We all have shadows, or disowned, repressed, dissociated parts of ourselves, and as we grow and develop from one stage to the next, and even as we grow into higher stages of development, a simple fact remains — the shadow does not go away, but rather follows us as we ascend into the higher reaches of self. Is it possible that certain types of shadow qualities are more probable to arise at certain levels of development? When we apply this question to the integral or teal level of development, what types of shadow material will we generally encounter in both ourselves and others? When we have the courage to take an honest view of ourselves, and as we learn more about and live an integral life, what shadow tendencies do we see? Let’s explore, with a light heart and hand, the general flavors of shadow material that we may be grappling with specifically once we acquire an Integral awareness. See Figure 1. Two specific shadow manifestations that can potentially arise with Integral awareness, at the teal level of development, can be called the “integral expert” and the “1st tier allergy.”
Figure 1. Wilber/Combs Lattice
We do not necessarily need to understand the Integral approach (or this chart) for our center of gravity to be stationed at teal. With that said, once we learn the Integral model, in all of its dimensions, we can often come away feeling like we now fully understand everything. Comprehending the Integral model helps us feel as though we can find a place for everything and anything we come across, both within and without, which is truly wonderful — but it can easily begin to eclipse our relationship with the Mystery, with the Great Unknown. Here, it is possible for the “integral expert” shadow to manifest. This shadow quality can actually inhibit our growth and development. For instance, if we feel that we know everything, why would we continue to explore how the Integral model manifests in real time? How is it possible to approach the mystery of existence from beginner’s mind? How can we let the grace of Spirit fall into us if we are closed to new possibilities arising? We want to be aware that the potential for this “integral expert” shadow to arise is very real and to notice how it manifests. This is no fault of the Integral approach, but an issue of translation on the part of the practitioner. Once we are integrally informed, there seems to be a tendency to feel like we know everything, while Integral wisdom simply suggests a few parameters to help honor everything we CANNOT know…
While it is true that “cognition is necessary but not sufficient” to grow into higher stages of consciousness, many of us tend to step off the developmental ladder once the mind is properly satiated. And what can satiate a thirsty mind more than Integral theory? Again, this is not a fault of the theory. For many, understanding cognitively the Integral approach seems to replace the need for true state training. We cognitively grasp the existence and importance of states. We are even cognizant of how they unfold in a stage-like progression, moving from gross to subtle to causal to nondual. See figure 1. What occurs is that we truly and rather innocently mistake the map for the territory. We can often find ourselves and others more interested in talking about practice, rather than actually engaging practice on a regular basis. We can be quick to judge without actually experiencing, first hand, these topics that so fascinate and intrigue us. There is a tendency to fall victim to the “talking school” or become “armchair” philosophers — meaning, we have a conceptual understanding, a cognitive understanding, but this understanding is not grounded in any real world experience, not grounded emotionally, experientially, socially, or relationally. This can be applied to much more than state training of course, and this is used as only one of many examples of how this “integral expert” shadow quality may arise.
In extreme cases, the “integral expert” shadow can actually manifest itself in a way where people begin to misuse the Integral model to disengage from the world, to hide from life, negating all responsibility. For example, if we are approached by someone who has feedback about our behavior, or how we have shown up in a meeting, or during an exchange, one response that seems to reflect this “integral expert” shadow quality is “you should 3-2-1 that”. We may not neccesarily say this outloud, but there is a tendency to internally experience this and so we brush off feedback — justifying ourselves by thinking “this person is just projecting onto me.” Instead of actually receiving, what could be very helpful feedback, we actually push it away. What is ironic here is that we actually push feedback away by using the 3-2-1 process instead of using the 3-2-1 process to go deeper into the feedback that was so graciously offered. What the Integral model invites, encourages and almost demands from us to do is actually participate in the world more, for the simple fact that we do have a greater understanding and awareness — not to use the tools of the model to hide or turn away from manifest reality. Learn it, live it, apply it… That is what the Integral approach calls us to do in every moment.
Another shadow quality that may arise at the teal level of development can be called the “first tier allergy”, which is the general resistance to participating with all structures prior to teal. This often shows up as mistaking the idea that people can be color coded according to the developmental model as seen in Figure 1. We are all probability waves, as Kohlberg points out — the probability of finding a particular behavior at a particular time tends to follow the 25-50-25 rule. But often too many of us walk around dismissing people as being “so totally green” or “way too orange”. With these strong judgements, we tend to cut ourselves off from 95% of the world. Elitism is fine — because everyone is invited, snobbery is not. All too often we come off as Integral snobs when we use developmental schemes as a way to judge others and ultimately ignore them simply because they are not inhabiting the same developmental space that we are. One of the major benefits of Integral awareness is that we can act as developmental wizards, understanding that each and every level of development is utterly needed and appropriate, that we can locate within ourselves all of the levels of first tier, and realize that everyone has the right to be at any stage they are stationed at. This is a Upaya, or a skillful means of the model — one that could potentially help the world tremendously in a number of areas from politics to spirituality, education to business, ecology to healthcare. The importance of understanding where someone is stationed developmentally is not to judge them and write them off completely, but rather to inform us so that we can then choose the best way to interact with this person to have the best possible outcome. This outcome is understanding. And an understanding that then translates into action in the world on the part of the person we were just engaging. Imagine if we were to touch one person a day with the implications of the Integral approach? The possibilities are endless.
Of course the “expert” and “allergy” can manifest at each developmental stage and these are generally a part of the growth process. As we grow from one stage to the next we tend to dis-identify with the stage we previously inhabited. Another way to say this is that we make our previous subject, object — we turn our 1st-person experience into a 3rd- person experience. During that process, it is almost certain that we can acquire an “allergy” (or an addiction, but that’s another blog post) to our previous level of development. Once we grow into a higher stage, it is also possible that with a deeper and wider understanding of self, we can feel as “expert” to our previous self. The difference at the integral or teal level of development is that the “expert” and “allergy” of the growth process in first tier, has the potential to actually turn into shadow qualities. We now have greater vision and responsibility to recognize the “integral expert” and “1st tier allergy” shadows and to work with these repressed aspects of self. Fortunately, the Integral model not only includes, but encourages us to work with our shadow traits. The 3-2-1 process is a great place to start.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st tier allergy, 1st-person, 3-2-1 Process, 3rd-person, causal, development, gross, integral expert, Integral Life, Integral Theory, nondual, shadow, stages, states, subtle, Teal
What is Integral?
