January 2002 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

The Esalen Catalog
January – June 2002
®
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Esalen — A convergence of mountains and sea,
mind and body, East and West, meditation and action
Esalen — A center for alternative education, a forum for transformational
practices, a restorative retreat, a worldwide community of seekers
Dedicated to exploring work in the humanities and sciences that furthers the full realization
of the human potential, Esalen offers public workshops, residential work-study programs,
invitational conferences, and independent projects that support our mission.
As a center designed to foster personal and social transformation, we offer those who
join us the chance to explore more deeply the world and themselves.
Welcome to
®
S
contents
Volume xli, Number 1
Esalen Institute
Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9616
Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000,
ext. 7100
Esalen Board of Trustees:
Mary Ellen Klee
George Leonard
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler
Michael Murphy
Marilyn Schlitz
Jeremy Tarcher
Keith Thompson
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Executive Director:
Andy Nusbaum
Director of Programming:
Operations Manager:
Audio Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Biographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Catalog Subscription Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Continuing Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Esalen Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Esalen Seminars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
“An Evolutionary Vision” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Friends of Esalen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Gazebo School Park Early Childhood Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Guide to Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Invitational Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Reservation Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Reservation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Scholarship Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Seminar Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Special Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Work Study Program and Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77-79
In the master ’s secret mirror, there is an
image of the newest student in class, eager
for knowledge, willing to play the fool.
David Price
Personnel Manager:
Pat Lewine
Esalen Catalog Staff:
Editor: Peter Friedberg
Administrative Liaisons: Genevieve
Ahrens, Kasia Zajac
Design & Production: Terry McGrath
The Esalen Catalog is published
triannually by the Esalen Institute,
Big Sur, California 93920-9616.
Printed on recycled paper.
©2001 Esalen Institute.
All rights reserved.
ISSN 1088-2782
Subscription Information:
Subscription cost for one year is $15
for the United States and $25 for all
other countries. Please send a check
or money order (U.S. currency) in the
enclosed subscription envelope, or
mail it to: Subscriptions, Esalen
Institute, Big Sur, CA 93920.
Although we’re delighted to provide
you with this issue of the catalog, if
you are not currently a subscriber we
would appreciate a $5 contribution to
defray postage and production costs.
Please use the enclosed subscription
envelope.
— G e o r g e L e o n a r d , The Life We Are Given
cover photo: Daniel Bianchetta
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general information
T
he esalen institute was founded
in 1962 as an alternative educational
center devoted to the exploration of
what Aldous Huxley called the “human potential,” the world of unrealized human capacities
that lies beyond the imagination. Esalen soon
became known for its blend of East/West
philosophies, its experiential/didactic workshops, the steady influx of philosophers, psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers, and its
breathtaking grounds blessed with natural hot
springs. Once home to a Native American tribe
known as the Esselen, Esalen is situated on 27
acres of spectacular Big Sur coastline with the
Santa Lucia Mountains rising sharply behind.
There are various ways to experience Esalen,
ranging from an overnight visit to a longterm stay as a seminarian. The weekend
and five-day workshops described in the
Seminars section of the catalog are the
standard route for coming to Esalen. The
“Experiencing Esalen” workshops, scheduled
periodically, offer an introduction to practices such as Gestalt, massage, sensory awareness, and meditation. From such a sampling,
participants can then choose those approaches they are most attracted to and pursue them
in subsequent seminars.
ning, arrangements can be made for access to
many of our facilities.
Esalen is a 45-mile drive south from
Monterey, 11 miles south of Nepenthe, on
Coast Route 1. From the south, we are 50
miles north of Hearst Castle. A lighted sign
on the ocean side of the highway reads:
Esalen Institute, By Reservation Only.
Because of the large volume of guests at
Esalen, we require a minimum of 72 hours’
notice to arrange for accessible accommodations. If you will need sign language interpreting at an Esalen workshop, we require at least
two weeks’ notice to arrange for interpreter
services. In all cases, we will do our best to
assist you with your needs.
The Hot Springs at Esalen
We would like those people who are planning
their first visit to Esalen to know that swimsuits are optional, and nudity common, in the
hot springs, massage area, and swimming pool.
We encourage each individual to choose what
is most comfortable, either wearing a swimsuit or not, and emphasize that the environment we strive for at Esalen is one of personal
sanctuary and respect for the human body.
Recommended Reading and
Mail Order Merchandise
Most books listed as recommended reading
for workshops are available through Esalen’s
bookstore. All other bookstore items are also
available via mail order. For ordering information please call 831-667-3049.
