About this episode
Dr. Miles Neale, PsyD, is a Buddhist psychotherapist in private practice and founder of the two-year online Contemplative Studies Program. Author of Gradual Awakening (Sounds True, 2018) and co-editor of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy (Routledge, 2017), Miles is a faculty member of Tibet House (US) and Weill Cornell Medical College. With more than twenty years integrating the mind science and meditative practices of Tibetan Buddhism with psychotherapy, trauma research, and neuroscience, Miles is a forerunner in the emerging field of contemplative psychotherapy and leads pilgrimages around the Buddhist world. Websites: milesneale.com 2 Year Online Contemplative Studies Program Audio course: The Gradual Path - Tibetan Buddhist Meditations for Becoming Fully Human Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 28, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:02 - Integration and gradual progression of consciousness 00:09:59 - Expanding Circumference of Concern 00:14:57 - The Journey to Unity Consciousness 00:19:36 - The Certs commercials and the importance of multidimensionality 00:28:42 - What was being removed from meditation practices 00:33:23 - Transforming the Collective Consciousness 00:37:55 - The Fear of Hedonism and Nihilism 00:42:28 - The Importance of Systematic Teaching in the Lam Rim 00:46:55 - The Purification of the Nervous System and Release of Samskaras 00:51:36 - The Power of the Mantra and Settling the Mind 00:55:47 - The Divide between Spiritual Life and Personal Predicaments 01:00:35 - Addressing Trauma in Spiritual Communities 01:04:56 - Unconditioning from Cult-like Thinking 01:08:59 - Trusting Your Intuition and Sense of Self 01:12:16 - Trauma-Informed Dharma: Empowering People 01:15:47 - The Pitfalls of Science Turning into Dogma 01:20:00 - Authority Figures and Self-Confidence 01:24:35 - Removing Deep Rooted Imprints without Meditation 01:29:13 - Processing Trauma Memories 01:33:42 - The Limits of Yogifying Trauma 01:38:19 - Accessing Alternative News Content 01:42:46 - Reconciling Paradoxes: The Brahman Perspective 01:47:16 - The Importance of Multiplicity of Views and the Teachings of Emptiness 01:51:18 - The Resurgence of Psychedelics and Expansion of Consciousness 01:55:40 - The Power of Pilgrimage in the Modern Age 01:59:15 - The Power of Immersion and Pilgrimage 02:03:36 - An Integrative Curriculum for Personal Growth 02:07:33 - Bringing Spiritual Knowledge into Life 02:11:20 - Concluding Remarks