What is Integral?
The Integral map is a comprehensive approach to human growth and development, developed by philosopher Ken Wilber, that lays out all 
that the various world cultures have to tell us about human potential- spiritual growth, psychological growth, social and cultural growth. The Integral map uses all the known systems and models of human growth and distills their major components into five simple factors that are essential elements or keys to unlocking and facilitating human evolution.
So, why learn this map? By learning the Integral map, we are not merely learning a set of theoretical concepts, but rather aspects available in our very own awareness right now. And by exercising these elements, we can accelerate our growth and development to higher, wider, and deeper ways of being and serving in the world.
The Integral map can be applied to everything in our lives, from our professional careers, to our relationships, to our health and well being, as well as to any and all disciplines, such as, business, technology, psychology, education, politics, art, spirituality, sexuality, and the environment.
The Integral approach is the unification of contrasts. It helps us to see with our minds and hearts, deeply feeling interiors while steadily observing exteriors. The Integral approach provides us with the opportunity for fullness and freedom with greater capacities to express compassion and love. Integral is the practice of living fully, in a seamless and passionate integration of mind, body and spirit. From this embodied integration, we are able to transform our lives.
But more than just a map, the Integral approach is an invitation to directly experience our own reality, right here, right now. The call is to integrate, to take a panoramic view of self, culture and nature, and to embrace the insights and tools that serve the highest potential of All.
In short, the Integral Approach helps us to better understand ourselves, others, and the world by providing a framework that embraces seemingly opposing worldviews and perspectives in a way that mends wounds, includes the marginalized, heals the personal and rejoins the systemic in an integrated embrace of greater care, wisdom, and discernment.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: development, human growth, Integral map, Ken Wilber, perspectives, worldviews
There are so many forms and types of spirituality today. Some preach love and acceptance; others preach hate and destruction. Many traditions claim that their way is the only way, “the one true path,” which directly contradicts other traditions that say their way is the only way. Why does spirit express itself in such radically different ways? Who is right and who is wrong? Can anything reconcile such radically different points of view?
Enter the Integral Map…
We think the Integral map can clarify and reconcile these radically different points of view by organizing and even resolving the competing truth claims of this debate; by pointing out how different levels of development express their relationship to spirit; by showing their preferred perspective of spirit (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person); and finally by providing 5 definitions of spirituality. Let’s start with those five definitions….
Why do we need to clarify which definition of spirit we’re using? Because people use the word “spirituality” in different ways and each definition has a different meaning. Before we start to disagree with one another, it’s important to identify whether we’re disagreeing over the same meaning. Otherwise you’re disagreeing over apples and I’m disagreeing over oranges, and the discussion grows muddy, unclear, and frustrating, so let’s use part of the Integral map to help you share meaning in your discussions of spirituality with another person.
Here are the five definitions:
(1) Spirituality as a line of development; a specific capacity that we develop. We all have different lines of development: cognitive, emotional, moral, kinesthetic, etc. Sometimes we are really good at some things—for example, we know how to make a lot of money; but may not know how to manage our relationships that well.
(2) Spirituality as the highest level of that line of development.
(3) Spirituality as the experience of a state of mind or heart. Some use the term spirituality to describe spiritual or religious experiences, such as peak experiences or meditative experiences.
(4) Spirituality as a type (Christianity, Islam, etc.) Another “type” may be a quality someone possesses that people perceive as spiritual—like love, compassion, or wisdom.
(5) Spirituality as a specific perspective: first, second, and third person (or I, You, It). The 1st person perspective of God means that my relationship to God is a 1st person experience: “I am.” The 2nd person perspective means that I relate to God as “You Are,” God is a force outside of me that I am devoted to. The 3rd person perspective is “It Is,” which in many ways is also separate from the self, yet those that have a 3rd person perspective usually see the self as “part of” everything else.
We think this is an interesting point because different traditions prefer different perspectives. Many Buddhists ultimately realize the “I am” perspective, they realize that they are Buddha, they are not separate from Buddha. They also realize “It is”—that the world is just expressing the great “I am.” Buddhists, however, can miss out on the beauty and devotion cultivated in the Christian relationship to spirit, one of “You Are” which can lead to profound humility and awe. Ask a Christian if they are God, if they can embody the perspective “I am God,” and they will most likely look at you as though you are odd or quite possibly a heretic. Here at Integral we want to embrace all the faces and perspectives of Spirit, leading to a deeper and more complete relationship with God.
As a road rule, let’s agree that before we disagree with one another, we’ll figure out what we mean when we say “spirituality.” By following this simple suggestion, we’ll save a lot of time, energy and emotion that can then be used to engage in an intelligent conversation regarding this topic.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 3rd-person, Buddhists, Christians, God, Integral approach, lines, perspectives, quadrants, Spirit, Spirituality, stages, states
What is Shadow?
Anyone who has seriously committed themselves to or even dabbled with a spiritual practice knows that no amount of practice changes our experience of family during the holidays. Why is that? One of the great contributions of Western modernity to the understanding of self are the insights into the shadow. Freud was 
definitely mistaken on a few of his theoretical musings, but on the topic of shadow, he nailed it when he said, “Where It is I shall become.”
The shadow, also known as psychodynamic repression or the disowned self, is formed when some aspect of an individual’s I-ness splits off and dissociates from the rest of the personality. This aspect of self becomes unconscious and shows up in various inauthentic or shadow manifestations. The most common way that shadow elements emerge, in real time, is through projection — a defense mechanism whereby one “projects” one’s own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings onto someone or something.
The Integral approach has drawn on over 100 developmental models, East and West, from premodern to postmodern, to compile the most comprehensive map of human development to date. From this map we learn that human beings grow and evolve through levels or stages of consciousness, transcending and including, negating and preserving each level into the higher reaches of development. We also know that our growth and development can be arrested at any time, at any stage. One of the most common ways that our development can be sabotaged is by the shadow. As we grow vertically from archaic, to magic, to mythic, to rational, to pluralistic, to integral stages of development, we can either become fixed at any one of these stages, in part due to our shadow qualities, or else grow into higher stages of development with shadow baggage in tow. Neither is ideal for healthy growth and integration.
