Chasing Consciousness

• EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH - Dr. Brendon Stubbs #81

  Is there evidence that even light exercise can improve mental health and help treat severe mental illness? How easy is it to prove the effects? Are our ever more sedentary lifestyles putting us at risk? How easy is it to apply in the current mental health treatment system?In this episode we have the revealing research on the use of exercise and movement to treat mental health to get up to date on. This is the third episode out of three in this series on the theme of life-style medicine, the other two being on Sleep for mental health (Episode #72 with Roxanne Prichard) and on diet for mental health (Episode #70 with Felice Jacka), so please check those out as all 3 interrelate in term of mental health outcomes. In this episode though we get into the reasons why even a little movement has a radical effect on our mental health; that movement can be used in association with talky and drug therapies to effectively treat even serious mental health disturbances like schizophrenia; we also get into the huge host of improvements across the board when exercise is applied; the impressive bulk of clinical trials that have proved this in the last 15 years; and we hear about the faster than usual uptake of this data by international policy makers, and the difficulties of practically integrating these protocols into the mental health care system.Now fortunately for us, our guest today is one of the world’s leading researchers in this field, mental health physiotherapist and Kings College London researcher, Brendon Stubbs. He is the co-author of over 800 highly cited scientific papers, and the book “Exercise-Based Interventions for Mental Illness: Physical Activity as Part of Clinical Treatment”. What we discuss:00:00 Intro06:40 Early attempts on the mental illness ward as a physio.09:28 The rise of life-style research into mental health in the early 2000s.12:00 Sedentary lifestyle issues.13:24 The benefits of being both therapist & researcher.15:50 Resistance to the word ‘exercise’.19:00 Rise in sedentary lifestyle correlates with rise in mental health issues and stress.23:45 Higher inflammation in sedentary populations.26:30 Endorphins are not the only reason it feels good.30:15 15% drop in depression risk.33:10 Muscle, heart and lung strength is a marker for lower depression risk.35:30 Even genetic predispositions to depression can be 25% less at risk.36:30 Equally successful to CBT therapy.38:30 Hippocampus size variations with just 10 mins of light movement.41:45 Sleep, diet & movement increase hippocampus size & reduce inflammation.42:30 Schizophrenia & Psychosis studies.46:00 Difficulty with continuity of exercise when patients return to society.49:15 The body likes routine & reduced friction.50:00 Limitations of randomised control trials on life style interventions.54:15 The faster than usual integration of this into the consensus. 56:30 Policy creation at national and world health level.58:00 Pharmaceutical funded researchers pushing back against these results. 59:00 Difficulty applying this for family doctors and mental health professionals.01:01:15 Socio-economic mental health risk and difficulty of access.01:03:00 The national health money saving motivation is hard to prove.01:05:00 Main tips for movement for mental health. References:‘Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis’ paper, Felipe Shuch et al. ‘Strength training has antidepressant effects’ paper, Fabricio Rossi et al.‘Physical activity offsets genetic risk for incident depression’ paper, Karmel Choi et al.‘Exercise and internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy for depression’ paper, Mats Hallgren et al.‘Light-exercise-induced dopaminergic and noradrenergic stimulation in the dorsal hippocampus’ paper, T. Hiragana et al.The Lancet Psychiatry Commission: a blueprint for protecting physical health in people with mental illness

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• ON FACING DEATH, according to C.G.Jung - Monika Wikman PhD

  How should we support the dying, and how should we approach death itself? What is conscious dying? What does Carl Jung’s work say about facing death?In this episode we have the complex topic of how to face Death, through the lens of psycho analyst Carl Jung. I’m sure that some of you will have found this episode because you’re facing death during this time, either your own or of a loved one; and to those of you I offer my condolences and healing prayers, and hope dearly that what we discuss today will offer some perspective and assistance, and my apologies in advance if any of our ideas cause you pain: death and mourning are extremely personal topics. But I also hope that many others of you are here simply to try and form a healthier relationship with death.The inspiration for this episode came not only from my own experience facing my own parent’s mortality, but also from my intuition that our modern, consumeristic, aestheic and individualistic society has made us more afraid of death than ever; perhaps because of our modern societies focus on material well-being, and the power of technology to guarantee it. My gut feeling is that we need to become aware of this unconscious taboo, as it seems to be hindering a deeper and perhaps more wholesome acceptance of mortality in general. And that’s why I wanted to speak to a specialist like my guest psychoanalyst Monika Wikman. Monika received her PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and then qualified as a Jungian psychoanalyst at the Jung-Von Franz Center for Depth psychology in Zurich. She is an expert on topics including archetypal phenomena surrounding death, dreams, active imagination and alchemy. Her work with the dying culminated in a research project called ‘Dreams of the Dying’ at UC San Diego Medical Center. She is also the author of the book, “Pregnant Darknesss: Alchemy and the rebirth of consciousness”. What we discuss:00:00 Intro.04:30 How to support the dying.07:05 Death informs us.09:00 Facing our own mortality - the history of Conscious dying.13:18 The Osiris Myth. Dismemberment and rememberment.16:45 Death is the ultimate goal, an achievement, according to Jung.19:15 Death duellers.21:45 The last step of individuation.24:45 Symbolic death, according to Jung.30:00 ‘The wound is where the light enters you’. Rumi33:00 The religious function - Jung. 34:00 Monika’s 2nd NDE - a relationship with the darkness.44: 00 Life after death and the subtle body.46:00 Prayer and connecting with the eternal.50:00 Only through limitation can we connect with the eternal.51:00 The subtle body - uniting psyche and matter.56:10 The Divine wedding - the marriage between opposites.57:45 Synchronicities around the dying. 01:07:00 Studying the dreams of the dying.01:11:30 Dead friends and family often come for them in dreams.01:15:20 Common motifs of crossing rivers, thresholds and initiations.01:17:00 How we mourn.01:29:20 If you didn’t serve someone well you’ll regret it after they die.01:22:00 Grief transforms.References: Monika Wikman, “Pregnant Darkness - Alchemy and the rebirth of consciousness”Wendell Berry poem - RisingMircea Eliade,  “Yoga: immortality & Freedom”Chiron, the wounded healer.C.G.Jung, “Memories Dreams and Reflections”.Ram Dass quote, ‘Dying is absolutely safe’Leonard Cohen quote, 'We are so lightly here'. (Not William Blake).

