A lot of what Jeffrey Kripal writes about and explores doesn’t fit into our current worldview. A professor at Rice University, where he holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, Jeff specializes in extreme religious experiences, a new comparativism in the study of religion, the paranormal, and the extraordinary dimensions of human existence. He helped create the groundbreaking GEM Program (Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism) and serves on the board of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.

From UFOs/UAPs to near-death experiences, psi phenomena, and mystical visitations, Jeff’s work challenges us to rethink reality itself. As he puts it, “The paranormal is trying to get our attention. Reality is not what we think it is.” His 13 books, including Authors of the Impossible, Mutants and Mystics, The Flip, How to Think Impossibly, and the upcoming three-volume set The Super Story, invite readers to explore the limits of current-day thought and the vast potential of the unknown.

In this conversation, we dive into grief, humor, and the transcendent. Jeff suggests that laughter can help us step outside our worldview, grief can open us to the impossible, and humanity’s tendency to dismiss the extraordinary may actually conceal profound truths. With meaningful observations like “Certainty is a big problem” and “Reality is transcending itself,” Jeff invites us to embrace the mysteries that defy explanation and to see the impossible as a gateway to deeper understanding.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro: Reality is not what we think

5:31 Psychoanalysis and spiritual experiences

13:17 John Mack's UFO research at Harvard

18:06 The impossible and expanding worldviews

24:04 Consciousness: brain vs. perception models

29:31 Grief, humor and paranormal experiences

36:44 UFOs as a "wedge issue" in science

43:17 Historical perspectives on UFO phenomena

50:46 Wonder, awe and the "impossible"

About Wonderstruck:

The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.

In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.

Wonderstruck Links:

https://wonderstruck.org

https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/

https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661

https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if pain wasn’t just a problem to fix, but a portal to something deeper?

Diane Goldner didn’t set out to become a healer. As an investigative journalist writing for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, she approached energy healing with the sharp eye of a skeptic, ready to expose what didn’t hold up. But instead, she found something that flipped her world upside down. Today, she’s an internationally recognized healer and medical intuitive, helping people unlock their body’s hidden wisdom in ways the medical field could learn from.

In this episode, Diane shares the story of her awakening into the world of subtle energy — and how she now helps others access the hidden intelligence of the body. We talk about the surprising signals our pain carries, what it means to receive shaktipat, and why the boundary between science and mysticism may not be a boundary at all.

This is a conversation about seeing differently — about tuning in to what lies just beneath the surface, and discovering that healing might be less about fixing, and more about remembering who we really are.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro: Reality is more mutable than we realize

5:06 Diane's journey from skeptic to energy healer

10:27 What is energy healing and subtle energy?

15:45 Examples of energy healing in action

26:26 How Diane perceives energy during healings

32:35 The relationship between science and spirituality

38:41 Princeton's research on mind-matter interaction

46:44 Why energy healing sometimes doesn't work

54:39 The role of love in the healing process

1:04:23 Chakras and their role in energy healing

1:14:17 Diane's experiences with spiritual figures

1:16:25 How changing consciousness changes reality

1:20:59 Closing thoughts on imagination and perception

About Wonderstruck:

The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.

In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.

Wonderstruck Links:

https://wonderstruck.org

https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/

https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661

https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Cleese and Dr. Iain McGilchrist are good friends who share a deep appreciation for the power of humor and a fascination with neuroscience and consciousness. McGilchrist recalls falling asleep laughing at an episode of Fawlty Towers—only to wake up the next morning still laughing.

Cleese has spent a lifetime using humor not just to entertain but to challenge rigid thinking, expose absurdities, and reveal truths hiding in plain sight. McGilchrist, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and neuroscientist, has transformed our understanding of the mind, particularly how modern culture leans too heavily on the left hemisphere’s need for certainty—often at the expense of creativity, nuance, and vision.

In this special episode of Wonderstruck, co-hosts Elizabeth Rovere and Mary Attwood bring us a spirited “quadrologue” exploring humor, creativity, and consciousness. Cleese reflects on how comedy topples hierarchies, sharpens perception, and fosters resilience, while McGilchrist explains why humor itself depends on the brain’s ability to shift perspectives—something the right hemisphere thrives on.

Together, they unpack how laughter, play, and spontaneity expand our ways of thinking, helping us loosen up in a world that often takes itself far too seriously.

As Cleese puts it: "If humor isn’t woven into the fabric of the cosmos, I need to know why not."

Chapters:

0:00 Intro: Humor and consciousness

5:07 Humor as a democratizing force

10:23 Criticism and self-laughter in comedy

15:26 Humor's role in consciousness and creativity

20:42 Theory of mind and humor

26:56 Free will and determinism debate

32:45 Unlearning and the importance of humor

38:55 Creativity, relaxation, and uncertainty

44:40 Introversion and never being bored

48:38 Art, consciousness, and cosmic values

About Wonderstruck:

The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.

In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.

Wonderstruck Links:

https://wonderstruck.org

https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/

https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpod

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661

https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.