Resources
The list below is less of a bibliography and more of a series of love letters. 🩵 The information may not be professionally curated, but that doesn’t make these links any less meaningful - or any less valid.
When I experienced a spiritual emergency in 2018, I was in uncharted territory. No one could explain what had happened to me. Completely unsupported medically and spiritually, but desperate for answers, I scoured the internet whenever I could - always at home, and many times while I was keying in invoices at the office. Multitasking wasn't a problem for me, so I listened to a lot of podcasts, audiobooks, teaching videos, interviews and personal testimonials.
Whenever I found answers that shone a light on my experience, I would weep with gratitude and save the link in a file. My favourites are listed below.
Had it not been for these people, I might never have found out what happened to me, and I could very likely have ended up medicated, broken, and lost.
The Framework That Changed My Life:
https://www.Choose-Again.com/ Choose Again is a mental wellness and psychological healing program developed by therapist Diederik Wolsak in 2006.
Choose Again Philosophy and Purpose - Choose Again Society (Choose-Again.com) Diederik Wolsak, author of Six Steps to Freedom which focuses on attitudinal healing by uncovering deep-rooted, negative core beliefs that drive stress, anxiety, addiction, and toxic relationships.
Understanding Spiritual Emergence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFtsHf1lVI4&t=3s Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening by Phil Borges, social documentary photographer, filmmaker and activist
Spiritual Emergence Service SES is a non-profit organization that provides free support, information and therapist referrals for people experiencing a spiritual awakening or crisis.
Dr. Katrina Michelle » ACISTE American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences is a non-profit group that helps people process and integrate profound spiritual events.
The Two Mentors I Leaned on Most After My Spiritual Emergency:
https://www.amandaellis.co.uk/ Amanda Ellis - International spiritual teacher, medium, writer, colour therapist, public speaker and healer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2LLVQeCg3E&t=3167s Amanda Ellis: Newly Awakening Souls – A Guide Part 1
www.christina-lopes.com Christina Lopes, DPT, HPH - spiritual teacher, life coach, and former clinician in neuropediatric physical therapy
The 6 Life-Changing Stages Of Spiritual Awakening [Which One ARE YOU In?] - YouTube Christina Lopes: 6 Stages of Spiritual Awakening
My Virtual Support Team:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9S8JNo6JM4 Emotional and Spiritual Maturity: Adyashanti is an American spiritual teacher and author, known for teachings on awakenings and self-realization. Gabor Mate, retired Canadian physician, is a speaker and author specializing in childhood trauma, addiction, stress, and how emotional wounds affect physical and mental health.
Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness | Tal Ben-Shahar - YouTube PhD in organizational behavior, author, teacher, and expert in positive psychology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48UNfV6FlKI The Four Remembrances with Tara Brach, American psychologist, author, mindfulness teacher
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee: ON How To Reduce The Chemicals That Ruin Your Brain & Body - YouTube Medical doctor, author and TV host, specializing in lifestyle medicine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Ly1D-b51Y&t=135s What is the Ego? by Wayne Dyer (1940-2015) American self-help author and motivational speaker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBfRew3VteM Louise Hay (1926-2017) American motivational author, speaker and founder of Hay House publishing
Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene On "The Laws of Human Nature," Writing, and Memento Mori - YouTube Ryan Holiday, American author, known for popularizing modern Stoicism
Mindful Living - with Jon Kabat-Zinn - YouTube Jon Kabat-Zinn, American scientist, writer, and professor emeritus of medicine, brought mindfulness into mainstream Western medicine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLoToJVQH4&t=662s Happiness is all in your mind: Gen Kelsang Nyema, American Buddhist nun and senior teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLK0ghcXYhU Happiness in Dark Times: Dr. Maria Sirois, Psy.D., global consultant, author and speaker on resilience and positive psychology
https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/socrates/ Socrates (470-399 BC) Greek philosopher who espoused the value of introspection. “Virtue is Knowledge.”
