by Rick Archer This was my 10th SAND and the best yet. I think that’s because we both (SAND and I) have evolved. In the early years, many of the presenters were in neo-Advaita mode. I always felt uncomfortable with that mindset because I felt that most of those espousing it were conceptualizing nonduality, not living it experientially. If they had been, they would “love thy neighbor as thyself”, and I didn’t see enough evidence of that. I believe spiritual growth is never-ending and holistic. In other words, it should include the continuing unfoldment and refinement of all aspects of our makeup, including our heart. Being told that “you are already enlightened and all you have to do is realize that and you’re done” doesn’t facilitate such development. Of course, not all SAND presenters talked this way, but these days, none do. Another way in which SAND has evolved is that, as Zaya pointed out, in the early days, 90% of the presenters were white men. These days the lineup is diverse, including a greater balance of genders, races, ages, and sexual orientations. In other words, a better reflection of society itself. SAND is intense. I doubt that many of its participants ordinarily experience such a whirlwind of intellectual and social stimulation in such a spiritually charged atmosphere. I wouldn’t want to do it for weeks on end. But a long weekend is just right. I met so many wonderful people. Lots of BatGap fans introduced themselves and told me how much the show had impacted their lives. I met some very interesting people whom I’ll want to interview and saw others on stage. Many of the presenters commented that we are in the midst of a societal transformation that will involve upheaval and chaos that will intensify greatly before it subsides. They and the audience seemed to know this intuitively as much as through the evidence that science and the news media bring us, and to know that the spiritual “epidemic” of which SAND is an expression is an important catalyst for this change, and buffer against the inevitable turbulence. Buckle your seat belts and trust the pilot. Finally, the ASI sponsored a wonderful 4-hour meeting of about 45 spiritual teachers the afternoon before the conference started. All agreed that the appreciation for integrity that the ASI is trying to enliven in the broader spiritual community is very much needed, and everyone committed in one way or another to help with the effort. The SAND organizers were impressed with the turnout and want to involve the ASI more formally in future conferences.

"Money, Spirituality, and Consciousness" Webinar recorded live October 2, 2019. Mayuri Onerheim helps people understand money not from the usual conventional view but rather as energy, as a symptom of our spiritual separation, and as a reflection of our cultural belief systems and early childhood conditioning. Where money can often be a source of great suffering and difficulty, learning to transform our relationship to it can be truly liberating. Mayuri Onerheim: www.logosofmoney.com Association for Spiritual Integrity: www.spiritual-integrity.org

On July 25, 2019, The ASI Code of Ethics was updated with an additional tenet in Section 1: 1.31 Teachers should be aware that psychedelic (plant or chemically derived) medicine and other consciousness-altering substances are gaining popularity in spiritual communities. Teachers who recommend the use of psychedelics to their students must do so with great caution primarily because the wide usage of pharmaceutical medication (prescription and over the counter) adds unpredictable complexities that did not feature in the traditional use of indigenous plant medicines. If students are taking medication that is mood-altering or have a history of mental health issues, psychedelics are not appropriate. It is important that teachers educate themselves in this subject area in order to be fully aware of what is involved for their students. Teachers should also encourage their students to undertake careful research prior to using psychedelics. While psychedelics are a potent and unique spiritual tool, teachers are finding that there is a steadily increasing number of students with long-lasting negative side effects stemming from the use of psychedelic medicine. Long term unnecessary suffering is increasingly evident in people with past experience(s) of mania, psychosis or depersonalization. In addition to the students’ suitability, a teacher must consider the trustworthiness and integrity of the ceremony leader who is holding the space for students orienting towards this path. We welcome your comments on this addition below, or you can send a message to us here . We thank everyone who contributes their knowledge, experience and expertise in cultivating this greater awareness and exploration of integrity and ethics within the global spiritual community.

