Multidisciplinary conversations about Asian healing and mystical traditions.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr Peter Wayne, Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital. A prolific researcher of the science of body-mind practices, Peter is the author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi (2013) and over 200 scientific papers. But he has also been a practitioner and instructor of taiji and qigong for…
Subscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including these PDFs of Peter’s publications: Wayne et al., “A Systems Biology Approach to Studying Tai Chi, Physiological Complexity and Healthy Aging” (2013) Wayne et al., “Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? Toward an Embodied Cognition Framework for Mind-Body Research” (2018) Wayne et al., “Integrative…
Subscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including these PDFs of Linda’s work: Metamodern Mysticisms (2018) “Toward a metamodern reading of Spiritual but Not Religious mysticisms” (2018) “The Metamodern Bend: Theorizations for Religious Studies” (2022) Read more
In this episode, I sit down with my friend Linda C. Ceriello, a scholar of mysticism and popular culture from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Linda is one of the foremost scholars of metamodernism, with particular focus on contemporary spirituality and mystical experiences. She talks with me about what this concept of metamodernism means, and how it can open up new kinds of more capacious…
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including: PDF of the introduction to Pierce’s new book: Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice, just published by University of Hawaii Press. Read more
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Today I sit down with Prof. Jeff Kripal, noted scholar of religion at Rice University, to talk about extraordinary, mysterious, and “impossible” experiences. This is a conversation I’ve been waiting a few years to have. Together we explore what you can or can’t talk about in the humanities — and what we risk when we break the rules. Along the way, we touch on paranormal phenomena, epistemological…
I'm happy to share this rebroadcast of an interview I did with James Bae, the host of the "Buddhist Yoga" Youtube channel. In this deep-dive, we discuss my new book, Meditation Sickness, just out from University of Hawaii Press. This edited collection of translations by expert scholars lays out a range of Buddhist viewpoints about the potential side-effects of contemplative practice, and what…
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Today I sit down with Sanjay Manchanda, who is an Adjunct Professor at California Institute of Human Science and also teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Sanjay is an awakening facilitator, a practicing psychotherapist, and an inventor and technologist with a PhD in computer science. In this conversation, we talk about the importance of integration after awakening,…
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading: Tawni Tidwell et al. “Chasing dön spirits in Tibetan medical encounters: Transcultural affordances and embodied psychiatry in Amdo, Qinghai” 2022. Read more
Today I sit down with Dr. Tawni Tidwell, a biocultural anthropologist and Tibetan medicine doctor at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Together we discuss how Tibetan medicine approaches the challenges that arise in the course of meditation. Along the way, we talk about reconnecting with indigenous knowledge, establishing a more intimate relationship with the…
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading: Full English translation of the Hathayoga Pradipika, which includes description of kundalini coiled at the base of the spine and structured practices to direct her energy toward enlightenment: Read more
Today I sit down with Marleen Thaler, a researcher at the University of Vienna and University of Graz. Together, we investigate the history of the transformation of Kundalini from a Hindu goddess resting at the base of the spine to her modern manifestation as a psychiatric syndrome. Along the way, we discuss the central importance of the Theosophical society, the anti-psychiatry movement of the…
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading: Brandt Stickley, “Approaching the Origin: The Diaphanous Body and Classical Chinese Medicine” (preprint of article published in 2024). Read more
Today, I catch up with Brandt Stickley, Associate Professor at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland. We discuss his practice of “Chinese medicine anti-psychiatry,” which involves exorcising spirits using acupuncture needles. Along the way, we talk about mass possession, spiritual shark bites, and how to properly unwind a wayward ghost. If you want to hear scholars and…
In celebration of the holiday season, here's a bonus episode from the archives. In May of 2023, I sat down with Zachary Lui who is a practitioner of Chinese medicine, magic, and shamanism in the Toronto area. We started by talking about his early work with Chinese martial arts, traditional medicine, and qigong. We then got into Zac’s practice of chaos magic, diverse ritual practices, reiki, and…
Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading: Article summarizing Nick’s dissertation research on “loss of self” experiences 50% off “ Varieties of Ego-Dissolution ” online course (research overview of the types of self-boundary dissolution and their impacts) Read more
Today I sit down with Nick Canby, visiting assistant professor at Brown University and a clinical psychologist specializing in meditation and psychedelics. Together, we dive into Nick’s research on the self — what is it and what it’s like to lose it. Along the way, we mention some of the downsides of experiencing oneness and the complications of defining a mental health disorder. If you want to…
