Interview with Ian Weinberg

I had the pleasure of an interview with Ian Weinberg. Ian is a neurosurgeon by profession and he writes excellent articles on especially well-being and mental health here on beBee.

Gert: Ian, thank you for taking the time for this interview. I know that many are interested in getting to know you better. Please tell us about your upbringing and earlier years.

Ian: I was born, raised and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa. I studied medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and obtained my fellowship in neurosurgery from the College of Medicine (South Africa). My home environment was characterized by a rigid religious orthodoxy. This I believe led me to question formal (dogmatic) religion at an early age. In fact it started me questioning many things including the shortcomings of the conventional bio-medical model. Hence my curiosity in consciousness and its influences.

Gert: Could you give a glimpse of your family? Any children and pets?

Ian: I am married to Kathy. She is a social worker, practicing as a counselling therapist. I have a married daughter, sports’ journalist in Australia; a bachelor son who is a banker in Johannesburg; an Aussie granddaughter; 2 Jack Russell terriers and 2 cats. 

Gert: You have what is in my view a rare and distinguished profession. Was there any specific event in your life that led to you becoming a neurosurgeon?

Ian: I remember reading a book in my second last year of school entitled ‘Passions of the Mind’ by Irving Stone. It was about the life of Freud. That triggered a fascination for me in the brain and in fact, in consciousness. I had already read my first neurological book before I completed school. The surgical part of ‘neuro’ reflects my need to work with my hands. I’m very physical in that respect. I announced to my friends that I was going to ‘neurosurgical school’ – I was totally naive about higher learning, degrees and the like. I experienced a rude awakening when it was indicated to me that I would need to first go to medical school to become a doctor. My grades were horrendous. The result was that I had to find teachers for after-hours learning to bring me up to the required standard.

Gert: Your determination is admirable. I am sure it was a tough road getting through medical studies. In your work you see many people experience turning points in their lives. Were there any pivotal events in your life that you can share?

Ian: I came very close to accidently killing myself while flying. My plane was a cross between a light aircraft and a microlyte. I attempted to do what the manufacturers’ warned me not to do – I tried to put the plane into a full spin. That almost turned out to be a terminal spin! I inverted and fell out of the sky in the plane (I was held in place by life-saving harnesses). I managed to regain control and round out at 100 feet above the ground. It took me a week to convince myself that I’d survived. That experience was a serious wake-up call. I think it contributed enormously to an appreciation of life and how tenuous it really is.

Gert: What a close encounter! That certainly must have had an impact on your outlook on life. If I may go now to the topic of mental health, could you give a short description of a healthy state of mind in neuro-terms?

Ian: I could probably describe it in one sentence: A healthy state of mind is one that is curious, respectful, grateful and purposefully driven to contribute value to self and to the external environment. This is the state that produces the vitalizing oxytocin and dopamine and suppresses chronic inflammation.

Gert: Besides your work as a neurosurgeon, you established and run a consultancy called Neurosurge. What are your primary aims at Neurosurge?

Ian: NeuroSurge is designed to enhance personal cognitive and emotional wellbeing. Flowing from this is an application designed ultimately to promote wellness, performance and leadership. It is unique in that it represents an integration of the neurosciences with psychoneuro-immunology (PNI – the scientific study of the mind-immune connection). Importantly, the application is quantified by means of our online diagnostic. In this way we can profile and track individuals, groups and in fact, whole companies.

Ian with his Son

Gert: You have written intriguing articles on beBee about para-psychological experiences. Do you think science will ever be able to investigate and explain phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance and aura’s?

Ian: Absolutely. But first, science needs to broaden its substrate for investigation. At present there are intrinsic biases and prejudices which preclude unfettered research. My particular interest is in the interface between neuroscience and theoretical physics (I currently have an article submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for consideration). We are very close to broadening the neuroscience-consciousness model and I’m sure that many para-psychological phenomena will soon be explained.

Ian with his daughter on her wedding day.

Gert: Your main interests include consciousness and the mind-immune system connection. Allow me some skepticism; can certain ways of thinking and mindfulness really alter the neuro-chemical balance in the brain?

Ian: I have defined mindfulness as a composite state incorporating sensitivity to and respect for, self and the environment; a state of curiosity in pursuit of clarity; calmness and trust; gratitude. This composite state has been shown to be associated with raised oxytocin and dopamine which perpetuates this positive state and promotes general body wellness and vitality. It also suppresses the anxiety center (amygdala). Most of these components have been validated in fMRI and neuro-chemical studies.

Gert: This is fascinating ...given your vast experience in matters of the mind, what would you say it the simplest thing we can each do for a healthier mind?

Ian: Divide your time between savoring the moment and being purposefully busy.

Gert: We know each other from earlier days on LI and I was delighted to see you join beBee. What is your view and experience of the beBee platform?

Ian: I must say that I’ve been very impressed and inspired by the caliber of people and articles on beBee. It has a real feeling of curiosity, diversity, mutual respect and professionalism. One almost feels sometimes that it has become a ‘home from home’. As a result I decided to make my online course available to the ‘beBees’ at a very special price (less than a third of the selling price) and am very happy to support each subscribing individual in the process.

Gert: Thank you for the kind offer Ian. To end off our pleasant and interesting conversation, some quick questions:

What are your three favorite books?

Shantaram – Gregory Roberts, Goldfinch – Donna Tart and The Toymaker – Liam Pieper.

Where do go on holiday?

Game lodges and somewhere along the coast in South Africa.

Any hobbies?

Reading, researching & developing, writing, cycling.

What are your favorite foods?

Local cuisine, Indian food.

Who do you admire and why?

Innovators and entrepreneurs – for their original thinking, courage, fortitude and leadership.

What makes you angry?

Being deceived and/or unjustifiably and inappropriately undermined.

Anything that makes you instantly happy?

Seeing my family thrive.

Gert: Ian, it was great getting to know more of the person behind the surgeon, and we look forward to many more of your articles on beBee.

Ian with his wife Kathy.