EPISODE · Mar 26, 2025 · 1H 17M
The Other Side of Things (E11) Bipolar Awakenings with Sean Blackwell
from The Other Side of Things · host Michael Brant DeMaria, Ph.D.
00:37 Introduction01:39 Who is Sean Blackwell?03:59 Our mutual connection to Holotropic Breathwork.05:32 Sean's Bipolar Episode and Hospitalization.07:22 Working with his partner's nieces psychotic episodes.07:57 Dr. John Weir Perry and Dr. Loren Moser's influence on Sean.09:38 Sean has done 60-70 retreat with people around the world.13:16 The overlap of spirituality and psychosis in Sean's work.13:40 Two camps: Peer Support vs. Transpersonal psychology16:31 Grof's the Stormy Search for the Self17:21 The 13 basic delusions people experience17:46 When flip into paranoia no healing can happen!18:35 The blissful psychosis vs. the Paranoid psychosis21:35 Trauma and psychosis22:06. Healing the chakra's somatically23:08 What's truly healing is the healing field!24:35 Sean's discovery of surrogate breathwork.32:34 Dealing with intense shadow energies - even what feels like feels demonic36:34 Sean's discovery of distance healing through his work with Family Constellation Therapy43:21 Sean's current understanding of The Healing Field.50:27 Tribal Shamanism, New Age Shamanism vs Quantum Shamanism56:34 A name for every name in the river, but not the river itself.59:23 Developing an Integral Consciousness1:01:23 Accessing the quantum dimension.1:02:31 The most powerful protection.1:07:36 Sean's understanding of soul.1:11:00 Sean's frustration with how little people understand the work he does.1:16:00 How to find Sean's work.Since 2007 Sean Blackwell has been researching and teaching about the spiritual dimension and healing potential of bipolar disorder through his YouTube channel, bipolarORwakingUP. His videos graphically illustrate subjects such as spiritual emergency, transpersonal psychology, and the evolution of consciousness, always demonstrating how these themes relate to transcending the bipolar condition. His book, “Am I Bipolar or Waking Up?”, published in 2011, describes his own bipolar awakening, subsequent hospitalization, and complete recovery, which happened in 1996. In 2013, Sean started The Bipolar Awakenings Healing Retreat, a pioneering program for people who wanted to heal from their so-called incurable condition. In September of 2016, Sean received his certification as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator with Grof Transpersonal Training, the official training program of Dr. Stanislav Grof. This education has been fundamental to the development of the healing retreat process, as a modified form of Holotropic Breathwork, Bipolar Breathwork, provides the basis for the bioenergetic healing process which takes place during retreats. Based on his experience facilitating private retreats, Sean developed two new online healing modalities. In 2020, he launched Distance Surrogate Breathwork and Conscious Emotional Clearing, as two very affordable options that could help people begin to heal their bipolar conditions safely, within the comfort of their own home.Sean's website and link to his new book: https://www.bipolarawakenings.com/Michael's Website: https://michaeldemaria.com/Michael's Links: https://michaeldemaria.com/michaels-links/
What this episode covers
00:37 Introduction01:39 Who is Sean Blackwell?03:59 Our mutual connection to Holotropic Breathwork.05:32 Sean's Bipolar Episode and Hospitalization.07:22 Working with his partner's nieces psychotic episodes.07:57 Dr. John Weir Perry and Dr. Loren Moser's influence on Sean.09:38 Sean has done 60-70 retreat with people around the world.13:16 The overlap of spirituality and psychosis in Sean's work.13:40 Two camps: Peer Support vs. Transpersonal psychology16:31 Grof's the Stormy Search for the Self17:21 The 13 basic delusions people experience17:46 When flip into paranoia no healing can happen!18:35 The blissful psychosis vs. the Paranoid psychosis21:35 Trauma and psychosis22:06. Healing the chakra's somatically23:08 What's truly healing is the healing field!24:35 Sean's discovery of surrogate breathwork.32:34 Dealing with intense shadow energies - even what feels like feels demonic36:34 Sean's discovery of distance healing through his work with Family Constellation Therapy43:21 Sean's current understanding of The Healing Field.50:27 Tribal Shamanism, New Age Shamanism vs Quantum Shamanism56:34 A name for every name in the river, but not the river itself.59:23 Developing an Integral Consciousness1:01:23 Accessing the quantum dimension.1:02:31 The most powerful protection.1:07:36 Sean's understanding of soul.1:11:00 Sean's frustration with how little people understand the work he does.1:16:00 How to find Sean's work.Since 2007 Sean Blackwell has been researching and teaching about the spiritual dimension and healing potential of bipolar disorder through his YouTube channel, bipolarORwakingUP. His videos graphically illustrate subjects such as spiritual emergency, transpersonal psychology, and the evolution of consciousness, always demonstrating how these themes relate to transcending the bipolar condition. His book, “Am I Bipolar or Waking Up?”, published in 2011, describes his own bipolar awakening, subsequent hospitalization, and complete recovery, which happened in 1996. In 2013, Sean started The Bipolar Awakenings Healing Retreat, a pioneering program for people who wanted to heal from their so-called incurable condition. In September of 2016, Sean received his certification as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator with Grof Transpersonal Training, the official training program of Dr. Stanislav Grof. This education has been fundamental to the development of the healing retreat process, as a modified form of Holotropic Breathwork, Bipolar Breathwork, provides the basis for the bioenergetic healing process which takes place during retreats. Based on his experience facilitating private retreats, Sean developed two new online healing modalities. In 2020, he launched Distance Surrogate Breathwork and Conscious Emotional Clearing, as two very affordable options that could help people begin to heal their bipolar conditions safely, within the comfort of their own home.Sean's website and link to his new book: https://www.bipolarawakenings.com/Michael's Website: https://michaeldemaria.com/Michael's Links: https://michaeldemaria.com/michaels-links/
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The Other Side of Things (E11) Bipolar Awakenings with Sean Blackwell
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