Voices of Esalen
"Voices of Esalen" features provocative, in-depth interviews with the dynamic leaders, teachers, and thinkers who reflect the mission of the Esalen Institute. The podcast explores topics related to personal growth, spirituality, and human potential. Each episode brings forward conversations that inspire and challenge listeners to expand their perspectives.
Episodes
Jet Eveleth: Sacred Clowning and the Medicine of Play
In this episode, Sam speaks with Jet Eveleth, a clown teacher, performer, writer, and integrative medicine practitioner who lives at the fertile crossroads of medicine and mischief. Jet has studied integrative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, meditation, and psychotherapy at Harvard Medical School, while also training with legendary clown teacher Philippe Gaulier, touring with Second City,
Whole Self Health: Bill Drummond on Youth Mental Health, AI, Diagnoses, and Healing Through the Body
In this episode, Sam Stern speaks with Bill Drummond, a clinical consultant psychologist based in Wellington, New Zealand, where he serves as Clinical Leader for Youth Mental Health Services across the region.
Bill has spent more than a decade working with young people and families in public mental health settings, supporting adolescents facing trauma, anxiety, depression, family instability, ide
Steeped in Big Sur: Brita Ostrom on Early Esalen, Her New Memoir, and the Wild Work of Becoming
Brita Ostrom is the author of the new memoir "Steeped: A Bug Sur Elixir of Sulfur and Sage," a vivid, intimate, and often wonderfully unsentimental account of her life in Big Sur and at Esalen during 1967 and 1968.
Brita arrived in California during a hinge moment in American culture: she landed in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco nine months before the Summer of Love, smack dab in t
Darnell Walker: The Life of a Death Doula and the Art of a Peaceful End
Darnell Lamont Walker is one of those people who has somehow managed to live several lives inside a single lifetime. He is a writer, filmmaker, children’s television creator, and death doula. He is also a documentary filmmaker whose work has explored Black Americans seeking refuge from injustice, Black mental health, and the global epidemic of sexual violence. His newest book, Never Can Say Goodby
Yes, Mom Took Acid: Maria Mangini on Psychedelic Elders, Hidden Histories, and the Shulgin Farm
This interview is part of the Shulgin Foundation's Oral Histories Series. Voices of Esalen and Shulgin Foundation collaborated to bring you a wide-ranging interview with Mariavittoria Mangini, known to many as Maria, is a nurse-midwife, scholar, psychedelic historian, and longtime advocate for the preservation of underground psychedelic knowledge.
Maria’s life intersects with several crucial stre
Magnus Toren: Big Sur and The Henry Miller Memorial Library
Magnus Toren has been Executive Director of the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California, since 1993. A native of Sweden, he circumnavigated the globe delivering yachts across five oceans before settling in Big Sur. Under his leadership, the Library has evolved into a vibrant cultural hub for literature, music, and community, dedicated to preserving and celebrating Henry Miller’s legac
The Subtle Body, Ep. 3: The Serpent’s Tale with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen
In the third episode of our series on the subtle body, we’re discussing the book "The Serpent’s Tale: Kuṇḍalinī, Yoga, and the History of an Experience," a sweeping and deeply researched tome by Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Anya Foxen, who trace Kundalini from its roots to its many reinterpretations in modern yoga and global spirituality, examining the forms by which Kundalini has been embodied ac
The Subtle Body, Ep. 2: Charles Stang and Simon Cox
Today’s episode is our second in a series where we take a deep dive into a concept that hovers just at the edge of language: the subtle body. It’s one of those ideas that seems to belong everywhere and nowhere at once -- the subtle body is part of Daoist practice, Indian yoga, Christian mysticism, and, of course, the experimental, boundary-blurring culture of Esalen itself. Depending on who you a
The Subtle Body, Ep. 1: Michael Murphy and Simon Cox
Today we begin a three part series in which we explore the idea of the subtle body, a concept found in many contemplative and healing traditions around the world. From yogic energy channels to Daoist internal alchemy, the subtle body refers to the layers of human experience that lie between the physical body and consciousness, suggesting that our lives may unfold through more dimensions than the p
Tamala Floyd : Ancestral Healing and the Parts Within
Tamala Floyd is an Internal Family Systems therapist whose work focuses on ancestral healing.
