transcript of “285 with jason silva” - bulletproof

© The Bulletproof Executive 2013

Transcript of “285 with Jason Silva”

Bulletproof Radio podcast #285

Bulletproof Radio Podcast #285, Jason Silva

2

Warning and Disclaimer

The statements in this report have not been evaluated by the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration). Information provided here and products sold on bulletproofexec.com and/or upgradedself.com and/or betterbabybook.com are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information provided by these sites and/or by this report is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with your physician, and should not be construed as medical advice of any sort. It is a list of resources for further self-research and work with your physician. We certify that at least one statement on the above-mentioned web sites and/or in this report is wrong. By using any of this information, or reading it, you are accepting responsibility for your own health and health decisions and expressly release The Bulletproof Executive and its employees, partners, and vendors from from any and all liability whatsoever, including that arising from negligence. Do not run with scissors. Hot drinks may be hot and burn you.

If you do not agree to the above conditions, please do not read further and delete this document.


3

Intro: BulletproofRadio.Astateofhighperformance.

DaveAsprey: Heyit'sDaveAspreywithBulletproofRadio.Today'scoolfactofthedayisthatifyou'resomeonewhohasareallygreatsenseofdirection,eveninplacesthatyou'veonlybeenoncebefore,itmeansthatyouhavedifferentnervecellsinyourhippocampusandthoseareactivatedbydifferentlocations.Yourbrainisbasicallydrawingamapofwhereyouarethroughyournervecells.Theyjustdiscoveredthesecells,andthey'recalledgridcells.TheyarealmostexactlylikeaGPSforyourbrain,andthey'reoftenimpactedwhenyouhaveastrokeorAlzheimer's.

Thecoolthingis,they'reactuallylaidoutinhexagons.There'sabighexagon,there'samediumsizedhexagon,andasmallerhexagon;andtheypinpointedtheexactcellsthatdoit.Youactuallyhavethesecoolhigh-techlookinggridsinsidesyourbrainthatallowyoutotriangulatewhereyouareonabigmap,onamediummap,andwhereyouareinyourlocalspace.Inmycase,IprettymuchbarelyknowwhereIammostofthetime,sominemustnotbeworking,orminearemaybelikebigkindofblobsinsteadofhexagons.Anyway,it'scooltoknowthatweallhavethese.

Itallstartswithyourwebsite.BulletproofExec.comiswhereIstarted.Thewebsite'simmenselyimportanttoBulletproofbecausethat'showwehelpmillionsofpeopleeverymonth.Growingyourbusinessstartswithastunningwebsite.Nomatterwhatbusinessyou'rein,Wix.comwillhavesomethingtohelpyoucreateakick-asswebsite.Wix.comisacloud-baseddevelopmentplatformthat'susedbymorethan70millionpeoplethroughouttheworld.Youcandoityourself,youdon'tneedtobeaprogrammerordesigner.Theyhavehundredsofdesigner-madecustomizabletemplatestochoosefrom.Thereareeasydrag-and-dropfeatureswithnocodingneeded.


4

Youcangetyourwebsitelivetoday.Withmobileoptimization,securehosting,SEO,24/7supportandmore,tohelpyoubuildyourcompanythewayIdid.It'seasy,andtheresultisstunning.Also,checkoutthestoriesonWix.comtoseerealsuccessstoriesofpeoplewhohaveusedWixtobuildgreatwebsites.GotoWix.comandsignupforanentirelyfreeaccounttoday,nocreditcardsrequired.That'sWix.com,W-I-Xdotcom.Checkthemouttoday.

Today'sguestisaguywhoI'vewantedtochatwithforalongtime.Verywellknown,becausehe'sthehostoftheNationalGeographicChannel'snumber1ratedandEmmy-nominatedseriescalledBrainGames.HisnameisJasonSilva,incaseyouhaven'theardofhim.Jason,welcometotheshow.

JasonSilva: Hey,thankyousomuchforhavingme.It'saprivilege.Thanks.

DaveAsprey: Likewise.Yourshow'sbeenoutfor3yearsnow,right?

JasonSilva: Yeah.It'scrazy,beenaroundforawhile.It'sbroadcastin171countriesontheNationalGeographicChannel.It'sjustwildthatultimatelywhatisaneducationalserieshassomehowfoundanaudiencethatfindsitsoentertaining,andenthralling,andreallyhavejustaloyalfanbasethatwecontinuetobeabletodoitformultipleseasons.It'sbeenreallygreat.

DaveAsprey: Itseemslikethere'sabitofarenaissanceforthisstuff.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Weusedtothinkyou'rebornwithsomanygraycellsandthat'sallyou'vegot,andthey'refixed.Then,youdie.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Nowwehaveallthispower,andcontrol,andjustknowledgeaboutthebrain'scapacityforchange.Ithinkyoujusthitthenailintheheadwithyourtiming.Whenyouwatchtheshow,andyou'relike"Here'swhatcognitivescientistsaredoing.Here's


5

whatyourbraincando,"whichiswhy.I'mabigfan.Iwasreallystokedthatwecouldconnect.

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.Well,lookImeanIlovedoingtheshowbecauseultimatelythemessageiswhatyouseeisnotwhatyouget.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Throughexposingtheseloopholesinourcognition,thesecognitivebiases,thewaysinwhichourbrainverymuchframesourreality,interpretsourreality,fillsintheblanksfromthelimitedinformationwegetthroughoursenses,showsusthatwereallydocreateourworld.Irememberlastyearwhenthat,"thedress"thingwentviralontheinternet.Peoplewerelikewhat...

DaveAsprey: Whatcoloristhedress?

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Whatdidyousee?

JasonSilva: Exactly.Howcouldsomethingsotrivialbecome...causesuchhysteria.Ithinkit'sbecauseattheendoftheday,whenyourentirerealityiscalledintoquestionbysomethingsotrivial,it'sabigdeal.It'slikeanontologicalpanic,youcouldsay.PeopleusedtothinkthatwasaBrainGamesguerrillamarketingthing.EverybodykepttweetingonTwitter,andmyTwitterwentcrazywhenthathappened.Peoplemadetheimmediateconnectionbetween"thedress"andtheshow,whichtomesays,wereallygottenthere.We'vereachedpeople,especiallyyoungpeople.Theylovetheshow.It'sbeenatreat.Yeah,likeyousaid,there'ssomuchsciencecomingoutonthebrainthesedays.Exponentiallymoreinourcapacitytounderstandthebrain.Ithinkit'sjustnicetohaveashowthat'sbringingthisstufftothemasses,youknow?

DaveAsprey: IsawsomewheresomebodycalledyouaTimothyLearyoftheviralvideoage.

JasonSilva: Ilovethat.


6

DaveAsprey: Whatdoyouthinkaboutthat?

JasonSilva: ThatwasawriterforTheAtlanticnamedRossAndersen,whois...He'sawonderfulguy.HewroteanessayontheHubblespacetelescope,andtheJamesWebbtelescopethatwasoneofthebestpiecesofwritingthatI'deverreadinmylife.Irememberwhenhecontactedmetointerviewme,hesentmethisparticulararticlehe'dwrittenonthespacetelescopesasawayformetovethim.Iwaslike,"Areyoukiddingme?"Anybodywhocanwriteaboutspaceandtimethewayhecouldcaninterviewme.ItwaswhenIwasfirstdoingsomeofmydigitalcontent.ItwasrightbeforeBrainGamesblewup.Idoalotofvideosontheweb.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Short,2minutevideos,ShotsofAwe,you'veprobablyseensomeofthem.

DaveAsprey: They'regreat.

JasonSilva: Thanks!Thankyouverymuch.

DaveAsprey: No,really.

JasonSilva: OneofthekeyideasofShotsofAweisnotjust,lookattheimmensespeedatwhichtechnologyisprogressing.ThissortofexponentialMoore'sLaw,growthcurvesofinformationtechnology,biotech,nano-tech,promisingtokindofredefinewhatitmeanstobehumanthroughthisinsanesymbioticrelationshipwehavewithourtools.Also,thisideathatmostpeopledon'tthinkaboutthatthere'sagreatbookbyJohnMarkoffcalled"WhattheDormouseSaid."

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: JohnMarkoff,fromtheNewYorkTimes.Whichisaboutthecountercultureorthecybercultureinthe1960sinSiliconValley.Mostpeopledon'tknowthattheoriginsofthetechrevolutionisSiliconValleyare,inmanyways,psychedelic.


7

DaveAsprey: Yes.

JasonSilva: Youknow,thewholeBurningManethos.Alotoftheseengineers,HewlettPackard,alltheseguysbackinthe60swere...DouglasEnglebartwasthefamousdudethatwasdoingit.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Orexperimentingwithpsychedelicsandthendoingproblemsolvingstuffforcomputers.Theideawasthatintheend,andTimothyLearywasthekeyfuturistthatarticulatedthis,thatcomputerscouldbere-conceivedasthenewpsychedelics.Psychedelics,theetymologymeansto'makemanifestmind.'WhatisaniPhoneifnotmanifestmind?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Whatisacomputerifnotmanifestmind.So,thisisthekindofstuffIwantedtoputoutthereinmyvideos,thiscyberdelic,astheycallit,messaging.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: RossAndersenpickeduponthat,andsothat'swhenhewas,"Oh,you'retheTimothyLearyoftheviralvideoage."

Iwaslike,"I'lltakeit."

DaveAsprey: It'sagreatdescription.

JasonSilva: Soundsfun.

DaveAsprey: Youtakeit.Iwaswonderingifyou'dbelike,"Yeah,that'sgood."Or,"Youknowwhat?Maybethat'snotaccurate."

JasonSilva: IlikeLeary.

DaveAsprey: Ido,too.


