{{short description|American spiritual influencer (born 1984)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Teal Swan | image = Teal Swan.jpg | alt = Teal Swan wearing a bright red top, grinning directly at camera | caption = Swan in 2011 | birth_name = Mary Teal Bosworth | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|06|16}} | birth_place = Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. | occupation = Public speaker, author | website = {{URL|tealswan.com}} | other_names = | module = {{Infobox writer | embed = yes | genre = Spirituality }} }}
'''Teal Swan''' (born '''Mary Teal Bosworth'''; June 16, 1984) is an American spiritual influencer and author.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tealswan.com/about-teal|title=About Teal Swan|website=Teal Swan|access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref> Swan and her teachings are the subject of documentaries and podcasts. Publications, including Eonline,<ref name="eonline">{{cite news |title=Inside the Deep End: The Rise of Teal Swan and Her Controversial "Completion Process" Program |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1335268/inside-the-deep-end-the-rise-of-teal-swan-and-her-controversial-completion-process-program |access-date=July 3, 2022 |work=E! Online |date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> ''The Guardian'',<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sawyer|first1=Miranda|title=The week in podcasts: The Gateway; Bikram|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/10/radio-podcasts-the-gateway-teal-swan-bikram-choudhury|access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> and the BBC<ref name="bbc">{{Cite news|last=Diseko|first=Lebo|date=November 23, 2019|title=The woman encouraging her followers to visualise death|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50478821}}</ref> have noted that some of her teaching methods on how to manage mental health issues have been found harmful by her critics, claims denied by Swan and some of her proponents.
==Early life== Swan was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on June 16, 1984, and was raised in Logan, Utah.<ref name="eonline"/> From an early age, she has claimed to have extrasensory abilities, including telepathy and the ability to communicate with the dead. Swan reports that these claims contributed to her being socially ostracized and bullied in her youth. This social ostracism, in turn, led to her interactions with the mental health profession.<ref name="eonline" />
In 2006, Barbara Snow, a therapist working with Swan, filed a police complaint alleging that Swan had endured twelve years of ritual abuse.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":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 were re-examined in later years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kettler |first=Sara |date=January 28, 2022 |title=The McMartin Preschool Case: Satanic Panic and Child Sexual Abuse Allegations |url=https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/mcmartin-preschool |access-date=March 27, 2024 |website=A&E}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=December 14, 1986 |title= Nightmare in country walk |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/books/nightmare-in-country-walk.html?pagewanted=print |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104091741/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/14/books/nightmare-in-country-walk.html#selection-455.0-458.0 |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Isaac |first=Rael Jean |date=August 23, 2018 |title=Frank Fuster: Day-Care Hysteria Case Seeks Justice {{!}} National Review |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2018/09/10/the-last-victim/ |access-date=March 27, 2024 |website=National Review |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330232529/https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2018/09/10/the-last-victim/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 21, 2004 |title=Ofshe Report on the Ingram Case |url=http://members.aol.com/IngramOrg/ofsherep.htm |access-date=March 27, 2024 |archive-date=March 21, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040321201647/http://members.aol.com/IngramOrg/ofsherep.htm |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2008 |title=First charged in devil worshiping rituals convicted |url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7449933 |access-date=March 27, 2024 |website=KATC3 |archive-date=March 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305040433/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7449933 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The investigation into Swan and Snow's abuse allegations ended due to a lack of evidence, resulting in case closure.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last1=Beres |first1=Derek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzqJEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22barbara+snow%22+%22north+logan%22&pg=PT89 |title=Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat |last2=Remski |first2=Matthew |last3=Walker |first3=Julian |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2023 |isbn=978-1541702981 |location=New York |pages=108–111}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2018 |title=Gizmodo Launches 'The Gateway,' an Investigative Podcast About a Controversial Internet Spiritual Guru |url=https://gizmodo.com/weve-launched-an-investigative-podcast-about-a-controve-1826416613 |access-date=July 6, 2022 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref>
