Rebel Buddhist
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In this episode, we talk about how understanding the emptiness and interdependent nature of our emotions and felt experience of energy can help us heal from shame, anxiety, rage, and more. I’ll talk about why we all struggle to see our energy as neither good nor bad, and the importance of finding community and support when we’re unable to see the potential for change in our own situation. We also dive into some practices to help us protect ourselves and also cleanse from heavier energy when it’s harder for us to see the emptiness of a situation, and how we can more effectively hold space for one another. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: // Why energy is neither inherently good or bad - and why we can still use protection and cleansing practices // How we can learn to view our own felt experience with emptiness and potential // How we can help others see their energy in this way, while protecting ourselves // Why we can’t do this work alone RESOURCES: // Episode 24 https://www.anaverzone.com/24-how-to-be-with-any-emotion/: How to Be With Any Emotion // Episode 28 https://www.anaverzone.com/28-practical-emptiness/: Practical Emptiness // Episode 46 https://www.anaverzone.com/46-letting-emotions-be-your-guide/: Letting Emotions Be Your Guide // I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebel-buddhist/id1512028854 // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
. In this week’s episode, we talk about the times in life we find ourselves far from where we thought our life would be and wonder, “How the hell is this my life right now?” I’ll share my own story of healing and growth through a dark time of abuse, along with the key to bringing change and healing to any circumstance. YOU WILL LEARN: // Why we end up in the difficult life situations we do // How veering off our path doesn’t mean we are weak or naive // How we can end the loop and begin healing // Two tools we need to bring change and growth RESOURCES: // Episode 51 https://www.anaverzone.com/51-self-compassion/: Self-Compassion // Episode 100 https://www.anaverzone.com/100-how-to-know-youre-making-progress/: How to Know You’re Making Progress // Episode 175 https://www.anaverzone.com/175-two-wings-of-freedom/: The Two Wings of Freedom - Wisdom & Compassion // I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebel-buddhist/id1512028854. // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
Welcome to the 200th episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast! This week, we’re celebrating the WILD ones. And yes - that means we’re celebrating YOU. We’ll jam on some of my fave concepts and teachings from past episodes and why each one is a rebellious act on its own. Plus, I’ll tell you the most counter-cultural concepts of all! YOU WILL LEARN: // Why the consumerist, materialistic world can never free us from unnecessary suffering // Some of the most rebellious ideas and teachings from the past 200 episodes, including: > Impermanence & non-attachement > Non-dual perspective > Compassion > Mindfulness > Ehipassiko > Unnecessary suffering > Curing vs Healing // Why the world needs each of us - in all of our wild, rebellious, crazy glory RESOURCES: // Episode 9 https://www.anaverzone.com/9-impermanence-death-and-other-sexy-things/: Impermanence, Death, and Other Sexy Things // Episode 51 https://www.anaverzone.com/51-self-compassion/: Self-Compassion // Episode 60 https://www.anaverzone.com/60-unnecessary-suffering-the-second-arrow/: How to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering // Episode 82 https://www.anaverzone.com/82-how-to-live-in-polarity/: How to Live in Polarity // Episode 122 https://www.anaverzone.com/122-come-see-for-yourself-ehipassiko/: Come See for Yourself - Ehipassiko // Episode 161 https://www.anaverzone.com/161-healing-vs-curing/: Healing vs Curing // I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a review on the Rebel Buddhist Podcast on iTunes by clicking here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebel-buddhist/id1512028854. // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s Episode is about liminality - what is it? How does it affect our spiritual path? What’s the difference between a mental health crisis and being in liminality (there’s a lot of overlap)? And how can we manage all the discomfort we’re bound to experience when we’re in it? We’ll also jam on why we can ideally spend as much time in liminality as possible, and how we can navigate this vast area of unknowns. YOU WILL LEARN: // What liminality is and the places we see it on our own journeys - and in everyday life // The difference between a mental health crisis and being in liminality // The importance of recognizing when we’re in liminality and some of the common characteristics // How liminality leads to certain types of death and transformation // Ways we can help liminal spaces seem less frightening and more navigable RESOURCES: // Episode 100 https://www.anaverzone.com/100-how-to-know-youre-making-progress/: How to Know You’re Making Progress // Episode 126 https://www.anaverzone.com/126-how-to-know-if-youre-making-spiritual-progress/: How to Know if Your Making Spiritual Progress // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode answers the question, “What the heck is enlightenment, anyway? And what does that even look like in today’s world?” We’ll dive into the truth behind finding enlightenment in our little every day moments, and how sometimes we only achieve it for a short moment… and that’s totally normal! Plus I’ll talk about the importance of practice as we each find our own unique enlightenment YOU WILL LEARN: // The role of accepting and living in paradox in enlightenment // How there is more than one type of enlightenment // How we can achieve enlightenment in everyday moments // The importance of building up a foundation for our insights to be sustained through practice // How enlightenment can change our view of ourselves and the more-than-human world // Why enlightenment has many types… and why that’s good news for each of us RESOURCES: // Episode 82 https://www.anaverzone.com/82-how-to-live-in-polarity/: How to Live in Polarity // Episode 82 https://www.anaverzone.com/83-vulnerability-and-lovingkindness/: Vulnerability & Lovingkindness // Episode 107 https://www.anaverzone.com/107-equanimity-in-everyday-life/: Equanimity in Everyday Life // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week we’re diving into when our Core Wound becomes our Sacred Wound and how our Sacred Wound allows us to live our soul purpose… but only when we stop trying to heal or “fix” it. Plus, I’ll talk about how we can begin to explore our Core Wound without retraumatizing ourselves all over again. YOU WILL LEARN: // What a core wound is and how it affects everyone differently // How we can safely explore our core wound without retraumatizing ourselves // Why we don’t want to heal or “fix” our core or sacred wound… and why this work never ends // How our Sacred Wound allows us to live our Soul Purpose RESOURCES: // Episode 55 https://www.anaverzone.com/55-letting-go-to-grow/: Letting Go to Grow // Episode 182 https://www.anaverzone.com/182-when-trauma-is-taken-out-of-context/: When Trauma Is Taken out of Context // The Wild Mind Series: Episode 142 https://www.anaverzone.com/142-wild-mind-north-and-protectors/: Your Wild Mind – The North + Protectors Episode 143 https://www.anaverzone.com/143-wild-mind-south-and-wounded-children/: Your Wild Mind – The South + Wounded Children Episode 144 https://www.anaverzone.com/144-wild-mind-east-and-our-need-to-escape/: Your Wild Mind – The East + Our Need to Escape Episode 145 https://www.anaverzone.com/145-wild-mind-west-and-our-shadows/: Your Wild Mind – The West and Our Shadows // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode is all about our relationship with the more-than-human world, and the importance of not just taking from it, but also giving back. Today’s modern industrialized society encourages us to take and extract, but in doing so, we are left empty and disconnected, and the more-than-human world suffers as well. We can find a way to heal ourselves, and help restore balance, love, and respect to the world we all hold a unique and important place in. This plays out in our relationships with other people, too! YOU WILL LEARN: // How reciprocal relationship matters not just in our human relationships, but also with the more-than-human world // How modern industrialized society encourages humans to take and dominate… and how that’s starving the world and our spirits // Practices that help us give back // What it means when we are not experiencing reciprocity in our human relationships (hint: potentially toxic!) RESOURCES: // Episode 139 https://www.anaverzone.com/139-nature-and-reconnecting/: Nature and Reconnecting // Episode 188 https://www.anaverzone.com/188-connected-in-our-grief-and-wonder/: Connected in Our Grief and Wonder // Episode 193 https://www.anaverzone.com/193-lessons-in-trust-and-interdependence/: Lessons in Trust and Interdependence – Crossing the Street in Hanoi // Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this Episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast, we’re diving into our 5 senses… and beyond. The way we connect with the more-than-human world can heal ourselves and the world around us, but using only our 5 senses just scratches the surface of ways we can begin to be more present to nature - and ourselves - on a daily basis. I talk about the more subtle and energetic ways of knowing that we can cultivate to develop an authentic relationship with the natural