Internal Family Systems, or IFS, begins with the premise that we are not a single, unified self; instead we are more like a constellation of parts, where some parts protect, some are exiled. The unification and integration of parts is the crucial work of IFS.
Additionally, some parts carry burdens that
Joe Dolce : Modern Psychedelics
Joe Dolce is a writer and journalist whose work has long traced the shifting frontier of our relationship with altered states. He's the author of "Brave New Weed: Adventures into the Uncharted World of Cannabis: and his newest book, "Modern Psychedelics: a Handbook for Mindful Exploration" Is nothing short of a contemporary compendium on the subject. It's a lucid, deeply informed guide to the medi
Pamela Hayes Malkoff : Art Therapy and the Power of the Creative Process
Pamela Hayes Malkoff is a board-certified art therapist who has spent more than three decades working at the intersection of creativity and healing. She is an internationally recognized facilitator and teacher, who supports individuals, couples, families, and communities, with particular care for people navigating addiction and recovery, questions of identity, grief, anxiety, and the terrain of re
Terence McKenna, Live at Esalen, 8/5/1997: "Aliens, AI , and Art"
Over the course of this wide-ranging talk recorded live at Esalen in 1997 , Terence McKenna explores what may unfold as we begin handing the keys of what he calls a “tired, shattered planet” to a higher intelligence. He wanders through UFO belief systems, psychedelics, and the idea that the human brain itself might operate as a chemical strategy for amplifying quantum effects before they spill in
How We're Really Using AI, Vol. 2
For this episode, we spoke with five people who are engaging with AI in deeply human ways.
- One is using AI in the context of dating, helping them think through attraction and communication.
- Another has built a wellness app, powered by AI, and is exploring how these kind of systems can support self-inquiry and self-care.
- Another works closely with organizations—primarily nonprofits—using AI
Where Generosity Gathers: The Big Sur Big Share
In this episode, we spotlight The Big Sur Big Share, a grassroots food program founded by Joseph Bradford and Helen Handshy that has quietly become essential to life in Big Sur. Every Monday, rain or shine, locals gather at the Grange to share farm-fresh produce, pantry staples, garden abundance, and maybe most importantly, time with one another.
What began with two neighbors offering their extra
Stanislav Grof on LSD Psychotherapy: Live Talk at Esalen, 1969
Stanislav Grof, born in Prague in 1931, was among the most influential figures in the early clinical use of LSD. Sometimes referred to as the Godfather of psychedelic psychotherapy, Grof was was trained as a Freudian psychoanalyst in Prague and was on track to follow in Freud's footsteps when his path was derailed by a powerful LSD session. He changed his life path and became one of the principal
Publishing at the Edges: A Conversation with Tim McKee of North Atlantic Books
Since 2016, Tim McKee has been the publisher of North Atlantic Books, a nonprofit press with a 50-year legacy of advancing healing, consciousness, and cultural transformation.
North Atlantic Books has long been aligned with a similar spirit that animates Esalen: a commitment to somatics, trauma-informed healing, a willingness to platform voices working at the edges of personal and collective awak
From the Archives: John Lilly and the Quest for Satori (1971)
Today we revisit a 1971 talk by Dr. John C. Lilly: physician, neuroscientist, tireless psychonaut, and one of the most audacious explorers of consciousness in the twentieth century.
