My guest today aligns with my mission for authenticity and Being Human, Jeff Brown.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Jeff Brown did all the things he was supposed to do to become successful in the eyes of the world. He was on the Dean’s Honor List as an undergraduate. He won the Law and Medicine prize in law school. He apprenticed with top criminal lawyer Eddie Greenspan. It had been Brown’s lifelong dream to practice criminal law and search for the truth in the courtroom.
But then, on the verge of opening a law practice, he heard a little voice inside telling him to stop, just stop. With great difficulty, he honored this voice and began a heartfelt quest for the truth that lived within him. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, Brown was actually questing for his innate image, the essential being that he came into this lifetime to embody. He was searching for his authentic face.
As part of his journey, Brown surrendered to his confusion and explored many possible paths. He studied Bioenergetics and did session work with co-founder Alexander Lowen. He practiced as a body-centered psychotherapist. He completed an MA in Psychology at Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco and co-founded the Open Heart Gang, a benevolent gang with a heartfelt intention. He started his own business and became a successful entrepreneur.
The most important thing Brown did, however, was the inner work. By going inside and connecting his spirituality with his emotional life, he learned essential lessons. By learning to surrender to the “School of Heart Knocks” (the school of life), he found his authentic face and embraced the call to write Soulshaping. Although he resisted it at first, he soon realized that honoring the call was his best defense against sleeplessness. If he wrote, he slept. If he didn’t, he lay awake all night. This is in the nature of a call.
In this interview we discuss:
- Why the inner work is the most important work that he’s done
- Is spiritual bypassing a necessary part of the process?
- Why self-avoidance masquerading as “enlightenment” is causing people to commit suicide
We also discuss:
- How “selective attachment” helps us understand more of the human experience
- How to dissolve the aspects of “the self” to truly become an evolved human Being
- Why spirituality embraces all aspects of the human experience
Note: The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Let’s go to the show!
SHOW NOTES
The last time I interviewed Jeff in Season 1 on Finding Your Calling
Jeff’s latest book, Grounded Spirituality
Holotropic Breathwork