Deep Transformation

Ep. 49 | In this fast-paced dialogue, Dr. Dawson Church, best-selling author, scientist, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) coach, and Energy Psychology Journal editor, explains what an incredibly effective treatment meridian tapping is in the healing of veterans and others suffering from PTSD. “Tapping while remembering” creates a cognitive shift to where something intensely traumatic can be transformed into something positive. And EFT is not only for individuals suffering from trauma. Dawson reveals how unconditional self-love is crucial in creating space for personal growth and together with exposure therapy—all part of energy psychology and emotional freedom techniques—is an amazing tool for transforming our lives so we can experience the sheer joy of living to our full potential. “Why do we shut down our laughter, our joy, our creativity, and tell ourselves all these stories about our limitations? They’re lies! Self-perpetuating loops in our head. It’s time to dump them,” says Dawson. Dawson packs the conversation with fascinating research statistics that are very convincing as to the enormous healing and transformative potential of EFT and other body based therapies. His passion for making these new energetic, psychotherapeutic, and contemplative tools known and available to people is palpable, and he is a vibrant example of someone who has indeed transformed his life into one of positive energy, service, and joy. Recorded on August 31, 2022.“Meditate, tap, shift yourself—love yourself enough to apply these techniques in your life.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing Dawson Church and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) (01:37)Our quest for answers and the intersection of science, Western psychotherapeutic techniques, and contemplative spirituality (03:51)The old Vedanta theory that we can clean our “dirty cistern” (mind/body/trauma) with infusions of “pure water” and transcend our trauma is not true (06:57)A quarter of the soldiers fighting the war in Iraq developed PTSD – what was different about them? (08:47)Unresolved childhood trauma is the key reason some develop PTSD and others do not (09:39)Why we need EFT and other body-based therapies (10:29) What is EFT exactly? Stimulation of acupressure meridians to shift consciousness, awareness, and PTSD symptoms in 10 individual sessions (11:39)Working in groups, the importance of social support, and “borrowing benefits” (12:14)The surprising emergence of techniques/therapies that can effectively treat PTSD (14:06)Positive emotional contagion, transferred or acquired PTSD, and the amazing effectiveness of group work with veterans and their spouses (15:43)EFT is not a magic wand: the work is done with people “memory by memory” (17:24)EFT removes the emotional tags: in one study, the gene expression of veterans changed over the course of 10 sessions to where microRNA molecules associated with traumatic stress literally popped off the genome (19:49)EFT borrows from exposure therapy: reliving the experience intensely and lighting up and de-conditioning the neuro-bundles in the brain (20:30), andCognitive acceptance, or self-acceptance, learning to love yourself unconditionally—with all of your problems—just the way you are (22:46)With tapping, signals travel through connective tissue and the physical symptoms of stress decrease amazingly quickly—in a couple of minutes, the limbic system quiets right down (24:05)How EFT frees up energy for creativity, productivity, and flow states (29:10)Dawson’s personal practice: meditation, hanging out in nonlocal space (32:15)Why meditation has such radical effects on your creativity: flow states double and problem solving goes up 490% (33:51)Binding—making unexpected mental connections—occurs in the brainwave state of gamma (38:15)Growing up in quiet desperation (42:39)When Dawson’s house burned down, all his practices are put to the test (44:00)Post traumatic growth: two thirds of people end up stable or moving to higher levels of psychological development following a trauma (49:40)What really bugs Dawson: we have this gift of a lifetime but so many people live only a tiny fraction of their potential (51:35)Don’t live anything less than your grandest life: laugh like a baby! (54:23)Resources & ReferencesDawson Church, 21-day Tapping Challenge (free)Dawson’s website EFT Universe.comTapping and Transformational WorkshopsDawson Church, Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy*Dawson Church, The Genie in Your Genes*Dawson Church, Mind to Matter*Dawson Church, editor, Energy Psychology Journal: Theory, Research & TreatmentDawson Church, founder, National Institute for Integrative HealthcareDr. Paul Brunton, A Search in Secret India*Ramana Maharshi, Indian sage who introduced the idea of nondualism to the WestAlan Watts, writer and speaker who popularized Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy in the West, The Way of Zen*, The Wisdom of Insecurity*, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are*Aldous Huxley, author, poet, and pacifist interested in philosophical mysticism, The Doors of Perception*, The Perennial Philosophy*, Brave New World*Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score*EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Yoga TherapyGuidelines for the Treatment of Clinical PTSD Using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), published by NIH National Library of Medicine online at PubMed.gov (by Dawson Church, Peta Stapleton, Phil Mollon, David Feinstein, Elizabeth Boath, David Mackay, Rebecca Sims)Emotional Freedom Techniques to Treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: Review of the Evidence, Survey of Practitioners, and Proposed Clinical Guidelines, published by NIH National Library of Medicine online at PubMed.gov (by Dawson Church, Sheri Stern, Elizabeth Boath, Antony Steward, David Feinstein, Morgan ClondCarl Rogers, On Becoming A Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy*Deborah Miller, EFT for Cancer*Carl Jung, “Self acceptance is the acid test of one’s whole outlook on life,” Psychology and Religion: West and East, Vol II*Larry Dossey, physician and author, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine*Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)Albert Einstein, one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all timeNapoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich*Louis Pasteur, “Chance favors the prepared mind”iAwake Technologies filtered for products to enhance focus & flow using gamma brainwave entrainment technologyHenry David Thoreau, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Walden*Winston Churchill, “Men occasionally stumble over truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Dawson Church, PhD, is an award-winning science writer with three best-selling books to his credit. The Genie in Your Genes was the first book to demonstrate that emotions drive gene expression. Mind to Matter showed that the brain creates much of what we think of as “objective reality.” Bliss Brain demonstrates that peak mental states rapidly remodel the brain for happiness. Dr. Church has conducted dozens of clinical trials and founded the National Institute for Integrative Healthcare to study and implement promising evidence-based psychological and medical techniques. Its largest program, the Veterans Stress Project, has offered free treatment to over 20,000 veterans with PTSD over the past decade.Dr. Church’s groundbreaking research has been published in many prestigious scientific journals. He is the editor of Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, & Treatment, a peer-reviewed professional journal, and Dawson shares how to apply these breakthroughs to health and athletic performance through EFTUniverse.com, one of the most-visited alternative healing sites on the web. View Dr. Church’s full Curriculum Vitae, list of scientific papers, and visit the Events page to register for Dr. Church’s upcoming workshops.