Everyone Is Right Integral Life

Have you ever wondered how big-picture philosophical frameworks could revolutionize social innovation and drive meaningful change in the world?

Are you curious about the integral movement’s journey over the last 20 years, and the social shifts that are now catalyzing the emergence of an entirely new era of integral leadership?

In this first episode of the IAM Insider Show, Josh Leonard and Robb Smith discuss the founding and evolution of the Institute of Applied Metatheory (IAM), an international applied philosophy network dedicated to the education and application of “big picture” philosophical systems and metatheories. The conversation also reflects on the integral movement’s various phases and challenges over the years, the social shifts necessitating IAM’s emergence, and the four foundational hypotheses underpinning IAM’s work.

In a world grappling with unprecedented crises, from climate change to social unrest, Robb and Josh investigate the critical necessity of an organization that unites and empowers scholar-practitioners to collaboratively develop and apply transformative, integrative metatheories. These cutting-edge frameworks hold the potential to untangle complex, interconnected issues and forge paths towards a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future for all. “Problems cannot be solved from the same stage that created them”, as the adage goes — and IAM is the latest effort to cohere an entirely new stage of problem-solving and crisis management. Discover how applying integrative metatheory to the most pressing 21st-century challenges could be the key to unlocking transformative solutions for a world that so clearly needs them.

Josh and Robb go on to outline their plans to expand the IAM network through pilot initiatives and Applied Metatheory Initiative (AMI) Incubation Grants, empowering leaders to apply integrative metatheory across various issue areas. They also discuss the development of an applied Complex Integral Realism framework, the importance of educating the integral community about other integrative metatheories, and IAM’s aim to provide resources and support to maximize the impact of metatheory-driven solutions. The episode concludes with an announcement about the upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) for AMI Incubation Grants.

It has never been a more exciting time to be an integralist. We invite you to join us on this new adventure — your chance to be part of a movement that has the potential to revolutionize social innovation as we know it, and to explore the powerful potentials of big-picture philosophical frameworks as a way to catalyze meaningful change in the world.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:13 The Three-Stage History of the Integral Movement
12:24 Societal Changes Driving IAM
31:40 The Need For Integrative Sensemaking Software
48:50 The Four Hypotheses
1:10:00 Context: AI Meets Metatheory
1:29:21 IAM’s Plans for 2024
1:49:00 Developing a Complex Integral Realism Protocol
1:58:51 What’s Next: AMI Incubation Grants

Watch the video version here:
https://integrallife.com/iam-organizing-big-pictures-for-the-transformation-age/

Watch the full episode here:
https://integrallife.com/healing-the-infosphere

In today’s digital era, the infosphere is a vast and tumultuous sea of information, where news and data churn through the collective consciousness at breakneck speed. This relentless flow presents profound challenges as individuals and societies grapple with the complexities of discerning truth from misinformation, genuine discourse from manipulative rhetoric, and enduring values from fleeting trends. Amidst this chaotic backdrop, the need for a transformative approach to journalism becomes clear — an approach that not only navigates these turbulent waters but also seeks to calm them, providing clarity and insight in a world overwhelmed by the noise of perpetual connectivity.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Corey deVos talks to Stefan Schultz, a journalist at Der Spiegel magazine, about his model for integral journalism that he has been developing over the past few years. This model, staggering in both its depth and its breadth, examines journalism and media literacy through a developmental lens, looking at how the infosphere shapes society and how journalism can positively influence this process.

Stefan outlines the four key problem areas he sees in journalism today: frustration among reporters, dissatisfaction in audiences due to lack of perspectives/empathy/positivity in coverage, challenges for media companies in retaining subscribers, and polarization in society. To address these systemic issues, Stefan convened an interdisciplinary team to examine the problem from all angles and prototype solutions. He views journalism as one part of a larger ecosystem that also includes both the infosphere and society. Every developmental stage, from Amber to Teal, has beneficial and detrimental impacts on this ecosystem. The goal is to amplify the positive contributions of each stage while minimizing the negatives — for example, having journalists at different stages collaborate: Amber focuses on group cohesion, Orange on investigation, Green on empathy, Teal on synthesis, etc.

Ultimately, integral journalism aims to facilitate development by exposing people to more complex information, healthier discourse, and inspiration for transformation. While the infosphere has become decentralized and overwhelming, journalists can still act as “beacons” to promote greater wisdom and maturity in public dialogue. The integral model provides a roadmap for how journalism can evolve to better meet the needs of a complex world.

Watch the full discussion here:
https://integrallife.com/the-art-of-integral-conversation

Dr. Keith Witt and Corey deVos explore the concept of “turquoise dialectic” – a sophisticated form of integral discourse that emerges at the later stages of human development. Drawing upon their deep understanding of adult development and integral theory, they explore the feeling and transformative potential of the turquoise “we-space”, and how we might create the conditions for this type of conversation to unfold.

What is a “turquoise dialectic”?

The term “dialectic” originates in ancient Greece, signifying the various methods of reasoning and discussion in order to discover the truth. It is most often associated with the work of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, whose well-known process of “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” is often regarded as a fundamental aspect of integral thinking and sense-making. In this discussion, we refer to the term “dialectic” to represent a fluid, multidimensional form of discourse that acknowledges the constructed nature of all perspectives, and seeks to both situate and synthesize those perspectives (and their associated methods of knowing) into a more coherent understanding of reality — consciously inquiring into the frameworks and assumptions that shape our perceptions and understandings of the world around us.

This kind of Turquoise discourse facilitates the emergence of new forms of consciousness, co-creating novel ways of being and understanding that align with the interdependence and mystery of existence. Communication becomes a sacred practice of conscious participation in the evolution of humanity and the kosmos, demanding radical humility, transparency, and a release of fixed identities. Participants continually challenge themselves to expand awareness, embrace paradox, and open to the unknown, engaging in an ongoing exploration of the frontiers of human potential.