Practical Hope - with Oren Jay Sofer - YouTube Oren Jay Sofer, holder of a Columbia University degree in Comparative Religion - specializes in mindfulness, meditation, and somatic healing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gY7RWE48U A Monk's Guide to Happiness: Gelong Thubten, Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUxYflkhzo Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) - Renowned Vietnamese Zen master, peace activist, poet and author
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1th_cAuv6cg Thich Nhat Hanh: 4 Mantras of Love - Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M00VLswZdyc&t=524s Conversations on Compassion with Eckhart Tolle, Spiritual teacher, best-selling author of The Power of Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npp4ro2uh1A Eckhart Tolle: Free Yourself From Anxiety, Stress and Unhappiness, OWN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sa-9e3Pp1Y Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth 01 of 10, OWN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P9SauG4f70 The Path to Awakening Yourself: Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Columbia University D.Clin.Psy., author, and founder of the conscious parenting movement
Recommended Audiobooks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S79NXJKeHzU&t=25s Audiobook: Your Life Begins Now, by Dr. Wayne Dyer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF3m5QfLZcA&list=PLyj8ELNoqXgwdMC614l0CgWwRLvSrjx8y Audiobook: The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, by M. Scott Peck
People Who Have Had Similar Awakening Experiences:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemN8tJOx6A Byron Katie, American speaker and author of The Work, experienced a Spiritual Emergency in 1986.
Are You Having A Spiritual Emergency? [Here’s WHAT TO DO] - YouTube Christina Lopes experienced a Spontaneous Spiritual Awakening in 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i3U10E0H4k The Awakening: Interview with Rahelio - spiritual teacher, and Shamanic guide, experienced gradual awakening in his youth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcsgCytw1BA Eckhart Tolle experienced a Spiritual Emergency in 1977 at the age of 29.
Understanding Consciousness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG9-QzBdmhQ&t=6s Amanda Ellis: 5D Consciousness what is it and how to operate with those at 3D
https://foreverconscious.com/understanding-3-states-consciousness-3d-4d-5d Understanding the 3 States of Consciousness: 3D, 4D, and 5D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1575&v=oHk8Ck_JNvI&feature=emb_title How to Shift from 3D to 5D, Conscious Ascension: Vidya Frazier, author, energy healer, and licensed transpersonal psychotherapist
Inner Child Healing:
https://drjonicewebb.com/ Dr. Jonice Webb, licensed clinical psychologist and leading global pioneer in the study and treatment of Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN)
Healing The Inner Child: Here’s What You MUST DO! [5 Tips] - YouTube Christina Lopes
https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/ Are You Highly Sensitive? Elaine N. Aron, American clinical and research psychologist
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnXhgKpStRlhlfTF9xSZHzg Diane Linsley, certified life coach - guided meditation YouTube channel
Inner Child Meditation for Codependency, Lack of Self Love and Negative Programming - YouTube Michelle Chalfant, energy medicine, meridian therapy, neuro-linguistic programming
General Self Discovery and Healing:
Social Anxiety & Panic Angelic Support - YouTube Amanda Ellis
MIR-Method Instruction Video by Mireille Mettes - YouTube Mireille Mettes, naturopath from Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
How the Wheel of Wellness Can Help Create a Balanced Life Article, written by Tara Petite, for Greens n Goodness Wellness Collective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFwWvr1YUjA Esther Perel, Belgian psychotherapist and author who specializes in healing relationships and self-improvement.
Martha Beck: The Way of Integrity & Why You Should STOP Doing What You’re “Supposed to” - YouTube Martha Beck, Harvard-trained sociologist, life coach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7oJ67l_N_Q Psychic Medium Laura Lynne Jackson, certified psychic medium and Dr. Mark Epstein, American author and psychotherapist
The Simple Explanation for Self-Love Deficit Disorder. Codependency Reformulated. - YouTube Ross A. Rosenberg, M.Ed., LCPC, CADC, psychotherapist, author, president of the Self-Love Recovery Institute
The Egg - A Short Story - YouTube Video based on a short story by Andy Weir, American science fiction author
Numerology Life Path unlocked | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22, 33 - YouTube Modern Intuitionist YouTube video “Your Path Revealed”