November 10, 2022

Becoming Intimate with All That Is: A Terrifying Psychedelic Experience & the Transformative Power of Opening to Fear, Grief & Vulnerability (Part 2)

41 minutes

Ep. 51 (Part 2 of 2) | Robert Masters, psychospiritual guide, shadow work expert, and author of Spiritual Bypassing and To Be A Man, tells the story of his life-shattering psychedelic experience with DMT, from which it took 9 months to recover. Following this experience, Robert found himself transformed in many ways, heart broken (not just open but broken), embracing ordinariness instead of the limelight, attuned to his own mortality, and intimate with all that is. Here, Robert shares about how to learn from such an experience, how to unseat fear from its place of power, recognize grief’s wisdom, and the always-important need to turn into our pain—under all conditions at all times.

Robert Masters also talks about men’s work: the need for men to reclaim their integrity as well as be vulnerable in relationship; include heart in their anger; and sexuality, shame, and how to outgrow porn habits. And our existential metacrisis. Can we become a species reborn in a good way as we confront our current challenges? This conversation blends psychotherapeutic brass tacks with transcendent insights into the nature of reality and opening to the divine mystery. As Robert says, “If there was a time for waking up, this is it.” Recorded August 17, 2022.

“My path is becoming intimate with all that I am.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2

What are some of the unique challenges facing men at this time? (00:59)
On men (and women) reclaiming their integrity of being: it’s all about embodied awakening and the stakes are very high (05:21)
We are all on a journey of endless discovery (10:20)
How nonduality tends to favor the nondual aspect rather than the unique aspect (11:24)
What is the anatomy of choice? Who is doing the choosing? (14:34)
More on men reclaiming integrity, becoming more mature, entering deeply into relationship, and embracing vulnerability in relationship (14:58)
Promoting intimate relationship as a path of awakening (16:12)
Communicating about mortality in intimate relationship (20:56)
The problem of denial of our existential crisis (22:36)
Unresolved shadow elements run us until we are aware of them (25:06)
How to work with nightmares; turning towards the pain (26:10)
Out of the existential crisis and mounting challenges, can we become a species that is reborn in a good way? (28:10)
Why some people are interested in spiritual and psychological development and others not (31:52)
What is Robert’s current transformational practice? (34:58)

Resources & References - Part 2

A.H. Almaas, founder of the Diamond Approach
A. H. Almaas, Runaway Realization*, The Alchemy of Freedom*,
A.H. Almaas: Nonduality and Beyond: The Exhilarating Adventure of Discovering the Nature of Reality and How Awakenings Can Unfold Endlessly (Deep Transformation Podcast episode 43)
Frances Vaughan, one of the great pioneers of transpersonal psychology, psychotherapist, teacher, author
Rajneesh, controversial Indian mystic guru
Vipassana courses
Robert Masters’ website: https://www.robertmasters.com
Robert Masters, Spiritual Bypassing*
Robert Masters, To Be a Man, A Guide to True Masculine Power*
Robert Masters, Darkness Shining Wild: An Odyssey to the Heart of Hell & Beyond: Meditations on Sanity, Suffering, Spirituality, and Liberation*
Robert Masters, Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark: Breaking Free from the Hidden Forces That Drive You*
Robert Masters, Emotional Intimacy: A Comprehensive Guide for Connecting with the Power of Your Emotions*
Robert Masters, Transformation through Intimacy, Revised Edition: The Journey toward Awakened Monogamy*
Robert Masters, Knowing Your Shadow: Becoming Intimate with All That You Are* (audiobook)
Robert Masters, Shadow Work: Turning Towards Our Pain (Integral Recovery podcast YouTube video)

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Robert Masters, PhD, is a psychospiritual guide and trainer, with a doctorate in psychology. He’s also the author of many books — including Transformation Through Intimacy, Spiritual Bypassing, Emotional Intimacy, To Be a Man, and Bringing Your Shadow out of the Dark — and the audio program Knowing Your Shadow. His intuitive, uniquely integral work blends the psychological and physical with the emotional and spiritual, with an emphasis on full-blooded awakening, emotional authenticity and literacy, deep shadow work, and the development of relational maturity. At essence, his work is about becoming more intimate with all that we are, in the service of the deepest possible healing, awakening, and integration. His website is robertmasters.com.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

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