Tammy Lee Anderson shares how three profound near-death experiences opened her to unconditional love, spiritual awakening, and a life of service as a psychotherapist, healer, and spiritual medium. In this deep conversation, she describes what near-death really felt like, how it dissolved the fear of death, and how love and awakening can be embodied in daily life through grief, trauma, and ordinary relationships.

We explore Tammy’s early near-death experiences in infancy, her memories of being “in between” worlds, and how these experiences invited her into a lifelong journey of surrender into love. She explains why we are not victims of our reality but co‑creators of it, and how even our deepest challenges can expand compassion, forgiveness, and embodied love.

Tammy also talks about her unusual background as an Olympic‑level kayaker, 5th degree black belt Aikido teacher, former monastic, and long‑time psychotherapist. She shares powerful stories of working with grief, homelessness, abuse, and trauma, and how her mediumship and healing work now help people reconnect with loved ones in spirit, release fear, and rediscover meaning.

If you’re curious about near‑death experiences, life after death, spiritual mediumship, or how to live awake in a dense and sometimes painful world, this conversation offers both inspiration and very grounded wisdom.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is a public intellectual; he is the creator, writer, host of Closer To Truth, the long-running PBS/public television series and leading digital resource on Cosmos (cosmology/physics, philosophy of science), Life (philosophy of biology), Mind (consciousness, brain/mind, philosophy of mind), and Meaning (theism/atheism/agnosticism, global philosophy of religion, critical thinking). Peter Getzels is Closer To Truth co-creator and producer/director. Kuhn is the author of the comprehensive review article on theories of consciousness – “A Landscape of Consciousness: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications” – and editor-in-chief of the expanded, continuously updated Landscape of Consciousness website (with more than 400 theories of consciousness in ten categories), Kuhn has written or edited over 30 books, including The Mystery of Existence: Why is there Anything At All? (with John Leslie); Closer To Truth: Challenging Current Belief; Closer To Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future; The Library of Investment Banking; How China’s Leaders Think (featuring President Xi Jinping); The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin (China’s best-selling book in 2005 and in December 2022); and “The Origin and Significance of Zero: An Interdisciplinary Perspective” (with Peter Gobets). Dr. Kuhn is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. He has a BA in Human Biology (Johns Hopkins), PhD in Anatomy/Brain Research (UCLA), and SM (MBA) in Management (MIT).

From my teenage years I had an unquenchable thirst to see beyond the veils that growing up had created in my mind. I tried different avenues of exploration, and soon found my spiritual home in the Zen tradition. After graduating from college, I went straight to Japan and became a Zen monk at the Bukkoku-ji monastery. For over a dozen years I practiced in the monastic context, mostly in Japan and Korea, living a life dedicated fully to this investigation, going through an awakening process, and deepening my realization and embodiment. Later I also explored approaches of other traditions and followed several secular non-traditional teachers. I have spent about 4 years total in silent meditation retreats, and have worked directly in the retreat setting and one-on-one with teachers such as my root monastic teacher, Tangen Harada Roshi, as well as with Jakusho Kwong Roshi, Shodo Harada Roshi, Wu Bong Sunim, Adyashanti and Angelo Dilullo.

Even though the years of meditation and the simplicity of monastic life had a powerful effect, most important on my path were three breakthroughs at age 23, 30 and 37, each stripping down a different layer of illusion and revealing bare truth, without any sense of separation, or any sense of personal nor universal “self.” I have also explored and continue to explore various approaches of somatic work to aid embodiment and the uprooting of habitual tendencies, as I consider myself, and all human beings, a work in progress.

Following my monastic Dharma grandfather (Daiun Harada Roshi)’s example, I vowed to spend all of my twenties and thirties only on my own practice, deepening and embodiment. Now in my forties, I make myself available as a resource to those who seek support in their own process of finding freedom from self-created suffering. Despite my love of the monastic life and the Zen tradition, I have decided to share outside of the confines of those systems. I stay true, however, to the essence and marrow of Zen as defined by Bodhidharma, the Indian monk considered the founder of what we now know as Zen:

“Transmission outside of scriptures
Not dependent upon words and phrases
Directly pointing to each person’s mind
See your nature – become a buddha”

Feel free to reach out if you feel so inclined.

