How the Brain Senses Gravity — with Elisa Ferrè

Artemis: Transcending gravity as human flourishing

In this episode, Dr. Brennan Spiegel (physician, gastroenterologist, and author of Pull) and Dr. Lachlan Kent(cognitive scientist and founder of Mental Gravity) explore the physical, psychological, and existential implications of humanity's return to the moon. They examine how the Artemis mission acts as a "Global Unifier," shifting the narrative from territorial conflict to a collective human achievement. Broadcasting as a "crew of two," they reflect on the transition from the stoic, emotionally restrained era of Apollo to the joyful, diverse, and deeply "human" experience of modern space exploration. They connect the physics of "untethering"from Earth to the metaphysics of "mental gravity," arguing that space travel is the ultimate expression of humanity's anti-gravity mission. One Giant Leap for Humanity: The ArtemisPerspective * A Global Unifier: A 21st-century mission that transcends national borders, bringing the world together to witness one of humanity's greatest achievements. * The Physics of Fragility: An exploration of the "immense forces" required to fight gravity and the vulnerability of the human body in zero-G environments. * The Overview Effect: The profound psychological realization that occurs when astronauts look back at the planet and see it not as a collection of countries, but as a single "crew" on Spaceship Earth. * Humanizing Space: A shift from the "stoic" pilots of the 1960s to a mission characterized by visible joy, big hugs, and diverseleadership. Space Travel as a Biogravitational Mission * Breaking the Tether: Humanity’s evolutionary history is defined by standing up and using intelligence to build machines that allow us to fly and eventually "blast off" from the planet. * The Two Portals: Space travel forces a confrontation with two realities: the "awe-inspiring" view of home and the "existential dread" of the black void. * Inner Space vs. Outer Space: The lessons learned from reaching the moon are applied to "inner space," helping individuals navigate the gravitational pull of their own minds. Timecodes * 00:04 — Introduction to the Artemis mission and its global significance. * 00:30 — Exploring the social and spiritual implications of overcoming gravity. * 01:38 — Artemis as a "Global Unifier"transcending national borders. * 02:14 — The physics of untethering and the fragility of the human body. * 02:43 — Reflections on looking back at "SpaceshipEarth". * 04:24 — Humanizing space: Comparing modern joy and diversity to Apollo-era stoicism. * 05:56 — The nuance of falling and fighting gravity as alife force. * 07:34 — Standing up as humanity's existential mission. * 08:41 — The anti-gravity mission: Breaking the tether to bring consciousness beyond Earth. * 10:11 — Space travel as a driver for new scientific and experiential understanding. * 12:37 — Pioneering, science, and the phenomenology of the unknown. * 14:56 — Mental Gravity: Elevation and perspective vs.the "stuckness" of depression. * 16:11 — The Astronaut's Perspective: De-centering tofind meaning and universal connection. * 18:43 — The Two Portals: Navigating the "OverviewEffect" (awe) and the black void (dread). * 22:16 — The spiritual dimension of gravity and the physical induction of awe. * 22:39 — Oceanic consciousness, ego dissolution, and the transient self. * 25:26 — Choosing a portal: Naturalistic spirituality and the news of a "cosmic whole". * 27:00 — The evolution of the "crew":Interconnection as a strategy for mutual survival. * 28:42 — Selflessness vs. Selfishness: Finding hopeful signs of social cohesion. * 32:00 — Convergence: Biogravitational medicine as a holistic approach to humanity's future. * 34:56 — Closing: Inviting others into the"crew" and future launch of Mental Gravity. Resources * The Gravity Doctors: https://thegravitydoctors.com [https://thegravitydoctors.com/] * Dr. Brennan Spiegel: https://brennanspiegelmd.com [https://brennanspiegelmd.com/] * Dr. Lachlan Kent: https://lachlankent.au [https://lachlankent.au/] * Book — Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health

