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FAQs

Who is best suited for InterSpiritual Counseling & Companioning?

Anyone can benefit from InterSpiritual Companioning, regardless of their belief system. That being said, if you connect with any of the following statements, it's likely that InterSpiritual Companioning is for you:

I feel disconnected from, or out of touch with, my spirituality.
I want to get into spirituality but don't know where to start.
I'm secure in my faith, but am uncomfortable with certain aspects of my tradition, its history, and/or how other members act in the name of the tradition.
I've had some experiences that I can't explain and aren't validated by conventional worldviews.
I resonate with many traditions and don't align with one in particular.
I need guidance in navigating challenges in my life, but I don't like/haven't had good experiences with conventional modalities like psychotherapy or life coaching.

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What's the difference between InterSpirituality and Interfaith?

Interfaith describes the attitude or perspective regarding spirituality and religion that emphasizes harmony and coexistence. Typically, an individual or organization that operates from this ideal views spirituality as fertile ground for resolving tensions within societies and institutions.
InterSpirituality maintains similar ideals as the Interfaith perspective, but is distinct in its basis and function.

InterSpirituality is a perspective that celebrates mysticism and emphasizes spiritual exploration as a means of cultivating wellbeing.

For a richer overview of InterSpirituality's history and development, please go here.

What is mysticism?

For the general purposes of this question, one could broadly define mysticism as spiritual frameworks, both within and outside of organized religious traditions, that prioritize one's experiential recognition of the presence of God/Oneness/the Divine. However, mysticism is an extremely diverse field of study and participation; the purpose and theoretical implications of these experiences can differ from tradition to tradition. For those interested in an academic explanation, please click these links to explore a handful of mystical traditions:

- Christian Mysticism - Islamic Mysticism

- Sikhism - Buddhism

- Jewish Mysticism - Neoplatonism

- Daoism - Advaita Vedanta

- Kashmir Shaivism - Shamanism

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What's the difference between Psychotherapy and InterSpiritual Counseling?

While these are both helping modalities, InterSpiritual Companioning and Psychotherapy come from completely different philosophical and theoretical perspectives. Generally speaking, psychotherapy approaches a given individual's circumstance from a fixing model, where the therapeutic goal is to reduce psychopathological symptoms based on a Western materialistic view of mental health.
InterSpiritual Companioning does not function to treat mental illness, but instead aims to enhance an individual's wellbeing through spiritual exploration and insight, encouraging a remembrance of the individual's inherent wholeness.

Are you a Psychotherapist/ Mental Health Counselor?

Bohdan is not a licensed therapist and isn't qualified to diagnose or treat any mental, emotional, or physical disorders. Bohdan's approach to being of service is strictly spiritual in nature.

InterSpiritual Companioning & Counseling is not a substitute for conventional psychological, psychiatric, or medical services. If you require any of these services, Bohdan is happy to provide a list of reputable resources.

Are these sessions billable through insurance?

Bohdan does not and cannot accept insurance. Bohdan does not have the qualifications or license to diagnose you with a medical or mental health disorder, which is usually required for insurance coverage or reimbursement.

What is Nonduality?

"Nonduality" is a philosophical concept that points to an experiential, non-conceptual truth about reality. "Non" means "not," and "duality" means "more than one." Reality is inherently whole and indivisible in essence. This One Reality is expressing as multiplicity, without ever truly being divided. Throughout history, this truth has been echoed within most spiritual traditions in one way or another. Nonduality is central to traditions like Advaita Vedanta & Kashmir Shaivism, some sects of Buddhism, Daoism, Sikhism, the mystical traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and so on.

What is Realization?

Put simply, Realization is an instance or "event" when we have an experiential insight into our True Nature; Oneness (our True Nature) is recognizing itself as Oneness, through the body. These spiritual experiences vary in characteristics, but a fundamental aspect of the experience is the noticing that the sense of a personal center (also called “the character” in nondual circles) has never actually existed as a distinct fact.

This sense of a center has just been that, a sense. The sense of “me” is made up of patterns - thoughts and textures of experience, creating the sense of density in the head and, voila, an assumption of a “me” is born.

These Awakening experiences are very freeing and can encourage an informed way of engaging with life, where truer qualities of our nature (such as peace, love, or gratitude) pervade our experience more and more over time.

However, most of the time these experiences are claimed by the egoic activity of the mind, and thus the brightness of that experience will fade into a familiar “everyday” experience – only this time, it will feel like an individual had "an Awakening" and needs to get it back! This is where the process of Clearing comes in.

What is a Realization Session?

Realization sessions provide the seeker with an opportunity to clearly recognize their True Nature via The Living Method, which is an extremely direct form of structured nondual inquiry.

First, the inquiries peel away the layers of conditioned beliefs and assumptions to reveal indisputable evidence of what you are not. Once that's accomplished, the remainder of the session is spent noticing the felt experience of what you are.

These sessions are 90 minutes, and most people wake up within 40-50 minutes. With a 90% success rate, the only thing required for a successful Awakening is for the client to have the honesty, openness, and willingness to tell themselves the truth when it's presented to them.

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What is Clearing?

Clearing is another term for "post-Realization." After an awakening experience, it's important for the old conditioned patterns and beliefs that perpetuated the dream of separation to be "cleared out" in order for the integration of continued insight and for authentic living to take place. After all, it's not the body or mind that wakes up. Conventional spiritual practices attempt to awaken the body/mind with meditation, inquiry, qigong, prayer, etc.

There is no graduation from spirituality! The clearing process never really ends; as long as there is the appearance of a body/mind, which is continuously going through the process of conditioning and de-conditioning, there are patterns to be cleared out.

However, after a period of earnest dedication to seeing through false beliefs and developing conviction in the felt sense of our experience, it's possible to abide in conscious recognition of your True Nature.

Let’s Connect

If you have any questions about setting up an appointment or would like to get in touch concerning another matter, please fill out this form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you.