Dr. Neil Theise: Overcome the Illusion of Separation

Dr. Neil Theise (professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine) joins us to discuss how his adult stem cell and interstitium research led him to his "theory of everything", how complexity actually helps simplify our understanding of the universe, the illusion that humans are separate individual beings, and the scientific explanation of mysticism. He explains why philosophy, religion, and quantum mechanics fall short without incorporating intuition and human experience, how low-level randomness allows for adaptation, and why we can’t live forever no matter what we do. Dr. Theise opens up about his mother’s metaphysical experience with talking to dead people, his depression that stemmed from coming to terms with his sexuality, the impact of being a child of Holocaust survivors, and where his personal faith comes into play within his scientific work. He also breaks down healers and shamanism, chaos and information theories, the real definition of compassion, and the function and importance of microbiomes.
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Find Dr. Neil Theise:
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Dr. Neil Theise' Book, NOTES ON COMPLEXITY: a.co/d/aByhTg5
Theme Song Written, Produced, and Performed by Ed Robertson. Mixed by Kenny Luong.
#MayimBialik​​​ #BialikBreakdown #NeilTheise

[@JosephDarcourt]

I raise my son for 17 years as the same message Neil address, and my son told me that do not mention to anyone because people will think that I need to go to hospital, until I met Neil and introduce my son to him, Neil become my son's mentor for science research. And yes, Neil is awesome, so do you both. Love love love this conversation.💞💜🙏

[@OneLoveRSR]

"It took three and a half billion years for Earth to figure out how to organize itself so that it could reach out and touch its neighbor." That is so overwhelming, it made me weep.

[@heathergreenhalgh2289]

🤯 Hello neighbour in the Universe. Wasn't this conversation something to just stop, and behold. I'm not crying, but am still contemplating how so many theories and concepts could collide So that WE can start to piece together some of the mysteries of life. . . as we think we might know it. Pondering. .. how the only boundaries of communication are through our brain cells, and the electrical pulses that our fingers can shoot through the internet. What a Wild time we exist in!!🤩🌃🌠🔯🌟 Like the stardust we are all made of. . .and collectively share, for this moment. It is an amaZing point to pause and savour. Now, "Have A 🤣Nice Day!"

[@d.d.p.parker3671]

Why do you have to cry TADA

[@d.d.p.parker3671]

​@@heathergreenhalgh2289 I look at it like everyone has an opinion..this is his, he's only one man. I had an ant farm, they didn't bury each other but they plotted how to escape and that was constant. no man knows for sure the world the

[@alisonchavarria1581]

"Cultivation of intuition and experience" - brilliant - this is a deep need, to be paired with scientific understanding and the limits of intellect. We have to recognize where we have been and recognize our inherent Knowledge and goodness, together with earned wisdom. "Much of what holds us back is unexperienced experiences and neglected and forgotten painful and joyful events." - Marshall Vian Summers

[@marisamartinezolivera]

This is THE EPISODE of EPISODES! In caps! It’s been more than 1h40 m talking, or better, teaching about things apparently so diverse as chaos theory, complexity simplifying the understanding of the universe, the extreme beauty of fractals and Mandelbrot math, town planning design, human body, ant colonnies, philosophy, religion, mysticism, quantum mechanics, information algorithms, shamanism, human intuition, conciousness, longevity, the “devine”, faith..and it seemed too short to me! To listen it over and over again, in a loop, mouthdropped! Episodes as today’s are the explanation of why I’m so hooked to this FABULOUS podcast and its unique creators! 💜

[@xxxchocolatechipzxxx]

Hi Mayim and Jonathan! I just want to say a big big big thank you for bringing this person on. He has explained concepts that makes me feel like everything I’ve ever read scientifically and spiritually have come together to make an understanding of what this life is about. This podcast will forever change me. BRB crying 😭

[@em_pen]

More please! This was amazing stuff. Each time he tried to get himself back on point I was here saying noooo, give us more of this tangent stuff! This needed a few more hours. Please get him back for more!

[@michaelfstanton2211]

OMG, Neil was my roommate for many years!!! How awesome!

