STE Groundbreakers
Helping Youth Navigate Spiritual Awakening
Teens to young adults are in a mental health crisis. This presentation will give grounded, practical suggestions for assisting young people to understand and safely navigate the territory of spiritual awakening. It is often the most sensitive youth who find it difficult to be at peace with their empathy and psychic openings. Without appropriate psych-education, they may isolate, feel estranged or overwhelmed. A framework to understand the primacy of consciousness, and maps of passageways in expanding consciousness is important to offer our youth. A safe environment to explore and discuss with their peers is important. Also, to give each person the opportunity to thoughtfully formulate a list of ways they feel comfortable for grounding and reducing anxiety and depression. Also essential is to explore resources for appropriate professional support and understand when that is needed for oneself or others
Emma Bragdon, PhD, is the Founder of Integrative Mental Health University (IMHU.org) and currently serves as Co-Executive Director. Since 1985 she has specialized in supporting those who feel distress in their process of spiritual awakening. She is a pioneer in the field, having written 2 of the first books on Spiritual Emergency. She has trained about 150 Spiritual Emergence Coaches® to help others safely and effectively manage spiritual awakenings. Many of these are licensed healthcare providers who recognized the need to fill in the gaps of their conventional training so they could be competent in helping navigate non-ordinary states of consciousness that can lead to human flourishing. Emma lives in Vermont, USA. She was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in 1989 in California. She maintains a private practice as well as teaching through IMHU.
Emma Bragdon been recognized for her groundbreaking work as an Honoree on the Spiritual Awakenings International Circle of Honor.
Reimagining grief healing across the veil, A Catholic priest helps souls cross over
Fr. Nathan shares the story of Ritah, an addict, whom he has helped cross over. Through Ritah’s story, Fr. Nathan reimagines grief healing across the veil, answers questions like do we remain ourselves, and dispels misconceptions about deceased loved ones being stuck and helps souls move from a therapeutic transitional afterlife plane to the next, more expansive, joyful one.
These souls come to him in his dreams, wanting to resolve their traumatic death experience. His unique ministry, rooted in the Catholic Church’s mystical tradition, has helped more than 600 souls transition from one afterlife plane to a more joyful one. Father Nathan believes that providing such help is something the Holy Spirit has given him and his prayer partners to do. This work transcends and offers hope and compassion from the perspective of life after death.
Father Nathan Castle, O.P., is a Dominican Friar, author, podcast host, and retreat leader. Father Nathan is originally from Groves, Texas. He received MA and MDiv degrees from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He served in campus ministries at the University of California Riverside, Arizona State University, and Stanford, and is currently in residence at the University of Arizona. Father Nathan has chaired the Executive Board of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA).
This work, referred to as The Interrupted Death Experience, is detailed in his latest publication, Afterlife, Interrupted: Book 3. Father Nathan emphasizes the power of these life-altering examples to make us more compassionate, connected, and loving. He dispels misconceptions about deceased loved ones being stuck and provides support for those navigating grief, emphasizing the possibility of moving forward in peace. He is the author of the Afterlife, Interrupted series —books 1, 2, and 3—and And Toto, Too: The Wizard of Oz as a Spiritual Adventure.