Recorded on January 23, 2019, a webinar/workshop hosted by Dr. Cedar Barstow on the Right Use of Power, sponsored by the Association for Spiritual Integrity (formerly Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers). Thank you everyone for registering and joining us for this event! https://spiritual-integrity.org/webin ... This two-hour live webinar features Dr. Cedar Barstow, who will explore with us how to best use our personal, status and professional power with strength and heart. Together we will look at new ways to understand power and own the power we have with the aim to remain connected, accountable, sensitive and skillful in our work. With a new awareness of the right use of power, we can help prevent and repair harm, resolve conflict and promote well-being. Power has gifts and responsibilities. as well as perils and traps. Using power well requires – in addition to good intentions – skill, information, and sensitivity. Power dynamics can be understood and the traps and perils mitigated. We will explore this by delving into four specific gifts of power and their accompanying perils. Right Use of Power: http://www.rightuseofpower.org

This video is an introduction to an upcoming online Group Inquiry Series being offered in 2019 by Mariana Caplan, PhD, MFT, E-RYT 500 (www.realspirituality.com) called: Preventative Psychological Health for Spiritual Leaders: Creating and Sustaining Psycho-Spiritual Health in Spiritual Communities This interactive online meeting was presented by the Association for Spiritual Integrity (www.spiritual-integrity.org) with Craig Holliday as co-host, Jac O'Keeffe and Rick Archer attending (founding members). Mariana is a Special Advisor to the ASI.

By Craig Holliday Over the last year, the ASI (formerly) APST has received the most feedback about the tenet in the Code of Ethics regarding student and teacher relationships (3.3).  We have been greatly divided on this topic and have decided to implement a compromise in the Code acknowledging that in rare cases a healthy relationship can develop, once the teacher and student have dissolved the student teacher relationship.  In such instances it is wise to consult a counselor or therapist, and take the time to cool off and discern the wisdom and outward consequences of such a decision for all those involved, including the community. Personally, I feel that we should be extremely strict and not allow for any wiggle room in the Code around the issue of sexual relationships between teachers and students.  As a practicing therapist, for me, the boundaries are quite clear: we do not cross romantic or sexual boundaries. However, it has been brought to our attention numerous times that there are examples of teachers who had gracefully transitioned out of the student-teacher relationship and found a way to skillfully create a harmonious loving romantic relationship. But I will also state that at least once a week someone does share with me (confidentially) yet another new account of sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual behavior by a male spiritual teacher.  Because of this, I choose to remain strict with solid boundaries in this area. Too often what appears to be carefree and even authentic, turns out to actually be a mix of projection and abuse of power. However, in response to the feedback received, the APST has updated the Code (3.3d) to acknowledge the rare exceptions that can result in a successful intimate relationship. Given the sensitive nature of this topic and the fact that the most egregious ethical violations are related to sexual relationships between students and teachers, it is wise to remember that these exceptions are rare and are not a good excuse to leave our ethics and discernment behind. Some of the greatest gurus and saints have fallen from grace around the topic of sexual relationships; let us be wise and not follow them. There are countless stories of spiritual communities and individual relationships destroyed because of loose boundaries and ethical clarity.  Many victims of spiritual teacher’s loose sexual boundaries and lack of ethics have spent decades afterwards dealing with the traumas incurred. Please see the change we made below on January 30, 2019 in 3.3d (in bold). 3.3   Spiritual teachers will adhere to the following guidelines and boundaries: a) A sexual relationship is never appropriate between teachers and students. b) The decision to sexualize a relationship almost invariably means the loss of any ability to properly fulfill the original teacher-student contract. c) During retreats or formal teaching, any intimation of future student-teacher romantic or sexual relationship is inappropriate. d) Where interest in a genuine and committed relationship arises, the student-teacher dynamic must clearly and consciously end a minimum of 2 years before progressing it either in person or through other forms of communication. 2 years allows for a cooling off period; the purpose of which is to remove the power deferential that exists in teacher-student relationships. 3.3 Spiritual teachers will adhere to the following guidelines and boundaries: a) A sexual relationship is never appropriate between teachers and students. b) The decision to sexualize a relationship almost invariably means the loss of any ability to properly fulfill the original teacher-student contract. c) During retreats or formal teaching, any intimation of future student-teacher romantic or sexual relationship is inappropriate. d) Inappropriate sexual relations between teachers and students, involving coercion or an imbalanced power differential, have been the most common and egregious ethical violations in many spiritual communities. But in a minority of cases, a healthy romantic relationship has evolved. Transitioning from a teacher-student relationship to a partnership between two consenting adults can be a delicate process, taking time, maturity, and mutual communication. At the APST, agreeing upon a reasonable standard on this issue that would be widely respected and adhered to has been our most difficult challenge. In spite of differences in opinions, we endeavor to continue to discuss the topic with rigor. The complete up-to-date Code of Ethics can be viewed at https://www.spiritual-integrity.org/honor-code-for-spiritual-leaders While all the nuances of this discussion could fill the pages of a book, we encourage you to continue to take great care and discernment around this topic. As a community we will continue to investigate it together deeply.