==Career== In 2011, Swan released the book ''The Sculptor in the Sky''.<ref name="HJ2011">{{cite web | url=https://www.hjnews.com/opinion/editors-corner-claims-of-local-torture-cult-got-this-editor-s-attention/article_401a99ca-581b-11e0-baa4-001cc4c002e0.html | title=Editor's corner: Claims of local torture cult got this editor's attention | date=March 27, 2011 }}</ref> That year, she held her first event, at a Salt Lake City recital hall, speaking to approximately twenty people.<ref>Gizmodo ''The Gateway'', Ep. 2. "Origins"</ref>
Her teaching methods sometimes guide participants to envision their own deaths, occasionally by suicide.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite news|url=https://gizmodo.com/internet-spiritual-guru-teal-swan-says-she-isnt-a-cult-1827317795|title=Internet Spiritual Guru Teal Swan Says She Isn't a Cult Leader But Has 'The Perfect Recipe for a Cult'|last=Brown|first=Jennings|work=Gizmodo|access-date=November 16, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, Lebo Diseko from the BBC cited Swan's viewpoint on suicide:
{{quotation |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." |source=Lebo Diseko<ref name="bbc"/>}}
In October 2020, Swan's first young adult novel, ''Hunger of the Pine'', was published.<ref>{{cite news |title=Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists |newspaper=Publishersweekly.com |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/tradepaper.html |publisher=Publishers Weekly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027031300/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/tradepaper.html |archive-date=October 27, 2020 }}</ref>
==Documentaries== Swan was the subject of the 2017 documentary film ''Open Shadow: The Story of Teal Swan''.<ref name=openshadow>{{Cite web|title=The Story of Teal Swan|url=https://www.openshadowfilm.com/|website=Open Shadow|access-date=December 14, 2018}}</ref>
In 2018, a Gizmodo podcast, ''The Gateway'', ran a six-part series on 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sawyer|first=Miranda|title=The week in podcasts: The Gateway; Bikram|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/10/radio-podcasts-the-gateway-teal-swan-bikram-choudhury|work=The Guardian|date=June 10, 2018}}</ref>
In May 2022, Freeform released a four-part docu-series on Swan called ''The Deep End''.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Freeform Announces Nonfiction Slate with Three New Series|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/04/05/freeform-announces-nonfiction-slate-with-three-new-series-640115/20220405freeform01/|publisher=Freeform|via=The Futon Critic|date=April 5, 2022}}</ref> The producers of the documentary followed Swan for three years, detailing the rules placed on her inner circle and insinuating controlling and manipulative behavior.<ref name=LATimes2022>{{cite news|title=Turn on| work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 17, 2022|last=Kaufman|first=Amy|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/animal-kingdom-dark-winds-the-deep-end-jan-6-hearings-tv-listings}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Teal Swan Documentary Will Usher in the Summer of Cults|first=Morgan|last=Baila|publisher=Vulture|date=May 11, 2022|url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/05/teal-swan-documentary-trailer-freeform.html}}</ref> Swan has disputed her characterization in the documentary, citing deceptive practices by the filmmakers. She has shared a petition urging the director to release the unedited footage.<ref name=LATimes2022 />
==Reception and criticism== Academics Sandro R. Barros and Jennifer A. Sandlin identify Swan as part of a cohort of "conspiritual life coaches" who fuse conspiracy rhetoric with commercial wellness culture, using five overlapping strategies: body purity, reinforced gender binaries, trauma exploitation, appropriation of Indigenous practices, and commodified spirituality.<ref name="BarrosSandlin2024">{{cite journal |last1=Barros |first1=Sandro R. |last2=Sandlin |first2=Jennifer A. |title=Galactic transmissions from tantra bros, pu$$y priestesses, red pilled starseeds and ayahuasca girls: Decoding the pedagogies of conspiritual life coaching |journal=Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies |year=2024 |doi=10.1080/10714413.2024.2388371 |access-date=April 29, 2025 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10714413.2024.2388371|doi-access=free }}</ref>
==Personal life== Swan married musician Mark Scott in 2006; their son was born the same year. After divorcing Scott, she married French technology entrepreneur Ale Gicqueau in 2016; they divorced in 2018.<ref name="Distractify2022">{{cite web |last=Kozma |first=Leila |title=Teal Swan's Husband: Is the Star of ''The Deep End'' Married? |url=https://www.distractify.com/p/teal-swan-husband |website=Distractify |date=May 23, 2022 |access-date=April 29, 2025}}</ref> Media reports later linked her to former follower Jared Dobson.<ref name="Distractify2022" /> She resides in Utah with her son.<ref name="deep1">{{cite episode |series=The Deep End |issue=1}}</ref>