[@gazaspritz8662]

This guy! Good lord. I have sent this to everyone I know. Planning to rewatch multiple times.

[@hopedanica4377]

Absolutely.

[@katieteage6571]

Can we have an ‘im a divergent ant’ t-shirt, please? Could we also have a print of ‘what the hippies and mystics got right’ so we know what we should be focusing on? Thank you, once again, for blowing my mind and connecting my thinking and feeling yet again. I can not thank you enough for this podcast.

[@7synesthesia]

I can't think of a better producer for a major film on Dr. Neil Theise's work than Mayim Bialik -- who gets his genius as she is one herself. Bravo to all involved, and may I note personally that of all the special gifts Dr. Theise has, he excels even more at being a friend.

[@djimiwreybigsby5263]

Exactly what I've been searching for with the huge bonus of having simplicity and complexity explained in a way I could really feel

[@Kati-did]

Amazing!!! Have him back after the book about his mom's experience. I love Mayim because she is a scientist with a spiritual side. Will always love when you find others.

[@Aussie_Sue]

I agree Mayim, Neil was your ultimate guest. I love must of your guests for different reasons, but Neil resonated with me on so many levels, to the point that I felt like crying. Thank you to you and Jonathon for bringing Neil to your audience. I will buy his book and revisit this video again tomorrow. I need to contemplate what he spoke about further.

[@MayimBialik]

🙌🙌🙌

[@m_brokenleg]

Spectacular, Spectacular & Spectacular! If this “theory of being” of every ecosystem, from infinitesimal to infinite, from cosmic & macro to micro, & subatomic level is no “the main theme” of our lives, I don't know which other could be! The amount of wisdom contained in this episode is..so enormous! I’ll watch it many times, because each line contained in it deserves to be "ruminated over", digested & made my own. Thank you, thank you & thank you for bringing here to us Dr. Theise in this superb episode! Kudos for the three of you!

[@apexapey]

This podcast had helped me to become more mindful, more aware, and most of all, more understood by myself.

[@MayimBialik]

LOVE this!!! 🧠🧠🧠

[@leticiaperez243]

I feel exactly the same ! I’ve learned so much about myself - the world - I understand things I’ve wanted to know because of this Podcast

[@MyStylist.Naomi12]

"if not for the Holocaust I wouldn't exist". I literally said that to my cousin this very afternoon and have said it many times before. There are so many of us with that story and it was interesting to hear it here. If not for my Grandma ז"ל being put on a train, in Vienna, alone, at age 13, to be brought by Kindertransport to England, I would not exist. If not for her foster family in England, I would not exist. If not for her journey across the ocean which brought on her first bipolar psychotic break, I would not exist. If not for the Queer friendly bar in San Francisco, The Black Cat, where my grandparents found like minded people and each other, I would not exist.

[@LoretoEsTorres]

A very interesting interview. So deep I have to watch/listen to it a second time. 🤔😊🤔 You should invite him again.👍🏻

[@leticiaperez243]

I had no idea what to expect from this episode. I once again was not disappointed. This is a mind-blowing. There is so much to revisit in this episode. You're not afraid to show us all these things. You're not afraid to answer the biggest and hardest questions. When you ask them you give us (me) answers I never thought I would get.

[@dr.susanchaudoir8576]

One of my favorite guests! I'm definitely a fellow traveler with you! So glad you shared this because I benefited so much from it! 😊

[@sarahmedina8509]

I've never had to go back and replay so many ideas about the quantum realm

[@MayimBialik]

✨✨✨

[@geniereiman1089]

Wow, just wow! This man is amazing! Thank you so much for bringing him on your podcast. I will need to listen to this one again.

[@allieyates557]

This was AMAZING! I've had a lot of personal tragedies in the last 12 years and the story about the woman with breast cancer saying "why NOT me" was such a mindset shift I didn't expect but truly needed. Also the part about "the only full heart is a broken one" was beautiful.