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• THE 4th PHASE OF WATER EXPLAINED - Gerald Pollack #79

  What are the implications of the discovery of the chemical variation of water, nicknamed “The 4th phase”? What does the new structured chemical composition mean for the storage of energy and information? What can we learn from the discovery that electrical charge plays a role in the way water moves and transports other molecules?In this episode we have the fascinating new science of water to get into, particularly the research around the discovery of the gel-like chemical variation of water, nicknamed the “4th phase”. It occurs when water gets close to water friendly surfaces, and as it changes chemical structure, it separates into positive and negatively charged components. So we find out how this particular form of water is used by nature; how its structure can be ‘charged’ by infrared energy from the sun like a solar cell, becoming an energy source that can do work. We also separate the wheat from the chaff on the controversial ‘memory of water’ claims of Maseru Emoto and Nobel prize winner Luc Montagnier; and we discuss why there is so much resistance to this research despite the ubiquity and importance of water in biological systems.Fortunately to navigate this cutting edge research and avoid wishful thinking, we have the director of Pollack Labs at the University of Washington, one of the most established lab’s studying water in the world, Bioengineer, professor Gerald Pollack. He is the author of over 300 scientific papers, and four books for the general public including ‘Cells, Gels and the Engines of Life’, ‘The 4th Phase of Water’ and his new book just out ‘Charged - the unexpected role of electricity in the workings of nature’. What we discussed:00:00 Intro.10:00 The role of electricity in nature.15:25 The Earth has a negative charge & the ionosphere positive.19:00 The old consensus on water.23:00 Gilbert Ling - cellular water is charged and so the molecules stack.26:15 The transition of chemical structure when in contact with hydrophilic surfaces.27:45 Exclusion-Zone Water = Liquid Crystal Water.32:45 Changes chemical structure and electrical charge.35:00 Add light or electrons to build EZ Water.37:30 Grounding - is there any evidence?38:20 It’s an energy source, a battery charged by infared light.42:15 The difficulty raising money for ideas that go against the consensus.46:15 The threat to an old world view.48:30 The Brownian motion criticism of the data.49:00 Electrical energy generation in cells.56:00 The cardio vascular, blood flow energy issue.01:05:45 We’ve misunderstood membranes.01:13:00 The gel itself might be a barrier.01:14:00 Purification of water using the exclusion process.01:19:00 Difficulty getting business funding for the applications.01:24:00 Cancer cells have a lower negative charge. Perhaps a lack of EZ water.01:26:00 How information is stored in structured water.01:31:00 Luc Montagnier - water claims confirmed in 3 studies.01:39:00 Jacques Benveniste - dubbed ‘water memory’.01:40:30 Masero Emoto - Dean Radin confirmed his result.01:44:45 Non-verbal communication.References:Gerald Pollack, “Charged: The Unexpected role of electricity in the workings of nature”Gerald Pollack, “The Fourth Phase of Water”Earth’s negative charge, Richard Feynman Volume II, Chapter 9 of The Feynman Lectures on Physics, titled "Electricity in the Atmosphere”. Gilbert Ling - Polarised-Oriented Multilayer TheoryHarold Hillman - ‘A radical reassessment of the cellular structure of the mammalian nervous system’

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• THE MIND BODY PROBLEM & THE PANPSYCHISM SOLUTION - Galen Strawson PhD #78

