By Fleet Maull, PhD For most of human history, the great frontier seemed to lie outside of us. We explored continents, oceans, and eventually even space. Yet, one of the most important territories in all of human experience remains largely unmapped: the landscape of consciousness itself. Expanded states have been cultivated for millennia through contemplative practice, breathwork, ritual, and deep immersion in nature. Today, they are also being studied through neuroscience an

By Fleet Maull, PhD In our culture, meditation is often framed as a tool for optimization. We meditate to reduce stress. We meditate to sharpen focus. We meditate to become calmer, wiser, more effective. While these benefits are real and well supported by both contemplative traditions and modern neuroscience, they can subtly distort our relationship to the practice. When meditation becomes another strategy for self-improvement, it easily turns into a performance. We begin eva

By Fleet Maull, PhD There's a moment many of us face, often in our fifties or sixties, sometimes earlier, when we realize we've become careful in ways we didn't intend. We've stopped trying new things. Stopped asking certain questions. We still show up, still function, still care for the people we love. But something has muted. The spark has dimmed. If you've felt this, you're not alone. And it’s important to understand that this dimming isn't inevitable: it happens through d

By Fleet Maull, PhD The human nervous system operates on a scale that's hard to grasp. Billions of neurons firing in intricate patterns, constant communication between brain and body, automatic responses happening faster than thought. It orchestrates everything: our emotions, our sense of safety, our capacity to connect with others, and how we meet challenge and stress. And yet most of us move through life barely aware of it, until something feels off. The health of our nervo

By Fleet Maull, PhD During my years in federal prison, I always looked forward to December. For a few days around the winter solstice and the holidays, the usually harsh and violent prison environment unexpectedly softened. You could feel that shift moving through the cellblocks and the yard. Men who normally kept their guards up, who had to stay vigilant every moment, would let themselves remember who they used to be. Fathers. Sons. Brothers. Someone's beloved. Even in a pla

By Fleet Maull, PhD I was three hours into writing an important proposal last week when my screen went black. When the computer restarted, the document was gone. All of it. The anger came fast and hot. I felt my jaw clench, my shoulders tighten, my chest constrict. My mind immediately spun into a familiar story: "Aaahhhh… Dammit…. I just lost a whole day of work! I can’t believe this! Why do I even bother?" I could feel myself spiraling into that old place of frustration and

By Fleet Maull, PhD What if the most profound healing happening in expanded states of consciousness isn't just personal transformation,...

By Fleet Maull, PhD There's something beautiful about early autumn… I love the way the light begins to shift, how the pace of life...

By Fleet Maull, PhD For decades, trauma survivors have been told stories that diminish their power. "The damage is permanent." "You'll...