Latest / Deep Dive Ortho — Orthopaedic Surgery, AI & Digital Health Podcast. / Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

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Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself · Deep Dive Ortho — Orthopaedic Surgery, AI & Digital Health Podcast.

0:00
Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we're getting
0:02
stuck into something really quite profound and
0:04
I think particularly relevant for those of us
0:07
in the medical field. Indeed. You know those
0:09
cases we sometimes hear about or maybe even encounter
0:11
the really perplexing spontaneous remissions,
0:14
where patients just seem to defy all the odds,
0:17
making these sudden, almost miraculous recoveries?
0:19
Yeah, those phenomena that challenge our conventional
0:22
understanding. The placebo effect is another
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powerful example, isn't it? Absolutely. It really
0:27
makes you wonder. What if those events weren't
0:30
quite so spontaneous or mysterious after all?
0:33
What if our minds, our consciousness, actually
0:36
hold the keys to unlocking profound health, influencing
0:39
our very biology? That's the core question we're
0:42
exploring, isn't it? It is. Our deep dive today
0:44
is right at that fascinating intersection, neuroscience,
0:47
quantum physics, and personal transformation.
0:50
We're going to explore some, well, truly groundbreaking
0:53
insights into how our thoughts, our emotions,
0:56
our state of being aren't just side effects of
0:58
biology. But potentially powerful forces that
1:01
can reshape it. Exactly. Reshape our health,
1:04
our lives. And to help guide us through this,
1:07
well, quite intricate landscape, we're absolutely
1:09
delighted to have Professor Moimam with us, a
1:12
renowned expert in this very area. Thank you.
1:15
It's a real pleasure to be here. Our mission
1:16
today, really, is to try and understand the mechanics
1:19
behind personal change. What's the potential
1:21
for us to live more coherent, healthier, more
1:24
fulfilling lives, both for ourselves and perhaps
1:27
in how we approach our professional work? I think
1:30
this understanding holds immense implications,
1:33
especially as you say, for the medical community,
1:36
those right at the forefront of health and well
1:38
-being. It could genuinely revolutionize how
1:41
we think about patient care and even our own
1:43
vitality. It's a huge idea, though, and it really
1:46
does challenge how we've traditionally understood
1:48
reality, doesn't it? Fundamentally. Because for
1:51
centuries, our view was largely mechanistic.
1:53
You think of Descartes, Newton, this idea of
1:56
the universe as a kind of giant clockwork machine.
1:59
Mind and matter were seen as totally separate
2:01
things. And reality felt quite predetermined,
2:04
solid, predictable. Yes. But what's so fascinating
2:07
now is how modern science, particularly quantum
2:10
physics, has just completely shaken that foundation.
2:13
Could you maybe unpack that fundamental shift
2:16
for us? Absolutely. That traditional view, the
2:18
mechanistic one you describe, really saw matter
2:21
as solid, inert stuff. Independent. But the monumental
2:25
shift, arguably starting with Einstein and Ivesy,
2:29
showed something radically different. Energy
2:31
equals mass times the speed of light squared.
2:34
We all know the equation, but the implication.
2:37
The implication was profound. It demonstrated,
2:40
quite simply, that energy and matter aren't separate
2:43
at all. They're interconvertible. Two sides of
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the same coin, if you will. Matter can become
2:48
energy. Energy can become matter. Which directly
2:50
contradicts that old Newtonian view. Completely.
2:53
It introduced a new understanding. Reality is
2:55
far more fluid, more interconnected than we ever
2:58
thought. Not just solid stuff. So, if matter
3:01
and energy are interchangeable, what does that
3:03
actually mean for something like an atom? We
3:05
all learned the model in school, didn't we? The
3:07
little solar system, solid bits whizzing around?
3:10
Precisely. Those old models, the toothpick and
3:13
styrofoam bowl constructions, perhaps. Yes. Figure
3:16
1a, as it were. Exactly. They're now completely
3:19
outdated. Quantum physics reveals something quite
3:22
astonishing. Atoms are almost entirely empty
3:25
space. Vast amounts of it. It's hard to get your
3:28
head around that scale. It is. Imagine an atom
3:30
expanded to the size of a huge football stadium.
3:34
The nucleus, where nearly all the mass is, would
3:36
be no bigger than a tiny pea right in the center.
3:42
It's not really solid. Fundamentally, no. It's
3:45
comprised of vast fields of energy. Vibrating
3:47
is incredibly complex frequency patterns. Information,
3:51
really. All matter is essentially more no -thing
3:53
pure energy than something particles, like shifting
3:56
from figure 1b towards 1c in conceptual terms.
3:59
So reality isn't fixed and predetermined. It's
4:02
more like potential energy patterns. That's a
4:04
great way to put it. It challenges that fixed
4:05
notion. Everything is in a constant state of
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flux, vibrating. For those of us in medicine,
4:10
thinking about this shift is radical, moving
4:11
from just treating a broken physical part. To
4:14
understanding the energetic blueprint behind
4:16
it. Exactly. And that opens up entirely new avenues
4:20
for intervention, for healing. It reframes the
4:23
whole picture. That really does redefine solid.
4:25
OK, so if matter itself is this fluid, energetic
4:29
thing, this potential, what about consciousness?
4:34
our awareness, what happens when we as observers
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interact with this quantum world. Because this
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is where it gets, well, really interesting, doesn't
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it? This is perhaps one of the most profound
4:44
and debated aspects, the observer effect. Right.
4:48
Tell us about that. Well, physicists discovered
4:50
that tiny subatomic particles, like electrons,
4:53
don't actually exist in a fixed state before
4:56
they're observed. They exist as waves of probability.