---Free 21-day Tapping ChallengeA series of 21 tapping meditations to guide you toward mastery in the 5 key areas of your life: Health-Money-Love-Work-Spirituality. Designed by Dawson Church, each one is only 7 minutes long, yet they’re a powerful combination of tapping, meditation, and affirmations. Find out more here: https://eftuniverse.com/21-day-tapping-challenge-free/.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 48 (Part 3 of 3) | “Don’t miss it!” says James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and creator of the very intriguing 5-month Awakening Joy course. “Don't miss it'' refers to the present moment—the gladness, the beauty, the uniqueness. James explains that in order to awaken our joy, we need to savor the wholesome moments and not turn away distracted, slipping back into our habitual mental ruts. James’ teachings take us deeply into states like gratitude and compassionate presence, to where we can focus our attention on how it feels to feel good somatically, thereby creating new neural pathways that strengthen awareness and aliveness. James has witnessed a lot of people learn to love themselves and turn their lives around as a result of this teaching. Why are we the last ones to see the goodness inside ourselves? he wonders. How can we so radically underestimate ourselves? Rest in the landscape of gratitude when James guides a short meditation in part 2, and be inspired that transformational change is indeed possible for all of us—to where we can know the joy of loving ourselves, of connecting with others, the joy of letting go, of service, and the joy of simply being—as we undertake the fundamental experiment of discovering who we really are. Recorded September 14, 2022.“A simple shift of perspective is transformative.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 3Joy and awakening take a lot of courage; fear is really saying, “About to grow!” – Jack Kornfield (00:51)Reaching out for support is a reflection of health, not weakness (05:25)We are all transmitters of the energy of life: the ripple effects of joy (08:34)Why doesn’t everyone see the power in seeing the good? (14:00)What are the most life-changing discoveries that people make in the Awakening Joy course? (15:57)What are James’ practices today? Showing up for the world: joy and activism, opening to the pain in the world (19:32)Looking through 3 lenses: gratitude, compassion, and equanimity—to avoid denial, overwhelm, and disengagement (21:02)How can we be agents of healing, agents of consciousness? (25:47)This is the moment we were born for (27:41)We have made the face of the world into a reflection of the state of our minds (30:17)The wealth of giving to life, serving life (32:41)One Earth Sangha, virtual ecodharma center (34:59)Resources & References - Part 3Gerald Jampolsky, Love is Letting Go of Fear*Jack Kornfield, meditation teacher, author, founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, A Path with Heart*The Buddha, “Good friends…are the whole of the spiritual life.”Leonard Orr, Rebirthing Breathwork Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of great compassionThe 4 brahmavihārās: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimityAngeles Arrien, Living in Gratitude*Terry Patten, A Republic of the Heart*Belvie Rooks, co-founder of Growing a Global HeartDuane Elgin, Choosing Earth*The Buddha, “With our thoughts, we make the world.”Shantideva, Miracle of AwakeningOne Earth Sangha, virtual EcoDharma center devoted to Buddhist responses to climate changeJames Baraz’ Awakening Joy 5-month Course: 10 Steps to a Happier LifeJames Baraz & Shoshana Alexander, Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness*James Baraz & Michele Lilyanna, Awakening Joy for Kids** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Being Here Now: A 2-Day Online Celebration of Ram Dass, November 5-6, 2022With Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Trudy Goodman, Mirabai Bush, Jai Uttal, East Forest, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, James Baraz, and others. For more information and to register, click here:https://spirit-rock.secure.retreat.guru/program/being-here-now-a-celebration-of-ram-dass-dc1b22/?_ga=2.188608556.529866604.1664737501-1907087178.1632963128&lang=en.---Brahma Vihara 4-week Online Course, Tuesdays, November 1-22, 2022 6:30-8:30pm PTFour Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas): Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity, taught by James Baraz. Formal meditation instructions for developing each of these qualities along with talks on how to apply them in our lives. For more information and to register, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.---5-Month Awakening Joy Course, January 31-June 6, 2023For information about the 5-month course and James Baraz’ teaching schedule, click here: www.awakeningjoy.info.---James Baraz has been teaching mindfulness meditation for over 40 years in the U.S. and internationally, and is a founding teacher of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. James has been leading the online course Awakening Joy since 2003 and is co-author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and Awakening Joy for Kids. He also serves as a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a Virtual EcoDharma Center devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change.Mind Our Democracy is a new project/movement to help meditation, yoga, and other spiritual students navigate these perilous and fraught times with engagement, wisdom, and heart. It's completely non-partisan, encouraging folks to vote for compassion, kindness, and inclusivity in this pivotal moment. Visit the mindourdemocracy.com website to see the inspiring video with Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Seane Corn, and other leaders, as well as a set of resources to inspire civic engagement within contemplative communities like yours. Then join our movement and share it with others.