Chris Grosso returns to the Mindrolling Podcast to talk about overcoming our self-defeating behaviors with spiritual practice.
Chris is a youth mental health and healing group facilitator with Newport Academy, public speaker, author and host of the Indie Spiritualist Podcast. Chris is passionate about his work with people who are in the process of healing or struggling with addictions of all kinds. He speaks and leads groups in detoxes, yoga studios, rehabs, youth centers, hospitals, conferences, and festivals worldwide. Learn more at theindiespiritualist.com.
Show Notes
Our Dark Emptiness (Opening) – Raghu introduces Chris’s newest book, Dead Set on Living: Making the Difficult but Beautiful Journey from F#*king Up to Waking Up, which is a raw and authentic investigation into why people return to self-defeating behaviors. They look at the void-like quality of despair we all face at some point in our lives and discuss how this dark emptiness can be a transformative tool for spiritual liberation.
“This is when I have been most ripe, when I’m in that ‘dark emptiness.’ When the ego is deflated and not by spiritual practice necessarily, but when I have just worn myself out. That is when the metaphoric white flag of surrender comes up and I am like, ‘Alright, I give up. What do You want me to do?” – Chris Grosso
Raghu speaks with Trevor Hall about the transformative potential of our periods of fruitful darkness on Ep. 243 of the Mindrolling Podcast.
The Trance of Unworthiness (9:50) – The two talk about the feeling of unworthiness that many of us feel when our mind has been conditioned to devalue ourselves and expect the worst. They talk about the necessity of finding love and worth in ourselves before we can truly serve others.
The Other Side (18:25) – In our dark emptiness, hope for a better future can be bleak. Chris and Raghu look at the evidence that shows how spiritual practice can really open us to the light that waits on the other side of our suffering. The pair discusses some of the practices that can show us a better way of living and teachers that can offer guidance along the way.
“If I’m willing to do the work, which again we’re lazy, but if you show up and do it, pretty incredible things can happen and will happen.” – Chris Grosso
Dead Set on Living (38:25) – Chris and Raghu talk about the curious case of Damien Echols who spent 18 years on death row after a wrongful conviction. Chris shares the insight and spiritual practices that allowed Damien to let go of the resentment for what he endured and live the rest of his life as a truly free man.