May all beings find liberation!

Purnima Sinha is a spiritual director and coach whose life has been shaped by meditation, near‑death experiences, and a deep commitment to seva (selfless service). Raised in a highly spiritual Indian family steeped in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, she began meditating in her teens and was trained in Ultra Transcendental Meditation and Surat Shabd Yoga in India. She has now practiced meditation for over 50 years.

After an intense emotional crisis around the year 2000, Purnima had a near‑death‑type experience in which she found herself in a tunnel, received a powerful life review and “downloads” about her future, and understood that her life’s purpose was far from complete. This, along with subsequent experiences—including warnings before a later collapse, shared‑death experiences with family members, and long‑term after‑death communication with her mother—reoriented her life around service, self‑love, and trust in inner guidance.

Professionally, Purnima worked for many years as a graphic designer before feeling an inner compulsion to serve in a hospital setting. Guided “voices” and a series of striking coincidences led her into over 3,500 hours of volunteer work and a formal role as a patient advocate in a major hospital, where she visited patients one‑on‑one, listened to their concerns, and supported them and their families through serious illness, cancer treatments, and end‑of‑life transitions. Repeatedly, nurses and staff invited her to sit with patients who were actively dying, and she became known informally as someone who could help people cross over peacefully.

Out of this work grew hospital meditation and wellness programs. Purnima has served as a meditation, chair‑yoga, balance and strength, and “Fit for Life” facilitator, as well as a spiritual life coach for county wellness programs and cancer support networks. She holds certificates in Lifestyle Medicine and in Meditation & Psychotherapy from Harvard Medical School. Drawing on clinical research supplied in part by her physician son, she helped establish a hospital‑based meditation initiative before the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Purnima has been a frequent presenter at the International Association for Near‑Death Studies (IANDS), including on after‑death communication panels, and has shared many of her experiences publicly only in recent years. Her article on healing the “pain body” was published in Eckhart Tolle’s newsletter. She emphasizes practical spirituality: starting and ending the day with gratitude, cultivating stillness and prayer, listening to inner guidance, and practicing self‑love as the foundation for serving others.

Her core messages include: no one ever dies alone; we are always guided and supported, even when we cannot see it; every experience, including painful ones, can serve the evolution of consciousness; and “Self‑Care = Self‑Love.”

Richard Lang first saw who he really was in a workshop in 1970 with the English philosopher Douglas Harding, author of ‘On Having No Head’. Since then he has devoted his life to Seeing, and to sharing the simple, accessible Headless Way. He has published two books, several videos, and a CD, and travels widely giving workshops. Books by Richard Lang: Seeing Who You Really Are Open to the Source: Selected Teachings of Douglas E. Harding Website: headless.org A free e-course in seeing Who we really are YouTube Channel Other books by Douglas Harding: Religions of the World (Liberal Studies) Look for Yourself: The Science and Art of Self-Realization The Hierarchy of Heaven and Earth Head Off Stress The Little Book of Life and Death The Science of the 1st Person The Trial Of The Man Who Said He Was God The Spectre in the Lake Visible Gods Face to No-Face: Rediscovering Our Original Nature To Be And Not To Be, That Is The Answer Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded June 21, 2014 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Richard Lang and The Headless Way 00:03:18 - The Headless Way: Unpacking the Experience 00:06:46 - Layers of Being and Identity 00:10:15 - The Headless Body and the Visible Center 00:14:12 - Discovery of the Hierarchy 00:18:00 - Profound Impact of the Experiments 00:22:10 - Mechanical Self-Inquiry with Ramana Maharshi 00:26:33 - The Way of Seeing 00:30:18 - The Four Stages of Life: The Baby and the Child 00:33:35 - The Journey of Self-Identification 00:37:46 - Seeking to Rediscover the Whole 00:41:29 - The Process of Growing and Learning 00:45:28 - The Creative Process and the Great Void 00:49:06 - Embracing the Self in the Mirror 00:53:01 - The Experience of Nothingness and One Eye 00:57:18 - Awareness of Thoughts and Feelings 01:01:36 - Sense of Being Un-contained 01:06:26 - The Development of Separate Minds 01:10:36 - The Dual Awareness of Self 01:14:50 - The Essence and Expression of Beautiful Beings 01:18:37 - Awakening of the Senses 01:22:41 - The Perspective of Oneness and Love 01:26:23 - Inner Peace in Tumultuous Situations 01:30:26 - Recognizing Inner Nature and Taking Refuge in It 01:34:50 - The Capacity for Sensations and Nothingness 01:39:27 - The confidence of the One 01:43:17 - The Unity of Mind and Body 01:47:12 - Eating Mangoes and the Workshop Experience 01:50:42 - The Spree-cast and the Value of Sharing 01:54:33 - Concluding Remarks and Thank You 01:58:12 - Books by Richard and Douglas Harding Save

