Sam Harris speaks with meditation teacher and author Andrew Holecek about Andrew’s early interest in the occult, his transformative first experiences with Transcendental Meditation, and his immersion in Tibetan Buddhism. They also discuss dream yoga and lucid dreaming; the pitfalls of spiritual bypassing; the practice, benefits, and risks of dark retreats; and other topics.

Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and offers seminars internationally on lucid dreaming, the art of dying, and meditation. He is the author of many books, including the Dream Trilogy: The Lucid Dreaming Workbook, Dream Yoga, and Dreams of Light. His most recent book is Reverse Meditation: How to Use Your Pain and Most Difficult Emotions as the Doorway to Inner Freedom. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the author of scientific papers on lucid dreaming. He is the founder of the international Night Club community, a support platform for nocturnal meditations.