Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings

My new obsession? Podcasts – the video versions. It’s like going back to varsity but this time around, being in a global online lecture hall where your profs are delivering information on steroids!

My mind has been opened to topics as diverse as near-death experiences, childhood trauma (looking at you, Dr Maté ) and AI conspiracy theories. And sometimes, the podcasts have really messed with my head – in a good way. A case in point is an episode of The Diary of a CEO, hosted by the Botswana-born entrepreneur and millennial whizz kid Steven Bartlett. He has a penchant for hanging out with the world’s “big guys” – think ex-Google VPs, neuroscientists, bestselling authors, billionaires and thought leaders pushing boundaries, such as researcher and author Dr Joe Dispenza.

In this particular episode, Dr J delves into various subjects – from how we can become addicted to negative emotions, leading us to repeat the same patterns, to how our thoughts can make us ill. He then proposes a radical idea: if our thoughts can make us sick, they can also heal us. He and his team run science-based retreats worldwide and have witnessed firsthand how attendees created profound biological changes simply by altering their thought patterns.

What I really like about Dr J is his remarkable ability to articulate complex concepts in a way the layman can understand. He sheds light on how our memories and the emotional reactions they trigger become internalised in our bodies, causing us to behave in the same old, familiar way, even when we consciously strive for change.

This insight explains why affirmations and manifestation exercises don’t work for many people and why attempts to command our conscious mind to go to sleep or calm down, just make things worse – we’ve all been there.

So how do we get off the wheel of lack, victimhood, anger, anxiety etc.? There are several ways, but the bombshell comes around 31:30 minutes into the podcast when Dr J says, just change your personality. WHAAAT? Is that even possible? Yes, says Dr J, but you have to “get out of your mind” and for this he advocates meditation. Remember, people, he’s a researcher, and it’s been scientifically proven that it’s possible to create new neural pathways in the brainwave states induced by meditation. 

Dr J suggests a technique of visualising a typical scenario where you want to act differently, and then you watch yourself doing so, playing it out like a movie. This method tricks your brain into believing this new version of you is real. After all, the brain doesn’t distinguish between fantasy and reality, so you feed it a new script and then you practise, practise, practise. The more vividly you imagine something, the more you’ll believe it’s real. In essence, it’s brainwashing!

There are so many gems in this podcast I intend rewatching and making notes, just like back in the day at lectures. I also can’t wait to discover more insights from Dr J and his ilk, and the colourful, eccentric characters who now have a platform to share their ideas. And, of course, to embark on a bit of mental reconditioning myself!


Mindful Musings

Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings 1

What the world was musing over this past week

Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings 2

Sleeping on the job mid-air

A pilot and his wingman (see what I did there?) fell asleep “at the wheel” of a Batik Air craft with 157 passengers on board.


Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings 3

Departed pet hamster travels Europe

A devoted pet owner travelled 7,000 miles with her late hamster and spent a small fortune taking him to see the sights of Europe!


Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings 4

Lady Luck and the lottery

Imagine finding out you won the lottery but misplaced your ticket? True story for a couple from Kentucky USA.


Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings 5

Seeking scary-looking dog trainers

If you’ve got face tattoos, piercings or perhaps a mohawk, you’re in demand at the UK’s Guide Dogs sight loss charity – to help socialise pups.