Citation:
Rendlen, Chelsea. 2023.“Improving Self Improvement: How "The Untethered Soul" Exemplifies Barriers to Healing for Abuse Survivors When Reading Self-Help Books”. in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Abstract: Self-help books are one of the most accessible and prolific methods of spiritual education available. However, many of the most popular and well-regarded self-help books may still be causing harm. Using my background as a domestic violence educator and advocate I analyze the New York Times best seller The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer from the lens of a domestic violence survivor and explain how the methods may re-traumatize readers by recreating power and control dynamics and emotionally abusive tactics. I go on to show how normalized these tactics are in the spiritual self-help sector.Presenter bio: Chelsea Irys Rendlen is a spiritual activist and author. She holds a M.A. in Spirituality Mind Body, Psychology in Education from Columbia University, has her own Healing Practice, Irys Healing Arts, and is the Executive Director of the YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga where she creates socially and spiritually conscious spaces.
Presenter affiliation: YWCA of Vermont