For our last episode of the season (meet you here again for season 2 in February, 2021!), we decided to take on a staple of New Age thinking and victim blaming: Abraham Hicks and The Law of Attraction, thanks in part to our listeners on Instagram and Facebook who encouraged us to talk about it. 

If you've ever met a new ager or spiritual person in these COVID times who refuses to wear a mask, or believes they are spiritually superior and/or immune to a deadly virus because they "don't live in fear," chances are they are followers of Esther Hicks and her channelings of Abraham Hicks, an entity who "teaches" about The Law of Attraction (LoA).

The LoA is a gigantic New Age staple that is based in understanding how one's intentions or thoughts "travel" and manifest energy. This concept has been understood for centuries by intuitives and is nothing new, but has been bastardized by books like "The Secret" to sell the idea that one can "manifest" whatever they want, including money, a perfect life, body, or partner. It has a language of its own (the "Vortex", etc.) and perpetuates beliefs that one "creates their own reality" through their thoughts, which also implies that any negative or traumatic experiences in your life were caused by your thought patterns. As ex-new agers ourselves, we have seen or experienced first hand how much victim blaming, gaslighting and spiritual bypassing goes into this kind of black/white belief. 

Here's the episode rundown:

• It's our last show of the season! 
• Lana and Mimi briefly explain who and what is Esther Hicks, Abraham Hicks and the "Vortex"
• Mimi offers an explanation as to why so many new agers that follow the LoA seem inauthentic
• How and why "The Vortex" ideal encourages self-blame and victim blaming
• Mimi shares some of our listeners' experiences with the LoA and spiritual practitioners 
• Lana talks about a study called the Just World Hypothesis/Theory and why people tend to believe "good things happen to good people" and "bad things happen to bad people"
• Our personal experiences, as ex-new agers, with Abraham Hicks teachings
• Abraham Hicks on COVID-19: spread the "virus of positivity," stay immunized through the Vortex, the virus will be the best thing to ever happen to you, COVID happened because we "wanted it," and other irresponsible, dangerous nonsense
• Lana shares her thoughts on "The Secret" and a particular segment that seemed to blame a gay man for experiencing homophobia 
• Why discourse and dialogue is a better option to solve problems rather than looking to spiritual "Truths" 

​

Credits: 
Edited and Produced by Mimi Bonhomme

Recorded on Nov. 3, 2020
Condensed from a 90-minute conversation for clarity.

All music used with copyright permission

References on Just World Theory from Dr. Lana Holmes

Furnham, A. (2003). Belief in a just world: Research progress over the past decade. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(5), 795-817. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00072-7
Hafer, C. L., & Bègue, L. (2005). Experimental research on just-world theory: Problems, developments, and future challenges. Psychological Bulletin, 131(1), 128–167. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.1.128
Hafer, C.L., & Sutton, R. (2016). Belief in a just world. In C. Sabbagh & M. Schmitt (Eds.), Handbook of social justice theory and research (pp. 145-155). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3216-0_8

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We're very pleased to welcome our first podcast guest: author and philosopher Jules Evans, who is here to discuss his two must-read Medium pieces on Conspirituality and Nazi Hippies. 

Jules is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of Emotions, Queen Mary University of London,  researching the history, philosophy and psychology of well-being, and how different cultures define and seek human flourishing. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, on how Greek philosophy inspired Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and of The Art of Losing Control, on how people find ecstatic experiences in modern western culture. His new book Breaking Open: Finding a Way Through Spiritual Emergency, co-written and edited with Tim Read, is now available at Aeon Books or through any book retailer. 


Here's the episode rundown: 

• Jules shares his early experiences with psychedelics and depression and the near-death experience that changed the course of his life;
• How to find balance between the rational and the emotional or spiritual;
• Conspiracies, psychics, and Teal Swan;
• Jules makes a parallel between current events and the 80's Satanic Panic;
• The history of New Age and its roots in extreme far-right movements;
• Could decriminalizing psychedelics be part of the answer and in the future for Western spirituality?
• Spiritual wisdom and hope in dark times: how activities like online yoga or meditation and Google searches for "prayer" increased during COVID.

