New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast

Episode: "Culture, Healing, and the Afterlife" with Haresh Patel

Release Date: October 12, 2025
Host: Jeffrey Mishlove
Guest: Haresh Patel, Entrepreneur and Author

Episode Overview

This episode explores the extraordinary healing journey of Haresh Patel, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and electrical engineer who faced a decades-long mystery illness. The conversation delves into the intersection of culture, spirituality, trauma, and modern medicine, ultimately arriving at deep questions about healing, the afterlife, and the limitations of conventional Western approaches to health. Patel recounts how buried grief and his mother’s untended spirit shaped his suffering, and how cross-cultural spiritual practices finally brought resolution after medical science failed him.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Haresh Patel's Background and Worldview

[02:34–03:18]

• Origins: Born in Gujarat, India; moved to Colorado as a child.
• Family: Lost his mother in a car accident at age 6.
• Professional Life: Electrical engineer from Notre Dame, successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur, founder of Mercatus.
• Self-Image: "The engineer in me, the technologist in me from Silicon Valley, the son of a physics professor, kind of had to throw all that out and say, there’s gotta be a lot that we don’t know, that we don’t know." (Haresh, 04:38)

2. The Tragedy and Cultural Dissonance of His Mother’s Death

[05:03–11:19]

• Accident: Single-car crash resulted in his mother’s death, leaving deep family trauma.
• Cultural Clash: His mother, despite being from a Hindu background that emphasizes cremation, requested to be buried—contrary to tradition.
• Isolation: Lack of access to Hindu rituals and community due to being in rural America.
• Hidden Emotions: As a child, Haresh was emotionally suppressed, noting, "I didn’t express any emotions at the funeral...I just totally bottled up. There was nothing internal going on either, any kind of grief that I was holding back." (12:18)

3. Early Symptoms and Emotional Manifestations

[13:22–23:25]

• Recurring Health Issues: From eczema and dry skin in childhood, growing into severe, misdiagnosed rashes as an adult.
• Emotional Suppression: Bullying, grief, and familial secrets all contributed to his internalization of trauma.
• Guilt and Nightmares: Recurrent dreams about hiding bodies reflected his concealed feelings and family secrecy.

4. The Rash—A Physical Mystery

[21:24–34:28]

• Symptoms: Described as "like a thousand mosquito bites, itching like crazy." (21:05)
• Severe Impact: Interfered with business and personal life; "I was dangerously close a couple times where I felt like, wow, this is just unbearable." (21:27)
• Medical Odyssey: Over a dozen doctors, multiple misdiagnoses (allergies, low iron, urticaria), and expensive treatments (Xolair shots).

5. Breakthroughs Beyond Medical Science

[34:28–41:12]

• Ayurvedic Diagnosis in Costa Rica: Dr. Vinod, after hours of conversation and life-history analysis, tells Haresh: "Your mom’s soul did not rise because you didn’t cremate her. And she is holding on to you because she’s lonely. She’s been with you the whole time and she’s holding onto you so tightly you can’t breathe." (39:42)
• Skepticism and Intrigue: As an engineer, Haresh was initially resistant, yet the diagnosis fit his longstanding symptoms.

6. Confirmation from a Medium

[41:12–49:49]

• Second Spiritual Message: At a wedding, Sherry, a medium, approaches him with almost the identical message as Dr. Vinod—unaware of his story.
• Quote: "She’s not holding on to you lovingly. She’s holding on to you maliciously. She is so lonely that she wants to take you now. And you need to tell her, mom, let me go, because if I die, I will reincarnate and you will be stuck here forever." (43:50)
• Catalyst for Action: After this double confirmation, Haresh decides to bring his mother’s remains "home" and complete the Hindu cremation rites.

7. Fulfilling Ritual, Genuine Release

[49:49–52:45]

• Emotional Catharsis: Bringing his mother back, cremating her in alignment with tradition, and performing final rites led to "all the emotions that I should have had as a six-year-old." (48:19)
• Partial Healing: Felt "the thousand pounds of weight that was on my chest" was gone, but physical symptoms persisted.

8. Spiritual Completion at Bodh Gaya

[52:45–53:31]

• Final Ritual: At Dr. Vinod’s suggestion, Haresh completed the pindan ritual at Bodh Gaya, sacred site of Buddha’s enlightenment.
• Immediate Impact: After the ritual, for the first time in decades, the urticaria vanished. "I never called [the doctor] again. It’s been almost two years now." (52:45)
• Memorable Summary: "[Einstein] says we should believe in the mysterious. So what I’m hoping people get out of my story is first of all, stay curious." (53:31)

9. Lessons for Healing, Medicine, and Technology

[54:05–63:37]

• Critique of Western Medicine: Modern medicine often overlooks the mind-body-spirit connection, and underfunds mental health.
• Quote: "My root cause was not in my body. It was in my ghost that was in my body. And it had to be released at some point." (55:24)
• Data, AI, and Holistic Health: Drawing on his experience at Mercatus, Haresh now seeks to use AI for holistic, pattern-based health insights, integrating physical, mental, cultural, and spiritual data.
• Vision: Creating a system that enables individuals to recognize the "whole elephant"—the full picture of their lives, symptoms, and possible treatments, urging others to "stay curious, keep an open mind." (61:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Anguish and the Rash:
  "There would be times I would be with a customer and I could feel my lip beginning to puff up and I had to exit like Superman or the Hulk..." (00:00, 21:05)

• On the Spiritual Diagnosis:
  "Your mom’s soul did not rise because you didn’t cremate her. And she is holding on to you because she’s lonely." (39:42, Dr. Vinod via Haresh)

• On the Role of Culture:
  "My dad honored her wishes in that moment of tragedy... violation number one, I would say... but the biggest one was honoring her wish..." (08:42)

• On Healing through Ritual:
  "We got her cremated, and we spread our ashes in Half Moon Bay... there was not a cloud in the sky... I felt I could breathe again." (49:49)

• On AI and Pattern Recognition in Health:
  "They poked you, they prodded you... but they didn’t connect all the dots. They didn’t do any pattern recognition... Each one was reaching behind the curtain, feeling a part of the elephant, and they’re all interconnected." (56:28)

• On Hope and Purpose:
  "If I can cure one person, then my whole journey was worth it." (62:33)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:34] Haresh outlines his move from India and engineering background
• [05:03] Mother’s death and its cultural, emotional aftermath
• [13:22] Early health symptoms and suppressed grief
• [21:05] The rash peaks, becoming debilitating
• [34:28] Introduction to alternative approaches: ayurvedic/spiritual diagnosis
• [39:42] Spiritual explanation of illness from Dr. Vinod
• [43:50] Second confirmation from Sherry, the medium
• [48:19] Emotional catharsis after restoring his mother's rites
• [52:45] Completion of Bodh Gaya ritual; illness vanishes
• [54:05] Critique of medicine; importance of holistic data and open mind
• [56:28] Applying pattern recognition and AI to personal health
• [61:26] Vision for a holistic AI health platform
• [62:33] Haresh’s hope to help undiagnosed sufferers

Final Thoughts

Haresh Patel’s story bridges scientific skepticism and spiritual openness, contending with cross-cultural identity, the mind-body connection, and the long tail of trauma. His journey from diagnosis to true healing required both data-driven persistence and acceptance of the mysterious. As he moves forward with AI-driven, holistic healthcare endeavors, he hopes to empower others to see beyond symptoms—to the deeper patterns of illness, emotion, and the unseen.

For more episodes and resources, visit newthinkingallowed.com.