Bruce Tift - Psychotherapy, Relationships & Awakening

Bruce Tift is a psychotherapist, author, and long-time meditation practitioner. As a therapist he’s done his rounds – working in a psychiatric ward, social services, and maintaining a private practice since 1979. As a teacher, he taught at Naropa University for twenty-five years and lectured all throughout the world. He is also a Vajrayana Buddhism practitioner with over 40 years of practice under his belt. On his journey he has been fortunate enough to be a student of Chogyam Trunga Rinpoche and to meet a number of other realized teachers. He is the author of “Already Free” a fascinating book that explores the relationship between Psychotherapy and awakening. In this episode, we speak about the irresolvable paradox of relationship, what it means to be psychospiritually mature, stepping out of identification through immediate sensation, Individual vs couples therapy, nonduality & the Vajrayana view, and a healthier approach to awakening & liberation. 

🔗 [Links & resources] 🔗

Bruce’s personal site - https://www.brucetift.com/
Already Free by Bruce Tift - https://www.amazon.com/Already-Free-Buddhism-Psychotherapy-Liberation/dp/1622034112
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind by Shunryu Suzuki - https://www.artemzen.com/book/zen-mind-beginners-mind-by-shunryu-suzuki/
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%B6gyam_Trungpa
What is Circling? - https://www.artemzen.com/what-is-circling/



📝 [Show notes] 📝

0:00 - Introduction
2:10 - The pivotal events that put Bruce on the path
6:32 - The relationship between psychotherapy (healing) and awakening
13:01 - Bruce pulls the chair out from beneath me
16:58 - The irresolvable paradox of relationship
18:10 - Is it possible to heal and develop psychologically without psychotherapy?
19:34 - What does it mean to be psychospiritually mature?
23:30 - Holding developmental models lightly 
25:55 - Learning to experience story-free anxiety
35:23 - Stepping out identification through immediate sensation
42:30 - Why struggle is a way not to deal with our lives
53:43 - Individual vs Couples Therapy (navigating connection & separateness )
1:06:29 - Using Circling/Relatefulness practice to understand your emotions and develop intimacy
1:10:29 - Diving into non-duality and the Vajrayana view
1:18:08 - A healthier view of awakening & liberation
1:26:11 - The hard problem of consciousness


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