​
Follow Jules Evans on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

This interview was recorded via Zoom on September 25, 2020 and has been edited and condensed for time and clarity.
 Produced and edited by Mimi Bonhomme. All music used with copyright permission. 

Follow our podcast on Facebook or Instagram.
For show topic suggestions or for any questions, you can email us at info@screweduppodcast.com 

Have you ever been trolled online, called a "sheep" or "sheeple," or told to wake up by someone who says they’re all about the "love and light"? And why are there so many spiritual people into conspiracy theories anyway? In Episode 5: Conspiracies and Spiritual Bullies, we try to figure it all out and take an in-depth look at spiritual bullying in online communities.

Here's the episode rundown:

• Shout out to our 100th Facebook follower!
• Lana explains what is bullying and how it can be defined in the context of spirituality
• We discuss gaslighting, a form of manipulation that is used to deceive someone into questioning their sense of perception or reality and give an example of its damaging effects with a story that happened in a new age spiritual Facebook group
• Mimi sheds a light on how social media algorithms have affected our sense of perception and our ability to empathize, and how online propaganda creates division by triggering emotional responses that will bring us to share something without questioning its origin
• Lana helps us understand the behavior
• How to leave an online spiritual group or person who is using the tactics we mentioned (bullying, gaslighting, manipulation, etc.) and who no longer reflects your personal values
• Our final thoughts and personal opinions on the matter​​

​Screwed Up is produced and edited by Mimi Bonhomme.
All music used with copyright permission. 

References cited by Lana:

Beck, J.S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Cabaniss, D.L, Cherry, S., Douglas, C.J., & Schwartz, A. (2011). Psychodynamic psychotherapy: A clinical manual. Wiley-Blackwell.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2017, January). Bullying. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/bullying
Kowalski, R. M., Toth, A., & Morgan, M. (2018). Bullying and cyberbullying in adulthood and the workplace. Journal of Social Psychology, 158(1), 64–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2017.1302402
Sweet, P. L. (2019). The sociology of gaslighting. American Sociological Review, 84(5), 851–875. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419874843

Links suggested by Mimi to learn more about social media algorithms: 

"Beware online "Filter Bubbles" 2011 Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles
Read "Mindf*ck" by whistleblower Christopher Wylie (who is currently banned from Facebook)

Our podcast is now available on Spotify! For the occasion, Lana decided to share a Spotify playlist she created just for our listeners, called New Wave Not New Age filled with (wait for it) New Wave and post-punk goodies!

The playlist's title is in reference to Lana's "We're New Wave, not New Age" comment that had us giggling at the end of Episode 4.

As music nerds, collectors and aficionados, we're hoping to share more of our personal collections and selections with listeners again soon and make this a regular thing! What do you think?  

Please note this post, video and playlist are in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Spotify. 

You can find Lana's playlist here: 
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DZyksD62pl3E78UjHk45m?si=HfmzjIl5RP6W6LVzMp44nA

You can find our Spotify page here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/75RjGZfHID9PqokRMDzMR7

Thanks for listening! Episode 5 is coming soon! 

In part 2 of our special on Empaths (listen here if you missed part 1), we dig a little deeper in trying to understand why so many people - especially women - choose to identify with a spiritual label that often times doesn't help in reconciling one's heightened sensitivity with other interrelated conditions.

Namely, we discuss the following:

• Could psychology's historic biases towards women and femmes be to blame for women having so few options in understanding their sensitivity?
• Could neurodiversity also include people who experience extra-sensory perception?
• We expose ethically questionable and harmful practices some spiritual teachers and leaders continue to engage in.

On the next episode of Screwed Up: Spiritual bullying. Stay tuned, and thanks for listening and supporting the podcast! 

