Suffering is created by the mind’s demand that reality match its preferences, and the attempt to control the world only deepens the sense of disturbance. Spiritual growth comes from letting go of these egocentric demands, accepting reality as it is, and refusing to engage with the inner voice that insists things should be different. When this letting go occurs, life becomes an act of effortless service, where actions arise naturally from the unfolding moment rather than from personal desire.
Trauma doesn’t show up in what we remember. It shows up in how we react.
This week, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Tian Dayton—award-winning scholar, senior fellow at The Meadows, and author of Growing Up with Addiction: How Adult Children of Addicts Can Heal Family Trauma, Complex PTSD and Codependency—about what it means to grow up inside a family shaped by addiction, and what it actually takes to heal.
Drawing on decades of clinical work, her own lived experience, and her innovative Relational Trauma Repair (RTR) method, Dr. Dayton explores the neuroscience of relational trauma and the embodied, experiential path through it.
Join Tami and Tian to explore:
Why addiction is a family disease—and how process addictions like workaholism and overeating leave the same marks as substance use
How childhood trauma gets stored in the body, not the story—and why you can’t think your way out of complex PTSD
The neuroscience of overreaction: why triggers feel present-tense even when they’re decades old
Cognitive and somatic distortions—and how to recognize when the past is hijacking the present
Psychodrama and Relational Trauma Repair: the power of talking to instead of about
Timelines, social atoms, and letter writing as tools for putting fragmented memories back in order
Why healing is a discipline—and what it means to take ownership of your own darkness as a path to freedom
Whether you grew up in a home shaped by addiction or simply recognize the patterns Dr. Dayton describes, this interview offers both a map and the courage to begin the journey.
Listen now and start where you are.
This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.
People rely on external goals for their inspiration and happiness. But the sense of happiness is actually experienced inside and, with right understanding, can be an unconditional state of being. Conditions for our happiness exist because we have stored past disturbances that must be avoided if we want to feel okay inside. True liberation comes from letting go of these inner blockages, staying open to life, and choosing happiness regardless of what happens.
There are times when people experience deep love, joy, and inspiration. But these states disappear the moment we close ourselves because life does not match our expectations. We end up storing every uncomfortable experience inside, and these suppressed impressions create the fears, judgments, and egocentric thoughts and emotions that block our natural openness. Spiritual growth is not about achieving something new but about letting go of stored inner disturbances so that the natural state of love and energy can flow freely again.
We live in a world accelerating faster than the human mind was built to handle. So what do we do with that?
This week, Tami Simon speaks with Peter Russell—author, speaker, and leading thinker on consciousness and spirituality, with degrees in theoretical physics, psychology, and computer science from Cambridge—about his new book, How to Meditate Without Even Trying, featuring a foreword by Eckhart Tolle. Decades after coining the term “global brain” and predicting the internet, Russell turns his visionary lens on the present moment: a world of staggering technological power and equally staggering stress.
Join Tami and Peter to explore:
From global brain to global mind: how AI represents the next threshold in humanity’s collective evolution
Why exponential change is not going away—and the hidden costs it’s placing on our personal and planetary systems
Forgiving Humanity: why the crises facing our species may be the inevitable result of accelerating development, not human failure
Accepting the possibility of extinction—and how that acceptance can paradoxically free us to live and serve more fully
The shift from “saving the world” to navigating these times with grace, compassion, and groundedness
Why meditation is more necessary now than ever—and how effortlessness, not discipline, is the key
“Letting in” before letting go: a practice for metabolizing emotion and releasing tension at its root
The tension in thinking—and how noticing it during meditation changes how we think outside of it
Whether you’re overwhelmed by the pace of the world or simply looking for a steadier way to move through it, Peter Russell offers both perspective and practice.
Listen now and find your way back to the quiet.
This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.
Human suffering comes from trying to control the outside world so that our inner state feels good, all of which is based on impressions from our past experiences. Spiritual growth begins when we stop clinging to these impressions and instead learn to handle whatever reality presents. By letting experiences pass through without resistance, inner energy rises naturally, eventually dissolving the personal self and leading to liberation.