When we disown and project our motivations, feelings, and traits, they appear “outside” of us, where they aggravate, irritate, disturb, obsess, or upset us. Generally, the things that most aggravate and disturb us about others are in fact our own shadow traits. Although these are perceived “outside” of us, they actually inform our feelings and motivations, subconsciously shaping our behavior. This is why we get upset with things and only those things that are reflections of our own shadow. This does not mean that others do not posses the qualities that we happen to detest. Sometimes an ass is really just an ass. But why does is bother us? Why does it consume our thoughts? Why does it affect us emotionally? Why do we find ourselves complaining about this person nonstop? Those around us agree that this person is an ass, but why aren’t they as charged as we are about the person? If the negative qualities of another person infuriate, disturb, or disgust us, chances are we are dealing with shadow issues. The shadow hijacks the self. The traits and qualities that we have disowned become our own personal terrorists.
Another way to say this is that the shadow can be seen as anything that we are not willing to own in our 1st-person experience. “I am not angry.” Instead, we push it away or project it into the 2nd-person. “I am not angry, but you sure are.” Or, if it is so threatening to our sense of self that we need to push it further away, we project it into the 3rd-person. “There is a lot of anger in the world.”
There are several benefits to recognizing and working with our shadow qualities. For one, we do not want to be out in the world projecting all over everyone and everything. By withdrawing our projections from the world, we stop burdening others with our unconscious issues and are able to gain more objectivity and responsibility. Working with our shadow traits also enables us to reown and reintegrate the aspects of self that we have disowned. By reintegrating these aspects, we grow and evolve into healthier versions of who we already are. Possibly the most important reason to work with our shadow qualities is that it takes an extraordinary amount of energy to hide from ourselves. The same amount of energy it takes to keep aspects of ourselves at bay could potentially be the exact amount of energy we need to grow from our current stage of development to the next. So an important reason to recognize and work with our shadow qualities is to continue to grow and evolve (if we so choose, of course). As noted, the shadow is the most common cause of sabotaged growth and development. We can become developmentally arrested at any stage of development because of our shadow traits. Our shadow can actually keep us at a particular stage of development precisely because we do not have the free energy and attention that is required to grow into the next higher stage.
Fortunately, there are tools and practices, such as the 3-2-1 Process, that we can undertake in order to look at and work with our shadow qualities. These practices aim to reintegrate those parts of ourselves that we have disowned and projected onto others our out into the world. By reintegrating our shadow traits, we simultaneously free up energy that is now available to us to grow into higher stages of consciousness.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 3-2-1 Process, 3rd-person, archaic, development, disowned self, Integral, Integral approach, magic, mythic, pluralistic, projection, psychodynamic repression, rationaly, shadow, spiritual practice, stages
To Practice the 3-2-1 Process
1. Choose an experience in your life that you want to work with. It’s often easier to begin with a person with whom you have difficulty (e.g., lover, relative, boss). This person may irritate, disturb, annoy, or upset you. Or maybe you feel attracted to, obsessed with, infatuated with, or possessive about this person. In any case, choose someone with whom you have a strong emotional charge, whether positive or negative.
2. Face It : Now, imagine this person. Describe those qualities that most upset you, or the characteristics that you are most attracted to using 3rd-person language (he, she, it). Talk about them out loud or write it down in a journal. Take this opportunity to “let it out.” Don’t try to be skillful or say the right thing. There is no need to sugar-coat your description. The person you are describing will never see this.
3. Talk to It: Begin an imaginary dialogue with this person. Speak in 2nd person to this person (you). Talk directly to this person as if he or she were actually there in the room with you. Tell them what bothers you about them. Ask them questions such as “Why are you doing this to me?” “What do you want from me?” “What are you trying to show me?” “What do you have to teach me?” Imagine their response to these questions. Speak that imaginary response out loud. Record the conversation in your journal if you like.
4. Be It: Become this person. Take on the qualities that either annoy or fascinate you. Embody the traits you described in “Face It.” Use 1st-person language ( I, me, mine). This may feel awkward, and it should. The traits you are taking on are the exact traits that you have been denying in yourself. Use statements such as “I am angry,” “I am jealous,” “I am radiant.” Fill in the blank with whatever qualities you are working with: “I am__________.”
5. To complete the process, notice these disowned qualities in yourself. Experience the part of you that is this very trait. Avoid making the process abstract or conceptual: just BE it. Now you can re-own and integrate this trait in yourself.
Practice Genealogy
The 3-2-1 process is a simple and effective tool for working with the shadow. It was developed by Ken Wilber and his associates at Integral Institute, and is a recommended practice in the Integral Life Practice Starter Kit. This practice is designed to provide a quick, easy, and effective method to work with our disowned selves. There are numerous techniques to deal with the shadow, but most require the assistance of a professional therapist. The 3-2-1 Process can be used by anyone anywhere at any time, and at no cost.
The 3-2-1 Process helps you uncover your shadow and integrate unconscious thoughts and emotions, so you can become more healthy and whole. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy to keep aspects of ourselves hidden in shadow. The energy it takes to repress or deny aspects of ourselves could potentially be employed in other ways; perhaps even a developmental transformation. When we shine a light on our shadow and work to integrate disowned aspects of ourselves, we liberate the energy we were using to hide from ourselves, and more energy is never a bad thing.
This process uses shifts in perspectives as a way of identifying and integrating shadow material. 3-2-1 refers to 3rd person, 2nd person, and 1st person perspectives. When an aspect of the self poses a threat, the self seeks to distance itself from that threat. As a result, the self concludes, “That is not me. That is someone else.” The self exports that trait that threatens it onto someone else. We can disown both lower and higher aspects of ourselves. In either case, we project it as “You.” You are angry. You are being selfish. You are worthy. In other words, we displace it from a 1st – person “I” to a 2nd- person “You.”
If the threat of this emotion or situation becomes so great that it requires a total rejection, we push it away into a 3rd- person “It.” At that point, the shadow arises as a sense of irritation, reactivity, fear, or aversion toward things, but we usually do not understand why we feel this way.
And meditation alone won’t fix this, most forms of meditation won’t even help; in fact, they may make things worse. Meditation suggests dis-identification from experience (“You are not your thoughts. etc.”). But to integrate the shadow, we need to RE-identify with disowned dimensions of our experience and ourselves. We can only truly let go of something that we have first owned. Healthy disidentification is only possible once we have re-owned, re-associated, and re-identified with the disowned parts of ourselves. For this reason, there is no substitute for shadow work.
The 3-2-1 Process can be used in various ways. For beginners, try it out once a week for roughly 30 minutes and work with the biggest issue of your week. For more advanced practitioners, begin applying the 3-2-1 Process to dreams and issues of your daily life.