world, and even learn to communicate with more-than-human others. As usual, I’ll be giving you some great tips to help you get started! YOU WILL LEARN: // Exercises to practice having authentic relationships and connections with more-than-human others. // How tapping into our deeper ways of knowing - more subtle than the 5 senses - can heal us and the world around us // How we can drop into our five senses in a deeper and more meaningful way to help us be more present // Ways we can connect with our more esoteric senses in nature on a daily basis // Plus… more evidence to support you haven’t totally lost it if you sense messages from the world around you RESOURCES: // Learn more about Amos Clifford’s Nature & Forest Therapy // The Adventure Mastermind is FULL! Get on the waitlist for the next one at AdventureMastermind.com. We might not run it next year, but we will have a new program in its place that you’ll want to be the first to hear about // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode is all about our work - and what to do when it’s more of a Survival Dance than a Sacred Offering. I’ll share my own journey as I stepped into my Soul Purpose of soul midwifery and how I chose to reframe my job to keep from resenting it. Plus I’ll talk about the first step we can all take to help us begin our sacred dance: cultivating ziji - our radiant inner confidence. YOU WILL LEARN: // Why the survival dance is necessary for each of us, and how it helps us begin exploring our sacred dance // How self-reliance and can help us power through moments of doubt and perceived failure on our journeys // Why it’s become so hard for us to find and follow our Soul Purpose in a sustainable way // Ways we can connect our survival dance to our sacred dance as we continue to explore our Soul Purpose RESOURCES: // Episode 64 https://www.anaverzone.com/64-radiant-inner-confidence-ziji/: Cultivating Radiant Inner Confidence - Ziji // Episode 134 https://www.anaverzone.com/134-what-youre-meant-to-be/: What You’re Meant to BE // Episode 178 https://www.anaverzone.com/178-the-gift-of-wandering-exploring-our-purpose/: The Gift of Wandering - Exploring Our Purpose // The Adventure Mastermind is FULL! . Get on the waitlist for the next one at AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/. We might not run it next year, but we will have a new program in its place that you’ll want to be the first to hear about! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week I reflect on a recent visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, and how a simple experience of crossing the street turned into a very healing and eye-opening lesson in trust and interdependence. We’ll talk about how in the US, when it comes to navigating traffic and driving, we are taught to ASSUME WE ARE INVISIBLE. Drive DEFENSIVELY. Cross streets assuming NO ONE SEES YOU. In Hanoi, it was the opposite. If you wanted to do something as basic as cross the street, you have to ASSUME YOU WOULD BE SEEN, and that PEOPLE CARED and would care. I was able to literally walk into oncoming traffic amongst strangers - something we can’t do in many industrialized growth societies like the US. We explore the vulnerability and beauty of how humans can move through chaos together when we come from a place of interdependence and interbeing. YOU WILL LEARN: // What is possible when we embrace interdependence and the fact that we are connected to // The gifts that taking risks by being vulnerable and trusting others can bring to us (while using discernment, of course!) // How we can find healing in interdependence and trust in one another // Why so many industrialized growth societies are so far from interdependent interbeing, and how we can offset that RESOURCES: // We just had our bonus virtual retreat for the AMM early birds, so be sure to apply if you haven't yet, because it’s recorded and you can watch it in your pajamas AND still get the amazing January bonuses we have going on. Head over and apply at AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/. I mean, this is what I got from crossing a dang street. Imagine hanging with me while we go night snorkeling with manta rays and explore our consciousness in altered states? I know, right? // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week we’re continuing our conversation about soulcentric adulthood by diving into the topic of soul initiation. We’ll jam on what the heck that even means and why we must first undergo a transformation and death of our old self before we can discover and step into our Soul Purpose. And I’ll give you some insightful questions and practices to try out so you can create space for dissolution to occur in your own life… when the time is right. RESOURCES: // 71: How to Find Your Purpose https://www.anaverzone.com/71-how-to-find-your-purpose/ // 99: Rebel Purpose https://www.anaverzone.com/99-rebel-purpose/ // 134: What Your Meant to BE https://www.anaverzone.com/99-rebel-purpose/ // 178: The Gift of Wandering - Exploring Our Purpose https://www.anaverzone.com/178-the-gift-of-wandering-exploring-our-purpose/ // 187: Leaving Home https://www.anaverzone.com/187-leaving-home/ // 191: Soulcentric Adulthood https://www.anaverzone.com/191-soulcentric-adulthood/ // If you’re up for a journey that involves soul-searching, mind-expanding wisdom at a level most people don’t even explore, and taking on the honorable role of a true adult in your community, and eventually even as a respected elder which we really need more of (because remember – we have to complete these other stages first!), check out the Adventure Mastermind – we start with a virtual retreat later this month, and our first retreat is on the Big Island of Hawaii in February. Head over and apply at AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/. We’ve only got 2 spots left! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this Episode of the Rebel Buddhist podcast, we talk about what it means to be a true grown-ass adult…in a soul centric way. Many theories of human development focus on stages that are reached in certain age ranges. But you and I both know that turning 18 doesn’t mean you’re a grown-ass adult, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee that we are psychospiritually mature. Listen to find out what true adolescence and adulthood mean, and why reaching true adulthood is so important for ourselves and the world around us. YOU WILL LEARN: // The difference between Eco-Soulcentric and Ego-centric Development // Why so many people can live their entire lives without ever discovering true adulthood // What true adolescence and adulthood are // The 9 transitions or passages between the 8 stages of Bill Plotkins’ Eco-Soulcentric Wheel // The importance of reaching true adulthood - for ourselves, our community, and the world REFERENCES: // Wild Mind Series: __ __ // Episode 105 https://www.anaverzone.com/105-soul-vs-spirit/: Soul vs Spirit // Episode 139 https://www.anaverzone.com/139-nature-and-reconnecting/: Nature & Reconnecting // Episode 187 https://www.anaverzone.com/187-leaving-home/: Leaving Home // Episode 129 https://www.anaverzone.com/129-how-to-reparent-ourselves/: How to reparent ourselves // Episode 116 https://www.anaverzone.com/116-the-importance-of-rites-of-passage/: Rites of Passage // If you're up for a journey that involves soul-searching, mind-expanding wisdom at a level most people don’t even explore, and taking on the honorable role of a true adult in your community, and eventually even as a respected elder which we really need more of (because remember - we have to complete these other stages first!), check out the Adventure Mastermind - we start with a virtual retreat later this month, and our first retreat is on the Big Island of Hawaii in February. Head over and apply at AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/. We’ve only got 3 spots left! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In these times it can be easy to feel powerless to have any significant impact on the future, especially as we cross the threshold of being able to reverse things already set in motion, like climate change. We need to move beyond the concept of “changing the world” - which is often overwhelming and leads to apathy. Indeed, in many ways, we can’t change the world. AND this does not mean we do nothing. When I was an activist against nuclear weapons in my teens and also advocating for environmental changes, this was the mentality - to change the world. And back then, in some ways, it was easier to do that. But with some of the crises we are facing today, there are many things that are irreversible, and we can easily fall into despair. An Island of Sanctuary is a place of refuge and community. As Margaret Wheatley says, “We can’t keep swimming alone in these toxic seas.” In this week’s Episode, we’ll talk about how we can do our part to build islands of sanctuary in a more manageable way - within our own families and communities. YOU WILL LEARN: // Why “saving the world” might not be as noble as it sounds // The dangers of not having discernment about what we can and cannot change // The importance of helping those within our reach // What Islands of Sanctuary are and why they’re so necessary for effective changemakers // Why we can’t skip the chaos and collapse, no matter how much we want to - and how we can prepare for it // Qualities of an Island of Sanctuary for yourself AND your community RESOURCES: // Episode 188 https://www.anaverzone.com/188-connected-in-our-grief-and-wonder/: Connected in Our Grief and Wonder // Episode 179 https://www.anaverzone.com/179-medicine-for-these-times/: Medicine for These Times // OK my friends, as we arrive in a brand new year, If you’re looking for your own Island of Sanctuary to do this deeper work, to open to truth and most importantly to the truth of your own soul, come join me in the Adventure Mastermind. It’s a small group of self-identified women (you’ll probably never see a group this small in the coaching world and certainly not in altered states work these days), and we have an absolutely magical curated experience for you to go deep. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now – we’ve got some great bonuses too! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s special Greatest Hits episode is all about forgiveness - some of the biggest misconceptions we often have about it, and why forgiveness has absolutely nothing to do with the other person feeling remorse. Plus, we’ll jam on how our “enemies” can actually be our greatest teachers. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: // Why forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person being sorry or feeling any remorse // Some of the biggest misconceptions people have about forgiveness // How to decide when you should forgive someone // How our “enemies” can be our greatest teachers RESOURCES: // Episode 16 https://www.anaverzone.com/16-how-to-improve-any-relationship/: How to Improve Any Relationship // Episode 53 https://www.anaverzone.com/53-how-to-forgive-yourself/ How to Forgive Yourself // Download the gorgeous REVIEW, REFLECT + ALIGN workbook by clicking here https://rebelbuddhistpodcastfiles.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rebel+buddhist+year+in+review.pdf // OK my friends, we are coming to a close in 2023. If you want a safe and supportive place to do this deeper work, to open to truth and most importantly to the truth of your own soul, come join me in the Adventure Mastermind. It’s a small group of self-identified women (you’ll probably never see a group this small in the coaching world and certainly not in altered states work these days), and we have an absolutely magical curated experience for you to go deep. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now – we’ve got some great bonuses too! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this week’s episode, we dive into the suffering we witness in the world around us and the importance of allowing ourselves to feel our grief for all of it, as well as holding beauty and wonder for this precious life at the same time. I’ll open up about some of the suffering I’ve witnessed and discuss the key to bearing witness to the world’s pain without feeling overwhelmed - not doing it alone! Plus I give a few suggestions of ways we can reconnect with others through our shared grief and allow easier access to those difficult emotions. YOU WILL LEARN: // Why we must open ourselves up to grief for the world around us // How to find beauty in what causes us to grieve // The importance of interconnectedness and realizing we are not alone // Ways we can reconnect with others in a deeper way + cultivate resilience RESOURCES: // The Work That Reconnects https://workthatreconnects.org/ by Joanna Macy // Episode 174 https://www.anaverzone.com/174-decolonize-your-mind/: Decolonize Your Mind // OK my friends, we are coming to a close in 2023. If you want a safe and supportive place to do this deeper work, to open to truth and most importantly to the truth of your own soul, come join me in the Adventure Mastermind. It’s a small group of self-identified women, you’ll probably never see a group this small in the coaching world and certainly not in altered states work these days - and we have an absolutely magical curated experience for you to go deep. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now – we’ve got some great bonuses too! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this episode, we talk about the importance of leaving home - physically AND psycho-spiritually. I’ll dive into how to know when it’s time to wander, and why we must do so in the first place. We talk about intersectional barriers to access leaving home - and how modern industrialized society holds us back (and why). YOU WILL LEARN: // How to know it’s time to wander // How our wandering impacts the world around us // What leaving our physical and psychspiritual home looks like // Why modern industrialized society makes it so hard to leave the village // How to overcome the forces holding us back // Two things to try as you begin wandering on your own. RESOURCES: // Episode 178 https://www.anaverzone.com/178-the-gift-of-wandering-exploring-our-purpose/: The Gift of Wandering - Exploring Our Purpose // https://www.newworldlibrary.com/Activism/THE-JOURNEY-OF-SOUL-INITIATION, by Bill Plotkin // https://www.newworldlibrary.com/Psychology/NATURE-AND-THE-HUMAN-SOUL, by Bill Plotkin // If you’re ready to leave the village and begin your own soulcentric journey, come apply to the Adventure Mastermind, because this is THE thing we do. The first retreat is in mid-February around Valentine’s Day. What better way to gift yourself som love, right? ;) So come experience what it’s all about. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now – you’ve got nothing to lose by applying, ok? // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This episode is all about a highly requested topic: breakups and heartache. We’ll talk about the difference between “clean pain” vs “dirty pain,” as well as the importance of fully metabolizing the pain and sadness that comes from the end of any relationship (and what happens when we don’t). We also dive into the role history and societal expectations play in how we validate or judge relationships, and why using the length of a relationship to legitimize it isn’t helpful - at all. We explore relationships being there for a reason, season, or lifetime, and how resisting reality (the relationship has run its course; the other person feeling it’s done, even if we don’t agree; facing that we really aren’t satisfied in the relationship) really screws us in the end. And of course, we talk about how we can cause ourselves way less unnecessary suffering, and instead move towards transformation and growth. YOU WILL LEARN: // What clean and dirty pain are, and how to tell the difference // How to go from dirty to clean pain and help ourselves heal // How to steer clear of shame and blame // The role societal expectations play in how we validate or judge relationships // The benefits of “conscious uncoupling” RESOURCES: // Episode 2 https://www.anaverzone.com/2-how-to-not-care-what-other-people-think-about-you/: How to Not Care What Other People Think About You // Episode 16 https://www.anaverzone.com/16-how-to-improve-any-relationship/: How to Improve Any Relationship // Episode 18 https://www.anaverzone.com/18-how-to-coach-yourself-applied-mindfulness/: How to Coach Yourself // Episode 24 https://www.anaverzone.com/24-how-to-be-with-any-emotion/: How to Be With Any Emotion // Episode 36 https://www.anaverzone.com/36-how-to-let-people-be-wrong-about-you/: How to Let People Be Wrong About You // Registration is officially open for the Adventure Mastermind and we’re already halfway full! We start at the end of January with our first retreat in Hawai’i in February (sunshine, blue water and starry nights, anyone?) Listen - this is going to be even more mystical than EVER. Someone who did the program just over a year ago is coming back because yes, I have to say, it IS that good. So come experience what it’s all about. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now - you’ve got nothing to lose by applying, ok? ;) // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode is all about equanimity and emotional stability. Many people have this idea that to be emotionally stable means we have to go through the world with this detached point of view about everything - good or bad. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! True equanimity is a balanced engagement with ALL aspects of life - the good AND the bad. Listen to learn more about how we can cultivate this in our own lives through a deeper understanding of the 4 Noble Truths. RESOURCES: // Episode 60: How to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering // Episode 63: Being Human is Hard - The First Noble Truth // If you want to start integrating all of you into this one precious life we have, apply for the Adventure Mastermind. It’s Soul Work. Deep work. Important, necessary, and essential to what the world needs right now. Be a part of it. If you’re remotely curious, apply. It will help you get clear, and then we can chat to see if it’s actually a good fit. Trust me – it’s an intense 6 months so I am just as invested as you are in making sure it’s an amazing match. Head over to AdventureMastermind.com and apply for the Summer cohort. We have 2 altered states retreats, weekly coaching, virtual retreats, and more. I’ve got you! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist FB group, and tune in weekly when I go live on new topics. // Want to dive into this work on a deeper level on your own time? To study it and practice it together with a group of people with the same goals of freedom, adventure and purpose? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. It’s also where you can get individual help applying the concepts to your own life. It’s where you can learn new coaching tools not shared on the podcast that will blow your mind even more, and it’s where you can connect over all things freedom with other freedom junkies just like you and me. It’s my favorite place on earth and it will change your life, I guarantee it. Come join us at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there.
