Two Decades. A Thousand Conversations. One Integral Journey.

From Ken Wilber’s earliest dialogues to today’s explorations of the global Metacrisis and The Transformation Age, our ever-growing library offers the most complete story of human wholeness available online. Welcome on this transformative path.

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Integral Basics

25+ posts

Whether you’re new to Integral or returning for a refresher, this collection is your doorway into how Integral Theory works, with core teachings from Ken Wilber, Jeff Salzman, Corey deVos, Roger Walsh, and others.

Editor's Picks

90+ posts

Some of the very best practices, perspectives and presentations available in the Integral Life archives.

World Affairs

140+ posts

In this collection, you’ll explore the global Metacrisis and the deep causal structures behind the geopolitical, economic, and ecological challenges of our civilization.

Psychology

140+ posts

In one of our biggest and richest collections, you’ll navigate the human psyche in all its complexity—motivations, drives, shadows, traumas, relationships, practices, and much more.

Perspectives View all

Nocturnal Meditations: How to See in the Dark

Nocturnal Meditations: How to See in the Dark

Andrew Holecek   September 25, 2025  
Andrew Holecek presents dark retreat—extended periods in complete sensory deprivation—as a transformative meditation practice that accesses deeper levels of consciousness typically obscured by our light-obsessed, distraction-heavy culture. He argues that conventional "waking" awareness is actually humanity's most contracted state, while nocturnal practices like lucid dreaming and sleep yoga offer profound opportunities for shadow work, creativity, and spiritual development.
Don’t Just Transcend Your Pain — Include It

Don’t Just Transcend Your Pain — Include It

Alexander Love   September 19, 2025  
After the tragic murder of his father at age 20, Alexander Love began a decades-long journey through grief, spiritual practice, and shadow work — seeking not just to rise above his pain, but to finally and fully include it. In this deeply personal conversation, he shares how real healing began not with transcendence, but with embracing the very wounds he had tried to escape.
The Dopamine Revolution: From Human Evolution to Modern Crisis

The Dopamine Revolution: From Human Evolution to Modern Crisis

Dr. Keith Witt   September 12, 2025  
Dr. Keith Witt traces how dopamine-driven evolution shaped human consciousness from ancient seafood consumption that triggered civilization's "Big Bang" 80,000 years ago to today's hyper-stimulating culture that exploits the same neurochemical reward systems for profit. While our dopamine-flooded modern world creates unprecedented pathologies like addiction and isolation, it also sets the stage for the next evolutionary leap: conscious integration of our reward systems with relational wisdom and ecological awareness.
STAGES: Cracking the Code of Human Development

STAGES: Cracking the Code of Human Development

Keith Martin-Smith   September 5, 2025  
Keith Martin Smith and Alexander Love explore Terry O’Fallon’s Stages model as a powerful lens for understanding how humans grow, make meaning, and relate across vastly different realities. Together, they reveal how developmental precision — not content or ideology — holds the key to deeper empathy, cultural healing, and truly integrative practice.
When Democracy Eats Itself: Navigating the Politics of Confusion

When Democracy Eats Itself: Navigating the Politics of Confusion

Mark Edwards   August 28, 2025  
Mark Edwards and Bruce Alderman explore Jean-Pierre Faye's "Horseshoe Theory," which reveals that political extremes curve toward each other when they abandon democratic norms, explaining why some voters support both Trump and AOC as anti-establishment alternatives. The discussion introduces meta-theoretical tools including Roy Bhaskar's concept of "demi-reality," Bruno Latour's analysis of "modal confusion," and the possibility of "post-conventional coalitions" that transcend left-right polarization while maintaining democratic integrity.
Ride the Tiger: The Psychedelic Renaissance Is Here

Ride the Tiger: The Psychedelic Renaissance Is Here

Carter Phipps   August 21, 2025  
Carter Phipps explores how psychedelics, postmodern values, and the reawakening of consciousness are reshaping the cultural landscape and laying the groundwork for an integral future. Arguing that we must embrace — and responsibly guide — the weirdness of this transitional moment, he calls for a worldview that integrates science, spirituality, and the deep interior dimensions of human experience.
Tantra Is Not What You Think (And Way Better Than You Imagined)

Tantra Is Not What You Think (And Way Better Than You Imagined)

Kimberley Lafferty   August 15, 2025  
Two accomplished tantric practitioners — one from Kashmir Shaivism, the other from Tibetan Vajrayana — share their profound awakening stories and reveal how ancient consciousness technologies can accelerate the challenging transition from teal to turquoise awareness and beyond.