Ongoing Residence Program
ED ODELL
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Offered beginning mid-September and ending mid-June, the Ongoing Residence
Program is designed for those who would like
to have time and space in the Esalen environment for an intensive workshop program
over a long term. A Residence Program stay is
26 days (four “weeks” and three weekends).
Another way of being at Esalen which allows a
greater involvement at a lower expense is the
Work Study Program, an intensive 28-day
work-oriented program for individuals who
want to make a directed commitment to selfexploration and growth, and a contribution to
the Esalen community. For a description of the
Work Study Program, please turn to page 77.
Accreditation and Continuing
Education
Many formal educational institutions recognize the time spent at Esalen as being worthy
of credit in their own curricula; check with
your university or college. We would be glad
to supply information to your school regarding any of our programs.
Participants may select any of the five-day
workshops offered during their stay with
weekends open to enjoy room and board.
Occasionally workshops are cancelled, so
second choices are advised.
For those who wish an extended stay, there
are periodic long-term programs which
involve didactic seminars or professional
trainings as well as experiential workshops.
Please see Special Programs, page 74.
Esalen is a provider of continuing education
for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses, and
bodyworkers. See page 71 for details.
The specially discounted cost is $3780 per
26-day period for standard accommodations
and $2980 for bunk bed rooms. No other
discounts apply.
Finally, there are other events that enrich
life at Esalen. There are occasional forums
in which writers and thinkers, both visiting
and resident, share their ideas with the community. On Wednesday nights there may be
lectures, films, dance performances, or other
events. Bodywork of various kinds is available
by appointment with individual practitioners.
There is also a community event schedule
offered. Please check the bulletin board
when you arrive.
Disabled Access
If you cancel or change any part of your
Residence Program reservation at least five
full days before its start, there will be a $150
cancellation fee. If you cancel with less than
five days’ notice, the cancellation fee is $330.
Esalen is a center for experimental education.
We offer neither psychotherapy nor assurances
of change.
Here at Esalen, many of our paths, though
paved, are extremely steep due to our cliffside
location. In fact, Big Sur is the steepest meeting of land and sea in the continental United
States. Nonetheless, we are committed to
accommodating guests who have disabilities.
If you have a disability and think you might
need assistance, and you would like to visit
Esalen, please give the office as much advance
notice as possible about your needs. Although
we are in the process of increasing our disability access, access to some parts of our property
continues to be difficult. With enough plan-
Esalen Is Tax-Deductible
Contributions to Esalen Institute are taxdeductible. The expenses of attending Esalen,
including travel, are deductible for federal
income tax purposes as an educational
expense if incurred to maintain or improve
professional or work skills. (See Income Tax
Regulation 1.162-5.)
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esalen notes
narians and room and board guests. Nestled
behind the lush Esalen Garden at the edge of the
coastal cliff, the Mid-Point House features a redwood deck overlooking the Pacific, a comfortably furnished living room, and a full kitchen.
The Baths: A Progress Report
The pace of work at one of the world’s most
challenging construction sites has been slowed
as Esalen has run up against predicted cost
overruns. Taking the responsible path, we have
elected to continue construction at a rate newly
commensurate with our budget limits.
The entire reconstruction project—the baths and the
stabilization of the slope above the baths—is estimated at over $4 million. Should you wish to make a
contribution, please send your tax-deductible donation to Baths Restoration c/o Esalen.
For details, please call the Esalen office at 831667-3000.
Scheduling Private
Conferences at Esalen
HANNS BECKER
Monday, October 15, 2001. The sandstone floor has
been laid. The rock walls of the outdoor baths
are finished. The white porcelain clawfoot tubs
have been installed. The fiber-optics lighting
system, designed to recreate candle-lighting, is
ready to be hooked up. The simple elegance of
architect Mickey Meunnig’s design is evident
from every angle. The new Esalen baths are tantalizingly close to completion. And yet….
2002 Esalen Calendar
You can now purchase a limited-edition Esalen
calendar, commemorating our 40th anniversary.
Featuring thirteen full-color photographs, along
with a brief history of Esalen and a page of historical black-and-white photos from Esalen’s
archives, the calendar is available in our bookstore or via mail order (call 831-667-3049).
Please note: Although we are taking extraordi-
nary precautions to keep noise to a minimum, we
expect some unavoidable construction disturbances
during the bath restoration project. We ask for your
understanding and hope that you will support us by
continuing to come to Esalen during this time.
Mid-Point House Available to
Esalen Guests
Esalen’s Mid-Point House is available as an
upgraded accommodation alternative for semi-
It is possible to arrange for your group or organization to hold its conferences at Esalen. We can
accommodate large groups (up to 100) on a
space-available basis.