You can also opt to use the “empty chair” rather than a journal. Just replace the journal with an actual chair in the exercise outlined above. Place this chair across from you, and imagine the person you have chosen to work with sitting in it. In “Face It” (3), simply describe the qualities of this person that provoke you. Talk about them in front of them. In “Talk to It” (2), dialogue with this person. When it is their turn to respond, sit in the other chair and respond as that person. Go back and forth between chairs until the dialogue is over. In “Be It” (1), sit as the other and be the person that triggers you. Embody the qualities that irritate or fascinate you and speak as this person using “I” statements: “I am ________.”
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 321 Process, 3rd-person, disowned selves, Integral Institute, Ken Wilber, meditation, perspectives, shadow
What is Integral Spirituality?
Spirituality is a complex, confusing, and polarizing force in the world. With so many different definitions of the word, we can barely even begin to start the conversation. Some equate spirituality with mysticism as described by the great philosophers; but with the infiltration of New Age concepts of spirituality, many are 
not sure what the word means anymore. Some don’t distinguish spirituality from religion, while others identify themselves as spiritual but not religious. Some believe they need not commit themselves to any particular path in order to be spiritual, while others actively search for spiritual practices that will fit best with their unique needs. The list goes on and on. These are just a few of the many issues that we are going to look at in the months and years to come. More specifically, right now, I want to offer a quick overview of Integral spirituality as a way to begin the conversation.
From this integration of East and West, modernity and postmodernity, we arrive at a “religion of tomorrow” with new, integral forms of spiritual practice, such as the “3 Faces of Spirit.”
There are so many forms and types of spirituality today, ranging from the highest of humanity’s aspirations to the lowest form of superstition. We have everything from Paganism to Christianity, Hinduism to Judaism, Buddhism to Sikhism, plus countless others that purport to be “the” path to follow. They all claim absolute knowledge, they all claim to be the one and only true path. And they all disagree. How is this possible? Which of these “true paths” is the truest? Who is right and who is wrong? And how can an Integral spirituality help us reconcile these claims?
Integral spirituality enables us to examine all these diverse spiritualities through the lens of the Integral theoretical framework. This framework might be thought of as a super-holistic map — the most comprehensive map of reality available, developed by prolific philosopher Ken Wilber. When we apply this Integral map to spirituality itself, not only are the world’s great traditions seen in context for the first time, but new forms of spiritual practices –integral spiritual practices–start to emerge. The Integral approach organizes and resolves the competing truth claims declared by the various religious and spiritual traditions and offers more than just a piecemeal approach. It comprehensively arranges the traditions in a manner that proves useful to those who are seeking a more inclusive vision of God and Spirit, sin and salvation, release and redemption, illusion and waking up.
Integral spirituality reveals that no particular spiritual position is wrong, and looks for patterns of meaning across the world’s wisdom traditions. It shows us that there is room in the Kosmos for every faith, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, or any other. It is the first type of spirituality that honors the truths of modernity, which emphasizes objective reality, and postmodernity, which emphasizes cultural context, while incorporating the crucial insights of the great religious traditions. Integral spirituality integrates the gifts of the East, which excel at cultivating higher states of consciousness, with the gifts of the West, which offer stages of consciousness. From this integration of East and West, modernity and postmodernity, we arrive at a “religion of tomorrow” with new, integral forms of spiritual practice, such as the “3 Faces of Spirit”.
There are innumerable ways that human beings conceptualize God, Spirit, or the Divine. Integral spirituality is the first to incorporate these views by distilling them into three basic categories: 1st -, 2nd -, and 3rd – person perspectives. A 1st – person perspective refers to one’s own interior, subjective experience captured by the pronoun “I.” A 2nd- person perspective refers to a shared, intersubjective experience captured by the pronouns “you/we.” A 3rd- person perspective refers to an exterior, objective experience captured by the pronoun “it.” When we distill these views into 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-person perspectives, it becomes obvious how Spirit has been perceived by different religious and spiritual traditions throughout history, and we find that each path tends to focus on only one of these three fundamental ways of relating to Spirit, either through 1st-person contemplative experiences, 2nd-person devotional experiences, or 3rd-person objective experiences. But if we choose to exercise all 3 Faces of Spirit, we arrive at a more complete view of Spirit, as well as greater communion and oneness with Spirit.
The great religious traditions have immense influence in the world. They are in a privileged position to address some of the complicated conflicts we face today for the simple fact that 84% of the world’s population identifies with some form of religious tradition. See figure 1.
Figure 1 — World Population by Religion
In the global village, for the first time in history we are exposed to all the great wisdom traditions — none of which, however, are fully integral. But by adopting a more integral view, the great religions can act as facilitators of human development: from magic to mythic to rational to pluralistic to integral — that honors and includes all the stations of life along the way.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 3 Faces of Spirit, 3rd-person, Integral, Integral approach, Integral Spiritual Practice, Ken Wilber, magic, modernity, mythic, New Age, perspectives, pluralistic, postmodernity, rational, religious, spiritual, Spirituality
As the Arabian proverb points out, ‘It is not the road ahead that wears you out – it is the grain of sand in your shoe.” This grain of sand in our ethereal shoes is one word that remains the single most confused topic of conversation to date – Spirituality. Any serious discussion of spirituality requires a clear understanding of what we intend when we utter this multi-meaning concept. If we use the Integral model, we can begin to very skillfully untangle this ball of convoluted confusion.
For starters, people tend to use the word “spirituality” in five different ways, with five very different meanings. And most of us are not even aware of this fact. Before we start to disagree with one another over these hot, heavy and heated spiritual topics, it is important to identify that we are indeed disagreeing over the same meaning. Otherwise you are disagreeing over apples and I am disagreeing over oranges, and the whole thing turns into a big waste of time for all parties involved. So first, we must agree that we are indeed disagreeing over the same issue, before we can continue with any specific spiritual consideration.
We can contextualize the five meanings of spirituality by using the Integral model. The Integral model is comprised of many elements. The five main elements include: quadrants, levels, lines, states and types. Spirituality has a very different meaning depending on which aspect of spirituality we intend. Spirituality can mean: (1) a line of development or a multiple intelligence; (2) the highest level or stage of a line of development; (3) a state of consciousness; (4) a type or an attitude; or (5) or a specific quadrant. Each one of these usages are valid, but we must state which aspect of spirituality we are referring to when engaging such topics, otherwise the conversation has no chance of getting off the ground.