5:00
Think of figure 1D. Waves of probability. So
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they could be anywhere. In a sense, yes. They
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exist potentially as everything and nothing simultaneously
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everywhere and nowhere until... Didn't we look?
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Until an observer focuses attention, tries to
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measure or locate that electron. At that moment,
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the wave of probability collapses into a definite
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particle in a specific location. It's called
5:20
the collapse of the wave function. So our act
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of observation, our consciousness itself, plays
5:26
a direct role in creating physical reality. That's,
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well, it's mind -boggling. It is rather staggering,
5:32
isn't it? The implication is that if these fundamental
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particles can exist in infinite possible states,
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then we, as conscious observers, are potentially
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capable of collapsing infinite possible realities
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into existence. Including the realities we desire,
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like health. Theoretically, yes. If your mind
5:50
can influence the appearance of an electron,
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why not the appearance of any possibility? The
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quantum field, in this view, already contains
5:58
the reality or you are healthy or you're... patient
6:00
has recovered. It's waiting for a conscious observer
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to tune into it, to collapse it into experience.
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That shifts the paradigm for patient care enormously.
6:08
Not just managing symptoms, but potentially co
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-creating health possibilities. Precisely. And
6:14
there's fascinating, though perhaps controversial,
6:16
research suggesting this effect might even transcend
6:19
linear time. Dr. Leonard Levichy's study from
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2000, for instance. It was a double -blind trial
6:24
with sepsis patients. Half were prayed for, half
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weren't. The prayed -for group did significantly
6:30
better. Less fever, shorter stays. Standard intercessory
6:34
prayer study, you might think. Okay, but what
6:36
was the twist? The twist was when the prayers
6:39
were said. The prayers were for patients who
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had been hospitalized four to ten years before
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the experiment even took place. So praying for
6:47
people in the past. And it worked. The data suggested
6:50
it did. It points towards this nonlinear nature
6:54
of reality, where intention, thought, feeling
6:56
might affect events regardless of our usual concept
6:59
of time. It suggests the potential for healing
7:02
exists outside our standard temporal framework.
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That's quite an astonishing thought. So okay,
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if our observation, our consciousness can influence
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reality, maybe even across time. What does this
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mean for our everyday thoughts and feelings?
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How do we actually talk to this quantum field,
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especially when we're aiming for specific outcomes,
7:19
like health for ourselves or our patients? We
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communicate primarily through our thoughts and
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our feelings. It's a two -part signal, really.
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OK, how does that work? Think of thoughts as
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carrying an electrical charge. Brain impulses
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are electrical signals. We measure them with
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EEGs, don't we? Yes, standard practice. So those
7:37
thoughts, our intentions, are the electrical
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signals we send out into the field. They're what
7:43
we want. But you said it's a two -part signal.
7:45
What's the other part? Feelings. Our feelings
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carry a magnetic charge. They are what magnetically
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draw experiences, events back to us. They complete
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the circuit. So thoughts send the signal out.
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Feelings draw the response back. In essence,
8:01
yes. Together, how you think and how you feel
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creates your state of being. And that state of
8:07
being generates a unique electromagnetic signature
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that influences the quantum field. Which means
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it's the combination, the alignment of thought
8:15
and feeling that's truly powerful. It's not just
8:17
about thinking positive then. Precisely not.
8:19
That's a common misconception. The HeartMath
8:21
Institute did a remarkable study back in 2003
8:24
that illustrates this perfectly. What did they
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find? They had subjects skilled in generating
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heart coherence, strong, elevated emotions like
8:31
love, appreciation. They gave them vials of DNA.
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When these subjects just generated the positive
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emotions, nothing significant happened to the
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DNA. The feeling alone wasn't enough. Okay. Then
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a second group not only generated those heightened
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emotions, but also held a clear intention of
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thought to either wind or unwind the DNA strands.
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And that group produced statistically significant
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changes. They were able to wind or unwind the
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DNA by as much as 25%. Critically, a third group
9:01
who only held the intention, the thought, without
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the elevated emotion saw no change either. So
9:06
it really proves the point. Neither thought alone
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nor feeling alone works. It has to be both aligned.
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Unequivocally, the quantum field responds to
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that coherent signal when thoughts and feelings
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are aligned, broadcasting the same message. Which
9:18
means if your thoughts are saying, perhaps, I
9:21
want to be healthy, but your body, through its
9:23
memorized feelings, is screaming, I feel sick.
9:26
I feel defeated. You're sending a mixed signal,
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like static on the radio. It's exactly like static.
9:31
Or think of incoherent light from a regular bulb
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versus a focused laser beam. Figure 1F illustrates
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this well. Coherent waves in phase, rhythmic,
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are powerful. While incoherent, mixed signals
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achieve nothing. Precisely. Which is why gratitude
9:48
is so vital in this process. And it's not just
9:51
an intellectual thank you. It's the feeling of
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gratitude. It's feeling as though your desired
9:55
future has already happened. You have to embody
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that emotion so completely that your body, which
10:01
understands feelings, believes the event has
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already occurred. Your body needs to be emotionally
10:05
convinced that the future you want is happening
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now. That shifts the internal state first. Interesting.
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Now, many of us, and I think this is especially
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true in demanding professions like medicine,
10:15
often feel, well, stuck. caught in a repetitive
10:19
loop. Yes, seeing the same patterns play out
10:21
again and again. Exactly. Professionally, personally,
10:24
the same challenges, the same reactions seem
10:26
to crop up. What does this deep dive reveal about
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why that happens? And more importantly, what
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it takes to actually break free. This is a core
10:33
challenge and it's deeply rooted in our conditioning.
