Truth Junkie Podcast with Kevin Bates

Ever been curious about experiencing an authentic Ayahuasca ceremony? Today I’m taking a deep dive into all things Ayahuasca with Kevin Johnson.

Ayahuasca is a South American medicinal and psychedelic brew that has been used for thousands of years by indigenous peoples for it’s healing and transformative properties.

In this interview he shared 3 big benefits of participating in Ayahuasca ceremonies, the physical intensity of the experience, the importance of preparation before and integration after, how to avoid con artists, and he even sings a traditional ceremonial song at the end. Enjoy!

LINKS:

Contact: [email protected]

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: thetruthjunkiepodcast

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthJunkiePodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

Today I'm joined by Amy Alkon, a creator of applied behavioral science who translates scientific research into highly practical advice. Amy writes the Science Advice Goddess, an award-winning, syndicated column that runs in newspapers across the United States and Canada. She is the author of Unf*ckology and several other books. She has been on Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR, CNN, and MTV. She has written for Psychology Today, the Los Angeles Times, and has given a TED talk.

We discuss how to stand up for yourself in tough situations, rituals to help calm anxiety, simple hacks to having more awesome days, what is embodied cognition and why it matters, the idea that self-esteem is a myth, and much more.

LINKS:

Book: Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence
Follow Amy on Twitter: @amyalkon 

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: thetruthjunkiepodcast

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthJunkiePodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

Today I’m joined by psychologist Dr. Keith Witt. He’s the author of 6 books on personal growth and has conducted over 60,000 therapy sessions. I wanted to have him on because much of his work involves something referred to as “integral psychology” (made famous by Ken Wilber).

In this interview we talk about the evolutionary origins of altruism, the hero’s journey, the book (and upcoming movie) Dune,  enneagrams, and much more.

LINKS:

Website: https://drkeithwitt.com/
Books: https://drkeithwitt.com/books/
Contact: https://drkeithwitt.com/contact/

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: thetruthjunkiepodcast

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthJunkiePodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

Ever wonder what’s out there in the universe, but tired of being bored to death by bookworm scientists? Well today I’m speaking with Daniel Whiteson. He is a professor of physics and astronomy at The University of California, Irvine and is the co-author, along with Jorge Cham, of my favorite physics and astronomy book of all time called We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe.

I wanted to have Daniel on the show because in his book he blew me away by his ability to not sound like a scientist but instead speak in everyday terms while explaining complex stuff like dark matter, dark energy and other spooky things lurking out there in the cosmos.

In this interview Daniel shared how much we don’t know about the universe (which is a ton), the likelihood we could find life right here in our solar system, the 3 particles that make up just about everything (including you and me), what is dark matter and dark energy and how we know it exists, he touched on quantum mechanics, and much more.

LINKS:

Book: We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
Website:  http://phdcomics.com/noidea/
Podcast:  Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe
Contact:  UCI
Twitter: @DanielWhiteson

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I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: thetruthjunkiepodcast

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthJunkiePodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

Today I’m speaking with Luis Minero. He’s the author of the book “Demystifying the Out-of-Body Experience,” is an international lecturer and has been published in several scientific journals. He began developing his abilities in paranormal phenomena after having out of body experiences (referred to as OBE’s) as a teen.

In this interview we discuss scientific studies designed to figure out whether OBE’s are real, how OBE’s shift the fear of death for people who have them, how to develop our ability to have these powerful experiences, and much more.

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Links:

Book: Demystifying the Out-of-Body Experience
IONS: Institute of Noetic Sciences
Upcoming classes and programs: Mosaic Wellness and Education
Connect on Facebook: Facebook

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I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruthJunkiePodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes: https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn

Today I’m speaking with Juliana McCarthy, who has been practicing astrology for 20 years and is the author of the book The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology. She has done close to 1000 readings and finds Astrology to be helpful for major transitions, unexpected life changes, and for better understanding relationships—romantic and otherwise. 

I always assumed, like most people, that astrology is largely bullshit, Then I found out my 20 year old son (who’s pretty darn smart) believes in it, and he’s not one to believe in things like this, so I figured I’d dive in and see where this rabbit hole might lead. I wasn’t disappointed.

In this interview Juliana shared how her natural gift for reading astrological charts grew, her response to the criticism that astrologists are just cold reading people, the relationship between astrology and free will, evidence that chart readings are accurate and point to something real, and we even explore her escape from what she considers to be a Buddhist cult.

LINKS:

Juliana’s book: The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology

Website: EtherealCulture.com  

Instagram:  @EtherealCulture 

Ten Percent Happier app

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.  

Email: [email protected]  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthjunkiepodcast  

Website: https://www.truthjunkiepodcast.com/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes: https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn

Today I’m speaking with Kevin Johnson, a thought leader in the sensory deprivation field and the float tank industry, made popular about 10 years ago by high profile celebs like Joe Rogan and Duncan Trusse...  He is the founder of Zero Gravity Institute in Austin and has arguably logged more hours in float tanks than just about anyone else in North America. 

The reason I think this interview is important to hear is because there are thousands of people right now who are using float tanks to reach altered states of consciousness that help them grow as people, handle unresolved issues, even treat PTSD, anxiety and depression. And for people curious about having transformative, altered state experiences but hesitant to try psychedelics, float tanks offer a potential safe alternative.