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 47 (Part 2 of 3) | “Don’t miss it!” says James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and creator of the very intriguing 5-month Awakening Joy course. “Don't miss it'' refers to the present moment—the gladness, the beauty, the uniqueness. James explains that in order to awaken our joy, we need to savor the wholesome moments and not turn away distracted, slipping back into our habitual mental ruts. James’ teachings take us deeply into states like gratitude and compassionate presence, to where we can focus our attention on how it feels to feel good somatically, thereby creating new neural pathways that strengthen awareness and aliveness. James has witnessed a lot of people learn to love themselves and turn their lives around as a result of this teaching. Why are we the last ones to see the goodness inside ourselves? he wonders. How can we so radically underestimate ourselves? Rest in the landscape of gratitude when James guides a short meditation in part 2, and be inspired that transformational change is indeed possible for all of us—to where we can know the joy of loving ourselves, of connecting with others, the joy of letting go, of service, and the joy of simply being—as we undertake the fundamental experiment of discovering who we really are. Recorded September 14, 2022.“A simple shift of perspective is transformative.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2Train your mind to be on the lookout for the good and notice how it feels to feel good somatically; this will deepen the neural pathways (00:59)James guides a short experiential gratitude practice, where we deepen into feeling how gratitude itself actually feels (05:14)When James lost his joy: how unwholesome states lead to more suffering (11:27)Cultivating wholesome states: maintain and increase wholesome states, but don’t hold onto them (16:06)Awakening Joy’s 10 steps to happiness relate to the 10 states we want to cultivate (18:52) Intention is the beginning; choosing how to process what’s happening (19:49)Mindfulness: presence deepens the healthy states (21:44)Gratitude “opens our satellite dish to all the blessings in life”(23:00)Opening to the hard stuff, all the suffering in life (23:13) Integrity, the foundation of well-being (23:31)The joy of letting go: of stuff, of busyness, of our stories (24:52)The joy of loving ourselves and learning to see who we really are (26:47)The difference between narcissism and loving yourself, and the Judeo-Christian myth of needing redemption (27:41) The joy of connection with others, includes forgiveness (31:07)Compassion, the caring heart that wants to relieve suffering (31:34)The joy of simply being and the underlying nature of reality (32:13)States of contraction vs states of expansion: Sat Chit Ananda (34:39)Resources & References - Part 2C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life*Rick Hanson, Neurodharma*, see also Deep Transformation episode How We Can Hack Our Brain Using Neuroscience to Become Happier, Healthier, More Transcendent, and Turn Altered States to Enduring TraitsRam Dass, one of James’ main teachers, Be Here Now*Ram Dass, Miracle of Love: Stories About Neem Karoli Baba*His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living*The 4 Noble Truths of BuddhismMeher Baba, Indian spiritual master, Meyer Baba’s Life & Message (YouTube video)His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama: Compassion and the Individual (on selfish altruism)The Gospel of Thomas, “The kingdom of heaven is within you!”Satcitananda, the nature of ultimate reality James Baraz’ Awakening Joy 5-month Course: 10 Steps to a Happier LifeJames Baraz & Shoshana Alexander, Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness*James Baraz & Michele Lilyanna, Awakening Joy for Kids*One Earth Sangha, virtual EcoDharma center devoted to Buddhist responses to climate change* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Being Here Now: A 2-Day Online Celebration of Ram Dass, November 5-6, 2022With Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Trudy Goodman, Mirabai Bush, Jai Uttal, East Forest, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, James Baraz, and others. For more information and to register, click here:https://spirit-rock.secure.retreat.guru/program/being-here-now-a-celebration-of-ram-dass-dc1b22/?_ga=2.188608556.529866604.1664737501-1907087178.1632963128&lang=en.---Brahma Vihara 4-week Online Course, Tuesdays, November 1-22, 2022 6:30-8:30pm PTFour Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas): Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity, taught by James Baraz. Formal meditation instructions for developing each of these qualities along with talks on how to apply them in our lives. For more information and to register, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.---5-Month Awakening Joy Course, January 31-June 6, 2023For information about the 5-month course and James Baraz’ teaching schedule, click here: www.awakeningjoy.info.---James Baraz has been teaching mindfulness meditation for over 40 years in the U.S. and internationally, and is a founding teacher of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. James has been leading the online course Awakening Joy since 2003 and is co-author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and Awakening Joy for Kids. He also serves as a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a Virtual EcoDharma Center devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change.Mind Our Democracy is a new project/movement to help meditation, yoga, and other spiritual students navigate these perilous and fraught times with engagement, wisdom, and heart. It's completely non-partisan, encouraging folks to vote for compassion, kindness, and inclusivity in this pivotal moment. Visit the mindourdemocracy.com website to see the inspiring video with Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Seane Corn, and other leaders, as well as a set of resources to inspire civic engagement within contemplative communities like yours. Then join our movement and share it with others.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 46 (Part 1 of 3) | “Don’t miss it!” says James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and creator of the very intriguing 5-month Awakening Joy course. “Don't miss it'' refers to the present moment—the gladness, the beauty, the uniqueness. James explains that in order to awaken our joy, we need to savor the wholesome moments and not turn away distracted, slipping back into our habitual mental ruts. James’ teachings take us deeply into states like gratitude and compassionate presence, to where we can focus our attention on how it feels to feel good somatically, thereby creating new neural pathways that strengthen awareness and aliveness. James has witnessed a lot of people learn to love themselves and turn their lives around as a result of this teaching. Why are we the last ones to see the goodness inside ourselves? he wonders. How can we so radically underestimate ourselves? Rest in the landscape of gratitude when James guides a short meditation in part 2, and be inspired that transformational change is indeed possible for all of us—to where we can know the joy of loving ourselves, of connecting with others, the joy of letting go, of service, and the joy of simply being—as we undertake the fundamental experiment of discovering who we really are. Recorded September 14, 2022.