Summary: As more people speak openly about their spiritual experiences, and the challenges that come with waking up, the discussion about how society can appropriately acknowledge and support this shift is attracting the attention of professionals. One such group is the American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, or ACISTE (pronounced like “assist”). ACISTE is an association of professional therapists dedicated to educating their field about spiritual emergence. As Ken discusses on today’s episode with 3 people from ACISTE, often people will seek therapeutic help when they’re having an opening, and the therapists they speak with will interpret their spiritual epiphanies as signs of mental illness. Rather than getting validation and support, they get medication and condemnation. Ken is joined by: Katrina Michelle, PhD, LCSW, an holistic psychotherapist, and adjunct professor currently based in NYC. Katrina serves as the executive director for The ACISTE. Edy Nathan, MA, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience specializing in the integration of psychotherapy and the world of spirituality, and the author of It's Grief: The Dance of Self-Discovery through Trauma and Loss. Michael Garbe is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in working with individuals who would like to have spirituality integrated into their therapeutic process. He is currently engaged in doctoral research on spiritual emergencies at Rutgers University. Learn more at aciste.org Follow us on Instagram @TheEvolverPodcast: https://www.instagram.com/theevolverpodcast The Evolver is sponsored by The Alchemist’s Kitchen, a botanical dispensary dedicated to the power of plants, where you can ask an herbalist to recommend the herbal remedy that’s most right for you. Visit https://www.thealchemistskitchen.com. For a 20% discount off any online purchase, use the code: podcast20. Theme music is “Measure by Measure,” courtesy of DJ Spooky, aka Paul D. Miller (@djspooky), from his album The Secret Song, and interstitial music are tracks by The Human Experience: "Sunu" from the album Soul Visions with Rising Appalachia, and Here for a Moment on the album Gone Gone Beyond. <br><hr><p style="color: grey;">See <a style="color: grey;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://acast.com/privacy">acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
