If spiritual teachers are so “awake” and “enlightened”, why do so many of them get caught with their shadow hanging out?

With its emphasis on cultivating greater awareness of our own mind, shouldn’t our spiritual practice help us to more easily notice and dispel our various shadows, traumas, and attachments?

Well, not quite. It’s true that awareness is curative — but as Keith reminds us in this episode, “awareness cannot awaken what it cannot see.” And since our shadows are, by definition, aspects or fragments of self that remain hidden from us, it therefore requires a certain kind of effort to recognize and heal these wounds.

Awareness, meanwhile, is in no way the product of “effort”. In fact, our efforts more often than not take us further away from the singular simplicity of ever-present awareness, and only by letting go of effort altogether can we finally rest in that timeless expanse.

Too often we have seen teachers who are clearly struggling with any number of shadows, traumas, and attachment disorders, who then try to use their spiritual practice as a way to avoid the pain those dysfunctions are creating, both in themselves and in others. This, as Keith points out, can be a dangerous form of spiritual bypassing — if everything is God, then nothing can be wrong — which can be used to justify all sorts of deeply unethical behaviors and can even result in the teacher’s psychological damage being inherited and internalized by students.

How can we prevent this from happening?

The first thing we need to do is to simply educate ourselves about these different shadows, traumas, and attachment disorders. Because if we don’t know about them, we can’t see them — and if we can’t see them, we can’t awaken them.

In this discussion, Keith integrates many of the central themes of recent discussions he’s had with folks like Kim Barta, Terri O’Fallon, and John Churchill, pulling this wisdom together into a broad overview of our own psychological territories, including:

• The 3 kinds of shadow
• The 3 kinds of attachment disorder
• The 5 things children need for secure attachment
• The 5 things you can do to integrate sex, shadow, and spirituality.

Keith has also posted a longer written piece about these topics, which you can find here.

So find your seat, rest in effortless awareness, and allow the critical insights from this episode to take root in your consciousness. Your family, friends, and maybe even future students will thank you for it.

Text, images, and maps by Corey deVos

Keith Martin-Smith’s When The Buddha Needs Therapy is now shipping!

Previous Episodes of Buddha In Therapy

The Content/Structure Fallacy: The Common Mistake Most Integralists Make

David Arrell

David Arrell and Keith Martin-Smith explore one of the most important (and misunderstood) dynamics within integral theory: the content/structure fallacy. They explore how developmental structures—our deeper worldviews and ways of making sense—shape the content of our beliefs, but not always in straightforward or predictable ways. The conversation touches on how integral theory can help us navigate the nuances of individual growth, leadership, and social dynamics, especially when it comes to assessing the developmental depth of others.


Can Integral Theory Actually Help the World?

Keith Martin-Smith

Keith Martin-Smith explores the potential and pitfalls of integral theory in addressing global challenges. He argues that while integral thinking offers valuable tools for understanding complex systems and human development, it often falls short in practice due to misapplication and ego-driven superiority complexes. Keith proposes a more nuanced approach: treating people as unique individuals, communicating integral ideas more skillfully, and focusing on practical applications rather than theoretical grandstanding.

Reintegrating DEI: Beyond the Culture Wars

Keith Martin-Smith

Keith Martin-Smith explains the developmental levels in detail that allowed DEI to form in the first place, as well as the levels from which DEI is often expressed (and resisted) from, allowing us to more clearly see and understand the cultural wars we are all experiencing.

The Lost Art of Adulthood: Reviving Our Rites of Passage

Luke Entrup

In this episode, Keith and Luke Entrup discuss the necessity of reintroducing formal rites of passage for our children, not as a fun thing to do with your kid but as something vital for their development – a piece most of us missed and have had to make up for throughout our lives.

The Seven Deadly Sins of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)

Keith Martin-Smith

Join Keith Martin-Smith as we question whether DEI initiatives are achieving their intended goals of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion, or whether they may be perpetuating any number of unseen biases that take us further away from those shared goals. Are we oversimplifying the narrative around privilege and diversity? How do factors like poverty impact issues like police violence? How might we rethink and reshape the DEI discourse, moving towards more skillful (and more integral) approaches?

How to Awaken and Empower the Integral Man

Keith Martin-Smith

Keith Martin-Smith and Jason Lange explore the challenges and ongoing evolution of masculinity. Watch as they delve into topics such as the impact of societal norms on men's behavior, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the journey from traditional to more integrated forms of masculinity, bringing a wealth of insights to help men navigate their roles and identities in a rapidly changing social landscape.