[@debrafetterly]

Just had to add my comment. I never miss a podcast and I originally listened when this first aired. I have now watched the KZbin and will likely again. Dr. Thiese was indeed the ultimate guest. I am reading his book and I hope you’ll have him return. You both were excellent conversationalists along very intriguing lines of discussion. Amazing!

[@elysewatkins9680]

MORE OF THIS! Wow! I am going to re-watch this over and over again.

[@paris4496]

This man, (Dr. Theise) is so brilliant of mind, spirit and soul. What a beautiful individual and conversation; so enlightening on a multitude of levels. Thank you Mayim, Jonathan and Dr. Neil for blessing us with this episode

[@shirleyvmaui]

This encapsulates the questions and concerns I’ve had the last 50+ years since having out of body, near death, and various other mystical experiences my family & community didn’t prep me for. Also having some unsolved physical/medical issues that stump everyone, and leave me in constant pain that brings me to deeper philosophical questions. I thank you so much!!!!❤️😘

[@sparkplugpeggy4910]

I can tell this episode is going to open up my mind in such a way that I'm going to have to hit pause from time to time to let it sink in. Might even have to watch twice

[@amyrebeccaperez5240]

I totally agree Mayim...He was beyond words amazing in his knowledge, wisdom and life experience... thank you so much for bringing quality content into our lives 💗🧠👏🤯

[@cltomes]

Incredible episode! I savored it - listening to small parts of it over the course of 2 weeks. Truly blown away by how good this is!

[@abigailport8449]

Amazing. Loved this. And I sent it to friends. He’s really no words. Sending love to you both and him. 💐❤️🎉🎉🎉

[@Ydnic7481]

Thank you, Johnathan, for the recommendation of this podcast, Threads, at the very least, directed me here ( I am a regular viewer) and who knows, someone could read out post there, and they follow the cookie crumbs here, and then, becomes one of your most avid fan's and it changes their life.... It could happen 😊 Thanks again for sharing

[@ExoticTerrain]

This is a ducking grate conversation! Absolutely love this episode!!!

[@shirleylambrecht218]

Thank you for this conversation. Being a healer and seer I have spent my life seeking external validation and science to explain what I do which often lies beyond explanation.

[@AdellBridges]

Thank you so much for your WHOLE podcast but this episode was especially wonderful! I will listen again and again. Thank you x all the fractals

[@kylennpetersen4407]

❤❤❤ this is a restoring beauty. My world was going to breakdown until this episode came out… thank you for sharing.

[@betsyannbaron]

I can't thank you enough for this amazing conversation! Neil Theise is the Real Deal...honest, clear, curious, open, sharing, caring, brilliant, funny, humble...I need a thesaurus now. There are some good and great interviews out there with Neil. Yours was expansive! So glad you guys took the time to go where it took you!!! I had the opportunity to be in the dissection lab with him in 2022..my very first dissection experience....imagine, exploring the liver area and there is Neil with a helping hand/scalpel and guiding word or 3. AWESOME!!!

[@merrie501]

Wonderful guest! Fantastic, mind blowing episode! Thank you Mayim and Jonathan.

[@marydawkins4190]

Wow. This is everything. Thank you a million times over from bringing this man to us and your input.

[@kleders]

Thanks for the amazing content ❤

[@talkingcrow]

I love this episode. Thanks for all that you do

[@lj9524]

This is the mist amazing and important conversation yet! It ties all the mysteries together using science and observation. Thank you so much!🙏👏💕

[@PlantBasedLaughter]

New visualization unlocked: Your life is the main stream and each person, experience is a smaller stream that flows into life. With this, sometimes you have to build dams and in those cases it is good to know what will no longer be in your stream and you still may find the positives flow in from another stream and you don't miss that dammed off stream. ❤❤

[@prmft94123]

His book just arrived today. Neil Theise speaks so much to what I've been thinking, experiencing and trying to put together without the scientific traihning to do so . Mind blowing episode! Thanks so much.

[@thecuriousprofessor]

Wow, mind blowing discussion. I agree that it is one of your best episodes!

[@MinouMinet]

I will relisten to this episode a thousand times at least!

