Brian Tierney, Ph.D. - Visionary Somatics: Psychedelics, Trauma & the Dreaming Body
Release Date: 09/01/2025
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info_outlineIn this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Dr. Brian Tierney, a licensed somatic psychologist and professor of neuroscience.
Find full show notes and links here:
https://thethirdwave.co/podcast/episode-319/?ref=278
Dr. Tierney unpacks the emerging paradigm of network neuroscience and how our brain’s default mode, salience, and task networks interact with trauma, attention, and healing.
Dr. Tierney is a somatic psychologist, neuroscience and psychopharmacology professor, and psychotherapist with a passion for integrative healing. Specializing in trauma resolution, couples therapy, and somatic experiencing, he blends cutting-edge science with ancient practices to create transformative healing experiences. He is the host of the Boundless Body podcast and the author of the upcoming book Visionary Somatics.
Highlights:
- What is network neuroscience?
- How trauma disrupts brain network coordination
- Understanding the salience, default mode, and task networks
- Why somatic healing involves connective tissue, not just cognition
- The dangers of spiritual bypassing through “idealized embodiment”
- “Character armoring” and body-held trauma patterns
- How imagination serves as a ground for healing
- The death–rebirth archetype in psychedelic experiences
- Transcendence vs. transformation in modern healing culture
- Why safety and grounding are non-negotiable for deep work
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