Buddha at the Gas Pump

Anoop Kumar communicates a bold, new vision of healing and healthcare based in a more comprehensive understanding of whole human anatomy–a crucial step in the journey of healthcare transformation. He is the founder of Health Revolution, an emergency physician, public speaker, and author of Michelangelo's Medicine: How Redefining the Human Body Will Transform Health and Healthcare and Is This a Dream?: Reflections on the Awakening Mind, and a columnist for Emergency Medicine News. Integrating a deeper understanding of consciousness with our existing medical knowledge is foundational to Anoop's work. To further this, he developed the Three Minds framework–a trans-disciplinary approach that develops and integrates our knowledge of consciousness, mind, body, and the environment. He applies the Three Minds framework to identify unexamined tenets ripe for disruption and rehabilitation in healthcare. By training, Anoop is board-certified in emergency medicine and holds a master's degree in management with a focus in health leadership. Websites: anoopkumar.com healthrevolution.org YouTube Channels: Healing is Possible Beyond Mental Health with Anoop Kumar, MD Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded May 7, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction with Rick Archer 00:04:39 - An Explosive Experience in the Bedroom 00:08:48 - Remembering Past Lives 00:13:06 - Timeless Experience 00:17:25 - Defining Consciousness and Brahman 00:21:55 - Taking a Scientific Approach to Spiritual Concepts 00:26:23 - The Cleansing of Perception and Integration 00:30:48 - The Three Minds Framework 00:35:49 - The Formation of Identity 00:40:57 - Moving from the Physical to the Mental World 00:45:40 - The Relationship Between the Physical and Mental 00:50:27 - The Three Minds Framework 00:54:59 - The Nature of Light and Perception 00:59:26 - Awareness of the Second Mind 01:03:44 - The Three I's and Existence Across Different Layers of Reality 01:08:36 - The Difference Between Jesus and Hitler 01:13:02 - The Perception of Existence 01:17:46 - Speculation on Unity of Minds 01:22:07 - The Three Minds: Jeeva, Saguna Brahman, and Nirguna Brahman 01:26:53 - Integrating Fields of Knowledge and Society 01:31:53 - Perception and Identity 01:36:45 - The Sense of Identity in Spirituality and Psychosis 01:41:18 - The Power of the Mind and Restructuring through Spirituality 01:45:44 - The Importance of Guidance in Spiritual Practice 01:50:00 - Setting Personal Standards 01:54:19 - The Influence of Culture on Religion 01:58:58 - The Process of Integration 02:03:27 - The Power of Creativity and Connection 02:07:56 - The Role of Intuition in Spiritual Guidance 02:12:14 - Healing and Becoming Whole 02:16:47 - Closing Remarks and Resources

Pravrajika Divyanandaprana is a monastic member of Sri Sarada Math and is currently the Editor of the English journal Samvit published in New Delhi. She has been Principal of Nivedita Vidya Mandir School from 2014 to 2019. She specializes in Yoga-Vedanta. In addition to studying the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature, she has extensively studied the Yoga-Vedanta texts based on these twin philosophies which include the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Raja Yoga, Upanishads, and the Prakarana Granthas (auxiliary scriptures of Vedanta like Vedantasara, Vivekachudamani, etc.) along with their commentaries. A gold medallist and topper, Pravrajika Divyanandaprana has a unique combination of knowledge in the conventional sciences and traditional Yogic and Vedantic texts. Pravrajika Divyanandaprana has been lecturing all over India since 2010, including at the Indian Institute of Technology campuses in Madras, Delhi (she has spoken many times at Vivekananda Study Circle of IIT-Delhi), Kharagpur, Mumbai, and Kanpur; Indian Institute of Science Bangalore; Delhi University; Vivekananda International Centre; Ramakrishna Mission; Engineering and Medical Colleges in Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata; and sometimes in schools. She offers courses on Yoga-Vedanta every semester at IIT Delhi. The courses are available on YouTube at IIT’s official channel: NRCVEE IIT Delhi. She has traveled to hold classes or deliver lectures in South Africa at Cape Town, Durban, Ladysmith, and Kwa Zulu Natal University among other places. Subsequently, she