Julian Jaynes

Referenced in 1 episode

Definition

Princeton psychologist (1920-1997) and author of 'The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind' (1976), which argues that human consciousness emerged only about 3,000 years ago.

Related episodes

Jonathan Dickerson: Ibogaine and the Bicameral Mind

Earth AncientsSep 2, 2026

Author and Ambio Life Sciences co-founder Jonathan Dickinson explains ibogaine, a powerful psychedelic from the root bark of a Central African shrub, and why it is drawing attention as a treatment for opioid addiction, PTSD and traumatic brain injury in Navy SEALs. He borrows Julian Jaynes's theory of the 'bicameral mind' to describe how users often enter a dreamlike dialogue with inner voices or guides, sometimes reporting knowledge of distant cultures, ancestors or the future. Host Cliff Dunning opens the episode with claims that around 40% of current Maya hieroglyph translations may be wrong, and that very old kings are routinely dismissed as myth.

FS 4