8

JasonSilva: Ihappentothinkhe'safrigginamazinglyeloquentwriter.Yeah,Imeanhewasarabblerouser,andthere'salotofcontroversythere.Someofthatstuffhedid,Ithinkwasreallyimportant.

DaveAsprey: HewasprobablyconnectedwiththeCIA.I'veseensomereallydeepresearchby,fromanotherguestonhere.

JasonSilva: Ohreally?

DaveAsprey: There'sprobablymoretoTimothyLearythanthecommonthing,butthere'sdefinitelysomeinterestingstufftherenomatterwhetheryoulikehimorhatehim.It'snoteworthy,right?

JasonSilva: Yeah,sure.Sure.

DaveAsprey: Toyourpoint,though,I'veactuallyhadmoreout-of-bodyhallucinogenicexperiencesfromreallyadvancedneurofeedback,thanIhavefromanyhallucinogen.I'vedoneAyahuascawithshamansinPeru,andmyshareofspiritualexplorationwithchemicalsinanon-partyspiritualsettings.

JasonSilva: Yeah,sure.

DaveAsprey: Asopposedtothe,"Iwenttoarave."

JasonSilva: Yeah,ofcourse.

DaveAsprey: "Andmagicstuffhappened,"kindofthing.

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.No,it'sgoodtopre-configureyoursetandsetting.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: It'salessonwecouldlearnfromthepsychonautsandthepsychedelicexplorersthatweshouldactuallyapplyinournormalwakingstatesaswell.Settingmatterswhenwe'resober,too.Manyofuslivelivesofquietdesperationbecausewe'vechosentoputourselvesinspacesanddwellingsthathaveterriblefeedbackloops.


9

DaveAsprey: Wellsaid!

JasonSilva: We'redepressed,andwedon'trealize,maybeit'sbecausewedon'tlikeourjob,ormaybeit'sbecausewe'reinamiserablerelationship,ormaybeit'swe'renotdoingsomethingmeaningful,youknow?Wecouldlearnalotfromthoseideas,thoseheuristicsofsetting.Itmatters.

DaveAsprey: I'vebeenworkingalotonthat.IjustfinishedbuildingBulletproofLabsuphereinmybackyard.I'monVancouverIsland,Iliveona32acreorganicfarm.Iwantedtohaveviewsoftheforest,becausethoseareactuallygoodforyourbrain.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Iwantedtohavemyownfoodthatgrowsrightoverthere,that'sgoodforyourbrain.

JasonSilva: Amazing.

DaveAsprey: Ialsowantedaninspiringplacetowork.I'vegotorangewallsandallsortsofweirddecorations.

JasonSilva: Awesome.

DaveAsprey: Thatthingbehindme.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Istheworld'sfirstharddrive.

JasonSilva: Cool!

DaveAsprey: In1885,itwonaninnovationawardasthebestfilingsystem,atleastinNorthAmerica,CanadaandtheUS,right?Whenyouhadtoaccessdatareally,reallyfast,you'vegotoneofthesethings.

JasonSilva: ohmy...


10

DaveAsprey: It'slikemyiPhoneislikeaninfinitenumberofthose.

JasonSilva: Yeah,sure.

DaveAsprey: Thosearetheretoremindmeofthosethingsandtojustkeepitplayful,becauseitissetinsetting.IfI'mgoingtocreatethenextbookthat'sreallygood,Idon'tthinkIcoulddoitinamobilehome.Thatwouldhavebeenthecheapestofficeforme.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Butitjustwasn'tright,sothisisaconvertedwoodbarnthatisthestudio.

JasonSilva: No,it'sbrilliant.Icouldseeotherartifactsbehindyouaswell,soitseemslikeyou'vecreatedyourownlibraryofhumanimagination.

DaveAsprey: I'mworkingreallyhardonit.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: There'ssomestuffoffcamera,too,that'sreally,reallycoolfromthe50s.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: TheideahereisalmostallofitfitsontheiPhone,buthavingitaroundisthisremindof"Lookhowfarwe'vecome,"eitherinmylifeorinmyparents'life.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Ifyoulookattheshapeofthecurve.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: YoureadthePeterDiamandisstuff.

JasonSilva: Yeah.


11

DaveAsprey: PeterandIhavebecomefriends.DoyouknowPeter?

JasonSilva: Sure,ofcourse.He'safriendofmine,andStevenKotleraswell.

DaveAsprey: Bothofthemarefriendsofmine,too.

JasonSilva: IspeaktoKotlerallthetime.KotlerandJamieWheal.Thosearemy2favoritepeopleintheworld.

DaveAsprey: Okay,thoseguysarecrazy.I'mactuallyaninvestorintheFlowGenomeproject.

JasonSilva: Excellent,smart!Yeah,ItalktoJamieallthetime.Alteredstatestoalteredtraits.Hackingtoblowthatwholething.Yeah.

DaveAsprey: It'strue.Infact,that'ssomethingweshouldchatabout.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: There'ssomanypeoplewhoarelike,"Iwanttoperformreallywell."

I'mlike,"Soyouwanttobeabnormal,right?"

They'relike,"No.No,Iwanttobenormal."

It'slike,"No!Highperformersareabnormalbydefinition!"Ifyou'reanaverageperformer,you'renormal.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Otherwise,you'rekindofgoingtobeatweakeronsomeleveloranother.Idon'tmeantweakeronadruglevel.Ijustmeanpeoplearegoingtolookatyouandgolike,"Thatguy,"or"Thatwoman,they'reodd."

JasonSilva: Yup.

DaveAsprey: "Likethey'redoingsomethingdifferent.Liketheydon'tcareaboutwhatIcareabout."


12

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Thecommitmenttobenon-averageisactuallyscaryforalotofpeople.

JasonSilva: Yeah,Ithinkit'salwaysscarybecauseyou'rekindofoutsidetheconsensustrends.You'reprobingatthewallsof,RobertAntonWilsoncallstherealitytunnel.You'realittlebitmorelikeSteveJobswithhisrealitydistortionfield.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: You'repullingpeopletowardsdifferentvisions.You'reoperatingunderthebeatofyourowndrummer,andsometimesthatcanbeisolating.Yougetreallyeffectiveatbeingyourself,atbeinghighfunctioning;butthenitmakesyousortofalienatedfromeverydaypeople.

DaveAsprey: Let'stalkaboutintuition.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: I'veactivelytrainedmyintuitionwithunusualformsofneuro-feedback.

JasonSilva: Iplancrosstalktodothat.I'veneverdoneneuro-feedback.Ineedtogetintothat.

DaveAsprey: Allright.Iwillconnectyouwithsomeresourcesthereoffline.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: IputabunchofCEOs,celebritytypes,throughthis40YearsofZenprogramthat,whileit'scorrelatedwithanIQboostthat'sprettysubstantial.

JasonSilva: Wow.


13

DaveAsprey: It'sthebiggestthingI'vedone.Ispent10weeksofmylifewithelectrodesgluedtomyhead,andthere'sa$40,000gel-freeneuro-feedbackset-upthatIusemosteveningsforanhour.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Infact,ifIillegallydownloadacopyofBrainGames,IcanactuallywatchBrainGamesasmyfeedback.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Unfortunately,Ican'tdoastreamedversion.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: WhathappenswhenI'mwatchingyourshow...IsupposeIcouldripitorsomething.Anyway,IhavetogetanAACformatofyourshow.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: WhenI'mwatchingitandmybrainisthestatethatIwant,Iseeyourshowincolorandfullsize.Whenmybrainisinthewrongstate,Iseeitinblackandwhite,withhalfsize.Thebrainhatesblackandwhitehalfsizestuff.Thebraingoeslike,"Huh?!What?!Huh?!"Thenitgetsbigagain,andassoonasIdrift,itgoesdown.Literally,I'mlearningsomething.I'mwatchingsomething.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Ioftentimesjustwatchlikethelatestsciencefictionwhatever.Thecoolthingis,IactuallygottowatchTV,andmybraingetstrained.Thedownsideislikeafter45minutes,you'recooked.You'redone.

JasonSilva: Yeah,right.Itsoundslikeitwouldprobablybeveryintense.Itteachesyouhowtokindoffocusinadeeperwayorsomething?


14

DaveAsprey: Itdependsonwhatprotocolsyou'retraining,butit'senhancingconnectivitybetweendifferentpartsofthebrain.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Whichcanmakeiteasiertostayinonestate.ItcantraindownADDthings.There'salsothisdefaultmodenetwork,andIthinkyou'vecoveredthatonyourshow,right?

JasonSilva: I'mnotsure,butyeahthedefaultmodenetwork.IrememberreadingMichaelPollan'sarticleintheNewYorkeraboutpsychedelicsandhewassaying.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Thatprettymuchwhattheydoisdisruptthedefaultmodenetwork,right?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: That'sliketheego,thesortofsenseofself.Theheartandseparation.

DaveAsprey: That'sprobably...

JasonSilva: No?

DaveAsprey: That'sprobablymoreoftheactivemodenetwork,I'mguessing.

JasonSilva: Okay,okay.Well,please,enlightenme.

DaveAsprey: No,no.Ididn'treadthearticlebutI'mthinkingaboutit.Weusedtothinkeitheryou'redoingsomething,soyourbrain'sinactivemode;oryou'redoingnothing,soyou'reindefaultmode.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Then,inOxford,theyfiguredout"Oh,you'realwayssomeinboth,"whichiskindofhowbiologyworks,right?