This week dive into the importance of bringing ritual and ceremony into our daily lives in the midst of modern industrialized life. We’ll emphasize why self-directed ritual and ceremony can be particularly potent. I’ll also share a bit about my own rituals and why each is so important to me, and then we’ll lay out some tips and ideas to help you get started in creating (or bringing back) your own practices for more magic, connection, and wonder in your daily life. RESOURCES // Episode 9 https://www.anaverzone.com/9-impermanence-death-and-other-sexy-things/: Impermanence, Death and Other Sexy Things // Episode 81 https://www.anaverzone.com/81-the-importance-of-a-daily-routine/: The Importance of a Daily Routine // Episode 110 https://www.anaverzone.com/110-the-miracle-of-being-alive/: The Miracle of Being Alive // Episode 116 https://www.anaverzone.com/110-the-miracle-of-being-alive/: The Importance of Rites of Passage // If incorporating a sense of magic and wonder into your life everyday is something that you really dig the idea of, this is a part of the Adventure Mastermind! Learning how to create ritual and ceremony for your unique needs, dreams, goals, healing, and sense of belonging, connection, and meaning in life. We also engage in our own plant medicine ceremonies and practices and create our own regular practice to stay connected to, and aligned with, what matters most. Registration is officially open and the November bonuses expire soon, so head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and apply now. We start at the end of January with our first retreat in Hawai’i in February (sunshine, blue water and starry nights, anyone?) // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode explores the common thread that we can all see throughout our lives; that piece of authenticity of our unique gift that is carried throughout everything we do. I’ll talk about the moments in my life where I followed that thread, and how I felt when I didn’t follow it. Plus we’ll explore some ways we can better connect with our unique way of loving the world - or discover it for the very first time. RESOURCES: // Episode 71 https://www.anaverzone.com/71-how-to-find-your-purpose/: How to Find Your Purpose // Episode 99 https://www.anaverzone.com/71-how-to-find-your-purpose/: Rebel Purpose // If you want to explore soul purpose - and the deep personal inquiry that’s required to do so - come join us in the next cohort of the Adventure Mastermind. We start at the end of January with our first retreat in Hawaii in February. Registration is officially open. So head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and grab your spot now! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode is about taking trauma out of context - how and why we do it, and how it can affect not just ourselves, but our families and our entire culture for generations. Plus we’ll dive into what we can all do to help contextualize these traumas and begin the healing process - discovering the potential for profound personal and cultural transformation. RESOURCES: // , by Resmaa Menakem // Episode 59 https://www.anaverzone.com/59-heal-mother-father-wound/: The Mother/Father/Parent Wound // If you’re looking for ways to find deep, genuine connection with other like-minded humans, join me in the Adventure Mastermind – a small group of inclusive, self-identified womyn who get way behind the bullshit and embark on a 6-month adventure together, inward, and outward. Registration is officially open. So head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and grab your spot now! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this week’s Episode, we’re going to jam on how to disagree... because we humans kind of suck at it. I’ll talk about the art of disagreeing, including two great questions you can ask yourself and others when you’re involved in a disagreement. Plus, I’ll get into the importance of staying curious in all of this, and how we can use these tips to help make our interactions with other humans a little more compassionate and kind – which is something we could all use these days. RESOURCES: // Check out these related episodes: Episode 2 https://www.anaverzone.com/2-how-to-not-care-what-other-people-think-about-you/: How to Not Care What Other People Think of You Episode 16 https://www.anaverzone.com/16-how-to-improve-any-relationship/: How to Improve Any Relationship Episode 19 https://www.anaverzone.com/19-on-anger/: On Anger Episode 28 https://www.anaverzone.com/28-practical-emptiness/: Practical Emptiness Episode 87 https://www.anaverzone.com/87-the-problem-with-being-right/: The Problem with Being Right Episode 107 https://www.anaverzone.com/107-equanimity-in-everyday-life/: Equanimity in Everyday Life // Sherry Turkle’s Ted Talk about social media’s impact on the art of conversation: “Connected But Alone” https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_connected_but_alone // If you’re looking for ways to find deep, genuine connection with other like-minded humans, join me in the Adventure Mastermind – a small group of inclusive, self-identified womyn who get way behind the bullshit and embark on a 6-month adventure together, inward, and outward. Registration is officially open. So head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and grab your spot now! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/ . It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
This week’s episode is a word of encouragement for those of us who are highly sensitive… and love letter for all they do for us. I’ll open up about my own experiences as a sensitive person and how I’ve learned to love and care for that part of me. Plus we’ll dive into how we can support those who are more sensitive than us, not only for their own good, but for the good of all of us. RESOURCES: // Episode 152 https://www.anaverzone.com/152-sensitivity-and-addiction/: Sensitivity and Addiction // Episode 179 https://www.anaverzone.com/179-medicine-for-these-times/: Medicine for These Times // If you’re looking for ways to find deep, genuine connection with other like-minded humans, join me in the Adventure Mastermind – a small group of inclusive, self-identified womyn who get way behind the bullshit and embark on a 6-month adventure together, inward, and outward. Early-bird registration is officially open. So head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and grab your spot now… plus get in on some seriously sweet early registration bonuses like saving $2k and getting private sessions with Ana! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
In this week’s episode we’ll talk about the medicine we can use for these times of intense suffering in the world. Our planet is literally - and figuratively - on fire, and the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, as well as other parts of the world with ongoing war and displaced peoples and genocide, has heightened this awareness. While our natural instinct might be to harden our hearts, numb out / dissociate, or spiral into a state of hopelessness, this episode dives into what we can do to soften our hearts toward moments of fear and anger so we can stay present with the wholeness of reality, including the achingly beautiful parts. I’ll open up about my recent journey in Oregon and my realizations that an armored heart doesn't protect us like we think it does. Plus, I’ll discuss what we can do to access true internal refuge instead. RESOURCES: // Episode 83 https://www.anaverzone.com/83-vulnerability-and-lovingkindness/: Vulnerability & Lovingkindness // Episode 173 https://www.anaverzone.com/173-a-hidden-superpower-of-trauma/: A Hidden Superpower of Trauma // If you’re looking for ways to find deep, genuine connection with other like-minded humans, join me in the Adventure Mastermind - a small group of inclusive, self-identified womyn who get way behind the bullshit and embark on a 6-month adventure together, inward, and outward. Early-bird registration is officially open. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ and grab your spot now… plus get in on some seriously sweet early registration bonuses! // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there! // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
