Trace Bell Part 1 - Examining the Beauty and Shadow of Spiritual Work Through Spiral Dynamics
“I feel very blessed and grateful to have seen a lot of the beauty of spiritual work and the shadow of it 'cause it's helped me kind of transcend and include the beautiful parts and then leave behind the shadow parts.” - Trace Bell
Spiral Dynamics (SD), is a model that gauges the evolutionary development of individuals, societies, cultures, and organizations. I don’t know a lot about it myself, but my co-host Sarah is really into it which is how we came to the first of this two part mini-series. You’ll hear us talk about it in the beginning of the episode, but I had a pretty strong reaction to listening to Sarah’s interview with today’s guest which is one of the things I love about working with her on this podcast- we don’t always agree, but we trust each other. This idea of both/and or “two things can be true” is a big part of Spiral Dynamics as we’ll hear. "He was not the messenger for me," you’ll hear me say, "even though I agreed with the general message." Sarah says, “I love how Anne frames her opinion, acknowledging that her faith in me and my relationship with Trace was enough for her to accept this episode as an invitation rather than reflexively dismissing the discussion.”
Trace Bell labels himself as an integration guide who's passionate about the intersection of consciousness and systems change. He co-founded of Open-Aware, a consulting business specializing in supporting individual and organizational growth into an integrated way of living and being. He has also trained with the Psychedelic Coaching Institute to become a psychedelic integration guide.
Part I of Sarah’s and Trace’s chat delves into his background and the childhood forces that shaped his adult perspective. It's an origins story that includes the poli-sci track at UCLA, megachurches, and an influential pastor father.
Trace's history stirred up some difficult feelings around religious trauma. He accepts the critique, noting that his quest for spiritual growth and healing are conscientious attempts to break free from harmful subconscious thought patterns. He actively investigates his relationship to power and white male privilege, embracing modalities (like SD and psychedelics) that bring him closer to a more open way of being. "I feel like the next evolution of healers, guides, and teachers are the ones that understand that a core component or core aspect of doing this work is a commitment to the inner work," he says, "and a commitment to constantly looking at all of the hurt and wounded parts."
Like I said, I don’t disagree with Trace’s message. Send me an email and let me know your thoughts on this episode!
Stay tuned for Part II!
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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
The RobCast: Me, We, And Everybody - Part I
The RobCast: Me, We, And Everybody - Part II
The RobCast: Me, We, And Everybody - Part III
The RobCast: Me, We And Everybody - Part IV
Psychedelic Coaching Institute
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