15

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: It'spercentageoftime.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Itturnsoutallthegoodstuffhappenswhenyou'reindefaultmode.Whenyou'redoingadultcoloring.You'replayingwithclay.You'regoingforawalkinthewoods,butyou'renotactivelydoingsomething,thenallthecreativity,andintuition,andallthegoodstuffthat'sbeenpercolatinginthere,that'swhenithappens.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: That'swhenitcomesout.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Theproblemiswhenyou'reinthatdefaultmode,you'reusuallyinsuchabetastatethatyoudon'trememberit.It'slikeyoudon'trememberyourdaydreams,youdon'trememberyourdreams.Theabilitytodrudgeupwhat'shappeningintheunconsciousandwhenyou'reinthatdefaultmode,andtohaveenoughactivemodetokeepamemorythreadrunning,that'satricktogettingmoreout.Forme,allmybestproductnamingideas,andlike,"WhatshouldIwriteaboutnext?What'sthewholetopicofmynextbook?"ItcomeswhenIallowthedefaultmodetodosomething,soifyoucantrainthestrengthofthedefaultmodewithelectrodes.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Wellofcourseyoushoulddothat,right?

JasonSilva: Well,it'sfunny.IfeellikeI'vesomehowfiguredoutawaytotrainthat.Ithinkforme,it'salwaysbeenthevideocamera.BecausewhenI'minthatre-associativestatewithorwithoutherbalenhancement.Whathappensis,yougeta...yourfrontallobe


16

floodedwithdopamine,patternrecognitionincreases,freeassociationincreases.You'reinflow,asStevenKotlersays.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: Whateveritis,thatwalkintheparkistriggeringthatflow.I'vealwayshadatthesametimereallyhighexecutivefunction.Infact,there'saincessantjournalistreporterinmethatneedstodocumentthemoment.WhenI'mfloodedbythosepatterns,whenI'mfloodedbythoseideas,thedaydreamingwhimsies,Imanicallyremembertotranscribeverbalise.

DaveAsprey: Youtrainyourselftobemorecreativeandtohavemoreintuition.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Justbythatact,right?

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.There'salwaysbeenthisobsessionwithtransience,andthefactthattheinspirationalmomentsaresofleeting.Ithinkthevideocameratherewasawayofstretchingandimmortalizingthemoment.Itjustbecamesecondnaturetome.IfyouwatchmyShocksofAwe,they'renotscripted.Thereisnoscript.There'sbarelyevenanoutline.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: SometimesI'llhaveaquote,oranameofanideathatIthinkwouldbecooltoexplain.Themajorityoftimes,we'reoutinBigSurSeaRanch,meandlike2guys,onecameraguyandmyfriend.Wejustgoforawalk.Goforawalk,we'llgetinthezone,intheflow.Yeah,andthenit'slikeallsubconscious.WhenItapin.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Theepisodesjustvomitout.Thereasonthatthey'relikethatisbecauseIwantittofeellikeI'mgoingforawalkwithyou,andIgotinspired,andI'mexplainingtoyouanidea.


17

DaveAsprey: Theyogapeoplecallthatconnectingtosource.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Youcanpickwhateverhippienameyouwanttocallit.

JasonSilva: Ofcourse.

DaveAsprey: There'saspecificneuro-chemicalbiologicalandprobablymagneticthing,whoknows.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Whenyougothere,Idon'tscriptmostofmystuff,either.

JasonSilva: Thereyougo,thereyougo.

DaveAsprey: It'slike,Igoonstage.

JasonSilva: Wellit'sjustlikelife.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Thebestconversationsarenotscripted.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: It'saboutwhetheryoucansummonthatwhenthere'sacameraoranaudience.

DaveAsprey: Infact,oneofthethingsthatteenagers,theyoftendoastheirbrainsaregrowingtheirprefrontalcortex,they'resittinginaconversationwithyouorwithanotherteenager.Insteadoflistening,they'rethinkingaboutwhatthey'regoingtosaynext.Theirwholebrainisconsumedbywhatthey'regoingtosaynext.That'spre-scripting,anditactuallytakesawayagoodconversation.Itmakesthemcrappylisteners.Nooffenseteenagerslistening,you'reactuallylisteningtothisanddoingagoodjob;butonaverage,yourlisteningskillsaren'ttrainedas


18

wellastheyaregoingtobewhenyou're30.Youcanprobablybetheoutlierabnormalpersonwho'sagreatlistenerwhenyou're15.It'sjustharder,right?

Whenyougothroughthatwholeprocess,andyourealizeatsomepointlike,"Okay.I'mgoingtoactuallylistenfullyandI'mnotgoingtoplan,andthenI'mgoingtotrustandbecomfortablewithwhatcomesoutofmymouth."Justlikethisinterview,wedidn'tscriptthis.Ihavesomenotesaboutyourbackground.

JasonSilva: Yup.

DaveAsprey: SoIremembertosayallthegoodstuffyou'vedone,butI'mnotreadingquestions.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: I'mbringingthemdown.

JasonSilva: You'reresponding.Yeah.WhathappenstomeifItrytobeagoodlistener,butalotofthetimes,ifyou'retellingmesomething...Ifsomebody'ssayingsomethingandmaybeyou'relikeathirdofthewayintowhatyou'resaying.Bythetimeyou'reonlyathirdoftheway,I'malreadygettingsomecrazyresponse.Then,there'sthedesiretointerruptyouthat'sonachime-inontheside.IttakesdisciplinetojustholditinandjusttrustthatI'llstillrememberbythetimeyou'redone.

DaveAsprey: Therearesomecommunicatorswhohavetocommunicateeverylittledetailinlinearorderbeforethey'llstop.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Thatcanbefrustrating.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: What'srunninginmyheadwhenI'mrecordinganepisode,orwhenI'mtalkingwithsomeone,it'slike"IswhatI'msayinguseful


19

fortheotherperson?Isitusefulfortheaudience?"Otherwise,I'mokaytojustshutupandbequiet.

Ithinksomepeopleit'slike,"Ihavetogetthewholestoryout.IfIdon'tgetthewholethingout,likeI'vesomehownotsucceeded."Ithinkthere'sdifferentcognitivestyles.I'mnotsayingmine'sbetter,I'mjustsayingthat'swhatitis.

JasonSilva: Sure,yeah.

DaveAsprey: HaveyoudoneanyresearchintothingslikeMyersBriggs,orliketheKolbeScore?

JasonSilva: Ihavenot.Thathastodowithlikebumpingupyourintelligenceorsomething,ormeasuringyour...

DaveAsprey: Well,MyersBriggsissortofthat'whatareyourpersonalitytraitsmostlikelytobe?'It'sapersonalityinventory.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: TheKolbeScoreissomethingthatDanSullivan,oneofthebigentrepreneurialcoachguyswho'sbeencoachingforlike40years,somevery,verysuccessfulentrepreneurs.Hecoachesme.HeusesthisthingcalledtheKolbeScore,whichisjust4numbers.Youanswerabunchofquestionsanditgivesyouascore.Thefirstnumber,it'scalledyourfactfinderindex.Ifinditfascinatingbecausesomepeople,likeifyou'rea9ora10onthisscale,you'regoingtogeteverybitofinformationbeforeyoumakeadecision.Ifyou'rea1,you'relike,"Soundsgood,"andyoujustgowithit,right?I'mlikea4,soI'mkindofinthemiddle.I'mgoingtogetenoughinformation,itdoesn'tmeanIcan'tgetalltheinfo,itdoesn'tmeanIcan'tmovequickly.It'sbecausemyinstinctistogetenoughinfotobereasonablycertain,andthentotakeaction.

JasonSilva: Yeah.


20

DaveAsprey: Then,coursecorrectovertime.Thereareotherpersonalitytypeswheretheirinstinctis,"Ohno.Iwilltakenoactionuntilit'sperfect."It'sreallyintriguingwhenyoufigurethosetraits.

You'relike,"Ohwait.That'swhatIdowhenI'mnotthinkingaboutit,butwhenIthinkaboutit,Imaydosomethingentirelydifferent."

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Thatself-awarenessformefromthatscorewasprettycool.

JasonSilva: Well,we'vedonelittlegamesonBrainGamesthatshowthatwe'reinsucharushtomakeaconclusionfromthestimuliassaultsusthatweoftenmisslittledetails.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: Mostofthetime,itdoesn'treallymatterorcostusanything;butforthepurposesofentertain,we'llhavesomebodyread...whatisit,likeNewYorkinthethespring,forexample,We'llwritetheword'the'twice.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: We'llhaveabunchofvolunteersreadthesentenceout-loud,andthey'llreadit15timesbeforetheycatchtheextra'the.'Thereasonisbecausetheirbrainisdoingaquicksnapshotandalreadyextrapolatingthemeaningfromjustseeingacoupleofthewordsinthesentence;andofcourse,missingtheerrorbecausetheydon'texpecttoseeanerror.Theyjustsimplydon'tseetheerror.Thatwouldbeanexampleofusjustveryquicklymakingadecisionaboutthestimulithat'scomingin,decidingwhatsomethingmeanswithoutpayingattentiontothedetails.

DaveAsprey: Itmakessomuchsense.

JasonSilva: Yeah.


21

DaveAsprey: Especiallyifyou'regoingtoapplythatbacktoyourself.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Ithinkit'sevenharder,becausethere'ssomesortofselfdefensemechanismagainstpayingattentiontoyourself.Ithinkyoucalledthattheego.Howmuchofyourpersonallearningshavebeenabouttheego,andtheego'sroleinhowyoubehave?

JasonSilva: Yeah,verymuchso.IthinkthebookthataffectedmethemostisabookbyErnestBeckercalled'TheDenialofDeath,'whichdistillsthehumanconditiontothefactthatweareuniquelyaware,intheanimalkingdom,ofourmortality.It'snotaboutimminentdemise.It'sjustaboutafactthatoneday,andthekindofanxietyanddistressthatthatcausestheego.Mancannotlivewithoutacontinuousbeliefofsomethingindestructiblewithinhimself,andsotheegoisconstantlytense.

