Brave New World of Psychedelic Science

24/10/2024

We brought our broken (but healing) hearts together under a radiant supermoon in Death Valley to celebrate our beloved Brad with 4am whiskey shots, stargazing, black & milds, red bandanas, and memories around the campfire. It wasn’t (and never will be) the same without his wild and free spirit – but we felt him all around us, in our hearts, the wind, our dreams, and our connections with one another.

We love you, Brad, and you are oh so missed ❤️

“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson

16/10/2024

How open-minded can scientists be? Allison Paradise and I recap our 3rd Science & Spirituality event at the Society for Neuroscience Conference. Link in bio.

04/10/2024

I meant to write much more for this month's newsletter, but grief is tiring and I'm trying out having have grace for myself so... It's a short one 😬 but if you're in Chicago this Sat, join Allison Paradise and me for the third year of our Science & Spirituality event at the Society for Neuroscience. Link in bio!

26/09/2024

🌟 Have you ever had an experience you can’t explain with science? Join us at in Chicago! 🌍 Curious scientists will dive into tough questions about the nature of . We’ll share stories and explore what we don’t yet understand: , , + more.
Our SfN sessions break boundaries, inviting not just theories but the human perspective. Let’s challenge the status quo. If you’ve ever complained about ’ unwillingness to talk taboos, please consider supporting our event (link in bio)!
It’s a free public event, so if you’re in Chicago, join us!
🗓️ Sat, 10/5
⏰ 7am - 10am
📍 Marriott Marquis Chicago

23/08/2024

This week, reeling from a tremendous personal loss, I write about grief. Turns out, the gifts of self-transformation really do shine in the darkest of nights. link in bio.

02/08/2024

My heart is completely, utterly shattered. 💔 When life does what it does and gets busy, our minds can forget how much certain people mean to us — but the heart never does. I know that now.
Brad was a true humanitarian. As his dad said, he gave up a lot to give a lot. From the Peace Corps in Cameroon to teaching in Burundi, he shared his light and wisdom with those who needed it most.
He was a man who shared his heart with few. I feel so lucky to have been one of them. ❤️ To me, he is not gone. Never will be. His spirit lives on.
Brad, I will always think of you when I visit a national park, hear a Beatles song, and see LeBron James. I loved every rebellious, contrarian thing about you. You taught me so much about many things, including the depths of human dynamics, relationships, and types of love. And now you’re teaching me true, soul-wrenching grief. Oh god I miss your laugh so much. I will always carry you and our special connection in my heart. I love, love, love you always & forever (through all space, time, & dimensions!). ❤️❤️❤️
Me deepest condolences to his family and friends.
The family asks that in lieu of anything else, donations be made by selecting the Brad Gasser Memorial Scholarship Fund at www.gofundme.com which supports Tujenge’s students’ school fees and living expenses. A description of the scholarship and its mission can be found at the link in my bio.

09/07/2024

🌟 New Post Alert! 🌟 This month, I write about how adopting a spiritual or non-physicalist worldview in Western culture can make you feel like an outsider.
Whether you’re struggling with identity, social stigma, or just trying to make sense of it all, know that you’re not alone. Link in bio.

10/06/2024

I’ve met so many wonderful scientists, scholars, and other rationalists who – like myself — have struggled and suffered through spiritual/emergent transformations with little help, scraping together various healing and support resources.
But no one should have to do this alone.
What do we truly need to know and do to make spirituality more practical?
💫 Science, stories, & community! 💫
I’m expanding my platform and tapping into my network to bring you more on the intersection of science & spirituality.
🌟 Monthly main pieces, easy-to-understand summaries of emergent phenomena and healing/integration practices, podcast, virtual + in-person meet-ups, & more! 📚🤓
(And you can enjoy 20% off your first year of subscription until July 1st!)
I can’t wait to connect with more of you and hear your stories! Thank you for your support – it means the world to me.
Link in bio.

10/06/2024

I’ve met so many wonderful scientists, scholars, and other rationalists who – like myself -- have struggled and suffered through spiritual/emergent transformations with little help, scraping together various healing and support resources.

But no one should have to do this alone.

What do we truly need to know and do to make spirituality more practical?

💫 Science, stories, & community! 💫
I’m expanding my platform and tapping into my network to bring you more on the intersection of science & spirituality.
🌟 Monthly main pieces, easy-to-understand summaries of emergent phenomena and healing/integration practices, podcast, virtual + in-person meet-ups, & more! 📚🤓

(And you can enjoy 20% off your first year of subscription until July 1st!)

I can't wait to connect with more of you and hear your stories!

Making spirituality practical with science, stories, & community.

09/05/2024

Finding the true you can tear your (social) world apart. This week, I continue writing about integrating the Dark Night/Phoenix Era, focusing on the social snags that come up. Link in bio.

09/04/2024

Navigating the labyrinth of the Dark Night of the Soul is a courageous act of personal rebellion. How to anchor it in? Integrate! This week I write about my take on integration (‘Personal Edition’). ‘Social Edition’ coming next time! Link in bio (under latest issue).

02/03/2024

Self-transformation is a rite of passage. How does the West support these dark nights of the soul? It doesn’t. Link in bio.

30/01/2024

I love a good ghost story. Don’t you? This week I write about the delightful podcast I’ve been listening to – Otherworld — and how these extremely weird personal stories are actually a gift to science. If only we could get science to listen…
Big thank you to for the pod rec!

05/10/2023

time. Edge science (or controversial areas of scientific inquiry) can lead to new scientific models – or at least tweaked existing models – so it’s always worth asking: “What if?” That’s how science moves forward and explains the unexplainable. But creative + freewheeling dialogue is not the norm at scientific conferences.
That’s why we are holding an event at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference to explore alternative models of consciousness. Not just neural correlates, we want to ask bigger questions.
What if consciousness is a fundamental part of reality, like/instead of matter?
Or what if precognition is actually real? What does that mean for consciousness?

📅 Join us in DC on 11.11.23. We’ll pose ‘What if?” to scientists. Please consider supporting the effort – we’re doing this for fun, but it’s expensive!
https://www.exploringconsciousness.org/sfn-symposium.html

28/09/2023

A recent controversy in the neuroscience community where a group of scientists called a popular theory of consciousness 'pseudoscience' highlights how this word is used as a wall between science and philosophy. And it's time we tear it down.

Controversy comes to the Neuroscience of Consciousness Community

24/08/2023

This week I continue writing about how psychedelic research is reminding us that everything is interconnected. Internal transformation = external transformation. And spirituality heals.

https://psychedelicrenaissance.substack.com/p/the-radical-ideas-of-psychedelic-c49

27/07/2023

This week I write about how reductionism has served us well, but psychedelic research is reminding us that everything is interconnected.

Bringing us back to wholeness in more ways than one.

15/06/2023

This week I write about the synthesis of science, spirituality, and meaning – and choosing our own narratives.
https://psychedelicrenaissance.substack.com/p/no-one-turns-to-science-for-comfort?sd=pf

But maybe that's changing