For me, a lot of my adventures and career shifts came while wandering, being open to what the universe showed me and the serendipitous events that arose. Some of you know I was a climbing guide for a decade, and that would have NEVER crossed my mind as an option I’d come up with thinking about careers in my ! I was on track to get my degree in psychology then go to grad school for my PhD. But one day, a guy I was teaching a beginner’s rock climbing course with said, “Hey, you should apply to Outward Bound.” I never thought I could do that, but I applied and got the job. The youngest woman ever hired by that branch at the time. And that led to more jobs. Then, voila! Climbing guide. Or like when I did an ice climbing clinic in Ouray, Colorado and wandered into a group of women who signed up for a program with a life coach and I was like, what’s ? And I called the coach up and asked where she studied to be a coach and voila! Life coach! So yeah. Wandering is the shit! One of the things that I was introduced to during my yearlong apprenticeship with Bill Plotkin and Sage Magdalene is ETCs, or “experiential threshold crossings.” ETCs are practices for embodying our mythopoetic identity before we’re ready to choose a delivery system for our unique Soul purpose. This could be a career, a practice for creativity, a free offering to your community… These practices reshape our Ego to be a channel for that identity. They bridge the transcendental experience we had and this future delivery system to embody your Soul as a gift to others. I’ve found that most of the time we need to get clear through action - get out of our heads and stop thinking that we can think our way to clarity and instead get out there and DO shit to get more clear. Wander. The gift of wandering really need to be embraced, because one of the most profound and enriching gifts we can give ourselves is the freedom to explore, question, and navigate the myriad options that shape our purpose. That word - purpose - carries a lot of weight for many of us. We long for it because until it’s clear, we often feel untethered, searching for direction. And because modern industrialized society isn’t set up to help us discover it, it’s elusive. It would rather we stay obedient cogs in the corporate wheel. This environment makes seeking our purpose both an inspiring adventure AND a potential source of seep suffering and frustration. It’s in this kind of labyrinth of choices that I really started to resonate with a quote from poet Ranier Maria Rilke, “Live the question.” Rilke encourages us to embrace the ambiguity and uncertainty of this epic adventure! When we’re exploring our purpose, it’s essential that we start asking lots of questions - deep ones that do more than just keep us on the surface. And instead of rushing to answers, we want to try to savor the questions themselves, because that is true exploration. This gives us the gift of curiosity. We learn to view uncertainty and not knowing as an opportunity for growth and discovery. But here’s the paradox: when we see a bunch of paths to walk down, the pressure to choose one can be overwhelming. What if, instead of being restricted to a single destiny, we allowed ourselves to explore all the things? What if we took the time to wander and explore? But there’s resistance to this, right? We sort of judge wandering as purposeless meandering through life. It suggests a lack of direction. What if we reconsidered wandering as a form of purpose in itself? What if the act of exploring without a predetermined destination held its own value? This doesn’t mean wandering has to be aimless. It can be more of a dance, be open to what arises, which can often lead us to the unexpected - and surprisingly delightful - discoveries. As for getting clear about our purpose, it’s good to have a beginner’s mind and be willing to adapt and shift with the of life, the ebb and flow of our evolving purpose. This helps us not get stuck in some box of rigid goals. It helps us discover the inability to reinvent ourselves and our purpose as new things are revealed to us. It helps us discover our authentic selves. I found this was - actually, IS - so true for me as I peel away layers of conditioning to discover even more layers of authenticity that lie deeper than I ever imagined. It’s a really cool process. Another important piece to this is being patient - with both our wandering and our perspective about our purpose. This frees us from comparison and expectation. We also no longer seek to fulfill the dreams of others but to live authentically. In the end, I’ve found that our purpose unfolds over time, weaving together the threads of our life’s journey. Like what I did always seemed to take some threads from what I did before (and now). This process gives us permission to evolve, to make mistakes, and to grow. We learn to appreciate the imperfections and detours, recognizing that they are integral to our journey. Finding a balance between action and patience allows us to navigate our purpose with intention and commitment. We learn to discern when to pause and when to move forward. So how can we begin to incorporate the wisdom of living the question into our daily lives? I could go on and on about this, but here are some suggestions to start: Consider shadowing someone in a field you’re interested in. Plan time to adventure and meet new people and have conversations - you never know what will arise! Allow quiet time for reflection and insight. Either through daily time or a solo camping trip or even a longer-term program like the Adventure Mastermind. (Be sure to check out the full Episode for more ways we can “live the question” daily) No matter what you choose to do, get out there and wander - remember not all who wander are lost! AND if you’re feeling lost, that’s totally cool too because the goal is to live the question and get comfortable with not knowing the answers, right? YOU WILL LEARN: // How wandering helps us connect with our Soul Purpose // Why we should lean in to the unknown // The truth about the gift of wandering // How adjusting our expectations can help us receive these gifts // Ways we can begin to “live the question” in our daily lives RESOURCES: // Episode 42 https://www.anaverzone.com/42-being-muti-passionate/: Being Multi-Passionate // Episode 71 https://www.anaverzone.com/71-how-to-find-your-purpose/: How to Find Your Purpose // Episode 99 https://www.anaverzone.com/99-rebel-purpose/: Rebel Purpose // If you want to engage and commit to this path for a longer term experience, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
This week’s episode is about why we fall back into our old ways, even after experiencing potent transformation and growth. We’ll chat on what many types of spiritual regression signifies, why it happens (to ALL of us), and why it’s important we see that it’s a normal part of ANY transformational process. This is essential to help us prevent falling into hopelessness on our path. Plus, I’ll give you some steps we can take to make those moments easier when they happen… because they WILL happen! YOU WILL LEARN: // Why we regress or fall back whenever we experience any kind of growth // What regression really signifies and why we should stop fighting it // Steps we can take BEFORE we revert to help us through the process // Ways to practice surrendering to the present moment (. RESOURCES: // Episode 100 https://www.anaverzone.com/100-how-to-know-youre-making-progress/: How to Know You’re Making Progress // Episode 113 https://www.anaverzone.com/113-the-one-thing/: The One Thing // Episode 126 https://www.anaverzone.com/126-how-to-know-if-youre-making-spiritual-progress/: How to Know if Your Making Spiritual Progress // Episode 175 https://www.anaverzone.com/175-two-wings-of-freedom/: The Two Wings of Freedom // If you want to engage and commit to this path for a longer term experience, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