Thereasoninmanywaysthatwesubordinateourenvironment,orthatweseekfameorpower,isasadefense,orsortofasaragingprotestagainstthisimpendingdoom.Itmakesalotofsense.Ialsothinkit'swhypsychedelics,psychotherapy,atleastforpeoplewithterminalcancer.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Seemstobesoeffectiveinmakingthemletgoofthatterrifyingfear.Thesametime,though,theegoisnecessary.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Foringenuity,andcreativity,andgoalseekingbehavior.Ithinkit'smostlyabouttheknobsandlever,asJamieWhealandKotlertalkabout,toeditingsubjectivity,toeditingourfundamentallogicalexperience.Maybeit'snotfullyobliteratingtheego,butmaybeit'sjustknowingwhentosetitaside,whentodissolveittemporarily.Then,onceyoureconstitute,maybeyou'llhaveadifferentsetofpriorities,youknow?I'minterestedinthatwholespace.Thesubjectivespace,andhowtoplaywithit.


22

DaveAsprey: It'sprettypowerfulwhenyougetamodelthatworksforyou.Ilookattheegoasthemeatoperatingsystem,andit'sjobistomakesurethespeciesdoesn'tdie.It'sgoingtotellyoutoeateverythingsoyoudon'tstarve.It'sgoingtotellyoutoscreweverythingtomakesurethere'senoughbabies.It'sgoingtotellyoutorunawayorkillthingsthatarescary,right?Prettymuchthat'stheoperatingsystemyouneedforanyspeciestosurvive.

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: It'sonly3things.Prettymucheveryego-drivenbehaviorisoneofthosethings,includingavoiddeath,isavoidscarythings.

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: Itwillcreatetheseamazing,fantasticfantasiesjusttoavoiddeath,orthethoughtofdeath,becauseit'stooscary.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Eventhoughthatmightnotbeinyourbestinterest,it'sstillgoingtodoit.

JasonSilva: Makessense.

DaveAsprey: That'satleastwhat'sleadmetobeabletomakemoredecisionsthatarefreeoffear,insteadof-

JasonSilva: Freeoffear?Haveyoubeenabletogetthere?ImeanIthinkthatifI...Iwouldsaythatmygreatestcreativitycomesfromlettinggoforsure.However,Ithinkalotofmyeffectivityandjust…andmyabilitytogetthingsdone,thathustle,andtheanxiety,andthefireinthebelly,hasbeenequallyimportanttotakethatcreativityandturnitintosomethingprolificandimpactfulintheworld.IgrewupinVenezuela.I'mJewish.I'mneurotic.Venezuelaisverydangerous.Iwasalwaysafraid,"Arewebeingfollowed?Arewegoingtogetkidnapped?"Like,"Issomebodybreakingintoourhome?"


23

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: It'samessedupplacetogrowup.Eveninthenicestneighborhood,you'restillkindofatarget.ThatvigilancehasprobablyturnedintoatoolthatmakessurethatwhenI'minspired,Ihavethecameraaround.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: There'sthiskindofdancebetweenthecreativemusingsandthesortofeffectivepiercingwilltodosomethingwiththat.

DaveAsprey: Ifyoutaketheanxietyandyougeneralizeittopassion...Theanxietyisaformofpassion,andsoisdesire,right?

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Ifyou'regoingtoshootthemostamazing2minuteYouTubething,ever.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Youcometoitwithlike,"Ihaveacertaindegreeofanxietyfuelingme,"andyoucanmakesomethingamazing.Youcanflipitoverandsay,"Ihavelikepassiontocreatesomethingamazing,orsomethingthat'sgoingtohelpalotofpeople."Forme,mywholecareer,especiallyintheearlydays,itwasdrivenbycuriosity,butitwasoutofthislike,"OhmyGod.I'mgoingtostarve.I'mnotgoodenough,"andallthenegativeanxietythings.

JasonSilva: Yup.

DaveAsprey: IhadfullonPTSDfromveryearlychildhood.

JasonSilva: Yeah?

DaveAsprey: Frombirth.Iwasbornwithacordwrappedaroundmyneckchokingme.ThatgivesyouPTSD,likeeverything'sathreatwhenyoucomeintotheworldthisfullofthreats,right?


24

JasonSilva: Yeah.Mydadwasbornwithacordaroundhisneck.I'vealsoreadrecentlythatHolocaustsurvivorswillpassdownthetraumaintheirgenes.

DaveAsprey: Myfirstbookhadthatinit!

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Yes,that'stotallytrue!Yes.

JasonSilva: Yeah,whichisinsane.Thenofcourse,myparentsdivorcedyoung.Iwas...Thatwastraumatic.Then,adangerouscountrylikeVenezuela.AllthosePTSDissues.Thenyouhavealreadythisphilosophicalmind,aninquiringmind.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Readingbooksabout'TheDenialofDeath.'It'slikewhenIhavebumpedmyheadagainstthecabinet,IwanttogogetacatscantomakesureIdon'thavemicro-bleeding,youknow?Icanveeroffinthatdirection,youknow?ThenpeopleseeShotsofAwe,andBrainGames,andlike"Ohheseemssorelaxedandpassionate!"

I'mlike,"Well,youknow."It'sadance,youknow?

DaveAsprey: It'sbecauseyou'reinthatstate.Whenyou'reinthatstate,you'renotinthatotheranxietystate,right?

JasonSilva: Right,right.

DaveAsprey: Wellthere's,forme,whatdiditwasheartratevariabilitytraining,whichconsciouslytrainsyoutoturnoffthatfightorflight.Then,whenyouhavealiedetector,basically,onyourheadlookingatbrainwaves.You'relike,"I'mnotafraid,"andit'slike'BZZ!'You'relike,"aw,fine."

JasonSilva: Yeah.


25

DaveAsprey: IguessIamafraidofthat.It'slike,"I'veletgoofwhateverthattraumawas,"andit'slike,'BZZ!'

You'relike,"damnit!"Right?

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: BasicallyeverytimeI'vedonethetraining,youeithercryorthrowup.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: -Becauseyoucometosomehorribleselftruth.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: You'relike,"Aww!Man!"Like,"youknow,IguessIstillhavesomeworktodothere."Then,there'swaystogoinandre-patternthings.Forme,that'sletmenotgiveupanyofthosestates,butactuallyaccessmorestatesandtodoitwithoutthestressandanxiety.PartofthewholephilosophybehindBulletproof,thebrand,isthatit'snotsupposedtobeastruggle.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: LiketheBuddist's,"Lifeisastruggle."Wellyeah,itis,butitdoesn'thavetobeahardstruggle.Itcanrequireeffortwithoutyoustruggling,right?

JasonSilva: Ilovethat.

DaveAsprey: Thedifferencebetweenworkingyourassoffandstrugglingtoworkyourassoff,isthatoneofthemhurtandtheotheronecanbejoyful.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Right?Iamopposedtostruggle.


26

JasonSilva: Iagree.Imean,ifyoudowhatyoulove,you'llneverworkadayinyourlife.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: That'swhateveryonesays,youknow?IfeellikeformethestruggleiswhenIcomeupagainstperceivedbiologicallimits,youknow?WhenI'mjet-lagged,whenIdidn'tgetenoughsleep,whenI'mjustlike"oh,shit,"youknowwhatImean?

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: Ingeneral,ifI'mabletotakecareofthosevariables,thenIusuallyfeelprettygood.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.Thebiologicallimitspissmeoffthemost,becauseIweighed300pounds,becauseIhadarthritiswhenIwas14inmyknees.

JasonSilva: Youweighed300pounds?

DaveAsprey: Idid,yeah.Ihadseverebrainfoginmymid20s,andjustallsortsofauto-immunethings.Iwasdiagnosedfibromyalgia,andchronicfatigue,andIhadtoxicmoldsyndrome.Iwaslivinginamoldyhouse.Itjustjackedmybrainup,soemotionalirregularity.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Inabilitytorememberstuff,justlikemybiologywasreallybad.Ibecamelikehyperfocusedfromthatanxietyspacewetalkedabout.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Onlike,"Okay,I'moldwhenI'm20."LikeIhavestretchmarks,still,thatIdon'tknowhowtogetridof.It'slike,"Okay,allthatstuff.I'mgoingtojustownit."Ilearnedallthatfromoldpeople,likeanti-agingexpertswhoareliketwiceorthreetimesmyage,becausetheirtechniquesforturningonbiologywereworkingforme.


27

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Iwaslike,"Waitaminute.Whatif,nowthatI'mbacktohealth,whatifIkeepgoing?"Youkeephackingthehumanbodymore,andmore,andatthatpointyou'relike,"Allright,Ihangoutwithalotoftranshumans,"youconsideryourselfatrans-humanist,don'tyou?

JasonSilva: Yes.Ithinktranshumanism...Imeanlook,Ihavenodoubtthattherearescenariosthatpeoplecanenvisionthatsoundreallyscaryinthewholelike,ofcoursetheeugenicswiththehacksishorriblestuff.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: LikefromtheperspectivethatI'mcomingfrom,andIthinkthatpeoplelikeRayKurzweil,orPeterDiamandis,orStevenKotler,orevenJamieWheal,are...MartinMcluhansaidit,webuildthetoolsandthetoolsbuildus.Weuseourtoolstoexpandourlimits.Weuseourtoolstoextendourreach.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: We'vehadasymbioticrelationshipwithtechnologyforever.We'veusedtechnologytoovercomeproblems,includingdoublingthehumanlifespan.Eventhoughnewtechnologysometimescausenewproblems,theysolvemoreproblemsthantheycreate.Wecanalwaysevolvenewertechnologiestosolvethoseunintendedconsequences.I'mafiercelyoptimistic,andI'mphilosophicallyprotheideathat...humanity'sanengineeringproject.It'sanengineeringprojectthatweneedtoputallofourlaborandcreativeeffortsinto.Wearethecanvas.Wearetheworkofart,andrageagainstdyingofthelight,asDylanThomassaid.I'ma100%pro-immortalism,radicallifeextension,bio-techinterventionstoaugmentourselvesalltheway,yeah.

