Widening the Sacred: Cultivating Resilience Through the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs)

Abstract

After 20 years of gathering stories of STEs, this formal presentation will explore common themes and universalities typically found within those experiences to glean the potential foundational phenomenological qualities of consciousness and the integration of those particular attributes. Difficulties in regard to integration can be seen as an inability to successfully merge what was learned “there” into one’s life “here” to some degree or capacity. Using STEs as a way to develop a spiritual philosophy in order to protect against a tendency toward maladaptive coping patterns will also be discussed. As we continue the crucial work to assist individuals with integration of STEs, it is also time to meet individuals in the middle of their integration processes by shifting some focus to the alteration of broader systems within the collective as well to accommodate and assimilate this information.

Presenter Bio

Lindsey Owens is a four-time spontaneous mystical experiencer and a teacher, researcher, poet, and enthusiast in the realm of alternate states of consciousness and what we can learn from them in terms of our personal and collective evolutions. She holds a BA in psychology from Georgia Southern University, two MAs in psychology (one in humanistic and transpersonal psychology from University of West Georgia and one in clinical psychology with a concentration in spirituality and mind/body practices from Teachers College, Columbia University), and recently accepted an offer of admission into the PhD program in medical/clinical psychology at University of Alabama at Birmingham starting Fall 2021. She currently works at NYU as a senior research coordinator for multiple clinical trials exploring different psychedelic treatments across varying indications, has served as a psychedelic session guide for participants in the concluding Phase 2 psilocybin for alcohol use disorder trial, and is finishing her training to become a Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork facilitator. She hopes to continue inquiry not only regarding the nature of exceptional experiences and their effects but also how best to integrate them in a way that builds resilience and yields sustainable change.