PENTAMENT- Stories from the human world with BELLA VOLEN

About PENTAMENT- Stories from the human world with BELLA VOLEN

PENTAMENT stories & ideas from the human world. This podcast is about everything which touches my mind and heart. My name is Bella Volen. I am a professional academic artist and art gallery owner based in Vienna, Austria. My curiosity for human behavior led me to additional education in profiling. My podcast has many angles, sometimes about science, history, philosophy, art and culture, initiation rituals, human behavior, and business. Most of all, I am a dedicated learner, always searching for the depth of things, seeking answers to understand better the world, the human manual, and why we do what we do.

Publisher

Bella Volen

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Feb 2021

Latest episode

7 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

7 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2025

   The Power of Memory

   The Power of MEMORY shows why remembering is the core of identity, learning, and survival. Memory is not a snapshot or a record of reality. From ancient myths, cultural traditions from around the world, body art, Tibetan mandala, to modern neuroscience, it explores how cultures preserve memory and how the brain encodes, reshapes, and sometimes loses it. Drawing on anthropology, evolution, and science, the episode highlights the fragility and power of memory. The Power of Memory – Main Themes and Topics Introduction & Personal Motivation Childhood trauma as the origin of curiosity about memory Memory as identity and survival Leonardo da Vinci and Early Memory Research His anatomical studies of the brain’s ventricles Experiments with ox brains and molten wax Memory as perception and creative process The Nature of Memory Memory as selective reconstruction, not recording False memories and eyewitness reliability Emotion and its effect on recall (Paul Ekman, flashbulb memories, mood-congruent recall) Cultural and Religious Memory Systems Mystery cults and early Christianity as custodians of sacred memory Comparative memory traditions in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Oral Memory Traditions Greek Mnemosyne and the Bards (Aoidoi) Irish and Welsh bardic schools, poetic memory techniques (alliteration, rhythm) Aboriginal Songlines as oral maps Native American Winter Counts Polynesian navigation and stick charts West African griots as living libraries Body, Art, and Ritual as Memory Archives Dogon Sigui festival and masked dances Body art as memory (Māori tā moko, Samoan tatau, Yoruba scars, Amazigh tattoos, henna rituals, etc.) Theyyam in Kerala as living visual memory Tattoos as autobiographical archives and witnesses to trauma Written and Symbolic Memory Systems Oracle bones, runes, and Inca quipus Chinese proverb: “The palest ink is better than the best memory.” Tuareg and Amazigh symbolism as cultural archives Neuroscience & Buddhist Traditions Tibetan monks’ memorization practices Gamma/theta waves, neuroplasticity, tukdam phenomenon Sand mandalas and impermanence Tulku reincarnation system Rupert Sheldrake’s Morphogenetic Field Theory Morphic resonance and collective memory Criticism and artistic perspective Scientific Memory Research Brain structures: hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex Role of sleep, neuroplasticity, and astrocytes Forgetting as essential function Fergus Craik’s cognitive model of encoding–storage–retrieval Epigenetic & Transgenerational Memory Rachel Yehuda’s studies on inherited trauma Mark Wolynn’s “It Didn’t Start with You” Cultural and Historical Dimensions of Memory Egyptian “Book of the Dead” and immortality through remembrance Art, Flow, and Personal Creation Art as memory for the future Flow state and creative possession Future of Memory: AI & Neurotechnology Brain–computer interfaces, memory editing, nootropics Ethical questions of erasing trauma and eternal memory Personal Healing & AI as a Tool Breathwork and AI image generation to reframe trauma Conclusion: The Paradox of Memory Fragility vs. power Biological and cultural layers Memory as foundation of humanity

2. 

   31 May 2023

   6: Healing through AI: Transforming Trauma

   When the telephone was first introduced, it marked a significant change in human communication. For the first time, the visual and auditory aspects of communication were separated, leading to people doodling while speaking on the phone. However, with the advent of smartphones, distant communication became visual once again. AI is an integral part of technological advancement, and I believe it holds many positive aspects. It is just one step in the long journey we will all embark upon. For those who oppose it, they are free to live in seclusion if they wish. Today, I want to shed light on a lesser-discussed aspect of AI: it's potential to heal and reduce the pain caused by traumatic events. Allow me to share some vulnerable experiences to convey this idea authentically.

3. 

   9 Nov 2022

   5: Jacobson's Organ & The Sense of Smell

   This episode is based on scientific information and research about the sense of smell. I have only collected the information for a keynote presentation on the topic. Now, it is also available as a podcast episode. The more we understand the human body, the better we know ourselves and the world.

4. 

   8 Jul 2022

   4: How to deal with doubt

   In the crazy contemporary world, full of social media glam, success stories, fake news, self-proclaimed superheroes, and a hipper drive for self-development prosperity, it is often easy not to feel enough. We do know that we are observing the controlled broadcasting personal performance of others, and it still often affects us. The first step toward reducing doubt is realizing there is a problem, and the issue is doubt. We have a lack of trust when the view is gloomy and when we have a lack of transparency. This could also be self-related. Doubt has always been a part of the human world. The unconscious leads, but we feed it. In the podcast, I am sharing many questions for self-reflection, and I hope they will be helpful.

5. 

   31 Mar 2022

   3: Hypnagogia- the borderland to the dreamworld

   Between the crazy reality of our busy human world and the land of dreams, we pass a portal of two states called Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic hallucinations / images / or states. These are the conditions taking place between wakefulness and sleep. Many psychologists and philosophers throughout the 19th century used hypnagogia as a source of creativity. Early references to hypnagogia are to be found even in the writings of Aristotle. The term Hypnagogia inclues both states: Hypnagogic defines the period when a person falls asleep. Hypnopompic describes the period when a person wakes up. Hypnagogia is marked by a high level of both alpha and theta brainwaves.

6. 

   5 Apr 2021

   2: 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒪𝒻 𝐸𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈

   First I share some thoughts about intentions, and we will move to some scientific information about the nature of emotions and the brain. - 0:20-8:15 Intentions, miscommunication - 8:15-18:46 Emotions & feelings - 18:4-20:58 Emotional regulation - 20:58-27:00 The brain & emotions - 27:00-28:13 Final words The 3 song from episode #2 are from CLUB DIVINE Vol.1 Good Life. CLUB DIVINE is a partner project with RED P studio. My art is on the cover of all albums. To find more about my work: www.bella-volen.com (http://www.bella-volen.com) To listen to the Club Divine albums: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/club-divine/1215196040 (https://music.apple.com/us/artist/club-divine/1215196040)

7. 

   20 Feb 2021

   1: 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝒥𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓎