g. neurochemicals, resources, relationships, etc.)?- What role does dopamine play in all of this? How does it drive our behavior?- How can we take more conscious control over the unconscious processes in our brain?- How can changing your thoughts change your desires?- What's the process of habit change? How long does it take?- What can you do to calm yourself down in moments of craving? How do you resist the urge to drink or keep drinking?- What are some things we can substitute alcohol with? What can we do or drink instead?- Are all humans addicted? Is society making us more addicted? - What is Molly's history with alcohol, and how did she overcome her negative drinking habits?RESOURCESConnect with Molly / learn more: www.mollywatts.comAlcohol Minimalist Podcast: www.mollywatts.com/podcastAlcohol Minimalist Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/alcoholminimalists

Jul 3, 2023 • 1h 15min
Sae Kani (Part 2): Trauma and Japan — Culture, Communication, Relationships, and Connection | Episode 30
Talking with Sae Kani, we dig into Japanese culture and trauma. We discuss various aspects of this society, including: relationships, communication, work, technology, parenting, marriage, sex, dating, power, men-women dynamics, parent-child relationships, maturation, language, intercultural interaction, virtual worlds, distractions, dissociation, biology, the nervous system, mental illness, and more. We also talk about how by gaining awareness of our own body, learning about neurology, and nurturing our nervous system by doing things like TRE (Trauma Releasing Exercises), we can heal ourselves, release our stress, overcome our trauma, and become more anti-fragile and resilient, both as individuals and as a society.To learn more about TRE or connect with Sae, you can visit:www.saekani.comwww.treforall.comwww.youtube.com/@treforall312

Jun 26, 2023 • 1h 9min
Sae Kani (Part 1): Releasing Tension and Trauma — Reconnecting With Our Bodies, Past, and Each Other | Episode 29
This is an interview with Sae Kani, a TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercise) trainer in Japan and around Asia. She's also a life coach, meditator, and has had a long career as a humanitarian worker, helping traumatized communities recover after natural disasters around the world. Today we get hear her story, transporting us around Asia and beyond, witnessing the pain and healing along the way. Some of the topics we discuss include: - Why doesn't traditional humanitarian aid help heal communities' trauma? - What does it mean to be human? - What are the similarities and differences between humans and other animals? - How can body-based exercises (such as TRE) change our thinking, emotions, and the stories we tell ourselves? How can healing the body simultaneously heal the mind? - Why did humans develop a nervous system that requires us to communicate and connect with one another? - How can we use our body language to make others feel safe (or threatened)? - Why does our neocortex (mind) sometimes override the gut-reaction signals from our body? - How does one's socioeconomic situation influence their resilience towards trauma? - How do child-rearing practices affect one's susceptibility to trauma and stress? - How can we develop a strong nervous system? - How is the Western ideal of individualism stressing us out and hurting our health? - Are some countries more traumatized than other countries? - Why do some cultures (e.g. Japan) express less emotion than others (e.g. Vietnam)? - How do capitalism, consumerism, and the hyper-focus on money lead to more disconnection, stress, and trauma? - Why is it important to physically release our stress and emotions, and what are the health and psychological risks of not doing so? - What are the first steps towards releasing yourself from stress and trauma? - Can culture traumatize us? How do we shield ourselves from that? - How, by listening to our body, can we protect ourselves from dangerous people and situations? - What role does physical movement play in integrating and healing our trauma? - Why is trauma? What causes it? - How do we ignore danger by numbing and distracting ourselves from our pain? - What are some things we can do to calm down and release our stress? - How does connection (with anything!) help us feel safe and calm? - What is TRE and how do people respond to it? - When is the best time of day to do TRE? - How does physical release of energy help our brain integrate and deactivate memories of past events? - How does the physiological history of ourselves (and our society) influence the creation of moral codes, norms, and taboos? - How can we reconnect with our body and discharge excess energy? RESOURCESCONCEPTS - fight-or-flight response- freezing behavior - Polyvagal theory - Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercise (TRE) - vagus nervePEOPLE - David Berceli- Stephen PorgesConnect with Sae: www.saekani.comLearn more about TRE: www.traumaprevention.comTRE on YouTube: @treforall312Part 2 coming soon!