EP. 1841

10/24/25

Dr. Lisa Miller

“Right where the pain is, is the portal of entry.”

The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening: How to Rewire Your Brain for Peace

Dr. Lisa Miller, Columbia professor and leading researcher on spirituality and mental health, shares groundbreaking neuroscience that proves we’re all born with an “awakened brain”, but two-thirds of us never activate it. She unpacks why depression is often misdiagnosed spiritual hunger, not medical illness, and reveals the three neural circuits that light up when we connect to something greater than ourselves. Through deeply personal stories, including her five-year struggle with infertility that ended the moment she opened her heart to adoption, Lisa shows how synchronicities aren’t coincidence, they’re guidance. You’ll walk away knowing that your pain isn’t against you, it’s the doorway to discovering who you’re meant to become.

Dr. Millerโ€™s books:

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"That pain is not against you. That pain is for you. The pain in your heart at 19, at 20, at 25 is a deep calling to seek the presence of the deeper nature of life."
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And now let’s jump into episode 1841 of The School of Greatness!

Some Questions I Ask:

  • What is the difference between an awakened brain and a depressed brain, and how can someone who feels the weight of the world, anxiety, depression, ADHD, any of these symptoms, how can they start to transform those symptoms or those feelings or that emotional weight into peace and an awakened brain?
  • If someone is feeling completely depressed or the symptoms of depression or just an emotional weight they can’t seem to get off their back, and they are thinking of themselves, the relationship I’m in, it’s just not working, the career I’m in is just draining my energy, how does someone start to find meaning and purpose when they have no clue where to start?
  • Why is it so hard for people to believe that life is happening for them instead of to them when they have so many bad things happening all at once?
  • Do we actually need traditional therapy in your mind to heal or can meditation, mindset, breath work help us heal trauma just as fast?
  • What do the MRIs say from a brain that is connected to God or has a spiritual practice versus a brain that doesn’t have a spiritual practice?
  • As a clinical psychologist doing this research for a long time and doing all the MRI studies and working with individuals who have experienced this, is there any other way to get out of pain and suffering than seeking a spiritual practice?
  • How does someone open their mind or their soul to synchronicities more frequently?
  • How does someone then figure out, if they’re just like, I don’t know my direction in life, I don’t know what my purpose is, and I want to figure out my purpose, what does the science and spirituality tell us on how people can discover and live their purpose?

In this episode, you will learn:

  • Discover why two-thirds of depression is actually developmental spiritual hunger, not a medical condition requiring only medication
  • Transform your relationship with pain by understanding the three circuits of an awakened brain: feeling loved and held, receiving divine guidance, and experiencing oneness
  • Practice the “Hosting Council” exercise to connect with your spiritual mentors and receive wisdom from your higher self and higher power
  • Break free from the prison of ego by shifting from “What do I want and how do I get it?” to “What is life showing me now?”
  • Recognize synchronicities as divine guidance by paying attention to the high-pixel hits that carry information yet to unfold in your future
  • Plus much more…

Show Notes:

Dr. Millerโ€™s books:

The School of Greatness Podcast
The School of Greatness Podcast

The School of Greatness Show

The School of Greatness shares inspiring interviews from the most successful people on the planetโ€”world-renowned leaders in business, entertainment, sports, science, health, and literatureโ€”to inspire YOU to unlock your inner greatness and live your best life.