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The key concept is that most people are conditioned
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to think equal to their environment, their body,
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and time. These are what we call the big three.
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The big three, okay. Environment, body, time.
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So starting with environment, you're saying our
10:51
external world dictates our internal state. We're
10:55
sort of prisoners of our surroundings. To a large
10:58
extent, yes. Our brain effectively becomes a
11:01
record of our past environment. Think about your
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daily routine, the commute, the hospital, the
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familiar faces, the specific problems you encounter.
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Right. They trigger familiar thoughts, familiar
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responses. Exactly. They activate the same neural
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circuits day in, day out. This causes us to think
11:16
and react in familiar ways, all derived from
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past memories wired into the brain. So if your
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thoughts create your reality and you keep thinking
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the same thoughts because your environment keeps
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triggering them, you keep creating the same reality,
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more of the same. Precisely. Your outer world,
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its problems, conditions, circumstances, constantly
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influences how you think and feel internally.
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It's a feedback loop, like being swept along
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by a current. To change, you have to somehow
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think and act greater than those circumstances,
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become independent of them. Okay, that's the
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environment. What about the body? How does our
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physiology trap us in these loops? Our bodies
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are heavily involved, perhaps more subconsciously
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than we realize. We operate based on a vast set
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of memorized behaviors, thoughts, and emotional
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reactions. They run like programs in the background.
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Like habits we don't even notice. Exactly. And
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this is why just thinking positive often fails.
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Deep -seated negativity or limiting patterns
12:12
can reside chemically in the body. It becomes
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accustomed to certain states. So the body has
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its own memory of emotions. It does. By the time
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we reach our mid -30s, something like 95 % of
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who we are, our behaviors, attitudes, emotional
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reactions, is subconscious programming. The body
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literally becomes the mind in many ways running
12:30
on autopilot. Can you give an example? Think
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about dialing a familiar phone number without
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consciously thinking of the digits or your fingers
12:38
knowing a password or a combination lock. Your
12:41
body has memorized it through repetition. Right.
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Muscle memory. Yes. But it applies to emotional
12:46
states too. This leaves our conscious mind, that
12:49
mere 5%, struggling against this massive 95 %
12:53
subconscious programming. When we try to consciously
12:55
change, maybe break a habit or react differently,
12:59
the body often resists. How does it resist? It
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goes into a kind of internal chaos. It generates
13:05
internal chatter, doubts, fears. You're too tired.
13:08
This feels wrong. You can't do this. Is the body
13:11
craving its familiar chemical state, trying to
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pull you back to the known self, even if that
13:16
self is unhappy or unhealthy? The servant, the
13:19
body, has become the master. And the conscious
13:21
mind, the master, is asleep at the wheel. In
13:24
a manner of speaking, yes. To make real change,
13:26
you have to get into that subconscious operating
13:28
system. Okay, that covers environment and body.
13:31
What about the third one? How does a relationship
13:33
with time keep us stuck? It often feels like
13:36
the past dictates the present. It very often
13:38
does. We live tethered to time in a limiting
13:41
way. Either we're dwelling in the past, replaying
13:44
old events, re -feeling old emotions, whether
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good or bad. Like reliving a past trauma or failure.
13:51
Exactly. Or even reliving past successes in a
13:53
way that stops us moving forward. This conditions
13:56
the body to physiologically live in that familiar
13:58
past. Or, the alternative is we live in anticipation
14:02
of the future, but usually based on past fears.
14:05
Worrying about something that might happen based
14:07
on something bad that happened before. Precisely.
14:10
So you program your body to live in a predictable,
14:12
often stressful future now. Either way, your
14:16
energy, your focus, isn't truly in the present
14:18
moment the only place where creation can actually
14:21
happen. So to break free, we have to think and
14:23
feel greater than our circumstances, greater
14:26
than our memorized bodily feelings, and live
14:28
in a new line of time, not defined by past or
14:31
predictable future. That's the essence of it,
14:34
consciously choosing to create a future that
14:36
isn't just a rerun of the past. That's a powerful
14:38
framework. Let's delve a bit deeper into the
14:40
mechanics. How do these thoughts and feelings
14:43
get so ingrained neurochemically, this hamster
14:46
wheel of being ourselves? How does it actually
14:49
operate? It's a fascinating self -perpetuating
14:52
biochemical feedback loop. It's quite elegant,
14:55
in a way. Every single thought you have triggers
14:59
a very specific biochemical reaction in your
15:01
brain. Releasing specific chemicals. Yes. The
15:04
brain makes chemical messengers, neurotransmitters,
15:07
neuropeptides, hormones, which are sent instantly
15:09
to the body. The body receives these messages
15:12
and complies, creating a physiological state
15:15
that matches the thought. So the body starts
15:17
to feel what the brain is thinking. Exactly.
15:19
And then this is the crucial part of the loop.