Podcast Series

Witt & Wisdom Series Banner

Dr. Keith Witt

Licensed Psychologist, teacher, and author

Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos explore the rich terrain of the integral mind.
Evolving Spirit Series Banner

Kimberley Lafferty

Teacher, practitioner

Kimberley Lafferty explores the often unspoken world of spiritual experiences—those profound, extraordinary moments that connect us to something beyond the ordinary. Reflecting on her own journey and cultural taboos around sharing such experiences, Kimberley invites us to break the silence, embrace vulnerability, and discover the transformative power of sharing our stories.

Integral Edge Series Banner

Keith Martin-Smith

Award-winning author, writing coach, and Zen priest

Keith Martin-Smith brings a deep, multi-perspective lens to the chaos, cutting through the noise to find what actually matters. This isn’t just another commentary on the world. It’s a guide to seeing—and living—beyond the divide.

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Ken Wilber

Philosopher, writer, creator of Integral Theory

In Zen Buddhism, the word kensho describes a sudden glimpse or insight into the nature of reality. At Integral Life, the “Ken Show” intends to offer you a very similar opportunity.

Recorded between 2018–2023, these are some of the most important and far-reaching dialogues in Integral Life’s history.

How to Think Integrally

How to Think Integrally

Ken Wilber   September 19, 2018  
Ken and Corey explore some of the major qualities of integral thinking at the “vision logic” or “construct aware” stages of development.
The Major and Minor Scales of Integral Politics

The Major and Minor Scales of Integral Politics

Ken Wilber   November 13, 2018  
Ken Wilber and Corey deVos take an in-depth look at the “major and minor scales” of integral politics — an inventory of the most critical elements, polarities, and patterns of self-organization that are at play within all of the major political systems across the world, from the rise of civilization to today.
The Baby and the Bathwater: Saving Liberalism

The Baby and the Bathwater: Saving Liberalism

Ken Wilber   January 17, 2019  
In this episode of The Ken Show we explore five themes near and dear to the liberal heart — tolerance, nonviolence, power, privilege, and gender — celebrating the healthy aspects of each that we want to include in a more integral embrace, while weeding out the unhealthy regressive narratives that most of these have devolved into.
On the Front Line of the Culture War — Give Me Some Real Examples, Not Just Theories!

On the Front Line of the Culture War — Give Me Some Real Examples, Not Just Theories!

Ken Wilber   February 15, 2019  
Watch as Ken and Corey offer their views on some of the most controversial policy debates of our time, each of which has become a battle line in our constantly escalating culture wars.
The Four Quadrants: A Guided Tour

The Four Quadrants: A Guided Tour

Ken Wilber   March 20, 2020  
Ken and Corey take a in-depth tour through one of Ken’s most well-known contributions to integral philosophy: the Four Quadrants. Watch as Ken shares his personal story about the origins of the Four Quadrant model — the day everything came together — as he weaves 3rd-person theoretical descriptions of the model with his own 1st-person experience and creative process.
Integrating Shadow

Integrating Shadow

Ken Wilber   July 16, 2020  
Ken and Corey offer a stunning overview of the psychological shadow. Ken describes several different kinds of shadow, how shadow can show up differently in all four quadrants, and the relationship between shadow, violence, and social transformation.
Ken Wilber Goes to High School: Sex, Ecology, Spirituality

Ken Wilber Goes to High School: Sex, Ecology, Spirituality

Ken Wilber   September 28, 2021  
In this very special episode of The Ken Show we are joined by Aissatou Diallo, Zoe Tray, and Noah Delorme, students at Choate Rosemary Hall who have been studying Ken Wilber’s seminal book, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality for their senior year project. Watch as Ken, Aissatou, Zoe, and Noah unpack many of the core insights of SES and discuss the unique value Integral work holds for a new generation of thinkers, leaders, artists, and scholars.
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Witt & Wisdom Series Banner

