Untangling Self

"My current best pitch for parent relationship work is: come for the suck reduction, stay for the most powerful spiritual practice and contact with the divinity I've come across thus far. My work with my mom has simply been by far the clearest and most powerful path to connecting with sacredness, divinity, and grace. It's filled a hole in my heart.Easiest thing to point at is a 95% reduction in harsh inner critic and just completely believing that I am not. My parents have been the most obvious vessel of divine love and grace in my life. And I doubt I'm unique in this experience.What feels powerful about this is that at no point have I needed to put faith in anything. I trusted my trust and distrust. What do I trust about my mom's dad? How much do I actually believe she loves me? How much did her parents love her?"These powerful tweets from Johnson captured my attention over the past few years, along with his heartwarming shares about conversations with his mother. He touches upon something deeply powerful here - the relationship with parents as both a source of potential pain and an opportunity for profound spiritual growth.Even for those with decent relationships, vulnerability with parents isn't easy. And as Ram Das famously said, "If you think you are enlightened, go and spend a week with your family." Parent relationship deepening remains vastly underrated and under-discussed as a spiritual practice.Some people admirably dedicate their entire lives to certain spiritual practices, bringing immense rigor and determination to their development. What if we could bring that same rigor, drive, and sense of the sacred to deepening our relationships with our parents? Johnson's journey exemplifies this possibility, which inspired this conversation.

Tasshin Fogleman, author of "The Path of Love," explores the transformative practice of Metta, or loving-kindness, deeply rooted in Buddhist tradition. He shares insights on metameditation, emphasizing emotional presence and the significance of loving oneself and others. The conversation includes creative ways to express love, uncovering innate feelings, and how playing with kindness can enhance interpersonal connections. Tasshin also touches on the ethical relationship between psychedelics and loving-kindness, linking music to a broader understanding of love.

Explore the fascinating synergy between meditation and parts work, where traditional teachings meet therapeutic insights. Discover the shift from verbal to non-verbal methods, allowing for a richer emotional connection. The discussion includes negotiating between parts, emphasizing trust and curiosity. Gain new perspectives on emotional complexity, learning to embrace feelings like anger and heartbreak. Ultimately, the intertwining of compassion, meditation, and parts work offers a pathway to deeper self-acceptance and healing.

Discover the transformative power of parts work and how it impacts emotional health. Hear personal stories that weave together meditation, therapy, and self-awareness, revealing the intricacies of navigating inner landscapes. Learn about anxiety triggers and therapeutic methods like exposure therapy, while exploring coherence therapy's link to emotional resolution. The discussion emphasizes self-trust, the role of innate resources, and the importance of connecting with one’s body for personal growth and healing.

Mykola Bilokonsky runs the Public Neurodiversity Support Center, with an aim to develop it as the single best resource on the internet by and for neurodivergent people. Here, Myk beautifully and intensely talks about his life story as an autistic individual and then outlines his theory of Autistic Identity Trauma using The Matrix film series as a map. This was less of a conversation and more of a performance art. I felt honored to hold space for Myk's expression.

Romeo Stevens, core transformation expert, explores altering desire patterns to end suffering. Podcast delves into childhood conditioning, internal conflicts, and transformative self-awareness. It discusses core states resembling Brahma Viharas, benefits of meditation, and healing through core transformation. Peer counseling's effectiveness, guided practice benefits, and hindrances are also covered.