We just released a new episode of The FitMind Podcast that explores how the mind constructs the self and what changes when we begin to see through that process.
In this conversation, Josh speaks with John Dunne, PhD, scholar and longtime meditation practitioner, about the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and neuroscience. They unpack how thoughts create a sense of identity, why those thoughts feel real, and how meditation shifts our relationship to them. The episode also touches on predictive processing, anxiety and depression, and how non-dual practices approach awareness differently from more effort-based styles.
I can still remember when I first had that “a-ha moment” that there was a separation between my incessant thoughts and “me”.
Listening to this ep reminds me to notice how quickly that sense of “me” forms around certain thoughts, taking them on as who I am, especially the thoughts tied to planning or rumination. It can feel very solid in the moment, then loosen just as quickly when attention shifts.
It’s interesting that with practice, you can see that the thought and the sense of identity aren’t exactly the same thing. There’s a kind of layering that happens, and sometimes that second layer doesn’t fully form when you notice it first.
I’d love to know more about what your a-ha moment was, @MiraMind!
I had a moment like this, too, where I understood this for the first time on the deepest level, and I had profound feeling like I’d just learned a fundamental truth about life. It came to me in a flash while reading “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.
Funny enough, it happened when I was reading the book on a second attempt. I’d picked it up a few years prior and did not “get it” then!
The Illusion of Self: Nondual Meditation & Brain Science