The Weekend University

In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Christof Koch, Chief Scientist of the MindScope Program at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, former Professor at Caltech, and author of “Then I Am Myself the World”. Dr. Koch is a leading researcher in the science of consciousness and a key proponent of Integrated Information Theory.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why consciousness may be fundamental, while physical matter exists only in relation to other things

— How an experience on a beach in Brazil changed his understanding of reality

— The discovery of “covert consciousness” in patients thought to be in vegetative states

— How the perturbational complexity index (PCI) shows a clear boundary between conscious and unconscious states, and why this matters

— How Integrated Information Theory approaches the question of free will

You can learn more about Dr. Koch’s work at https://christofkoch.com.

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Dr. Christof Koch is a Meritorious Investigator at the Allen Institute.

Christof received his baccalaureate from the Lycée Descartes in Rabat, Morocco, his B.S. and M.S. in physics from the University of Tübingen in Germany and his Ph.D. from the Max-Planck Institute for biological Cybernetics in 1982. Subsequently, he spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1987 until 2013, Koch was a professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, from his initial appointment as Assistant Professor, Division of Biology and Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 1986, to his final position as Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive & Behavioral Biology. See here for Christof’s academic pedigree and his students. Christof joined the Allen Institute for Brain Science as Chief Scientific Officer in 2011 and became President in 2015.

Christof writings and interests integrate theoretical, computational and experimental neuroscience with philosophy and contemporary trends, in particular artificial intelligence. His latest book, Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It, publish in May 2024.

His previous book, Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist, blends science and memoir to explore topics in discovering the roots of consciousness. Stemming in part from a long-standing collaboration with the late Nobel Laureate Francis Crick, Christof authored the book The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach. Koch also authored the technical books Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing in Single Neurons and Methods in Neuronal Modeling: From Ions to Networks, and served as editor for several books on neural modeling and information processing.

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Interview Links:

— Dr. Koch’s website: https://christofkoch.com

— Dr. Koch’s book: https://amzn.to/4mIKG9W

Dr. David Elliott is a clinical psychologist, former president of the Rhode Island Psychological Association, and Harvard graduate.

He teaches internationally on attachment, personality, and psychotherapy process, and is the co-author of Attachment Disturbances in Adults.

In this conversation, we explore:

— The ‘ideal parent figure’ method and how it can be applied to heal attachment wounds

— The three pillars of integrative attachment therapy

— The benefits and limitations of the therapist becoming the client's good attachment figure.

And more.

You can learn more about Dr. Elliott’s work at https://www.davidelliottphd.com.

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Dr. Elliott received his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1989 from Harvard University. His clinical training while at Harvard included externships at the Tufts University Counseling Center, the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Massachusetts, and a clinical psychology internship at McLean Hospital, the psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital, where he worked on the Adolescent and Family Treatment Unit and at the hospital’s mental health outpatient clinic. He was licensed as a Psychologist in Massachusetts in 1990, and in Rhode Island in 1993.

Recognizing from an early age that there are many dimensions to human experience, any and all of which can contribute to well-being or to difficulty, Dr. Elliott has maintained a commitment to learning and understanding the whole range of human possibility — from the deepest confusions and struggles of psychosis, to the patterns of personality that create personal and relational conflicts, to the development of the self in ways that promote both independence and intimacy, and to higher levels of growth that allow for flourishing and even a recognition of oneself as beyond the limits of the personal self.

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Interview Links:

— Dr Elliott’s website - https://www.davidelliottphd.com

3 Books Dr Elliott Recommends Every Therapist Should Read:

— Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World - Sue Marriott & Ann Kelley - https://amzn.to/4cn9ttG

— A Compelling Idea: How We Become the Persons We Are - Alan Sroufe - https://amzn.to/4cvP31X

— Attachment Disturbances in Adults: Treatment for Comprehensive Repair - Daniel P. Brown & David S. Elliott - https://amzn.to/4cvPcCx

In this episode, Niall speaks with Dr. Michael Egnor, a professor of neurosurgery at Stony Brook University who has performed over 7,000 brain operations. He is also director of the neurosurgery residency program and has published extensively on the relationship between mind and brain.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why decades of brain mapping research suggest that reason and free will cannot be produced by neural activity

— Cases of patients missing large portions of their brain who function normally

— What paradoxical lucidity in dementia patients reveals about consciousness

— How research on patients in persistent vegetative states challenges materialist assumptions

— Why evidence from neuroscience points to the existence of an immaterial mind

And more.

You can learn more about Dr. Egnor’s work through his book, “The Immortal Mind".