1. Lines: When speaking of spirituality, some people are referring to a spiritual line of development- what is of ultimate concern?- which is a separate developmental line or capacity that unfolds through stages. People have different lines of development: cognitive, emotional, moral, kinesthetic, etc. Individuals tend to do really well in some areas of their life, such as in musical and cognitive aptitudes, and perform poorly in other areas, like athletics or interpersonal relationships. This is due to their varying lines of development. So when one uses the word spirituality to mean one’s spiritual capacity, they are referring to a line of development.
2. Levels: When speaking of spirituality, some people are referring to the highest level or stage of a developmental line. As these lines of development grow through stages (i.e. pre-personal to transpersonal) we do not generally refer to the lower or middle levels as spiritual, but people do describe the highest level or levels of a line of development as spiritual. In fact, the word transpersonal is often used to describe these highest stages in any particular developmental line.
3. States: Some people term spirituality to describe spiritual or religious experiences, such as peak experiences or meditative experiences. Within the Integral framework, these are refered to as states of consciousness.
4. Types: Another way that people use the word spirituality relates to a type of person that possess spiritual qualities or one that has a special attitude, such as love, compassion and/or wisdom. But when one is referring to a person as spiritual, they are referring to a type of person or one who has a spiritual disposition. It’s important to note that love, compassion and wisdom also grow through levels. But here, we are referring to these as qualities rather than capacities.
5. Quadrants: The quadrants represent four of the most important dimensions of reality and experience. These dimensions of reality are the interior and exterior aspects of the individual and the collective. These quadrants, among other things, generate 1st-person, 2nd- person, and 3rd-person perspectives that one finds in all major human languages, across all cultures. Here, some people refer to a specific quadrant as spiritual. For example, some refer to the UL quadrant (“I”) as spiritual because it houses the Transcendental “I” or the Ultimate “I” in its farther reaches. Some see the LL quadrant (“you/we”) as spiritual because it houses the “Ultimate Thou” or the “Great Other”. Some refer to the LR quadrant (“IT’s”) as spiritual as it houses the “Ultimate IT” or the “Great System” of the web of life in its highest reaches. And some find the UR quadrant (“IT”) to be spiritual as it houses the “Great It” as Spirit.
Now that we have taken a brief tour through the five meanings of spirituality, it is absolutely necessary to specify how one is using the word when engaging in conversations regarding this topic. This is the minimal scheme required to have such discussions. As a road rule, let’s agree that before we begin disagreeing with one another, we state just what we mean when we say “spirituality.” By following this simple injunction, we will save a lot of time, energy and emotion that can then be used to engage in an intelligent conversation regarding this topic.
By clearly defining the five different meanings of the word spirituality, we have now taken that pesky grain of sand out of our shoes. We can continue the path ahead with more clarity and sanity as we begin to broach the many meaningful topics of spirituality. And we don’t have to lose a friend in the process….well, of course, unless you want to.
- Kelly Sosan Bearer
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Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 3rd-person, Integral model, levels, lines, quadrants, Spirituality, states, types
What is a koan anyway? Literally, a koan is a “public document or legal precedent “. In the Zen tradition, a koan is a statement, question, 
anecdote, or dialogue that cannot be understood or resolved intellectually. A koan is not a riddle or a puzzle meant to boggle the mind. It has a most definitive objective; transcending duality beyond sanity and madness. Can you dig?
The role of the koan in Zen practice is to supersede the subject-object duality. A koan is like a finger pointing at the moon; intended to synthesize the dualism of mind. Koans are used in concert with zazen (sitting meditation). Zazen is used as the means of reaching a solution to a koan. Even if one understands the koan, its deep, spiritual truth will not be integrated if the student is not trained in zazen. So sit bitches !! A Zen slap to the back of the head. Boo-yay!
Okay, now that we have a working definition of a koan, let’s work it!!
The most famous koan (because it is the first koan Zen students are presented) is…
What is Mu?
What is Mu you ask? Let’s find out…take a journey with me, together, hand in hand. Don’t be scared, Sosan will be right here with you the whole time baby.
We are presented with the koan. It is an IT, 3rd person, outside of us, external. Here the koan is an object, a thing, separate from us, over there, way over there. IT is something to be worked.
Now, let’s sit in zazen and work with this koan, What is Mu? As we sit with this entity, we begin to create a relationship with this koan, in 2nd person. Herein lies the pain of koan practice. Through this relationship, doubt arises and is pushed to its utmost limits. The koan stands in front of you like an iron wall, threatening to overcome every intellectual effort to pass. You hesitate, you doubt, you become agitated. The relationship becomes more defined, You vs. Mu. Mu becomes an enemy, an adversary, something to be conquered. This is a battle you are never going to win my friend. Why? What do you mean, why? Because this situation is dualistic in nature, silly. You vs. Mu is precisely the issue dear. You’ve created a war with lil’ old Mu. It is not until this struggle ends and you submit and lie down, does your real practice life begin. Once you surrender to Mu, once the ego is finally too tired to put up a fight, the relationship changes. It changes from 2nd person to 1st person. Yeah, that’s right, I said 1st person.
The transition from 2nd person to 1st person is quite beautiful, actually. This is the time and place where 2 (you and Mu) become one…just Mu. Finally, the Truth of Mu is revealed. You actually become Mu. Mu is you. You are Mu. The iron wall that you ran up against over and over and over again melts away, dissolves, as if it were never there to begin with. And ya know what? It never really was there. That’s the Kosmic joke, if you will. And I know you will…
Gassho,
Kelly Sosan Bearer
Filed under: Integral Zen | 2 Comments
Tags: 1st-person, 2nd-person, 3rd-person, duality, koan, meditation, Mu, object, perspectives, subject, zazen, Zen
Geeks of the Round Table ™
Buddhist Geeks
Listen to audio dialogue here: Geeks of the Round Table ™
Running Time: 32:33
Hosted by:
Guests:
The Geeks of the Round Table™ continue their discussion on the Big Mindprocess and the criticisms from Zen teacher Brad Warner, in his art icle
Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit (link goes to SuicideGirls, an alt porn site). The geeks focus on these criticisms which include charging for the dharma, the nature of an authentic transmission, trademarking Dharma practice, ethical issues with marketing the dharma, and issues of confusing personal psychology with transpersonal states and stages. Hold on to your seat and be prepared to be whisked into a world of geeky and fun banter between these young (and foolhardy) practitioners.
