I'm applying for a doctoral program and they require an Autobiographical Statement. Here's my life organized as a progression toward a PhD: Perhaps being born into an all-American dysfunctional family is an auspicious beginning for a future psychotherapist. It took the next fifty years to overcome...
Interview with Catherine Auman, LMFT Jesse D. Mounts American Public University System May 22, 2020 PSYC498: Senior Seminar in Psychology Introduction There are many professionals in the field of psychology, and each job varies in unique ways. Counseling psychology is a very popular option for individuals wishing to help others elevate...
Psychotherapist Catherine Auman talks about psychedelics and spiritual growth: The word psychedelics might make you think of hippies wearing beads laying in the park, staring at their fingers. You’re not the only one. The image of plant medicines has been highly filtered by the propaganda. Although we are in...
The pulsating aliveness of a tree … the sensuous softness of a kiss … the mind being blessedly silent and only consciousness exists: These are experiences of mindfulness, whether brought to our attention by psychedelics or meditative awareness. “When the mind disappears and thoughts disappear you...
People often ask me how transpersonal therapy differs from mainstream counseling. It differs in three major ways: how transpersonal therapists are trained, the context in which we hold therapy, and in some cases, the techniques we use or recommend to facilitate change. Transpersonal therapists receive training...
I got a call earlier this week from a couple trying to get help for a beloved friend who was unable to get off the couch due to experiencing visions, flashes of color and light, sensations of energy coming out of her body, and ecstatic trance states. She also believes that the Messiah has returned, and it is she.
The couple had found me through Google as a ‘transpersonal’ therapist, or one who has had training in assessing and treating what is called “spiritual emergency.” For although their friend has a history of severe mental illness, many of her symptoms are the same or similar as those of spiritual awakening.
She was also experiencing evidence of a broader spiritual understanding, of increased compassion, of expansiveness, of the knowledge that everything is made of swirling energy, and that she has an important role to play on earth. Unfortunately,
Throughout yoga class, Jennifer feels fat. She’s obsessed with the other women’s bodies - how much thinner, limber, and more beautiful they are. Afterwards, at Whole Foods she buys a package of Organic Fig Bars and a pint of Carob Almond Rice Dream, goes home, eats it all, and throws up. Self-hatred quickly follows.
Kyle is late on his rent again, and can’t be sure he’s not overdrawn. It’s always this chaos, every month. That reservation he made for the weeklong meditation retreat was more than he could afford – but maybe
Many people who come to see me announce that they have already forgiven the people who hurt them, so the work is done. They’ve read in spiritual books that forgiveness is the key, so wanting to be good people, they are anxious to forgive and forget. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
This type of forgiveness is done from the level of the mind, by making a decision to think about the situation differently, which is as helpful as putting a Band-Aid on a broken arm. The pain