DaveAsprey: YouandIarecutfromthesafecloththere.

JasonSilva: Yeah.


28

DaveAsprey: WhatI'velearned,backintheearlydaysofCyberPunk,Iwasreadingthisstuff,andlike,"Ican'twaittogetrobotarms."

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Butactually,maybeI'molderandwiser,itdoesn'tmakesensetoupgradeyourhardwareuntilyou'vemadefulluseofit.IwouldlovetoseeevenmoreresearchgointohowdoImakemymitochondriaworkbetter?HowdoIhavefullcontrolovermyhormonalsystems?Wehavealltheseknobsandleversinsideourbodies,thesebiologicalcontrolsystems,delicatefeedbackloops,andmostofthemwe'reunawareof.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Theonesweknowabout,weusuallysmashthemontheheadwithchemicalsthatdon'tactuallyfitrightintothelocks.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: But,they'reveryprofitable,sowedothat.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Weignoretheeffectoflights,andtimingoffood,andtypeofexercise,andallthesethingsthatarehugevariables.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Sinceeveryonedoesthemallthetime,wethinkthey'renon-variables.

JasonSilva: WellIagree.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Ithinkbiologyisatechnology,andtheknobsandleversapproachtobiology,tooptimizingourselfsystems,asJamieWhealsaysinhisgreatTEDxdoc.Weturnourleakybucket,ourcolander,intoa


29

chalice.Whynotoptimizealltheway?Yeah,theexternalinterventionscancomewhentheycome,butIagree.Inthemeantime,radicaloptimizationfromwithinishugelyimportant.Ironically,it'snotimmediatelyaccessible.OtherthanshoppingatWholeFoods,Iwouldn'treallyknowwheretostart,youknowwhatImean?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Itrytoeathealthy.Ieatbrownrice.Ieatleanprotein,butstill,Iseewhatyou'redoingandI'mlike,"Well,maybeifIhadasortofvirtualyouwithmeallthetimetellingmewhentosleepandhowtoact,it'dbeeasier."But,Itravelalot.I'montheroad,Imeanit'shard.

DaveAsprey: Yeah,metoo.

JasonSilva: SometimesI'mjustlike,"IwishIhadthenanobots,"youknow?

DaveAsprey: I'mcompetingwithRayKurzweilforthenumberofvitaminsaday,andIhavebeenforadecade.Morethanadecade.


DaveAsprey: Mystandardnumber,180.IthinkIcanmakeitto180,andthat'sonlybecauseIhaveareallycrappystarttomybiology.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Iprobablywouldbecapableofmore,andI'mnotjoking.

JasonSilva: Youcuredyourselfofallthoseillnessesyoumentioned?

DaveAsprey: Thevastmajorityofthem.There'sstillsomeautoimmunestuff,it'sgenetic,thatIdon'tlike,andI'mactivelyworkingonit.Iamincrediblystrongandresilient.Isleep6hoursanight,it'sallIneed.I'veslept6hoursanightformorethan1,000nights,notbecauseitwastheonlyamountIcouldsleep.It'sbecauseI'veoptimizedmysleep.


30

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Mybiologyworkssowellthatthat'sallthecleaningmybrainneedsatnight.

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: Iwakeup,andI'mlike"Allright!I'mgood!"

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Stufflikethat,yeahIfeellikeI'veneverbeenstronger.Mybloodmarkersaregood,andwhenthey'renotgood,Iknowhowtocontrolthemandputthemback.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: IstillreacttoafewfoodsIdon'twanttoreactto,butwaylessthaneverbefore.Thetrajectoryofthearrowisgood,butI'lltellyouinanother20years.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: MygoalistolookyoungerthanIdotodayin20years.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: I'mnotsayingthatbecauseIwanttosoundlikeapsycho.

JasonSilva: No.

DaveAsprey: Iactuallybelievethat,andIhaveahalfamilliondollarlaboratorydownstairswhereIdostuffthatnooneonearthdoes.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Inordertomakemyselflivelonger.I'mdeadseriousaboutthis.



31

DaveAsprey: It'snotbecauseI'mafraidofdying.I'mtotallyhappytodie.IjustwanttodieofcircumstancesIchoose,whenIchoose.That'sit.Like,"death?Fine.Whatever."

JasonSilva: Well,butthenyougo.Indefinitelifespan.

DaveAsprey: Yes.

JasonSilva: It'suptoyou,notimposedbyentropy.

DaveAsprey: Yes.

JasonSilva: Idon'tknowifyou'veeverreadabookbyAlanHarrington,1968,called'TheImmortalist.'

DaveAsprey: Yes,Ihavereadthat.

JasonSilva: That'samagnificentbook.I'llneverforget,oneofthebestlinesis"Wemustneverforgetwearecosmicrevolutionaries,notStoogesconscriptedtoadvancethenaturalorderthatkillseveryone."Ialwaysthoughtthatthat'sjustbeautifullysaid.

DaveAsprey: Yup.

JasonSilva: Hesortofjustragesagainsttheridiculousnessoftheennoblingmortality.Hesays,"Anyphilosophythatacceptsdeathmustitselfbeconsidereddead,it'squestionsmeaningless,it'sconstellationswornout."Forme,thiscomeslessfromaplaceofvanityandmorefromaplaceofdeepattachmenttothethingsandpeoplethatIlove.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Myloveofmusic,ofinstruments,ofart,offamily,offriendship,oflovemaking,ofallthesethingsthatmakelifesunny,andlusty,andbeautiful.Myloveofaestheticarrest.Myloveoflearning.Ijustfeellike,howcouldyougofromthattobeingfoodforworms?Itdoesn'tmakesense.


32

DaveAsprey: ItonlymakessenseifyoubelieveinsomethingthatIprettymuchnevertalkaboutonBulletproofRadio.Atleast,maybewithacoupleshamans,aboutlikereincarnation.IknowthatyouhaveanepisodecomingupthatIreallywanttoseethat,theGodbrain,whereyougotoIsrael.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: YoutalkabouttheGodbrain.There'sresearchthatsaysbelievinginGodmaybehardwiredinourbrains.There'sanothersetofresearchthoughthatsaysreincarnationmightbeaDarwinianevolvedsurvivalthingforourspecies.There'sactuallyareallystrongcase.There'sahardscientificbook...Theguy'snameisTodd,andhe'sactuallyafriend,andI'mblankingonhislastname,becausehe'soneofthosefriendswhereyouknowhisfirstname,andit'skickingmybuttrightnow.I'llputhisnameintheshownotes.Icouldprobablyfindhimonmyphone.

Anyway,there'safullbookwithscientificcredentialstalkingabout...Okay,here'sallthethingsthatdon'tmakesenseifyoubelievethatthere'snoreincarnation.Here'sthescientificcaseforwhythisspecieswouldbestrongeriftherewas.Here'swherethesethingslineup.It'sagoodhypothesis.Wehaven'tprovenityet,butit'snotunreasonable.Then,deathbecomessomethingdifferent,ifyoubelievethat.

JasonSilva: Sure.Ifyoubelieveinanything,thenitbecomessomethingdifferent.Letmeaskyou,duringyourAyahuascatrip,didyouseetheselftransformingmachineelvesthatMcKennatalksabout?Didyoucomeoutofthatexperiencefeelinglike,"Well,I'maninfinitebeingafterall,"ornot?

DaveAsprey: Ihavenotseenthemachineelves,allthough...Yeah,I'veactuallyneverseenmachineelves.I'vecertainreadthedescriptions.Duringsomeneuro-feedback,andduringsomeholotropicbreathingwithStanGrof...Forpeoplelistening,StanGrofis-

JasonSilva: Yeah,hewroteLSDPsychotherapy!


33

DaveAsprey: Yeah,with10,000patientsforyears,legallywithLSD.Whenitbecamebanned,heinventedakindofbreathingthatmakesyoutrip.I'vebreathedwithhimpersonally.Hewas84yearsoldatthetime,Ithink.Youseethings.IsawmoretherethanIdidonAyahuascatobehonest.

JasonSilva: Wow!Wow.

DaveAsprey: Veryprofoundstuffthatdoesmakeyourealizethatyourplaceintheuniverseisprobablybigger,andsmallerthanyouthoughtitwas.

JasonSilva: Yeah.YourememberthemovieContact?

DaveAsprey: Yeah!

JasonSilva: JodieFoster.ThatwasbasedonaCarlSagannovel.

DaveAsprey: Right.

JasonSilva: Ithoughtthatfilmwasmagnificent,andbeautiful.

DaveAsprey: Itis.

JasonSilva: Irelatetoher.She'sthewonderjunkie,andshe'stotallysecular.However,theendofthefilmpresentsawonderfulphilosophicaldilemmafortheever-secularastronomerthatshewas.Theendofthefilm,theybuildthething,itspinsaroundsupposedlycreatingawarpdrive.Then,theydrophercapsulethroughit.Then,assoonasthedrophappens,we'rewithinherPOV.WithinherPOV,shesling-shotsacrossthegalaxyforIdon'tknowhowmanyhours.She'swearingalittlemountedcameraonherforehead.Shefreakinggoestotheotheredgeofthegalaxy.

