What Is Trauma-Informed, Social Justice-Conscious, Science-Friendly Spirituality Without Spiritual Bypassing?

I’ve been working on a book that I haven’t published since 2020. It deals with the disinformation, delusional thinking and demonization of scientific, rational or fact-based information from New Agers that I used to respect. The first year of writing was spent dissecting and unpacking every New Age or conventionally religious belief that I was taught to believe as truth. This, in retrospect, seems absurd. Like many others, I tried a number of beliefs in my spiritual searching days. They were harmful and made me more likely to accept abuse. It also prevented me from receiving the correct trauma therapy. I was also influenced to speak out about beliefs that lack empathy for those who are suffering, particularly those with less privileges or power. When I realized this, my entire life fell apart around me. It was the same feeling I felt when I couldn’t avoid the moral and corruption I suffered while working in the medical system that paid my living.

In my previous career, I was a whistleblower. I told the truth about the experiences I had as an insider within the medical system. It was 2020 and I didn’t expect to be a whistle-blower again. This happened because the global pandemic and the racial reckoning that followed the George Floyd murder shattered the spiritual self-help and wellbeing industry that I had been a part of since Mind Over Medicine in 2013. After leaving the hospital in 2007, I thought that things would improve. But it was becoming increasingly clear to me that something was wrong with the wellness industry as well as the spiritual circles I was circulating. My concerns were compiled and shared with trusted colleagues, such as Resmaa Menakem (my favorite trauma therapist/anti-racism teacher/author of My Grandmother’s Hands). Resmaa encouraged my to continue blowing the whistle. I was attacked. It was a lot. Viciously. Most of the time, I was criticized by spiritual white women who didn’t want me to share what I had been posting on social media since 2020.

My literary agent asked me what I was doing and I replied, “Are we suggesting that our spirituality might have made us mean?” My experience was that people used spiritual beliefs to justify unkind, cruel, and inhumane behavior. My sister from BIPOC knew this. It was new to me, however, that my spirituality was making me mean.

In my effort to make amends, my anti-racism, decolonizing, and trauma therapy work were my priorities. I also tried to reprogram my thinking about things that I believed to be harmless and, at best, very transformative. It turned out that I was wrong about many things. I decided to humble myself and remove every oppressive thought and belief from my brain.

This part was difficult but necessary. It was ego-stripping, but it also brought me gratitude. I crowd-sourced the process via social media and invited my online network to help me clean my act. Part One of my not yet published book was the result of this deprogramming process. It will be released exclusively as part of Spiritual Bypassing Recovery 2.0, my online program that follows up on the Spiritual Bypassing Recovery 101 class I led in 2020.

Part 2 of the book was about building a spirituality that is free from spiritually bypassing, oppressive hobgoblin. It was more emotionally easy but more difficult spiritually. I wanted to make certain we didn’t discard any spiritual babies with the muddy, oppressive, and “a little bit too culty” bathwater of fundamentalist religions and New Age spirituality. I asked my community for help again to answer the question: “What is a trauma informed, social justice conscious and science-friendly spirituality?” What’s left that is worth protecting and cherishing? Your contributions were outstanding. I can’t thank you all enough for your education. I also want to thank everyone who made it possible for me to share what I learned with the world.

To avoid becoming a trauma survivor, I was careful about how I recovered. I wasn’t going to switch from one belief system to the polar opposite. In this instance, I went from being a mystic to being skeptic. Many people I know have realized how oppressive New Age spirituality and fundamentalist religions can be. They become cynical, dogmatic skeptics, with an aversion to anything sacred, mysterious, or mystical. This path was not natural for me. I am a doctor by training and science is part of my background. After having direct mystical experiences, and being confronted with mysteries that I can’t explain, I wanted a spirituality that wouldn’t make me feel like I was throwing out the baby with it. A spirituality that allowed for the sacred and created space for the holy mysteries, and that wasn’t dominated by oppressive indoctrination. I was looking for a spirituality that wouldn’t make me mean but also allowed me to have more intimate relationships with my own vulnerability and with others.

The manuscript for my new book, LOVE BIGGER: An Exploration of Spirituality without Spiritual Bypassing, was completed this week. This book will be available exclusively in the six-week online course Spiritual Bypassing Recovery 2.0. I am teaching Zoom with some of my best teachers, the ones who helped guide me through the maze of places where science and spirituality collide.

We welcome you to join us in a shared, communal exploration of meaning and sense-making.

The spirit of Paul Farmer, a Harvard professor, will guide the program. He said that “The idea some lives matter less than others is the root cause of all that is wrong in the world.” We invite you to join our group to explore the possibilities of a deeper and more intimate relationship with God and each other.

Come join us for Spiritual Bypassing Rehabilitation 2.0

The post What is Trauma-Informed Social Justice-Conscious Spirituality without Spiritual Bypassing? Lissa Rankin first published the post.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Alternative Medicine?

