Harald Walach: From Science to Consciousness

David's guest this month is Professor Harald Walach,  a clinical psychologist, philosopher of science, and researcher at the interface between medicine, psychology and consciousness studies. He is a professorial research fellow with the Next Society Institute at Kazimieras Simonavicius University in Vilnius, Lithuania. He is founding director of the Change Health Science Institute in Basel, Switzerland, where he lives as a freelance scientist and author. He is author of more than 200 peer reviewed papers, 14 books, and 100 book chapters. He is one of the 100,000 most highly cited scientists worldwide. His recent work focuses on the role of spirituality and consciousness within science, for our health system and our culture. He is the author of the Galileo Commission Report and the recent GC Report on Transhumanism. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly.Do try  OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, 'WISE SCIENTISTS' now available on this platform.scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://galileocommission.org/reporthttps://harald-walach.info/about-harald-walach/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-ever-present-origin-jean-gebser/4089059?ean=9780821407691&next=tHarald with Michael Kapsner, singing Schumann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMU_GYFFlog&list=RDDMU_GYFFlog&start_radio=1 Production: Martin Redfern https://www.beaconhillbroadcast.com/Artwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is  Dr Lorna Green. Lorna has been on the trail of metaphysics for a long time. She grew up in a household of a physicist, who could answer the kind of questions children ask. Her father's love was the stars, while hers was small animals and a fascination with life. What happened when a small wounded bird lying in her hands gradually stopped breathing and went stiff and cold? She wanted to understand life, and she followed my questions into the life sciences, first at McGill and then at Rockefeller University in New York in the 1960's--a heavy time to be in New York and in science (the code is cracked). In the heart of the life sciences, she discovered that science could not explain the universe, and she began the study of philosophy to find out the wider truth of things. By the time she was forty, she had picked up most of the learning of these times and went into a fourteen-year wilderness life to work the whole things out for herself. She made her first pass at a new metaphysics in her first book, Earth Age, a New Vision of God, the Human, and the Earth, in 1988, that came out in 1994. She has been working out a mystical vision ever since, something she now wants to share with you all, and will take it from there.Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. Do try  OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, 'WISE SCIENTISTS' now available on this platform.scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.orgWorks and links mentioned:https://lornagreen.ca/https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/earth-age-book-lorna-green-9780595279548?https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/plato-s-phaedo-literally-translated-classic-reprint-plato-plato/9c49251cd1a2faba?ean=9780266747871&next=thttps://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Revolt-Against-Dualism-Inquiry-Concerning-Existence/30864969689/bdhttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/seth-speaks-the-eternal-validity-of-the-soul-jane-roberts/eb95d37c746e27b2?ean=9781878424075&next=thttps://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/handbook-of-neardeath-experiences-9780313358654/ Production: Martin Redfern https://www.beaconhillbroadcast.com/Artwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is  Kyriacos C. Markides, a native of Cyprus who is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Maine and author of ten books. Six of his books, including “THE MOUNTAIN OF SILENCE,” “GIFTS OF THE DESERT” and  “INNER RIVER” are on Christian mystics spiritual guides and elders of Eastern Christianity. Professor Markides is the recipient in 2002 of the best professor award in Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine and the 2006 Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award of the same university. His latest book “THE ACCIDENTAL IMMIGRANT: A Quest for Spirit in a Skeptical Age” (Hamilton Books, 2021) is his capstone work.  He lives in Stillwater Maine with his wife Emily J. Markides, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Peace and Reconciliation Studies at the University of Maine. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, 'WISE SCIENTISTS' now available on this platform.scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://umaine.edu/sociology/faculty-and-staff/kyriacos-markides/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-accidental-immigrant-a-quest-for-spirit-in-a-skeptical-age-kyriacos-c-markides/77181ef925d13199?ean=9780761872870&next=thttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Kyriacos-Markides/The-Magus-of-Strovolos--The-Extraordinary-World-of-a-Spiritual-Healer/345160https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780385500920/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality-0385500920/plpWounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Saint PorphyriosSorokin: social and cultural dynamicshttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-classic-editions-viktor-e-frankl/3000874?ean=9781846046384&next=thttps://biblio.co.uk/book/anatomy-human-destructiveness-erich-fromm/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-Silouan-Athonite-St-Sophrony-dp-0881416819/dp/0881416819/ref=dp_ob_image_bk Production: Martin Redfern https://www.beaconhillbroadcast.com/Artwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is Susan Plunket, who is a writer and Jungian psychologist in private practice in New York City. She received her doctorate from The New School for Social Research in 1989. She works with dreams as a form of transcendent consciousness. From 2006 to 2009 she served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jung Foundation. Currently, she is on the Advisory Board of Quadrant, the Journal of