How Do We Unlock Our True Superpowers? Phil Stutz and Elise Loehnen Believe It Begins With Facing This Truth
It’s normal to want life to be easy (or easier). To wish it were less painful and anchored in certainty. But as human as it is to desire this, it’s a fallacy to think we’ll get it, believes Phil Stutz. Pain, constant work, and uncertainty—“the three domains,” as the psychiatrist calls them—are guaranteed, but they also present the greatest opportunities to tap into our superpowers.
Stutz’s work changes lives. It delivers the hard facts about life as much as it does the means to face them and align ourselves to what he calls our “life force.” Stutz offers these tools in his global bestsellers The Tools and Coming Alive, which he co-authored with Barry Michaels, his recent book Lessons for Living, and the hit Netflix doc Stutz. The crux is simple: We can face whatever life throws our way by being in action and having faith in the forces higher than us.
In his new book, True and False Magic, Stutz goes deeper into the higher forces. He presents his grander theory on the universe and why we must stay in flow with it. It’s fun stuff, and the extra compelling part is that he co-wrote this hybrid book/workbook with bestselling author (and Sunday Paper friend) Elise Loehnen. “What I love about Phil and his work is that he takes this heady, abstract concept and grounds it in this tangential world of smaller things,” Loehnen tells us about the book’s practical tips.
So, it’s the million-dollar question: How can we start to move through pain, face uncertainty, and tap into our magic? Stutz and Loehnen get us started with these truths.
We're Meant to Always Be Moving
It's the greatest mystery: How did the universe and all of us get here? We can try to theorize the origin, says Stutz, and say it happened "biochemically or a meteor struck," but inevitably, we'll hit a wall. The universe is inexplicable. But what's critical to see is that there is something bigger than us. It's "an indescribable, indefinable, and invisible force that created everything," he says. We can call this force what we want, be it "God" or something else. Doesn't matter. What's important to know is that we must move with this evolving higher force and tap into it. "God wants us to have that power," he continues.
"The universe moves. And if you are going to stay in flow with the universe, then you have to move, too," Loehnen adds. "It takes this constant engagement with what's unfolding in order to keep your life force activated and to stay in communion with higher forces."
Magic Comes From Facing Adversity
If it’s our role to live in alignment with higher forces, as Stutz believes, why is it so hard to do so at times? For one, we face "Part X," what Stutz calls our inner adversary—that voice that says, "You can't, you shouldn't, you're a loser." (We all know that voice.) We're also put through a series of "confrontations with reality," which are life's guarantee of pain, uncertainty, and the need for constant work. None of us wants to face any of these things. But when we do, that's when we find our magic. As Stutz says, "You get a superpower when you approach whatever you habitually avoid."
Creativity Is a Means to Thrive
The opposite of evil is not goodness, believes Stutz. "The opposite of evil is creativity." The universe is in constant motion, always creating. This tells us that to tap into our higher forces, we, too, must create. "The most valuable thing you can do is to create something out of nothing," says Stutz. So stay moving and lean into your creativity.
To Unlock Your True Path, Start Here
Stutz likes to share this story: One day, a client walked into his office and said he was lost in life. “This guy was a lawyer, and he made so much money,” Stutz recalls. “So, I said to him, 'Aren't you happy?’” The client told Stutz he was miserable and he had not been taking care of himself. All he wanted was to know his purpose in life.
This client wanted Stutz to give him the answer—but no one can tell anyone else what their purpose is; we can only find it ourselves. The good news is, we can start small by first developing a closer relationship with our physical body. “Which means getting your butt up and picking up a pencil or taking a walk around the block or eating a well-balanced meal,” says Loehnen. “Doing something to improve your relationship with your physical container."
It's not grand. It's mundane. But it's movement—and by putting ourselves in action, we start to engage with life in a way that begins to deliver our purpose and meaning and ultimately tap into our greater potential. As Stutz says, “we are built to do this.”
Phil Stutz is a psychiatrist who received his MD from New York University. He worked as a psychiatrist at the Rikers Island jail complex and then in private practice in New York before moving his practice to Los Angeles. He is the bestselling co-author of The Tools and Coming Alive, and the author of Lessons for Living.
Elise Loehnen is the host of Pulling the Thread and author of the bestselling book On Our Best Behavior. You can learn more and sign up for her popular newsletter here.
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