15:21
The body sends confirming signals back up to
15:24
the brain reporting, yep, I'm feeling the way
15:26
you're thinking. Think of figure 3C. Which reinforces
15:29
the initial thought. Precisely. It creates this
15:31
continuous cycle. You feel what you think, and
15:33
then you think what you feel. So a single negative
15:35
thought. maybe even an unconscious one, can rapidly
15:38
cascade into a full -blown physical and emotional
15:41
state like a domino effect. Absolutely. Take
15:44
an angry thought. The brain releases stress chemicals,
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the body responds, heart rate increases, muscles
15:49
tense, maybe you feel hot. Then the body signals
15:52
back, I'm angry. The brain receives this, monitors
15:55
the chemical feedback, and generates more angry
15:57
thoughts. And the cycle escalates. Irritation
16:00
becomes rage. Very quickly. And you get profound
16:03
physiological changes. Pounding head, tight muscles,
16:06
high blood pressure. Your feelings are now driving
16:08
your thinking. Your body is effectively controlling
16:10
your mind. It becomes incredibly hard to consciously
16:13
break that loop. And for us in medicine, that
16:15
loop can easily be amplified by the constant
16:18
stress, can't it? Leading to chronic states that
16:21
get really deeply ingrained. without a doubt,
16:23
it becomes the default setting. You mentioned
16:25
earlier that by our mid -30s about 95 % of our
16:29
identity is subconscious programming. How does
16:31
this concept, the body as a subconscious mind,
16:35
really lock us in and prevent lasting change?
16:37
It explains why sheer willpower often isn't enough.
16:40
The body becomes the subconscious mind because
16:43
it has memorized behaviors, attitudes, emotional
16:46
reactions through endless repetition. Until it
16:49
knows them better than the conscious mind does.
16:51
Exactly. That's what a habit is. If 95 % of who
16:53
you are by 35 is this set of involuntary programs,
16:57
memorized reactions, it means that for most of
16:59
our day we're effectively unconscious. We might
17:02
seem awake, but we're running on autopilot. Driven
17:04
by these deep programs. Yes. Which makes change
17:07
incredibly difficult. That conscious 5 % is fighting
17:10
against a deeply entrenched 95 % subconscious
17:13
program. As I mentioned, when you try to break
17:16
that internal chemical order, the body resists.
17:19
It creates that internal chatter, those doubts
17:20
and fears trying to pull you back to its familiar
17:23
chemical fix. The servant has become the master.
17:25
That's a good way to put it. The conscious mind,
17:28
the former master, has gone to sleep. To truly
17:30
make lasting changes, you have to get beyond
17:33
the analytical mind into that subconscious operating
17:35
system where the programs reside. Okay, now this
17:39
next point feels particularly relevant for us
17:41
as medical professionals. We're often taught,
17:43
or at least implicitly assumed, that our health,
17:46
our predispositions are largely set by our genes.
17:49
But what does the cutting edge science of epigenetics
17:52
tell us about our actual ability to influence
17:54
our genetic expression? To maybe rewrite our
17:57
health destiny? This is a truly revolutionary
18:00
area. The old idea, genetic determinism, that
18:03
genes are destiny, that they solely cause disease,
18:06
is largely being overturned. It's not that simple.
18:08
Far from it. We now know that less than 5 % of
18:11
all diseases are actually caused by single gene
18:13
disorders, things like Tay -Sachs or Huntington's
18:15
disease. The vast majority, perhaps 95 % or more,
18:19
are multifactorial. meaning lifestyle, environment,
18:22
stress play a huge role. A huge role. And this
18:25
brings us to epigenetics, literally meaning above
18:28
genetics. It's the study of how the environment,
18:31
and that includes our internal environment of
18:33
thoughts and emotions, controls gene activity.
18:36
It signals the gene from outside the cell. So
18:38
it fundamentally shows our genetic destiny isn't
18:40
fixed. It's responsive, fluid. Absolutely. The
18:43
epigenetic paradigm empowers us. It suggests
18:47
we have incredible free will to influence our
18:49
own gene activity to modify our genetic destiny.
18:52
How? How do we signal our genes differently?
18:55
By changing our internal state. Our thoughts,
18:58
feelings, behaviors, emotional reactions, making
19:01
healthier lifestyle choices is part of it, of
19:03
course. But even more powerfully, reducing chronic
19:07
stress, cultivating elevated emotions, these
19:10
things send new signals to our cells. And the
19:12
cells respond. They respond by expressing new
19:14
proteins. This alters the cell's function and
19:17
behavior. without changing the underlying DNA
19:20
blueprint itself. The code stays the same, but
19:22
how it's read, how it's expressed, changes dramatically.
19:25
We can, quite literally, signal our genes to
19:28
rewrite our future health. Can we see this in
19:30
action? Is there a concrete example of our emotional
19:32
state directly impacting gene expression? There's
19:35
a compelling study from Japan that demonstrated
19:37
this quite clearly. They looked at type 2 diabetic
19:39
patients, all insulin dependent. What did they
19:41
do? They established baseline fasting blood sugar.
19:45
Then, one group watched a comedy show for an
19:48
hour. The control group watched a dull lecture.
19:51
Afterwards, they all had a meal. And the results?
19:54
The lecture group had the typical significant
19:56
rise in blood sugar needing insulin, but the
19:59
group that had laughed heartily for an hour.
20:02
Their blood sugar rose by only about half that
20:04
amount. Just from laughing? Yes. But here's the
20:07
really astonishing part. They examined their
20:09
gene sequences. The diabetics who laughed had
20:12
altered 23 different gene expressions related
20:15
to blood sugar regulation. Wow. Simply by changing
20:18
their state of mind through laughter. Exactly.
20:21
Their positive emotions had effectively turned
20:23
on genetic variations that helped their bodies
20:25
regulate blood sugar more effectively naturally.
20:28
That's truly remarkable, the immediate, tangible
20:31
power of our internal state on something as fundamental
20:34
as blood sugar. It is. And think about anecdotes,
20:36
hair turning gray overnight from extreme stress.
20:40
That's another dramatic, though extreme example
20:42
of sudden genetic alteration triggered by emotion.