This is Part two of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: McZen: A Double Satori with Cheese.
Related Resources:
- Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit
by Brad Warner (Keep in mind that this article is hosted on
SuicideGirls, an alt porn site, that Brad writes on occasionally. Might
not be good to open at work.)
- Genpo Roshi on Buddhist Geeks
- Brad Warner on Buddhist Geeks
- Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul’s Korean Way of Zen by Robert Buswell
- Instant Enlightenment: Fast, Deep, and Sexy by David Deida
- Sex, Ecology, Spirituality by Ken Wilber
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Tags: Big Mind, Brad Warner, Buddhist Geeks, David Deida, Dharma, Genpo Roshi, Ken Wilber, Robert Buswell, Seth Godin, stages, states, transmission, Zen
Buddhist Geeks
Listen to audio dialogue here: McZen: A Double Satori with Cheese
Running Time: 18:20
Hosted by:
Guests:
This is an experimental dialogue called Geeks of the Round Table. In this
session we speak with two young Buddhist practitioners in a round-table
format about Brad Warner’s criticisms of the Big Mind process, in an
article he wrote called, Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit
(link goes to SuicideGirls, an alt porn site). We are joined by a
student of Genpo Roshi’s as well as someone who has a more skeptical
view of the Big Mind process.
This quick-paced dialogue covers a number of interesting topicsincluding the difference between altered states and permanent traits,issues of marketing the Dharma, the nature of skillful means,transmission and practice, the important dialectic between traditionand innovation, and the recipe for a sensational new sandwich, the double satori with cheese.
This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Geeks of the Round Table™.
Related Resources:
- Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit
by Brad Warner (Keep in mind that this article is hosted on
SuicideGirls, an alt porn site, that Brad writes on occasionally. Might
not be good to open at work.)
- Genpo Roshi on Buddhist Geeks
Filed under: Integral Zen | Leave a Comment
Tags: Big Mind, Brad Warner, Buddhist Geeks, Genpo Roshi, practice, Skillful means, states, transmission, Upaya
In this next clip we’ll explore a few practices to re-polarize your relationship and re-ignite that energetic 
spark .
Sofia Diaz, a gifted teacher of Hatha yoga, sacred movement, and feminine spiritual practice, offers insight into the nature of sexual polarity. First, she’ll talk about how our relationships become de-polarized. Then, she’ll explain the benefits of healthy sexual polarity. And, finally, she’ll offer 4 simple practices for you so that you can strengthen your polarization or start to re-polarize all together.
LISTEN TO AUDIO INTERVIEW ON INTEGRAL LIFE
Conclusion
So an Integral approach to embodying sexuality is obviously very different—it doesn’t exclusively focus on your outer world (grooming practices, techniques, etc,), though it does see these as important. It also focuses in on your inner experiences: your primary energy, whether masculine or feminine, your thoughts, feelings, and responses to life. But the key to a hot and heavy sexual relationship is polarity and in this series we’ve offered you a number of practices to both understand and transform your inner relationship with sexuality. Thanks for joining me, and talk to you soon.
Filed under: Integral Relationships | 2 Comments
Tags: bearer, deep, diaz, embodying, feminine, great, hatha, Integral, itimacy, kelly, life, masculine, nourishing, passion, polarity, practices, relationships, secret, sex, sexual, sofia, sosan, techniques, transform, yoga
First, let’s define the two extremes of sexual polarity. Then, we’ll help you assess which pole you most 
resonate with in relationship. Finally, we’ll offer a series of practices that you can use to re-polarize your relationship. In the end, by purposefully cultivating an embodiment of your polarity, you and your lover can enjoy passion and intimacy like never before.
In this video, David Deida describes the qualities and energy of each pole. The masculine pole is purpose-driven, goal oriented, focused, and self-disciplined, just for starters. It identifies with the witness, the observer. The feminine energy or pole is open, flowing, wild, radiant, and spontaneous. It is the expression of form, the expression of motion. The masculine is the observer; the feminine is the observed. But let’s hear more about these polarities in this next video with David Deida. As you watch his presentation, consider which pole you resonate with most.
WATCH THIS VIDEO ON INTEGRAL NAKED
Now that you’ve seen David define the two poles of sexual polarity, which do you resonate with most? As you watched this video, did you notice whether you naturally identified with one pole more than the other? Do you identify more with the spacious witness of the masculine pole? Or do you feel more aligned with the feminine pole of form, energy, and feeling? Another way to sense your essence is to ask yourself…. “What do I do when I am upset or contracted?”
Do you tend to get angry, shut down, and want to leave the situation, both emotionally and physically? While this is certainly not the healthiest expression of the masculine, it may help you see yourself more clearly. If you insist on continually processing your emotions and feelings, demand that the other person listen to you until you feel resolved, or become afraid that the other person is going to leave you, you may be expressing your feminine essence, albeit not a very healthy one, but nonetheless it may give you some clues as where you reside along this polarity continuum.
If you still are unsure, don’t worry, just go with what feels most energetically true for you in this moment. If you feel resistant to the model or discussion, there’s nothing wrong with that, just notice it. Notice how you relate to your own resistance.
Now that you have considered which pole you embody, let’s take this one step further by exploring how the masculine and feminine extremes play out in relationship. In this next video, David Deida emphasizes the need to practice these extremes in order to manifest the spontaneous ecstasy of deep passion with one another.
WATCH THIS VIDEO ON INTEGRAL NAKED
In your current relationship: Are you and your partner both embodying masculine energy? Do you both strive for autonomy or tend to feel suffocated in relationship? Do you prioritize your career over your relationship? Do you prefer stillness, silence, and stability over chaos and change? Or are you and your partner both playing the feminine role? Do you both prioritize your relationship over everything else? Are you more concerned with feelings and process over actions and tasks? Do you both privilege a flowing energetic that could be described as compassionate and caring?
If either of these situations rings a bell, you are most likely living a de-polarized sexual relationship. If you both embody the same pole on the spectrum of sexual polarity, passionate energy cannot flow. Rather, the energy becomes stagnant, stationed only at one pole, with nowhere to go. And, slowly, inevitably, your relationship will start to lose its charge all together.
Take a deep breath. You have the ability to change this situation. And solving this problem may be easier than performing Vogue’s number one kama sutra position for October. “ Uhhh, you want me to put my leg where?”