traveled to Ireland, Great Britain, UAE, and recently to Canada for talks, lectures, and scriptural discussions. She has spoken at Imperial College and Logan Hall, London University in 2013. In May 2018, she was in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, and Nova Scotia where she gave a number of talks on Self-Knowledge, exploring the Subjective Sciences, and finding the interface between Subjective-Objective Sciences. She has extensively traveled in the US and addressed Vedanta Societies of Iowa, Washington DC, and so on. Purdue University hosted her talk on Mind Management recently. LinkedIn Page "Eternal Truth" YouTube channel with many videos, including the Upanishads classes mentioned in the interview. If you subscribe to the channel, you'll be notified when classes resume. VivekaVani YouTube channel with many more videos. Books: Science of Happiness (Amazon India) Self-Discovery (Amazon India) U.S. Book Contact - (Ask to be notified when books become available.) Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded May 1, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:06:06 - The Importance of Method and Sadhana 00:11:18 - Samskaras: The Building Blocks of Character and Behavior 00:16:12 - Importance of Manana and Dwelling on Scripture 00:21:02 - Becoming Intensely Aware 00:25:39 - Intensified Awareness and Conscious Knowledge 00:30:43 - The Significance of Being and Becoming 00:36:01 - The Science of Happiness and its Connection to Awareness and Advaita Vedanta 00:41:32 - The Source of Awareness 00:46:50 - High Energy Output and Engagement in Activity 00:51:54 - The Power of the Spirit and the Meissner Effect 00:57:21 - Universal Values of Ethics and the Mind 01:02:42 - Ending Mental Afflictions with Ashtanga Yoga 01:08:04 - Mediums and Psychics in Vedantic Perspective 01:13:22 - Engaging in Various Yogas 01:18:36 - Developing Vairagya 01:23:57 - The Ramakrishna Math and Mission 01:29:00 - Renouncing the Essential Bliss of Life 01:34:21 - Finding Happiness Within 01:39:33 - Distinguishing between different types of happiness 01:44:33 - Understanding the Factors of Happiness 01:50:07 - Experiencing Bliss in Samadhi 01:55:31 - Peace within the Radius of the Realized Being

Shelly Tygielski is the author of Sit Down to Rise Up and founder of the global grassroots mutual aid organization Pandemic of Love.  Her work has been featured by over 100 media outlets, including CNN Heroes, The Tamron Hall Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. A trauma-mindfulness teacher and a Garrison Institute Fellow, she has been called one of the “12 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement” By Mindful.org and teaches self-care and resilience at organizations around the world. Visit her online at shellytygielski.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview Interview recorded April 16, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:02 - A Life of Compassion and Service 00:06:37 - Women and Children in Need 00:10:18 - Collaborating with Other Organizations 00:14:33 - Embracing Discomfort in Meditation 00:18:40 - Confronting our Shadow Side 00:21:58 - Healing and Connection between Israelis and Palestinians 00:27:19 - The Connection Between Inner Work and the Outer World 00:31:44 - Loving Kindness Practice and Difficult People 00:35:16 - Sending Metta to World Leaders 00:40:48 - The Freedom to Explore Different Paths 00:44:30 - The Intersection of Faith: Jew and the Lotus, Boojews, and Hin-Jews 00:51:20 - The Power of Agency and a Good Samaritan 1:00:39 - The Power of Simple Gestures 01:08:58 - Embracing the Gift of Life 01:12:29 - Building a Meditation Community on the Beach 01:15:25 - Building Community Through Meditation 01:19:15 - Showing Up and Making a Difference 01:25:42 - Supporting Communities and Creating Change 01:29:39 - Becoming a Community Organizer 01:35:26 - Stories of Compassion and Judgment 01:42:37 - The Practice of RAIN 01:46:57 - The Global Impact of Pandemic of Love 01:49:24 - The Relationship between Financial Abundance and Spiritual Awakening 01:51:55 - The Intention Behind Material Wealth Acquisition and the Role of Self-Awareness in Spiritual Growth 01:54:20 - The Power of Self-Awareness in Meditation and Decision Making 01:56:43 - The Fortunate Access to Technology 01:58:37 - Learning from Traumas 02:00:27 - Optimism and the Power of Technology 02:02:52 - Connecting Inner Work to the Outer World 02:05:00 - Farewell and Closing Remarks

