27 Nov Psychological and Spiritual Integration
The following is Part Two of an interview conducted with Catherine Auman by Melissa Aberkane, a PhD student from the Sorbonne:
Have you noticed common themes or recurring challenges among individuals seeking support in their spiritual journeys?
The most common theme that shows up in my office among individuals seeking support in their spiritual journey is spiritual bypassing. They want spirituality to solve their problems of living, which it was never intended to do. For example, they don’t want to obtain full-time employment, rather, they think that the Law of Attraction will bring them material wealth if they just visualize enough. They don’t want to do the work to heal their childhood trauma, instead, they want to do one psychedelic session and have it over with. Psychedelics can help, but they do not replace doing tough psychological depth work. Psychology and spirituality are two different tracts, related perhaps, but not interchangeable.
What importance do you place on community and interpersonal relationships in the healing and personal growth process?
The model for many years was that healing and personal growth paths were individual affairs, and this created a lot of spiritual narcissism. It is important to locate oneself within the community and within humanity as a whole. Full healing would involve coming to a place where the individual desires to contribute to others. Interpersonal relationships were also not considered important in the patriarchal era, but the kind of people we are evolving into now want to relate to others as equals, with respect and compassion. Many of my clients would benefit basically from learning how to have more friends.
How does your work address the notion of authenticity and connection with oneself in a constantly evolving world?
I like this story from Thich Nhat Hanh about when the boat people were leaving Viet Nam in a great and traumatic exodus. Apparently, if there was only one person in the boat, who was calm, it soothed the others. I strive to be a calm person in the boat in this constantly evolving world, and I often tell this story to my clients in case it resonates and inspires them to do so as well.
What are the greatest lessons you have learned from working with clients from diverse spiritual traditions?
Working with clients from diverse spiritual traditions is an honor and a blessing. The greatest lesson I have learned is that most religions, despite what might be their more visible radical adherents, create good, decent, loving people.
In your workshops and training sessions, how do you integrate concepts of psychology and spirituality to promote personal development?
One of the things I teach in my workshops and training sessions is that the information available regarding personal development in the mainstream media is good but limited. It can only take you so far. If you really want to develop personally and spiritually, it is necessary to search outside the mainstream.
Psychological growth and spiritual growth are related but different paths. A person may be spiritually developed but still be yelling at their spouse, or a person may be psychologically healthy but not have any sense of belonging to something greater than themselves. To be maximally functioning, or individuated as Jung called it, both are necessary.
Integrating these concepts depends on where the individual is and what they are struggling with. In teaching tantra, participants are often surprised that we have them work on psychological issues such as healing sexual abuse, fear of the opposite sex, cultural programming, and religious indoctrination. This is necessary work before approaching more advanced levels
Do you have any future projects or initiatives you would like to share?
Future projects I am working on include at least three more books: two more in my Tantric Mastery Series, and a bigger book on transpersonal sex. I look forward to sharing these with you!
© 2024 Catherine Auman
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