Dr. Brennan Spiegel (Cedars-Sinai) and Dr. Lachlan Kent explore how gravity shapes not only our bodies but our minds. Through the lens of Cathy Freeman’s gold-medal run, they discuss mental gravity — the feeling of emotional “weight” and lightness that defines human experience.
From Einstein’s relativity to embodied cognition and Cedars-Sinai’s virtual-reality therapy, they connect physics, psychology, and physiology to show how alignment with gravity may be the key to wellbeing. Topics include depression as a “mental gravity well,” glucose and perception, VR and levity, and how mindfulness, diet, and physical balance can help us stay buoyant in heavy times.
Key themes:
Mental Gravity: The experience of emotional and cognitive “weight,” shaped by our alignment with the physical world’s gravitational pull.
Embodied Cognition: How bodily states and forces (like gravity, glucose, or posture) shape perception and thought.Gravity Intolerance: A unifying framework for disorders where physical and mental balance are disrupted.
Mind over Matter: Using imagery, mindfulness, and movement to generate upward momentum and emotional lightness.Timecodes:
00:00 – 01:30 | Welcome to The Gravity DoctorsIntroducing Brennan and Lachlan; overview of physical and mental gravity.
01:30 – 03:50 | The Cathy Freeman StoryHow Cathy transcended the “weight of expectation” to run with joy and lightness — an example of mental gravity at its best.
03:50 – 06:00 | The Weight of EmotionExploring why positive emotions feel light and negative emotions feel heavy — from embodied metaphors to physical postures of depression.
06:00 – 08:10 | Embodied Cognition and Glucose StudiesBrennan cites research showing blood-glucose levels alter perception of hill steepness — a literal bridge between physiology and perception.
08:10 – 11:00 | The Birth of the Theory of Mental GravityLachlan recalls his “aha” moment linking Einstein’s general relativity lecture on black holes to psychological depression — both described using the same language of heaviness, collapse, and isolation.
11:00 – 12:40 | Gravity Wells, Black Holes, and RecoveryComparing mental “gravity wells” to depression — but unlike black holes, people can pull themselves out.
12:40 – 16:20 | Champagne, Joy, and the Physics of EmotionWhy celebration rituals mirror gravitational metaphors — bubbles rising, buoyancy, and the inevitable “come-down.”
16:20 – 19:30 | Virtual Reality as a Gravity-Hacking ToolCedars-Sinai research: VR experiences that simulate floating or flying reduce pain, anxiety, and inflammation — measurable physiological effects of simulated levity.
19:30 – 22:00 | Mindfulness and Mental ImageryUsing mental imagery and meditation to reshape the brain-body landscape and foster feelings of lightness and alignment.
22:00 – 25:50 | The Continuum of Mind and BodyWhy mind and body aren’t separate but part of one continuous system — like a cross-country landscape shifting seamlessly from desert to sea.
25:50 – 28:30 | Gravity Intolerance and Health ResilienceReframing conditions like IBS, POTS, and anxiety as variations of gravity intolerance; maintaining physical and mental balance as the essence of wellbeing.
28:30 – 30:00 | Everyday Applications & Closing ReflectionsFrom mindfulness to serotonin-rich diets and time in nature — practical tools to stay buoyant.
Final reflections on finding balance between empowerment and medical treatment.
Want to discover your 'Gravitype'? Visit The Gravity Doctors website:https://thegravitydoctors.com/
Order Brennan's book "Pull" to learn more about how gravity shapes your health in both body and mind via his personal personal website: https://www.brennanspiegelmd.com/pull
Visit Lachlan's website to learn more about his work in mental gravity: https://lachlankent.au/
Music by ALLIRA and Visceral Sound - https://www.youtube.com/@ALLIRAmusic
Recording at JTB Studio by David Iskandaryan.
In this uplifting and deeply human episode of The Gravity Doctors, Dr. Brennan Spiegel (Cedars-Sinai gastroenterologist and author of PULL) and Dr. Lachlan Kent (cognitive scientist and theorist of Mental Gravity) sit down with Harmon Clarke, a patient-turned-researcher whose remarkable recovery story illuminates the future of biogravitational medicine.