Kurt Cobain and the Gravity of Child Development with Dr Mats Niklasson

Dr Lachlan Kent is joined by Dr Mats Niklasson, developmental psychologist, visiting Research Fellow at the University of Greater Manchester, and co-founder of Sensorimotor Therapy, to explore how early vestibular development shapes both physical coordination and the narrative sense of self. Drawing on nearly 40 years of clinical work with children and adults experiencing coordination and concentration difficulties, Mats explains how early reflexes—especially the Moro (startle/falling) reflex—connect infants to gravity. When these developmental processes are disrupted, the result may be delayed motor patterns, emotional dysregulation, learning challenges, and even later-life identity instability. Using the life of Kurt Cobain as a psychobiographical case study, the conversation explores how gravitational insecurity may influence creativity, mental health, and the lifelong struggle to feel “at home” in one’s own body. Check out Mat's book on the topic: "The discovery of international autoethnographical psychobiography" https://bookstore.emerald.com/the-discovery-of-international-digital-collaborative-autoethnographical-psychobiography-hb-9781837083817.html 1. Sensorimotor Therapy & Gravity A developmental approach grounded in movement and balance Focuses on vestibular activation and early motor patterns Links physiology and psychology through embodied development Works by re-engaging early fetal-style movements The goal:Reconnect the nervous system with gravity to release arrested development Primary Reflexes & Early Development All infants are born with survival reflexes The Moro reflex is closely tied to the vestibular system If not properly integrated: * Crawling patterns may be skipped * Walking and speech may be delayed * Concentration and coordination may suffer Vestibular development sits on a continuum—not simply “normal” vs “impaired” Reconnecting to Gravity Therapy works by: * Recreating early fetal movement patterns * Engaging attachment between child and caregiver * Stimulating vestibular systems Observed outcomes include: Return of expected motor patternsImproved regulationReduction in headaches and stomach achesThis suggests a deep link between vestibular development and whole-body wellbeing From Body to Biography Mats connects early vestibular insecurity to later psychological outcomes: Development is trajectory-based Small early deviations may compound over time Identity itself may emerge from embodied stability. Kurt Cobain as Case Study Niklasson’s analysis suggests: Possible early developmental difficulties Verified diagnoses included scoliosis and chronic bronchitis Chronic stomach pain remained unexplained He may have suffered from IBS—undiagnosed in his lifetime Vestibular instability may have influenced: * Sensitivity * Withdrawal * Creativity * Search for equilibrium Niklasson proposes Cobain may have been “a victim of his time,” lacking modern frameworks to understand syndrome-like conditions Creativity & Instability Drawing on Coleridge’s distinction between: Fancy imagination (common) Secondary imagination (rare, generative) Some creative individuals may channel instability into talent. Therapeutic balance is key: Stability may reduce suffering But may also alter creative expression Resources The Gravity Doctors: https://thegravitydoctors.com Dr Brennan Spiegel: https://brennanspiegelmd.com Dr Lachlan Kent: https://lachlankent.au

All loved "UP" on Valentines Day: Gravity and cuffing season

Dr Brennan Spiegel (physician, gastroenterologist, and author of Pull) and Dr Lachlan Kent (cognitive scientist and founder of Mental Gravity) explore how seasons, sunlight, serotonin, and gravity shape mood, attraction, and human connection. Broadcasting from opposite hemispheres—Brennan in winter in Los Angeles and Lachlan in summer in Melbourne—they examine why people often feel more “down” in winter, why this is linked to reduced sunlight and serotonin, and how this helps explain the phenomenon known as “cuffing season”—the seasonal urge to pair up. They connect dating, love, posture, breath, yoga, serotonin, oxytocin, and even planetary orbits into a single biogravitational story: human connection is shaped by the same gravitational cycles that shape the seasons themselves. Seasons as Gravitational Cycles Seasons arise from Earth’s orbit around the sun Not just temperature cycles, but gravitational and light cycles Mood follows seasonal gravity: Summer = outward, expansive, light Winter = inward, heavy, contracting Breath mirrors this cycle: in/up, out/down Winter, Serotonin, and Mental Gravity Sunlight boosts serotonin Low winter sunlight → lower serotonin → heavier mood Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as a gravity-related mood state Serotonin as a “gravity management molecule” that supports: * Muscle tone * Circulation * Upright posture * Mental elevation Love, Attraction, and Gravity “Falling in love” uses gravitational language Uprightness—physical, emotional, moral—is attractive Winter dating favors depth over display Spring favors peacocking; winter favors bonding Long-term connection as gravitational alignment of values Winter Practices for Gravity Resilience Movement & Posture Yoga as a winter-friendly anti-gravity practice Inversions, posture, alignment, balance Low-intensity movement over intense training Light &Environment Maximize sunlight exposure Use light boxes in high-latitude winters Get outside when possible Diet & Chemistry Tryptophan-rich foods: turkey, avocado, chicken, chickpeas, kidney, beans, eggs, tofu, nuts Support serotonin production through diet Connection Cuddling, closeness, bonding Oxytocin release Oxytocin → vagus nerve → serotonin Parasympathetic “rest and digest” state Neurochemistry of Winter Bonding Oxytocin primes vagus nerve Vagus nerve regulates serotonin release Cuddling + calm = anti-gravity physiology Parasympathetic tone matches seasonal slowing Biogravitational Medicine in Daily Life Human health reflects planetary physics Sun, moon, Earth, and orbit shape biology Mood, love, and seasons are not mystical—just natural Gravity as the hidden organizer of emotion, posture, and connection Timecodes 00:00 — Welcome & hemispheres 01:15 — Seasons and gravity 02:15 — What is cuffing season? 03:15 — Mood, winter, and seasonal affect 04:40 — Sunlight, serotonin, and heaviness 06:05 — Planetary cycles and breath cycles 07:15 — Love as anti-gravity 08:15 — Depth vs display in dating 09:20 — Uprightness and attraction 10:45 — Winter activities and posture 11:35 — Yoga and winter gravity 13:15 — Balance, breath, and alignment 15:40 — Light therapy and sunlight 16:40 — Diet and serotonin foods 16:55 — Cuddling, oxytocin, vagus nerve 18:15 — Parasympathetic winter mode 19:05 — Biogravitation and planetary life 20:35 — Falling in love & falling physically 21:00 — Closing reflections Resources The Gravity Doctors: https://thegravitydoctors.com [https://thegravitydoctors.com/] Dr Brennan Spiegel: https://brennanspiegelmd.com [https://brennanspiegelmd.com/] Dr Lachlan Kent: https://lachlankent.au [https://lachlankent.au/] Book — Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health