“A simple shift of perspective is transformative.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Roger introduces James Baraz, creator of the Awakening Joy course and dedicated Vipassana meditation teacher (01:31)What is it like witnessing so many people in the midst of their transformation? To James, all are bodhisattvas in training and there’s nothing quite like seeing people transforming their pain (04:27)We are the last ones to see the goodness inside us, to see who we really are, we need to see ourselves through our friends’ eyes! (09:04)How can we avoid feeling righteous anger towards people we see as ignorant, who seem to be living in a world of alternate facts? (11:20)Anyone can change and learn how much better it is to love than to hate—though the intention to change is key (22:02)Recognizing we are divine expressions of life with an innate inner goodness (24:50)How can we be the one mistake? How can we so radically underestimate ourselves? (29:14)Look in the mirror, look deeply, and see who you really are (30:30)Opening to pain, metabolizing grief: Awakening Joy is not a feel-good program, it’s a feel-everything program (33:52)With the right tools, we can integrate our pain and the pain of the world; we need to practice grief together as a sacred act (36:51) Awareness heals; whatever part of you you’re not willing to embrace will run your life (39:49)Resources & References - Part 1James Baraz’ Awakening Joy 5-month Course: 10 Steps to a Happier LifeJames Baraz & Shoshana Alexander, Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness*James Baraz & Michele Lilyanna, Awakening Joy for Kids*One Earth Sangha, virtual EcoDharma center devoted to Buddhist responses to climate change where James is a guiding teacherRam Dass, one of James’ main teachers, Be Here Now*The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBCBob Dylan, “You’ve got a lot of nerve…” (Positively 4th Street) on YouTubeLuke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, “If only it were all so simple!” The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956*Mary Trump, The Biography of Mary Trump*“Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it” (often attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from a translation of Faust* by John Anster, but exact quote is by William Hutchison Murray)A Course in Miracles*, “Your grandeur is God's answer to the ego, because it is true. Littleness and grandeur cannot coexist, nor is it possible for them to alternate.”Zen Master Dogen, “To study the Way is to study the Self…”SUN article by Tim McKee, The Geography of Sorrow: Francis Weller on Navigating our Losses and Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow*Thomas Hardy, “If a way to the Better there be…”Robert Bly, Iron John: A Book About Men** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Being Here Now: A 2-Day Online Celebration of Ram Dass, November 5-6, 2022With Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg, Trudy Goodman, Mirabai Bush, Jai Uttal, East Forest, Debra Chamberlin-Taylor, James Baraz, and others. For more information and to register, click here:https://spirit-rock.secure.retreat.guru/program/being-here-now-a-celebration-of-ram-dass-dc1b22/?_ga=2.188608556.529866604.1664737501-1907087178.1632963128&lang=en.---Brahma Vihara 4-week Online Course, Tuesdays, November 1-22, 2022 6:30-8:30pm PTFour Buddhist Heart Practices (Brahma Viharas): Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity, taught by James Baraz. Formal meditation instructions for developing each of these qualities along with talks on how to apply them in our lives. For more information and to register, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-four-buddhist-heart-practices-brahma-viharas-tickets-310766409697.---5-Month Awakening Joy Course, January 31-June 6, 2023For information about the 5-month course and James Baraz’ teaching schedule, click here: www.awakeningjoy.info.---James Baraz has been teaching mindfulness meditation for over 40 years in the U.S. and internationally, and is a founding teacher of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. James has been leading the online course Awakening Joy since 2003 and is co-author of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to Happiness and Awakening Joy for Kids. He also serves as a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a Virtual EcoDharma Center devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change.Mind Our Democracy is a new project/movement to help meditation, yoga, and other spiritual students navigate these perilous and fraught times with engagement, wisdom, and heart. It's completely non-partisan, encouraging folks to vote for compassion, kindness, and inclusivity in this pivotal moment. Visit the mindourdemocracy.com website to see the inspiring video with Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Seane Corn, and other leaders, as well as a set of resources to inspire civic engagement within contemplative communities like yours. Then join our movement and share it with others.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 45 | Miranda Macpherson, spiritual teacher, author, and leader of the Living Grace Global Sangha, received a life changing transmission of divine grace while meditating in a cave in India in 2005. Subsequently, she developed the practice of Ego Relaxation to guide others in becoming receptive to subtle forms of grace that bring the clarity we need to live the most noble and healing of lives. In this conversation, Miranda discusses questions such as “What is the cause of our being and all being? How do we recognize that grace is already our primordial ground? What limits our capacity to be here, as we are, in this moment?” And she describes how using inquiry aids us in forming a relationship with grace.Miranda is a spirited, nondual, unabashedly feminine teacher who dares to use the word God. Hers is an inspirational path and teaching leading to the development of profound trust. Miranda describes how her own total trust developed through periods of undoing, sorting out, a period of relinquishment, and finally allowing the dissembling of all that was familiar. Not leading with our intellect is what we need to learn. As Miranda says, “What the world needs is more graceful human beings.” Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 2019, with Dr. Roger Walsh, John Dupuy, and Douglas Prater. “Be nothing, do nothing. Get nothing, become nothing. Seek for nothing. Relinquish nothing. Be as you are. Rest in God.”Note: This podcast was recorded live and includes, at times, some extraneous noises in the background. Please excuse them -- we felt the conversation was very valuable and well worth sharing with our audience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsWhat is grace? The agency of our transformation (01:50)The path of “gentle effort” vs ego effort (05:11)Humbling our sense of being the “doer” and recognizing the cause of our being—and all being (06:05)Using inquiry to form a relationship with grace: what is holding you now? (08:50)The ground of being is more than emptiness; it’s full of life, nourishing and healing (10:42)Recognizing the ground of grace is the beginning of ego relaxation (12:28)Miranda’s ego relaxation teaching practices: holistic inquiry and meditation (13:06)The value of human relationship for awakening (16:24)Fear is a force we need to address if we want to deepen—both individual and cultural fear (17:55)In the practice of ego relaxation, do nothing to fix or change yourself, but allow the mystical power of grace to do the transforming; all you need to do is stop concealing yourself (21:52)Simply letting things be is effective because it brings to light that you are not the doer (24:32)How to overcome the deeply ingrained message “life is not meant to be easy” (27:31)Miranda’s transmission of ego relaxation in a cave in India and her following “period of undoing” (28:58)Our egos are driven by an experience of lack—let’s relax into self-forgiveness and compassion (34:03)What happened with Miranda when more ordinary awareness returned? (38:09)The importance of including our animal humanity—the emotional, the frightened, the irrational and non-linear (42:55)The integration stage and the call to service (44:59)How does the practice of ego relaxation contribute to helping our civilization at this time of crisis? (47:19)Becoming open to the most subtle forms of grace (49:15)Resources & ReferencesMiranda Macpherson, The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation* Miranda Macpherson, Boundless Love: Transforming Your Life with Grace and InspirationMiranda Macpherson, Meditations on Boundless Love* (Sounds True audiobook)Miranda Macpherson, Streams of Grace (kirtan/mantra album)Miranda Macpherson, The Heart of Being: Mantras for Awakening (kirtan/mantra album)Miranda’s website: MirandaMacpherson.comThe Living Grace Global SanghaRamana Maharshi, Indian sage and liberated being, 1879-1950Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita* (2nd edition)A Course in Miracles*, Helen Schucman and the Foundation for Inner PeaceMalcolm Fraser, prime minister of Australia 1995-1983St. John of the Cross, Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friarSengTs’an, Third Chinese Patriarch of Zen, “The Mind of Absolute Trust” from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry* (edited by Stephen Mitchell)* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Miranda Macpherson is known for her depth of presence and gift for guiding others into direct experience of the Sacred. She shares a holistic approach to spiritual surrender and non-dual realization based on the practice of Ego Relaxation, inspired by Sri Ramana Maharshi, A Course in Miracles, extensive study of the world’s wisdom traditions, and more recently the Diamond Approach. Miranda’s books include The Way of Grace: The Transforming Power of Ego Relaxation, Boundless Love, and Meditations on Boundless Love. She is also a kirtan musician with two mantra albums, Streams of Grace and The Heart of Being. Miranda brings three decades of teaching experience in what truly works to liberate unnecessary suffering and gain traction on the path of awakening. Founder of OneSpirit Interfaith Foundation in London, where she trained and ordained over 600 ministers and spiritual counselors, today Miranda leads the Living Grace Global Sangha and offers retreats internationally and online programs through the Shift Network.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 44 (Part 2 of 2) | A.H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), renowned author and co-creator of the Diamond Approach, a complete spiritual path that flows out of his direct personal experience and realization, informed by the great wisdom traditions and practices, describes here his own process of inquiry and some of what he has come to discover in his lifelong pursuit to understand the nature of reality and know the truth. Hameed tells us answers come in the form of experiences rather than words and that there is no end to what we can realize about our true nature and reality itself. He talks about experiencing the authentic presence of being; the dynamics of realization; the paradox of practice; the importance of curiosity; and the joy of discovery. What makes time possible and what makes timelessness possible? What happens when we die? Throughout the conversation, Hameed transmits a quiet exuberance, humor, profound wisdom, and deep peace. This is a remarkable, inspiring, sometimes astonishing dialogue that will illuminate and exhilarate your understanding of the nature of reality and our potential as human beings. Recorded August 10, 2022.“Reality really has much more up its sleeve than any human being can imagine.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2On death: each of us has a particular consciousness that is undying; death is not the end, but how we live our life will influence how we die and afterwards (00:53)Is an initial activation—a “close encounter of the third kind with true nature”—a requirement to enter the Ridhwan School? (07:49)What is “runaway realization''? There’s no end to what you can realize about reality or yourself (09:18)The importance of true curiosity (12:30)The experience of pure, absolute time: what makes time possible and timelessness possible? An example of Hameed’s own inquiry process (13:29) Spiritual discourse and non-standard realization (15:57)Becoming alive to the zen of ordinariness (20:02)Hameed’s practice: continual inquiry and meditation (22:31)Most of Hameed’s awakenings don’t happen in meditation (24:47)The dynamic of realization: practice opens us to grace (25:56)Opening to transmission (31:59)A new kind of presence: non-standard presence is very important to opening to runaway realization (33:12)In the depths of nondual realization something arises (36:51)Resources & References - Part 2The Ten Ox Herding Pictures from the Zen tradition Vajra Body, symbol of highest spiritual powerHameed Ali, creator of The Ridhwan School and The Diamond PathA. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery*A. H. Almaas,The Alchemy of Freedom: The Philosophers’ Stone and the Secrets of Existence*A. H. Almaas, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type*A. H. Almaas, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart*A. H. Almaas, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence*A. H. Almaas books page on Amazon*Diamond Approach YouTube videos with A. H. Almaas* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---A. Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general. Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 43 (Part 1 of 2) | A.H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), renowned author and co-creator of the Diamond Approach, a complete spiritual path that flows out of his direct personal experience and realization, informed by the great wisdom traditions and practices, describes here his own process of inquiry and some of what he has come to discover in his lifelong pursuit to understand the nature of reality and know the truth. Hameed tells us answers come in the form of experiences rather than words and that there is no end to what we can realize about our true nature and reality itself. He talks about experiencing the authentic presence of being; the dynamics of realization; the paradox of practice; the importance of curiosity; and the joy of discovery. What makes time possible and what makes timelessness possible? What happens when we die? Throughout the conversation, Hameed transmits a quiet exuberance, humor, profound wisdom, and deep peace. This is a remarkable, inspiring, sometimes astonishing dialogue that will illuminate and exhilarate your understanding of the nature of reality and our potential as human beings. Recorded August 10, 2022.“Reality really has much more up its sleeve than any human being can imagine.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Roger introduces Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) and the Diamond Approach (01:09)The practice of direct inquiry into the fundamental nature of reality: the answers come in experiences rather than words (05:10)Trusting reality to take us to what is good for us; reality is self revealing (08:14)The “paradox of practice”: recognizing our inherent helplessness and hopelessness (10:19) Hameed’s initial opening: recognizing the authentic presence of being (13:06)Each awakening has a particular view: nonduality and beyond (15:09)Holding on to a view becomes a delusion, regardless of the realization (18:51)The “view of totality”: a metaperspective allowing for endless realizations and openings and appreciation of the boundless creativity of the universe (21:37)Many teachings are working towards liberation and freedom from suffering, but Hameed “wanted to understand reality and to know the truth” (25:22)Enlightenment itself evolves, it keeps moving (28:33)The dichotomy between spiritual and material is a construct (35:10)Discovery is part of life, part of realization (37:18)The completion of realization is going out in the world, learning how to live it (39:04)Resources & References - Part 1Hameed Ali (A.H. Almaas), creator of The Ridhwan School and The Diamond ApproachA. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery*A. H. Almaas,The Alchemy of Freedom: The Philosophers’ Stone and the Secrets of Existence*A. H. Almaas, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type*A. H. Almaas, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart*A. H. Almaas, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence*A. H. Almaas books page on Amazon*Diamond Approach YouTube videos with A. H. AlmaasKen Wilber, philosopher, author, creator of Integral Theory, The Integral Vision*Sri Aurobindo, Indian philosopher, poet, yoga guruDzogchen, a tradition of teachings in Tibetan BuddhismVedanta, one of six schools of Hindu philosophyHuayan Buddhism, a school of Buddhism that includes the Round Teaching, an understanding of the other-dependent nature of ultimate reality, a unilocal viewDogen, founder of the Sōtō School of Zen* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---A. Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general. Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 43 (Part 3 of 3) | Beena Sharma, president of the Vertical Development Academy (VeDA), gives a beautifully cogent explanation of the 8-stage, full spectrum model of adult psychological development, Vertical Development, illuminating us not only to the characteristics of each stage of development, but the implications and ramifications of each stage, the process of human development as a whole, and how this model can help us face our current metacrisis. Beena describes how “each stage is a way of seeing the world and oneself, a constellation of our beliefs and assumptions,” and we discover that our development takes form in patterns of evolving worldviews, a progression of capacities with which we make sense of the world.On an individual level, Beena asks, “Where is your foot nailed to the floor? Where are parts of you still ahead of you? How can this framework help you make a shift?” And collectively, “What does it mean for the human being to evolve? What makes us think humans at this time are at the end of the evolutionary ladder?” Vertical development focuses on the evolving ego, and interestingly, takes us to the stage where we realize the ego itself is only a construct—and beyond. As well as a brilliant unpacking of the vertical development model, this is a profound, warm-hearted conversation, about human evolution and possibility, the dance of the dual and the nondual, the infinitude of the psyche, and what it means to come home to oneself. Recorded July 13, 2022."Everything is a dance of the dual and the nondual."(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 3Keeping the question in mind: “Is this framework getting in the way of me connecting with the person in front of me? (02:54)What light does this model of adult development shed on religions and spiritual leaders? (04:33)The core of Integral yoga—integrating the spiritual and the material (09:00)Everything is a dance of the dual and the nondual; either/or thinking manifests all the way up (09:59)What are Beena’s personal practices to stay sane in our confounding world today? (11:08)Implications for our metacrisis: who are the players who have power? (14:50)Solutions come from within small groups who can collaborate (17:17)Paul Hawken, climate change, and the philosophy of regeneration (18:38)What does it mean to be “life minded?” (19:49)How the state of the world, the current metacrisis, is a direct reflection of our individual and collective consciousness (20:16)Corporate investment in leadership is a $161 billion dollar annual industry; leadership design is key (23:48)Central polarity in Beena’s life: Am I doing? Or am I being done? (31:16)How can transformative practices be scaled? Cultivating people who are both wise and politically involved (32:34)The deliberately developmental organization—and the deliberately developmental civilization (34:42)How do we make developmental programs more effective? (35:30)Harvesting technology for good: a design issue and an issue of expanding the designers’ abilities (36:46)Encouraging people to grow; 50-70% of people are at the conventional stages (37:32)Recognizing the war within (42:12)Resources & References - Part 3Brian Daizen Victoria, Zen at War*Sri Aurobindo, sage of modern IndiaSri Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That*Jean Klein, The Book of Listening*, The Ease of Being*, I Am*Susanne Cook-Greuter, international authority on adult ego development and creator of the Maturity Assessment Profile (MAP)Tomas Björkman, social entrepreneur, author, philosopher, The World We Create*, Cultivating Psychological Maturity (Deep Transformation Podcast Episode 36)Paul Hawken, Project Drawdown, Drawdown: The Most Extensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming*Paul Hawken, Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation*Duane Elgin, The Living Universe*Daniel Schmachtenberger, founding member of The Consilience