Gail is a clinical psychologist and author in Santa Barbara, CA, who joyfully speaks from her own experience about the possibility of moving from common everyday problems to living in the deepest acceptance and peace. Problems are seen as opportunities; the illusion of the separate self as a doorway to enduring happiness. Stories are honored, while fierce and loving investigation invites their dissolution. She has special expertise working with older adults and their families, bringing clear seeing and compassion to the transitions of aging, death, and dying. She meets with people both individually and in groups and blogs at GailBrenner.com, where she invites readers to see through the confusion of separation and discover reality, which is true, alive, and undeniable. Her core offering is to bring non-dual understanding to the moments of suffering in everyday life. She is the author of

“The End of Self-Help: Discovering Peace and Happiness Right at the Heart of Your Messy, Scary, Brilliant Life.”

Suffering Is Optional: A Spiritual Guide to Freedom from Self-Judgment and Feelings of Inadequacy

At the Core of Every Heart: Reflections, Insights, and Practices for Waking Up and Living Free

Website:  GailBrenner.com

Interview recorded 10/25/2015 at the Science and Nonduality Conference.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Second BatGap interview with Gail.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:01:58 - The Inspiration to Write

00:03:38 - Transformative shift through Buddhism and meditation

00:05:48 - The Journey of Self-Discovery

00:07:17 - The Joy of Meditation

00:08:51 - The Integration of Spiritual Practice in Everyday Life

00:10:58 - The Pros and Cons of Habit and Rote

00:12:53 - Working through depression

00:14:30 - Healing the Physiology

00:16:31 - Welcoming What Is

00:18:26 - Encouraging personal exploration and growth.

00:20:01 - Facing Fear and Uncovering the Unconscious

00:21:45 - The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice

00:23:05 - The Power of True Nature and Surrender

00:24:48 - The Discovery of "The End of Self-Help"

00:26:30 - Polishing up a False Sense of Self

00:27:24 - Understanding the Source of Suffering

00:29:35 - The Nature of Thought and Identity

00:31:44 - The Importance of Attention to the Body

00:33:35 - Relationship and Living in True Nature

00:35:22 - Recognizing our True Nature

00:38:14 - Dissolving Routine Grooves for True Nature

00:40:48 - The Potential in Every Moment

00:42:40 - The Vastness of Awareness and the Beauty of Letting Go

00:44:43 - Developing Freshness in Each Moment

00:48:35 - Recognizing our True Nature

00:49:49 - Balancing spirituality in a relationship

00:52:41 - Acceptance and Evolution in Relationships

00:54:51 - Nonacceptance and resistance

00:56:13 - Craving for Acceptance in Relationships

00:57:44 - Consciousness is timeless

00:59:09 - Thank you

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