How do we set the conditions for a turquoise dialectic?

Imagine that every conversation is something like a poker game, where the players decide the rules before each hand. If you’ve got five players at the table, and each is coming from an Amber stage of development, then the rules will be set up according to Amber-stage views and values, and it will basically be an Amber game. If all the players are Turquoise, you’ll get turquoise rules, a turquoise game, and therefore a turquoise we-space. It’s as simple as that!

Or is it?

Human beings, after all, are far more complicated than this. We are not developmental stereotypes, we instead possess an entire stack of evolutionary intelligences within us — all of which are constantly growing and adapting, and any of which we may be inhabiting at a given time, depending on the context we find ourselves in. Turquoise people can happily play Red games, Amber games, Orange games, and so forth, because all of these stages are still alive within them.

The trick, therefore, is not just getting the right people to the table, but also establishing the right rules and norms that are most conducive to turquoise enfoldment. Of course, these are not the sorts of strict rules and regulations that we might find in an Amber game. They are rather a series of basic guardrails, orienting generalizations, and attractor points that can help the group to self-organize, participants to self-regulate, and the dialectic itself to self-govern. It’s about “rigging the game” so that authentic transformation, deep empathy, and collective sense-making become the winning strategies, allowing us to create a space together that invites and includes all of us, and all of the multitudes we contain, while guiding us toward our highest and wisest possible Self.

The Lost Art of Adulthood: Reviving Our Rites of Passage [PREVIEW] by Integral Life

Listen to the full discussion here:
https://integrallife.com/the-psychology-of-splitting/

You are driving along in your car, your mind wandering from one place to the next, when suddenly someone cuts into your lane and causes you to slow down and miss the green light. At that moment, you feel a powerful rage erupt within you. You honk your horn, slam your steering wheel, maybe yell a cuss word or two in order to express your anger. “What an absolute jerk,” you think to yourself.

A moment later, the rage passes, and you find yourself surprised by your own reaction. It was just a mild inconvenience, after all, and for all you know the other car was rushing due to some emergency you couldn’t possibly know about. “Why did I get so angry?” you ask yourself. “Why did I suddenly lose control? Where did all that patience and equanimity and empathy go?”

Don’t worry, it didn’t go anywhere. You simply experienced a temporary state of psychological splitting, a momentary dissociation that all of us have encountered at one time or another.

“Splitting” is a common defense mechanism that allows people to tolerate any number of challenging or even overwhelming emotions, typically by protecting strong negative qualities onto others. Often experienced during adolescence, splitting can also occur in adults during times of high or sudden stress. Typically these states are quickly recognized and regulated by the rest of the self-system after they occur, which are those times when we say to ourselves “whoa, I really lost it there.” For others, particularly people with borderline personality disorder, it can be more difficult to regulate ourselves out of these states, as Dr. Keith explains in this episode.

Although it is often regarded as a pathology, dissociation, says Keith, can also be seen as a human superpower. We dissociate all the time. In fact, you are likely dissociating at this very moment, or else you would be unable to read these words on your screen without a thousand other distractions pulling your attention away. Well-regulated dissociation is what allows us to focus, to concentrate, to locate the signal in the ongoing rush of noise of our day to day lives. The problem, of course, is when we are unable to regulate our dissociative tendencies, which can then lead to conflict, abuse, and harm.

Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey explore the psychological process of splitting, revealing how awareness and regulation of these processes can lead to a more health and healing, as well as to a more integrated and resilient self. By acknowledging the nuanced nature of our emotional responses and learning to navigate them with compassion and mindfulness, we open the door to deeper self-understanding and more harmonious relationships with others.

In this rich and wide-ranging dialogue, Corey deVos and Ryan Oelke explore the nature of integral awakening, drawing on their own experiences and the insights of integral theory. They discuss how awakening is a universal human potential, but one that is profoundly shaped by the unique "Kosmic address" of each individual - their particular stage of development, state of consciousness, typologies, cultural contexts, social conditions, and so forth.

Corey and Ryan share how their own journeys of awakening have been both deeply personal and intimately connected with the larger integral community. They highlight the importance of having a supportive framework and community of practice to help navigate the often challenging and destabilizing terrain of spiritual growth. Integral theory, they suggest, provides a vital map for understanding the many dimensions of awakening, from the individual to the collective, from the psychological to the spiritual.

The discussion also explores the potential pitfalls and shadow sides of the spiritual path, such as spiritual bypassing, narcissism, and the temptation to use spirituality as a way to avoid the messiness of everyday life. Corey shares a powerful story of how a family health crisis forced him to confront and let go of certain spiritual attachments and identities, leading to a deeper, simpler, and more grounded way of being.

This conversation is a beautiful example of what Ryan calls "Integral Dharma" - an elegant synthesis of Buddhist wisdom and integral theory that he explores in depth in his groundbreaking new web course. Integral Dharma offers a unique path to spiritual awakening, personal transformation, and purposeful engagement with the world, one that is both rooted in ancient wisdom and responsive to the unique challenges and opportunities of our time. As Ryan explains, this approach goes beyond conceptual understanding to foster a profound shift in how we perceive and embody the spiritual path in every aspect of our lives.

Throughout the conversation, Corey and Ryan emphasize the importance of engaging spiritual awakening as an ongoing, embodied, and participatory process. Rather than a one-time event or final destination, integral awakening is seen as a continual unfolding, a deepening into the mystery of being that embraces both the timeless ground of pure awareness and the dynamic, evolving world of form. They invite listeners to bring curiosity, humility, and a willingness to engage the full-spectrum of human experience as they navigate their own unique paths of integral awakening.