Guy Smith is a writer, body psychotherapist and former non-dualist. His first book, This Is Unimaginable & Unavoidable was written from the perspective of radical non-duality and made him a known figure within the community. His second book, Mystery Not Mastery, though also written from a non-dual perspective, contained his first criticisms of Western non-duality. Now, 16 years on, he's writing a novel about the dark side of non-duality. He's been working therapeutically with people from the non-dual community for over a decade.0:00 Introduction - how we met4:40 DO Think for Yourself - Starting to Question the Dogma7:20 There are Many Non-dualisms - Either/Or paradigms are Harmful 12:57 Neo-Advaita's Deadening Effect and Affect16:15 Neo-Advaita and Suicide20:15 A Non-dual Aristocracy 22:45 Whose Truth Are We Discovering? / Interpretation Matters36:20 Patterns of Harm Guy Encounters as a Psychotherapist44:24 Elements of Peter Pan Syndrome 54:10 Re-igniting Passion, Re-Embodiment, Internalized Gaslighting1:06:28 Shutting down people who are harmed by Neo-Advaita 1:09:31 Gaslighting Pt. 2: The Inner Troll 1:24:02 Wrap-up/Permission to be Fully Human!In this conversation, Guy Smith and I aim to bring compassionate discernment to the particular ways in which universal authoritarianism manifests both subtly and overtly in some popular "non-dual" spiritual movements, most specifically in neo-advaita / radical non-duality.We draw on our own experience in the field and those of countless others, to shed light on the unique ways that people's hearts, souls and body-minds are injured by "non-dual" teachings that undermine the validity and value of one's individual perspective and very existence.We aim to offer hope that it's possible to heal from this harm, and to encourage a collective pivot towards holistically healthy, egalitarian spirituality that uplifts & unifies rather than degrades & divides 🙏🏼▾ Contact Guy: realiven@gmail.com; his website is www.pathinthedark.com▾Suggested reading on neo-advaita & either/or non-dualisms https://bit.ly/3VA7JWx
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"With more widespread spiritual education, more people will come to appreciate the qualities of authentic spirituality, and the destructive type will no longer be able to take root and encroach upon and degrade so many lives." - Timothy Conway