Sebastián Blaksley is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1968 he was born into a large traditional Catholic family. He attended the Colegio del Salvador, a Jesuit school of which the headmaster was Jorge Bergoglio, the current Pope Francis. Sebastian enjoyed sport in his youth, particularly Rugby football, a game that a number of his family have a long involvement with in Argentina. Although he wanted to be a monk as a young man, his family did not consider it acceptable, and the inner voice that he always followed let him know that: “You must be in the world, without being of the world.” He studied Business Administration in Buenos Aires and completed his postgraduate studies in the United States and Argentina. He also undertook further studies in England. He held several highly responsible positions in well-known international corporations, living and working in the USA, England, China, and Panama. He then founded his own corporate consulting firm in Argentina which he led for over 10 years. He has willingly given the company he owned to employees who wanted to continue the business. Sebastián has two daughters with his former wife. At the age of six, Sebastián was involved in a near-fatal accident during which he heard a voice, which later identified itself as Jesus. Ever since he has continued to hear that voice. Sebastián says: “Since I can remember, I have felt the call of Jesus and Mary to live abandoned to their will so that despite my various activities, I always put spiritual and religious reality at the center. I am devoted to my faith.” In 2013, he began to record messages from his mystical experiences. In 2016, he miraculously discovered the books comprising A Course of Love (“received” from Jesus by Mari Perron) and felt the call to devote himself to bringing the course to the Spanish-speaking world. More recently Sebastian receives, transcribes, and shares what the voice of Christ—the voice of love—mystically dictates to him. Most recently he has “received” an astonishing, and most beautiful and uplifting series of messages from Heaven resulting in the Choose Only Love series of seven books, the first of which was published in October, 2019. The seventh and final book was published in March 2022. Sebastian is living on a small island in the Tigre Delta waterways on the outskirts of Buenos Aires; overseeing the building of a retreat property called, at the suggestion of Mother Mary, the Refuge of Divine Love. People from around the world are warmly invited to spend time here in this tranquil and verdant haven covering some 23 secluded acres, to “live the books” in the company of Sebastian as a welcoming host. Sebastián is president of the nonprofit charity Fundación Amor Vivo,  through which he shares A Course of Love, as well as the sublime channeled angelic messages which found their home in the Choose Only Love books and audios. The angels lovingly refer to him as “a pencil in the hands of God.” Websites: fundacionamorvivo.org Choose Only Love Books: Choose Only Love (7 book series) - English Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summaries and Transcripts of this interview: English Spanish Interview recorded April 10, 2022 First BatGap interview with Sebastián. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:37 - Receiving Messages from Celestial Beings 00:08:54 - Receiving Communications from God 00:13:27 - Universal Love and Recognition of Divine Beings 00:18:07 - Jesus' Appearance and Artistic Representations 00:22:22 - The Essence of Angelic Beings and Love 00:26:37 - Becoming One with God 00:31:04 - The Universal Connection and Divine Dialogue 00:35:13 - Making the Choice for Love 00:39:36 - Communication without Words 00:43:21 - The New Understanding of Prophets and the Second Advent 00:47:51 - The New Earthly Kingdom