“Are we at a point of no return?” This is a question many couples arrive at, at one point or another. One of the most common things that I’ve found can mess up any kind of relationship is communication and its challenges. When we struggle to convey our thoughts and feelings effectively, what can start as a small misunderstanding can snowball into something way more significant. Another thing is trust. It is the foundation for intimacy and vulnerability, and it’s super fragile. Even just the fear of betrayal can break down our trust, leading to insecurity in the relationship. When this is fractured, it seems so challenging to repair. Another relatively common challenge is growing apart, both emotionally and physically. Whether it’s because of work, having kids and never having time for each other, or just a change in interests… when we feel we’ve drifted apart, we can end up feeling like strangers. MDMA assisted couples therapy can help, particularly at the crossroads where we may have already tried many other avenues and wonder if it’s possible to heal. I think there’s also potential benefit for prevention, but that’s a topic for another time;) These sessions can help promote healing and growth, improve communication, and address our own personal traumas so they don’t continue to shake the foundations of our relationships. MDMA was popularized during the rave scene and is known for being a recreational party drug - you may know it by its street names, Molly or Ecstasy. But it also holds profound therapeutic potential when it’s used in the right context. Why? At its core, MDMA possesses two distinctive properties that make it uniquely suited for couples therapy: , which means that it opens the doors of emotional connection and trust, allowing us to see the world from our partner’s perspective. encourages a deep connection with one’s own emotions and thoughts, promoting self-reflection and self-acceptance. In couples therapy, this allows the individual to better understand their own feelings and how they relate to their partner’s. When taken in a therapeutic context, MDMA helps us explore our emotions and gives us access to deeper layers of healing. It provides a unique window of opportunity for couples in particular to delve deep into their emotions, past experiences, and relationship dynamics, with less negative impact. MDMA-assisted therapy also provides a unique opportunity to address past traumas that may have been affecting the relationship. Individuals often report that they can confront and process these traumas more effectively during therapy sessions, leading to emotional healing and closure. They can also share past traumas with their partners more effectively. That emotional clarity, empathy, and sense of safety can be a game-changer, allowing couples to address issues, express their feelings, and develop a deeper understanding of each other. Whaaat??? I know, right? There’s also the geeky neuroscience part. The short version is that it activates 3 of the brain’s key neurotransmitters, which helps us safely connect with our feelings and the feelings of our partner, and tap into the connection that exists when our old habits and emotional walls/armor are softened. It encourages us to actively engage in and tackle the difficult conversations, being able to tolerate difficult emotions more effectively. Another bonus is studies have shown that the effects of MDMA-assisted couples therapy tend to last LONG after it’s all over - especially when couples continue to do the work after there sessions are done (= INTEGRATION!). As we continue to study the field of MDMA-assisted therapy, we can expect to understand even more about how it can benefit a wide range of couples, allowing this approach to become more accessible too (it’s only approved for research… for now). I also dive into how it’s not for everyone, or every circumstance. In the full episode, I dive into how sessions are structured and the pivotal role of therapists is key to the transformative power of this approach, so be sure to check that out, beause in this model, they aren’t just facilitators in this type of therapy - they’re emotional guides who accompany couples on their journey (not with the medicine though ;). Like I said earlier, this isn’t a magic pill or a one-size-fits-all kind of gig. I want to re-emphasize the importance of integration. We need to do what we can to hold on to the insights we’ve had in the therapy, because reverting back to the old self and habits is very common in any transformational process. We need to continue to cultivate that skill set by receiving ongoing therapy and support so that we can embody the insights and energetic shifts needed for our new paradigm to take hold. When - not if - we make a mistake and revert back to old patterns, it’s important to forgive ourselves and not get stuck in regret, self-judgment, and guilt. Integration support and self-compassion help us to not drop back into a shame cycle that’s so common in this very human, non-linear process . While MDMA-assisted couples therapy may not be the right fit for every couple, its potential to heal and provide hope is clear. At the risk of sounds cheesy, I think the couple’s that continue to have hope and seek out alternative therapies are a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for healing, growth, and connection - and the capacity couples can have for navigating the turbulent seas of modern love, which seems to be getting more complicated by the day! YOU WILL LEARN: // The three common areas challenged in a relationship, and what happens when any of them breaks down // The truth about MDMA and its therapeutic potential - in addressing the three areas above, too! // The importance of using MDMA in the correct context and structure // How MDMA can help address past traumas that affect our current relationships // What the future holds for MDMA-assisted couples therapy // The most important step in MDMA- assisted couples therapy for lasting results RESOURCES: // Episode 97 https://www.anaverzone.com/97-psychedelics-and-spiritual-practice/: Psychedelics and Spiritual Practice // Episode 153 https://www.anaverzone.com/153-psychedelic-exceptionalism/: Psychedelic Exceptionalism // If you want to dive into this level of healing with a small group of self-identified womyn, having plant medicine retreats in Alaska and Hawaii, adventures in nature and learning more about your mind and your deeper Soul Purpose, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
Today I want to jam on a concept central to Buddhism, which is the two wings of the bird of awakening: wisdom and compassion. One of my teachers, Kamala Masters, said the suttas describes compassion without wisdom as a “likeable fool.” And they describe wisdom without compassion as “ a lonely hermit in an ivory tower.” Right - so NEITHER scenario is ideal. Compassion without wisdom leads to suffering because we have to know how to help others without harming ourselves - or others - in the process. We need discernment to be able to understand boundaries and how we can best be of benefit to others. Wisdom without compassion leads to suffering because we are all interconnected, and without taking the suffering and wellbeing of others into account, we haven’t truly grasped the depth of the wisdom teachings. Together, they do more than just balance each other out - they’re essential to the path of freedom and awakening. Without this balance, we can actually do more harm than good. Another way to think of this would be to say that wisdom can be seen as work (the work we do within ourselves) and compassion is the work being externalized and applied to helping . Let’s take a second to remind ourselves what we mean by wisdom, because it’s not just intellectual understanding of deep concepts like emptiness or suffering. It’s also insight into our own minds and cultivating wisdom so we understand our mind works: what triggers us, how we react, how we can skillfully lengthen the pause between perception and reaction. The more we do this, the more we will naturally decrease incorrect perceptions and be able to see things as they actually are - reality as it IS, without delusions or stories, which helps to decrease suffering. Through understanding these wisdom teachings, we also increase our understanding of interconnectedness and interdependence, and inevitably, we have no choice but to put ourselves out there to benefit others (cultivating compassion). Compassion on interdependence - our deep connection to everyone and everything, cultivating an open heart to the suffering of all sentient beings - and the desire to alleviate it. Together, they create a balance between two forces, like yin and yang; emptiness and fullness; stillness and movement. Inward SEEKING and outward GIVING. Through our continued practice of meditation and mindfulness in daily life, we also see the ways we get hooked on a regular basis - by our emotions, old storires and traumas. We realize how personally we take the daily challenges of being human; how we resist change and wish things would just go the way we want. And awareness precedes change. So let’s take a moment to reflect on our own practice: Do we have a balance between both wisdom and compassion? Do we actively try to cultivate them both? I remember going up to one of my teachers and asking him some complex question about how one school of Buddhism described this nuanced aspect of emptiness vs another, and he paused after my long-winded questions and said, “You know, these questions are not so important. It’s important to check you mind: Did I help someone today? How did I treat people? Was I kind? It’s important to reflect on compassion.” We need to be honest with ourselves and make the necessary changes if we find we’re focusing too much on one or the other. Let’s end with a quote from HH the Dalai Lama: “.” YOU WILL LEARN: // The importance of having both wisdom AND compassion in our lives // What happens when we lack deep wisdom or cultivated compassion // How we can cause more harm than good when these qualities are out of balance // How wisdom helps us see the true reality of things // The 3 characteristics of all phenomena // Ways we can work to cultivate a balance of both wisdom and compassion RESOURCES: //To cultivate compassion, try this guided TONGLEN MEDITATION audio https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4xmu1ywnfgvcbn/TongLenMP3.mp3?dl=0 (30min) // Episode 28: Practical Emptiness https://www.anaverzone.com/28-practical-emptiness/ // Episode 51: Self-compassion https://www.anaverzone.com/51-self-compassion/ // Episode 106: Empathy vs Compassion https://www.anaverzone.com/106-empathy-vs-compassion/ // If you want to dive into this level of healing with a small group of self-identified womyn, having plant medicine retreats in Alaska and Hawaii, adventures in nature and learning more about your mind and your deeper Soul Purpose, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
