About Bipolar Awakenings: Nearly Two Decades on the Leading Edge of Healing

My first book, originally published in 2011.

You aren’t broken—you may just be breaking through!

If you’ve been labeled with bipolar disorder, I know exactly what it feels like to be told your mind is defective. In March 1996, I was restrained to a psychiatric hospital bed, and diagnosed as possibly having bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. To my family, it was a catastrophe. But to me, it felt like the awakening of my soul. I tell the story of that hospitalization, along with how the entire process shifted my life for the better, in my first book, Am I Bipolar or Waking Up?.

Since 2007, I been on a mission to show that what psychiatry calls "meaningless madness" is more of a difficult Spiritual Emergency—a natural, albeit intense, attempt by your psyche to reorganize, release trauma, and heal itself.

A Journey Built on Real-World Experience My work has its foundations in that of pioneering psychiatrists and psychologists such as Loren Mosher, John Weir Perry, RD Laing, David Lukoff and especially Stanislav Grof. However, it’s also built on nearly two decades of deep-dive research and hands-on facilitation:

• A "YouTube Sleuth" Since 2007: I began by sharing my story on YouTube, talking to over a thousand people in detail about their experiences with mania and psychosis.
  

• The Gold Standard of Training: I am a certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator (2016) through Grof Transpersonal Training, learning directly from the lineage of Dr. Stanislav Grof.
  

• Over 50 Private Retreats: Since 2013, I have facilitated over 50 intensive private retreats across the globe, from Romania to Brazil. Using a few variations on Holotropic Breathwork as my primary tool, I’ve accompanied countless people into deeply healing non-ordinary state processes, without the need for potentially harmful mind-altering substances.
  

• Constant Innovation: I didn't stop at traditional methods. I developed “Bipolar Breathwork” to be safe for a highly sensitive group of people. “Surrogate Breathwork” “Distance Surrogate Breathwork” and “Conscious Emotional Clearing” are all helpful methods for releasing trauma that were discovered through the unique experience of working with clients in a highly intensive retreat setting.

Proven Results for the "Incurable" I focus on you, the client, because I know the system has likely failed you. This path is about moving beyond a lifetime of medication toward genuine healing. My experience is validated by those who have walked this road with me:

• Kerstin Ogard, (Finland): Hospitalized 11 times for psychosis before our work; she has been hospital-free (and medication-free) for over 10 years and now lives a normal, joyful life.
  

• Monika Kettler, (Germany): A former client who healed her childhood trauma through three retreats and is now a licensed alternative therapist herself and works with people with bipolar disorder on a regular basis.
  

• Tim Knoote (The Netherlands): Medication free for over 8 years he now works as an "experience expert" in the same psychiatric system that once suppressed him.
  

I should measure expectations to say that, not all clients have had such spectacular results as these, but the vast majority have had noticeable improvement in their condition after just one private retreat.

Your Path Forward: The Integral Path

I offer a third option to the "meds for life" vs. "uncontrolled mania" trap. Inspired by the visionary work of Ken Wilber, my “Integral Path” addresses you as a whole person:

1.  Psychiatry (Physical): We respect the stability medication provides as a vital "floor" while you do the deep work. As part of our agreement, I insist that clients remain on their normal dosages of medication until a few months after any healing work takes place. At that point, any desired reduction in medication should be discussed with your psychiatrist.

2.  Psychology (Intellectual): The theoretical models presented my Stan Grof and Ken Wilber provide the model of understanding for my work.  Everything is based on foundational principles which are shared in detail in Bipolar Awakenings, as well as my online training program.

3.  Peer Support (Emotional): I am your peer first. Don’t forget, I was in the psychiatric hospital too! Healing only happens in relationship with each other as equals. While it is highly likely that I’m a little further down the healing path than you are, were are all on this journey together.

4.  Shamanism (Spiritual): We use somatic tools like “Bipolar Breathwork” and “Conscious Emotional Clearing (CEC)” to release the "emotional sand" (trauma) that talk therapy can't touch. In Bipolar Awakenings, I emphasize that this form of shamanic healing is outside of any culture or religion and involves a highly developed understanding of the nature of a Divine Intelligence that flows through all of humanity, regardless of their belief system. As a result, I often refer to it as “Quantum Shamanism.”

Your time is now.

I have spent nearly twenty years perfecting these tools so that you don't have to navigate the darkness alone. Whether you are just beginning to ask "Am I bipolar or waking up?" or are ready for a deep-dive retreat, I am reporting for duty.

Ready to start your breakthrough? Three things you can do right now:

1. Buy or Download my Books

2. Start the Training Program

3. Book a Consultation

Ready when you are,

Sean Blackwell