Episode 36: The Dark Night of the Soul
Episode 36 of M3CS’s Contemplative Science Podcast saw Nathan Fisher come on to the show to talk about his research into ‘dark night of the soul’ experiences in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic meditative paths - analysing how these traditions meet with modern day clinical practice.
For the full podcast, check out the episode here.
In this episode, we cover...
The understanding of ‘dark night of the soul’ in Buddhism and Abrahamic religions.
How these experiences occur and what different people have reported in his research.
The various support services available, including the new non-profit Cheetah House set up by his colleague and mentor Dr Willoughby Britton.
Nathan Fisher is a PhD student at University of California Santa Barbara, exploring the complexities of Abrahamic Contemplative Traditions and the links to modern day practice. A graduate from Vanderbilt University, he received the Francisco J. Varela Research Award from the Mind and Life Institute in 2012.
Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...
For many, these experiences can be extremely difficult and isolating.
”One of the things that you lose in the ‘dark night of the spirit’ is your normal meaning-making structures. It's a period of real confusion, of loss of meaning, of bewilderment... the world view that has sustained you thus far in your life - all of that starts to dissolve. And so that's tremendously challenging to deal with and you feel a sense of being abandoned by God and the Divine.”
Increased resources and discernment is critical for supportive treatment.
”You might think that you're in a 'dark night' or somebody else might tell you you're in a 'dark night' but all these traditions also acknowledge there are ways to really go off the path and do harm through these practices... they're tremendously powerful, they can result in these really beneficial and maybe adaptive deep transformations... but they are neutral. They can also rewire things in maladaptive directions too. So that level of discernment would also be something really important to have whether it's your guide, teacher, spiritual director... something like that.”
Whilst we need not fear a ‘dark night’ experience, meditation is incredibly powerful.
”There definitely should be an awareness of the power of meditative practices more broadly. These practices... there's a reason why they've been engaged with for hundreds and thousands of years, they have tremendous potential... but just like anything powerful, it can go in either direction.”
The best place to find Nathan is here.
See you next week!