the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology. Her office is in Greenwich Village. Her most recent work is A Jungian Understanding of TranscendentExperiencesImaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly.WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, 'WISE SCIENTISTS' now available on this platform.scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://www.susanplunket.com/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/paranormal-perspectives-the-paranormal-experiences-of-a-jungian-psychologist-susan-plunket/f3e1f2a781465d50?ean=9781803415239&next=t&next=thttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/memories-dreams-reflections-an-autobiography-carl-jung/13866?ean=9780006540274&next=thttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/C-G-Jung/The-Red-Book--A-Readers-Edition/12780387?utm_source=webgains&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=196673&wgu=10671_196673_17581476055599_86aab37e13&wgexpiry=1789683605https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dgz83bhijMIrina Tweedie Daughter of Fire  Production: Martin Redfern https://www.beaconhillbroadcast.com/Artwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is. is Max Vermans, Emeritus Professor (BSc PhD CPsychol FBPsS FAcSS) of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, currently focusing on Consciousness Studies, His main book Understanding Consciousness was short listed for the BPS book prize in 2001 and 2002 and he has over 130 publications in this area (over 100 on-line at Research Gate and Academia.edu). Max has given over 120 keynote addresses or plenary papers at conferences, In 1997 Max co-founded the Consciousness and Experiential Psychology Section of the BPS and has organised or helped to organise many conferences, workshops and symposia on consciousness, including international ones sponsored by the CIBA foundation (London), the Fetzer Institute (USA) and the Templeton Foundation (USA). From 2006 onwards he also founded Totnes Consciousness Café with visiting speakers at monthly meetings in Totnes, where he now lives. He is on the Editorial Advisory Board of a number of journals including the Journal of Consciousness Studies, The Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice (American Psychological Association), Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, NeuroPsychoanalysis, and Journal of Parapsychology. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEW PODCAST SERIES, 'WISE SCIENTISTS' coming soon on this platform. scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://www.gold.ac.uk/psychology/staff/velmans/https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/understanding-consciousness-book-max-velmans-9780415224925?skuhttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-outsider-colin-wilson/1278674?ean=9780753814321https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are-alan-watts/2435208?ean=9780285638532https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/sceptical-essays-bertrand-russell/3298077?ean=9780415325080 Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is. is Peter Merry. Peter is passionate about helping humanity evolve at this time of profound global change. His work bridges emerging consciousness and practical innovation — combining wisdom, systems thinking, and entrepreneurial action to create real-world impact. Through Wyrd Technologies, he is pioneering consciousness-interactive technologies that enable us to remember our interconnectedness and engage with intelligence beyond the individual mind to address pressing challenges. He draws on decades of experience in societal transformation, Integral frameworks, and Spiral Dynamics to help organizations and governments navigate complexity and unlock evolutionary potential. Alongside my entrepreneurial work, he has authored four books — Evolutionary Leadership, Why Work?, Leading from the Field, and Volution — offering clarity and practical pathways for leaders and changemakers who want to navigate this era with deeper awareness. He also designs transformative educational experiences, such as the programmes offered through Ubiquity University that he co-founded. His personal expertise is in supporting leaders seeking deeper personal development and systemic impact. His passion is to act as a bridge between mainstream structures and frontier consciousness, translating pioneering ideas into grounded, actionable, life-enhancing solutions. He does what he can to walk the talk — purpose-driven, co-creative, ecologically engaged, committed to the never-ending personal development journey — and to inspire others to do the same. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.orgWorks and links mentioned:https://petermerry.org/https://gowyrd.org/https://www.ubiquityuniversity.org/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/small-is-beautiful-a-study-of-economics-as-if-people-mattered-e-f-schumacher/14044?ean=9780099225614https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-brief-history-of-everything-20th-anniversary-edition-ken-wilber/3666852?ean=9781611804522https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-field-the-quest-for-the-secret-force-of-the-universe-lynne-mctaggart/3166647?ean=9780007145102https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/spiral-dynamics-mastering-values-leadership-and-change-de-beck/4345897?ean=9781405133562 Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers.Bernie HeischDavid's guest this month is. is Marsha Sims, MM, which is Master of Music. She has a multidisciplinary background and years of experience interfacing with businesses, scientists and their projects. Her experience includes administrator and departmental secretary at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, where she organized PhD scientists, helped with presentations, did budget planning, etc. This is where she met her husband, Dr. Bernard Heisch, an astrophysicist. They've been a team ever since. She was executive director for the Journal of Scientific Exploration for 10 years. She was administrator at the California Institute for Physics and Astrophysics under the direction of Dr. Bernard Heisch. There she assisted a small group of scientists who were doing cutting edge research on the zero point field, ZPF. She's currently the CEO of Jovian Corporation, which is a company started by Dr. Heisch that is continuing research on the ZPF and has some revolutionary ideas about extracting energy from this field. She and Dr. Heisch recently wrote The Miracle of Our Universe, A New View of Consciousness, God, Science and Reality, published by Newpage Books in 2023. In addition, She immerses herself in the music world, teaching music and singing opera. She's a member of the board and often performs for Verismo Opera. