That which is not Lived is not Redeemed
I was recently reading Cynthia Borgeault’s remarkable book The Meaning of Mary Magdalene. In this book, on page 142 to be exact, Cynthia quotes an adage from the early Church fathers: “That which is not lived is not redeemed.” Cynthia paraphrases this as “That which is not accepted is not transformed.” These sayings hit me hard…
Read MoreAnother One Bites the Dust
Dear Integral Friends and Family, I hesitated a few days before posting this. I felt that the tone was too preachy and righteous and didn’t take into account Genpo’s suffering and the responsibility of the other adults involved. And, when I chuck rocks, I am well aware of Jesus’ injunction, “He that is without sin…”…
Read MoreIntegral Sainthood
Recently, I have been experiencing a period of deep sadness. It is different from the crippling depressions I have experienced in the past, when it felt like I was trying to walk and think surrounded by mud; my body, mind, and emotions so weighted down that I could hardly move, think, or feel. What I…
Read MoreGospel of Thomas: The Invitation and the Obligation
For the last few months, our meditation group, which has been meeting together on Sundays for the last 13 years, has been reading through the Gospel of Thomas, following our 40-minute meditation. Initially, we were reading five verses at a time, but we found that the verses were so deep, and often challenging, that now…
Read MoreAn Answer and a Gift
I wanted to share a powerful experience that I had in meditation the other day. I was using the iAwake Special Edition Digital Euphoria track and I was in a profound state of contemplative prayer, or resting in the presence, as I have begun to call it. Paul Smith, author of Integral Christianity, calls it the…
Read MoreHope at the End of the Tunnel
Transcribed from iAwake’s weekly, free teleconference call on July 25, 2012. I was recently in the Bay Area to teach a class on Addiction Studies. When my class and I did our first meditation together, we sank into a very deep meditative state, one which we could all really feel. When you meditate in a…
Read MoreIntegral Recovery Survival Tips for the Holidays
Put your practice first and your sobriety first. Hanging out with family can often be very challenging, so make sure you have a plan of how you’re going to take care of yourself. I have found that if I ratchet up my meditation practice from 1 hour to 1.5 hours a day while visiting family,…
Read MoreWelcome to the Integral Recovery blog
Well, here is the first blog entry for our Integral Recovery website. This, in many ways, represents years of struggle, defeats, frustration, exhilarations, inspirations, and integrations. I’m looking out the window of my office in Teasdale, Utah: September 3rd, 2007, 5:30 PM. The sunlight does amazing things at this time of day in our valley.…
Read MoreEnhanced Meditation with Binaural Brain Entrainment
I’m sitting in a motel room in Boulder, Colorado, where I am attending Naropa University’s Wilderness Therapy Symposium. Living in a small isolated community like Teasdale makes going to a city always interesting. I’m struck with the question, “I used to live like this?” It actually makes me appreciate cities more, and gorgeous Wayne County, Utah (my home)…
Read MoreWhere the Rubber Meets the Road
This blog entry is an excerpt from the rough draft of the book “Integral Recovery” that I am currently writing. I thought this might be of interest to readers to get a taste of what Integral Recovery treatment looks like in practice. But first an introductory quote…. “This week was planes, buses and rental cars.…
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