At the age of 24, after years of intense internal suffering and an intuition that something about the way we interact with our thoughts causes a lot of unnecessary suffering, Angelo had a fundamental shift in the way he experiences reality. This was a pervasive transformation and was life-altering at every level. It suddenly became clear that thoughts, and the way they "paint" our experience of ourselves, time, and space, are essentially unreal, something like ghosts. What replaced this world of thought, struggle, and suffering, was boundless clarity and intimacy with all immediate textures of phenomena. It became clear that this is simply the natural state of things and that it is true for everyone, even if there is some distortion in experience caused by thoughts. It became exquisitely clear that suffering is unnecessary among humans and that any human being who has a genuine yearning to wake up to their true nature has the capacity to wake up to this boundless (non-separation) living truth. This led to the writing of the book, "Awake: It's Your Turn." The book is a combination of practical advice to help anyone who is on this pathless path, practice pointers and inquiry tips, and direct pointing (transmission) through language. Book: Awake: It's Your Turn Simply Always Awake YouTube channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded April 2, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:05:38 - The Shift in Perception: From Suffering to Enlightenment 00:10:20 - Becoming Home 00:14:56 - Suffering and Awakening 00:19:21 - The Paradox of Authenticity 00:23:32 - Finding the Gap in Thoughts 00:28:07 - The Structure of the Mind and Perception 00:32:54 - The Unbound Consciousness 00:37:27 - The Natural State of Mind 00:41:59 - Embracing Pain and Sensory Input 00:46:51 - Overwhelming Sensory Experience 00:51:43 - The Nature of Experience 00:56:39 - The Dance of Nature and the Nature of "Ocean-ness" 01:01:06 - The non-dualistic nature of perception 01:05:29 - The Subtlety of the Spiritual Journey 01:10:39 - Shifting Gears, Changing Expectations and Enjoying the Moment 01:15:30 - The Meaning of Awakening 01:19:44 - Attuning to Your Instincts and Embracing Your Awakening 01:24:05 - Investigating the Relational Self 01:29:08 - Escaping Suffering and Dissolving into Reality 01:33:47 - Dissolving Boundaries of Perception 01:38:00 - The Importance of Focus while Driving 01:42:12 - Love for All Beings 01:47:04 - The Paradox of Enlightenment 01:51:51 - Trusting Yourself and the Unborn 01:56:26 - The Length of the Book 02:00:41 - Uncovering and holding discomfort in the body 02:05:12 - Going into the Contracted Area and Feeling Helplessness 02:09:47 - Investigating God, Death, and Reincarnation 02:14:12 - Energetic Realizations and Past Lives 02:18:34 - Wrapping Up the Conversation

Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and teaches internationally on meditation, dream yoga, and the art of dying. He is the author of six books, and many articles, including scientific papers on lucid dreaming. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a concert pianist, with degrees in music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.  He is the co-founder of Global Dental Relief, which serves impoverished children in six developing countries; the founder of the online platform Night Club, which supports the nocturnal meditations, and the founder of the Preparing to Die Institute, a nine-month spiritual and practical training program to help with the end of life. Books: Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy Website: andrewholecek.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 27, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction of Andrew Holecek 00:04:45 - The Three-Year Meditation Retreat 00:09:08 - The Difficulties of Retreat and Detox Process 00:13:18 - The Tricky Topic of Crazy Wisdom Lineage 00:17:36 - The Ethics of Enlightenment 00:22:14 - The Importance of Morality and Ethics in Meditation 00:26:43 - The Delicate Dance of Balancing Relative and Absolute Vectors 00:30:51 - Digging deep with multiple tools 00:35:04 - Finding Opportunities in Obstacles 00:39:16 - Finding Teachings in Life's Challenges 00:43:47 - The Relativity of Reality and the Burden of Compassion 00:48:11 - Working with Complexity and Reductionism in Life 00:52:13 - The Irreducible Principles of Life 00:56:28 - The Utter Immediacy of Enlightenment 01:00:57 - Balancing Both/And Perspective 01:05:01 - Skillful Means for Different Levels of Identity 01:09:26 - Maintaining Lucidity in Sleep and Dreaming 01:13:36 - Lucid dreaming and its transformative power 01:18:08 - Lucidity and the Power of Light 01:22:45 - The Stages of Dream Yoga 01:27:21 - The Fruition of States: Turiya and Beyond 01:31:52 - The Addiction to Transcendent States 01:35:48 - The Integration of Science and Spirituality 01:40:06 - The Balance of Spiritual Experiences 01:45:00 - The Importance of Taking it Slow and Seeking Support 01:49:17 - The Golden Chain of Spirituality 01:53:34 - The Ripple Effect of Thoughts on Reality 01:57:58 - The Presence of Kundun, the Dalai Lama's name in Tibetan 02:02:30 - The Difference Between a Lucid Dream and the Waking State 02:06:29 - Similarities between Advaita Vedanta and Mahamudra & Dzogchen 02:10:40 - Guest Suggestions and Closing the Topic

