Thresholds to Awakening

Sweigh Emily Spilkin, MA, MFA, CHT

You are here for a reason. What you perceive to be a mistake (your pain, your suffering, your illness) is not a mistake at all. It is a radical opportunity to crack open, catalyze your potential, and embody your soul. An opportunity you would have never consciously chosen, but something has led you here: to the Threshold. The purpose at the Threshold is not simply to “get better,” the purpose is to allow yourself to be initiated. To let go of who you thought you were, so that who you really are can emerge. Hosted by Sweigh Emily Spilkin, seasoned psychotherapist and soul guide, Thresholds to Awakening offers a deep-dive into the paradoxical nature of transformation. The show includes intimate conversations with spiritual luminaries about how to work with difficulty, stories about people finding their way through impossible situations, and transformational guidance to help you access your deepest truth. read less
Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality
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Dr. Michael Smith: The Empath’s Toolkit
Jul 24 2013
Dr. Michael Smith: The Empath’s Toolkit
“Threshold experiences,” like grief, loss, trauma, and illness, can make us more sensitive and empathic. Sensitive individuals tend to feel overwhelmed, confused, and exhausted much of the time. While sensitivity has its challenges, it also has its gifts and can be thought of even, as a tremendous act of service. In this interview, Dr. Michael Smith shares with us the inner workings of empathy and sensitivity. He explores exercises empaths and sensitive individuals can use to help them ground, reconnect with their bodies, establish boundaries, and clear away other people’s energy. With the right support and tools, empaths can shift from suffering to spiritual warriorship. Tune in to find out more!

Episodes

Dr. Michael Smith: The Empath’s Toolkit
Jul 24 2013
Dr. Michael Smith: The Empath’s Toolkit
“Threshold experiences,” like grief, loss, trauma, and illness, can make us more sensitive and empathic. Sensitive individuals tend to feel overwhelmed, confused, and exhausted much of the time. While sensitivity has its challenges, it also has its gifts and can be thought of even, as a tremendous act of service. In this interview, Dr. Michael Smith shares with us the inner workings of empathy and sensitivity. He explores exercises empaths and sensitive individuals can use to help them ground, reconnect with their bodies, establish boundaries, and clear away other people’s energy. With the right support and tools, empaths can shift from suffering to spiritual warriorship. Tune in to find out more!
Lisa Wimberger: Neurosculpting—How to transform our beliefs, our brains, and our lives
Jul 10 2013
Lisa Wimberger: Neurosculpting—How to transform our beliefs, our brains, and our lives
In this interview, neuroplastician Lisa Wimberger shares with us her personal story of near death trauma and illness and transformation. A true phoenix, Lisa used her own life challenges as the springboard for the development of her Neurosculpting stress transformation techniques. She has combined neuroscience with meditation and energy work to create brain-changing practices designed to help us de-stress and increase our creative capacities as humans.
Ted Wiard: The Gifts of Grief
Jul 3 2013
Ted Wiard: The Gifts of Grief
Ted Wiard is no stranger to grief. In the span of 5 years, Ted lost his wife to cancer, his brother to an accident, and his two daughters and mother-in-law to tragedy. Ted experienced first-hand the shattering of self, isolation, and depression that loss can bring. And he also discovered a pathway through, the alchemy of devastation into grace. In this interview, Ted shares his own journey through grief and loss and explores the passage through—what it is that keeps some of us in isolation post loss, and allows others to transform. Join us for this tender and potent episode.
Special Encore Presentation: Mirabai Starr: The Sweet Spirituality of Grief, Surrender, and the Dark Night of the Soul
Jun 26 2013
Special Encore Presentation: Mirabai Starr: The Sweet Spirituality of Grief, Surrender, and the Dark Night of the Soul
In this intimate conversation with author, spiritual devotee, and teacher Mirabai Starr we discuss the path of InterSpirituality, how we are stripped naked by loss, the gift of unknowing, and the power of the Dark Night of the Soul. Mirabai shares with us the journey of her own devastating loss of her 14 year-old daughter Jenny and how that stripped her naked of all concepts of the divine and became the ground of her spiritual life. Tune in to this doorway into the mystical path.
Janine Shepherd: The Gift of Acceptance, how to transform suffering into joy
Jun 12 2013
Janine Shepherd: The Gift of Acceptance, how to transform suffering into joy
In this powerful interview, Janine Shepherd shares with us her amazing journey of despair, empowerment, and hope. A once Olympic hopeful, Janine’s life was radically changed when she was hit by a truck on a bike ride. She was told she would never survive, let alone walk. But with remarkable dedication, inspiration, will, and love, Janine not only learned to walk, she learned to fly. Now an award winning author and speaker, Janine shares the ins and outs of her journey in this interview—what she relied upon in her darkest hours, the power of acceptance, how we can reframe our stories, and more.
