A Neuroscientist Breaks Down My Awakening: Dr Andrew Newberg on Kensho and the Brain

What actually happens in the brain when you awaken – when “you” fall away and only presence remains? In this episode, pioneering neuroscientist Dr Andrew Newberg helps me unpack my own spiritual awakening (Kensho) and maps it onto decades of research into enlightenment, meditation and non‑duality.

I share my experience of two weeks of bliss, non‑separation and a resulting “thin” Simon who can't seem to leave the present moment, while Andrew brings in neurotheology, brain imaging and the science of spiritual transformation.

In this episode we explore:

My Kensho: bliss, non‑separation and why “Simon feels thin” is a classic non‑dual shiftHow enlightenment shows up in the brain – parietal and frontal lobes, the thalamus, dopamine and serotoninThe difference between altered states and altered traits after awakeningDr Newberg’s own “infinite sea of doubt” and why radical not‑knowing can be deeply peacefulHow meditation, prayer, retreats and psychedelics can rewire perception and behaviourThe role of surrender, flow states and hypofrontality in losing the sense of a separate doer

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