Inklings Bruce Sanguin's blog
How Committed Are You to Misery?
I recently emerged from a dark night of the soul. That’s what John of the Cross (15th – 16th century) called the suffering of the soul’s purification en route to union with God. (Personally, I think we’re already in union with “G_d”, we just don’t know it, for reasons discussed in this reflection). The dark … Read more
Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Psychedelics can be “used” for many purposes: to gain direct insight into the nature of Reality; to discover what lurks in our own subconscious; to increase creativity; to have fun at a party or in the wilderness. All valid. I’ve used them in these ways myself. But, as my mentor Andrew Feldmar teaches, in the … Read more
Virtue Signalling Is a Failure to be an Individual
Most political opinion postings on social media these days are little more than virtue signalling. Here’s a working definition that I picked up from the internet: “The public expression of opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or social conscience or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue. It’s noticeable … Read more
1883
Taylor Sheridan is making good TV. I watched the series, The Mayor of Kingstown and loved its gritty, dystopian tone. Then I watched two of his other filmsYellowstone and the prequel 1883. I loved Yellowstone and I hate it when prequels are lame. So it took me a minute to garner the courage to watch … Read more
Who Would You Be If You Stopped Trying So Hard?
Most of the people who come to see me are expecting lots of homework between sessions. They have a problem that they want fixed. Obviously there is something wrong with them, and they think I’m in the self-improvement business. When I tell them that there’s actually nothing wrong with them, nothing to fix, and that … Read more
Breaking Through Denial
The hardest part of recovering from failures of love in childhood is breaking through denial. Denial is a defence against reality. It’s purpose is to keep us from seeing and feeling the truth of how we are being treated. Ego and denial are synonymous. Ego is the personality we put in place in support of … Read more
Self-Pity versus Self-Compassion
Self-pity can become a go-to posture when things are not going our way. It is a feeling that life is conspiring against us. Even our loved ones are treating us unfairly. The boss is being a dick. It’s all too much to take. It’s not fair. And it’s entirely possible that it’s not fair. Because … Read more
Do We Heal from Trauma?
Greetings, I had a session with my mentor, during which he claimed that we don’t heal from trauma. It was one of those shocking statements he’s famous for – at least in my world. It undermines the consensus of experts in the trauma field. I almost wrote the “trauma industry”. A lot of professionals these … Read more
Spiking the Eucharist
I just finished The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name, by lawyer, Brian Muraresku. Usually when I come across a book with “Immortality” and “Secret” in the title I groan inwardly and take a pass. But this guy dug into the science of his subject. He was educated by the … Read more
Clearing the Fog – The Elusive Mystery of Happiness Part 2
In the first part of this two part series I cautioned against making happiness the goal of life. Rather, the goal might be to live your own life while creating as little suffering as possible along the way. Keep your heart open as you do so, surrounding yourself with only those who will let you … Read more
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Dismantled: How Love and Psychedelics Broke a Clergyman Apart and Put Him Back Together
This book describes my healing
journey with psychedelics.
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