Follow us on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
All music used with permission from Premiumbeats.com
Produced and edited by Mimi Bonhomme. 

References cited in this episode: 

Crawford, M., & Marecek, J. (1989). Feminist theory, feminist psychology: A bibliography of epistemology, critical analysis, and applications. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13(4), 477–491. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1989.tb01015.x

Neurodiversity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity

Dr. Elaine Aron, HSP, and neurodiversity: 
https://hsperson.com/about-high-sensitivity-autism-and-neurodiversity/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5832686/
https://medium.com/@KristenHovet/opinion-highly-sensitive-person-hsp-and-high-functioning-autism-are-the-same-in-some-cases-842821a4eb73

Ever met a spiritual person who identified as an Empath but who didn’t show much empathy?

Or Empaths who go through daily rituals like shielding from the world or people with bad vibes?

Is it possible to have empathy for others when we believe our spirituality is solely about maintaining equilibrium, nurturing only happy thoughts or avoiding negativity? 

In Part 1 of their special on new age spirituality and empathy, Dr. Lana Holmes and Mimi Bonhomme ask, “What’s screwed up about the label ‘Empath’?”

In New Age spirituality, the label Empath is often understood to have a more supernatural aspect to it, as in someone who is not only deeply empathic, but who also has a telepathic understanding of another’s feelings, which is why many refer to it as part of their identity without really considering that other important aspect to it, y’know…empathy.

Dr. Lana and Mimi discuss the first thing that can happen when you get involved in New Age, namely, be given a label to acknowledge your “specialness” or difference, as well as dissect the term Empath: what it means, and what it means to be empathic. 

​Dr. Lana explains why shielding ourselves from “toxic” people or negative energies can actually cause harm to others, and Mimi shares a personal experience at the hands of "Empaths" who bypassed her feelings after a friend's death.

This is part 1: stay tuned for Part 2! 

References cited by Dr. Lana Holmes in this episode: 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Empathy. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved July 7,   2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy
Rogers, C.R. (1961). On becoming a person. Houghton Mifflin.
Tolan, J. (2012). Skills in person – centred counselling & psychotherapy. SAGE

Thanks for listening!

Please note this episode was recorded on June 4, 2020.
In this episode, we discuss New Age's problem with Black Lives Matter, specifically practitioners who profess that "All Lives Matter" or who identify as "color blind." Dr. Lana Holmes explains why refusing to acknowledge systematic racism is harmful and opens up about her painful interactions with white spiritual practitioners. This is an important conversation and one that we feel not enough spiritual practitioners are having. Thank you for listening!

Credits and resources

Hosts: Dr. Lana Holmes, Mimi Bonhomme

Produced and edited by: Mimi Bonhomme

Music heard: Økapi, "Bah" / Marten Moses, "Wandering" 

Logo by:  Kaz Windness

Links to Reading Lists/Books mentioned by Dr. Lana Holmes:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html
​
​https://time.com/5846732/books-to-read-about-anti-racism/

https://bookshop.org/shop/elizabeths

https://www.meandwhitesupremacybook.com/

Links to Black Activists

https://laylafsaad.com/

https://www.ibramxkendi.com/

https://www.rachelcargle.com/

Link to National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Free “Talking About Race” Resource

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race

Citation for Dialectical Behavior Therapy Treatment Model 

Linehan, M. (2014). DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition. Guilford Publications.

The course Mimi took and quoted from: 

Catrice M. Jackson: http://www.catriceology.com/5-part-training

​From formal introductions to New Age and white supremacy: we've got the goods!
And yes, we're aware our audio sounds horrible. It's our first episode and we're in two different countries. Be kind. :) 

Credits

Hosts: Dr. Lana Holmes, Mimi Bonhomme
Produced and edited by Mimi Bonhomme

Music heard: Økapi, "Bah" / Marten Moses, "Wandering" / Nicolas Smith, "A Good Note to End On"

Logo by: Kaz Windness