The Great Remembering: Powerful Ancient Practices That Modern Life Lost—and the New Science Bringing Them Back

In The Great Remembering, June Cohen, co-creator of TED Talks and Masters of Scale, travels across cultures, continents, and centuries to uncover a striking truth: for thousands of years, humans developed “wisdom systems”— embodied practices designed to heal the mind, strengthen communities, and restore meaning in times of upheaval. And today, cutting-edge science is beginning to prove they worked.

From epic physical challenges and communal festivals to sauna and cold plunge, psychedelic medicine, and shared rituals of grief, these ancient practices weren’t superstition—they were sophisticated systems built on deep observation of the human body, brain, and social bonds. Modern neuroscience, psychology, and physiology are now corroborating their benefits: reducing depression and anxiety, improving resilience and immune function, strengthening social connection, and restoring a sense of purpose.

Blending immersive storytelling, reporting from the frontiers of science, and interviews with leading researchers, healers, and practitioners, The Great Remembering reframes wellness, mental health, and community not as individual optimization problems—but as collective, embodied experiences we were never meant to lose.

The Great Remembering is a bold, hopeful invitation to rethink how we live now—by reclaiming what humanity once knew.