Dreams, Nightmares, and Neuroscience | Dr. Baland Jalal | EP 533

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with researcher, neuroscientist, and author, Dr. Baland Jalal. They discuss human embodiment, the rubber hand experiments (which push embodiment beyond the physical), the deeper functionality of dreams, sleep paralysis, and a potential theory to explain alien abductions.

Dr. Jalal is a neuroscientist and author at Harvard and previously a Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University Medical School where he obtained his PhD. Dr. Jalal's work has been featured in the The New York Times, Washington Post, The Today Show, The BBC, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, NBC News, New York Magazine, The Times, The Telegraph, Forbes, Der Spiegel, Reuters, Fox News, Discover Magazine, VICE, and PBS (NOVA). He writes for Time Magazine, Scientific American, Big Think, and Boston Globe. The Telegraph and BBC described him as “one of the world’s leading experts on sleep paralysis,” and he was ranked the "top-rated expert in sleep paralysis in the world" on Expertscape based on scientific impact in the past 10 years.

This episode was filmed on January 17th, 2025.

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(0:00) Coming up
(0:52) Intro
(2:03) Dr. Jalal’s Introduction to Neuroscience - Now on Peterson Academy
(9:43) V. S. Ramachandran’s conception of the brain
(10:24) The rubber hand illusion: how Dr. Jalal extended human embodiment
(19:41) The difference between plasticity and the brain’s dynamic modular functions
(25:25) Investigating neglect in the brain - “you lose the perception of ‘left’ itself”
(30:16) Pouring water in the ears of stroke survivors to shock the system and reset bodily perception
(32:26) Where positive and negative emotion exist in the brain, how the left brain investigates anomalies
(37:39) What your brain is doing while you sleep, “a physiological straitjacket”
(48:31) Most interactions in dreams are negative - is this a safe testing ground for survival?
(51:14) Jordan’s old landlord, “if the cops come after me I’m not stopping”
(53:59) Why your dreams shift through various scenarios
(56:29) Nightmares indicate potential weaknesses
(1:00:16) Dreams are a bridge between the hyper-cosmic and the hyper-personal
(1:03:56) If you ask the monster why it’s chasing you…
(1:07:36) Sleep paralysis and why “demons” appear for 40% of people, “I saw Gaddafi”
(1:12:42) Cultural narratives lurk into your subconscious, abstraction and specificity
(1:16:55) It isn’t enough to know your enemy
(1:19:32) You can transmit your “demon” to other people
(1:24:29) Does sleep paralysis explain alien abduction experiences?
(1:27:08) Dr. Jalal’s 4-step solution to sleep paralysis
(1:30:47) You must reconcile yourself to the monsters
(1:32:02) A psychological understanding of prophetic dreams, the dreams of Moses
(1:38:22) The neurological conception of religion - perceptions are the axioms of thought

// LINKS //

#JordanPeterson #JordanBPeterson #DrJordanPeterson #DrJordanBPeterson #DailyWirePlus

[JordanBPeterson]

Dr. Baland Jalal's course, Intro to Neuroscience, as well as my courses, are available at petersonacademy.com

[darrylreid]

Hats off to this guy. Got a doctorate just to make sure Annie was okay.

[yfantisp]

Please, more of this content. This is how people fell in love with Dr Peterson in the first place, this is clearly his field of expertise. I’m not saying “do only that”, but I’m saying “more of that” is what I think most people would appreciate.

[ryanburke]

What a great change of pace. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy almost all if the guests but it is very enjoyable to hear a conversation about science and it's implications instead of the politics. I am a big fan of this "nerd talk". That is a compliment to these 2 excellent gentlemen.

[sigmund-hb]

Few simple things I adopted in my life that completely changed how I see dreams, growth, and the mind:
1. I stopped dismissing my dreams and started paying attention to them. They reveal more than we think.
2. I read all books on Mind-Bloomery, and they completely changed how I see clarity, subconscious patterns, and mental resilience. This had the biggest impact.
3. I started journaling my dreams and nightmares, and it helped me understand my mind on a whole new level
4. I picked up "The Calm Within: Cultivating Clarity Amid Stress and Anxiety" by Eleanore Blake, and it made me realize how stress, anxiety, and lack of clarity affect even the way we dream and rest
5. Once you truly understand that your subconscious is always communicating with you, everything starts making sense.

[idiotpilot]

Really liked this interview. Less politics. More early days JP-content.
(And Dr. Jalal is a very interesting guest.)

Good job!

[CoachMak]

Good to see Michael Jackson doing well!

[joshua_tobler]

Everybody's talking about the MJ look but nobody's talking about how well that rug ties that room together.

[everydazetuesday]

love listening to really smart people talk about the stuff they love.

[JacquelineDavis]

This was one of Dr. Peterson’s best guests.

[Johanna_J]

I hope doctors start expressing their creativity more like this in the future

[scatterbrain]

This is the Peterson I love. Great converstation. Dr. Baland Jalal is a great guest and a great explainer. I'm a fan.

[cat_town-uz]

Dreams have fascinated me for decades and I've kept a dream diary for much of this time. For many years I had horrible, dark, depressing night mares that took place in or around my childhood home, a result of the cruelty and isolation growing up. (My parents belonged in jail). But, more recently those have finally given way to bright, sunny positive dreams in that same location. My life is a wreck but I'm still working on that.

[alettamurray]

I just wanted to shout: Don’t stop. Thank you so much for one of the most thought provoking discussions I have ever had the privilege to listen to.

[autumnleaves]

This was a fascinating discussion. Dr Jalal was a very enthusiastic, engaging speaker. Dr Peterson was of course really in his element in these topics. They'll need to come back and do a second episode some time. I'd love to sign up to Peterson Academy but not sure if it is available to those outside of the USA. Another great interview, thanks to both gentlemen.

[flowknow]

I work at a changing exhibition with different topics every year, usually focused on history (which I have a degree in). But this year, we’re exploring the topic of Dreams. What a lovely coincidence that this video was released just when I needed it most. Dr. Peterson, I’ve enjoyed your early work on YouTube very much because you shared your knowledge and wisdom with the world. To be honest, I’m not as invested in your political discussions—not because I think you’re wrong, but because I came to admire you as someone who reflects deeply on human nature and the mind. I’ve grown a bit weary of the culture wars, and while this isn’t a criticism, it’s my honest feeling. That’s why I was so happy to see this video—it highlights the side of you I admire most. I know this comment might vanish into digital limbo, never to be read by you, but I like to imagine it as a little letter I’d send your way. Thank you for your work!

[loripocock]

In all the years of studying anatomy/physiology at university, no one has ever explained the mechanisms of the brain so succinctly and coherently as Dr. Jalal. Truly fascinating and such a pleasure to listen to. I’m looking forward to taking his course at P.A.
Wishing you all the best Dr. Peterson in Abbotsford next week. Sending love to you and your family from Courtenay B.C….🩷🏖️🐳

[BLiViON]

A word on the autism and eye-looking thing. I (ASD) dislike maintaining eye contact because I can't control the informational or sensory input I get from that degree of focal attention during conversations. I look away as a means of controlling that stimulation. It's equivalent to looking away from a blinding light being shone in your face - the best analogy.

[autopsychograph]

Finally! A discussion on dreams and the brain I can follow with enthusiasm ❤

[DrSlosh]

It was such an interesting conversation!
It's crazy that we can have access to such exchanges. I feel lucky, thank you for sharing!