Role of Therapy in Nondual Teachings

Q: What about the horizontal line of one's life and in my case the impact which trauma has had in relation to the here and now. I know this is my so-called story and not ME, my true self. But what is the place of therapy in the context of advaita teachings?

A: Thanks for your question. It is a good question, and one that many people have. I would suggest that there are different levels of truth that are all true simultaneously. The biggest truth is the truth of oneness or nonduality, but within that biggest truth, the smaller truths of our personality and the benefits of psychotherapy are still true, and psychotherapy can still function to relieve the effects of truama on the body/mind/personality. I dive into this idea of different levels of truth in this blog post, which also links to other blog posts about this idea: https://endless-satsang.com/your-minimum-daily-requirement-of-contradictions

One thing I would add is that these different levels of truth are not really contradictory, but rather complimentary. In particular, for someone who is drawn to the bigger spiritual truths of nonduality, it can be especially helpful to find a therapist who has some grounding in spirituality. The perspective of oneness and nonduality can be supportive of the process of therapy, and can make it much more effective.

In addition, you might consider including a metaphysical perspective on your experience such as the one shared by Michael Newton in his books about hypnotic regression used to explore past lives and even the time between lives. Again, the metaphysical view of our journey as an individual soul does not really contradict the idea that we are all one, but rather complements it. The more different perspectives you can bring to your experiences of trauma, the more healing will be possible. Here is a link to Michael Newton's books on Amazon: Michael Newton's books