John Lilly was a frequent teacher at Esalen and a close friend of Esalen co-founder Dick Price. He begins teaching at Esalen as early as 1968, focusing on what he called the human biocomputer and lecturing in part on
Eckhart Tolle at Esalen in June, 2001: The Power of Now
In June of 2001, the Esalen Institute hosted Eckhart Tolle for a weekend workshop. By that time, Tolle’s book The Power of Now had already begun an improbable ascent, exploding from a totally unknown into something of a cultural phenomenon.
The central insight of Eckhart Tolle’s work is that the future doesn’t hold your salvation, and it doesn’t pay to get lost in the past, either. What we long
How We’re Really Using AI
What if AI was capable of being more than just a new and improved Google search? What if there was ways to harness its predictive powers for growth, self-realization, or even freedom?
Today we'll hear from four thinkers: Larissa Conte, a leadership guide and systems healer with a focus on power, on the principle of mutual co-enactment. Then we hear from Cecilia Callas, co-founder of The AI Salon,
From Pelvic Floor to Whole Self: A Conversation with Dr. Tia Ukpe-Wallace and Krishna Dholakia
The pelvis, home to our reproductive, digestive, and eliminatory systems, is responsive to stress, pregnancy, birth, hormones, lifestyle, and trauma. When balanced, it supports vitality and ease. When out of balance, it can profoundly affect quality of life.
Joining the conversation are two extraordinary practitioners:
Dr. Tia Ukpe-Wallace, an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist, yog
Alan Watts, interviewed by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy (1966) - Part Two
Today I’m super excited to present to you another episode from the Archives From this trove of 1/2 inch reel to reel tapes that we recently found mouldering in a storage facility near the Monterey Airport - a 1966 dialogue between Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and philosopher Alan Watts and today is PART TWO— notable for being one of the only instances I've encountered of Michael Murphy conduc
Alan Watts, interviewed by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy (1966) - Part One
Today we present a rare archival conversation between Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and philosopher Alan Watts, recorded in 1966.
Watts, who taught at Esalen from its founding in 1962 until his death in 1973, was among the foremost interpreters of Eastern philosophy for Western audiences. In this wide-ranging dialogue, Watts articulates his theory of human evolutionary development through anal
Songs for the More-Than-Human World: Fletcher Tucker's "Kin"
Fletcher Tucker - Big Sur artist, Esalen faculty member, independent musician, and wilderness guide - is a kind of spiritual cartographer and wild-hearted philosopher of the sonic and sacred.
He has a new album, Kin, which is the focus of this conversation. Kin is a ritual, a spell, a window into the more-than-human world. It is a collection of drone-based, chant-infused compositions built with
Ken Robins (a.k.a. Dr. Love): A Somatic Journey from Trauma to Transformation
Ken Robins has been part of the beating heart of Esalen for many decades. A somatic Gestalt practitioner, couples counselor, and devoted early student of Dick Price, Will Schutz, Jessica Britt and many other Esalen legends, Ken has spent his adult life exploring the transformational power of relationship, presence, and the body’s innate wisdom.
In this conversation, Ken traces his unlikely journe
The Survivorship Collective
In this episode, we speak with Anne Hamilton, founder of the Survivorship Collective: a survivor-led initiative offering legal, psychedelic-assisted therapy to people living with cancer. Anne is an educator, filmmaker and breast cancer survivor whose own journey through illness (and a life-altering psilocybin experience) led her to ask deeper questions about grief, mortality, and transformation.
Caverly Morgan: The Self, The World, and the Space Between
In this episode of Voices of Esalen, Sam speaks with spiritual teacher, author, and nonprofit founder Caverly Morgan about the nature of personal ego as well as the collective ego that shapes our culture, relationships, and our sense of separation.
Named one of 2025’s powerful women in the mindfulness movement, Caverly brings a rare combination of Zen training, modern nondual wisdom, and deep rel
The Esalen Check In: Part 3
Last year we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). Some months later, a follow up episode dropped. This practice of the check-in is rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years. It's an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience, often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Today's episode is the logical continuation - E
Courage to Connect: Shame-Blocking and Flirtation Skills with Dr. Jacob Towery
In this lively episode, psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Towery invites us into the heart of his upcoming Esalen workshop on overcoming shyness, releasing shame, and embracing authentic connection. A Stanford-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Towery works with adolescents and adults in private practice. His approach blends evidence-based therapy with playfulness, skillful vulnerability, and social courage.