Smaller groups may schedule private conferences in our renovated Big House. This facility
is available for individuals who work together
and would like to design their own Esalen program, drawing on our leaders and other
resources. Ten bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a
kitchen, dining room, and meeting room make
it possible to house group members together,
thereby enhancing the retreat environment.
We schedule all conferences a year in advance.
To schedule or discuss possible formats, please
contact conference coordinator Kasia Zajac at
831-667-3038.
the friends of esalen
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D
onations to Esalen support the scholarship fund providing financial aid for those who wish to attend our
workshops but cannot otherwise afford them. Donations
also provide funding for our pioneering projects in
health, education, the environment, and the humanities, as well as
for special projects such as rebuilding the baths, and for general
operations. With their annual donations, Friends of Esalen receive
the Esalen Catalog as well as a special Friends of Esalen newsletter.
Donors at the Sustaining level and above receive a single-use day
pass with lunch for two at Esalen. At the Benefactor level donors
receive an autographed copy of Michael Murphy and George
Leonard’s book The Life We Are Given, and acknowledgment in the
newsletter (unless the donor wishes to remain anonymous). Donors
at the Group 2000 level and above receive an invitation to attend a
special weekend at Esalen. At the Founders Circle level donors
receive a limited-edition photograph of Esalen by Daniel Bianchetta.
The Group 2000 is composed of individuals committed to helping
Esalen fulfill its mission by building its long-term financial base
into the twenty-first century. The Group 2000 has an opportunity to
meet together with staff and board members at Esalen every year.
We deeply appreciate the generosity and interest of the Friends of
Esalen. You are invited to join us in extending the experience of
Esalen into the lives of more people. If you would like information
on how to make a planned gift to Esalen, how to donate appreciated
stock, or if you have any other questions about gifts to Esalen,
please contact us at 831-667-3032.
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q Basic Donor.......................$50-99
q Benefactor ................$1000-1999
q Supporting Donor ......$100-499
q Group 2000...............$2000-4999
q Sustaining Donor........$500-999
q Founders Circle....$5000 & above
Name_________________________________________________ Phone_______________________
Address______________________________________________ E-mail_______________________
City _________________________________________ State ____________ Zip ________________
Please make checks payable to Esalen Institute, in U.S. currency
drawn on a U.S. bank, or use one of the charge cards listed below:
q MasterCard
q Visa
q American Express
Amount________________ Card No._________________________________________________
Signature____________________________________________ Exp. Date __________________
Please complete this form or the inside flap of the envelope insert included in the
catalog and return with your gift. Check the box on the outside of the envelope
marked “Friends of Esalen.” Thank you for your support.
Esalen Institute is a nonprofit public charity corporation, exempt from income
tax under IRC section 501(c)(3). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent
allowable by law.
From its unpretentious early days right up to the cyberpresent,
Esalen has remained true to its vision of encouraging the development of the human potential.
Now, during a time of global political upheaval and environmental uncertainty, Esalen reaffirms and
rededicates itself to this vision. This essay, the second of three to appear in the Esalen Catalog, presents an
overview of Esalen’s role—and relevance—in the ongoing evolution of personal and societal change.
An Ev o lut i o na r y Vi si o n
A Personal Statement by George Leonard and Michael Murphy
part 2
E
salen’s beginnings in January 1962 were anything
but auspicious. The full-time staff numbered
around ten people. Accounts were calculated on an
abacus by a Chinese-American named Gia-Fu Feng.
In the absence of a separate meeting room, seminars were held
in a portion of what is now the lodge. There were few trees on
the property and little in the way of landscaping. The institute’s physical assets, in addition to the lodge, included a few
motel-like guest cabins, a rather dilapidated hot springs bathhouse, and an ancient swimming pool clogged with algae,
essentially unusable. The Coast Road that led to the institute
from the north and the south was precarious at best. In 1962,
it was lightly traveled and there was an ominous warning sign
some twenty-five miles to the north:
hills and curves next 63 miles
dangerous in bad weather
road not patrolled after dark
Nonetheless, invitations to Esalen were mailed out to eminent
speakers, not just in California, but all over the U.S. and overseas as well. The invitees included, to name just a few, British
historian Arnold Toynbee; double Nobel prize-winner Linus
Pauling; Harvard behaviorist B.F. Skinner; distinguished psychologists Carl Rogers, Virginia Satir, Abraham Maslow, Rollo
May, and Claudio Naranjo; pioneering parapsychologist J. B.