Project aimed at improving public sensemaking and dialogueThe anthropocene age, Age of Man: Enter the AnthropoceneAldous Huxley, Island*Chaos TheoryThe Third Patriarch of Zen, Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng T’sanNeo-ConfucianismTomas Björkman & Lene Andersen, The Nordic Secret*, Cultivating Psychological Maturity (Deep Transformation Podcast Episode 36)Bildung, linking philosophy and education for both personal and cultural maturationRobert Kegan & Lisa Lahey, An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization*Ken Wilber & Dustin diPerna, Toward a Deliberately Developmental Civilization (free download)Beena Sharma, founder Vertical Development Academy (VeDA): facilitating leadership maturity* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Beena Sharma currently stewards Vertical Development Academy (VeDA) as its founding president, with a vision to enhance the practice of human development. Beena has a passion around helping individuals and organizations orient themselves to the path of the evolving human being across the various stages of maturity as revealed through empirical research and sound theory. She sees the progressive unfolding of maturity in adults as a process where the narrow, the limited, and the conflicting open to a more comprehensive, a more real, a more complete intuition and perspective—each stage of human maturity a temporary station of a more adequate understanding of the human condition.Beena is a gifted master coach, consultant, teacher, and thought leader. She has been recognized nationally and internationally for her achievements in successfully conceptualizing, developing, and delivering systemic leadership development initiatives. Beena has led efforts as an executive and consultant for various agencies of the U.S. government and leading private-sector companies in healthcare and other industries in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and India. Beena is committed to designing and delivering exceptional learning experiences to build deep capability in individuals and organizations in service of creating a sustainable future for our civilization.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 41 (Part 2 of 3) | Beena Sharma, president of the Vertical Development Academy (VeDA), gives a beautifully cogent explanation of the 8-stage, full spectrum model of adult psychological development, Vertical Development, illuminating us not only to the characteristics of each stage of development, but the implications and ramifications of each stage, the process of human development as a whole, and how this model can help us face our current metacrisis. Beena describes how “each stage is a way of seeing the world and oneself, a constellation of our beliefs and assumptions,” and we discover that our development takes form in patterns of evolving worldviews, a progression of capacities with which we make sense of the world.On an individual level, Beena asks, “Where is your foot nailed to the floor? Where are parts of you still ahead of you? How can this framework help you make a shift?” And collectively, “What does it mean for the human being to evolve? What makes us think humans at this time are at the end of the evolutionary ladder?” Vertical development focuses on the evolving ego, and interestingly, takes us to the stage where we realize the ego itself is only a construct—and beyond. As well as a brilliant unpacking of the vertical development model, this is a profound, warm-hearted conversation, about human evolution and possibility, the dance of the dual and the nondual, the infinitude of the psyche, and what it means to come home to oneself. Recorded July 13, 2022.“The earlier the stage, the greater the gift; the later the stage, the greater the promise.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2In this framework, an arc represents the ego’s process of development, with the self-determining stage being the top of the arc (01:38)Self-questioning stage: you realize you are not as independent as you thought—you are conditioned, shaped, and molded by your context (02:30)Resolution of the problems in the previous stage come in the new stage (06:41)The biggest shift is between the self-determining self and the self-authoring self—and Integral Theory’s mean green meme (07:14)Self-actualizing stage, where you realize it’s both all relative and there are also some absolutes, and systems thinking comes online internally and externally (10:37)Complexity thinking skills can be taught and learned (13:56)Self-actualizing stage continued: looking for and integrating higher wisdom, for “and” as well as either/or thinking (18:45)The shadow of the self-actualizing stage (22:11)Construct-aware stage: seeing that all the ideas you have are only constructs, abstractions, there is no reality “out there;” the ego itself begins to see it’s only a construct (23:41)This stage illuminates 3 things: existentialism, the wisdom traditions’ concept of emptiness and liberation, and the postmodern stage of deconstructionism (28:47)The Hindu god Shiva, half masculine/half feminine, is personified yin/yang, where all opposites are integrated, the potential of our human form to be in harmony with both emptiness and form (37:33)Transcendent or unitive stage: falling into no boundaries, falling into the now, recognizing we are all one (39:04)This particular adult development framework bridges psychological development with spiritual development, where other frameworks do not (40:58)This is a “full spectrum perspective” on human development and possibility, as Ken Wilber described (42:09)Translation: how do we bring this framework into service? (44:20)The psyche is infinite; the fundamental humility of unknowability (46:50)Developmental movement within stages and across the arc—people are either entering, consolidating, or transitioning (48:54)What does it mean to come home to oneself? (50:29)How Byron Katie’s The Work helps us access the construct-aware stage (52:28)Resources & References - Part 2Robert Kegan, The Evolving Self*Don Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics*Spiral Dynamics’ Second TierWho Are the 2nd Tier Thinkers with Ken WilberSri Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That*T.R.V. Murti, Central Philosophy of Buddhism: A Study of the Madhyamika System*Kashmiri Saivism, "Fullness pours into Emptiness; Emptiness pervades Fullness"Kabir, a 15th-century Indian mystic poet, composed poetry that evoked a space called nirgun or shunya—something without qualities or boundaries, empty—which challenged listeners to know it and to know themselvesKen Wilber, The Religion of Tomorrow*Sri Aurobindo, sage of modern IndiaByron Katie’s The Work, Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life*Beena Sharma, founder Vertical Development Academy (VeDA): facilitating leadership maturity* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Beena Sharma currently stewards Vertical Development Academy (VeDA) as its founding president, with a vision to enhance the practice of human development. Beena has a passion around helping individuals and organizations