I was born 11-11-69 into a nonpracticing Jewish family where the subject of spirituality never came up. So when I discovered an intense spiritual yearning within myself at the age of nineteen, I was completely on my own. After graduating from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Philosophy in 1994, I had become an avid practitioner of meditation and contemplation of the nature of Reality. As a solitary practitioner, I found my path to be an oscillation of understanding the Nondual view of Dzogchen and experiencing nonordinary events that expanded my understanding of the classic out-of-body experience, astral realm, and the Bardos. The first book of the Trilogy titled "Reality Explained" centers on the peak period of my spiritual journey just after returning home from a weeklong meditation retreat at the world-renowned ‘Monroe Institute’. I had been home less than a week after attending one of their advanced programs when without warning I began to have profound Visions while living out my day-to-day life. I could be taking a walk with my wife and daughter or going about my daily routine at work when I would find myself spontaneously thrust into a vastly more expansive perspective that placed my entire world in a wholly new context. These Visions were progressive in nature as they clearly and pointedly demonstrated the Grand Design of Reality. Some of these Visions were existentially devastating and some were downright terrifying, as they exposed the true nature of the ‘self’. Others were so blissful that they could only be tolerated for brief moments. Ultimately, they coalesced to reveal a model of Reality that is as elegant in its simplicity as it is mind-blowing in its implications. In the first book, I outline a play-by-play account of how four of these Visions shaped a new understanding regarding the true architecture of Reality and how this understanding resolves one of our greatest philosophical paradoxes, the relationship between mind and matter or God and the world. Given the universal nature of these experiences, you will be able to verify each truth for yourself. I wrote this book to demystify the subject of Spiritual Awakening. There are already many excellent books on this subject otherwise known as ‘Nondual Wisdom’ however, what I found to be missing was a book that chronicles the day to day, month to month, and year to year unfolding of the Self in detail. This book is a very personal account of an incredibly impersonal process broken down step by step and presented almost in slow motion. The reader is invited on a journey that chronicles each step along the path to Spiritual Awakening. The details of the climactic experience itself and the final understanding that results from undergoing such a radical and permanent shift in perspective is where I intend to lead you. It is also my hope that this book will serve to demonstrate how the experience of Spiritual Awakening is not something mythical or a fable belonging to some other time or place but an actual shift in perspective that is available right here and now to anyone that is curious enough to explore the true nature of ‘being’. I speak to you from the point of view that we are all sharing the human experience and when we explore the depths of our minds we find the same treasure awaits us all. The fact that I am a husband and a father with a full-time career stands as proof that you don’t have to choose between worldly life and Spiritual Awakening. Books (Reality Explained Trilogy: Enlightenment: Behind the Scenes Being, While Knowing That You Are Not: Surrendering to the sadness and madness of life A Triunistic Model of Reality: What It Is, Does and Emerges As Jed McKenna & The Suicide Letters: Our time together prior to the Invisible Guru Website: thisawarespace.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview.