Recently, the great therapist and teacher John Welwood passed on. John was the wise mind who first coined the phrase “spiritual bypassing.”  Spiritual bypassing is the art or unconscious movement of using spiritual concepts, teachings or experiences to deny, transcend or ignore our human life.  If left unchecked, the art of spiritual bypassing leaves us deeply divided in our spiritual and human self. We may have great spiritual insights and experiences, but if we are proficient at spiritually bypassing our human lives, we just may become deeply unintegrated, detached and defended in our spiritual super ego.  The more we spiritually bypass our human lives, the greater the chance our shadow will haunt us or cause trouble both in our human and spiritual experience. It was John Welwood’s insights which helped so many of us here on the path have awareness of how we spiritually bypass our humanity.  And through his insights and our own reflection, we have the opportunity to mature and integrate our practice and spiritual experience into our daily lives in a much more full and profound way. With the highest respect we honor this great soul, who helped so many of us, to actually look at our humanity and recommit to an integrated path that includes our human self and relationships.  Every spiritual teacher, leader, community and aspirant must look at this question of “ how do I spiritually bypass human life?” if they want to live with any degree of integrity and maturity on this path. I can humbly admit that for almost a decade on the path, I tried to out-meditate all my human problems.  I completely ignored my humanity.  I tried to transcend my sexual desire by being celibate. I ignored my relationships and lost good friends. I ignored my finances and had no money and no savings. I ignored my body and treated it like a workhorse for my teacher and turned it into a meditation machine. I didn’t feed myself properly and was just skin and bones. I was unkind to my inner child and human sense of self. Sure, I was one-pointed… a one-pointed jerk . I ignorantly believed if I could only achieve perfect enlightenment, it would all disappear . After two years of being celibate, I quickly ended up in a confused and poorly matched relationship, and found myself becoming a father of two within less than a year. I had no parenting skills, no money, and no emotional maturity… but I was good at meditation and I gave everything to my spiritual path of transcendence!  Fortunately, God’s grace helped to snap me out of this deeply divided way of being.  My first daughter was born in a horse trough at home. As I brought her up out of the water and looked into her eyes for the first time, I saw God looking back at me; my heart burst wide open.  I fell in love with her and this world . My real spiritual path had finally begun—a path that was radically inclusive of life. It was a path which wanted to know God, not just in heaven or on the meditation cushion, but throughout Her manifest kingdom.  I knew that if I could not experience this absolute intimacy of Love everywhere within myself, in others, in heaven and Earth , then it was an incomplete path, an incomplete experience of Self or the Divine. I wanted this path which was fully undivided—truly nondual… and I had a long road ahead of me. I wanted to live a path with heart, compassion and humanity, so I began to practice differently.  While I continued the work and practice with my spiritual teacher, I also committed to individual therapy for many years and continue to deeply value and attend psychotherapeutic work, as an integral part of the path. I learned to look at my shadow and then integrate it. I learned to let go of my super-proficient spiritual-bypassing nature. I learned how spiritual realization, insight and the dharma interacted with the world. I learned how to sit with emotional pain and love my inner child.  I learned how to be a father. I stopped asking how can I transcend my human self and disappear into God? and began to ask, is there Love in my heart?  How does Love respond to life? How does Love respond to my pain, the pain of others, to my children and relationships?   The beautiful thing I discovered is that the more I learned to love, the deeper God enveloped me. What follows below is a link to a ground-breaking article from John Welwood, sharing his insights on how we all spiritually bypass, and why it is so important to bring this shadow to the light. The Psychology of Awakening Conventional psychotherapists often look askance at spiritual practice, just as many spiritual teachers disapprove of psychotherapy. At the extremes, each camp tends to see the other as avoiding and denying the real issues.

