Emma Bragdon received her Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology in 1987. For more than 40 years she has focused on supporting people awakening spiritually, paying special attention to those in spiritual crisis/ emergency. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Integrative Mental Health for You, IMHU.org, which offers 40+ online courses about effective alternatives to psychiatric medications. Emma has trained 80 Spiritual Emergence Coaches® from 14 countries who are now available through an international online Directory. While intensely studying and participating in Brazilian Spiritism from 2001-2012, she wrote 3 books and co-produced two documentary films about Spiritist treatment of mental disturbance and spiritual emergency. Emma has been recognized for her pioneering work with Spiritually Transformative Experiences as an Honoree on the Spiritual Awakenings International “Circle of Honor” and within the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology’s “Council of Sages”. She was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in 1988.
Emma is a member of the Self-realization Fellowship following the yogic philosophy of Paramahansa Yogananda. She’s been a meditator for over 55 years. She also studied with two Native American shamans for 20 years. Currently, she teams with Benjamin Asher, MD in offering Ketamine-Assisted psychotherapy in central Vermont. She is also available by Zoom in her private practice for psychotherapy and integration of spiritual experiences.
Websites:
Books:
- The Call of Spiritual Emergency: From Personal Crisis to Personal Transformation
- Kardec’s Spiritism: A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution
- A Sourcebook for Helping People with Spiritual Problems
- Spiritism and Mental Health
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.
Interview recorded March 6, 2022.
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
- 00:04:13 – The Sense of a Larger Intelligence
- 00:07:09 – The Dysfunctional Family and Near-Death Experiences
- 00:10:58 – Sitting in Meditation at Tassajara
- 00:14:51 – From Zen Buddhism to Neo-Reichian Psychotherapy
- 00:19:31 – Exploring Shamanism and Spiritual Awakening
- 00:23:40 – A Journey into Spiritism
- 00:26:58 – The Origins of Spiritualism and Spiritism
- 00:29:40 – Integrative Mental Health: Effective Alternatives
- 00:32:32 – The Importance of Medication Supervision and Integrative Mental Health
- 00:35:59 – The Importance of Peaceful and Wise States
- 00:39:08 – Consciousness independent of the body
- 00:41:47 – Understanding Spiritual Emergence and Emergency
- 00:44:47 – Understanding Spiritual Emergencies
- 00:47:30 – Distinguishing between Psychic Perceptions and Psychosis
- 00:50:08 – A Disturbing Episode
- 00:52:59 – Uncovering Traumatic Memories
- 00:56:02 – Moving into a New Identity
- 00:59:07 – Understanding Spiritual Experiences and Emergencies
- 01:01:59 – Shifting the Paradigm in Psychiatry
- 01:04:38 – Spiritism in Brazil and its Integration in Psychiatry
- 01:08:05 – Spiritism’s Role in Brazilian Society
- 01:12:21 – The Importance of Supervision and Feedback in Spiritual Practices
- 01:17:29 – Betrayal of Spiritual Figures
- 01:24:15 – Controversies in Spiritual Communities
- 01:30:06 – TRE and Kundalini difficulties
- 01:34:49 – Meditation and Spiritual Practices Impacting Physical Ailments
- 01:39:40 – Belief in Reincarnation and its Impact on Diagnosis
- 01:46:42 – Shamanism and Non-Dual Meditation
- 01:55:01 – The Importance of Depth in Spiritual Exploration
- 02:00:02 – Accessing the Directory of Qualified Coaches
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