Here, h
Jacoby Ballard: Queer Dharma and the Path to Liberation
Jacoby Ballard is a trans yoga teacher, social justice educator, and author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation. In this episode of Voices of Esalen, Ballard shares reflections on how contemplative and wellness spaces can deeply support queer and trans communities, especially in a time of heightened visibility, vulnerability, and political resistance.
The conversation moves thr
Anaïs Nin: The Sensual Art of Writing
Anaïs Nin was a literary pioneer who wrote boldly about the inner lives of women long before it was culturally accepted. Her work, including Delta of Venus, Little Birds, The House of Incest, and her 16-volume diary, continues to influence generations of writers.
Nin’s life was as unconventional as her prose. She trained in psychoanalysis with Otto Rank, conducted passionate affairs with both He
Living Authentically: A Non-Binary Dialogue with Sarah/Sawyer Lavelle and Abigail/Bo Barnes
In this episode of Voices of Esalen, host Sam Stern sits down with two members of the Esalen community, Sarah Lavelle (also known as Sawyer) and Abigail Barnes (also known as Bo), for a heartfelt conversation about non-binary identity, self-expression, and the journey of living beyond the binary.
Topics include personal stories, pronouns, the evolving language of gender, and the beauty and diffic
Hallucinate the Future: Ari Kuschnir on AI Filmmaking, Time Travel, and Viral Transmutations
Ari Kuschnir is a filmmaker, creative strategist, and the founder of the production company m ss ng p eces. His work is driven by themes of empathy, consciousness, and transformation.
In this episode, Ari joins Sam for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of storytelling, particularly in the arena of AI filmmaking. They explore the ethical and emotional landscape of generative AI, and his ne
Decolonizing Femininity: Reclaiming the Divine Mother with Dr. Elizabeth Philipose
We sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Philipose to trace the roots of modern patriarchy back to the “1492 paradigm” of Euro-colonialism and its enduring assault on femininity, the body, and the earth. Elizabeth unpacks how ideas of weakness, passivity, and scarcity were written into our social, political, and economic institutions, and how those same systems still drive homophobia, environmental destruct
You Were Never Just One Thing: Ramzi Fawaz and the Queer Potential of Now
Ramzi Fawaz is an award-winning queer cultural critic, public speaker, and educator. He is the author of two books, including "The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics" (2016), and "Queer Forms." (2022). In 2019-2020, Fawaz was a Stanford Humanities Center fellow. He is currently a Romnes Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Please be w
Ida Rolf in Her Own Words: Lecture & Demo at Esalen (1967 Recording)
Today, we're opening the vaults to share a rare and remarkable recording from Esalen’s rich historical archive: a 1967 lecture and live demonstration by none other than Dr. Ida Rolf, the pioneering founder of Structural Integration—more commonly known today as Rolfing.
But what is Rolfing? Often described as intense (and sometimes even painful), Rolfing is a powerful form of bodywork that focuses
Esselen Tribe of Monterey County in Dialogue with Esalen Institute (Encore Presentation)
Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.
Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Administ
Cosmic Frequencies: Doug McKechnie's Avant-Garde Moog Performance at Esalen (late 1960s)
Once again, we’re diving deep into the Esalen archives to share a fascinating historical recording - this one featuring electronic music pioneer Doug McKechnie.