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://www.marshasimsmusic.com/https://www.verismoopera.org/abouthttps://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Miracle-of-Our-Universe-by-Bernard-Haisch-Marsha-Sims/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Science-Behind-Miracles/dp/1617202797/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/proof-of-heaven-a-neurosurgeon-s-journey-into-the-afterlife-iii-alexander-dr-eben/4237539?ean=9780749958794https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-biology-of-belief-unleashing-the-power-of-consciousness-matter-miracles-bruce-h-lipton/3428386?ean=9781781805473https://journalofscientificexploration.org/index.php/jsehttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/conversations-with-god-neale-donald-walsch/121807?ean=9780340693254  Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone  

David's guest this month is Mattias Desmet who is a professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences at Ghent University (Belgium) and a practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He is the author of The Psychology of Totalitarianism explaining the nature of mass formation. His work has been discussed widely in the media, and his interviews have been viewed by millions of people around the world. His previous books include The Pursuit of Objectivity in Psychology and Lacan’s Logic of Subjectivity: A Walk on the Graph of Desire. Desmet is the author of over one hundred peer-reviewed academic papers. In 2018 he received the Evidence-Based Psychoanalytic Case Study Prize of the Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and in 2019 he received the Wim Trijsburg Prize of the Dutch Association of Psychotherapy. Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-psychopathology-of-everyday-life-sigmund-freud/567640?ean=9781609420192https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lacan/https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism-mattias-desmet/6808436?ean=9781645022756https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/beyond-good-and-evil-friedrich-nietzsche/541688?ean=9781513266732https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-origins-of-totalitarianism-hannah-arendt/1266259?ean=9780241316757https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-new-science-of-life-rupert-sheldrake/922041?ean=9781848310421 Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone 

David's guest this month is Robin Rose Saltonstall. Robin holds a PhD from the University of California San Francisco Medical School. She is an integrative health practitioner in Boulder, Colorado, USA, who focuses on the unique physical challenges and psychological developmental tasks facing individuals in the second half of life. She is an ecopsychologist, a Polyvagal-Informed therapist, and a professor of Climate Crisis and Ecopsychological Applications as well as Ecotoxicology for Viridis Graduate Institute (www.viridis.edu). Robin integrates neuroscience, Nature-based learning, depth psychology, art, and movement for living the second half of life.Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly. scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.org Works and links mentioned:https://robinrosesaltonstall.com/about-me/https://www.40plusfitnessandhealth.com/https://uk.bookshop.org/search?keywords=The+Little+Engine+That+Couldhttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/objectivity-lorraine-daston/3560686?ean=9781890951795https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/enlivenment-toward-a-poetics-for-the-anthropocene-andreas-weber/857124?ean=9780262536660https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/581526.In_My_Own_Way Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone

David's guest this month is Chris M. Bache, Ph.D,  professor emeritus in the department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngstown State University where he taught for 33 years. He is also adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Emeritus Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and on the Advisory Board of Grof Legacy Training. Chris’ passion has been the study of the philosophical implications of non-ordinary states of consciousness, especially psychedelic states. An award-winning teacher and international speaker, Chris has written four books: Lifecycles - a study of reincarnation in light of contemporary consciousness research; Dark Night, Early Dawn - a pioneering work in psychedelic philosophy; The Living Classroom - an exploration of collective fields of consciousness in teaching; and LSD and the Mind of the Universe - the story of his 20-year journey with LSD.Imaginal Inspirations is hosted by David Lorimer, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and Chair of the Galileo Commission, an academic movement dedicated to expanding the evidence base of a science of consciousness. Imaginal cells are responsible for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly, which is the Greek symbol for the soul. These cells are dormant in the caterpillar but at a critical point of development they create the new form and structure which becomes the butterfly.scientificandmedical.net galileocommission.orgbeyondthebrain.orgWorks and links mentioned:https://chrisbache.com/https://chrisbache.com/BOOKS-1https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twenty-Cases-Suggestive-Reincarnation-Stevenson/dp/0813908728https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Stanislav-Grof/Realms-of-the-Human-Unconscious--Observations-from-LSD-Research/24081519https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Science-Life-Hypothesis-Resonance/dp/0892815353/ Production: Martin RedfernArtwork: Amber HaasMusic: Life is a River, by Magnus Moone