In the September 24 Nova Campfire, “In Search of Consciousness: New Frontiers in Science, Wisdom, and the Nature of Reality,” leading thinkers explored the frontiers of consciousness. In a time when science and society are both confronting the limits of material explanations, this conversation invited us to consider consciousness not as a byproduct of the brain, but as foundational to reality itself.
Drawing from neuroscience, psychiatry, physics, philosophy, and personal experience, our panelists explored the nature of consciousness. Perspectives included spirituality, near-death experiences, and insight aligned with ancestral and Indigenous wisdom from beyond one’s immediate location or personal experiences.
Expanding our awareness and engaging new paradigms could open pathways for human development and deeper understanding, shaping not only how we view ourselves and each other, but also how we design and relate to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. As questions about machine sentience, cognition, and responsibility grow increasingly urgent, understanding consciousness becomes even more critical.
A broader understanding of consciousness can transform our inner lives and our collective response to global challenges. When we awaken to our profound interconnection with all life, new possibilities emerge for the well-being of people and the planet.
Program and Panelists
A brief introduction from Susan Prescott, director of the Nova Network, and Brian Berman, president and founder of the Nova Institute for Health, will follow a general welcome and “mindful moment” from Rick Scott. Panelists spoke for around 7-8 minutes, weaving their narrative threads to provide the fabric for discussion that attendees can then contribute to.
Welcome
Professor Brian Berman, MD, is President and Founder of Nova Institute for Health and Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he was Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine. He is one of the most highly funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers in the field of integrative and complementary medicine. A pioneer in the field and founder of the first U.S. academic medical center-based program for integrative medicine in 1991, he received two Bravewell Collaborative awards in leadership and service. He continues to conduct NIH-funded research at University of Maryland and promote a broad vision of health through leadership at Nova Institute for Health.
Session Chair
Susan Prescott is director of the Nova Network. She is a professor of planetary health at University of Western Australia, editor-in-chief of Challenges – Journal of Planetary Health, and a Scholar at the Nova Institute for Health in Baltimore. She is a pediatrician, immunologist, artist, and award-winning author, internationally recognized for cutting-edge research into early environmental determinants of health and disease. Her global work promotes awareness of the interconnections between personal and planetary health in ways that inspire creative, integrated, and wise approaches, grounded in reciprocity, for social and ecological justice and flourishing futures.
The Sapient Cosmos: What a Modern-Day Synthesis of Science and Philosophy Teaches Us about the Emergence of Information, Consciousness, and Meaning
James B. Glattfelder is an author, academic, and quantitative researcher interested in the foundations of reality, the nature of consciousness, and the limits of knowledge. His latest book, The Sapient Cosmos: What a Modern-Day Synthesis of Science and Philosophy Teaches Us about the Emergence of Information, Consciousness, and Meaning chronicles an ongoing paradigm shift affecting physics and philosophy. James holds an MSc in theoretical physics and a PhD in complexity science. For sixteen years, he worked in the traditional finance industry next to the distributed ledger ecosystem and was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. He enjoys sharing his work at international academic and non-academic events, and multiple media outlets have featured his research. James lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
Infinite Awareness: Exploring the Material World as a Manifestation of a Universal Consciousness
Marjorie Woollacott, PhD, is an emeritus professor and prior chair of the Department of Human Physiology and member of the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. She taught courses in neuroscience and rehabilitation, as well as complementary medicine and meditation. She is president of the Academy for the Advancement of Post-Materialist Sciences, research director for the International Association of Near-Death Studies, and co-director of the Galileo Commission, a part of the Scientific and Medical Network. Woollacott has published more than 200 scientific articles and written or co-edited eight books, including Infinite Awareness. Between the scientific and spiritual worlds, she breaks open the definition of human consciousness to investigate the existence of a non-physical and infinitely powerful mind.
Pachamama: The Sacred Consciousness of the Earth and the Entirety of Space and Time
Anita Sanchez, PhD, is a transformational leadership and Fortune 500 corporate consultant, coach, and author. She is committed to bridging Indigenous wisdom and science with contemporary life to support individual wholeness and the evolution of collective consciousness in partnership with People, Spirit, and the Earth. Anita is author of the international award-winning and bestselling book, The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times. She is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council and Evolutionary Leaders, and a passionate board member of Bioneers and the Pachamama Alliance. Anita was born into a Midwest family that was economically poor, yet rich in Mexican-American and Nahua (also known as Aztec) heritage. She became the first in her family of more than one hundred first cousins to earn a doctorate degree.
Transformation through Relationship: Nature as an Expression of Connected Consciousness and Universal Symbiosis
Susan Erdman, PhD, is globally recognized for her pioneering work in microbial ecology and its influence on human health and well-being. With a background in comparative medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and postdoctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health, she brings a unique perspective integrating immunology, cancer biology, and a systems view of health. Her federally funded research has illuminated how microbes shape inflammation, resilience, and emotional states through the gut–brain–immune axis. Guided by rigorous science and deep reverence for life’s interconnectedness, Dr. Erdman views microbes as fractal expressions of universal symbiosis, reminding us of the repeating patterns that link all living systems. Her work invites us to remain open to the mystery and wonder of a conscious universe, expressing itself through creativity, relationship, and the beautiful diversity of form.
Ancestral and Indigenous Notions of Consciousness: A Perspective from Indigenous Māori of Aotearoa
Natasha Tassell-Matamua is an associate professor in the School of Psychology at Massey University in Aotearoa, New Zealand, where she established the Centre for Indigenous Psychologies. Her research and teaching is in Indigenous psychologies, particularly the utilization of Indigenous knowledge to effect meaningful change across a range of contexts. For the past 16 years, she has researched near-death and other exceptional experiences of consciousness. She has published extensively in the area and provided numerous presentations both nationally and internationally. Natasha is a member of the advisory board for the International Association of Near-Death Studies, a board member of the Academy for the Advancement of Post-Materialist Science, an associate editor for EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, and an associate editor for the journal Psychology of Consciousness.
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