Ep. 151 - Brian James - Traumadelic: How a Western Model Limits the Wholeness of Shamanism

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Hey everybody! Episode 151 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with my friend Brian James. Brian now has the distinction of being the first guest to be featured three times on this podcast. I brought Brian on to speak about his new book, Traumadelic. I was really happy to have Brian on again to speak about how he sees the overemphasis on trauma, and the more Western psychological model as whole, is potentially taking away from the richness and vastness of the more traditional shamanic experience. As plant medicine work moves in the Western mainstream, it is understandable that it will adapt and be incorporated into Western ways and cosmovisions. However, this does not come without cost, often severely limiting in scope and potentiality the benefits of both plant medicines and the traditional ways of working with them. This may be a controversial topic to some, as much of this has become a new dogma, but, as we speak about, heresy is rarely accepted with open arms and ultimately a pursuit of truth, however uncomfortable, is to be valued. I trust this conversation will be enlightening and shift some views that we may hold or not even realize that we are holding. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

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This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universe

“Brian James is a depth counsellor, archetypal coach, writer, musician and cultural activist.

He offers online counselling and coaching to individuals and couples and has published three books on the intersections of yoga, psychedelics, shamanism and depth psychology.

Brian hosts the popular podcast Howl in the Wilderness (formerly Medicine Path) and over the past decade has created a wealth of practice and learning resources to support others on their journey of soul recovery. 

Brian regularly speaks on topics related to Soul Recovery including psychedelic integration, archetypal men’s work and the intersections of depth psychology, yoga and shamanism.”

To learn more about or contact Brian, including his book, visit his website at: brianjames.ca

To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

If you enjoy the show, it’s always a big help if you can share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and Like the video and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, Follow the show and leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in April/May in Porto Covo, Portugal, and July in Westport, Ireland. If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

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Music: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

Ep. 113 - The Psychologizing of Society & Trauma Culture - A Discussion with Brian James, Adam Aronovich, & Jason Grechanik

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Hey everybody! Episode 113 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with my friends Brian James and Adam Aronovich. I met both of them when we all worked together at a big plant medicine center in the Peruvian Amazon. I interviewed both of them separately in previous episodes, Brian in episode 30 and Adam in episode 55, so you can check those out for a more in-depth look at them both. I have been impressed with both their abilities to speak out on more mainstream narratives that are happening in the psychedelic and plant-medicine movements. I think there are many narratives that gain traction and are not often questioned, and I respect both Brian and Adam for their ability to look at issues through different lenses to get closer to a wider truth. Two issues that I think that have been arising in this regard are the psychologizing of the plant-medicine world and the world at large. And the second is the over-emphasis on trauma. While both of these topics have validity and importance and a place in this work, they are but a part, and an over-emphasis on both can be an amputation of sorts of the wider use of plant-medicines and create downstream problems that many don’t consider. So it was a real pleasure and a bit of an experiment having this panel. I think it went really well and we went pretty deep on these issues which I think are quite important topics. So I feel confident you all will get a lot out of this episode and the wisdom of Adam and Brian. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

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This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universe

"Adam is a doctoral candidate focusing on Medical Anthropology and Cultural Psychiatry. He is an active member of the Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC) and part of the Ayahuasca Community Committee at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. In the last four years he has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, where he has been doing qualitative research in collaboration with ICEERS, the Beckley Foundation, and, more recently, the Centre for Psychedelic Studies at Imperial College, where he is also a visiting student. Beyond his work conducting and coordinating research, Adam facilitated workshops in the Peruvian Amazon and he regularly facilitates workshops in Mexico. He is also a process facilitator and integration support coach in private practice, the co-host of the upcoming podcast "Healing from the Healing Path", and the co-founder of Hidden Hand Media, a creative agency in the space of transformation and technology.”

For more info about Adam and his work, visit: https://www.healingfromhealing.com

“Brian James is a transformational coach, yoga teacher, musician and shamanic practitioner currently living Vancouver Island, Canada with his wife Debbie and their dog Kingston. 