Robb Smith

Founder of IAM, Co-founder of Integral Life

Series of written articles and accompanying webcasts that Robb Smith hosts for the Integral Life community in real-time as the Great Release unfolds, giving rise to the Transformation Age.
Inhabit Series Banner

Ryan Oelke

Co-founder of Buddhist Geeks, teacher

Practice-based series with Ryan Oelke and Corey deVos, designed to help you embody your own unique expression of integral being and more fully inhabit the territory of your life, your relationships, and your world.

Integral Edge Series Banner

Mark Fischler

Professor of Criminal justice

Join Mark Fischler and Corey deVos as they bring integral justice into focus on today’s pressing cultural, legal, and societal issues.

Integral Edge Series Banner

Lisa Frost

Integral Master Coach, facilitator

Between 2021 and 2023, Lisa Frost and Corey deVos recorded a podcast series that continues to offer timeless guidance for deepening Integral Life Practice, with powerful ways to Wake Up, Grow Up, Clean Up, and Show Up in life, relationships, and work.

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Watch the full presentation here (Integral Life members only): https://integrallife.com/dark-retreat-and-the-five-nocturnal-meditations/ What if the future of meditation doesn’t involve more light… but total darkness? In this opening segment, Andrew Holecek introduces the radical and ancient practice of dark retreat — a contemplative technology that merges shadow work, lucid dreaming, sleep yoga, and death preparation into one unified path of transformation. You’ll learn about the five nocturnal meditations: - Liminal Dreaming - Lucid Dreaming - Dream Yoga - Sleep Yoga - Bardo Yoga (death rehearsal) With clarity and humor, Andrew shares why “darkness doesn’t scare us — our projections do”, how lucid dreaming may represent the next stage in human evolution, and why the ego must die before anything real can be reborn. Drawing from Tibetan Buddhism, neuroscience, and 28+ years of direct experience, this talk reframes darkness not as a void… but as a womb. “Light doesn’t reveal — light conceals.” “The tomb becomes a womb.” “This is prescription-strength meditation.” Whether you're a seasoned meditator or just curious about shadow work and altered states, this clip opens a door into one of the most powerful, risky, and rewarding inner journeys available today — and reminds us: “Anybody can do this. Truly.”
The 5 Nocturnal Meditations: How to See in the Dark
The Big Bang wasn’t just physics — it was the ultimate act of creativity.” From nothing came quarks, atoms, molecules, and eventually life itself. What if one of the universe’s fundamental forces isn’t just gravity or electromagnetism… but absolute creativity? 🌌 Watch more here: https://youtu.be/0ZLFGmhL6X4
The Universe’s Hidden Force 🌌 Creativity
Why do kids sometimes swing from inclusion into intolerance? In this eye-opening conversation, we explore how children — and adults — relate to values like equity, inclusion, and justice based on their developmental stage. Drawing on the work of Terri O'Fallon, Robert Kegan, Ken Wilber, and others, we unpack how the same progressive values can be held from vastly different perspectives — from rule-bound absolutism to nuanced, pluralistic insight. You’ll learn why some students fiercely enforce pronouns like commandments, why others abandon inclusivity when they change environments, and how even well-intentioned DEI efforts can backfire when we ignore developmental context. We also explore how frameworks like 3.5 (Orange), 4.0 (Green), and 4.5 (Teal) help us understand: - Why “woke” values sometimes regress under pressure - How projection and bias evolve at each stage - What real systemic change looks like — beyond slogans If you're an educator, parent, facilitator, or anyone working in culture change, this conversation will give you a more compassionate, developmental lens on the complexities of identity, justice, and human growth.
A Developmental Look at DEI, Identity, and Justice
What would it feel like to live inside an ant colony or a flock of birds — to experience their “culture” from within? Ken Wilber uses these vivid examples to explain social holons — collective systems like crystals, colonies, flocks, and human societies that show surprising forms of intelligence and organization. 👉 Watch the full video on holons here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHuV9sbGML0
What Does Culture Feel Like to an Ant or a Bird?
