712. Melinda Edwards

 Melinda Edwards, MD is a mother, writer and physician in Charleston, South Carolina, providing psychiatric care for underserved adults. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in psychiatry at Stanford Medical Center. She has studied complementary and alternative medicine with Andrew Weil, MD, researched the effects of MDMA on PTSD with Michael Mithoefer, MD, and is a columnist for Autism Parenting Magazine. Dr. Edwards is the author of PSYCHE & SPIRIT: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Search for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism. As a child of medical missionaries, Melinda grew up in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, Central America. Early in life she experienced an inner pull to a deeper truth. Her journey has taken her through various spiritual practices including meditation retreats, guidance from spiritual teachers, travel to India, and living in spiritual communities. Her quest led to the ongoing discovery of the sacred in all. Inspired by her journey with her daughter Saachi, Dr. Edwards founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization Living Darshan to foster a deeper understanding of autism in the world. Website: melindaedwardsmd.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded July 20, 2024 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:26 - An Evolutionary Journey 00:07:57 - The Fear of Going to Hell 00:11:58 - Tiptoeing Through Sleeping Elephants 00:16:32 - Levels of Spiritual Evolution 00:20:56 - The Spiral into Anorexia 00:25:46 - The Importance of Compassion and Being Heard 00:30:10 - Love as a Virus and the Hazards of Idealizing Spiritual Teachers 00:34:39 - Red Flags in Spiritual Teachers and Communities 00:39:21 - The Dangers of a Spiritualized Ego 00:43:34 - The Danger of Unqualified Advice in the Spiritual Community 00:47:37 - Exploiting Students' Finances 00:51:29 - The Role of Students in Spiritual Teaching 00:55:29 - Correlation between Teaching in Medicine and Spirituality 00:59:39 - Spiritual Teachers and Holistic Development 01:03:34 - The Realization of Nothingness 01:07:09 - The Nature of Realization and Integration 01:10:15 - The Dissolution of the Project of "Me" 01:13:53 - Micro adjustments and thriving 01:18:13 - Medications and Spiritual Awakening 01:21:51 - Support and Caution in Meditation Retreats 01:25:50 - The Impact of Spiritual Practices on Brain Chemistry 01:29:41 - Taking Medication for ADD and Kundalini Awakening 01:33:16 - Online Sessions and the Law 01:38:05 - The Porousness of Energy and Information 01:42:40 - The Increase of Neurodiverse Beings in the Population 01:47:44 - Different Realms and Dimensions 01:51:22 - Supporting Autistic Children in Their Purpose 01:55:29 - Navigating Kundalini Energy 01:59:32 - The Power of a Mother's Love 02:02:41 - Stay tuned for upcoming content