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Doug McKechnie was at the cutting edge of musical innovation, harnessing the revolutionary Moog synthesizer to create mesmerizing sounds. McKechnie was a contemporary of iconic figures like Wendy Carlos,
Roots of Esalen: Richard Horan on Esalen's Garden Origins, Jade Carving, Psychedelics, and the Legendary Art Barn
Richard Horan first arrived at Esalen in the mid 1960s, traveling from Los Angeles to Big Sur at the height of a cultural renaissance. He was an early member of the Esalen massage crew and played a pivotal role in founding the Esalen Garden, a space that continues to nourish the land and community today. He was also deeply involved in the psychedelic inquiry of the time.
Over the years, his con
The Esalen Check In: Part 2
A few months ago we brought you a real Esalen check-in (episode one). This practice, rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years is an authentic cornerstone of the Esalen experience. It's often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Today's episode is a continuation - Episode 2.
Our check-in features Alex Shepherd, Peggy Horan, Je
Frederic Spiegelberg's 1968 Talk at Esalen: "India and the Saints"
Today we're opening up the vault to share an extraordinary archival recording from one of the most influential figures in Esalen's history, Frederic Spiegelberg — and while that name might not be as immediately recognizable as some of the luminaries who graced Esalen's grounds, like Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, or Gabrielle Roth, understanding Frederic Spiegelberg and his place in Esalen mythology
Music From the Big Sur Mountains (Archival recording, late 1960s/early 70s)
For the past several years, I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with the famed and slightly disorganized Esalen archives, diving deep into the history of this extraordinary place. I’ve fashioned several multimedia talks out of the material that I’ve uncovered, one on the history of altered states at Esalen, another on the 1970s and 80s. And recently, I had one of those rare, thrilling moments t
Shannon Algeo: Smartphone Addiction, Digital Detox, and Healing the Self
Shannon Algeo is a psychotherapist, author, and teacher. He is also a Soul Coach, Yoga Nidra teacher, and the founder of Soulumination Meditation. Shannon works with clients to heal patterns of trauma so they can show up in the world with presence, purpose, and peace. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, ABC news, and Yoga Journal. Shannon came to Esalen in December of 2024 to lead a work
Resilience in the Storm: Deborah Eden Tull on Loss, Community, and Renewal
Deborah Eden Tull is a leading Buddhist and EcoDharma teacher whose wisdom has touched countless lives. Recently, Eden and her husband, Mark, faced a life-altering tragedy when Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina, destroying their home as well as all their belongings, and very nearly claiming their lives.
Eden has long been a powerful voice urging humanity to face the climate c
Redefining Inclusion: Dr. Victor Pineda on Disability Rights, Global Accessibility, AI, and Love
Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda is a globally recognized scholar, disability rights advocate, social impact entrepreneur, and international consultant on accessibility and inclusion. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Pineda was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy as a child, a challenge that inspired his lifelong commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. He becam
Josef London, Esalen's Superego, Reflects on Conflict, Loss, and 33 Years of Beloved Service
Josef London has been a cornerstone of the Esalen community for more than 30 years. In our conversation Josef shares about the leap of faith that brought him to Esalen from Rio de Janeiro in search of healing, transformation, and a place to call home. Today, guests know him from the Gate; he is one of the first people they meet upon arriving at Esalen. He has a delightful smile, but what they may
Awakening Wisdom: Chandra Easton on Ego, Suffering, and Feeding Your Demons
Chandra Easton is a senior Dharma teacher, author, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts. She is well renowned for her efforts to elevate the empowered feminine in Buddhism. Chandra has a deep lineage of study under the guidance of prominent Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers, beginning her journey in Buddhist practice at the age of four. She’s spent decades bridging traditional Tibetan teac