20:45
So the implication for healing is huge. Stress
20:48
chemicals push us towards illness. Disregulate
20:51
genes. But by consciously changing our internal
20:53
state thoughts, feelings, reactions, we send
20:56
new coherent signals. We can overcome those negative
21:00
environmental effects on gene expression. We
21:03
signal new genes in new ways. Which has profound
21:06
implications for how we might empower patients,
21:08
doesn't it? To become active participants in
21:10
their own healing beyond just the standard treatments.
21:13
It absolutely does. It shifts the focus towards
21:15
managing the inner environment as much as the
21:17
outer. Now, thinking about our own lives as medical
21:20
professionals, they can be incredibly demanding,
21:23
stressful environments. How does this constant
21:25
pressure impact our capacity for change, our
21:28
physical health, based on these insights? And
21:31
crucially, how does this framework differentiate
21:32
between living in survival mode versus creation
21:36
mode? This distinction is critical. Living in
21:39
survival mode is our default response to stress.
21:42
Real threats, imagined threats, replayed past
21:44
traumas. It activates the sympathetic nervous
21:47
system, the fight or flight response. Mobilizing
21:49
energy for immediate action. Precisely. Yeah.
21:52
But the problem with humans is our sophisticated
21:55
neocortex allows us to turn on that stress response
21:59
just by thought alone. We can re -experience
22:02
past upsets or worry about future scenarios,
22:05
keeping the response switched on chronically.
22:07
Even when there's no actual tiger chasing us.
22:09
Exactly. And this constant state of emergency
22:12
taxes the entire system relentlessly. So if all
22:16
our energy is constantly being funneled towards
22:18
dealing with these perceived external threats,
22:20
what happens to internal processes like healing
22:23
and maintenance? It sounds like there's nothing
22:24
left. It's very much like that. A zero -sum game
22:26
for energy. When you're constantly diverting
22:28
resources to fight or flee energy to muscles,
22:31
heightened senses, analytical thinking for crisis
22:33
mode, your internal housekeeping gets neglected.
22:36
So the immune system, digestion, endocrine balance,
22:39
they all get deprioritized. They do. There's
22:41
simply not enough energy left for long -term
22:43
building, repair and regeneration. This maladaptive
22:46
state literally pushes us towards disease. It
22:49
makes us sick because the body's resources are
22:51
perpetually allocated to external emergencies
22:54
rather than internal balance. And emotionally,
22:57
what does survival mode feel like? It grounds
23:00
us in those lower frequency emotions. Anger,
23:03
fear, suffering, shame, guilt, judgment. These
23:08
emotions make us feel more physical, denser.
23:10
We become materialists, focused only on what
23:13
our senses detect, obsessed with the big three.
23:16
Body, environment, time. We feel separate. disconnected
23:20
from any sense of greater intelligence or possibility.
23:23
And that constant jolt of stress chemicals, you
23:25
mentioned it, can become addictive. Yes. That
23:28
rush of energy, like a strong coffee, can become
23:30
biochemically addictive. The body gets used to
23:33
functioning under stress, making it hard to step
23:35
out of that limited state. OK, so that's survival.
23:37
What about creation mode? What's the energetic
23:39
and biological shift there? Creation mode is
23:42
the opposite. It's about consciously cultivating
23:44
and living in elevated emotions. Love. Joy, gratitude,
23:49
compassion, wholeness. These are associated with
23:51
higher frequencies, more energy. So moving up
23:53
the emotional scale as it were. When we consciously
23:56
decide to release those lower frequency survival
23:59
emotions that have kept us bound, the energy
24:01
tied up in them gets liberated. Freeing up resources.
24:04
Yes. And that energy naturally ascends towards
24:06
a higher level of consciousness, closer to possibility,
24:10
to what you might call universal intelligence.
24:12
This state is inherently selfless. It's not driven
24:15
by the ego's needs or external circumstances.
24:18
So you stop trying to force outcomes. You do.
24:20
You trust in a future you've already visited
24:22
and felt in your mind and body. It's a state
24:24
of knowingness, connection. You relax into the
24:28
unfolding, knowing your internal state is aligned
24:30
with your desired reality. Your body's energy
24:33
is then fully available for health, repair, and
24:36
optimal function. You move from struggle to effortless
24:39
creation. That's a profound difference. Now,
24:41
something many people experience, perhaps especially
24:43
in demanding roles, is presenting a certain image
24:46
while feeling quite differently inside. This
24:49
deep dive talks about the gap. What is that exactly
24:52
and why is closing it so crucial for real transformation?
24:55
The gap is this duality most of us live with.
24:58
It's the difference between how we appear, the
25:00
persona, the identity we project, the ideal self
25:03
we want others to see. You can imagine that as
25:06
one hand held out. The public face. Yes. and
25:09
who we really are, how we genuinely feel when
25:12
the distractions stop, our familiar, often hidden
25:15
emotions, the parts we conceal. That's the other
25:18
hand, perhaps hidden behind our back. And what
25:21
widens this gap? Memorized, addictive emotional
25:24
states, guilt, shame, anger, fear, anxiety, judgment,
25:29
unworthiness. The more these hidden emotions
25:32
dominate our inner landscape, the bigger the
25:35
disparity between the outer persona and the inner
25:37
reality. Maintaining that facade takes enormous
25:40
energy. It sounds exhausting, like wearing a
25:42
mask all the time. What are the consequences
25:45
of living with this gap long term, besides the
25:48
emotional toll? It often leads to this constant
25:50
striving, this busyness, to fill an inner void
25:53
with external things. People, especially maybe
25:55
in midlife, try to distract themselves. New purchases,
25:58
holidays, new relationships, cosmetic surgery.