How the Brain Senses Gravity — with Elisa Ferrè

Dr Lachlan Kent and Dr Brennan Spiegel are joined by Elisa R. Ferrè, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London, and one of the world’s leading experts on graviception and the vestibular system. Together, they explore how the brain senses gravity without a single “gravity receptor,” why the vestibular system has no primary cortex, and how gravity is computed as a distributed, multisensory model integrating vestibular, visual, proprioceptive, and visceral signals. The conversation spans neuroscience, emotion, aesthetics, culture, spaceflight, and mental health—revealing gravity as the hidden scaffolding of perception, meaning, and wellbeing. 1. What Is Graviception? The brain’s ability to sense and model gravityNot driven by a single receptor or cortical areaConstructed through multisensory integrationFundamental to embodiment, orientation, and survival Why the Vestibular System Is Unique No unimodal “vestibular cortex” Projects broadly across the brain Does not produce a clear conscious sensation Becomes noticeable mainly when something goes wrong (dizziness, vertigo, nausea) The vestibular system acts as the glue binding mind and body, anchoring us in a single embodied perspective. How the Brain Computes Gravity Gravity is not perceived directlyThe brain integrates: * Vestibular otolith signals (head tilt, linearacceleration) * Visual cues (verticality, alignment) * Proprioception (joints, muscles, posture) * Visceral signals (internal organs) Each signal is weighted by reliability to form an internal model of terrestrial gravity. Gravity, Meaning, and Culture Preferences for verticality (upright lines, tall buildings) Vertical = power, stability, positivity Downward tilt = unease, disorder Gravity shapes art, architecture, language, and metaphor Up = good, free, elevated Down = heavy, negative, constrained Emotion, Fear, and the Vestibular System Vestibular pathways connect directly to: * Amygdala * Insula * Hypothalamus This explains why vestibular disturbances are emotionally chargedDizziness and vertigo trigger fear, nausea, and autonomic responses Gravity sensing is deeply tied to survival systems Weightlessness and Freedom Parabolic flight (“vomit comet”) as a unique graviceptive state Weightlessness described as profound freedom Also physiologically challenging Post-flight “down” feelings mirror return to gravity Freedom comes with a cost: sensory conflict and adaptation demands. Space Adaptation & Neuroplasticity Astronauts experience space motion sickness Symptoms: nausea, disorientation, brain fog The brain can adapt through neuroplasticity Adaptation takes time, energy, and training Implicationsfor long-term space travel and Mars exploration. Gravity, Mental Health, and Everyday Life Anxiety as mis-tuned gravity anticipation Depression as altered temporal and bodily grounding Mental fitness as trainable gravity resilience Tools discussed: * Yoga and posture * Breath awareness * Grounding through the feet * Weighted blankets * Music, rest, and multisensory regulation Practical Graviceptive Tip Stand still and feel the pressure through the soles of your feet Notice the security of 1G Use grounding as a way to reduce anxiety and reset expectations Timecodes 00:00 — Introduction & guest welcome 02:00 — What makes the vestibular system unique 05:00 — Why gravity is mostly unconscious 06:30 — How the brain computes gravity 09:30 — Homunculus vs gravity computation 11:30 — Gravity as a prior for perception 14:00 — Semantics, aesthetics & verticality 17:00 — Architecture, art & meaning 20:00 — Vestibular system & emotion 22:00 — Parabolic flight & weightlessness 24:00 — Freedom, addiction & the cost of zero-G 28:30 — Space adaptation syndrome 31:00 — Can humans adapt to Mars? 35:30 — Everyday graviception & grounding 38:00 — Closing reflections Resources The Gravity Doctors: https://thegravitydoctors.com [https://thegravitydoctors.com/] Dr Brennan Spiegel: https://brennanspiegelmd.com [https://brennanspiegelmd.com/] Dr Lachlan Kent: https://lachlankent.au [https://lachlankent.au/]