Peace is Possible: John Marks on a Lifetime of Building Common Ground
John Marks is the founder of Search for Common Ground, an international NGO whose purpose is to end violent conflict around the world. In 2018, Search was nominated for a Nobel Peace prize. Over the years some of their notable work has included helping to avert genocide in Burundi, supporting free elections in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and creating training in the Democratic Republic of Congo to c
Adam Bramlage: Microdosing 101
Adam Bramlage is Founder and /CEO of Flow State Micro, a functional mushroom company and microdosing education platform. Adam has helped hundreds of people, from professional athletes to people suffering from addiction and depression, achieve results through microdosing in his private practice. This interview gives the basics of microdosing; it's a great primer for anyone just at the beginning of
Louie Schwartzberg: Gratitude Revealed
Louie Schwartzberg is the filmmaker behind "Fantastic Fungi" - he's back now with a follow up film: "Gratitude Revealed." Louie has created and worked on a score of films in his life, including his own features like Mysteries of the Unseen World and Wings of Life, as well as the Netflix series Moving Art. Over the process of his career, it's fair to say that he’s revolutionized the field of time-l
Chef Elle Simone on Cuisine and America's Culture: How Flavor Shapes a Nation
Chef Elle Simone is a well-known American chef, culinary producer, test cook, and food stylist. In 2013, after realizing that women and persons of color were underrepresented among chefs, she founded SheChef, a mentoring and networking organization for women of color in the culinary field. She can be seen on PBS on America’s Test Kitchen and is the first African American woman to appear as a regul
Esselen Tribe of Monterey County in Dialogue with Esalen Institute
Today we’re sharing a conversation that took place in October, 2022, between members of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and the Esalen Institute.
Representing the Esselen tribe are Jana Nason and Stephen Vicente Arevalo. Jana Nason is an Esselen and Rumsen descendant, and an enrolled tribal member of the ETMC. She is the nonprofit secretary, and serves on the Tribal Council as Tribal Admini
Encore Presentation: Michael Pollan at Esalen Psychedelic Integration Conference, 2019
Today our episode is an encore presentation of Michael Pollan’s keynote presentation at the 2019 Psychedelic Integration Conference at the Esalen Institute. Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, including 2018’s “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.” This tome has become a fo
Mirrored Fatality: Non-Binary Kapampangan-Pilipinx and Pakistani-Muslim Duo on Healing Noise Punk
✧༺mirrored fatality is the nonbinary Kapampangan-Pilipinx and Pakistani-Muslim performance art duo of Mango and Samar, artists in residence at Esalen during the summer of 2021. Together we discuss the difference between non-binary and trans, how they share their rituals, altars, and medicine through DIT (Do It Together) experimental and healing noise punk, why punk as a genre is their musical choi
Brian Pace & Neşe Devenot: Right-Wing Psychedelia, or, Lucy in the Sky With Nazis
Dr. Brian Pace is a lecturer who teaches Psychedelic Studies at The Ohio State University. He is trained as an evolutionary ecologist, specializing in phytochemistry, ethnobotany, and ecophysiology. He believes in grassroots drug decriminalization efforts and hopes to find alternative policies to the imperial drug war. For more than a decade, Brian has worked on agroecology and climate change.
Dr.
Encore Presentation: Akuyoe Graham on Spirit Awakening Foundation and Esalen
Akuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since its inception in 1995, SAF has been a pioneer in developing and offering restorative, trauma-informed, prevention and intervention programs to underserved, incarcerated and systems-involved youth in Los Angeles County.
Akuyoe speaks ab
Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman: Hatred Never Ceases by Hatred
Welcome to a Voices of Esalen archive edition. Our featured lecture was delivered at Esalen as a part of a weeklong training in 2018, by wise teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman.