26:00
Trying to feel different by changing something
26:02
outside. Exactly. Trying something new externally
26:04
to feel better internally. But when the novelty
26:07
fades, the emptiness remains. Because the underlying
26:10
emotional state hasn't been addressed, they revert
26:12
to who they really are. Technology is a huge
26:15
factor here too. It offers instant chemical changes.
26:18
Quick dopamine hits from social media, streaming,
26:21
gaming, we get temporary relief, altering our
26:24
internal state via external means. But it fosters
26:27
dependence on outside stimuli, widens the gap
26:30
further and can lead to all sorts of addictive
26:32
behaviors. Gambling, overeating, screen addiction.
26:36
We rely on the external to change the internal,
26:39
never healing the root cause. So true happiness
26:41
isn't about those fleeting pleasures. Not in
26:44
this context. True. Lasting contentment comes
26:47
from within. from closing that gap. How do we
26:49
begin to do that? How do we close the gap and
26:51
break free from these emotional addictions and
26:54
superficial fixes? It sounds like quite deep
26:56
work. Closing the gap requires transparency,
26:59
authenticity. How you appear aligns fully with
27:02
who you are inside. It means consciously confronting
27:05
and then unmemorizing those self -limiting emotions
27:07
that have become part of your identity. Unmemorizing
27:10
them. How? By becoming aware of them, observing
27:12
them without judgment, and consciously choosing
27:15
not to be defined by them anymore. Disassociating
27:18
from those old patterns. When you consciously
27:21
surrender these emotions, let them go, it releases
27:23
a huge amount of energy that was previously locked
27:26
up, maintaining the facade and suppressing the
27:29
feelings. And that released energy? It restores
27:31
a natural state of joy, wholeness. authenticity.
27:35
It's like a burden lifted. A memory without the
27:38
emotional charge attached to it simply becomes
27:40
wisdom. It no longer runs your life. This liberation
27:44
of energy feels like an upliftment, an inspiration.
27:47
You can finally just be your true self. That
27:49
sounds incredibly liberating, but also challenging,
27:51
especially for busy professionals with years
27:53
of ingrained patterns. How do we practically
27:56
start this process? Unlearning these old programs,
28:00
cultivating a new self, is there a roadmap? The
28:02
most effective way we found is through a structured
28:05
process often involving meditation. It's not
28:07
just about wishful thinking. It's about actively
28:10
using the capabilities of our brain, particularly
28:12
the frontal lobe. The CEO of the brain. Exactly.
28:15
It has two key functions crucial for this kind
28:17
of change. OK, what are they? Firstly, the frontal
28:21
lobe is essential for inhibiting the old self.
28:24
This is the unlearning part. Through metacognition,
28:28
that ability to observe your own thoughts, behaviors,
28:30
emotions as if from the outside. Self awareness.
28:34
Yes. Your frontal lobe can essentially turn down
28:37
the volume on those old unwanted neural networks.
28:40
You consciously stop the automatic firing related
28:43
to the old personality. You notice the urge to
28:46
react in the old way and you consciously inhibit
28:48
it. You stop the thought, the action, the emotion.
28:51
So you're pruning away the old neurological connections
28:54
by not using them. Precisely. You literally begin
28:56
to lose your mind. The old limited one. It's
28:59
a deliberate choice not to be that old self anymore.
29:01
OK. That's unlearning. What's the second function?
29:04
The second is creating a new mind. The learning
29:07
process. Once you've made space by enabling the
29:10
old, the frontal lobe helps build the new. It
29:13
gets activated powerfully by open -ended questions.
29:15
Like what? Questions like, what would it be like
29:17
to be truly compassionate? Or what's a better
29:20
way for me to be in this situation? Or how would
29:23
my undeal self respond right now? These questions
29:26
force the brain to fire in new sequences, make
29:29
new connections, build new neurological pathways.
29:32
And this is where mental rehearsal comes in.
29:34
Exactly. By repeatedly imagining and, crucially,
29:37
feeling yourself as this new, desired self, making
29:40
that internal experience more real than your
29:43
external environment, you mind yourself. You
29:46
install the new software, effectively changing
29:47
your brain and consequently your life. First,
29:50
Unlearn, then learn. Makes sense. You also mentioned
29:53
a progression involving three brains thinking,
29:56
doing, being. Can you elaborate on how they work
29:59
together in this transformation thinking figure
30:01
6b2 here? Certainly. These three brains represent
30:04
stages in embodying change. First is the neocortex,
30:07
the thinking brain. This is where we acquire
30:09
knowledge, learn facts and concepts, what we
30:12
call semantic memories. So reading a book about
30:15
kindness, understanding it intellectually. Precisely.
30:18
Knowledge is the precursor. Next comes the limbic
30:22
brain, the emotional or chemical brain. This
30:25
is where experience happens. When you apply that
30:27
knowledge, you actually perform a kind act. You
30:31
genuinely feel gratitude. The limbic brain processes
30:34
it, generates the corresponding emotion, and
30:37
starts creating associative memories. Connecting
30:39
the idea to the feeling, conditioning the body.
30:42
Yes. You move from knowing about kindness to
30:45
feeling kindness. This chemically teaches the
30:48
body what the mind has intellectually understood.
30:50
Finally, there's the cerebellum, the seat of
30:53
habits and skills. The habitual brain. Right.
