Awakening & Meditation Coaching: Guidance For Those Stuck On The Path
👉 Click here to email me to schedule an introductory session.
Let’s talk about awakening and meditation coaching.
It’s something I’ve been doing more and more of these last few years— and for good reason.
To give you a feel for what this is about, let me share two quotes.
The first, by Wu Wei Wei:
“Why are you suffering? Because all of your thinking revolves around your self — and there isn’t one.”
The second is from developmental psychologist Robert Kegan (I’m paraphrasing):
In every job, people are secretly doing a second job nobody pays them for — covering up their vulnerabilities, promoting a particular identity or self-concept. And that second job gets in the way of the actual work they’re supposed to be doing.
Let that sink in.
There is no such THING as a self — How to see through the self illusion
If you’ve meditated even a little, you’ve probably noticed this already:
Most of your thinking is about your self.
And once you start seeing how much your mind is obsessively looping around a “you,” it becomes obvious — that’s where a lot of your suffering is coming from.
That’s what kicks off the path of awakening:
The drive to see through the illusion of self.
Maybe you’ve already realized, on an intellectual level, that there’s no such thing as a solid “self.” But it still feels like there is. You haven’t had a solid shift yet — one that really changes your operating system.
Or maybe you’ve gone further down the rabbit hole. You’ve seen that the self isn’t real, and now things are getting… weird.
Existential despair. Nihilism. Emotional turbulence.
It can happen.
Because a lot of your psychological defense system is tied up in that self-illusion. When it starts to unravel, the “shit can really hit the fan” — and it can be overwhelming.
That’s where coaching comes in.
I’m Not Enlightened
Let’s be clear. I’m not claiming to be enlightened.
I still get reactive sometimes. I still suffer psychologically now and then.
But what I can say is:
I’ve seen through the self-illusion. I’ve had a profound shift — what’s often called stream entry.
And I’ve spent a lot of time refining my approach, not just for myself, but in helping other people navigate the same territory.
Meditation Has Gone Mainstream — But People Are Getting Stuck
When I started meditating in 1991, almost nobody was doing it. It was this fringe, slightly eccentric thing.
Now it’s everywhere.
Mindfulness apps. Bestselling books. Corporate wellness programs. You name it.
That’s great. But here’s the catch:
More people are meditating now — and more people are running into problems.
People are having shifts in perception, cognition, sense of self… and they don’t necessarily know how to make sense of it in a functional way.
You get people coming in saying,
“Something’s changed… and I don’t know if I’m going crazy or waking up.”
Sometimes what psychiatrists call depersonalization or derealization is basically the same thing that meditators call insight.
It just depends on the framework, the language, and the meaning you give it.
That’s why having a coach who understands both the psychological factors involved and the awakening process can be incredibly useful.
What If You Work with Clients?
If you’re a coach, therapist, or practitioner doing change work — this matters too.
Because you’re going to get clients who are going through big internal shifts.
If you see clients you will get people who have run into trouble through meditation apps, retreats or courses and they may need guidance in terms of how to relate and make sense of their experience.
That’s where I come in.
Here’s the Bottom Line
I’ve been meditating since 1991. I’ve been working with clients professionally since 1998.
I know both of these worlds inside and out.
So whether you’re:
- On your own awakening journey
- Stuck in a weird, in-between space and need guidance
- A coach or practitioner who wants to bring depth and clarity to your work with clients
… I can probably help.
Moving forward
If this resonates — if something in this clicked — send me an email.
We’ll set up a short chat and see if it makes sense to explore this together.
👉 Click here to email me to schedule an introductory session.
THOMAS:
When I walked into Jørgen’s presentation at the 2018 UK Hypnosis Convention, I had no idea I would be leaving behind a piece of baggage that I’d been dragging around with me for 34 years. Jørgen had asked for demo subject’s, who wanted to let go of a trauma, and I’d put my hand up. But when I said the words “My parents moving abroad and me staying behind in boarding school” in answer to his question regarding the nature of my trauma, the palpatations, difficulty in breathing and feeling of distress that followed meant I was actually relieved when I was not chosen! Being separated from my Mum repeatedly, for months at a time, between the ages of 9 and 11 had been a deeply painful experience and it occurred to me I probably didn’t want to be dealing with that in front of a room full of people after all…
The most powerful demo followed and I admired both the lady who volunteered and Jørgen for taking her from a rating of 9 on her distress scale, down to a 1 during their session together. I was so moved by what had unfolded I went up to thank Jørgen at the end and said that, whilst I’d not been chosen for the demo, I had benefitted from seeing it and would definitely apply his model to my issue. “Ok, well let’s do this!” he said and over the following ten minutes or so he brought me from a place where tears were streaming down my face and I felt the most incredible pain, to where I still am to this day. I can think about my parents leaving, or indeed explore any memory from that two year period of my life, and there is no feeling at all, there is just nothing! To be free of that distress is extraordinary! I walked around the rest of the day with a huge smile on my face, I just couldn’t believe it! I wondered if those old feelings might ever come back, they have not!
Jørgen showed me that day that you really can change someones life in moments, when you know how, and I am forever grateful
Samantha Shanks-Husbands