From septic shock and 200 days in hospital to yoga teacher, breathwork practitioner, and health researcher, Harmon’s journey embodies resilience, creativity, and the healing power of re-engaging with gravity. Together, they explore how movement, inversions, virtual reality, and breathwork can transform pain and depression into buoyancy and balance — culminating in a spontaneous “Gravity Rap” that captures the spirit of the show.
Core Themes
Gravity as a unifying metaphor for physical and mental health
Movement and inversion therapy for resilience and recovery
Virtual reality and embodied cognition
Tensegrity, balance, and the biomechanics of wellbeing
Patient empowerment and the hero’s journey in healing
Biogravitational medicine as a synthesis of East–West paradigms
00:00 – Welcome and Introductions
01:00 – Facing the Grave
03:00 – Virtual Reality and the Mind–Body Connection
06:00 – Yoga, Breathwork, and Natural Recovery
08:00 – The Science of Inversion and Tensegrity
14:00 – Hospitals and Gravity Intolerance
18:00 – Depression as a Gravitational Condition
24:00 – Cathy Freeman and Gravitational Flow
25:45 – East Meets West
30:00 – Rebalancing Medicine
33:00 – The Simple Tools of Healing
35:00 – Designing the Future of Biogravitational Medicine
38:00 – Generational Health and Modern Comfort
41:00 – The Gravity Rap Finale
Order Brennan's book "Pull" to learn more about how gravity shapes your health in both body and mind via his personal personal website.
Visit Lachlan's website to learn more about his work in mental gravity.
Music by ALLIRA and Visceral Sound
Recording at JTB Studio by David Iskandaryan.
Editing by Dr Karisma Suchak.
Biogravitational Medicine is a holistic approach to maintaining health in both body and mind. It's like a toolkit where you can find what works for you and your particular situation. Here are our top ten that work for most people most of the time. (As always, consult a doctor for personalised medical advice before attempting anything that might pose a risk to your physical or mental health, or for treatment of acute or chronic conditions. The information here is for educational and information purposes only.)
Order Brennan's book "Pull" to learn more about how gravity shapes your health in both body and mind via his personal personal website.
Visit Lachlan's website to learn more about his work in mental gravity.
Music by ALLIRA and Visceral Sound
This episode was recorded at Myst Music.
Audio engineering by Jeremy Roberts.
Audio and video editing by Dr Karisma Suchak.
Dr Spiegel has written a book about gravitational health called 'Pull' on the wide ranging themes underpinning this podcast - gut health, mental gravity, serotonin, the inner ear, the body's pumps and tubes, the gravitostat, and many more. The hosts take a tour through the world of biogravitational medicine by telling the story of what inspired the book, where the science is heading, and how people can apply the principles in their daily lives.
Order Brennan's book "Pull" to learn more about how gravity shapes your health in both body and mind via his personal personal website.
Visit Lachlan's website to learn more about his work in mental gravity.
This episode was recorded at Myst Music.
Thanks to Jeremy Roberts for audio engineering and Dr Karisma Suchak for editing.
You know the feeling you get in your belly when falling on a rollercoaster? Ever wondered why we get similar gut feelings when we're "falling" in love? In this episode, Brennan (a gastroenterologist) and Lachlan (a cognitive scientist) talk about how gravity shapes gastrointestinal function and what relation gut feelings have to physical and mental health. They discuss Brennan's viral scientific paper, "Gravity and the Gut: A Hypothesis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome" and Lachlan's breakthrough theory of the mind called "Mental Gravity", and the connections between their shared ideas. Conditions like IBS often lead to anxiety and depression, which are the mental equivalent of "falling" and having "fallen", and so they draw a connection between gut health, gut feelings, and mental health. Strap yourself in for a rollercoaster ride through the topsy-turvy world of gut feelings in both body and mind.
Order Brennan's book "Pull" to learn more about how gravity shapes your health in both body and mind via his personal personal website.
Visit Lachlan's website to learn more about his work in mental gravity.
This episode was recorded at Myst Music.
Thanks to Jeremy Roberts for audio engineering.