On October 27, 2018, Jac O’Keeffe , Craig Holliday , Caverly Morgan and Rick Archer held a panel discussion at the Science and Nonduality Conference on the topic of Ethics and Spiritual Teaching. The video is now published of the panel discussion, and we invite you to watch it (below). Re-posted with permission from Rick Archer is his summary of the topics discussed in the panel video from 482. Panel Discussions on Ethics and Spiritual Teaching . Questioning whether higher consciousness and ethical behavior are tightly correlated. The founding of the  Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers . The attempt to formulate a code of ethics that might apply universally in the contemporary spiritual community and enliven an understanding of what may or may not be appropriate, giving students greater confidence in their own discernment and discrimination. Ancient traditions held the teacher beyond reproach and students surrendered their own will. This may have worked in monastic settings but generally does not work today. Preventative support so we’re not busy doing cleanup. Power hierarchies should not be an essential part of spiritual development and can lead to abuses. Spiritual awakening does not necessarily qualify a person to offer advice on relationships, finances, etc. Ethical training of some sort is integral to most honored traditions. The issue of sexism and patriarchy in spiritual organizations. Entering the teaching profession prematurely. All too often, when teachers are challenged on their behavior, they ignore the challenger or become defensive. How do we offer the possibility for redemption and atonement? Moving away from a culture of competition to one of cooperation. The importance of humility. The importance of teachers not identifying with their role and thinking that students’ devotion is about them. South Africa’s “Truth and Reconciliation” as a model. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdA337TZBfQ ] Left to right: Rick Archer , Jac O’Keeffe , Craig Holliday , and Caverly Morgan during the panel discussion.

Join Rick Archer , Jac O’Keeffe , Craig Holliday and Caverly Morgan as they discuss the ethics of teacher-student romantic relationships together while at the Science and Nonduality Conference (SAND) October 26, 2018. This lively discussion took place the day before the group presented at the SAND conference to introduce the Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers (since renamed the Association for Spiritual Integrity ). Below is a summary of the discussion as written and posted by Rick Archer on his website, Buddha at the Gas Pump: Panel Discussions on Ethics and Spiritual Teaching . Watch the video below, and your comments are welcome! The Association of Professional Spiritual Teachers (now the Association for Spiritual Integrity ) does not have a moralistic, judgmental orientation. It’s a community endeavor. We don’t agree among ourselves on certain points. We’re trying to balance our subjective perspectives with standards that fit our contemporary culture. A key point of disagreement is the issue of teacher-student romantic/sexual relationships. None of us are rigid or adamant in our opinions. We’re trying to work it out. There are exceptions to every generality. In graduate school, psychotherapists are taught that it will never be appropriate for therapists and their clients to become partners. Relationships tend to be the most challenging aspect of people’s lives. These challenges shouldn’t bleed into a teacher’s teaching activities. When a teacher/student or therapist/client relationship transitions into romantic involvement, the potential for growth is undermined. Sometimes “divine compulsion” arises in your spiritual path, shattering your conception of appropriate behavior. The problem with teachers who haven’t transcended desire and explored their own shadow. There can be a huge disparity between the apparent enlightenment of a teacher and their behavior. Isolation and being closed to constructive criticism can be very dangerous for a teacher. If a teacher doesn’t have friends other than his students, he might want to ask why. If he doesn’t have regular relationships and is always on a pedestal, he won’t get real-world feedback. The culture is changing anyway. We’re just trying to give voice to values that are becoming lively in collective consciousness. There can be a lot of practice involved in having your actions be a reflection of your deepest understanding. [ https://youtube.com/watch?v=cevKqlYxiQI ]

by David “Davidya” Buckland Recently, Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O’Connor of Awareness Explorers interviewed Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump on the advantages and disadvantages of spiritual teachers. This was a 3-way conversation with the co-hosts. They emphasized the importance of discrimination and paying attention to your own experience. There is no one-size-fits-all right teacher. Different people relate to different teachers. Also discussed was the recognition that no guru is perfect. Everyone is a work in progress and there’s always room for refinement and growth. The trouble starts, Rick said, when teachers and students ignore issues and don’t accept feedback. Yet issues can be nuanced, not black and white. Each of them shared their general experience with spiritual teachers, then explored group consciousness and the value of community and a sangha. Is the next guru the sangha and does it need a teacher? They also explored a mentor support network for teachers. Rick introduced the APST and its launch at the Science and Nonduality (SAND) conference this year. There was also some discussion about spiritual practice, dying the cloth, and having balance in life. Links: Listen to the interview Rick Archer mentioned his SAND talk on the Ethics of Enlightenment .