Jack Kornfield is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma, and has taught meditation internatio
Deborah Egerton on Using the Enneagram for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism
Dr. Deborah Egerton is a psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, author, coach, and spiritual teacher. She brings a focus of inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism to her enneagram work and uses that focus to help individuals and organizations release false historical narratives and open their minds and hearts to a more compassionate and connected approach to life. Her work with The Enneagram a
Reverend Erika Allison: Gay the Pray Away - Healing from LGBT Conversion Therapy
Reverend Erika Allison is a queer interfaith minister and the author of the memoir "Gay the Pray Away: Healing your Life, Love, and Relationships from the Harms of LBGT Conversion Therapy." We spoke about her personal journey of healing after being sent to conversion therapy as a teenager in Texas, the coping strategies she developed after experiencing the trauma of identity harm, the state of con
Mary Sanders on the People of Color Psychedelic Collective and Healing Transgenerational Trauma
Mary Sanders is a founding board member of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective, an organization that provides psychedelic education to historically marginalized communities in order to foster empowerment and healing. She is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in exploring the depths of transgenerational trauma and, in her words, peeling off layers of oppression and cultural condition
Asian American Feminist Collective on Intersectionality, Sexuality, Reproductive Rights, and Justice
Senti Sojwal and Tiffany Diane Tso are founding members of the Asian American Feminist Collective, a grassroots racial and gender justice group that works to interrogate and dismantle systems of racism, patriarchy, and capitalism, telling their stories through various modes of feminist media while providing spaces for identity exploration, political education, community building, and advocacy.
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Albert Hoffman: Stan Grof Interviews Hoffman at Esalen, 1984
Today we celebrate Bicycle Day, a modern semi-holiday (unrecognized by official governmental agencies yet observed by psychedelic enthusiasts across the globe) that commemorates Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman’s bike ride home from his lab on April 19th, 1943, after ingesting 250 micrograms of lysergic acid diethlymide, and in the process creating the world's first recorded intentional LSD trip. When
Laura Mae Northrup: Radical Healership
Laura Mae Northrup is a somatic psychotherapist, educator, podcaster, and author. Laura has been a guest on this show before, in 2020, when we discussed her podcast "Inside Eyes", a one-season tour de force that focuses on people using entheogens and psychedelics to heal from sexual trauma. She is now the author of a new book, "Radical Healership: How to Build a Values-driven Healing Practice in a
Xochitl Ashe on Ancestors, Generational Trauma, and Indigenous Perspectives on Psychedelic Healing
Xochitl Ashe is a Medicine Woman in the Peruvian Andean tradition and has worked with sacred plant medicines since the time of her initiation. At 16 years old, she became the first female of five generations of men to be initiated into the healing traditions of her Peruvian ancestral lineage. Xochitl is the founder of an Indigenous women owned retreat company that offers legal Mazatec Psilocybin
Shayla Love: The High-Stakes Game of Psychedelic Capitalism
“All of these sort of regular things that biotech companies do, like snapping up patents so that they can get investor dollars moving forward, they’re intersecting with this culture in the psychedelics world, which is sort of anti-ownership. These forces will clash. They oppose with one another.” - Shayla Love, Vice Media
Shayla Love is a senior staff writer at Vice Media whose writing has appe
Q and A with Sam
A glimpse under the hood at Voices of Esalen. Host Sam Stern interviews himself, entertaining questions such as How and why did you start Voices of Esalen - What was the first episode of the show and what was it about ? - Were the first episodes popular ? How many people listened to them? - What are your favorite podcasts and who are your favorite hosts? - Who have been some of your favorite peopl
Encore Presentation: Jeffrey Kripal on the Cultural History of Esalen
Jeff Kripal is a historian of religions - his work includes the study of comparative erotics and ethics in mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religions, and the history of Western esotericism from gnosticism to New Age religions. He’s also the author of the book "Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion" - a must read for anyone interested in unpacking the c
Jack Kornfield's 1983 Talk at Esalen: My Dharma Journey
This episode captures Jack Kornfield's lecture/ Dharma talk at Esalen on September 15th, 1983. Kornfield, one of the most articulate and compassionate voices in modern Western Buddhism, is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai fo
Justin Michael Williams: Fear and Faith
Justin Michael Williams is an author, speaker and musician who works at the intersection of social justice, mindfulness, and personal growth. Justin has become a pioneering voice of color for the new healing movement. His mission is to make sure that all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives. Together, we discussed the science of transformation,
Suzanne Simard: Finding the Mother Tree
Suzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia as well as the author of the excellent new memoir, “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.”