Watch the full presentation here (members only): https://bit.ly/46k0oSx What if creativity isn’t rare, but the very structure of reality? In this mind-expanding segment, we explore a radical reframe of creativity—not as the domain of a gifted few, but as the fundamental force animating the entire universe. From the Big Bang to biology, from quarks to culture, creativity is not just a human trait—it’s the signature of existence itself. Tracing the cosmic story from the flaring forth of the universe to the emergence of life, mind, and meaning, this episode reveals how evolution is spirit in action—a continuous unfolding of love, intelligence, and self-awareness. You’ll encounter a deeply integrative view of science and spirituality, grounded in the principles of integral theory. This isn’t just a lesson in cosmology. It’s a call to remember that the same creative force that shaped galaxies is alive in you—right now. Themes covered: - The Big Bang as an artistic event - Creativity as a universal principle - Evolution as a spiritual process - The brain as the cosmos becoming self-aware - Integral theory’s four quadrants - Love as the architecture of manifestation Whether you’re a seeker, a scientist, or simply someone longing to reconnect with a deeper sense of meaning, this conversation will change the way you see yourself—and the universe.
Stop Thinking you're not Creative - Here's the Truth | Ken Wilber
Watch the full episode here (members only): https://bit.ly/4nnrQ82 He didn’t just transcend pain — he learned to include it. From loss and projection to shadow work and devotion, this excerpt follows Alexander Love as he reorients his practice around one quiet realization: love didn’t arrive; it was remembered. Alexander shares how his father’s death set him on a path to Naropa, how he unconsciously projected “dad energy” onto a radiant teacher, and why he asked a seemingly simple question—“What’s the remedy for feeling separation from God?” He describes years of rigorous practice (Surat Shabd Yoga), the honesty of being “pissed off at God” in meditation, and the turning point when shadow work gave his devotion somewhere real to land. What emerges is a tender reframing: pain as another face of the sacred, and development as a way to love more precisely—not to rank anyone. You’ll hear about: • Grief as the real beginning of spiritual life • Projection, devotion, and “practice as escape” • Surat Shabd Yoga: soul, sound, and union • Why shadow work matters (and what it changes) • “Evolution’s engine” — a friendlier way to meet reality • Pain as a doorway to wholeness
Don’t Just Transcend Pain — Make It Sacred
The psychedelic renaissance is here. 🌍🍄 A global re-emergence of psychedelics — for healing, science, spirituality, and culture. But the psychedelic renaissance isn’t just about individual trips, it’s about a cultural tipping point. When millions explore consciousness together, the waters of culture shift from “I” to “We,” awakening intersubjectivity and transforming how society makes meaning. 🌍✨ Watch more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n30kh31F2Rs
What Happens If 10 Million People Take Psilocybin? 🍄
Watch the full discussion here: https://integrallife.com/the-dopamine-revolution-from-human-evolution-to-modern-crisis/ What if the secret to human civilization wasn't fire, tools, or language, but seafood? Dr. Keith Witt reveals one of the most remarkable untold stories in human evolution: how a devastating drought 100,000 years ago forced early humans to the beaches of South Africa, where their brains were flooded with dopamine-boosting nutrients that triggered what evolutionary neurobiologists call "the Big Bang" of human consciousness. This isn't gradual genetic evolution—this transformation happened so rapidly that existing neural circuits, dormant for 120,000 years, suddenly activated all at once. Within thousands of years, humans went from basic survival to creating sophisticated tools, art, jewelry, burial ceremonies, and complex social structures. The same neurochemical system that drove our ancestors to explore new territories and develop civilization is the system that modern technology exploits today. Through compelling archaeological evidence and cutting-edge neuroscience, Keith traces how environmental pressures in the lower-right quadrant triggered dietary changes that rewired the upper-right brain, enabling consciousness evolution in the upper-left that manifested as cultural explosion in the lower-left. This is integral theory applied to deep history, revealing how all four quadrants aligned to create the most significant leap in human development—until now. This episode is a tour de force — part history lesson, part neuroscience primer, part spiritual invocation. Keith and Corey don’t just describe the human story — they locate you inside it, inviting you to step consciously into this next unfolding wave. Because, as they remind us again and again: the Big Bang is still banging.
The Ancient Discovery That Created Human Civilization