In 2015, prior to the Science and Nonduality Conference , Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump assembled a large panel at Sofia University to discuss a variety of topics including teacher ethics, peer support, and maturity: especially in part 2. Reposted here with permission. From the left: Laurie Moore , Susanne Marie , Mariana Caplan , Dana Sawyer , Francis Bennett , Craig Holliday (speaking), Kristin Kirk , Rick Archer (moderator), Clare Blanchflower , David Buckland , Chuck Hillig , David Ellzey , Kiran Trace , and Jeffery Martin (host). Canela Michelle Meyers (not pictured) arrived for part 2 in the afternoon. She was seated on the left. All have had BATGAP interviews and many were speaking at SAND that year. Part 1 included the following topics: What is awakening and enlightenment? Are we on the same page? Discussion goes into direct experiencing of different states, levels and depths of consciousness in the evolution of the progressive, dynamic process of awakening. What is identity and identification in different stages in the evolution of consciousness and the journey of the dissolution of self? What are the value of words and the use of semantics in the discussion of awakening and Self realization? Is awakening lost in the experience of our brokenness? In the face of deep emotional trauma or when life shatters, what happens? Is there an abiding, unmoving stability that is unshakeable in all circumstances? The evolution of our humanity as an expression of the divine and the importance of continued growth and refinement in the awakening journey. On YouTube Part 2 topics: The panel reflects on the morning session from direct experience after meditating together. Discussion of spiritual teachers and how awakening can come with new charisma and confidence along with an ability to enliven others which can lead to ego aggrandizement. Panel discusses what to be aware of and how to share with humility and grace. Spiritual Maturity – Importance of ongoing psychological growth and healing post-awakening. Benefit of peer check-in, therapy, and support. Sharing of ideas of new paradigm for spiritual teaching to include humanness and meeting students as equals. Importance of honesty and sharing humanity and personality and not playing a role. Experiences of subtle realms and beings, psychic powers, siddis that can naturally arise. Refinement and exploring dimensions of consciousness, skillfully sharing gifts and graces that arise with awakening for the good of all. Importance of developing spiritual maturity and continued growth and healing. When is mystical experience useful and the benefit of guides in such openings. A discussion of healing and wellness in association to awakening. Are awakening and healing interrelated or separate journeys? Is it important to heal before awakening or can healing take place afterwards? Refinement and purification of physiology. Is healing necessary for an abiding awakening? Functioning in daily life after an initial awakening. Panel shares their leading / learning edge right now to enter the conversation with vulnerable truth. On YouTube

By Mariana Caplan , Ph.D., Psychotherapist and Author Reposted from HuffPost with permission.  The author has since published a related book, Yoga and Psyche . What happens when the world’s leading psychologists, cutting-edge trauma researchers, renowned modern yogis, and celebrated neuroscientists, all with a passion for spirituality, engage in insightful dialogue focused about what yoga has to teach psychology and how depth psychology can compliment yoga studies and practice for the Western practitioner? As a long-term psychotherapist and yoga teacher/practitioner, I have been researching and teaching on the integration of yoga and Western psychology for many years. In 2012, I enlisted the help of nine masters and doctoral students in psychology, who are also dedicated yoga practitioners, in my research and studies. As a result, we have been able to bring considerable time and effort, as well as the benefit of many minds, focused on a shared inquiry and a shared vision of the meeting of two great disciplines. In our pursuit of this knowledge from the best resources in neuroscience, trauma research, somatic psychotherapy, and yoga, we have collectively combed all the academic and popular literature to see what others had discovered about our topic. We have gone back in time to the scriptures that informed ancient yoga philosophy and traveled into the future of brain research and its findings on yoga and meditation. Although considerable research has been done in related fields, we discovered that, with few exceptions, there was almost nothing scholarly or popular published on our topic. There are papers and books written on the benefits of physical yoga for health, happiness, and psychological issues such as anxiety and depression, but few have published on how these two great and popular traditions — one from the East and the other from the West — can inform and compliment each other, and even blend to create a more comprehensive philosophy and practice for the Western practitioner. The last step in our research was to interview and dialogue with the world’s leading researchers and most experienced yogis in order to gain additional perspectives and experience from leaders in these fields and to learn from what they had discovered. When I was a young woman just beginning to write books, I would think about the greatest people in the world who knew about what I wanted to know about, and then write to them and beg them for an interview and travel to wherever they were in the world to learn what they knew. Now many of these people are my friends and colleagues, and I decided to conduct these dialogues as a part of a free, online series of conversations. I wanted readers to be able to benefit from these conversations in their original form, and also to create a space where the public could contribute their ideas and perspectives into this living research. I am now deep in conversation with these visionaries and trailblazers. Among those I have spoken with are: Rick Hanson, author and neuropsychologist, who discussed how neuroscience can be made both understandable and practical in our spiritual studies; yoga teacher Richard Miller, who proposed a way to make the insights of yoga accessible to a mainstream public and how