Shesays,"Ihadnoidea.Theyshouldhavesentapoet."Shemeetsthealiensintheformofherfather'sghost,sothattheycancommunicatewithherinthatvirtualreality.Hastheontologicalawakening,seesthelight,sotospeak.Then,(snaps)comesback,fallsthroughthewarpdriveandisrightbackonearth.Then,what


34

happened?Shesays,"ohmyGod!Iwentacrosstheuniverse!Isawthe-"

They'relike,"Waitaminute.Waitaminute.Lookatthecamerafirst,theexternalcamera."Theexternalcamerashowsthathercapsulegoesrightthroughinstantly.Itwasoutofsightformorethanamillisecond.That'stheexternalcamera.Thenshe'sfacedwithacrisisoffaith.What'sthedifferencebetweenherexperienceandsomebodywhothinkstheyseeGod?OrsomebodywhotookAyahuascaandsawtheseselftransformingmachineelves?Thenwe'relike,"Wow!"Okay,sofinallyshe'shavingatasteofherownmedicinebecausenowshe'sforcedintothecornerofthosereligiousnutsthatshewascriticizingbefore,right?Becausethat'stheexternalcamera.

DaveAsprey: Yes!

JasonSilva: Thentheysay,"Wellwhataboutthecamerathatshewearingonherforehead?"

They'relike,"Oh,thatjustrecordedstatic.Sothatdoesn'tcount."

Then,thelastlineinthemoviesays,"Whattroublesmeisnotthatthatcamerarecordedstatic,butthatitrecorded13hoursofit."

DaveAsprey: Yes!

JasonSilva: Thenyou'relike,"Oh!Soshedidgo!"Iguessmyquestiontothosepeoplewhohavenear-deathexperiences,religiousexperiences,peoplewhotakeAyahuascaandseeGod,andsaythatspaceandtimecollapse.Iftherewasawayofmeasuringsubjectivetime,ifwehadtheequivalentofthatheadmountedcameraforthetripperwhosaysthattheLSDopensaportaltoanotherdimension,andwecouldsay,"Okay.Well,wefilmedthemfromtheoutsideandtheywereonlytrippingfor6hours,"butthecamerainsidetheirsubjectiveworldrecordedathousanddays.Then,it'slikethemovieInception.Thenit'slikedreamwithinadream.


35

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Fiveminutesintherealworld,to10hoursindream;butthereisnowaytomeasurephenomenology.

DaveAsprey: Thereis.

JasonSilva: It'seasier...Thereis?

DaveAsprey: Well,justthewayyou'retalkingabout.

JasonSilva: Quantive?

DaveAsprey: WhenIdosomeoftheadvancedneuro-feedbackstuff,youtrip.I'vedissolvedintotheuniverse.I'veseenpastlives.Like,crazystuffthatshouldn'thappen.Thereisnodrugsinvolved.Allyou'redoingisyou'rebasically...Everytimeyourbraindoessomethingyoudon'twantittodo,youtellittoshutupandeventuallyitgetsoutofit'sownway.You'relike,"Okay.Holdon.Like,stuff'shappening.Idon'thavearmsrightnow."Okay,nodrugsinvolved.Justadvancedmeditationkindofstuff;butmeditationwithrubberbumpers.Whenyoudoitwrong,itgetsquiet,soit'seasier.It'scheating.WhenI'vedonethatsortofthing,Idoattheendofit,Isay,"Howmuchtimewasit?"

Whatyoufindisthatwhenpeoplehaveprofoundexperiences,theywillreport,"Jeez,itfeltlikethatwasa4ora6hourthing."

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Whenpeoplearesloggingthrough,it'slike"AwGod,itfeltlikeitwasmaybeahalfhourbutitwasjustboring,"right?Wecansaythere'sacorrelationbetween"Ihadanamazingthing"and"IfeltlikeIhadthishugetime."There'shintsofthishappeningatleast.

Ifyoudothat10,000timeswithawholebunchofpeople.You'relike,"Wait.Whyisitthattimedialateswhenpeoplearehavingaspiritualexperience,versustheydon't?"Itdoesn'tmeantheyare


36

havingone,itjustmeansthatwhentheyreportone,theythinktimeislonger.There'ssomethingtothat.

JasonSilva: Right,butIguessmyquestion...I'malwaysobsessedwith"Whatreallyhappened?"

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: LikeifJodieFosterdidn'thavetheheadmountedcamera,andweonlyhadtheexternalcamerawhichshowsthatshewentrightthrough,thenhersubjectiveaccountofgoingcrossthegalaxy.Therearesomepeoplewhosayaliensalreadyhavevisitedus.They'recalledpsychedelics.Psychedelicsarethewarpdrivesthatopentheportaltoanotherdimension.Thatamoreadvancedaliencivilizationdoesn'tneedrocketsorstarships,theyhavethesemagicalchemicalsthatopeninter-dimensionalportals.

DaveAsprey: Sure.

JasonSilva: That'sthewholeessenceofotherdimensions.Somypointis,it'slikeJodieFostersayingshewentbutwithoutthecamerathatrecorded13hours.Mywholeproblemis,"Well,diditreallyhappen?"I'mlike,"Didshereallygo?"Well,subjectivelyshedid.Objectively?Idon'tknow!

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Doesitmatter?Attheendoftheday,onlysubjectivitymattersbutthenwhatareyougoingtodowhensomebody'sparanoidschizophrenicwho'sbeingdistressed.We'relike,"Thosevisionsaren'treally,"youknowwhatImean?

DaveAsprey: What?

JasonSilva: Likeifwetellyouthatsubjectivityisreal,thenallofasuddenanythingbecomespossible.Idon'tknowifthat'sgoodeither.

DaveAsprey: Well,maybebrainwavesreallymatter.Whatifwefindthateverytimesomeonehasthiscombinationofbrainwaves,theyhavethis


37

inthefrontofthebrain,thisinback.Theseareinphase,theseareoutofphase.Whateveritis,whentheyself-reportamysticalexperienceandthemysticalexperiencehasthesecharacteristics,saymachineelves,andthebrainwavesdothis.Ishavingthefactthatthebrainactuallydidwhatmakesmultiplepeopleseethesamething,isthatavaluablepieceofinfo?

Ithinkit'soneofthemostpreciouspiecesofinformationthatwehaveforhumanbeingstosay,"Okay,thesealteredstates,"bytheway,highperformanceisanalteredstate,right?"Thesealteredstatesarequantifiable,andthey'rereproducible,becauseyoucantakesomeonewhohasthismysticalexperiencewiththissetofbrainwavesandyoucantrainthisbrain...Whichmightbeverydifficult,anditmightbedebilitating,butyoucantrainthisbraintohavethesamebrainwavesandthey'lllikelyhavethesameexperience."

Atthatpoint,you'vetakensomeofthesubjectivityout.Wecanshowbrainwaveequivalents,orapproximatebrainwaveequivalents,andwecansaybothpeoplesubjectivelyreport"Imetafairy,"oranangel,orwhateverwe'retryingtoreproduce,right?

Ifthesamebrainstateproducesthesamesubjectivereality,Ithinkthat'saverybigscientificstepthansaying"Ah,peoplejustseerandomshit,"right?

JasonSilva: Fairenough,yeah.I'dbuythat.

DaveAsprey: Idon'twanttostealyourthunderonyourFebruary21stepisode,butwhatdidyoulearninIsraelwiththeGodbrain?I'minterested.

JasonSilva: Yeah,itwasfun.Wewenttoaplacethatwouldprovideagoodwallpaperforthatnotion,theneuroscienceofreligiousexperience.It'snotlikewewenttotrashreligionoranythinglikethat,butwewantedtoshowthewaysinwhichreligiousbeliefaffectsourneurobiology.


38

Irememberwewenttoseethisguyinacrazycathedral,andweweretalkingabouthowarchitecture...Howcathedralsaredesigned...Architecturehasacontentionalitybehindit.Architecturecanscriptourinnerworld,that'sapowerfulthing.Notjustwhenpeoplearetripping,butsometimeswhenpeopleareprayingtoGod,youknow?PeopleexperienceStendhalsyndromewhentheyseesomeofthisreligiousarchitecture.TheyseetheSistineChapelpaintings,peoplewillcollapse.Music,organsthattheyplayinthesechurches,thesethingsalsolikearrestthebody,mind;controlthetension.

DaveAsprey: Theydo.

JasonSilva: Pointittotheseecstaticplaces.Thesearealteredstatesofconsciousness,andsowelookedatthewayreligiondoesthat.Wealsodidthesefunnygameswherewewouldofferpeoplea100buckstosaytheydon'tbelieveinGod.Wegivethem$100andbelike,"Fora$100,wouldyousaythatyouareanastyperson?""Fora$100,wouldyousaythatyouaredishonest?""Fora$100,wouldyoudothis?"Wejustaskthemto...Peoplearehappytosaywhateveryouwantforthemoney.Then,whenyou'relike,"Well,for$100wouldyousayyoudon'tbelieveinGod?"Thentheygotweird.

DaveAsprey: Really?

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.Evenlikenon-religiouspeople.Theyjustdidn'tfeellikecursingbeliefinGodformoney.Theyjust...Allofasuddenit'slikekarmaorsomething,Idon'tknow.

DaveAsprey: It'sprobablyabadbet.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Ifyouascribeevenasmallpercentageoflikelihoodtoanyofthatbeingpossible.

JasonSilva: Exactly.


39

DaveAsprey: Thenyou'relike,"youknow,thisiskindoflikeplayingwithfire,"right?

JasonSilva: It'sabadbet.Right,right.

DaveAsprey: Sowouldyoudoit?

JasonSilva: WouldIdoit?It'saninterestingquestion.I'magnostic,right?

DaveAsprey: Okay,soamI.

JasonSilva: I'moneofthosepeople,I'mslightlyjealousofthosethathavesomuchfaiththattheyhavenofear,kindofthing.I'malsonotreadytoresignallpossibilitytobesurprised,becauseI'vebeensurprisedbefore;butyeah.Wealsowentandvisitedalabwherethey'redoingbrainmachineinterfaces.