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Michael Egnor’s practice includes patients diagnosed with Arnold Chiari deformity, hydrocephalus, cranio-synostosis, brain tumors, and spina bifida, as well as children with severe head trauma. He has an international reputation for research on hydrocephalus, and he is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Hydrocephalus Association in the United States.

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Interview Link:

— Dr. Egnor’s Book: https://amzn.to/4bIAiv3

In this episode, Niall speaks with Robert Falconer, a writer, consultant, and teacher who has spent nearly two decades working with complex psychological experiences that sit outside conventional therapeutic frameworks.

Robert is the author of ten books and specialises in working with people experiencing what Internal Family Systems calls “unattached burdens” — intrusive psychological patterns that seem to originate outside a person’s own history. His most recent book, “Spirit”, documents a decade of written dialogues on consciousness and healing.

In this conversation, they explore:

— Why the belief that minds are isolated and impermeable may contribute to psychological distress

— How intergenerational trauma can be passed down through epigenetic mechanisms

— The difference between parts of ourselves and external psychological influences

— Why fear is the main way intrusive patterns maintain their influence

— The role of interoception in mental health, and how Internal Family Systems approaches these cases

And more.

You can learn more about Robert’s work at http://robertfalconer.us.

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In 2023, Bob published his book about IFS and unattached burdens – The Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession, and it quickly became a best-seller in its category. Prior to that he co-authored Many Minds, One Self (2017) with Richard Schwartz and since then he has published When You’re Going Through Hell …Keep Going (2024), and his latest book, Spirit (2025), a summary of many of the journals of his daily dialogues with Spirit.

For the past 20 years or so Bob has devoted himself full-time to IFS work (Internal Family Systems Therapy). In that time he has completed all levels of IFS training offered, and has been a program assistant more than 18 times.

Bob has been at many workshops and events with Richard Schwartz both as assistant and participant. In addition to studying with many of the other senior IFS trainers,

For all of his therapeutic work, both professional and personal, Bob now uses IFS almost exclusively. Before this Bob used and explored many forms of therapy, starting with Ericksonian hypnotherapy which he studied with Carol Erickson. He received his master’s degree and hypnotherapist certificate under her tutelage. Then he met and began studying with Jack and Helen Watkins, the creators of Ego State Therapy.

Before beginning his graduate work, starting in 1971, Bob was a regular at with the Esalen Institute where he has attended more than 120 events and workshops. At Esalen Bob met and worked with many of the leaders of the human potential movement and focused on Gestalt Therapy mainly with Mariah Fenton Gladys and Christine Price. In the 80s and 90s Bob also studied codependency and addictions with Pia Mellody.

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Interview Links:

— Robert’s website: https://robertfalconer.us/

— Robert’s books: https://amzn.to/4t2AuLX

Get Your Copy of Eric's New Book: https://www.oneyoufeed.net/book/

In this episode, I speak with Eric Zimmer— a behavioural coach, podcast host, and writer—whose work blends spirituality with the science of behaviour change. Eric is best known as the host of the award winning “One You Feed Podcast”.

In this conversation, we explore:

— Why lasting change requires both inner and outer transformation

— How to move beyond shame and identity-based thinking

— The power of reframing behaviour as a puzzle to be solved rather than a problem to be fixed

— What it means to be “on your own side”, and how this fuels personal growth

— Why self-compassion and accountability are not opposites—but partners

And more.

You can learn more about Eric’s podcast, membership, and programs at oneyoufeed.net

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A behavior coach, Certified Interfaith Spiritual Director, podcast host, and writer, Eric Zimmer is endlessly inspired by the quest for a greater understanding of how our minds work and how to intentionally create the lives we want to live.

At the age of 24, Eric was homeless, addicted to heroin and facing long jail sentences. In the years since he has found a way to recover from addiction and build a life worth living for himself.

Eric works as a behavior coach and has done so for the past 20 years. He has coached hundreds of people from around the world on how to make significant life changes and create habits that serve them well in achieving the goals they’ve set for themselves.

In addition to his work as a behavior coach, he currently hosts the award-winning podcast, The One You Feed, based on an old parable about two wolves at battle within us. With over 600 episodes and over 30 million downloads, the show features conversations with experts across many fields of study about how to create a life that has less suffering and more fulfillment and meaning.

Guests on the show include scientists, authors, researchers, teachers, thought leaders, spiritual gurus, and public figures and all offer practical, actionable wisdom that listeners can readily apply to their daily lives in order to act their way into a better experience of living.

His story and his work have been featured in the media including TedX, Mind Body Green, Elephant Journal, the BBC and Brain Pickings.

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Interview Links:

— Eric’s website - https://www.oneyoufeed.net

— Get Your Copy of Eric's New Book: https://www.oneyoufeed.net/book/