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Tags: approach, bearer, david, deida, feminine, Integral, kelly, masculine, naked, passion, polarlty, pole, relationship, secret, sex, sexual, sosan
“The secret to great sex….” You’ve most likely seen this promise, or one like it, plastered on the cover of magazines since you were old enough to read. So, how is an Integral approach to embodying passion and great sex different from the approach of Cosmo, Vanity Fair, or Men’s Health magazine that claims to 
reinvent your sex life? Well, the Integral approach to great sex offers a number of additional insights that every other sexpert is missing.
For starters, the Integral approach to embodying passion doesn’t exclusively focus on your exterior or “techniques,” though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with good technique. An integral approach also includes your personal, subjective experience: what you think, what you feel (or don’t); what kind of energy you experience; and how you respond and react to life and other people. The integral approach knows that it’s just as important to understand your inner world as it is to understand your outer world. So observe and reflect on your inner reactions to this series. Whatever your response or reaction is, is just fine; I just invite you to be aware of it.
But more than that, the Integral approach offers a practice…. the practice of artful, sexual polarity. The subtle power of sexual polarity pervades each of our lives. It draws us towards our lover and keeps our relationship lively. So what is sexual polarity?
In the words of David Deida, sexual polarity is a dynamic, magnetizing energy, much like the magnetic, polarized energy between the North and South poles. For sexual energy to magnetize and flow you need two opposites that polarize one another. In terms of sexuality the two poles are Masculine and Feminine. Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about gender (male and female), but rather masculine and feminine energy. You could be a man with predominately feminine or masculine energy, or you could be a woman with predominately masculine or feminine energy.
Let’s make this concrete: when you orient two magnets so that their “like” poles come close to one another, they repel each other, but when you orient the same two magnets such that their opposite poles come close to one another, the magnets attract each other. Magnetic energy can either be attractive or repulsive, depending on which poles are brought together.
The same is true of sexual polarity. When one partner’s masculine energy is brought into proximity of the other partner’s feminine energy, polarity pulls them toward one another. But if both approach the situation with masculine energy, their attractive passion is neutralized or they may even feel repelled by one another, just like two similar poles of a magnet. Sexual polarity—the energetic pull or push between the Masculine and Feminine. Again, let’s not confuse masculine with male or feminine with female. You can have a dynamic sexual polarity between two men or two women, so this discussion applies to homosexual and heterosexual relationships alike.
For a moment, consider your relationship with your intimate partner. Do you feel more like friends than lovers? More like brother and sister than husband and wife? Do you wonder what happened to that passionate spark you once shared? Are you no longer attracted to your partner, but you’re not sure why? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are your relationship lacks sexual polarity. Of course, your relationship doesn’t always have to be hot and heavy. All our relationships go through ebbs and flows, but you may agree that a little more “hot and heavy” couldn’t hurt. If things aren’t so hot and heavy in your relationship, don’t worry, you’re not doomed. The integral approach can help reinvigorate your sexual relationship.
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Tags: David Deida, energetic, energy, external, female, feminine, Integral, Integral approach, internal, intimacy, kelly sosan bearer, lover, male, masculine, passion, polarity, polarize, poles, power, relationship, secret, sex, sexual, subtle
Discussion
Now that we have seen the mental status exam applied to a client, let’s look at this evaluation in
terms of Integral Theory. In the Upper-Right quadrant I was able to access Matt’s dress, grooming, age, 
weight, posture, body movements, speech, eye contact, affect, eating, sleeping, memory, medication, and alcohol and drug use. In the Upper-Left quadrant I assessed Matt’s concentration, attention span, orientation, judgment, insight, perception, suicidal and homicidal impulses.
In the Lower-Right quadrant, I was able to investigate the systems in which Matt is embedded in his daily life. These include his social support network, legal issues, education, employment, military history, family, and previous treatment. It is interesting to note that Matt’s mother believes that her son’s issues are more related to anxiety than to schizophrenia. This is helpful in understanding why Matt decided not to take his medications. If his mother is having difficulty accepting that her son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, it can be even more difficult for the client to accept as well; especially a client in their early 20’s. So in my treatment plan, since I want to shift the systems Matt is a part of, I will refer Matt’s mother to receive the support that is available to help her come to grips with her son’s illness, and hopefully positively influence her son’s environment and compliance.
In the Lower-Left quadrant, I inquired into Matt’s relationships a little more, meaning, and judgements. I was curious about his relationship with his parents. But with his mother in the room, it was difficult to get Matt to speak about it.
As the mental status exam covers a good deal of Matt’s world, it still leaves out the very real and important dimensions of Matt’s culture, morality, mutual understanding, communication, and values system. And these are important dimensions of Matt’s world, as they would help to inform me of his core beliefs. Understanding these components of Matt are very helpful in deciding which treatment and referral options would most serve Matt, but also a treatment plan that Matt would be able to comply with, as compliance is a major obstacle to most treatment plans. And this is where the importance of types fits into the assessment process. Matt is introverted and anxious. I do not think that group therapy will be the environment that he is most comfortable in, so I will refer him to individual psychotherapy.
During the mental status exam, I also assessed for stages, states, lines, and types. For stages, I assessed Matt at a personal level of development. I assessed Matt’s state by looking at his mood and the presence of psychotic thinking. The mental status exam also looks at a few lines of development. These include Matt’s abstract ability, calculation ability, and intelligence level. The evaluation provides the opportunity to access for one, specific type, which is the quality of Matt’s thought process.
As one can see, the mental status exam is best for assessing the clients Upper-Right and Upper- Left dimensions of experience. It does not assess much of the clients Lower-Right experience, nor does it take into account an in depth investigation of the clients state experiences, developmental stage, lines of development, or types. An Integrally informed therapist would use the mental status exam and supplement the evaluation with the investigation of the client’s stages, states, lines, and type.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that has plagued society since the 1800’s. Even some 200 years later, the treatment for this disorder is still ineffective, as one cannot be “cured” fully from its effects. The medical model has tried to provide relief through medications and the biopsychosocial model has attempted to alleviate the suffering of those inflicted with schizophrenia by combining medications, psychotherapy, and social skills training. And still, neither one of these models is able to provide recovery for those diagnosed.