A lifelong musician, artist, and curious seeker, Brian began exploring yoga and plant medicines over twenty-five years ago. After a crisis in his mid-thirties — burned out from his job in advertising and struggling with stress, anxiety and addiction — he began his own healing journey in earnest. He’s spent the last decade learning from master teachers and exploring in greater depth the medicine paths of yoga, music, shamanism and psychology. He shares conversations with some of the teachers he’s met on the Medicine Path Podcast and has written two books: Yoga & Plant Medicine, published in 2019, and Harmonic Movement, a vinyasa yoga practice manual.

Since 2012, Brian has dedicated his life to sharing the healing power of yoga and music, and has taught around the world — from Shanghai, China to the heart of the Amazon jungle. He regularly teaches group classes and workshops and works 1-to-1 with individuals, helping them develop a personal practice and supporting them in recovering a sense of wholeness and freedom. “

For more info about Brian and his work, visit: brianjames.ca

If you enjoy the show, it’s always a big help if you can share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and Like the video and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, Follow the show and leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

My colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) and I are guiding plant dietas in Boulder-Colorado in July, New York state in August, and the Sacred Valley of Peru in November. If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org

To book an integration call with me, visit: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can join Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon:

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Join this channel on YouTube to get access to perks:

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Music courtesy of: Nuno Moreno (end song). Visit: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/ And Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project (intro song). Visit: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H

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Ep. 30 - Brian James - Yoga + Plant Medicine + Shamanism

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Hey everybody! Episode 30 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with my friend Brian James. Brian and I met working together at the Amazonian plant-medicine center the Temple of the Way of Light. Brian is a yoga teacher and plant-medicine practitioner. I always really enjoy talking to Brian as he has a real depth of knowledge of yoga from a perspective that not many people have. He does a wonderful job at explaining the roots of the yogic practice and also how he sees the interconnection between that path and the path of shamanism. For such broad and diverse subjects, he is able to beautifully explain them in simple ways and show the universality of all of these paths. I think you all will gain a lot from listening to this talk, much as I did. To view bonus material and extended conversations, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

YouTube:  bit.ly/YouTubeUW

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“Brian James is a transformational coach, yoga teacher, musician and shamanic practitioner currently living Vancouver Island, Canada with his wife Debbie and their dog Kingston. 

A lifelong musician, artist, and curious seeker, Brian began exploring yoga and plant medicines over twenty-five years ago. After a crisis in his mid-thirties — burned out from his job in advertising and struggling with stress, anxiety and addiction — he began his own healing journey in earnest. He’s spent the last decade learning from master teachers and exploring in greater depth the medicine paths of yoga, music, shamanism and psychology. He shares conversations with some of the teachers he’s met on the Medicine Path Podcast and has written two books: Yoga & Plant Medicine, published in 2019, and Harmonic Movement, a vinyasa yoga practice manual.

Since 2012, Brian has dedicated his life to sharing the healing power of yoga and music, and has taught around the world — from Shanghai, China to the heart of the Amazon jungle. He regularly teaches group classes and workshops and works 1-to-1 with individuals, helping them develop a personal practice and supporting them in recovering a sense of wholeness and freedom. “

Learn more: brianjames.ca

Contact Brian: hello@brianjames.ca

To view the Shamanic Yoga series Brian created and receive 15% off, use the link: https://vimeo.com/r/32Ww/LjJOdjROTH

or go to http://vimeo.com/ondemand/shamanicyoga and enter code "UNIVERSE15"

This episode of the show is sponsored by the Temple of the Way of Light. To learn more or sign up for a retreat, visit:

https://templeofthewayoflight.org/

If you enjoy the show, it would be a big help if you could share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts to leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

My colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) and I will be running diets in the Sacred Valley of Peru on March 3-19 and May 1-17. If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org

And finally, with the pandemic, most people doing this work have been without access to work since March and the future is uncertain.  If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can subscribe through Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithin  

To donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanik 

Another way you can support the show is if you are ordering anything from Amazon.com, and you use this link, the show will get a small commission with no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/2Gw51PS

Music courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  

And please leave any questions or comments in the comment section or email at:

https://www.UniverseWithinPodcast.com

This will help me with ideas for future shows.

Thanks and until the next episode!

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