At the early age of eight, Irma Francis experienced what she now calls a soul remembrance.  In this experience, a loving presence spoke. “You have a choice to remember your connection to your true self; if you choose not to remember, you will come to believe the persona of a conditioned self and how the world will try to define you. Whatever you choose will decide your destiny in this lifetime.” She chose to remember. Even though life has continually challenged her to forget, she has remained committed to that choice. Irma continued to have transcendent experiences that were not sought but came as spontaneously and naturally as her first awakening. It took her a lifetime to integrate the absolute truth that she understood via her soul remembrance with the relative facts commonly experienced by humanity. Today, Irma understands there are no spiritual bypasses; we are all affected by the human condition and must find ways to merge our psychological selves with our spiritual selves. Her journey has been mystical and transformational, bringing her to a stable equanimity and wholeness of being. Following is a short excerpt from Irma’s forthcoming book, Front Porch View: Memoir of a Young Girl’s Spiritual Awakening. “To borrow the words of the legendary Joni Mitchell, ‘I’ve looked at life from both sides now’ and discovered a seamless existence. There are no sides. There is no separation. There is only oneness. I am an ordinary person having spiritual experiences. I hope to inspire and encourage others to share their spiritual awakenings as we accompany each other on the road less traveled. We are all teachers and students.” Website: irmafrancis.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 12, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:26 - A Divine Experience on the Front Porch 00:09:26 - Divine Intervention and Heavenly Presence 00:13:30 - The Awakening of Consciousness 00:17:43 - Fearlessness in the Midst of Violence 00:22:01 - The Pied Piper and Raising Vibrations 00:26:26 - Honoring the Oneness 00:30:38 - An Extreme Passion for Truth 00:35:08 - The Validity of Different Perspectives 00:39:05 - Susceptibility to Misinformation 00:43:01 - Embracing Unconditional Love 00:47:09 - Following Intuition and Psychic Experiences 00:51:36 - Teaching the Akashic records and feeling alone in spiritual experiences 00:56:25 - The Desire for Spiritual Reunion 01:00:32 - A Connection with Yogananda and Past Life Experiences 01:04:47 - Reincarnation and Deep Impressions 01:09:05 - The Ability to Tap into the Akashic Records 01:13:23 - Navigating Life and Connecting to Your True Self 01:18:14 - The Power of Unconditional Love 01:22:51 - The Intersection of Science and Spirituality 01:26:43 - The Importance of Unconditional Love and Connection 01:30:55 - Trusting Your Intuition 01:34:52 - Aligning with an Intelligence beyond our own 01:39:07 - The Dependency on Teachers and Mirroring Experiences 01:43:17 - Shifting into other dimensions with John 01:49:00 - The Power of Group Coherence and Connection 01:53:17 - Accessing Higher Consciousness 01:57:27 - Imagining a Radically Different Future 02:01:11 - Amplifying the Grace of God 02:05:11 - Allowing Your Intuition 02:08:42 - Using MailChimp for Email Lists

Emma Bragdon received her Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology in 1987. For more than 40 years she has focused on supporting people awakening spiritually, paying special attention to those in spiritual crisis/ emergency. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Integrative Mental Health for You, IMHU.org, which offers 40+ online courses about effective alternatives to psychiatric medications. Emma has trained 80 Spiritual Emergence Coaches® from 14 countries who are now available through an international online Directory.  While intensely studying and participating in Brazilian Spiritism from 2001-2012, she wrote 3 books and co-produced two documentary films about Spiritist treatment of mental disturbance and spiritual emergency.  Emma has been recognized for her pioneering work with Spiritually Transformative Experiences as an Honoree on the Spiritual Awakenings International “Circle of Honor” and within the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology’s “Council of Sages”.  She was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in 1988. Emma is a member of the Self-realization Fellowship following the yogic philosophy of Paramahansa Yogananda.  She’s been a meditator for over 55 years.  She also studied with two Native American shamans for 20 years.  Currently, she teams with Benjamin Asher, MD in offering Ketamine-Assisted psychotherapy in central Vermont.  