he has placed yoga into the domain of the U.S. government; Tibetan Buddhist teacher Reggie Ray, who brilliantly articulated a Tibetan Buddhist perspective on Tantric philosophy in relationship to the body; and David Emerson, who described studies and methods from The Trauma Center that demonstrate that yoga may be a more effective treatment than talk therapy for trauma treatment. In dialogue with Katchie Ananda, formerly a senior student of John Friend, we engaged a deep discussion of spiritual scandals, the yoga world, and questions of ethics and integrity. Angela Farmer, one of the “grandmothers” of modern yoga and an early disciple of B.K.S Iyengar, shared how her experience and perspective on yoga has changed through over 50 years of teaching and practice. Psychiatrist Roger Walsh, M.D., talked about how psychiatry can benefit spiritual practitioners at certain points in their lives. These are just a few of the many conversations that are unfolding in this treasure chest of dialogues. Further discussions to come include philosopher Ken Wilber’s perspectives on how and which Eastern perspectives and practices are most beneficial to the Western world. Through the intricacy and perspective offered through these conversations, it becomes pragmatically clear that together we are more intelligent, experienced, and capable, than any one person can be. The integration of psychology and yoga is a process that will be carried out effectively with the contribution of many people spanning various disciplines. Thus far, our living research is revealing these insights: To begin with, integrating psychology into spiritual traditions may minimize spiritual scandals. The past year alone has brought about numerous major scandals in the yoga world as well as the wider spiritual field, leaving many intelligent and dedicated spiritual practitioners disillusioned, as well as strengthening the cynicism of the skeptics. Each scandal is flavored by its own unique blend of sex-money-power issues, but the themes are predictable, repetitive through history, and not limited to spiritual traditions. They are they same abuses of sex and power that happen everywhere in the world, and the spiritual field is not exempt, only there are fewer checks and balances for teachers of spirituality and yoga, and fewer repercussions for unethical and inappropriate behavior. Most often, the scandals are due to psychological blindspots in the teachers and students, and not to a major fault in the beliefs and practices in the tradition. Teachers, and anyone who studies spiritual traditions, need to understand their own psychological makeup, receive feedback on their blindspots, and heal and manage their significant psychological wounds. If they do not, they will definitely, at some point, cause great or small harm to others, as well as get in the way of their spiritual maturation and well-being. Next, our research has revealed the need to become aware, and understand the implications, of yoga as a practice that was articulated in Asian culture primarily by men, but is practiced by a majority of women in a Western culture and paradigm. The yoga tradition is both timeless in that it has endured over 5,000 years, but is also bound by time in terms of what it means to practice yoga in the 21st century. It is transcultural in that it is effectively practiced and translated into many different cultures, and yet much gets “lost in translation,” and not all of traditional yoga’s viewpoints and approaches necessarily apply to all cultures. It is genderless in the sense that both men and women deeply benefit through its practice, and yet the Western woman’s body has very different needs, cycles, and rhythms, than the Indian male body. Thirdly, the Indian psyche, or deep psychological makeup, is constructed differently than the Western psyche, and effective yoga practice in the Western world would take into account the differences in the Eastern and Western mind. Psychology is a Western tradition — some even suggest it to be the Western world’s newest spiritual tradition. Furthermore, psychological approaches that work through the body (somatic psychology) are even more recent, and even more compatible with yoga practice. These psychological approaches offer valuable tools to address certain aspects of our lives — including emotions, history, and relationship issues — in ways that yoga practice may not be able to reach. Finally, on the other end of the spectrum, psychology and its development — now just over 100 years old — will certainly benefit and further develop from the insights of yoga, as well as those of meditation, neuroscience, and the new somatic approaches. Therapy that involves talking alone does not always produce change, and many new studies are revealing that bringing the body into the therapeutic process leads to quicker and more effective transformation. My own experience matches this, having practiced psychotherapy without knowledge of yoga and somatic psychology for 10 years, and then experiencing the significant leap in my clients’ process in the past nine years since understanding and learning to use the benefits of yoga and somatic approaches in therapy. These are just the initial insights of our inquiry. The great question about the intersection of psychology and yoga has just begun, but I believe that the great questions of life are meant to take a lifetime to unfold, and even to move beyond the scope of our lives. It is often said that Buddhism, or any new tradition, takes at least 500 years to translate into a new culture. Gnostic intermediaries, a term coined by the psychologist Carl Jung, refers to those people who help to translate the essence of spiritual traditions from one culture to another, in the language of the new culture but without sacrificing the fundamental nature of its original source. As we move toward developing this understanding, I have a vision of fewer spiritual scandals, deeply knowledgeable and educated yoga teachers who can treat the whole person in their classes, psychologists, psychotherapists who appreciate the importance of including the body in therapy and can integrate the insights and practices of yoga into therapy, and highly informed and prepared consumers of spiritual and psychological traditions, who can wisely choose their teachers and sources of support so that they end up nourished and happy.

