Beautifully put. Really appreciate you writing this. I was once a big fan of Charles Eistenstein and been utterly confused by his writings of late. I couldn't read beyond the first 2 paragraphs of his last post. Thank you for taking the time to articulate what you are observing with such clarity and compassion.
Thank you for this. I’ve followed Eisenstein, you, and other wellness and New Age influencers since long before COVID-19, and watching the shift of so many I once respected has been both confusing and heartbreaking. I can only imagine how much harder this has been for you, given your close ties to many of them. I truly appreciate you speaking out—here and in so many other ways.
I hear the frustration, disappointment, and care behind your words. It’s devastating to see those we once aligned with take paths so out of step with the values they once championed. The idea that 'both sides' can apply to fundamental human rights, democracy, and justice is a dangerous fallacy—one that enables oppression to continue unchecked. It seems even more demeaning when it’s dressed up in spiritual garb—when avoidance, false balance, and complicity are repackaged as enlightenment, unity, or higher consciousness.
"Both sides' rhetoric often legitimizes positions with no moral equivalent. Human rights, democracy, and justice aren’t debates—they are fundamental values. When we act like oppression and equality are just two sides of an argument, we allow injustice to persist. Some issues have no neutral stance—either we believe all lives have equal worth, or we don’t.
At some point, choosing neutrality in the face of injustice becomes a choice to side with power over people. I truly hope he listens, reflects, and finds the humility to course-correct. Because, as you said, silence is complicity. And there is no ‘both sides’ to human dignity.
You expressed this so clearly. I completely agree with you. And yes, it's very sad. My heart has broken over and over as I've seen people who used to write forwards to my books, people I've had sleep over in my guest room, people I once held great respect for- turn almost overnight into people I don't recognize. It's what happens when people we love join cults. They become indoctrinated and lose themselves in the false doctrine. Very sad.
My respect for your dedication and courage to speak out on these perspectives again, with clarity and determination. Just recently I have spoken eloquently on a thread by someone whom I like and worked with for years, who decided to come out sharing similar views, exposing that he is supporting this regime while trying to be accepted by those who are in pain and indignation at what is unfolding. I think it is so important that we keep making these distinctions clearly: it is not about "othering" or "division". It is about discernment and exposing who is gaining from this and who is being harmed.
Loved your response to Charles E. in your substack - Lissa - you rock Mama, continuing to put clear words to my churning thoughts and feelings these days - living right here outside of DC… ❤️ as I ground and stand strong here for what is right I appreciate you deeply.
Thank you for this piece . I also used to be a follower of Charles . I remember when I started to have doubts about him . I also remember when I decided he had changed and I could no longer trust him . It taught me to trust my own intelligence and instincts .
As an IFS'er why do you think you are trying so hard to save someone who does not want to be saved? I call this getting Trigger Happy, because getting happy to get triggered is how we know to take the trailhead back home.
I agree with all that you have written btw, I just don't think it will work on helping Charles see the light. But you are willing...why not get freer on Charle's inability to grow up? That is how we can always be winning even when we 'play' with cheaters.
The hints about Charles' own trauma history are not surprising & remind me of the interesting idea that Protectors don't protect us from real danger, just old attachment wounds with the bad ancestors. The real question then becomes why is he choosing to 'fail' and degrade his own intellect and potential. What old relationship is he protecting? Who is he playing the fool for?
He has become Baldwin's monster by clinging to his feigned innocence when that time is long past.
He has become all waffle, covered in the sticky sweet syrup of corrupted innocence.
I have given up on actually trying to get through to Charles. I spent a year during the pandemic trying to do so. This comment was mostly aimed at Charles's followers who are under his spell. I'm very aware of my own parts in this (hello integrity police part and social justice activist part and parts that get very reactive around gaslighting dominating men who pretend to be do-gooders). But I also have parts that don't want to stay silent in the face of powerful influencers spreading dangerous influence.
I get all of that & I am also playing "I got it I spot it" with my comment. It is so hard to see people creating harm to others and themselves and the people closest to them in plain sight & seemingly get away with it!
I am the victim of FSA Family Scapegoating Abuse & it has been overwhelming to see people accept the worst lies from my covert narcissistic mother who had an epic meltdown when I enforced the mildest of boundaries to her petulant childish acting out.
I have been the witness, student and scribe as well as the victim in my own too weird to not be Wyrd scapegoating smear campaign. Because I don't want us to keep suffering this stupid evil Wetiko that just keeps growing and growing.
I know that denial about our delusions is the key, it is baked into how coping mechanisms work. We must not know what we know in order to remain safe.
Like with Charles, why is he alienating the people who believed in him and supported him to be at his best? Why is he choosing to harm himself and degrade and diminish his own reputation? What is in it for him?
Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. My partner is also a victim of Family Scapegoating Abuse and it's just awful to see what's been done to this beautiful person. I'm sorry you've experienced this terrible trauma as well. I know from my partner that anytime someone gets publicly called out or cancelled, it activates a part that doesn't want anyone else scapegoated. And I know Charles feels protective of anyone, himself included, who is held to account publicly because it's a fine line between being held accountable and being publicly scapegoated. Not suggesting that you're doing this, but just honoring that scapegoated parts are very tender. My heart goes out to all who have been scapegoated. It's a terrible thing to have happen to anyone.
Thank you so much, it is such a horrific burden if you are the family scapegoat as you become radioactive to people who have not dealt with their own core wounds.
I was moved by your partner's work when I came across them on Sounds True and it is especially resonant to know that they were the family scapegoat.
I am trying to figure out how to use all that I have been put through to be of the highest service to the collective. I feel like I am moving from being locked into servitude to powering up to being of service.
As I said, I play I got it I spot it and the biggest thing that I have struggled to overcome is trying to get people who are locked into their own delusion to see the light. It is such an ingrained pernicious pattern from having a covert narcissistic mother and a huge attachment wound from being adopted and fostered first.
I agree with everything you say about Charles and his followers and I see the same patterns playing out in the terrifying rise of the Trusk & Mump fast tack into bat-shit crazy authoritarianism. I know how narcissists end up poisoning the environment and how people who refuse to face their shadows (both the dark and the hidden gold) are so controllable by these proxy authority figures.
As I went through my own too weird to not be Wryd scapegoating it has been absolutely extraordinary to see how what I thought were somewhat reasonable adults turn into absolute feral children and attack me instead of seeing how my mother is using them to poison the whole system. How scapegoating is very much a real thing, as those who should know better often end up being the most evil people in the system. They know they are not hitting the right target, they know they are being used, and they have their own power kegs of resentment that is simmering away. They will totally turn on any 'messenger' that takes the path of liberation.
Those who know better, but have not integrated their shadows do not do better, in fact, they can become some of the most vicious monsters. I truly believe that all pain that is not transmuted is transmitted. It does not just go away but festers until it consumes the host. Look at It'sNotReal as the ultimate proof of those who should know better but have turned into the worst of monsters!
I think that part of my journey is to show how authoritarianism starts at home, how could it not???
I think talking about how people like Charles & co are acting out from their parts instead of trying to talk to them is where we can be most effective. If we know someone is not in their higher self, we don't take the bait that they offer, which is a ticket back to Painsville where they are residing. Misery really does love company!
& I was just talking to a friend about needing some kind of IFS 12-step decentralized model where we can meet up and talk about our parts with our communities. The more we can make Parts talk ordinary the less place those who refuse to face reality will have to hide.
Thanks for playing & all the work you have done these many years and helping me work on whatever my mission is!
First of all. . . "The body is a trailhead" is a wonderful statement. I respect your thoughtfulness and I have respected Charles thoughtfulness on what is happening with humanity. Going with the "my body is my trailhead" on this one. This is my humble offering.
My body has had led me to the understanding that we really are "all one." As a nurse practitioner. (who left the corrupt system) and as a recovering "Its my job to save (insert the perceived oppressed of the day here) I observe that both you and Charles have been seduced by the oh so seductive narrative that there are victims and villains and the goal is the help the victims and fight the villains. What I experience is that we are all victims and villains AND none of us are victims or villains. We are all volunteers in the human experience. There is no oppression to stand against other then our habit of projecting our shadows and power onto our fellow humans.The great work is to come a little more out of our shadow state then we we existed in yesterday understanding that there will be more shadow to deal with tomorrow.
I believe that the folks that love Charles' latest piece (or any of his post-pandemic writings) just haven't been exposed to the many mystics, thinkers, and philosophers who have talked about the idea of 'othering' or 'demonizing' for eons.
Not only is this set of ideas he keeps exhaustively repeating and rehashing, obvious and unoriginal, it is also now being used, consciously or not, as a shield, along with his excessive privilege, to hide behind as a way of avoiding offending many of his followers and allies.
Knowing Charles, I think he just can't tolerate losing followers, even as he paradoxically loses followers by not taking a more clear stand. It's so disappointing. I also have a part that just doesn't want to give this any more of my attention. But I worry about some of his very vulnerable and quite naive followers. Some of them will follow him in whatever culty directions he takes them, and my therapist parts just want to protect them. I know I can't. But still...it's hard to keep my mouth shut when I see so much harm done by someone I used to be close with.
Agree. I don't admire Eisenstein any more. His views/philosophy are inconsistent & confusing. I have no interest in him. But kudos to you for sending a loving invitation to return to the Light
Beautifully put. Really appreciate you writing this. I was once a big fan of Charles Eistenstein and been utterly confused by his writings of late. I couldn't read beyond the first 2 paragraphs of his last post. Thank you for taking the time to articulate what you are observing with such clarity and compassion.