Sue Frederick, Bridges to Heaven: How to use your intuition to heal your grief and connect with loved ones on the other side
May 29 2013
Sue Frederick, Bridges to Heaven: How to use your intuition to heal your grief and connect with loved ones on the other side
Death is a unifying force, a human mystery we all face. Yet as intuitive and author Sue Frederick reminds us, death is not the end. All of us have the capacity to connect with the unseen world and with our loved ones who have died, but most of us block it. Moreover, instead of being a problem to solve or get over, our grief (along side our anger, blame, guilt, and other difficult emotions) can be used as fuel to connect with our sacred mission—who we really are and what we are here to do on the planet. Join us in this interview with Sue Frederick as we dive into the mechanics of intuition, the power of grief, and practical tools to connect with our loved ones on the other side and “bridge” heaven and earth.
Dr. Lissa Rankin: Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself
May 15 2013
Dr. Lissa Rankin: Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself
How is that someone with a split personality can have medically proven diabetes in one personality, and be perfectly healthy in an other? Why does the placebo effect work? What’s the one thing we can do to ensure that we stay sick? How does a healthy sex life create better health outcomes? Why are purpose, passion, creativity, and happiness just as important (or maybe even more important) than eating well and exercising when it comes to our health? How can we get to the actual root of our disease and heal? Join Sweigh Spilkin, as she interviews health pioneer Dr. Lissa Rankin in this in-depth exploration of how we can use our minds to heal our bodies.
Bill Plotkin: Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche
May 1 2013
Bill Plotkin: Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche
In times of challenge, most of us focus on healing. In this interview, Bill Plotkin, PhD, cultural visionary, author, and wilderness guide, invites us to look beyond healing, to “Wholeing.” He guides us through his Nature Based Map of the Psyche, explores what it means to be a true, initiated adult in the world, and introduces us to the key practices we need in order to become whole, soul-centric, agents of cultural change. Bill picks up where most Western psychologists leaves off, and invites us to descend into the nature-based terrain of the Soul. Listen in.
Mirabai Starr: The Sweet Spirituality of Grief, Surrender, and the Dark Night of the Soul
Apr 24 2013
Mirabai Starr: The Sweet Spirituality of Grief, Surrender, and the Dark Night of the Soul
In this intimate conversation with author, spiritual devotee, and teacher Mirabai Starr we discuss the path of InterSpirituality, how we are stripped naked by loss, the gift of unknowing, and the power of the Dark Night of the Soul. Mirabai shares with us the journey of her own devastating loss of her 14 year-old daughter Jenny and how that stripped her naked of all concepts of the divine and became the ground of her spiritual life. Tune in to this doorway into the mystical path.
Special Encore Presentation: Mark Nepo: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Apr 17 2013
Special Encore Presentation: Mark Nepo: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Poet, author, Oprah guest, and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo invites us deep into the inner realms. Mark speaks about his own journey with cancer and hearing loss and how they moved him towards not only his soul's calling, but the call of his soul.He teaches us how to enter into the mystery of not knowing, how to revere what is hidden, and how to say yes instead of no, to the weathering of erosion-- through which we are broken open to (our) deeper truths. Listen in to this moving interview in order to get a sneak preview of Mark's forthcoming book, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying close to what is sacred.
Kristin Neff: The Inner Workings of Self-Compassion--what it is, how it works, and how to create more of it in our lives.
Apr 3 2013
Kristin Neff: The Inner Workings of Self-Compassion--what it is, how it works, and how to create more of it in our lives.
Where self-esteem asks: 'How am I different from others?' Self-compassion asks: 'How am I the same as others?' Kristin Neff. Join us today as self-compassion expert Kristin Neff lets us in on the secrets of self-compassion: why its important, why we get addicted to self-criticism, the neurobiology of self-compassion, and what we can do to increase self-compassion for ourselves. Kristin sheds light on the epidemic of narcissism in our culture and explains how self-esteem isn’t the same as self-love. She shares the very personal story of her own heart’s opening in relationship to her son’s autism, lets us in on cutting edge research on self-compassion, and gives us her top tools to shift from self-cruelty to self-love. Listen in!
Elise Ballard: Epiphanies: How Sudden Insights Inspire, Encourage, and Transform our lives
Mar 20 2013
Elise Ballard: Epiphanies: How Sudden Insights Inspire, Encourage, and Transform our lives
In this episode of Thresholds to Awakening, author Elise Ballard inspires us with stories from her book, Epiphany, in which she interviewed more than 50 individuals from all walks of life about the moments that changed their lives forever. Elise shares how we can make ourselves receptive to epiphanies, how we can open ourselves up to magic in the midst of challenge. She discusses the secret source of epiphanies, and how aha-s can radically change our lives. Listen in and be transformed.