[@donnabramante2419]

Omg I love him... great Dr. I never heard of him and this interview was so comforting and wonderful ❤

[@jennysoderberg4273]

What an awesome talk! 😍 Can't wait to read his book!

[@Art.is.for.everyone8]

Glad you have him on. Bought his book a couple weeks ago after reading about it in the newspaper. Ha e always been interested in the same topics and use patterns in nature as inspiration for my geometric art.

[@sherrilawrence662]

Commenting again with how impressed I am with this podcast. Love a fellow Canadian...fantastic content covering all my areas of interest. This is your real purpose in my humble opinion ❤

[@zayp832]

This is one of my fave episodes. I started seeing a nutritionist around 2017 due to constant heartburn. I didn't want to go to a GI because I knew they'd go to the extreme lol. My pcp gave me omeprazole & sent me omw. After seeing the nutritionist for a month, I lost 10 lbs & she taught me about gut health. She also introduced me to NET (narrative exposure therapy) & did my first session for free. I was a huge skeptic & she completely changed my life. She taught me that trauma affects your organs, & my digestive issues were from abuse at 3 yrs old. I never told her anything about my personal life or childhood. She pulled that info from my body, basically like muscle testing. She identified the affected organ, specific emotion, age, & person. I was shocked! That started my healing journey and I've been processing and learning so much along the way. I could go on forever, but it's too much to write here lol. I truly feel that it's all connected, everything. Science, spirituality, religion, psychology, the paranormal, etc. We're programmed to think and live a certain way since birth, but you have to be open to the endless possibilities. I don't share my story with too many people because some will think I'm crazy lol.

[@orland0110]

This is a really interesting episode and topic with the intelligent Dr. Neil Theise. Much love to you Mayim! ❤

[@joellynpeterson6612]

This was fascinating! Thank you all.

[@LoretoEsTorres]

1:20:38 As he speaks, I’m being reminded by some of the spiritual statements that I’ve heard from Sadhguru (born Jagadish Vasudev, 3 September 1957), founder and head of the Isha Foundation. I am beginning to “see” that a common truth is emerging in the Zeitgeist-being expressed and filtered through the lenses of personal experiences of the individual speakers. it’s wonderful!!!

[@jmsl_910]

wowzaa!! i love everything about this video. mayim & jonathon, you rock. you ask such great questions.

[@angelaachee7933]

That was incredible ❤

[@Mysticmermaid888]

Mayim and Jonathon, you nailed it with this episode. Just 🤯! Dr. Theise just collectively explained all the subjects I have a deep curiosity for and study, all into frame. ❤ We need more Doctor's like this!🎉

[@jadomonell]

This is beautiful! More more more!

[@cathyray6030]

Super, super interesting!! Thank you!

[@voiceofyourheart9760]

LOVED this episode! Ordered the book!

[@genevievemontoya924]

This is wonderful!

[@ximenacpm]

Truly amazing!

[@evawarren3258]

Speachless. Such cool.

[@Emilyatwoodc]

What an amazing episode- our connectedness goes much deeper than the conversations and relationships we have with each other. We are all connected whether we like it or not through our universe and its organization. I wonder if our perceptions and impressions of others that we get after the first few interactions are influenced by the complexity theory AND if we end up making a bad judgement, is there a disruption somewhere. Again- love this episode! How enlightening!!!

[@chandinipriya7128]

waiting for this mayim😘Thank you mayim your podcasts are very helpful to analyze and growing as own authentic self and completely okay and happy with it....❤and the amount knowledge these podcasts has ...also fascinating...❤Lots of Love from India 🇮🇳 ❤

[@MayimBialik]

🇮🇳🧠🫶

[@jenniferdobransky5240]

I need to overcome how I wish I could follow and understand this information! I'm going to come back again and again because I respect the intelligence of all 3 of you!

[@opodobed]

I understood and retrained nothing.

[@vanhoudtshoorn]

Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly. One wing is not enough. Every religion which does not concern itself with science is mere tradition…. Therefore science, education and civilization are most important necessities for the full religious life. - Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 28-29 (Baha'i Faith)

[@erin723]

🤯 This the mind I am craving to interrogate and explore. Thank you. ❤

[@hopedanica4377]

Fuss and bother. I enjoyed this episode so much. Thanks.