30:55
When you repeat an action or a state of being
30:57
enough times combining knowledge, instruction,
30:59
focus, attention, repetition, it becomes second
31:02
nature, an implicit nondeclarative memory. You're
31:05
no longer consciously thinking about it or even
31:07
doing it deliberately. You were simply being
31:08
it. Like learning to drive. Initially, it's all
31:11
conscious effort. Then eventually, you are a
31:13
driver. It's automatic. Mastery, in this context
31:17
of personal transformation, is when your internal
31:19
chemical state, your chosen state of being, is
31:22
so deeply ingrained, so familiar through practice,
31:24
that it's stronger than any external trigger
31:27
or circumstance. You can reproduce that state
31:29
at will. So you embody the new self unconsciously.
31:32
That's the goal. That is the goal, to make it
31:34
your default state. That journey from conscious
31:37
effort to automatic being is fascinating. Now
31:40
meditation is presented as a key tool. How does
31:43
it work neurologically to help us get beyond
31:45
that analytical mind into the subconscious operating
31:48
system you mentioned, where these permanent shifts
31:50
happen, thinking figure 8i? Meditation's core
31:52
purpose in this context is precisely that, to
31:56
bypass the analytical mind and gain access to
31:59
the subconscious to make lasting changes. How
32:01
does it achieve that neurologically? Through
32:03
changing brain waves, referencing figures 8b,
32:06
8c, 8j. Yes, it's largely about shifting brainwave
32:09
patterns. Our normal waking state is dominated
32:12
by beta brainwaves. That's conscious analytical
32:15
thought processing the external world. But often,
32:19
especially under stress, we're in high beta.
32:22
Which is chaotic over -focus. Exactly, like trying
32:24
to solve a complex problem with alarms blaring.
32:27
You can't easily process new information, think
32:30
creatively, or change. Trying to analyze your
32:33
problems while in high beta just makes it worse,
32:35
creating higher and higher frequency beta waves.
32:38
You're stuck analyzing the past or fearing the
32:40
future. So how does meditation help us shift
32:43
out of that stuck beta state? By intentionally
32:45
reducing sensory input. closing your eyes, focusing
32:48
inward, perhaps on your breath. This gives the
32:51
neocortex, the thinking brain, less external
32:54
data to analyze. The analytical mind naturally
32:57
begins to quiet down. And the brain waves change.
32:59
Yes. You typically shift from beta into alpha
33:02
waves. Alpha is often seen as the bridge state,
33:04
where the inner world starts to become more real
33:06
than the outer world. You're more relaxed, less
33:08
analytical, more receptive. A state where imagination
33:11
feels more vivid. Exactly. It's where you can
33:13
effectively plant seeds for new possibilities,
33:16
visualize new realities within yourself. With
33:18
more practice, you can move even deeper into
33:21
theta waves. Theta, what happens there? Theta
33:24
is more trance -like. You're deeply connected
33:27
to your internal world, the realm of the subconscious.
33:30
Children operate largely in theta, which is why
33:32
they're like sponges for information and suggestion
33:35
their analytical filter isn't fully formed. In
33:37
theta, you can access and reprogram those deep
33:40
-seated beliefs and patterns because the analytical
33:42
guard at the gate relaxed. So the goal of meditation
33:46
is to guide yourself through these states, beta
33:48
to alpha to theta. Yes, to consciously move into
33:51
these slower brainwave states. This process helps
33:54
create brain coherence figure 8k, where different
33:57
parts of the brain start working in synchrony,
33:59
in harmony, like an orchestra playing together
34:02
beautifully instead of chaotically. And what
34:04
are the benefits of achieving this brain coherence?
34:06
How does it lead to tangible results, even spontaneous
34:09
healing, like you mentioned earlier? A coherent
34:12
brain sends a coherent, synchronized signal throughout
34:15
the body. This helps organize all the body systems
34:18
into homeostasis, that state of optimal balance
34:21
and function. Cardiovascular, immune, digestive,
34:25
endocrine systems all start working together
34:27
more harmoniously. And the energy aspect. Crucially,
34:31
the huge amount of energy that was previously
34:33
being consumed by the stress response in survival
34:35
mode is now liberated. It becomes available for
34:38
growth, repair, creation, and healing. Which
34:41
could explain spontaneous changes. It could certainly
34:44
contribute. Remember Jose's warts. 10 persistent
34:48
viral warts vanishing overnight after his first
34:50
meditation. That's incredible. He shifted his
34:52
mind from disorder to order, from incoherence
34:55
to coherence. The intelligence within his body
34:57
responded by restoring order physically. It suggests
35:00
that when the mind is coherent, the body can
35:03
follow suit, sometimes dramatically. It's not
35:05
magic, it's physiology responding to a change
35:08
in energetic signaling. These concepts are incredibly
35:11
powerful. But moving beyond anecdotes, do we
35:14
have examples of ordinary people applying these
35:17
principles consistently to create extraordinary
35:20
lasting changes. We've heard the theory. How
35:23
does it play out? Absolutely. There are many
35:25
compelling examples. Take Monique, a therapist
35:28
from Montreal. She describes herself as living
35:30
most of her adult life in a state of lack. Not
35:33
enough money, time, energy, financial struggles,
35:37
issues with child support, rising rent. A familiar
35:39
story for many. Indeed. During a meditation,
35:42
she had this powerful realization that she had
35:45
completely memorized a woe -is -me personality
35:47
rooted in this feeling of lack. She decided,
35:51
with real conviction, to change that personality
35:53
entirely. To become someone else internally.
35:55
Yes. To intend to be and feel like a woman who
35:59
lived with an abundance of energy, time, money.
36:01
She created a clear vision for this new self.