Rhine; theologian Paul Tillich; and authors Aldous Huxley,
Alan Watts, and Carlos Castaneda. Beyond any reasonable
expectation, all these and many more came, traveling sometimes over great distances to a virtually unknown place that
offered the most modest of fees.
It seemed a miracle. But there was something in the air then,
a sense of adventure, an opening to new ideas, new ways of
thinking, of feeling, of being. And from the beginning,
Esalen possessed two assets that transcended the small staff
and primitive physical facilities. The first was a lovely stretch
of fertile land on the edge of the Pacific. The second was a
vision of human possibilities spacious enough to include and
enhance many practices, many intellectual disciplines, many
points of view.
Genuine Novelty
In the forty years since its birth, Esalen has vastly improved
its physical facilities and has gently and lovingly tended its
land. It has created an organic garden and farm. And now
there are landscaped vistas that delight the eye and satisfy
the soul at every turn.
Our vision, too, has deepened and broadened. The fact that
human individuals rarely if ever realize their full potential
has always informed our thinking. The belief that each of
us can achieve more of it has always informed our programming. Could it be, we have wondered, that much of the
world’s unrest, neurosis, drug abuse, illness, crime, and gen5
eral unhappiness can be traced to our failure to develop our
God-given abilities? Could any tragedy be so pervasive, so
hard to justify, as the worldwide waste of our potential to
learn, to love, to feel deeply, and to create?
Esalen’s faith in the possibilities of further human development derives from our understanding of the evolutionary
adventure thus far. From the beginning of time, we believe,
spirit has been involved with the material world; thus, the
resplendent advance from atomic particles to consciousness,
from inorganic matter to the human awareness of God,
reflects the action of spirit as well as of matter and energy.
This idea has been developed in different ways by the
philosophers Hegel, Schelling, and Bergson; by the Jesuit
theologian Teilhard de Chardin; and by modern thinkers
such as Jean Gebser, Alfred North Whitehead, Sri Aurobindo,
and Ken Wilber.
The world’s evolutionary advance has been far from smooth,
more a meander than a straight-line progression. But ultimately Eros, the tendency of existence to create ever more
complex, highly organized entities, has won out over
Thanatos, an opposing tendency that disorganizes, destroys.
The spirit of love has prevailed, if only barely, over the forces
of hate and destruction. The very fact that creatures as incredibly complex as humans exist offers proof of this victory.
Still, we reject the doctrine, so dear to 18th-century
European philosophers, of “the perfectibility of man.” An
individual totally without flaws would not be human; our
greatest saints and innovators are themselves not without
blemish. Then too, perfection would require stasis while we
see change and the emergence of genuine novelty wherever
we look in the universe. What our species may someday
become lies beyond our present ability to imagine or predict.
Vision vs. Dogma
Over the years, we have maintained and nurtured a coherent vision of unrealized human possibilities and evolutionary transcendence which has never devolved into doctrine
or dogma. Nor has Esalen ever been captured by any single
discipline or practice. For forty years, we have held true to
the essential thrust of our founding vision while remaining
open to new information and sympathetic to varied points
6
of view. We have always endorsed the work of individuals or
organizations willing to see things as others see them, to
tolerate, even welcome, ambiguity. In the words of the
Argentine Nobelist Jorge Luis Borges, “in ambiguity there
lies a richness.”
This tolerance is particularly important in a world beset by the
deadly rigidity and single-mindedness of fundamentalists who
would disable or destroy all who fail to agree with their narrow and unchanging dogmas. There are many brands of fundamentalism. The most dangerous are religious, since religion
deals with ultimate concern—right and wrong, good and evil,
life and death. Physically or psychologically malnourished,
bewildered by the complexities of existence, the religious fundamentalist seeks certitude above all else. And certitude, taken
to its logical extreme, often leads to violence. It is the urgent
mission of the 21st century to mitigate the worldwide economic and social disparity that provides a breeding ground for
fundamentalism. It is the crucial assignment of every transformative organization to create models of vision open to the
marvelous surprises of our ever-expanding knowledge.
Growth vs. Survival
A quieter but no less pervasive threat to life on earth has to
do with the earth itself. Prosperity, as generally defined,
entails an annual GDP increase of three percent or more.
If this kind of prosperity, in peace or in war, were to be
maintained, it would double our present GDP in 24 more
years and be well on the way to quadrupling it in 40 years.
Anything close to such a growth rate, achieved through our
present modes of production and consumption, would totally
overwhelm the essential energy and environmental systems
on this planet long before we reached 2042 AD.