Think atoms are the building blocks of the universe? Think again. Everything around you — from cells to stars — is made of holons: structures that are both a whole and a part. This is the hidden design behind evolution, consciousness, and complexity. It’s not just science. It’s the pattern of existence itself. #shorts #universe #reality #philosophy
The Hidden Design of the Universe No One Told You About 🌌🪐💫☄️
Discover the power of spiritual intelligence — the capacity to explore the deepest dimensions of awareness. Ken Wilber explains how this inner science can open the door to awakening, enlightenment, and mystical states that feel more real than physical reality itself. 🌌 #KenWilber #SpiritualIntelligence #Awakening #Shorts
Unlocking Spiritual Intelligence – The Path to Awakening | Ken Wilber
What if every “thing” has an inside? From worms to dogs 🐕 and even subatomic particles, consciousness might not emerge at some magical point — it could be baked into reality itself. No ghost in the machine. Just consciousness, all the way down.... 👉 Want more mind-stretching insights? Check this out: https://youtu.be/zHuV9sbGML0 #Consciousness #KenWilber #IntegralTheory #SpiritualIntelligence #shorts
Are Atoms Conscious? 🤯
What if the secret to understanding anyone—your teenage daughter, your impossible boss, that friend who keeps making the same relationship mistakes—wasn't about reading their mind, but about recognizing the developmental lens through which they see reality? What if most of our communication failures stem from a simple error: assuming everyone makes meaning the same way we do? In this conversation, Keith Martin-Smith and Alexander Love dive deep into Terry O'Fallon's revolutionary Stages model, a developmental framework that cuts through the noise of content to reveal the underlying structure of how consciousness evolves. Unlike the rigid hierarchies that plague most developmental theories, this approach treats growth as an unbroken fabric of becoming — twelve developmental waves flowing across three distinct tiers of reality perception. Alexander explores Terri’s three-question methodology, which can help pinpoint someone's developmental range in real-time. First: What world can they actually see? Someone operating from concrete thinking literally cannot perceive the systemic forces that are obvious to someone with subtle awareness. Second: Are they exploring individual identity or collective belonging? This reveals whether they're in the first two stages of any tier (developing the individual) or the second two stages (developing the collective). Third: What's their learning preference — receptive, active, reciprocal, or interpenetrative? This final question narrows twelve possibilities down to one. The conversation illuminates how this precision serves empathy rather than evaluation. When we recognize that a child adopting progressive values through rule-based thinking will enforce inclusivity with the same rigid authoritarianism they learned at home, we stop expecting postmodern sophistication from concrete cognition. When we understand that someone at 4.0 (green) can see systemic oppression but is still "had by" the system they're critiquing, we can appreciate both their insights and their limitations without condescension. Alexander's exploration of shadow and projection dynamics reveals another layer: how 4.0 can spot others' projections but remains blind to their own, while 4.5 begins the difficult work of recognizing their own shadow upon reflection. This isn't just developmental theory—it's practical wisdom for navigating the projection-heavy landscape of contemporary culture. Perhaps most importantly, they demonstrate how development unfolds not as a linear climb but as a fluid dance between multiple stages within any given conversation. A healthy person at any level naturally draws from earlier developmental waves when appropriate—using first-person perspective to open a door, concrete thinking to follow traffic rules, systemic awareness to understand cultural patterns. The goal isn't to transcend our humanity but to discover its full spectrum. Their discussion of real-world examples—from diversity and inclusion debates to parenting challenges—shows how the same content can emerge from radically different developmental structures, and why meeting people where they are developmentally creates the conditions for genuine growth rather than defensive reactivity. This isn't another framework for ranking consciousness. It's a tool for recognizing the magnificent complexity of human meaning-making, and for learning to love people into wholeness rather than arguing them into agreement. When we stop trying to convince others to see through our developmental lens and start learning to see through theirs, something remarkable becomes possible: genuine understanding across the beautiful diversity of human consciousness.
STAGES: Cracking the Code of Human Development
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