Mariana Caplan , PhD, MFT, RYT 500, is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, author, and one of the advisors of the APST. In 2013, Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump interviewed her a second time ( the first interview ). Reposted here with permission. In this second interview, Rick and Mariana’s focus was on yoga and psychology. They explored the paradox of disillusionment and getting through an impasse, a difficult but sometimes necessary stage. She explored experiences vs relational states and the difference between a renunciate life vs a normal life. They touched on the scandals plaguing spiritual teachers and how Western approaches can help resolve those traumas that otherwise show up in spiritual communities. These issues are in the domain of psychology. She touched on how students need to know of the possibility of issues so they understand how to handle them without leaving the path. They spoke about the myth of perfection in enlightenment while still being human and congruence between our life and enlightenment. She said life challenges are love letters from God. Learning to be in the body and process our trauma was further discussed. They explore what approaches we can take to in

Mariana Caplan , PhD, MFT, RYT 500, is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, author, and one of the advisors of the APST. In 2012, Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump interviewed her . Reposted here with permission. In the conversation, they explored her spiritual history and the role of therapy in healing one’s wounds. The Eastern model posits that your spiritual practice will resolve all barriers to unfolding. The Western model suggests we have traumas to resolve that a practice may not address. Psychology and spiritually influence each other but are different areas of life. She described how each position is true and not true. They discussed how there is more than just the initial non-dual realization. How “I’ve arrived” is a myth. They also did a “thought experiment” on the nature of God. Near the end, they explored the issues created by an approach of “no me here.” This allows one to ignore unacknowledged shadows in the personal self.

By Mariana Caplan , Ph.D., Psychotherapist and Author Reposted from HuffPost with permission. Originally adapted from her book Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path , Sounds True, 2010 There is nothing wrong with having an “om” symbol on your t-shirt or being an avid practitioner of meditation while also enjoying moneymaking and big business, but it is useful to explore your integrity in relationship to your choices. “We become skillful actors, and while playing deaf and dumb to the real meaning of the teachings, we find some comfort in pretending to follow the path.” ~Chogyam Trunpga Rinpoche Given that global culture has been turned toward materialistic values in a way unprecedented in human history, it is inevitable that this same ethic would infiltrate our approach to spirituality. We live in a culture that values accumulation and consumption, and it is naïve of us to assume that simply because we are interested in spiritual growth that we have relinquished our materialism — or even that we necessarily should. There is nothing wrong with having an “om” symbol on your t-shirt or being an avid practitioner of meditation while also enjoying moneymaking and big business, but it is useful to explore, understand and check your integrity in relationship to your choices. Spiritual materialism is not a matter of the things that we have, but of our relationship to them. We all resist seeing the ways in which we deceive ourselves on the spiritual path. It is an embarrassment to ego, though not to who we really are, to look in the mirror and see ourselves dressed in spiritual drag. Yet we allow ourselves to be exposed for the sake of greater freedom and to become more expansive through recognizing how we are limiting ourselves in the name of spirituality. We also use spirituality to gain power, prestige, recognition and respect, and even to avoid our own troubles. And we misuse the very teachings, practices, and all the spiritual things we do and think to increase our awareness to avoid a deeper intimacy with the truth we seek. We use our practices, paraphernalia, and concepts to support ego rather than truth. Even a monk on a mountaintop can be attached to his robes or begging bowl as a way of creating a false sense of spiritual security. The ego wants to think of spirituality as something it can “have” once and for all, and then we do not have to do the continual work of showing up and practicing moment after moment for the rest of our lives. The ego creates a whole identity around one’s spiritual