This week I want to share a story about my mom… and the joy of lifting a burden that was not mine. Recently, I attended a daylong council held by one of my teachers on the Big Island. It also happened to be my mom’s birthday (she died in 2017), so while I was there with an intention of gaining clarity of what the last 50 years of my life have been about (and what the next chapter would be), it was also a day of remembering her. My teacher had us all pick a card from a deck of dharma tarot cards she had created, and I chose my card, admired the artwork, read the quote, and began to cry. The weight of the recent past, as well as the heaviness of my immigrant mother’s wishes and dreams of me, became apparent. It was a quote from Reggie Ray, a Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana practitioner: This teaching came after my recent conversation with teachers I’ve had about the burden I was feeling to do all these “teacher trainings” so I could receive “approval” to share the dharma in a deeper way. The prospect of taking 3 months out of my life to do a 3-month retreat and pay for it and additional trainings seemed… daunting. I felt angry that it seemed set up for the privileged…and it is. Finally, one of my BIPOC teachers said, “Ana, why do you feel the need to do that? You can keep doing what you’re already doing. Living the dharma and sharing it with others.” She told me I’d done enough, I was doing enough still. And I didn’t need that “colonizer thinking” that I had to get even more approval and pay more money to be enough (I’m already certified in teaching meditation and mindfulness etc).. Then I pull this card. And the quote touched beyond my insecurity around sharing the dharma. It reminded me of all my credentials that took time, money, and energy, as well as leaving my family for big chunks of time: 4 graduate degrees, 6 coaching certifications, 5 specialist certifications…it goes on. And while some of this was from a love of learning, it was also me not feeling like I was…enough. I was afraid that if I didn’t have that degree or certification, that people would prefer someone . But the reality is I didn’t need ALL the things I’ve paid to do to be as good at what I do. The degrees from fancy schools may be why some people first check me out, but they decide to work with me because of how I show up with them (at least this is what they tell me;). Yet, I usually don’t remember that I’m NOT my degrees. This makes sense. The capitalist society most of us live in based on instilling a fear that we’re not enough as we are. That it’s who we’re associated with that will keep us safe and employed and secure. That we can earn more and pay more and everything will be okay. What I didn’t know was that I had spent many years thinking I was just playing the game, but not getting sucked in. I mean, I grew up poor. I knew better than to buy into that BS, right? I had been happy to live out of my car and just make 14k a year. After reading that dharma tarot quote, I realized I had succumbed to the fears I had growing up. I had lots of fear about being poor again. Because it did suck to wait in line for government food. It was embarrassing to pay with stamps and shitty when we had to euthanize my pets because we couldn’t afford their treatments. Or to not be able to afford rent in a safe neighborhood or even own a house so that we weren’t always at risk of being asked to move out. I made it a goal to make big money not for my happiness… but for safety. So I express my fear to the group out loud, and - most of them white - they tell me there’s so much evidence that money doesn’t make you happy, and why would I believe that. Not helpful. Rashani sees that I am in a mind loop and comes at me with a rattle, and the sound and vibration dissolves the walls around me. I surrender and collapse, inside and outside. She asks me what’s present, and I say that I feel a bunch of white people are telling me that how I feel isn’t valid.” Then I sob, and say, “I don’t feel safe in this society.” “I don’t either,” she tells me. I curl up in a snotty, sobbing, ball on the floor. And slowly, just from grieving this, I start to feel lighter. Rashani takes my hands as I slowly sit up. And I realize that I did exactly what my mom didn’t want me to do. To work as much as she did. To not have financial freedom by going into so much educational debt. I forgot that all my parents ever wanted for me was to be happy. I cry out, “I’m so sorry!” to my mother.” I feel her presence. “I misunderstood. I see now what you wanted for me. I’m so sorry…” And I feel my mother’s forgiveness for all the ways my busy-ness and stress came out in harmful ways towards her. It was cathartic. My teacher says, “You’ve been sucked into that capitalist story. But this is the last day.” “You’re decolonizing your mind.” YES. She asked me if I still felt fear, and I searched my mind and body and heart and was surprised to find that I didn’t. I didn’t have the ongoing story that I was unsafe. That the world was unsafe. I could see the multiple paths of confusion I’ve been having - about where to live, how to raise Maia, how to free myself from debt - become clear. I know from my own experience that you are safe too. Even if you don’t believe me and you feel unsafe right now, know that I’ve been there. The realities of living in a capitalist consumerist modern industrialized world exist. And we can choose how deeply we participate in it. We can choose how deeply that impacts how we show up in the world, how authentically we live our lives, how we choose to use our valuable time. I will flash my degrees when I need to to open some doors - but I will see them for what they are - and what they are not. They are NOT who I am, and they are not what validate my worthiness. And I have my eye on the prize: true FREEDOM. And that starts from within. What is one small choice we can make today to help feel more safe in a society that instills fear in so many ways? This is a call to decolonize your mind from the bullshit story that we aren’t enough as we are. That we aren’t worthy of safety, love, and protection just for being alive. Because we are. We all are. Yes, YOU. This is revolutionary. This is rebellious. This knowing is the biggest step towards freedom that we can take. YOU WILL LEARN: // What insight helped me take steps to further decolonizing my mind // Why the capitalist consumerist society we live in encourages the idea that we are not innately enough // How I secretly fed into my fears and forgot my parents’ ultimate dream for me… and the moment I broke free // How to change your mindset from one of “unsafe” to one of safety, worthiness, and FREEDOM RESOURCES: // You can continue to donate to the Hawai’i Community Foundation https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/ that spreads out the funds to different organizations: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/ // If you want to dive into this level of healing with a small group of self-identified womyn, having plant medicine retreats in Alaska and Hawaii, adventures in nature and learning more about your mind and your deeper Soul Purpose, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