[@nonedermis4611]

you guys are the part of me that is breaking it down

[@maryshivy2799]

Well said,well interviewed, expanded in continued conversation, well done, thanks. The interstitial tissue is my life source. There is silence that holds the light in the space we need to nourish our souls. Shared silence is the juice to unify our place as one whole universe.

[@ronengreen7210]

תודה רבה מים.היה מעולה.

[@KatheD]

This one put me on the floor - wow

[@doraherrington7270]

The best!❤

[@RubelliteFae]

I remember sometime around middle school science learning about how the body is composed of living cells and yet we see our body as the special unit of living and then considering this must be the same for the planet as well. It's nice to see I wasn't the only one thinking these things. (By high school it also led to my response to the abortion debate being, "Life began at abiogenesis and it hasn't stopped since.") I suppose it's no surprise, then, that by my 30s-having dabbled in Taoism & Zen in my 20s-that I would embrace Advaita Vedānta. It's conceit is the same: we are the the Absolute, the divine if you will, experiencing itself as subjectivity & objectivity. BTW, I had no idea this channel/podcast existed. I fell asleep (with autoplay on-which I almost never have on) and when I woke up your episode "She Met God and Saw the Future" was running. Watched it then had to check out more of your content. I also walk that line of scientific rationalism and appreciation for mysticism, so it's hard to accept it as random coincidence. Also, what I fell asleep to was in incognito mode (which is why autoplay happened to be on) so it wasn't the algorithm either. Glad it happened. 💖

[@Charity-vm4bt]

Thank you for hosting this. Prof. Mandelbrot's theories are fascinating and demonstrable, available on various YT videos. Please consider studying and revealing the holocaust as the foundation of the deadly torture of abortion.

[@andreagraf1522]

Not a scientist, just a wife and mom that has had a deep love of both science and spirituality my entire life. I wish Dr. Neil was my friend because he speaks to my experience. I have had a close and profound relationship with God since I was very young and because of that I have witnessed miracles and been able to be in tune with that deeper compassion that he talks about. We are all one, and because I've experienced our oneness, I can't violate the boundaries of the individual because I feel the harm of the violation within myself. That's how I know when someone who holds themselves up as a spiritual teacher/ healer is dangerous, they violate boundaries. I'm not talking about accidently pushing, overstepping, or confusing boundaries, none of us are perfect.

[@Historian212]

Spectacular episode in so many ways. I’m totally going to follow up on it. A couple of quibbles: I believe when Mayim said “the summer of ‘69” she was referring to the Woodstock music and arts festival that took place in August of that year. But it was a tad unclear; if she meant the Summer of Love (so named by journalists, not by members of the peace movement -- ditto for the term "hippie"), that was ‘67 - which was when the Sgt. Pepper’s album was released. . The elephant parable can be found in different forms in many cultures. It’s similar to Plato’s story of the cave, for example, which can be found online. . Although the word “shaman” is being used as a generic, it’s a word from Siberian native cultures, and many Indigenous American people reject it as a name for their wise people/healers. Currently, “shaman” is used by some practitioners who appropriate and alter various native cultures’ symbols and techniques, and is applied so loosely that it’s hard to know what each practitioner means by it. (Castaneda is not really a reliable source, according to what I’ve read.) . That said, kudos! Great stuff!

[@christyblu79]

LOL, I so started singing Space Between by DM and then you said that!! Love our channel! Thank you :)

[@debracastro1073]

My brain hurts. So much great information.

[@elishaminor2900]

Very good information

[@mjdecoteau8631]

Started this while out on a walk tonight and as the opening sound bite ended, I had sudden image of an ant hill in an “oh god, this is all meaningless and we are all just like ants” 😂🐜🐜🐜 Stayed on my feet and a few mins in ants came up! Anyway, this is sooooo good and interesting!

[@mariaantoniaaraujo]

Fascinating.