The integration of both these models as well as stages of development, states of consciousness, lines of development, and types, provides a more comprehensive, balanced, and inclusive view of the person’s experience living with schizophrenia. Although it will not cure schizophrenia, the Integral model promises an assessment and a treatment plan that honors the richness (both individually and collectively) of the interior and exterior dimensions of the client’s life. The Integral model allows the practitioner to gain a wider, deeper understanding of the client. And this more inclusive understanding then informs the therapist in the development of the most effective, ample, and manageable treatment plan for the client. The Integral model can help design a treatment plan as individual as the client it is serving. The Integral model brings one
much closer to the resolution of invasive symptoms that the client experiences on a daily basis. With a psychological disorder still as complex and mysterious some 200 years later, better treatment options are needed. And the Integral model can provide these options with skill, elegance, and brilliant sanity.
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Tags: AQAL, four quadrants, Integral, Integral treatment, lower-left quadrant, lower-right quadrant, schizophrenia, upper-left quadrant, Upper-Right quadrant
Case Presentation
I work at a community mental health center. The mental health center provides treatment for individuals who are indigent, on disability insurance, or are low-income. I am on the Emergency Psychiatric Services 
team at this mental health center. On this team, the client population consists of people with severe mental illness, such as psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. The population is also infused with clients with personality disorders who tend to experience suicidal ideations frequently and use this team as an added support system to their overall treatment at the mental health center.
The population served is adults, ages 18-Geriatric. When I see clients, it is usually in the context of a psychiatric evaluation. Clients either come to the mental health center for evaluations or I go to the hospitals in the local county area to see clients in the emergency room. I also see clients in the county jails. Clients are often brought in for evaluation by the local police department or come in voluntarily. Before I meet a client, I look up information in their chart so as to develop a sense of their situation. If I am seeing a client in the Emergency Room, I look at their medical chart and talk with the assigned nurse and doctor. Once the medical issues are addressed, I meet with the client, administer the mental status exam, and refer them for specific treatment, whether it is hospitalization, observation, or discharge with psychotherapy. The mental status exam is the main “tool” by which this process is guided. In order to come up with the most effective
treatment and referral plan for the client, I have re-organized the mental status exam into the four quadrants (see figure 4).
By organizing the exam in this way, I am able to see both its strengths and limitations. The mental status exam is excellent for assessing the Upper-Right and Upper-Left quadrants. But it lacks the same excellence in assessing the Lower-Right and Lower-Left quadrants. If I only use the stagnant form of the mental status exam, the client is not receiving a comprehensive exam, which will result in a partial treatment plan. As many schizophrenics have severe difficulty in the Lower-Left quadrant (they have an extremely difficult time with building friendships and finding support to live with their illness); and with the Lower-Right quadrant (they need access to services and therapy and the means to secure it) it seems that this is a severe deficiency in the exam, which the Integral model brings to light.
I use this exam as a guiding principle and add my own assessment where the mental status exam falls short. I include issues of culture and religion, morality, mutual understanding, communication types and skills, and value systems (Lower Left). By including these aspects in the assessment process, I am better able to take the perspective of the client and his experience of being in the world and use that to inform my treatment plan and referrals, which places them within a larger support system (Lower Right).
Let’s look at the case of Matt. Matt is a 21 year old, single, Caucasian male who is currently living with his parents in town. He has been a client of the mental health center for the past few years. I first saw Matt when he voluntarily came to the ER with complaints of anxiety and a rapid heart beat. Matt was accompanied to the hospital by his mother. His mother was present for the psychiatric evaluation as she did not want to leave and Matt felt comfortable with her staying. I usually find it best to perform an evaluation with just the client first, and then speak to anyone else who may be able to supply additional, pertinent information.
Matt had been previously diagnosed, by his current/regular therapist, with schizophrenia, undifferentiated type. He had been taking Zyprexa 2.5mg everyday, but has not taken his medications for the past two weeks. Matt was causally dressed, well groomed, and slightly underweight. His posture was tense and rigid and his body movements were fidgety. Matt’s speech was pressured during this evaluation. He was cooperative, but was unable to make eye contact as he keep his eyes down cast. Matt presented as very anxious.
Matt reported that his appetite was normal and that he was sleeping 8-10 hours per night. When I asked Matt if he was able to concentrate he stated “Yes.” But I noticed that Matt had a difficult time elaborating on answers to questions. Matt was unable to perform the abstract calculation part of the mental status exam, even though his estimated intelligence level was above normal. Matt was oriented to person, place, and situation, but did not know the day or time.
Matt’s judgment was slightly impaired due to the difficulty he was having with anxiety. Matt used to take walks to help with the relief of anxiety, but was even too anxious to do that now. Matt also decided to stop taking his medication two weeks ago, which is contributing to his anxious affect. He demonstrated immediate recall abilities, but performed poorly on delayed recall. His remote memory was within normal limits. Matt demonstrated insight in that he knew he was anxious, but could not account for why he felt anxious. Matt denied auditory hallucinations and admitted to some visual hallucinations, but could not describe what these were. There was no evidence of psychotic thinking in this evaluation. He was somewhat shaky, but was able to follow and respond to questions, but not in any detail. His thought process was
logical and coherent.
Matt denied suicidal and homicidal impulses. He also denied alcohol and drug use. Matt stated that he stopped taking his medication because it made him feel tired and depressed. During the evaluation his mother stated that she spoke with Matt’s psychiatrist early in the day and he advised Matt to increase his medication to 5mg today to help with the anxiety. Matt took the 5mg, but did not experience any relief and felt that he needed to come to the hospital for help. Matt was given 1 mg of Ativan while he was in the hospital for anxiety relief and was given 2 more to take home for the night and the next day if needed.
Matt previously had been working everyday throughout the summer until a couple of weeks ago. He was scheduled to start school at a local community college, but the growing anxiety prevented him from continuing to work and start school. His mother feels that his condition is anxiety based, and does not fully believe that her son has schizophrenia. Matt has an appointment with his psychiatrist tomorrow afternoon and said he came to the hospital because he needed to rest and thought being hospitalized would help him to do that.
Per consultation with the Emergency Room Doctor and the on-call psychiatrist of the mental health center, Matt was deemed not to meet 27-10 criteria. Matt was not gravely disabled, nor a threat to himself or others. Matt was discharged with instructions to keep his appointment with his psychiatrist tomorrow and to discuss his complaints about his medication.
Filed under: Integral Psychology | 2 Comments
Tags: 4 quadrants, AQAL, AQAL Journal, emergency psychiatric services, Integral, mental status exam, schizophrenia
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