==Selected books== ===''The Completion Process: The Practice of Putting Yourself Back Together Again''=== Swan's 2016 book, ''The Completion Process'', published by Hay House, details a 20-step healing journey for individuals coping with trauma.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Swan |first=Teal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WD6DwAAQBAJ&q=Teal+Swan |title=The Completion Process: The Practice of Putting Yourself Back Together Again |date=August 23, 2016 |publisher=Hay House, Inc |isbn=978-1-4019-5144-3}}</ref> It 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 toward relief. The process concludes with a ritual symbolizing a new start.<ref name=":0" />
===''The Anatomy of Loneliness: How to Find Your Way Back to Connection''=== In ''The Anatomy of Loneliness'', published in 2018 by Watkins Media, Swan delves into the issue of loneliness in modern society.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swan |first=Teal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VwdSDwAAQBAJ |title=The Anatomy of Loneliness: How to Find Your Way Back to Connection |date=November 6, 2018 |publisher=Watkins Media Limited |isbn=978-1-78678-197-0}}</ref> It introduces a framework to analyze and address loneliness, represented by the three pillars of separation, shame, and fear.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Morata |first=Florian |date=December 28, 2021 |title=Anatomy of loneliness summary |url=https://florian-morata.com/anatomy-of-loneliness-summary/ |access-date=November 23, 2023 |website=Florian Morata}}</ref>
===''Hunger of the Pine''=== Swan's first fiction novel, ''Hunger of the Pine'', published by Watkins Media in 2020, narrates the story of Aria Abbott, a homeless teenager.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swan |first=Teal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzrMDwAAQBAJ |title=Hunger of the Pine |date=October 13, 2020 |publisher=Watkins Media Limited |isbn=978-1-78678-447-6}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=October 13, 2020 |title=Spotlight: Hunger of the Pine by Teal Swan |url=http://www.wherethereadergrows.com/2020/10/spotlight-hunger-of-pine-by-teal-swan.html |access-date= |website=Where the Reader Grows}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" /> 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.<ref name=":3" />
===''How to Love Yourself''=== ''How to Love Yourself'', an updated version of Swan's earlier work ''Shadows Before Dawn'', explores various methods for cultivating self-love.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Swan |first=Teal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzFaEAAAQBAJ |title=How to Love Yourself |date=May 10, 2022 |publisher=Watkins Media Limited |isbn=978-1-78678-704-0}}</ref> Central to the book is the guiding question highlighted by Regina Brett of ''Cleveland.com'': 'What would someone who loves themselves do?' This principle serves as a key mantra throughout the book.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Regina Brett |first=The Plain Dealer |date=January 24, 2015 |title=This question can change your whole life: Regina Brett |url=https://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/2015/01/this_one_question_will_change.html |access-date= |website=cleveland}}</ref> Swan explores the journey from self-loathing to self-love, aiming to guide readers towards finding self-worth and acceptance.<ref name=":4" />
==Bibliography== * {{cite book |title=The Sculptor in the Sky |date=2011 |isbn=978-1-456-74723-7|last1=Swan |first1=Teal |publisher=AuthorHouse }} * {{cite book |title=Shadows Before Dawn|date=2015 |isbn=978-1-401-94719-4|last1=Swan |first1=Teal |publisher=Hay House }} * {{cite book |title=The Completion Process: The Practice of Putting Yourself Back Together Again |date=2016 |isbn= 978-1-401-95144-3|last1=Swan |first1=Teal |publisher=Hay House }} * {{cite book |title=The Connection Process: A Spiritual Technique to Master the Art of Relationships|date=2018|isbn=978-1-480-86116-9|last1=Swan |first1=Teal |publisher=Archway }} * {{cite book |title=The Anatomy of Loneliness: How to Find Your Way Back to Connection |date= 2018|isbn=978-1-786-78197-0|last1= Swan |first1= Teal |publisher= Watkins Media Limited}} * {{cite book |title=The Blind Spot Oracle Cards|date=2020 |isbn= 978-1-786-78389-9|last1= Swan |first1= Teal |publisher=Watkins Media Limited }} * {{cite book |title=Hunger of the Pine|date=2020 |isbn= 978-1-786-78447-6|last1= Swan |first1= Teal |publisher=Watkins Media Limited }} * {{cite book |title=The Inner Compass Deck: Follow your Northstar to Find your True Values|date=2021 |isbn= 978-1-786-78604-3|last1= Swan |first1= Teal |publisher=Watkins Media Limited }} * {{cite book |title=How to Love Yourself: Adventures in the Dominions|date=2022 |isbn= 978-1-786-78700-2|last1= Swan |first1= Teal |publisher=Watkins Media }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{YouTube|handle=TealSwanOfficial}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Teal}} Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Santa Fe, New Mexico Category:American spiritual writers Category:American spiritual teachers Category:American women novelists Category:New Age spiritual leaders Category:21st-century American novelists Category:People from Logan, Utah Category:Satanic ritual abuse hysteria in the United States Category:21st-century American women