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Sasha Chapin and Gena Gorlin compare philosophies of valuing, judging, and the self

A recording from Dr. Gena Gorlin's live video

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to my live video chat with the inimitable

. Sasha is not only among my favorite Substack writers both substantively and stylistically (a rare convergence in itself), but is also probably the only meditation/mindfulness coach to whom I would unhesitatingly refer a dear friend or client. So it was pure pleasure to get to pepper him with questions on a topic we have both thought (and felt!) deeply about, albeit from fascinatingly different angles: the nature and psychology of the “self.”

Specific areas of exploration included:

  • how to reconcile Sasha’s reported experience of letting go of his personal will with his being a person who exemplifies and is even co-authoring a book on agency

  • self-honesty vs self-dissolution as correctives for defensive identity?

  • the danger of severing our feedback loops with reality (as manifested in everything from Jiu Jitsu to corrupt guru scandals)

  • healthy (“habituating to openness”) vs unhealthy (“spiritual bypassing”) approaches to meditation

  • Interpreting Stoicism as “low-budget equanimity” versus “high-budget equanimity” (and the difference it makes)

  • what it looks like to go through “annihilatory grief” with grace

  • a bunch of other stuff like that

Tune in above if you missed it, and tell us what you think!

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