Suzanne is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; she’s been hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in a way that is dazzling and profound. Her TED
Akuyoe Graham: Spirit Awakening
Akuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since 1995, SA has been a pioneer in developing restorative, trauma-informed prevention and intervention programs to incarcerated and systems-involved young people in Los Angeles County. Using the tools of meditation, self-reflection, creativ
Darnell Walker: Seeking Asylum
Darnell Walker is Esalen's artist in residence for Spring 2021. Darnell is a writer and creator of children’s media, as well as a powerful documentary filmmaker - his efforts include 2015’s Seeking Asylum, which explored Black Americans’ desires to escape American tyranny and widespread police violence for safer lands, Outside the House, which focuses on Black mental health, and Set Yourself on Fi
The Psychedelic Moment, Pt. 7: Laura Mae Northrup on Healing Sexual Trauma with Psychedelics
Laura Mae Northrup is a somatic psychotherapist and podcast creator. Her remarkable show, Inside Eyes, focuses on the use of psychedelics and entheogens to heal from sexual trauma, drawing largely on personal stories from survivors of sexual violence and exploring the ways they have used these medicines to heal. Laura's work focuses on defining sexual violence through a spiritual and politicized
Justin Michael Williams: Stay Woke
Justin Michael Williams is an author, activist, meditation teacher and musician. His book Stay Woke established him as a pioneering millennial voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. His work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Grammy.com, Yoga Journal, Billboard, Wanderlust, and South by Southwest. Justin was the artist in residence at Esalen during the month of July. He shared
Keith Thompson on early Esalen, the Center For Theory and Research, and Paranormal Human Potential
Keith Thompson is an author, independent journalist, talk radio host, and former U.S. Senate staff member. Keith’s work has appeared in the New York Times, Esquire and the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s the author of the new book, The UFO Paradox: The Celestial and Symbolic World of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, in which he reveals how the UFO phenomenon ultimately represents a call from the cosmo
The Esalen Check-In (Episode 1)
Today we have a special episode. We're bringing you something unique and powerful: a real Esalen check-in. This practice, rooted in the Gestalt therapy that evolved at Esalen over the years, has become a cornerstone of the Esalen experience, often described as a catalyst for self-awareness, connection, and personal growth.
Our check-in features an incredible group of people: full-time staff memb
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Erik Davis stands tall at the intersection between mysticism, technology, and counterculture. He's one of my favorite writers, the author of many stupendous books, among them "TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information," "Nomad Codes," as well as "High Weirdness" a highly entertaining book that explores 1970s counterculture and its relationship with altered states of consciou
Joyful Justice, Fierce Compassion: Kamilah Majied on Black Wisdom Traditions & Buddhist Thought
Dr. Kamilah Majied is a contemplative inclusivity and equity consultant, mental health therapist, clinical educator, researcher, and internationally engaged consultant on building inclusivity and equity using meditative practices. After 15 years of teaching at Howard University, Dr. Majied joined the faculty at California State University, Monterey Bay as Professor of Social Work. She teaches clin
Andrew Weil's 1985 Lecture at Esalen on Psychedelic Drugs (MDMA, Peyote, Marijuana)
Today our episode centers on a talk given at Esalen in 1985 by Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Weil is a prominent figure and a trailblazer in the field of integrative medicine, which combines conventional medical practices with alternative and complementary therapies such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, and mind-body techniques. (All of this of course used to be rather fringe; Esalen in the 1980’s, was a
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Encore : Dr. Han Ren is a practitioner of decolonial mental health: she offers liberation-oriented, anti-oppressive, culturally informed therapy, and practices from a justice-oriented, systems-informed framework. Some of her specialties include Asian-American mental health, anxiety, perfectionism, high achievers, children of immigrants/third culture kids, anti-racism, and parenting. Dr. Ren is als