Robert Moss: Dreaming the Soul Back Home
Mar 6 2013
Robert Moss: Dreaming the Soul Back Home
In this episode of Thresholds to Awakening, Robert Moss, acclaimed shaman, dreamer, author, and teacher speaks with us about the nature of the Soul, Soul loss and how it affects us, how to enter our dreams as doorways to our Soul, healing vs. wholing, how to renegotiate our soul contracts and more. Listen in!
Sarah Entrup: A conversation about Energy Healing, Thresholds, and How to Get Unstuck.
Feb 20 2013
Sarah Entrup: A conversation about Energy Healing, Thresholds, and How to Get Unstuck.
In this special episode of Thresholds to Awakening, clairvoyant and energy healer Sarah Entrup talks to us about the big why of suffering, how to navigate through challenge with grace, the balance between will and surrender, and the importance of increasing our capacity to receive (the essential ingredient to getting anything we want!) She also leads us through a powerful guided mediation and gifts us tools for expanding our threshold and moving from stuckness to freedom.
Ondrea and Stephen Levine:The Healing I Took Birth For, the power of resiliency, service, and love.
Oct 10 2012
Ondrea and Stephen Levine:The Healing I Took Birth For, the power of resiliency, service, and love.
In this inspiring interview, spiritual teachers Ondrea and Stephen Levine discuss how to open your heart in the midst of difficulty, the importance of mercy, how to access self-compassion, and the value of unburdening the heart through forgiveness. Ondrea and Stephen are the authors of over 10 books and live a quiet, soulful life centered on love, teaching, and healing. In this interview they discuss Ondrea's new book, The Healing I Took Birth For, and share Ondrea's story from childhood neglect to service to living life with her heart wide open. Listen in.
Special Encore Presentation: Praying Dangerously: Growing up our Relationship to the Divine
Oct 3 2012
Special Encore Presentation: Praying Dangerously: Growing up our Relationship to the Divine
What does it mean to pray dangerously? Not religiously, not to some out-dated idea of the divine, not as a bargaining chip or as a good-child in obeisance to a punishing authority figure, but to bring ourselves in alignment with who we really are through prayer...to pray (often wordlessly and to an unnamed something) with our whole being, madly, foolishly, undone, surrendered? In this episode we speak with Regina Sara Ryan, mystic and author of numerous books on spirituality and wellness, include Praying Dangerously. This show is not only for those who think they pray, but also for those who don't. For those who don't believe in the divine, or are angry with the divine, or angry with themselves. For those in stuck places--threshold challenges like illness or trauma or divorce--and who have lost (or maybe never knew they had) a connection to something deeper. Dive. Pray dangerously. Listen in.
Risa Kaparo: Awakening Somatic Intelligence
Sep 26 2012
Risa Kaparo: Awakening Somatic Intelligence
This week, Dr. Risa Kaparo, PhD shares with us the secrets of somatic intelligence. She'll teach us how to access the energy we need for healing by entering directly into our body, how embodied mindfulness is different than simply being aware, and how the cracks in everything can lead us to our own divinity. Sharing stories from her new book, Risa gives us a glimpse of the power of Somatic Learning, the modality she created that has helped thousands of clients around the world. Tune for insight, a guided mediation, and more.
Mark Nepo: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Sep 19 2012
Mark Nepo: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Poet, author, Oprah guest, and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo invites us deep into the inner realms. Mark speaks about his own journey with cancer and hearing loss and how they moved him towards not only his soul's calling, but the call of his soul.He teaches us how to enter into the mystery of not knowing, how to revere what is hidden, and how to say yes instead of no, to the weathering of erosion-- through which we are broken open to (our) deeper truths. Listen in to this moving interview in order to get a sneak preview of Mark's forthcoming book, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen: Staying close to what is sacred.
Rick Hanson, PhD: Buddha's Brain: Use your mind to transform your brain
Sep 12 2012
Rick Hanson, PhD: Buddha's Brain: Use your mind to transform your brain
Rick Hanson, PhD, neuropsychologist, author, and inspired teacher offers a glimpse inside the Buddha's Brain. We speak about the survival strategies that keep us hard-wired for suffering, the difference between pain and suffering, the importance of being empowered in our mindfulness practices instead of simply passive, and simple practices (gratitude, taking in the good, savoring, finding a felt-sense of safety, and more) we can use each day to help use our minds to transform our brains. Tune in!
Miriam Greenspan: Healing Through the Dark Emotions—the power of emotional alchemy
Sep 5 2012
Miriam Greenspan: Healing Through the Dark Emotions—the power of emotional alchemy
Author and teacher Miriam Greenspan sheds light on the hidden power of the dark emotions: grief, fear, and despair. Miriam teaches us how to alchemize our greatest challenges into a source of emotional strength and wisdom that can fuel our spiritual growth and our lives. How can we surrender in the midst of difficulty? Why is vulnerability actually powerful? How do we find true, heart-centered faith in the midst of our despair? What’s the purpose of fear, and how can we learn to befriend it? And how can our broken heart and loneliness actually bring us into greater connection with the world? Listen in.