In this half-hour interview with SAND co-founder Zaya Benazzo, Turiya explores the unfoldment of her own path and the different turns that brought her to where she is today. She covers the role of embodiment and the place of shadow exploration in spiritual work, and much more.
The process of inner transformation is both spiritual and psychological. The spiritual work is about awakening to higher states of consciousness; the psychological work involves cleaning the psyche of all conditionings, psychological blocks, complex contradiction and traumas. In owning our shadows, projections and inner conflicts, we create a foundation for our spiritual life.
Turiya's personal journey into human development started when she did her first 2-year Jungian Psychotherapy at age 22, followed by an encounter workshop in 1970 in Germany. In 1971, Turiya and her husband were part of developing the first German Humanistic Psychology Growth Centre, known as Zist. The revelation and exploration of this Humanistic Psychology approach took Turiya by surprise. The internal shift that she experienced was so profound, that she and her husband, set on a new course of human discovery, which lead them to India. There, they discovered a revolutionary form of teaching from an Indian mystic. Through learning meditation, living and working in a community under the guidance of a master, she developed a unique approach in working with people that is a synthesis of eastern insights, living awareness and western approach to humanistic psychology. The sudden, unexpected death of her husband marked a turning point in Turiya’ life. This profound experience deeply influenced her own personal search and how she works with people today. Turiya has had extensive experience and training in leading personal development groups and trainings globally since 1973. Turiya's work transforms old rigid ego patterns into experiences of joy, acceptance and life affirmation. Through years of experience in working with different cultures and thousands of people worldwide, her work has now evolved into discovering how to be in the present moment and learning how to accept our human nature with all its darkness and all its light. She loves to work with people and is passionate in her own journey of feminine Awakening. Turiya Is a cofounder of a process called ‘Path of Love’ and she leads a year-long Training in ‘Working with People’, as well as running workshops that are held all over Europe, Australia and Brazil. Today Turiya lives in Australia and when she is not leading groups or is working with people she dives into painting and loves this creative expression.