EXPLORER 25 - DR PATTI LEVIN


 

WAKING UP, GROWING UP, SHOWING UP

SHOW NOTES

Our guest today is Dr. Patti Levin, a retired clinical psychologist with over 40 years of experience in the field. A few years ago she also had a major shift in consciousness which changed her every day experience in profound ways. In this episode, we talk about waking up, growing up (including working with trauma) and showing up (having a positive impact).

A New Beginning

“All of a sudden, I felt no anxiety, no worry, no existential loneliness, and I just shed tears of joy.”

Patti worked as a clinical psychologist for over 40 years. Around 6 years ago, when she was about to retire, her son recommended the Finders Course Experiment, a course that aimed to teach different meditation methods with the possibility of awakening. Patti decided to take part in the course, and in the middle of it, she had an unexpected and profound shift in consciousness.

Ever since that moment, Patti has been feeling fundamentally whole. She describes her life as extraordinary ordinary.

A Shift In Consciousness

“You are everything, and everything is you.”

According to Patti, before her awakening, she had inherited her mothers anxiety gene and experienced existential loneliness after her kids had grown up. Now the existential loneliness and anxiety are completely gone. She says her many years of experience as a user of psychotherapy helped her in what is referred to as cleaning up and growing up, while meditation shifted her consciousness permanently. 

Patti says that the process of awakening can happen in an explosive way like hers was, but for 70% of people, it happens gradually. There is no right way of awakening, and it usually happens when we don’t expect it.

Spiritual Bypassing

“It’s almost always related to ego, and wanting to look better.”

According to Patti, spiritual bypassing is saying or acting as if you are a certain way, and that feelings or thoughts don't affect you, when in fact, they are just buried or you are pretending that they don't affect you.

Spiritual bypassing can be helpful in certain circumstances because it is similar to denial, but eventually, it will haunt us or the people around us.

Working With Trauma

“It's not a great idea to go looking for trauma until you have the foundation”

Patti says that many people don’t know that they are suffering from various traumas. Some signs for underlying trauma can be unexpected panic attacks, obesity, different addictions or even just being very spacey and not present.

Working on our traumas requires establishing a safe space as a foundation which Patti practiced in her psychotherapy practice offering IFS (Internal Family Systems which was recently also explored on the Tim Ferriss Show) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). 

Palma and Patti also spoke about the sometimes challenging side-effects of meditation, psychedelics or plant medicine and Patti recommends to make sure that you have a strong support system around you. She also recommends practices like yoga or working with a coach or psychotherapist who can hold space and help people integrate those experiences. 

Palma’s Practice On Experiencing Your Own Wholeness

This week, we invite you to contemplate the question: What if there was nothing wrong with you? And what if you were already completely whole and there was nothing you needed to fix? 

Try to pay attention to any moment where you feel okay, any moment in between thougts where there's nothing wrong however brief it might be.

Watch out for the silence. The silence between two thoughts, two sounds, or even two breaths. Investigate that small pause, that moment of silence, that moment of emptiness, that moment of spaciousness.

Practice sensing into the space around you, and just notice what you are experiencing. 

Lastly try to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

About Our Guest, Patti Levin

Dr. Patti Levin is a clinical psychologist with over 45 years of experience in the field. She has worked with adults, both individuals, and couples, and has treated anxiety disorders, relationship problems, panic and phobia, self-esteem, performance enhancement, and many other issues. She has used an eclectic, integrative approach, including Internal Family Systems (a model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz), and is an expert in EMDR therapy.   A former senior supervisor at the Trauma Center in Boston for over 20 years, she has lectured and taught internationally, as well as published.

A special thanks to Dr. Patti Levin for taking the time to share her inspiring story with us.

Continue Your Journey

Now it is time to find your own unique path. We can help you to connect with your innate wisdom and create an inspiring vision for a deeply fulfilling and meaningful life. Apply for a discovery session on our website,palmamichel.com.

Learn to meditate with Palma on the MUSE brain-sensing device and receive a 15% discount (will be shown at checkout only) with this link!

Thank You

Thank you for joining us on this journey of the Explorer’s Mind Podcast.

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Until next time, We truly appreciate you listening and look forward to continuing this journey together. 

 

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