The Power of Vulnerability: Embracing an Integrated Masculinity

Keith Martin-Smith

In this insightful discussion, Keith Martin-Smith addresses the misconceptions around male vulnerability, emphasizing its role as a source of strength and authenticity. He explores the transformative impact of embracing vulnerability on men's emotional health, relationships, and societal perceptions of masculinity.

Sex, Identity, Gender: Beyond Wokism and Trumpism

Corey deVos

Join us as we push even further into the front lines of the culture war skirmishes that have become so plentiful over the last several years. Corey deVos joins Keith to discuss how our notions of sex, gender, and identity apply to some of the most contentious and pressing issues of our time, and how they can be integrated into a more integral dialectic.

What Is a Man (And Why Does It Matter?)

Keith Martin-Smith

With all the cultural war battles being waged around the question "what is a woman", Keith Martin-Smith offers an integral discussion of manhood and masculinity — as a biological given, as a cultural construct, and as an ongoing source of identity.

Shadows of Development

Kim Barta

Join Keith Martin-Smith and Kim Barta for an exclusive discussion as they delve into the world of shadow and ego development. Kim is a seasoned therapist, coach, and educator with over 40 years of experience who has dedicated his career to the resolution of shadow material. His unique perspective on the intersection of development, trauma, and attachment disorders combines the best of developmental psychology with depth psychology.

The Highest Stages of Conscious Development

Terri O'Fallon

Terri O'Fallon and Keith Martin-Smith dive into a deeper and more detailed exploration of Terri's STAGES model, focusing on a smaller section of the model: stages 3.0 – 6.0 (roughly Amber/Orange to Turquoise/Indigo). Terri outlines what makes each level of her model unique from the last, what causes people to shift from one level to another, as well as what the mature expressions look like for 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 stages.

Perspectives on Development: Introducing the STAGES Model

Terri O'Fallon

Terri O’Fallon takes us on a guided journey through her STAGES model, an integrally based development model that charts human development from infancy to the highest levels of development that humans are capable of. Terri’s research is based in the number of perspectives a person can take (1st through 7th) – and she explains how different levels of fluency with these perspectives can often cause us to talk “past” or “over” one another, and how familiarizing ourselves with these perspectives can help us stop doing that.

How to Build a Conscious Community

John Churchill

Keith Martin-Smith talks with Dr. John Churchill about the themes in Keith's latest book, When the Buddha Needs Therapy: shadow and awakening, the problem and promise of spiritual communities, the state-stage model as it relates to trauma and growth, narcissism and other personality disorders inside of spirituality, the power and trap of lineage, and what a fully Western version of an awakened spiritual path might look like.

Therapy & Awakening: A New Integration

Chad Bennett

Keith Martin-Smith speaks with Chad Bennett, a psychotherapist and ordained Zen priest, about why our existing ideas of therapy are often limited and keep us bound inside of the therapeutic relationship, unable to learn the skills necessary to continue our own growth towards psychological wholeness.

Who Awakens? How to Be Free From Your Freedom

Keith Martin-Smith

In this talk, Keith Martin-Smith dives into some topics of particular interest to those on a spiritual path. He first addresses the question head on: what is awakening, exactly? To answer this, he presents the listeners with a Zen koan, or riddle: Who awakens?

Become a member today to watch this video presentation and support the global emergence of Integral consciousness

Membership benefits include:

Premium Content

Receive full access to weekly conversations hosted by leading thinkers

Journal Library

Receive full access to the growing Journal of Integral Theory & Practice library

Live Experiences

Stay connected by participating in Integral Life live events and discussions

Courses & Products

Get unlimited 20% discount off all products and courses from our friends and partners

Free Bonus Gifts

Download The Integral Vision eBook by Ken Wilber (worth $19 on Amazon) & The Ken Wilber Biography Series

Support of the movement

Support our mission of educating and spreading integral consciousness that is more critical than at any time in its history

Learn more about membership plans →

About Keith Martin-Smith

Keith Martin-Smith is an award-winning author, writing coach, and Zen priest. He is passionate about human connection, creativity, and evolution. His books include "The Mysterious Divination of Tea Leaves", "A Heart Blown Open", and "The Heart of Zen". His most recent book is his first novel, "Only Everything", a novel that explores the promise and the pain of following an artist's path.

• Web