Psychotherapist & Philosopher: Dr Julien Ward - The Self Is a Story: Trauma, Buddhism & Why Your Ego Isn't Who You Are

In this episode, Bevan sits down with Dr. Julien Ward — philosopher, psychotherapist, and professor of counselling — to explore one of the most profound questions at the intersection of trauma, identity, and Eastern philosophy: what are we, beneath the story we tell about ourselves? Dr. Ward draws on Buddhist psychology, psychodynamic theory, Jungian individuation, and relational therapy to map the terrain between who we think we are and what actually remains when that construction begins to fall apart. They explore: Why the West lost contact with its own contemplative technologies — and why we keep reaching East to fill the void How consumerism became the most seductive form of modern enslavement The difference between Buddhist no-self and the person who still has to show up to their life Why trauma doesn't just hurt — it det-temporises you, trapping you in a loop that forecloses a different future The dangers of spiritual bypassing — and why meditation alone can't touch certain wounds Group therapy, witnessing circles, and why healing was never meant to be a solo project Psychedelics, vision quests, and the co-option of sacred technologies into consumer experiences Why awe might be the closest thing we have to a universal therapeutic This is a conversation for anyone who has ever felt like the self they're performing doesn't quite match the one underneath — and who suspects the gap between those two might be where the real work begins.   Bevan's offering: www.theemboidedmind.com.au