John Churchill - Attunement as World Medicine

Emerge: Making Sense of What's Next

John Churchill joins Daniel to discuss the relationship between Attachment Theory and the process of awakening. Weaving together strands from Buddhist psychology and developmental psychology, John describes the Bodhisattva path and the development of a Planetary Dharma through the lenses of attunement and attachment. Topics covered include the development of the heart, the definition and various dimensions of attunement, and the difficulty of finding trustworthy spiritual teachers and community. John also shares theory and practice perspectives on the development of healthier attachment and offers words of encouragement for community building in difficult times.

0:00 Introduction and background for the talk

2:43 Western and Eastern Psychology and Attachment Theory

5:01 The attachment and attention systems and the sense of self

10:37 Addressing the split between the heart and the mind

16:21 Buddhist perspectives on the healing of the attachment system

21:26 Right relationship, attunement, and the dimensions of the heart

26:42 Developmental psychology and attunement

28:42 Levels of attunement and the significance of intuition

36:46 Collective psychological and structural components of attunement

40:52 Awakening with and without the heart as a central point of focus

48:09 Discernment on the Buddhist path and a developmental model of the Bodhisattva

52:32 The significance of time in spiritual development

55:50 Finding trustworthy teachers and avenues of practice

1:04:30 Putting the difficulty of finding a reliable spiritual path in perspective

1:07:33 Theoretical perspectives and practical advice for developing healthier attachment

1:20:23 Summarizing the development of healthy attachment and the Bodhisattva path from the perspective of attachment theory

1:23:37 Closing thoughts: Coming together and taking care of each other