Link to my YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFH7kpiXSAFgyzuPc4BMcKw

*Just a warning straight out of the gate, this episode covers themes and areas some listeners may find unsettling*

Healing the inner child is the most powerful way to recover from pain in the present moment. The inner child is the still present entity that is a collection of every experience that was left unresolved from childhood, naturally some of these experiences were painful.

On the spiritual path we may sometimes find these concepts keep hitting paradoxes, how to be fully present when the past was so very painful? Does the concept of 'inner child work' and 'healing from trauma' work with the spiritual path?

In this talk I dive feet first into this subject, I speak about my own experiences of severe anxiety attacks as a child that were unrecognised, dismissed and invalidated and the inevitable consequences this had for me as an adult, suffering through these attacks without support left me a form of PTSD that has required extensive work to recover from, a process I have found even harder than my recovery from addiction and my weight loss journey combined.

I have often asked myself which I should focus on in my recovery, the more traditional talking therapy approach or the deepest spiritual teachings, in the end I found they are not at odds with each other at all. Although occasionally contradictory, they absolutely can be practised and worked through together.

I delve into the mire of the healing process and I very much hope I can offer some solace, comfort and words of encouragement for those of you enduring this difficult process.

This marks the end of Series 1 of this Podcast I will be taking a brief hiatus to rest, reset and recover before going weapons hot again. Please remember to follow me on YouTube for more of my content as I'll still be updating there regularly.

Thank you so much for listening

Take care

Be well

Stay present

Link to my NEW Substack, follow for free spiritual guidance:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-146009170?source=queue

"While this question is the most pertinent, it is also the most irrelevant."

Humankind's relentless quest for meaning has us running a futile endeavour high and low, locked in an exhausting search, upon recognising this futility many choose to give up this search and attempt to resign themselves to a 'no meaning' model of reality (often as an excuse for hedonism) only to find this is ultimately unsatisfying also.

The only way to finally find this meaning is to recognise the inherent flaw we didn't catch right at the beginning - Why is there no answer to this question? Because there is no question.

Link to my Guided Meditations on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corinbryant

Overthinking is a very common problem that can cause immense stress and frustration, even for those on the spiritual path and well established in meditative practice. There are many practices designed to help one calm and quieten the mind, in this episode I discuss some of my favourite pointings for techniques and principles on quietening the mind. I also discuss the possibility of changing or softening deeply held beliefs regarding thought and feelings as a beginning stage of becoming free from thinking.

Further in, I discuss the possibility of eradicating thought altogether, it is claimed that this is indeed possible and I suggest a practice to make this happen. After all, if you withdraw awareness from thought, what happens to the thought?

--

The teachers I referenced here:

Ramana Maharshi

Mooji

Rupert Spira

The practices referenced:

Self-Enquiry

Self-Abidance

Advaita Vedanta

--

It's a common criticism of spirituality and awakening that if you really found that peace and happiness are available to you at all times regardless of the circumstances, that it would be inevitable one's motivation to achieve life goals will be diminshed or even disappear.

While it is true that many people find that the more peaceful and happy they become through meditation and spiritual practice the more content they are with what they have and no longer seek the things they used to seek. Sometimes this results in some inner resistance in the form of a worry that you'll 'drop out' or 'give up' on life.

As usual the opposite is true, you become more motivated to achieve the goals that align with your true self, your loving, wise and compassionate heartfelt motivations come to the surface. Often these true life goals stand in direct contrast to the goals you thought you had.

After all, what is the purpose of these goals in the first place if not to create happiness for yourself and others? Perhaps a different way of looking at life is needed first before setting out on any task. The game must be worth the candle in any event.

In this episode I discuss conventional motivational techniques that helped facilitate my transformation with weight loss, addiction recovery, professional life and mental health, I also discuss the curious paradox of the spiritual path as it relates to achieving life goals. In a strange twist of fate, the less I attached happiness to the outcome of my goals, the more I found I achieved my goals naturally.

As usual, there is no real problem here, just the objection and resistance of the mind-created egoic self. All is well.

Take care

Be well

Stay present.

A barrier that prevents inner peace before people have even begun to awaken. So tied up and bound to their own misery, broken from the repeated attempts at finding happiness, any proposed solution to suffering is met with many objections, not least of which is the idea that staying Present is just wishful thinking, too good to be true or worst of all 'toxic positivity'

Fair objections considering the depth of suffering the world contains. But through a sincere examination one finds that the peace attained through spiritual practice is a real, tangible and practical resolution to all suffering, and experience is undeniable, to yourself only and to none other.

The sacrifice involved in spiritual awakening is a high price indeed, and this price paid is the receipt you can show if you ever feel like this whole thing is just too good to be true. How can it be, when the price paid is Everything You Were?

A single drop of bliss is enough to confirm the reality of the infinite universal consciousness, and consciousness pays no heed to either positive or negative - Life is the Meal not the Menu, and contains both Salt & Sweet.

In essence, ultimately, it cannot be toxic positivity because it is neither positive nor negative: It Just Is.

When we begin to find inner peace we become ultra aware of everything in our lives that threatens that peace. Most are easy to deal with, some are not.

One area that is persistently difficult to overcome is the behaviour of others. After awakening a new way of living begins to arise, and something one must be very conscious of is the particularly damaging effect that other people can have on your self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect and ultimately your peace.

Nobody is perfect and everyone has the capacity to be negative at times, however there are many people in the world who are far darker, more persistent and more malevolent than the usual flaws a person may carry. I speak of the narcissist, the energy vampire and the unconscious, be wary of these people and make no mistake about their ill intentions, a single person like this can ruin your life, I really mean it.

Awareness is key, and understanding these beings is a powerful first step to liberating oneself, next up some other strategies will be required such as the cut-off, the grey rock and ultimately self-realisation (self-actualisation)

In this episode I discuss who they are, why they are the way they are, ways to spot them in your life and some approaches to defend yourself from their influence. Do not despair, brighter days are coming, we can heal, learn, grow and recover.

A common problem in spirituality is the concern about going crazy or 'losing it' - As with many of these problems it turns out the reverse is true, you're finally going sane.

In this episode I discuss why this phenomenon occurs and the ultimate defence against it that you can practice directly within your experience, relax, consciousness can't go crazy.

So you deeply realise that it's only ever the present moment, but find that this only sometimes brings you peace and comfort. A common issue and an issue that I believe belongs in the 'Fair enough' category.

This episode covers some approaches and understandings on how to experience the bliss of being even when things aren't so great in the present moment.

I take a look at acceptance, practical changes, ego-dissolution, true presence and self-realisation.

Take care

Be well

Stay Present