DaveAsprey: That'ssocool.

JasonSilva: ThatmakeusmorelikeGods.Sowhathappenswhenwecansortofthinkobjectstomove,andallofasuddenwe'rehavingGod-likepowers.Thatwasalsopartoftheshow.It'sgoingtobeacoolone.

DaveAsprey: Icannotwaittoseethatone.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: OneofthethingsthatIbelieveisthatwhenyoufeelhateandjustnegativeemotionstowardsanotherperson,ittakessomethingfromyou.Iseethatwithneurofeedback.Itactuallydoescostmesomethingtospendtimeonhate.It'slikecarryingsomeoneelse'sbaggageforthem.I'mnotgoingtodothat.

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: Ialsothinkthatitactuallyharmsthemonsomeweirdhardtodefinelevel.Like,ifyoumakeyourselfmorelikeGodbecauseyouhaveabrainmachineinterface,youbetterhavedamngoodcontrolofyouremotions.Ifyou'relike,"Icontrolthedeathlaser,"


40

andlike,"Oh,damn!Ijust,Ithoughtahatefulthoughtaboutthatguyoverthere,nowhe'ssmokingrubble."

JasonSilva: That'saverygoodpoint.It'slikethemovie"MinorityReport,"wheretheycouldpredictsomebody'slikelihoodofmakingacrime.

DaveAsprey: Well,Idon'tknowifwewantpeoplemonitoringoureverythoughts.

JasonSilva: Thatwouldbenotgood,Ithink.

DaveAsprey: Oneofthegreatdangersofneurosciencerightnowissomethingthatishappeningeveninthefieldofneurofeedbackwhereyoutakeathousandpeopleandyougettheirbrainwaves.Yougo,"Lookthisiswhatahealthybrainlookslike,"youjustaveragethisout.

Allright,soyoutakethatbrainstateandyousay,"youknow,I'mgoingtotakesomeonewho'sinjailandI'mgoingtotrainthemtothatbrainstate."Itchangestheirlife,theirnon-recidivismgoesdown.Theystoptheviolentimpulses.Lifeisbetter.You'vefundamentallyhelpedsomeone.

Solike,"Great!I'veunlockedthecode.I'mjustgoingtodothatforeveryone!"

Whatyou'reactuallydoingisyou'retakingFstudentsandmakingthemCstudents.Great.You'realsotakingtheAstudentsandmakingthemCstudents.Youcanactuallytakeawayyouruniqueadvantages,youruniquebenefits.Whatwecouldendupwith,ifyougodowntheMinorityReportsideofthings,iswhereweactuallyhave...Haveyoueverhearthatsongwheretheytakeliketheaveragesongthateveryonewouldlike?

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: It'slikethemostbanal,justhorriblemusicyou'deverwanttohear.


41

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: It'sgotalittlebitofsax,alittlebitofthat.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: But,it'sjunk.

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.Itwouldkilltherichnessofourdiversitythatmakesussospecial,right?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: There'sawholethingthereaboutneurodiversityandhowimportantthatistohavedifferentkindsofbrains.

DaveAsprey: Havinganartistandahardcorescientistinthesameroomisimportant,inthesamesocietyiscriticallyimportant.

JasonSilva: Yes.

DaveAsprey: They'rejustdifferent,andneitherisbetterthantheother.Icomefromthissciencesideofthings,butItellyou,Irespectthehelloutoftheguywhowrote"ragingagainstthedyingofthelight,"oneofmyfavoritelinesfromapoem,right?

JasonSilva: Yes.Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Ididn'twritethat,andIdon'tknowthatmybrainwouldhave.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Butitsureisgood.

JasonSilva: Right,right.Icouldn'tagreemore.

DaveAsprey: Well,whatdoyoudoforyourbrain?You'vehadachancetotalktoalltheseneuroscientists,whatdoyoudotokeepyourbrainhappyandhealthy?Whatareyourbigthings?


42

JasonSilva: Mybigthingsaresleep,youknow?I'mnotreallyintostayingupuntil4inthemorning.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Ireallyneedmysleeptobeabletoregulateemotions,justvitalforme.Inmymorningroutine,Idolikecoffeeinthemorning.IneedtostarthavingyourBulletproofcoffee.

DaveAsprey: It'sawesome.

JasonSilva: I'musuallylikeadoubleortripleicedespressointhemorning.Then,likeaworkout.I'llwakeup,I'lldosomepushups,I'lldosomepushups.Justspendlike30minutesorsomethingjustdoingsomething.IfI'minWestcoastorsomething,Ilovehiking,soI'llgoforahike.I'lldowhatever,somethinglikethat.Mymorningsareusuallyleftbrainproductivity,taskorientated.Thenmyafternoons,inanidealday,aredecompress,freeassociationorcreative.That'skindofhowIdoit.It'slikethemorningiscoffee,theafternoonisdivergentthinking.Yeah,yeah.

DaveAsprey: Thatisacoolsetup.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Intermsoffood,haveyouseenanyresearch,stuffthatmakesthebrainworkbetter?Notworkaswell?Obviouslycoffeemakesyourbrainworkbetter,atleastintheshortterminstudies.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Otherthanthat,doyouhavestuff?

JasonSilva: I'vebeendoingthe...Imean,IgrewupeatingbeansandlegumesinVenezuela.I'mabig...I'masuckerfortheproteinrichvegetableslikelentils.I'mlikeabrownriceandlentilkindofguy.Ifthere'squinoa,evenbetter.

DaveAsprey: Cool.


43

JasonSilva: Withlikeleanchickenbreast,orsalmon.There'sabunchofplacesinNewYorkthatarelikefastfoodplacesofultrahealthykindofbrownrice-ytypeofplaces.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Icouldeatthateverysingleday.Icouldhavebrownriceandlentilsforlunchanddinnereveryday.Ireallycould.Thatkindoffoodhasalwaysservedmewell.I'vebeenthesameweightforalongtime.Myenergylevelhasalwaysbeengood.Digestivesystemhasalwaysbeengoodwiththatkindofadiet.

DaveAsprey: You'refortunate.

JasonSilva: Yeah?

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Idon'tknow,Idon'treallyhavealotofbread.SometimesifI'minahotelandI'mhavingeggsforbreakfastbecausetheydon'thavebrownriceandlentils,I'llhavesomewheattoast.Butallthestuffnowissayingthatbreadisactuallynotgood.

DaveAsprey: Itseemslikethere'ssomeprettygoodevidenceforit,butbreadisabiggerproblemforsomepeoplethanothers.Inmyresearch,anyway,it'sneversomethingthatisgoingtomakeyouasstrongasabetterchoice.Like,brownriceversusbread,I'dsay"Alwayseatthebrownrice."

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Ofcourse,I'dalsoeatthewhitericeinsteadofthebrown,too,so.

JasonSilva: Youwould?

DaveAsprey: It'saspectrum.Iwould,yeah.

JasonSilva: Howcome?


44

DaveAsprey: 80timesmorearsenicinthebrownricethanthewhiterice.

JasonSilva: I'veheardofthis!Evenliketheorganicfarmbrownricehasthatstuff?

DaveAsprey: Yup.Also,theamountofquote,vitamins,yougetinthere,it'strivial.There'salsosomeanti-nutrients.

JasonSilva: Really?

DaveAsprey: Liketheseedprotectsitselffrompredationbycoveringitselfinthingsthatkeepyoufromabsorbingthevitamins.Ilookatriceasasourceofenergy,allright,butthenutrientscomefromplants,notseeds.Especiallynotlikericekindofgrains.I'mlike,yeah,putsomericeonthere,eatyourbroccoli,eatyourkale,preferablycooked,andallofyourotherthings,eggyolks,stufflikethat.Tocounterthebrownrice,togiveyoualittlebitofBvitamin...Comeon,there'snotaBvitaminintheretomatterbutthere'senougharsenictomatter.It'soneofthoselike…

JasonSilva: Gotit.Soyouwouldactuallysaylike,"Don'thavethebrownriceatall.Justhavewhiterice."

DaveAsprey: I'dsay-

JasonSilva: Whataboutbeansandlentils?

DaveAsprey: Ifyouhaveachoice,goforthewhiterice;butifyoudon'thaveachoice,goforthebrownrice.Unlessitcausesmassivedigestivedistress,thenyoushouldn't.

JasonSilva: No.

DaveAsprey: Becauseit'snotgoodforyou,right?

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Lentils,forme,areonthesuspectfoodslist.There'sagroupofpeoplewhokickassonlentilsandthey'reperfectlyfine.They're


45

relativelyhighinstarch,likeevenahigherstarchdietthanIdo,whichisalsookay.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: There'salsoabiggroupofpeoplewhothinklentilsaresupposedtobehealthy,andwhenevertheyeatthem,andtheyeatthemeveryday,itmakesthemweak.Itmesseswiththeirdigestion.They'renotgeneticallysetuptodigestthem.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Itcausesanimmuneprobleminthosepeople.I'mlike,"Ifitworksforyou,anditdoes,thencool!It'sallright.We'realldifferentpeople."But,havingthatroadmapthatsaysit'sokaytonotlikelentils,andit'sokaytoeatlentils,butyoubettermeasureyourresults,andhonortheresultsbecausethoseareyoursubjectivereality.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Versusevidence-basedmedicinesays.

JasonSilva: Sure.

DaveAsprey: Whichisactuallypharmaceuticalevidencebasedmedicine,forthemostpart.Itdidn'tevenpayattentiontofoodverywell.

JasonSilva: Wow,sowhatisyour...Whatislikeanidealmealforyou,then?