There’s a concept I learned from Janina Fisher, a brilliant therapist, who spoke at a trauma conference I attended: that our capacity to dissociate from our traumatic emotions is a superpower. This really kind of shocked me. I harbored a lot of guilt about how I powered through things in my life without truly feeling my grief and other big emotions. I felt damaged; that my ability get sh*t done even with devastating things going on in my life meant a part of me was broken. Like the time I was at work and my mom called to say my dad had died. And I teared up, told my medical assistant, and said I would finish seeing the next two patients, then leave. And she said, “Don’t you want to just… go home NOW?” And I was like, wait, I can do that?! And I thought something was seriously broken in me to NOT have thought of that to begin with. But another thing that I learned from Janina was that my automatic response was normal - this getting sh*t done part of me acts on instinct. It didn’t present as a decision. Another time I was diagnosed with kidney cancer that only had a 5% five-year survival rate and I barely took time off after my surgery. My “get your shiz together” self stepped in without me even thinking about it, and I was back in my graduate program, determined to graduate on time. We’ve all likely experienced this to some degree, even as children. Like when we felt a big emotion like rejection or shame, or we experienced some kind of abuse or violence. The way we dealt with might have been to check out. We pretended to fall asleep, or we forgot the memory (or didn’t even allow ourselves to make a memory). We might also just drop into our thinking mind and hyper-intellectualize something. Explain it away. So how is all this a superpower? Because when we can access this, NOW there’s a part of us as a child that can continue to grow and develop relatively normally. That’s how we can have a traumatic experience and still go to school. And as adults, still go to work to pay the bills. The problem later in life is we’ve taken the part of us that was in deep suffering and we “other” them; we make them NOT a part of us. Janina calls this But our capacity to get shit done through this self-alienation helps us adapt to trauma. It’s wild. And it’s also amazing what we’re able to do to survive. Right? But whenever these big feelings come up now, instead of comforting ourselves and showing self-compassion and love for that younger version of ourselves, we often criticize or shame ourselves. We self-judge and self-hate. As a result of this alienation from our true selves, we may also intellectualize, or numb out our feelings. Or we might get overwhelmed and hijacked by emotion, not having access to our rational mind at all. We might also avoid taking ownership over our harmful, unskillful behavior. Or maybe we don’t see it at all. There are a several reasons we self-alienate, even though it can cause us so much suffering: For one our brain is set up for it. The two biggest structures in the brain are the left and right hemisphere. The left is very analytical, focusing on things like planning, organizing, and executive function. And the right is emotional and intuitive. It’s more closely associated with the limbic system. As kids, we are more right-brained, and the left brain develops more slowly. They’re split with a line down the middle where the corpus callosum is. This structure helps those two sides communicate. BUT that middle structure develops very slowly. So here we have our sensing emotional brain on the right, and our thinking, verbalizing, logical brain on the left, and the two don’t actually speak to each other for many years. In fact, the corpus callosum doesn’t mature until around 12 years old. The corpus callosum is also often smaller in traumatized children than in non-traumatized kids. Because of this, one side of the brain can more easily hijack us in moments of trauma or activation when we’re older. When we self-alienate from our painful parts (the right side of the brain), the left side carries on as if nothing has happened - going on with normal life. And the right part has no words, just non-verbal experience. So it holds implicit memories and what happened and the survival responses needed to anticipate it in the future. Janina calls the left side our “going on with normal life” self, but I call it the “getting shit done self.” We continue to show up because we have an to show up. Like I said earlier, it’s not even a decision for many of us. We don’t want to let our friends, family, clients, or patients down. And so we show up. And it’s a freaking miracle, really. Like when I said I would work a little bit more after finding out my dad died. That was my “going on with normal life” self. And it was something to be proud of. This capacity also helped me pay bills after my divorce, go to work after being hit by my boyfriend, and take care of my baby despite feeling alone and abandoned. When we look at the right side of the brain, there are some coping mechanisms we may see: The first is fight/flight/freeze/fawn. I believe that we all have each of these present within us. In traumatic experiences, they learn to become more extreme, polarized, and action-oriented. The beautiful thing is this all happens with the intention of looking out for us. The brain can see that pain and try to free us, even though it’s not a good long-term solution Back to self alienation for a moment: this can look like depression, anxiety, insomnia, suicidal ideaion. We can also tell it’s going on when our emotional response is disproportionate to the trigger. Healing this - especially in relationship to others - requires us to have a lot of compassion for ourselves so we can tolerate the moments when someone we love lets us down, hurts our feelings, or betrays us. When it comes to healing that self-alienation, the first thing we can do is try to overcome the fears we have of accepting that we even these parts in our heads in the first place. We can do this by not seeing them as who we ARE and not identifying with that voice that says, “I hate this about me.” We can instead say, “there’s a of me that…” We can also look to the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, which believes that all of us have the capacity for self-leadership and self-healing. It also talks about the 8 qualities of the self, which are never damaged or destroyed, . I dive more into this in the full episode, so be sure to check that out, but the reason we don’t often tap into these innate healing abilities is because we’ve been taught it’s not safe to express them. It’s not surprising that all this requires mindfulness. When we’re mindful, we aren’t getting hijacked by an emotion. Instead, we have more capacity to relate to it. We can say, “oh shit, that’s a big feeling. It’s scary AF”. But we don’t say,” it’s all hopeless. I’m screwed.” So a mindfulness practice can really be powerful here, helping us recognize those big emotions and physical sensations earlier so we can relate to them instead of react to them. Self-compassion is also essential here, because without it, we will too easily fall into judgment of that young, vulnerable part or ourselves. So consider Eventually we can recognize that when our present self is flooded with emotions or strong physical sensations, it is a part of us that’s trying to communicate with us and from that part so we can relate to it from our true, whole Self. YOU WILL LEARN: // Why we learned to dissociate as children, and how it can be a secret superpower // Our capacity to get sh*t done when sh*t is hitting the fan is not a cold dysfunction, but a gift // What is means to “self-alienate,” even though it can cause us so much suffering // The strengths of the left and right sides of our brain, and how they help us in traumatic moments // How to heal our self-alienation with compassion and wisdom RESOURCES: // Episode 51 https://www.anaverzone.com/51-self-compassion/: Self-Compassion // Episode 166 https://www.anaverzone.com/166-no-bad-parts/: No Bad Parts // You can continue to donate to the Hawai’i Community Foundation https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/ that spreads out the funds to different organizations: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/ // Check out more of Janina Fisher’s work with trauma and healing at janinafisher.com https://janinafisher.com/ // If you want to dive into this level of healing with a small group of self-identified womyn, having plant medicine retreats in Alaska and Hawaii, adventures in nature and learning more about your mind and your deeper Soul Purpose, visit AdventureMastermind.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/adventure-mastermind/ to get on the waitlist to be the first to hear about the next dates and locations. (P.S. If you’ve already done the mastermind, stay tuned for a special alumni retreat. We’ll pick up right where we left off and dive even deeper!) // If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com https://www.anaverzone.com/rebelbuddhist/. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics. // Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com https://freedomschool.anaverzone.com/freedom-school-2022/. I can’t wait to see you there!
