In the autumn of 2006 I took up temporary residence in a small town in the mountains of New Mexico. Still wrestling with some fairly acute inner demons, I yearned for extended stretches of silence and remote, solitary nature walks. My routine was simple: >>>>

During my teens I'd stumbled across, and become fascinated with, the idea of a Native American-inspired vision quest. Coming from a controlling and demeaning childhood, the idea of venturing into the wilds in search of a guiding vision sounded exhilarating. Suddenly unencumbered of a >>>>

Sensory deprivation via natural or manmade caves has now become, if not routine, certainly more commonplace. In recent months Outside and National Geographic have run stories on the practice, which usually involves a stay lasting days or even weeks in the pitch-black confines of >>>>

The French polymath, Blaise Pascal, said all of humankind's problems were tied to one behavioral deficit: our inability to sit quietly in a room doing nothing . What about you? How often on a given day or week do you sit in silence? If >>>>

"Frankly, I had never thought of listening as an important subject by itself . But now that I am aware of it, I think that perhaps 80% of my work depends on my listening to someone, or on someone else listening to me." Those >>>>

Over the course of a given day, you likely will experience tens of thousands of thoughts. It should go without saying that it is these thoughts that make up your sense of reality and your role in it. But here's the thing: the vast >>>>