orient themselves to the path of the evolving human being across the various stages of maturity as revealed through empirical research and sound theory. She sees the progressive unfolding of maturity in adults as a process where the narrow, the limited, and the conflicting open to a more comprehensive, a more real, a more complete intuition and perspective—each stage of human maturity a temporary station of a more adequate understanding of the human condition.Beena is a gifted master coach, consultant, teacher, and thought leader. She has been recognized nationally and internationally for her achievements in successfully conceptualizing, developing, and delivering systemic leadership development initiatives. Beena has led efforts as an executive and consultant for various agencies of the U.S. government and leading private-sector companies in healthcare and other industries in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and India. Beena is committed to designing and delivering exceptional learning experiences to build deep capability in individuals and organizations in service of creating a sustainable future for our civilization.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 40 (Part 1 of 3) | Beena Sharma, president of the Vertical Development Academy (VeDA), gives a beautifully cogent explanation of the 8-stage, full spectrum model of adult psychological development, Vertical Development, illuminating us not only to the characteristics of each stage of development, but the implications and ramifications of each stage, the process of human development as a whole, and how this model can help us face our current metacrisis. Beena describes how “each stage is a way of seeing the world and oneself, a constellation of our beliefs and assumptions,” and we discover that our development takes form in patterns of evolving worldviews, a progression of capacities with which we make sense of the world.On an individual level, Beena asks, “Where is your foot nailed to the floor? Where are parts of you still ahead of you? How can this framework help you make a shift?” And collectively, “What does it mean for the human being to evolve? What makes us think humans at this time are at the end of the evolutionary ladder?” Vertical development focuses on the evolving ego, and interestingly, takes us to the stage where we realize the ego itself is only a construct—and beyond. As well as a brilliant unpacking of the vertical development model, this is a profound, warm-hearted conversation, about human evolution and possibility, the dance of the dual and the nondual, the infinitude of the psyche, and what it means to come home to oneself. Recorded July 13, 2022.“The earlier the stage, the greater the gift; the later the stage, the greater the promise.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Introducing teacher and developmental coach Beena Sharma (01:45)The most exciting discovery in psychology is that psychological development and maturity can continue far beyond our 20s, and beyond our conception of “normality” (02:51)We are being evolved; we are transitional beings. Nature’s secret is the evolutionary process (05:15)Exploring human development and the farther reaches of human possibilities: what does it mean for adults to mature? (06:52)Jane Loevinger’s research showed patterns of evolving worldviews, a progression of capacities to make sense of the world, the trajectory revealed through the stories people tell (11:12)Creating space for the process of development, i.e. not using words like higher and lower, saying instead earlier and later (15:26)Maturity is coming to new understandings about what is real, giving up our assumptions, subject becomes object (18:58)Stages of development is a psychoactive model: just understanding that further development is possible helps us grow into our potentials (21:00)Using this framework in an ethical way: be careful not to use it in a reductionist way and label people as inferior; hold it lightly, the stages are idealizations (23:35)What happens over the course of development? How do we get there? Vertical development is an outcome rather than a goal (27:29)Self-centric stage: self-preservation and survival (29:32)Group-centric: the “socialized” stage, where you want to fit in and belong (32:22)Skill-centric stage: my identity is defined by what I do, not what I am (35:25)The triumph of stepping into the next worldview, the next stage (35:55)Loving people at whatever level they are at: “the earlier the stage, the greater the gift; the later the stage, the greater the promise.” (39:08)Earlier stages are not negative, but they are more limited in capacity (40:45)The crisis in parenting, in grandparenting, in ancestoring (44:29)Self-determining stage: now I am an independent agent, the master of my destiny, capable of choice and a healing objectivity (46:15)Preconventional, conventional, postconventional stages (52:04)This developmental process is the ego’s process of evolution, the ego’s process of creating a more complex, nuanced map of how to make sense of the world (53:22)Resources & References - Part 1Beena Sharma, founder of the Vertical Development Academy (VeDA): facilitating leadership maturitySri Aurobindo, sage of modern IndiaJane Loevinger’s Stages of Ego Development, Ego Development,* Paradigms of Personality*Susanne Cook-Greuter, Postautonomous Ego Development: A Study of Its Nature and Measurement*Rorschach testGordon Allport, a pioneer in the study of personalityRobert Kegan, The Evolving Self*Enneagram of Personality and the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)Depth psychology and evolutionary psychology* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Beena Sharma currently stewards Vertical Development Academy (VeDA) as its founding president, with a vision to enhance the practice of human development. Beena has a passion around helping individuals and organizations orient themselves to the path of the evolving human being across the various stages of maturity as revealed through empirical research and sound theory. She sees the progressive unfolding of maturity in adults as a process where the narrow, the limited, and the conflicting open to a more comprehensive, a more real, a more complete intuition and perspective—each stage of human maturity a temporary station of a more adequate understanding of the human condition.Beena is a gifted master coach, consultant, teacher, and thought leader. She has been recognized nationally and internationally for her achievements in successfully conceptualizing, developing, and delivering systemic leadership development initiatives. Beena has led efforts as an executive and consultant for various agencies of the U.S. government and leading private-sector companies in healthcare and other industries in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, and India. Beena is committed to designing and delivering exceptional learning experiences to build deep capability in individuals and organizations in service of creating a sustainable future for our civilization.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell