Fleet Maull, Ph.D. - Radical Embodiment: Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness & Psychedelics

Overview

This episode explores the intersection of Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness (NSM) and psychedelics, featuring Dr. Fleet Maull, a meditation teacher and social entrepreneur. Dr. Maull shares his transformative journey from federal prison to developing NSM, a trauma-informed, embodied meditation practice. The conversation delves into how NSM trains key brain networks, its integration with psychedelics like ketamine, and its potential to turn temporary insights into lasting traits.

Notable Quotes

- Our brain is set up to economize energy, replacing direct experience with concepts. Neurosomatic mindfulness helps us break free from that conceptual world and live in the direct felt experience of the body. – Dr. Fleet Maull, on the power of embodiment.

- Imagine someone who's attentive, emotionally balanced, and relationally present—this starts to sound like being an enlightened being. – Dr. Fleet Maull, on the potential of training five key brain networks.

- The more time you spend in states like gratitude, bliss, or equanimity, the more you transform your neural architecture to access those states naturally. – Dr. Fleet Maull, on the integration of mindfulness and psychedelics.

🧘‍♂️ Prison as a Catalyst for Transformation

- Dr. Maull described his 14-year federal prison sentence as a monastic training ground, where he practiced meditation, led groups, and founded the first prison hospice program.

- He emphasized the chaotic and dehumanizing nature of prison, contrasting it with the structured environment of monasteries.

- His time in prison inspired the development of NSM, blending his Buddhist training with trauma-informed practices to foster resilience and presence.

🧠 What is Neuro-Somatic Mindfulness (NSM)?

- NSM is a deeply embodied, neuroscience- and trauma-informed approach to mindfulness that emphasizes direct sensory experience over conceptual thinking.

- It trains five key brain networks: attention, task-positive, self-regulation, emotional regulation, and empathic connection.

- Unlike traditional mindfulness, NSM focuses on activating the task-positive network to quiet the default mode network (DMN), reducing mental chatter and fostering deeper states of awareness.

🌿 Integrating Psychedelics with NSM

- Dr. Maull highlighted how psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin complement NSM by suppressing the DMN and enhancing neuroplasticity.

- NSM prepares individuals for psychedelic experiences by grounding them in embodied awareness, leading to more profound and stable outcomes.

- In retreats combining NSM with low-dose ketamine, participants reported deeper insights and smoother integration of their experiences.

🌀 Rigidity, Chaos, and the Goldilocks Zone

- Both NSM and psychedelics help individuals access a Goldilocks zone of neuroplasticity, balancing between chaos and rigidity.

- This state fosters emotional resilience, creativity, and the ability to navigate life's challenges with equanimity.

- Dr. Maull emphasized the importance of integrating these states into daily life to create lasting traits rather than fleeting experiences.

🌊 Embodiment as the Path to Transformation

- NSM encourages practitioners to move beyond observing the body to fully feeling and embodying it, accessing deeper layers of awareness.

- This approach reshapes neural architecture, enabling effortless mindfulness and emotional regulation.

- Dr. Maull described how NSM can lead to profound states of gratitude, love, and equanimity, transforming both the brain and the nervous system.