  How can consciousness emerge from non-conscious material? If there is only one type of stuff, how is the potential for consciousness encoded in the building blocks of the universe?In this episode we have the ancient philosophical mind-body problem to get our heads around, and the ever more popular solution, panpsychism: That is, the belief that everything material, no matter how small, has always had a component of consciousness in it. We get into what consciousness is, why it’s not an illusion; into subjective experience; we cover the rich history of the mind-body problem in philosophy, and we also confront the apparently magical emergence of consciousness from non-consciousness by exploring the arguments for panpsychism, and how new understandings from the last 100 years of science might change preconceptions about a panpsychist solution.Fortunately, to understand this we have the hugely experienced author and analytical philosopher of mind, for many years at the university of Oxford and now at the university of Texas, professor Galen Strawson! Alongside over 140 papers, he has also written 12 books including “Consciousness and its place in nature”, “Things that bother me: Death, Freedom, the self etc” and his new book “Stuff, Quality and Structure”.What we discuss:00:00 intro05:30 ‘Naturalism’ as a position.07:00 Qualia explained.09:30 There’s only one kind of stuff: identity metaphysics.12:00 A criticism of life as narrative story.14:30 what is the self?17:20 There is no mystery of consciousness.19:15 Locke’s Primary and Secondary Qualities clarified.21:45 The history of the mind-body problem.27:30 The interaction problem VS the combination problem.30:30 Radical emergence of consciousness from non-consciousness is impossible.32:30 The arguments for panpsychism.34:00 Psychophysical laws - David Chalmers.35:00 The rise of panpsychism.36:30 Different types of panpsychism.41:30 Separating between conscious stuff, and subjects of consciousness.48:30 Cosmopansychism - patterns of excitation in the quantum field.50:00 Cellular cognition - Agential behaviour is not proof of experience.54:00 ‘Matter is energy’ assists panpsychist intuitions.56:15 Who demands evidence is begging the question.01:02:30 “A Global Replace” of consciousness in matter.01:03:30 How would a world of panpsychist science look?01:06:30 Neuroscience: neural correlate reductionism.01:09:30 Feelings evolved before reasoning.01:11:30 Being is energy; being is becoming; being is qualititivity; being is mind.01:13:15 A cosmological mind.01:16:15 Teleology and Meaning.Quote:Lee Smolen, “Qualia must be understood as aspects of nature, that is our commitment to naturalism, the philosophy that asserts that all that exists is part of the natural world science studies.”References: Galen Strawson, “Mental Reality”, 1994Galen Strawson, “Against Narrativity” paper. 2004Galen Strawson, “Realistic monism - why physicalism entails panpsychism”, 2006Galen Strawson, “Mind and Being, The Primacy of panpsychism”, 2017

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• MEMETICS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE- Susan Blackmore PhD

  What are memes and why do some replicate while others disappear? Are the memes selected for always for the benefit of the host culture? How are our new technologies changing the way memes feedback into our cultural evolution?In this episode we have the slightly disconcerting ideas of Memetic theory to get our heads around; as we learn how successful ideas and information are replicated by humans before being re-transmitted back out into world. We’ll see how these memes evolve our culture and minds over time, similarly to how our genes evolve through natural selection. But concerns will arise when we realise that this replication is not only selected for memes that are good for human evolution, and so memes seem to take on some type of evolutionary survival of their own. So when we now find ourselves in an internet era, with AI algorithms replicating ideas in an artificially amplified feedback loop with our own human memes, we get a cultural run away train, in which we are not really in control of our own culture and ideas.So fortunately, to get our head around this tough topic we have one of the inventors of the field, author of the 1999 book “The Meme Machine”, and by now, in her third appearance on Chasing Consciousness, our in-house sceptic - psychologist, philosopher, broadcaster and author Susan Blackmore. She’s best known for her books "Zen and the Art of Consciousness, Consciousness: An Introduction", and "Seeing Myself". Susan’s work spans across hundreds of publications in over 20 different languages, making huge contributions in the fields of psychology, memetics, religion, philosophy of mind, supernatural experiences, and anomalous experiences.What we discuss:00:00 Intro.04:00 Using Natural Selection to apply to the imitation and thus survival of ideas.06:35 Successful imitation of behaviours came first.07:35 The ideas that get copied more, for whatever reason, survive longer.08:40 Language allowed better copying and feedback.12:10 Memplexes: an analogy of co-adaptive gene-complexes.14:20 Sue’s scepticism of quantum theories of consciousness.14:40 Ideas are memes but experiential knowledge is not.19:05 Concern: Memes themselves are the beneficiary of selfish replication, not the host culture or minds.22:50 Human rights memes run against genetic replication needs.26:05 The taboo around memetic theory.32:40 “Tremes” - technological imitations independent of humans - a third replicator.40:00 Social media algorithms as super-treme replicators.43:50 Too fast turn around of ideas, hyper vigilance and negativity bias.47:50 Over stimulated, fast societies - Negative mental health outcomes.48:20 The implications of artificial general intelligence in terms of Tremes.53:05 Technology as an extension of our culture.57:40 Max Tegmark’s “Moloch” allegory.References: Susan Blackmore, “The Meme Machine”.Richard Dawkins - “The Selfish Gene”

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