Thank you for this. I’ve followed Eisenstein, you, and other wellness and New Age influencers since long before COVID-19, and watching the shift of so many I once respected has been both confusing and heartbreaking. I can only imagine how much harder this has been for you, given your close ties to many of them. I truly appreciate you speaking out—here and in so many other ways.
I hear the frustration, disappointment, and care behind your words. It’s devastating to see those we once aligned with take paths so out of step with the values they once championed. The idea that 'both sides' can apply to fundamental human rights, democracy, and justice is a dangerous fallacy—one that enables oppression to continue unchecked. It seems even more demeaning when it’s dressed up in spiritual garb—when avoidance, false balance, and complicity are repackaged as enlightenment, unity, or higher consciousness.
"Both sides' rhetoric often legitimizes positions with no moral equivalent. Human rights, democracy, and justice aren’t debates—they are fundamental values. When we act like oppression and equality are just two sides of an argument, we allow injustice to persist. Some issues have no neutral stance—either we believe all lives have equal worth, or we don’t.
At some point, choosing neutrality in the face of injustice becomes a choice to side with power over people. I truly hope he listens, reflects, and finds the humility to course-correct. Because, as you said, silence is complicity. And there is no ‘both sides’ to human dignity.
You expressed this so clearly. I completely agree with you. And yes, it's very sad. My heart has broken over and over as I've seen people who used to write forwards to my books, people I've had sleep over in my guest room, people I once held great respect for- turn almost overnight into people I don't recognize. It's what happens when people we love join cults. They become indoctrinated and lose themselves in the false doctrine. Very sad.
My respect for your dedication and courage to speak out on these perspectives again, with clarity and determination. Just recently I have spoken eloquently on a thread by someone whom I like and worked with for years, who decided to come out sharing similar views, exposing that he is supporting this regime while trying to be accepted by those who are in pain and indignation at what is unfolding. I think it is so important that we keep making these distinctions clearly: it is not about "othering" or "division". It is about discernment and exposing who is gaining from this and who is being harmed.
Loved your response to Charles E. in your substack - Lissa - you rock Mama, continuing to put clear words to my churning thoughts and feelings these days - living right here outside of DC… ❤️ as I ground and stand strong here for what is right I appreciate you deeply.
Thank you for this piece . I also used to be a follower of Charles . I remember when I started to have doubts about him . I also remember when I decided he had changed and I could no longer trust him . It taught me to trust my own intelligence and instincts .
As an IFS'er why do you think you are trying so hard to save someone who does not want to be saved? I call this getting Trigger Happy, because getting happy to get triggered is how we know to take the trailhead back home.
I agree with all that you have written btw, I just don't think it will work on helping Charles see the light. But you are willing...why not get freer on Charle's inability to grow up? That is how we can always be winning even when we 'play' with cheaters.
The hints about Charles' own trauma history are not surprising & remind me of the interesting idea that Protectors don't protect us from real danger, just old attachment wounds with the bad ancestors. The real question then becomes why is he choosing to 'fail' and degrade his own intellect and potential. What old relationship is he protecting? Who is he playing the fool for?
He has become Baldwin's monster by clinging to his feigned innocence when that time is long past.
He has become all waffle, covered in the sticky sweet syrup of corrupted innocence.
I have given up on actually trying to get through to Charles. I spent a year during the pandemic trying to do so. This comment was mostly aimed at Charles's followers who are under his spell. I'm very aware of my own parts in this (hello integrity police part and social justice activist part and parts that get very reactive around gaslighting dominating men who pretend to be do-gooders). But I also have parts that don't want to stay silent in the face of powerful influencers spreading dangerous influence.
I get all of that & I am also playing "I got it I spot it" with my comment. It is so hard to see people creating harm to others and themselves and the people closest to them in plain sight & seemingly get away with it!
I am the victim of FSA Family Scapegoating Abuse & it has been overwhelming to see people accept the worst lies from my covert narcissistic mother who had an epic meltdown when I enforced the mildest of boundaries to her petulant childish acting out.
I have been the witness, student and scribe as well as the victim in my own too weird to not be Wyrd scapegoating smear campaign. Because I don't want us to keep suffering this stupid evil Wetiko that just keeps growing and growing.
I know that denial about our delusions is the key, it is baked into how coping mechanisms work. We must not know what we know in order to remain safe.
Like with Charles, why is he alienating the people who believed in him and supported him to be at his best? Why is he choosing to harm himself and degrade and diminish his own reputation? What is in it for him?
Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. My partner is also a victim of Family Scapegoating Abuse and it's just awful to see what's been done to this beautiful person. I'm sorry you've experienced this terrible trauma as well. I know from my partner that anytime someone gets publicly called out or cancelled, it activates a part that doesn't want anyone else scapegoated. And I know Charles feels protective of anyone, himself included, who is held to account publicly because it's a fine line between being held accountable and being publicly scapegoated. Not suggesting that you're doing this, but just honoring that scapegoated parts are very tender. My heart goes out to all who have been scapegoated. It's a terrible thing to have happen to anyone.
Thank you so much, it is such a horrific burden if you are the family scapegoat as you become radioactive to people who have not dealt with their own core wounds.
I was moved by your partner's work when I came across them on Sounds True and it is especially resonant to know that they were the family scapegoat.
I am trying to figure out how to use all that I have been put through to be of the highest service to the collective. I feel like I am moving from being locked into servitude to powering up to being of service.
As I said, I play I got it I spot it and the biggest thing that I have struggled to overcome is trying to get people who are locked into their own delusion to see the light. It is such an ingrained pernicious pattern from having a covert narcissistic mother and a huge attachment wound from being adopted and fostered first.
I agree with everything you say about Charles and his followers and I see the same patterns playing out in the terrifying rise of the Trusk & Mump fast tack into bat-shit crazy authoritarianism. I know how narcissists end up poisoning the environment and how people who refuse to face their shadows (both the dark and the hidden gold) are so controllable by these proxy authority figures.
As I went through my own too weird to not be Wryd scapegoating it has been absolutely extraordinary to see how what I thought were somewhat reasonable adults turn into absolute feral children and attack me instead of seeing how my mother is using them to poison the whole system. How scapegoating is very much a real thing, as those who should know better often end up being the most evil people in the system. They know they are not hitting the right target, they know they are being used, and they have their own power kegs of resentment that is simmering away. They will totally turn on any 'messenger' that takes the path of liberation.
Those who know better, but have not integrated their shadows do not do better, in fact, they can become some of the most vicious monsters. I truly believe that all pain that is not transmuted is transmitted. It does not just go away but festers until it consumes the host. Look at It'sNotReal as the ultimate proof of those who should know better but have turned into the worst of monsters!
I think that part of my journey is to show how authoritarianism starts at home, how could it not???
I think talking about how people like Charles & co are acting out from their parts instead of trying to talk to them is where we can be most effective. If we know someone is not in their higher self, we don't take the bait that they offer, which is a ticket back to Painsville where they are residing. Misery really does love company!
& I was just talking to a friend about needing some kind of IFS 12-step decentralized model where we can meet up and talk about our parts with our communities. The more we can make Parts talk ordinary the less place those who refuse to face reality will have to hide.
Thanks for playing & all the work you have done these many years and helping me work on whatever my mission is!
First of all. . . "The body is a trailhead" is a wonderful statement. I respect your thoughtfulness and I have respected Charles thoughtfulness on what is happening with humanity. Going with the "my body is my trailhead" on this one. This is my humble offering.
My body has had led me to the understanding that we really are "all one." As a nurse practitioner. (who left the corrupt system) and as a recovering "Its my job to save (insert the perceived oppressed of the day here) I observe that both you and Charles have been seduced by the oh so seductive narrative that there are victims and villains and the goal is the help the victims and fight the villains. What I experience is that we are all victims and villains AND none of us are victims or villains. We are all volunteers in the human experience. There is no oppression to stand against other then our habit of projecting our shadows and power onto our fellow humans.The great work is to come a little more out of our shadow state then we we existed in yesterday understanding that there will be more shadow to deal with tomorrow.
I believe that the folks that love Charles' latest piece (or any of his post-pandemic writings) just haven't been exposed to the many mystics, thinkers, and philosophers who have talked about the idea of 'othering' or 'demonizing' for eons.
Not only is this set of ideas he keeps exhaustively repeating and rehashing, obvious and unoriginal, it is also now being used, consciously or not, as a shield, along with his excessive privilege, to hide behind as a way of avoiding offending many of his followers and allies.
Yes. I agree. It helped me begin to just lay down the mantle about all this to read Drew Dellinger's multi-part series about the origins of Charles's ideas https://drewdellinger.substack.com/p/charles-eisenstein-whitewashes-trump
Knowing Charles, I think he just can't tolerate losing followers, even as he paradoxically loses followers by not taking a more clear stand. It's so disappointing. I also have a part that just doesn't want to give this any more of my attention. But I worry about some of his very vulnerable and quite naive followers. Some of them will follow him in whatever culty directions he takes them, and my therapist parts just want to protect them. I know I can't. But still...it's hard to keep my mouth shut when I see so much harm done by someone I used to be close with.
Thank you so much for this. It is so confirming of what I know to be true but sometimes doubt. I feel relieved. I can trust my instincts.
Agree. I don't admire Eisenstein any more. His views/philosophy are inconsistent & confusing. I have no interest in him. But kudos to you for sending a loving invitation to return to the Light
Excellent piece! Thank you!!