Rick is host of this show. Alex Tsakiris, host of Skeptiko, is a successful entrepreneur turned science podcaster. In 2007 he founded Skeptiko, which has become the #1 podcast covering the science of human consciousness. Alex has appeared on syndicated radio talk shows both in the US and the UK and is well-known within the parapsychology and near-death experience and parapsychology research communities. The Skeptiko Agenda Follow the data… wherever is leads. Explore the possibility that the dominant scientific paradigm (i.e., materialism) might be at a tipping point. Engage the top thinkers in pointed discussions about the questions that matter most. Interview conducted 3/16/2013 Transcript of this interview. Other BatGap interviews of Rick: Rick Archer, Interviewed by Richard Miller Rick Archer, Interviewed by Fax Gilbert Rick Archer, talk at SAND ’15 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:06 - Awakening and Enlightenment 00:05:50 - The Nature of Enlightenment and Consciousness 00:08:41 - Quantum Physics and Enlightenment Techniques 00:12:04 - Materialism and the Brain 00:15:04 - The Illusion of Physical Existence 00:17:27 - The Integration of Enlightenment with Everyday Life 00:20:14 - The Transformative Power of Spiritual Practice 00:22:44 - Verifying Spiritual Practices through Direct Experience 00:25:16 - The Scientific Method Applied Daily 00:28:11 - The Transformation and Fall from TM Movement 00:31:11 - Unfaced aspects of personality 00:33:44 - The Guru Phenomenon 00:36:18 - The Value of Commitment to a Teacher 00:39:41 - The Possibility of a New Age of Enlightenment 00:42:51 - Awakening to Deeper Realities 00:46:18 - Uncovering the Truth Behind Climate Change 00:49:09 - Spiritual Awakening and Political Activism 00:51:51 - The Complexity of Activism and Morality 00:54:30 - Paradoxical Conundrums in Vedic Literature 00:57:03 - The Principle of Trading Carbon Credits 00:59:33 - The Evolution Machine of the Universe 01:02:23 - The Nature of Good and Evil 01:04:29 - Encountering Subtler Realms of Creation 01:06:48 - Experiences of Transformation 01:09:48 - Interviews and Reflections 01:11:59 - The Game of Cosmic Zoom Lens 01:14:23 - Enlightenment: Transforming Society 01:17:00 - Enjoying Heaven on Earth 01:19:02 - Continuing the Work in Search Engine Optimization 01:20:18 - Background Music