She is also available by Zoom in her private practice for psychotherapy and integration of spiritual experiences. Websites: imhu.org emmabragdon.com Books: The Call of Spiritual Emergency: From Personal Crisis to Personal Transformation Kardec's Spiritism: A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution A Sourcebook for Helping People with Spiritual Problems Spiritism and Mental Health Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 6, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:13 - The Sense of a Larger Intelligence 00:07:09 - The Dysfunctional Family and Near-Death Experiences 00:10:58 - Sitting in Meditation at Tassajara 00:14:51 - From Zen Buddhism to Neo-Reichian Psychotherapy 00:19:31 - Exploring Shamanism and Spiritual Awakening 00:23:40 - A Journey into Spiritism 00:26:58 - The Origins of Spiritualism and Spiritism 00:29:40 - Integrative Mental Health: Effective Alternatives 00:32:32 - The Importance of Medication Supervision and Integrative Mental Health 00:35:59 - The Importance of Peaceful and Wise States 00:39:08 - Consciousness independent of the body 00:41:47 - Understanding Spiritual Emergence and Emergency 00:44:47 - Understanding Spiritual Emergencies 00:47:30 - Distinguishing between Psychic Perceptions and Psychosis 00:50:08 - A Disturbing Episode 00:52:59 - Uncovering Traumatic Memories 00:56:02 - Moving into a New Identity 00:59:07 - Understanding Spiritual Experiences and Emergencies 01:01:59 - Shifting the Paradigm in Psychiatry 01:04:38 - Spiritism in Brazil and its Integration in Psychiatry 01:08:05 - Spiritism's Role in Brazilian Society 01:12:21 - The Importance of Supervision and Feedback in Spiritual Practices 01:17:29 - Betrayal of Spiritual Figures 01:24:15 - Controversies in Spiritual Communities 01:30:06 - TRE and Kundalini difficulties 01:34:49 - Meditation and Spiritual Practices Impacting Physical Ailments 01:39:40 - Belief in Reincarnation and its Impact on Diagnosis 01:46:42 - Shamanism and Non-Dual Meditation 01:55:01 - The Importance of Depth in Spiritual Exploration 02:00:02 - Accessing the Directory of Qualified Coaches

Selbie makes the complex and obscure simple and clear. He is known for creating bridges of understanding between the modern evidence-based discoveries of science and the ancient experience-based discoveries of the mystics. A dedicated meditator for nearly fifty years, he has taught yoga, meditation, and universal experiential spirituality throughout the US and Europe. He has also been an avid follower of the unfolding new paradigm of post-materialist science—with groaning bookshelves to show for it. Selbie has authored The Physics of God, a unification of science and religion, and The Yugas, a factual look at India’s tradition of cyclical history. Selbie is a founding member of Ananda—a meditation-based community and spiritual movement inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda. He lives with his wife at Ananda Village near Nevada City, California. Books: The Yugas: Keys to Understanding Our Hidden Past, Emerging Energy Age and Enlightened Future - Today's view of history cannot account for ancient anomalies, such as the Pyramids and advanced knowledge contained in India's Vedas. But in 1894, an Indian sage gave us an explanation not only for our hidden past but for the trends of today and for our future enlightenment - the 24,000-year yuga cycle. The Physics of God: How the Deepest Theories of Science Explain Religion and How the Deepest Truths of Religion Explain Science Website: physicsandgod.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview with Joseph Selbie on "The Physics of God". Interview recorded February 26, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:08 - Blending Western Science with Eastern Spirituality 00:08:21 - The Transcendental Nature of Consciousness 00:11:48 - The Mind as a TV Screen 00:16:15 - The Cycle of Ages and its Impact on Mankind 00:20:49 - The Yugas and Spiritual Awakening 00:25:00 - The Debate over the Length of the Kali Yuga 00:29:26 - "Pillar of Celestial Fire: And the Lost Science of the Ancient Seers" by Robert Cox? 00:33:35 - Searching for the Grand Central Sun 00:37:45 - The procession of the equinoxes and cycles 00:41:50 - The cycles of evolution in the universe 00:45:49 - The Progression of Yugas and Spiritual Evolution 00:49:09 - The Evolution of the Yugas 00:58:31 - The Evolution of Energy and Awareness 01:03:19 - The Four Ages and Levels of Consciousness 01:07:31 - The Awakening of Enlightened Self Interest 01:11:26 - Transformational Experiences 01:14:40 - The Message of Near Death Experiences and Sahaja Yoga 01:18:41 - Gobekli Tepe: The Oldest Manmade Structure 01:23:41 - Ancient Myths and the State of Consciousness 01:28:20 - Evidence of Advanced Civilizations 01:32:11 - The Great Pyramid and its Precise Construction 01:36:26 - Precision of the Great Pyramid 01:40:53 - The Great Pyramid and its Purpose 01:45:04 - Ancient Civilizations and Sanskrit Grammar 01:48:58 - The Mystery of the Ancient Map 01:52:35 - A More Enlightened Age 01:57:03 - The Increasing Basic Human Freedoms 02:00:37 - The Potential Turning Point 02:04:16 - Seeking the Truth and Misinformation 02:07:42 - Love of Conversation