Eugene Pustoshkin's brief story and background:

 

I am an Integral psychologist & therapist in private practice, a clinical psychologist by education (St. Petersburg University), co-founder and teacher of the Integral Awareness Meditation (IAM) process, and an experienced group work facilitator. Together with Tatyana Parfenova I co-teach advanced Integral Awareness courses (which bring together awareness meditations, Adult Development Theory, and Ken Wilber’s AQAL Integral Framework); we also co-teach foundations of Integral Psychology & Integral Psychotherapy at the Transpersonal Psychotherapy and Counseling programs at the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis. I am a translator who translated a dozen of books by Ken Wilber to Russian (and a number of other works), which process provides me an intimate knowledge of Integral Metatheory. In addition, I am a member of the Presidium of the Russian Association of Transpersonal Psychology & Psychotherapy (ATPP), Chief Editor at Eros & Kosmos (ErosKosmos.org)—the Russian Integral online journal, and Bureau Chief for Russia at Transdisciplinary Leadership Review (ex-Integral Leadership Review).  

​

The Spark of Connection (Mid-2000s – 2008)

My journey began in the mid-2000s, discovering Susanne’s work through Ken Wilber’s Integral Institute —specifically through the Integral Naked website which featured a conversation with Susanne about Ego Development Theory. Ken also referred to Susanne’s work in some of his books such as Integral Spirituality which I translated to Russian (in 2009).

​

Bringing Adult Development and Integral Ideas to Russia (2008 – 2009)

As a 21-year-old clinical psychology student at St. Petersburg University, I was deeply moved when Susanne—an international authority—personally responded to my inquiries. This initial dialogue solidified a lifelong vocational commitment to Adult Development.

​

In a pivotal move, I convinced a Moscow-based business organization to invite Susanne to Russia to explore Integral ideas and frameworks of Adult Development. This led to two "blissful" and life-transforming visits:

• November, 2008: Susanne, Craig Greuter, and Beena Sharma visited Moscow for lectures, consulting, and sightseeing. A highlight was a conference call with Ken Wilber (December, 2008), where I expressed personal gratitude to the philosopher.

• May, 2009: Susanne returned with Beena and James Ritchie-Dunham. I assisted in translating all the instructions for the Sentence Completion Test (SCTi) and edited the Russian translation of Susanne’s seminal article, "Nine Levels of Increasing Embrace," which remains a cornerstone text for Russian-speaking practitioners from various post-Soviet countries (and I intend to make a new translation of the expanded edition of this article).

 

It was also the first time I underwent a developmental assessment. What a profound impact it had on me! 

Susanne’s and her colleagues’ visits to Moscow were life-transforming events for me both internally and externally.

Empowerment and Evolution

During these visits, I felt very touched that Susanne and her team recognized my potential, encouraging me to pursue an Ivy League PhD. While my path eventually shifted toward translating ten of Ken Wilber’s books and facilitating thousands of hours of workshops, that moment of being "seen" by respected mentors provided an enduring foundation of self-trust.

Integration and Current Work

The relationship between Susanne and myself has evolved from mentorship to professional collaboration:

• Training and Synthesis: After attending Susanne’s trainings in Budapest (2017–2018), I synthesized Susanne’s EDT with Wilber’s Integral Meditation to create an impactful curriculum that tailors mindfulness practice to specific developmental stages. We just completed a 2-year training program, that, we can say it was a great experience and success. You could view the video here. 

• Integral Awareness Framework: Alongside partner and soulmate Tatyana Parfenova – a Process-Oriented Psychologist, Relational Therapist, Trauma Work Specialist, and NLP Master– we now lead the Integral Awareness Framework. This approach places Susanne’s nuanced, ethical understanding of vertical development at its heart.

A Lasting Legacy

For me, Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter has been more than a theorist; she has been a "guiding light" and a mentor who helped navigate both the joys and hardships of life. Today, I continue to establish Integral Metatheory, Integral Psychology and Integral Psychotherapy as well as Adult Development Theory (especially, the Ego Development lineage) as an "enduring kosmic habits" in the Russian-speaking world and internationally fueled by eternal gratitude for the "kosmic address" they inhabit thanks to Susanne’s support.