EMERGENCY EPISODE: Alex honnold’s incredible gravity-defying climb

Dr Brennan Spiegel (physician, gastroenterologist, and author of Pull) and Dr Lachlan Kent (cognitive scientist and founder of Mental Gravity) drop an emergency episode to unpack one of the most extreme acts of gravity defiance ever witnessed: Alex Honnold climbing a 100-plus-storey skyscraper without ropes. Using Honnold as an “extreme phenotype,” they explore what his remarkable calm reveals about fear, anxiety, graviception, and mental gravity. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, they examine how Honnold’s quiet amygdala, finely tuned salience network, and relentless present-momentfocus allow him to operate where most humans would be paralysed by fear. The episode bridges elite performance and everyday mental health, asking: what can the rest of us learn—safely—from someone who literally does not fear falling? 1. Why Alex Honnold Matters A real-world example of ultimate gravity resilienceFree-solo climbing as the most literal test of mental gravityAnxiety, fear of falling, and bodily panic stripped awayA window into the far edge of human psychological capacity Fear, Falling, and the Brain Amygdala Honnold’s amygdala shows minimal activation to fear-inducing stimuli Contrast with anxiety, chronic pain, IBS, and fibromyalgia, where the amygdala is hyper-vigilant Salience Network & Anterior Insula Detects what matters in the body and environment Simulates graviceptive cues without triggering panic Anchors awareness in the present moment Being in the Moment—Taken Seriously Honnold’s survival depends on microsecond-level presence No anticipatory anxiety, no future projection Finger placement, balance, and movement solved in real time Presence as an adaptive skill—not a slogan Gravity Sensitivity as a Continuum Humans vary widely in tolerance for heights, G-forces, and risk Too much fear → paralysis Too little fear → danger Healthy functioning lies in the middle of the curve Mental Gravity, Anxiety, and Depression Anxiety = anticipation of falling Depression = being stuck or weighed down in the present Honnold represents the opposite extreme: calm within gravity Insights help reframe everyday anxiety as mis-tuned gravity perception Training vs Talent Honnold combines rare inborn traits with years of intense training Physical: extreme strength, precision, endurance Mental: emotional regulation, present-moment focus Fear is not absent—it is managed and contained What Can We Learn (Safely)? Not to climb skyscrapers—but to train mental fitness: * Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as mentaltraining * Meditation as present-moment conditioning * Breathwork, yoga, and grounding practices * Social connection and rest as recovery * Balancing effort and recovery (noovertraining) Mental fitness = something you work on, not something you either have or don’t have. One Percent Rule You don’t need to be Alex Honnold Channeling 1% of his presence, calm, and training can meaningfully improve everyday resilience Timecodes 00:00 — Emergency episode & skyscraper climb 01:10 — Free Solo and gravity defiance 02:15 — Watching the footage & bodily reactions 02:45 — Fear, falling & butterflies 03:30 — Amygdala findings 04:20 — Anxiety, pain & hyper-vigilance 05:10 — Salience network & graviception 06:20 — Courage vs fearlessness 06:50 — Gravity sensitivity across populations 07:50 — Mental gravity & anxiety 08:50 — Training, not recklessness 10:00 — Being truly in the moment 11:10 — Depression, anxiety & time orientation 12:05 — Learning from extreme phenotypes 13:20 — Mental health in a steeper world 14:20 — Training for modern life 15:20 — Mental fitness beyond CBT 16:10 — Meditation, breath & balance 17:35 — One percent of Honnold 18:30 — Closing reflections Resources The Gravity Doctors: https://thegravitydoctors.com [https://thegravitydoctors.com/] Dr Brennan Spiegel: https://brennanspiegelmd.com [https://brennanspiegelmd.com/] Dr Lachlan Kent: https://lachlankent.au [https://lachlankent.au/] Book — Pull: How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health