self. This is part of what we all do on the spiritual path, but it is helpful to learn to see it in ourselves. There are many forms in which spiritual materialism may manifest: The spiritual resume refers to the list of important spiritual people we have met, studied with, done a workshop with. At times we might find ourselves reciting our spiritual resume to impress ourselves or somebody else. Spiritual storytelling takes the form of reciting narratives about our spiritual experiences. While they may be interesting, we often hide behind our stories to shield ourselves from the vulnerability of deeper human connection. The spiritual high often manifests by going from workshop to teacher to beautiful place in order to stay on a perpetual high and avoid our own shadow, which is a different form of spiritual bypassing. “Dharmacizing” refers to using spiritual jargon to account for our confusion and blind spots and to avoid relationship. If we’re a dharmacizer and someone tells us they feel tension around us, we might counter with a truism such as, “It’s just a passing phenomenon. Who is there to experience tension anyway?” Spiritual shopping sprees are characterized by accumulating initiations, empowerments, and blessings from saints the way others collect cars, yachts, and second homes. We need to feel that we are always getting somewhere — that we’re becoming richer and better. Some people unconsciously believe that if they collect enough spiritual gold stars to become enlightened, they don’t have to die. The spiritualized ego imitates, often very well, what it imagines a spiritual person looks and sounds like. It can create a glow around itself, learn eloquent spiritual speech, and act mindful and detached — yet there is something very unreal about it. I remember going to hear a particularly well-known spiritual teacher talk. He was trying too hard to act and talk spiritually–saying profound things and wearing a certain “knowing” smile — yet his message was empty of feeling and dimension. His ego had integrated the spiritual teachings, but he had not. The bulletproof ego has assimilated constructive feedback and integrated it into its defense structure. If someone shares an opinion about us we may say, “I know it appears that I’m being lazy and selfish, but I’m actually practicing just ‘being’ and taking care of myself.” A spiritual teacher with a bulletproof ego may justify verbal abuse or economic extortions from his or her disciples by saying he or she is trying to cut through the egoic mechanism or trying to teach them they must learn to surrender all they have to the divine. The problem with people who have spiritualized and bulletproof egos is that they are extremely slippery and difficult to catch — and it is particularly difficult to see how this spiritual defense mechanism operates within ourselves. It is important to understand that spiritual materialism is less about the “what” and more about the “how” of relating to something — whether it’s a teacher, a new yoga outfit, or a concept. It is not a question of wealth or money but rather of attitude. I have encountered numerous sadhus, or holy men, in India who live as renunciative beggars, yet waved their fists at me when they felt the donation I gave them was insufficient or others’ attachment to the pilgrim’s staff they carried was as prideful as many bikers are about their prized Harley-Davidsons. As we penetrate deeper into the layers of our own perception, we discover that the origin of all forms of spiritual materialism rests in the mind. We find that we can relate to information, facts, and even profound understanding in such a way that it precludes the emergence of deeper wisdom. At this most subtle level, in which even knowledge itself becomes a barrier to wisdom, our sword of discernment — the deep desire to see ourselves clearly and the willingness to take feedback from others — can cut through our confusion. When we were studying the subject of spiritual materialism in a graduate school psychology class I was teaching, a young student raised her hand and said, “I know I am really drawn to spiritual life, and somehow what stops me is this really cool black-leather jacket I bought in Italy. I think that if I really give myself to spiritual life, I will have to give up my jacket, and I know it sounds ridiculous, but it really holds me back.” My student’s leather jacket was a material possession, but we all have something — a reason, possession, or something we tell ourselves that prevents us from looking at ourselves more deeply — that can keep us away from the path for our whole lives. For many of us, in spite of our best intentions, our spirituality itself becomes one more layer of subtle armor behind which we shield ourselves from deeper truth.