This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg: While You Were Sleeping

Listen here to This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg, a podcast that provides a fascinating look into the human brain, with each episode asking new questions — and finding new answers — about our most mysterious organ. Together with his expert guests, Dr. Stieg takes us on a journey that reveals unexpected secrets at every turn, and redefines what we know about ourselves and our place in the world.

The podcast explores the many fascinating aspects of neuroscience, ranging from how the brain is wired for both sudden bursts of violence and the pervasive inner calm of meditation. Where does confidence come from? How do we remember traumatic events – or do we? How do other animals experience consciousness? Does storytelling change our brains?

Take the journey with us as we explore the very foundation of what makes us human.

Originally released: May 19, 2022

Can you communicate with someone who's sound asleep, and is it possible to influence their dreams? Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern and a leading sleep researcher, talks about "lucid dreaming" — the state of dreaming while knowing you're in a dream — as well as about how researchers can reach into the brain of a sleeping person and actually create the experience they have in their dreams. Is it ethical to influence the dream state? What are the implications for brain health if we can never turn off Plus... "Sleep Learning" with the 1920s Psycho-Phone.

For more information, transcripts, and all episodes, please visit thisisyourbrain.com

For more about Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, please visit neurosurgery.weillcornell.org

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.