Catharsis As False Realization

File under: Real True Gurus

Greg Goode's years spent observing satsangs from a point of view informed by self-realization make him an invaluable resource for those seeking to understand the socio-psychodynamics which unfold there. This is gleaned from the NonDualPhil(osophy) Yahoo! group discussion list founded by Greg:

The catharsis would occur when a person had an emotional issue that had a brief opening when the teacher hugged them or looked deeply into their eyes. They felt seen and accepted for that moment, secure, so free to burst out crying as a release. This was actually a very good thing in and of itself. The afterglow would last minutes, days, weeks or months, and then fade away.

Problems could occur if there was a conceptual overlay from the teacher (there usually was). The teacher would say that during that peak moment of catharsis and intense afterglow, the person was in direct touch with their true Self, beyond the blocks of the intellect and emotions.

So this sets up two expectations on the student's part:

1. Feeling like that = being the Self.
2. Always being the Self = always feeling like that.
3. The teacher is always their Self so the teacher always feels like that.

This sets up whole complexes of misunderstandings that can take years and maybe some deprogramming to see through.

Occlusion by guru is the whole reason this blog exists. We're glad there's folks out there like Greg who see and seek to remedy this as well.