It is a healing approach that focuses on prevention instead of treating. It encourages people become educated consumers who are actively involved in improving their overall health and well-being.

Alternative medicine refers to any system of diagnosis and treatment that does not employ allopathic (conventional) medical practices.

What is the distinction between holistic medicine and traditional medicines?

Traditional medicine only treats symptoms. Holistic medicine treats the entire person. Holistic medicine focuses on the whole person and not just one aspect of a patient’s health.

Traditional medicine treats only a few organs or system (such as the mind), while holistic medicine addresses all aspects of the human body. It examines how lifestyle choices impact overall health and wellness.

Who uses alternative medicine and why?

Alternative medicine is often used for many reasons.

They would prefer to avoid any surgery or harmful drugs.
They believe natural remedies work best.
They prefer non-invasive treatment.
They want to spend less.
Natural products are safer for them.
They want greater control over their own healthcare decisions.
They are ready to take charge of their health.
They want to live in a healthier environment.
They desire less stress in the lives of others.
They want greater freedom in choosing their doctors and their healthcare plans.
They want their child to receive a better educational experience.
They want healthy food for themselves and their family.
They need safe and effective medications.

Complementary and Alternative Healthcare – Is it Evidence-based

While the evidence base in complementary and alternative medicine remains incomplete, there are many good reasons to choose them. They may have tried standard treatments but found them ineffective. They may also want to try alternative therapies as they believe they offer better results than conventional care. Alternately, they may look into complementary and alternative medicine as part of a holistic approach for health. Always verify with your doctor that the scientific backing of any complementary or alternative medicines you use is supported. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure if a treatment is effective. It will save you time and money over the long-term.

What is the distinction between alternative medicine (AM) and complementary medicine (CM)?

Alternative medicine refers to treatments not considered conventional by mainstream medical professionals but have been shown to provide benefits for certain conditions. You can find examples of acupuncture as homeopathy, aromatherapy or reflexology, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Ayurveda, and even naturopathy. Complementary therapies are those treatments that go beyond conventional treatment. They can also be used with conventional medicine. These include nutritional supplements like vitamins, minerals or herbs, amino acid, enzymes or probiotics.

While both forms of medicine are commonly used, many conventional doctors do not recommend them due to insufficient evidence or safety concerns.

There is not consensus among health professionals regarding the best approach for integrating CAM in patient care.

Many CAM methods are based on theories that have been developed over thousands of year. But clinical trials in the past 20 years have suggested that these therapies might work.

Numerous studies have shown that acupuncture can relieve pain. Similar to chemotherapy, preliminary data suggest that acupuncture can reduce nausea or vomiting. Some studies have shown that acupuncture may be beneficial for irritable bowel syndrome (FBS), fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple Sclerosis, migraines, tension headaches as well as anxiety and depression.

Some CAM therapies may also be effective in the treatment of diseases like HIV/AIDS/Asthma, diabetes, heart disease (hypertension), Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as rheumatoid.

Although we have limited information about the effectiveness CAM, most experts agree that it can be helpful in the treatment of various diseases.

People are turning to CAM practitioners more often for relief from common diseases.

Despite growing popularity, many remain confused about the definition of “alternative” or complementary medicine.

Statistics

According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
An assessment of conventional treatments found that 41.3% concluded positive or possibly positive effects, 20% concluded no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
According to a 2005 book by a US [116]Institute of Medicine panel, the number of RCTs focused on CAM has risen dramatically. (en.wikipedia.org)
category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

What can a holistic doctor do differently than a traditional doctor?

A holistic doctor offers a wider range services than a traditional one, including nutritionists, massage therapists, naturopaths and homeopaths.

Holistic doctors work with patients holistically. They look at each person’s lifestyle and environment, and treat the root causes of any health problems, rather than treating the symptoms. This allows them to find the root cause and implement preventative and long-term health measures. Holistic doctors use natural remedies such as herbs and essential oils alongside conventional medicine to help treat illness. They offer nutritional and dietary advice to help you live a healthy lifestyle.

Additionally, holistic doctors offer treatments such as reflexology, massage, shiatsu and acupuncture.

–

——————————————————————————————————————————————

This blog is a source of general information and discussion on health and related topics. Information and materials on this blog, on the website, or in any of the connected materials are not intended to replace or used as a substitute for the advice of a medical professional, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not represent the application of any nursing, medical or other health professional advice or diagnosis. We are unable to diagnose health conditions, offer second opinions or provide specific treatment recommendations via this blog or on our website.

If you or another person is suffering from a medical issue and you are concerned, consult your doctor or seek out other medical professional treatment as soon as possible. Do not disregard medical advice from a professional or delay seeking it due to information you seen on the blog or website or in any of the linked materials. If you’re experiencing an emergency medical situation, dial 911 or seek emergency medical assistance on the closest phone immediately.