Kumare is a documentary about a fellow from the East Coast that comes to Phoenix and pretends to be an Indian Guru.  Once he has collected together a group of followers and indoctrinates them in his spiritual path, he does an unveiling where he reveals his true identity.  Kumare’s message is that we all have the answers wtihin us and don’t need external teachers to tell us what to do.

In this interesting and complex film, Vikram Gandhi, the filmmaker and star, asks the question, “What does it take to be a spiritual teacher?”   He finds out that the “phony” methods he uses seem to create true change in the people he works with.  While some may claim that he was an “unrecognized” spiritual teacher to begin with, it may also be true that change is dependent on the person and their intention, not the teacher and not the methods. 

This is much like the conclusions of the counseling curriculum I just completed.  No psychological method has been shown to be more effective than others, however, counselors that are empathic and demonstrate unconditional positive regard are.