DaveAsprey: Forme,theBulletproofdietwaslikemyNewYorkTimessortofmanifestoabout"Here'swhatyoucando"andthere'sasetoffoodsthatare...Icallthem'Bulletproof,'andthesearefoodsthatarefullofnutrientsbutmoreimportantly,fullofenergywithoutalotofdownside.Then,there'sagroupoffoods,thesuspectfoods,theyhavedownsidesforbignumbersofpeople,butnoneforothers.Youjustneedtoeliminatesuspects.Eitherthey'reinnocentorguilty,justsortthem,andthenyou'regood.Then,there'skryponitefoodslikeMSG,andmargarine,andfood


46

additives.Iputglutenonthere,too.Youdon'tneedtoeatthatstuffevertobehighperforming.

Forme,Ieataplatecoveredinvegetables,likeliterallyafullplateofvegetables.ThenIcoverthatinguacamole,orgrass-fedbutter;likealotoffat,70%ofmycalories.Thentherestisgrass-fedbeef,orwildcaughtfish,likeamoderateamountofit.Thefatsarespecifichealthyfats.Nocornoil,noneofthat.Prettymuch,that'sit.It'saplant-baseddiet.Soabigplateofplantswithalittlebitofveryhealthyanimalprotein,noindustrialmeatwhatsoever.WhenIeatthatway,Ineedlesssleep.Imaintainmybodyweight.Ihaveenergyallday,likemorenowthanIdidwhenIwas20.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: That'smyrecipe,andtheprinciplesbehinditare...There'sanalgorithmtofigureoutyourbestthing.But,ifyouwentonmydiet,youmightexperiencebetteremotionalregularity.Youmightalsobelike,"Ifeellikecrapallthetime,andIcan'tsleep,"right?Ifyoufollowtherulesof'getridofthethingsthatmakeyouweak,anddomoreofwhatmakesyoustrong,'youwillalwayswin.That'swhatI'mtryingtoteachpeoplewiththatbodyofwork.

JasonSilva: Gotit.Wow.Igottotrytostartpayingattentiontothat,becausesomuchofit,inmymind,hasalwaysbeenpsychosomatic.Iassumethebrownriceandthelentils,themacro-bioticdiet.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Issomethingmyunclehasbeendoingforalongtime,andsothat'skindofspilledoverintoourfamily.It'samacro-biotic,butthenaddsomeleananimalprotein.

DaveAsprey: Wecantellifitworks.It'sprettyeasy.Wegetsomebloodtests,andifyourinflammationmarkersarealllow,andyourhormonelevelsarewhereyouwantthem,thenit'sworking.I'lltellyou,andhowoldareyounow?

JasonSilva: 34.


47

DaveAsprey: You're34,okay.Between30and40,yourtestosteronelevelsdothis,yourstomachacidlevelsdothis,andallsortsofthingschange.Ifyou'renotgettingenoughofsaturatedfatinyourdiet,forinstance,yourtestosteronelevelswillstarttoplummetandthenyougetthatmiddlebulge;butitmaynothappen.Iknow65yearoldswhohavebeenonmacro-bioticvegetariandietsforeverandthey'restrong.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: Ijustfindthatforalotofpeople,theywanttobestrong,butthey'renotactuallystrong.Iwasarawveganforawhile.I'vebeenavegetarian,I'vedoneallthese,andsothiswaskindofthecarefulprocessofelimination.Ialsodotheone-pageinfo-graphic,it'safreethingIjustletpeopledownloadthat'slikethegutsoftheBulletproofDiet.

JasonSilva: Right.

DaveAsprey: It'slike,findwherethefoodis,it'sprettyeasy,thenfigureout,"Allright.AmIfeelinggoodonitornot?"

JasonSilva: Thenthere'smydadwhowillhavejustlentilsoupandSerranoham,andpiecesofcheese.He's69.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Hedoesspinningclasseveryday,andhehasabodyofa30yearold,youknow?

DaveAsprey: Wow.Youhavefortunategenesthere.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Alotofthestudiesnowsayit'swhatyourgrandmotheratethathasthebiggestthing.Myfirstbookaboutpregnancyandfertility,Ireallywentintothat.

JasonSilva: Yeah.


48

DaveAsprey: It'slike,look...Thisisanotherthingthatissoeffectspeople,ifyourgrandmotherwasinafamine,yourchancesofdiabetesaremuchhigher.SomeoftheWorldWar2comesoutofthataswell,someoftheresearchyoutalkedaboutearlierwithconcentrationcamps.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Yougothroughallthat,butit'sless-soforthefather,becauseit'sthegrandmother'snutritionaffectedwhichgeneswentintotheeggthatbecameyourmom.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Thenyourmomselectedtheeggforyoubasedontheenvironmentalconditionsatthattimeofconception.

JasonSilva: Wow.

DaveAsprey: Man,itscomplex,andwebarelyknowanythingaboutit.Thatstuffjustfascinatesmealldaylong.

JasonSilva: Yeah.I'dlovetohaveamealwithyousometime,dude.

DaveAsprey: Whereareyoubased?AreyouinLAoraNewYorkguy?

JasonSilva: I'minNewYork,I'minNewYork.I'mactually...I'mgoingtoVancouverforTED.Willyoubethere?

DaveAsprey: Ithinkso.Idon'thavemyticketyet.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: ButIexpecttobethere.

JasonSilva: Okay.

DaveAsprey: Maybewecanmeetthere.Ifnot,whenyou'reinVancouver,let'shookupandIwillhaveyoucomeover.It'sjustafloatplaneride


49

about15minutestothelabshereandwecanplay,andI'llputyouonallsortsofequipmentthatwillblowyourmind.

JasonSilva: Thatwouldbeawesome.

DaveAsprey: Sweet.WellIhaveonemorequestionforyoubeforewefinishourinterview.

JasonSilva: Sure.Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Thefinalquestionis,ifsomeonecametoyoutomorrowandsaid,"Iwanttoperformbetterateverysinglethinginlife.Sobasedoneverythingyou'veexperienced,everythingyouknow,whatarethe3mostimportantthingsyouhavetoofferme?Like,whatdoIneedtoknow?"

JasonSilva: Ifyouwanttoperformbetter-

DaveAsprey: Ateverythingyoudo,whetherIwanttobeabetterathleteorIwanttobeabettersleeper.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: Iwanttobebetteratwashingdishes,whateveritisyoudo.

JasonSilva: Yeah,yeah.Welllook,Ihappentobeverysupportiveofthedecriminalizationofcannabisthatwe'veseeninColoradoandincreasinglymovetowardsmakingthathappeninCalifornia.Numerouspeoplethathaveinspiredme,likeCarlSagan.

DaveAsprey: Yeah,

JasonSilva: Andmanyotherswereveryvocalproponentsofitsspiritualcognitivebenefits.Iwouldthinkalotoftheinspiration...Iwouldcreditalotoftheinspirationinmylifetomypastrelationshipwiththatplant,youknow?

DaveAsprey: Withplantmedicine,we'llcallit,allright.


50

JasonSilva: Welllook,Ithinktheun-examinedlifeisnotworthliving.Ithinkit'sveryimportantforpeopletochallengetheirpreconceivednotionsoftheworld.Idon'tcareifit'sbytakingupadifferenthobby.Iwouldsayliveabroadforayear,Ithinkitwillmakeyouabetterpersontobearoundadifferentcultureanddifferentpeople.

DaveAsprey: Yeah.

JasonSilva: Iwouldsaylearnanewlanguage.Itwillmakeyoumoreempathetic.Itwillmakeyoumorecreative.ItwillmakeyouprivytodifferentPOVs,differentworldviews.Iwouldencouragepeopletoexperimentinalteredstatesofconsciousnessresponsibly,andinacuratedfashion,becauseIthinkthatagain,thereisahumblingqualitytorealizingthatthereareotherwaysofseeingthings.Ithinkthatthat...Just,Idon'tknow.Youcomeoutofthoseexperiencesakinder,gentler,morecompassionatehumanbeing.Asidefromthat,thepracticalthingsaregetenoughrest,getenoughsleep,doexercise,eatwell.Thebasics.Bekind.Extendyourselftootherpeople,andalsochaseaestheticarrest,experiencesthatmoveyoutothepointoftears,Ithinkarekey.IalwaysfeelbetterwhenIallowmyselftobemovedbysomethingprofoundly.Ifeellikethat'sawonderfultherapyforme.

DaveAsprey: Thatisanawesomelist,thankyou.

JasonSilva: Cool,awesome.

DaveAsprey: Allright.Wearegoingtohookupinperson.I'mhopefullygoingtoseeyouatTED,ifIgetaticketforthisyear.

JasonSilva: Great.

DaveAsprey: Ifit'snottoolate.

JasonSilva: Yeah.

DaveAsprey: I'mreallylookingforwardtoit.ThanksforbeingonBulletproofRadio.ThanksforBrainGames.Ithinkit'safantasticshow.For


51

peoplelistening,ifyouenjoyedthisinterview,wewentallovertheplace.Ihadagreattime,andIthinkifyouwatchBrainGames,you'llfindmorereallygoodstufflikethis.Thanksfortuninginonthisepisode,I'mgoingtobringyoumoreamazingguyslikeJason,ifIcanfindthem.Jason,peace.

JasonSilva: Thanksguys!Thankyousomuch!

Featured

Wix

National Geographic

Brain Games

Jason Silva

Jason Silva on Facebook

Jason Silva on Twitter

Shots of Awe on YouTube

Resources

Hippocampus

Default Mode Network

What the Dormouse Said

Peter Diamandis

40 Years of Zen


52

Kolbe

The Denial of Death

Transhumanism

Stanislav Gof

Ayahuasca

Bulletproof

Bulletproof Cookbook

Brain Octane Oil

Bulletproof Coffee

Moldy

The Better Baby Book

transcript of “285 with jason silva” - bulletproof

Documents