[@violetflame88]

I love your divergent brain Johnathon. Dr. Theise brings it all together. I wish understood everything he talked about but I understood enough. I was married to a Medical Dr. and we argued about there being a Source and his medical model not accounting for anything "other worldly" I am thankfully not with him anymore but there was no one like Dr. Theise in those days.

[@Charity-vm4bt]

There always was Source. Sounds like you or on the path.

[@angelaachee7933]

I want to see the movie Mayim 💕✨🌟✨💕

[@XOChristianaNicole]

Well, if this isn’t right on theme with my life..

[@tomlichnofsky.7048]

Truely Fantastic!! Very Interesting! 🤔😲 👍👌😊👊✊🍁

[@hnybee113]

@Mayim Bialek ive always felt like i was a citizen of the world. Even when I was still a Christian specifically 5 or 6. I was very aware of Jesus loved the little children of the world. All the colors of the world. God loved them. Where is this going? I believe we as a whole are one big living family. Amazing yet small. Space is huge and either scary or so hard to comprehend. Almost like God. Hmmmmm. I am both scared and excited about this podcast. I wish Mayim would interview listeners like me who are her age, grew up around and in the "industry" as well. As the friends of the kids who are child actors coming and going to auditions. As well as kids whose parents worked in different areas of "movie making". The parents who were real LA and Hollywood kids of the 50s. We have a whole different philosophy on entertainment and life as the outsider looking in. Love you and Jonathan soooo much. This RBT respects and admires you so much.

[@AugustVonpetersborg]

Oh I love Neil Theise, he helped me remember some of the nature of things 15~ years ago.

[@mjdecoteau8631]

Very different subject matter expert but his voice and engaging speaking style reminds me a bit of Steve Hassan. Love all your guests!

[@davidsalvia6294]

I once read that at one time many humans believed that all that exists is alive and all that is alive has consciousness,

[@karenkessler42]

Love this! Has anyone recommended Ken Wilber to you as a guest? He can color in even more of the picture for you. 😊

[@michellemurray4044]

Great show. Mayim- you look gorgeous

[@omriom]

תודה רבה❤❤❤❤❤❤את אלופה מיים

[@omriom]

גם יונתן נחמד😂😂❤

[@TheOldHippiebilly]

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." --- John Muir

[@annasegal9521]

Most ants are sheep. I would buy that t- shirt! Great episode. Like all episodes!!! I love your podcasts. Thank you for doing them.

[@FutureMemories2024]

I love this interview. Quantum is ineffable. Faith is the 1% which cannot be explained by science. Supreme intelligence is beyond human intellect. Who can say who/what flipped the switch to make the initial black hole create light?? Btw, you look absolutely beautiful Mayim 😊

[@mcbroker1]

around 1.21.46 or a second or so before that there is an orb flys by his head, i watched it several times to make sure i wasnt seeing thing but its there

[@miriamlubet6115]

Jonathan resembles the coach on Ted Lasso.

[@goodnatureart]

Jesus! This podcast is so inspiring. First time watching you and I lucked out with you having Neil Theise on. Appreciate your shared sense of humor and the flow of conversation, all the hard work that must happen to get that result. I learned a lot.

[@goodnatureart]

@@Charity-vm4bt You're not following the rules here on youtube? Original Jesus said love everyone. That was unconditional respect. But you are welcome to speak up for your beliefs.

[@Kris-fh1zk]

Amazing. Loved this episode! SCIENTIST WITH A BACKGROUND IN SPIRITUALITY SUGGESTION! -- Angelo Dilullo. I seriously think y'all would LOVE having him on your podcast. He's a practicing anesthesiologist who had an awakening experience in college, eventually leading to a profound and persistent level of nondual realization. He wrote a book a few years ago called "Awake, It's Your Turn." To promote it, he did a series of videos with Zubin Damania, better known as ZDoggMD - a hospitalist-turned-medical-youtuber with a Huge following of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. The book blew up in that community, and now Dilullo puts out almost daily videos of pointers and advice, interviews, conversations, and audience Q&A sessions. His channel is Simply Always Awake.