Teal Swan

Swan was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 16, 1984 and was raised in Logan, Utah.[2] Swan has described interactions with the mental health profession in childhood.[2] In her early childhood, Swan received therapy from Barbara Snow.[5]

In 2011 she released the book The Sculptor in the Sky.[6] In Summer 2011, she held her first event at a Salt Lake City recital hall, speaking to about twenty people.[7]

In 2015, Swan was mentioned in a post by Cleveland-area columnist Regina Brett.[8]

Her teaching methods sometimes guide participants to envision their own deaths, occasionally by suicide.[9] 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.[10][11]

Swan was the subject of the 2017 documentary film Open Shadow: The Story of Teal Swan.[12]

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.[13] As of May 2018, her YouTube videos had been viewed 55 million times.[14]

In May 2022, Freeform released a four-part docu-series on Swan called The Deep End.[15] The producers of the documentary followed Swan for three years, detailing the rules placed on her inner circle, and insinuating controlling and manipulative behavior.[16][17] 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.[16]

Swan has one son.[18][19]

• Swan, Teal (2011). The Sculptor In The Sky. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-456-74723-7.
• Swan, Teal (2015). Shadows Before Dawn. Hay House. ISBN 978-1-401-94719-4.
• Swan, Teal (2016). The Completion Process: The Practice of Putting Yourself Back Together Again. Hay House. ISBN 978-1-401-95144-3.
• Swan, Teal (2018). The Connection Process: A Spiritual Technique to Master the Art of Relationships. Archway. ISBN 978-1-480-86116-9.
• Swan, Teal (2018). The Anatomy of Loneliness: How to Find Your Way Back to Connection. Watkins Media Limited. ISBN 978-1-786-78197-0.
• Swan, Teal (2020). The Blind Spot Oracle Cards. ISBN 978-1-786-78389-9.
• Swan, Teal (2020). Hunger of the Pine. Watkins Media Limited. ISBN 978-1-786-78447-6.
• Swan, Teal (2021). The Inner Compass Deck: Follow your Northstar to Find your True Values. ISBN 978-1-786-78604-3.
• Swan, Teal (2022). How to Love Yourself: Adventures in the Dominions. Watkins Media. ISBN 978-1-786-78700-2.

• Official YouTube channel