Teal Swan | |
|---|---|
 Teal Swan | |
| Born | Mary Teal Bosworth June 16, 1984 Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Other names | Teal Scott |
| Occupation(s) | Public speaker and author |
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Spirituality |
| Website | tealswan |
Teal Swan (born Mary Teal Bosworth; June 16, 1984) is an American spiritual influencer and author.[1] Swan and her teachings are the subject of documentaries and podcasts. Publications, including Eonline, The Guardian and the BBC have noted that some of Swan’s teaching methods on how to manage mental health issues have been found controversial by her critics,[2][3][4] a claim denied by Swan and some of her proponents.
Swan was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 16, 1984 and was raised in Logan, Utah.[2] From an early age, she has claimed to have extrasensory abilities, including telepathy and the ability to communicate with the deceased. Swan reports that these claims contributed to her being socially ostracized and bullied in her youth. This social ostracization, in turn, led to her interactions with the mental health profession.[2]
In 2006, Barbara Snow, a therapist working with Swan, filed a police complaint alleging that Swan had endured twelve years of ritual abuse.[5][6] Such allegations by Snow were not unprecedented, aligning with a history of similar claims during the period known as the satanic panic, prevalent in the late 20th century. The era was marked by numerous publicized legal cases in the United States, including the McMartin Preschool trial, the Country Walk case involving Frank Fuster, and cases in Kern and Thurston counties, some of which have been re-examined in recent years.[7][8][9][10][11] The investigation into Swan and Snow's abuse allegations ended due to a lack of evidence, resulting in case closure.[5][6]
In 2011, she released the book The Sculptor in the Sky.[12] In Summer 2011, she held her first event at a Salt Lake City recital hall, speaking to about twenty people.[13]
In 2015, Swan was mentioned in a post by Cleveland-area columnist Regina Brett.[14]
Her teaching methods sometimes guide participants to envision their own deaths, occasionally by suicide.[15] In 2019, Lebo Diseko from BBC cited Swan's viewpoint on suicide:
In the video Swan urges those who are feeling suicidal to seek medical help, but goes on to say that in her experience, for some people, this may not help long-term. She instead suggests that suicide be seen as "our safety net or our re-set button that's always available to us". She argues that viewing it in this way enables people to set the idea aside, and instead concentrate on what they can do to make themselves feel better in the present.
She also suggests an exercise in which viewers are told to lie down on the floor and imagine their deaths in "grisly detail". Swan argues in the video that by doing so viewers will realise that there is "nowhere to go but back to life… so why leave?" She stresses in the video that killing oneself would "create a devastating ripple" for loved ones, and "it does matter if you are here or not here… You don't want to die. What you want is an end to your pain."
— Lebo Diseko[4]
In October 2020, Swan's first Young Adult novel, Hunger of the Pine, was published.[16][17]
Swan was the subject of the 2017 documentary film Open Shadow: The Story of Teal Swan.[18]
In 2018, a Gizmodo podcast, The Gateway, ran a six-part series on Teal Swan and her self-help spiritual teachings on depression and how her techniques "process past trauma in order to overcome it." The host, Jennings Brown, stated that Swan was not like a regular spiritual leader in terms both of her appearance and how she markets herself.[19] As of May 2018[update], her YouTube videos had been viewed 55 million times.[20]
In May 2022, Freeform released a four-part docu-series on Swan called The Deep End.[21] The producers of the documentary followed Swan for three years, detailing the rules placed on her inner circle, and insinuating controlling and manipulative behavior.[22][23] Swan disputes her characterization in the documentary, citing deceptive practices by the filmmakers and shared a petition urging the director to release the unedited footage.[22]
Swan's work, published in August 2016 by Hay House, "The Completion Process" details a 20-step healing journey for individuals coping with trauma.[26] The book outlines a method involving the creation of a "mental sanctuary" for revisiting traumatic experiences, acknowledging and validating emotions, identifying their origins, and guiding the reader towards relief. The process concludes with a ritual symbolizing a new start.[26]
In this book, released in November 2018 by Watkins Media, Swan delves into the issue of loneliness in modern society.[27][28] It introduces a framework to analyze and address loneliness, represented by the three pillars of separation, shame, and fear.[28] Florian Morata, a book critic, notes that Swan presents a framework for understanding and combating loneliness, focusing on separation, shame, and fear.[29] Morata remarks on Swan's exploration of emotional disconnection in society, suggesting that misunderstandings and failures to address emotions contribute to this loneliness epidemic.[29]
Swan's first fiction novel, published by Watkins Media in October 2020, narrates the story of Aria Abbott, a homeless teenager.[30][31] Chandra Claypool, in her review, discusses how Aria, after fleeing an abusive foster home, forms an alliance with Taylor, another youth with aspirations for a better future, and together they journey to Los Angeles.[31] Claypool highlights Swan's portrayal of the homeless community, emphasizing the book's challenge to societal perceptions and urging a more empathetic understanding of homelessness.[31]
"How To Love Yourself," an updated version of Swan's earlier work "Shadows Before Dawn," explores various methods for cultivating self-love.[32] Central to the book is the guiding question highlighted by Regina Brett of Cleveland Local News: 'What would someone who loves themselves do?' This principle serves as a key mantra throughout the book.[33] Swan explores the journey from self-loathing to self-love, aiming to guide readers towards finding self-worth and acceptance.[32]
