Gail is a clinical psychologist and author in Santa Barbara, CA, who joyfully speaks from her own experience about the possibility of moving from common everyday problems to living in the deepest acceptance and peace. Problems are seen as opportunities; the illusion of the separate self as a doorway to enduring happiness. Stories are honored, while fierce and loving investigation invites their dissolution. She has special expertise working with older adults and their families, bringing clear seeing and compassion to the transitions of aging, death, and dying. She meets with people both individually and in groups and blogs at GailBrenner.com, where she invites readers to see through the confusion of separation and discover reality, which is true, alive, and undeniable. Her core offering is to bring non-dual understanding to the moments of suffering in everyday life. She is the author of
“The End of Self-Help: Discovering Peace and Happiness Right at the Heart of Your Messy, Scary, Brilliant Life.”
Suffering Is Optional: A Spiritual Guide to Freedom from Self-Judgment and Feelings of Inadequacy
At the Core of Every Heart: Reflections, Insights, and Practices for Waking Up and Living Free
Website: GailBrenner.com
Interview recorded 10/25/2015 at the Science and Nonduality Conference.
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Transcript of this interview
Second BatGap interview with Gail.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:01:58 - The Inspiration to Write
00:03:38 - Transformative shift through Buddhism and meditation
00:05:48 - The Journey of Self-Discovery
00:07:17 - The Joy of Meditation
00:08:51 - The Integration of Spiritual Practice in Everyday Life
00:10:58 - The Pros and Cons of Habit and Rote
00:12:53 - Working through depression
00:14:30 - Healing the Physiology
00:16:31 - Welcoming What Is
00:18:26 - Encouraging personal exploration and growth.
00:20:01 - Facing Fear and Uncovering the Unconscious
00:21:45 - The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice
00:23:05 - The Power of True Nature and Surrender
00:24:48 - The Discovery of "The End of Self-Help"
00:26:30 - Polishing up a False Sense of Self
00:27:24 - Understanding the Source of Suffering
00:29:35 - The Nature of Thought and Identity
00:31:44 - The Importance of Attention to the Body
00:33:35 - Relationship and Living in True Nature
00:35:22 - Recognizing our True Nature
00:38:14 - Dissolving Routine Grooves for True Nature
00:40:48 - The Potential in Every Moment
00:42:40 - The Vastness of Awareness and the Beauty of Letting Go
00:44:43 - Developing Freshness in Each Moment
00:48:35 - Recognizing our True Nature
00:49:49 - Balancing spirituality in a relationship
00:52:41 - Acceptance and Evolution in Relationships
00:54:51 - Nonacceptance and resistance
00:56:13 - Craving for Acceptance in Relationships
00:57:44 - Consciousness is timeless
00:59:09 - Thank you
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