The Open Secret message is totally radical and uncompromising. It is a rare and singular expression of absolute non-dualism. It bypasses the mind and speaks directly to the very core of a wisdom that is imminent in all of us. When there is a readiness to hear, all seeking and need for personal endeavor falls away, leaving simply the wonder of what is. There is no me or you, no seeker, no enlightenment, no disciple and no guru. There is no better or worse, no path, and nothing that has to be achieved. All appearance is source. All that apparently manifests - the world, the life story, the hypnotic dream of separation, the search for home - is the one appearing as two, the nothing appearing as everything, the absolute appearing as the particular. There is no separate intelligence weaving a destiny, and no choice functioning at any level. Nothing is happening, but this, as it is, invites the apparent seeker to rediscover that which already is...the abiding, uncaused, unchanging, impersonal silence from which unconditional love overflows and celebrates. It is the wonderful mystery. Tony Parsons has been sharing this "open secret" with people for over 20 years. His talks and workshops are highly regarded in England and Western Europe. Tony's books: As It Is: The Open Secret of Spiritual Awakening The Open Secret Nothing Being Everything Tony's website Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 2/2/2012 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Opening interview with guest Tony Parsons 00:02:30 - Searching for a message 00:04:56 - Separation filter and dissatisfaction 00:07:46 - Liberation from the illusion of separateness 00:10:48 - Spiritual practices and liberation 00:13:11 - Theory of quantum physics and free will 00:15:27 - The seeker lives in an illusion 00:17:52 - Deliverance regardless of story 00:20:18 - Personal Enlightenment and Personal Liberation 00:22:16 - Hidden answers and searches 00:24:37 - Difference in teaching and communication 00:26:50 - Lack of intention and motivation 00:29:01 - Immersion in artificial reality 00:31:14 - Clarity and separation in perception 00:33:24 - Life as an answer to the search for fulfillment 00:35:32 - Searching for reason, understanding and liberation 00:37:51 - Awakening and enlightenment 00:40:00 - Search 00:42:11 - "Liberation and infinite energy" 00:44:06 - Existence of a Universal Energy 00:46:04 - Appearance of suffering 00:48:26 - Back to the individual perspective 00:50:37 - Nothing is infinite energy 00:52:42 - Meaning of divine 00:54:57 - Contributions by Tony Parsons and the important difference between description and prescription 00:57:01 - Apparent reincarnation and karma 00:59:38 - The illusion of time and reality 01:01:36 - Illusory elephant and tree 01:03:17 - The impact of implementation on family life 01:05:41 - Searching for enlightenment 01:07:48 - Upcoming Interviews and Notifications

John Hagelin, Ph.D., is a world-renowned quantum physicist, educator, author, and leading proponent of peace. Dr. Hagelin has conducted pioneering research at CERN (the European Center for Particle Physics) and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. He is responsible for the development of a highly successful grand unified field theory based on the superstring—a theory that was featured in a cover story of Discover magazine. In addition, Dr. Hagelin has spent much of the past quarter century leading a scientific investigation into the foundations of human consciousness. He is one of the world’s pre-eminent researchers on the effects of meditation on brain development, and the use of collective meditation to defuse societal stress and to reduce crime and social violence. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Dr. Hagelin was named winner of the prestigious Kilby Award, which recognizes scientists who have made “major contributions to society through their applied research in the fields of science and technology.” The award recognized Dr. Hagelin as “a scientist in the tradition of Einstein, Jeans, Bohr and Eddington.” Dr. Hagelin was featured in the hit movies What the Bleep Do We Know!? and The Secret for his cutting-edge research in physics, higher states of consciousness; and the peace-promoting effects of large meditation groups. Dr. Hagelin has appeared many times on ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s Larry King Live! and Inside Politics, CNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, and others. He has also been regularly featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and other major metropolitan newspapers. Dr. Hagelin received his A.B. summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1975 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1981. He is currently director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy, Professor of physics at Maharishi University of Management, President of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace, President of the David Lynch Foundation, and Director of the Maharishi Foundation USA, which overseas the teaching of Transcendental Meditation in the United States. Book: Manual for a Perfect Government: How to Harness the Laws of Nature to Bring Maximum Success to Governmental Administration Interview recorded 1/12/2014