36:04
So she wasn't just thinking about abundance,
36:06
she was actively trying to be abundant, shifting
36:08
her whole state. Precisely. She started living
36:11
from that perspective, feeling the emotions of
36:14
abundance before it showed up externally. Weeks
36:17
later, a client mentioned the French lottery.
36:19
Later, while filling her car, on a sudden impulse,
36:23
the kind of impulse the new Monique might have,
36:25
trusting possibility she bought a ticket. The
36:27
old Monique would have dismissed it as irresponsible.
36:30
She forgot about it until her husband came rushing
36:32
in telling her she'd won. Not millions, but exactly
36:35
$53 ,000, which just happened to be the precise
36:38
amount needed to clear all her outstanding debts.
36:41
Wow. That's incredibly specific. It beautifully
36:44
illustrates the principle. A new personality
36:47
creates a new personal reality. And the quantum
36:49
field often delivers in ways we can't predict,
36:52
but which are perfectly resonant with our coherent
36:54
signal. Her new internal state aligned her actions,
36:57
and the field responded. That's a fantastic example
37:00
of manifesting something tangible. What about
37:02
profound health transformations, especially in
37:05
challenging cases? Consider Bill, a 57 -year
37:07
-old roofing contractor with recurrent malignant
37:10
melanoma. Multiple surgeries, radiation, chemo,
37:14
but it kept returning. A very difficult situation.
37:17
Very. During a deep meditation, Bill had a breakthrough.
37:21
He realized he'd been trapped in deep -seated
37:22
resentment for over 30 years, feeling he'd always
37:25
had to give up his dream being a musician for
37:27
others. He had so thoroughly memorized this bitterness,
37:31
this emotional pattern. That his body was literally
37:33
living in that chemical past, contributing to
37:36
the illness. That was his insight, yes. That
37:39
the sustained negative emotion was perhaps even
37:41
signaling the genes that supported the cancer's
37:44
persistence. So in his daily meditations, he
37:47
consciously worked on unmemorizing that bitterness,
37:50
releasing the emotional charge. And replacing
37:52
it with what? He actively envisioned himself
37:55
healthy. He cultivated profound gratitude, feeling
37:59
as if the healing had already happened. He managed
38:01
to change his internal state to be greater than
38:03
his physical condition, feeling the joy of health
38:06
before it was physically real. And the outcome?
38:08
Shortly after returning home from a workshop,
38:11
the tumor on his calf just fell off. Within a
38:14
week, tests showed he was cancer -free, and he
38:16
remained so. By firing his brain differently,
38:19
cultivating elevated emotions, he changed biologically.
38:22
He signaled new genes in new ways. The cancer,
38:25
in essence, couldn't survive in his new internal
38:28
environment, his new coherent self. That's a
38:31
powerful testament to the connection between
38:33
releasing bound emotional energy and physical
38:36
healing. It really is. It shows how unmemorizing
38:38
the past can directly impact the present biology.
38:41
And finally, are there examples of people sustaining
38:44
this shift, maintaining high coherence even amidst
38:48
external chaos? That seems key, especially for
38:50
those in high -stress professions. Absolutely.
38:52
The University of Wisconsin's study on experienced
38:55
Buddhist monks and super meditators is a classic
38:57
example. What do they find? These monks could
38:59
generate incredibly coherent brainwave patterns,
39:03
especially gamma waves associated with states
39:05
like loving -kindness and compassion during meditation.
39:08
But what was truly remarkable was that they could
39:10
maintain these coherent patterns even after meditation.
39:14
while going about tasks in the noisy, distracting
39:17
external world. So their internal state wasn't
39:20
dependent on quiet or ideal circumstances? Exactly.
39:23
They demonstrated a mastery of their internal
39:26
state, independent of external chaos. They weren't
39:29
reacting to the environment they were creating
39:31
from within. Their inner coherence remains stable.
39:34
This is really the ultimate goal, isn't it? To
39:36
embody a state where your internal world is consistently
39:38
greater than your external world. Precisely.
39:40
allowing you to navigate challenges from a place
39:43
of inner peace, resilience, and creative power.
39:46
It is achievable. What incredible insights we've
39:48
explored today. Just to try and summarize, it
39:51
seems profoundly clear that our mind and body
39:53
are absolutely inseparable. They're intricately
39:55
linked. A unified system. Yes. And by consciously
39:59
changing our thoughts, our feelings, our overall
40:02
state of being, we really can influence our health,
40:05
maybe even our genetic expression, and potentially
40:08
manifest desired realities. It shifts us from
40:11
feeling like victims of circumstance to becoming
40:14
conscious creators of our lives. It's incredibly
40:17
empowering, suggesting we can impact our own
40:19
well -being and perhaps guide our patients in
40:22
ways we're only just beginning to fully appreciate.
40:25
It opens up a whole new dimension to health and
40:27
healing. We really hope this deep dive has sparked
40:30
some new ways of thinking for you, especially
40:32
for those of you navigating the complexities
40:34
of medicine and your own demanding lives. Hopefully
40:36
some practical insights, too. Indeed. If you
40:39
found value in our conversation today, please
40:41
do consider taking just a moment to rate and
40:44
share our deep dive with a colleague who might
40:46
also find these ideas beneficial. We'd appreciate
40:48
that. And finally, just a thought to leave you
40:51
with. If your brain and body truly don't distinguish
40:54
between a vividly imagined and felt experience
40:56
and a real one, what powerful new realities might
40:59
you begin to create starting today simply by
41:02
cultivating the feelings of your desired future
41:04
right here in the present moment?