In this interview he shared the history of float tanks (including experiments involving psychedelics in the 70’s), a process Kevin discovered that allows you to influence your brainwave frequency while floating, how floating resets neurotransmitter levels in the brain, advice if you want to try float tanks for yourself, and much more.

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LINKS:

Zero Gravity Institute

Vida Brillante

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I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback,  or guests you’d like to hear on the show.

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthjunkiepodcast

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes: https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn

Today I’m speaking with Mick West, a science writer, professional debunker and founder of MetaBunk.org. Previously a successful video game company co-founder (created Tony Hawk’s series of games) now he investigates and often debunks conspiracy theories like Chemtrials, 9/11, false flags, UFO’s and more.

He’s been on Joe Rogan’s podcast twice and is the author of a book I highly recommend called Escaping The Rabbit Hole: How To Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic and Respect. I’ve reviewed it and loved it.

In this interview we dove into:

- one conspiracy that turned out to be true that fascinated him
- the 2020 election fraud conspiracy
- the conspiracy/belief that masks don’t reduce the spread of the covid virus
- U.S. government released UFO videos as well as his response to Commander Fravor’s explanations
- how to think about conspiracy theories and the importance of using evidence to decide whether or not they are true
- and much more...

Enjoy!
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LINKS:

Metabunk.org

Mick on Twitter

Mick’s YouTube Channel

Mick’s YouTube playlist of Navy UFO related videos

You can email mick here: mick (at) mickwest.com

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FROM KEVIN:

I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts, feedback, guests you’d like to hear on the show, etc:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthjunkiepodcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes:  https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn
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Ever feel anxious or depressed, or know someone who does? Today I’m speaking with Dr. David Burns. He is a pioneer in the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the most widely used and researched form of therapy in the world. He received his medical degree from Stanford and continues to teach at the Stanford School of Medicine. His book, Feeling Good, brought CBT to the mainstream in the 1980’s, has sold millions of copies, and is the book most frequently prescribed to depressed patients by psychologists.

His new book, Feeling Great, builds upon the first one and gives people suffering from mood disorders like Depression and Anxiety the tools to potentially cure themselves faster than ever. I continue to see references to CBT everywhere these days, so it was a total pleasure to have such a legend on the show.

In this interview he shared the 3 core principles of CBT, why half of people secretly resist making progress in therapy, the hidden benefits of negative emotions, a simple trick you can use right away to stop beating yourself up, and much more.

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I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what you like about the podcast, what you would change, ideas for future guests, etc:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthjunkiepodcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes: https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn
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LINKS:

David’s Website FeelingGood.com

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TIME STAMPS

[12:44] - How does psychotherapy really work and why is it that some people don't respond?

[15] - Without over-generalization, depression is impossible.

[17:53] - Talking about solutions to anxiety, depression, sorrow, and ways to deal with social problems.

[22] - The Double Standard Technique - talking to yourself in the same way you’d talk to a dear friend

[22:30] - Personal thoughts on how teenagers get depressed and feel low by little things like breakups, rude behavior of seniors, and the level of comparing themselves with celebrities.

[29] - Almost everyone can recover quickly from depression with Dr. Burns’ approach to CBT

[30] - Dr. Burns is strongly against positive thinking. Here’s why.

[37:55] - We should be happy in almost all phases of life despite the fact we know that we are dying.

[47:20] - The Positive Reframing of resistance. This is big.

[49:15] - Every negative feeling is an expression of what’s more beautiful about you and your values, and all negative feelings are beneficial to you. Wow.

[50:30] - The story of the mother whose 12 year old daughter got shot in the face.

[56:51 - Finding how these negative emotions say something positive about you and actually give you benefit.

[1:03:09] - What do your negative thoughts and feelings show about you?

[1:10:00] - Before you go out looking for a good CBT therapist, buy and read his two books instead. They “cure” a lot of (though not all) clients, no therapist needed.

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Kristy Sumner.  In 2014, Kristy coupled her passion for travel, history and the paranormal when she formed Soul Sisters Paranormal, an all-female team, made up of Sumner, her two sisters and two friends. They travel to some of the most historic, and reportedly haunted, locations in the U.S. in an attempt to determine for themselves if spirit activity does exist and to highlight the rich history of each location. 

In this interview she shared how she and her team use their reserach background to scientifically investigage claims of the paranormal and capture compelling evidence of it, several of the most compelling examples of paranormal evidence from the dozens of places Kristy’s team has visited, how she incorporates scientific rigor in her investigations rather than being biased toward finding something spooky, the tools she uses (including lazer grids), and much more.

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I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what you like about the podcast, what you would change, ideas for future guests, etc:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truthjunkiepodcast

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIma3aXx3l6UfjvTNM2Bg2A

iTunes: https://link.chtbl.com/xyOJMKIn

...

LINKS:

Kristy’s website: Soul Sisters Paranormal

Soul Sisters Paranormal Youtube channel

Soul Sisters Paranormal Facebook page

CONTENTS:

[01:22]: Kristy shares how she used her research background to scientifically investigate claims of the paranormal and capture compelling evidence of it.

[11:38]: An example of one of the most compelling pieces of evidence that Kristy has collected so far.

[18:59]: The driving force behind Kristy's investigation.

[23:49]: Explaining the equipment used to investigate paranormal activity.

[40:09]: Communicating with spirits.

[44:08]: Personal thoughts on spirits stuck in purgatory.

[50:23]: Faith in an after-life.