Teal Swan

Teal Swan (born Mary Teal Bosworth; June 16, 1984) is an American spiritual influencer and author. Swan and her teachings are the subject of documentaries and podcasts. Publications, including Eonline, The Guardian, and the BBC 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. 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. The investigation into Swan and Snow's abuse allegations ended due to a lack of evidence, resulting in case closure.

Career In 2011, Swan released the book The Sculptor in the Sky. That year, she held her first event, at a Salt Lake City recital hall, speaking to approximately twenty people.

Her teaching methods sometimes guide participants to envision their own deaths, occasionally by suicide. In 2019, Lebo Diseko from the BBC cited Swan's viewpoint on suicide:

In October 2020, Swan's first young adult novel, Hunger of the Pine, was published.

Documentaries Swan was the subject of the 2017 documentary film Open Shadow: The Story of Teal Swan.

In 2018, a Gizmodo podcast, The Gateway, examined Swan's influence over her followers, including her teachings on depression and suicide, her targeting of people experiencing suicidal ideation, and allegations that she promotes suicide and operates a cult.

In May 2022, Freeform released a four-part docu-series on Swan called The Deep End. The producers of the documentary followed Swan for three years, detailing the rules placed on her inner circle, including those concerning relationships, family planning, and living arrangements. 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.

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. Media reports later linked her to former follower Jared Dobson.

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. 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. It introduces a framework to analyze and address loneliness, represented by the three pillars of separation, shame, and fear.

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. 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. 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. Swan explores the journey from self-loathing to self-love, aiming to guide readers towards finding self-worth and acceptance.