Take just one example: Our U.S. water supply is already
threatened by growth and urban sprawl, and not just in
the naturally arid West. According to The New York Times,
“Florida’s reservoirs below and above ground are badly
depleted and becoming briny with saltwater seepage… In
Kentucky, more than half of the state’s 120 counties ran short
of water or were on the verge of shortages [in 2001] before
heavy rains brought relief.” Even in the wettest suburbs of
wet Seattle, demand for water is outstripping supply.
The cycling, distribution, and storage of water is only one of
the services that nature has been providing us at no charge.
We could add to that the production of oxygen, the formation and maintenance of topsoil, conversion of the sun’s
energy into raw materials, purification of both water and air,
decomposition of organic wastes, and many more. What is
the monetary value of these free services? A group of scientists figured it as $36 trillion a year on the average and $58
trillion at the most, in 1998 dollars. Impressive, when you
consider that in 1998 the Gross World Product was only
$39 trillion. Clearly, we are fast draining our natural capital,
drawing it down to support our voracious desire for endless,
thoughtless growth. But healthy growth is possible if we
work with rather than against nature.
A Model of Sustainability
As Esalen plans its own redevelopment program, we are
fortunate to enjoy the counsel of Amory Lovins, coauthor
(with Paul Hawken and L. Hunter Lovins) of Natural
Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution and one
of the world’s foremost energy and environment experts.
Since spring of 1999, Lovins—along with such people as
Don Aitkens, cofounder of Friends of the Earth, Greg Franta,
head of an environmentally-sustainable architectural group,
and many others—has been making numerous visits to
Esalen, donating time and expertise towards transforming
our vision of a beautiful and sustainable new Esalen into
a reality.
For example, recycled water from the hot springs will be
piped in to our kitchen and laundry, thus eliminating the
significant energy costs of heating this water with electric
power. New buildings will be optimally oriented to the sun,
constructed of special materials, and provided with built-in
air circulation so as to minimize the need for both heating
and cooling. Whatever electricity is needed for light and
heat in guest rooms and meeting rooms will be provided by
solar panels built into the roofs of all new and renovated
structures. Already, the installation of compact fluorescent
lighting has produced considerable energy savings. We hope
eventually to use less electricity than we produce, getting
credit by returning our surplus electricity to the grid.
An above-ground wastewater treatment system will use
biological organisms rather than harsh chemicals to purify
water that can then be used to irrigate lawns and gardens.
A new parking system will isolate automobiles away from
sleeping and meeting facilities. Presently-paved areas will
be converted to footpaths, gardens, and lawns.
All in all, we envisage an Esalen that will continue to rest
lightly and lovingly on the sacred soil that has come under
our guardianship. This evolution of the physical Esalen will
be accompanied by new programs and initiatives that will
further the positive evolution of human nature. We intend
to see that our longtime interest in the integral, balanced
transformation of mind, body, heart, and soul is reflected
in every aspect of our work. Our Center for Theory and
Research will intensify its investigation of frontier topics
that currently stand beyond the reach of mainstream institutions. These topics include Transformative Practices,
Evolutionary Theory, Survival of Bodily Death, and Integral
Economics. Our spectacular new bathhouse and bodywork
facilities will be balanced by an elegant and spacious meditation hall, where seminarians can more poignantly experience
the presence of spirit in life’s every aspect. Our intrapersonal,
interpersonal, and art programs will not only offer guidance
in dealing with the anxieties and conflicts of human existence, but will also open participants to the adventure of
embodiment, the miracle of self-aware consciousness.
A New Definition of Prosperity
The word prosperous derives from the Latin pro plus the root
of sperare, “to hope.” Today, with the rest of the world, we face
dangerous challenges and intriguing possibilities. At best,
with the help of the larger Esalen community, we hope over
the next several years to create a world model of physical
and psychological sustainability, of vision without dogma,
adding up to a new way of understanding an old but most
important word: prosperity. u
7
Q
guide to workshops
T
his is a guide to the workshops
offered in this catalog. Although many
of them could be cross-referenced—
and some resist easy categorization—most
are listed only in their main subject area. If
you have never been to Esalen or taken an
Esalen workshop, you might consider the
“Experiencing Esalen” workshop scheduled
throughout the catalog and listed in the
Integral Practices section of this directory.
Please call the Esalen office if you have questions concerning a workshop.
R
THE ARTS / CREATIVITY
Jan 4-6 • Exploring the Soul through Stone Carving
Jan 4-6 • PhotoGestalt: Self-Portraits, Self-Awareness
Jan 6-11 • Inside Rhythm: The Song of the Drum
Jan 11-13 • Esalen’s Favorite Recipes
Jan 13-18 • Improvisational Being
Jan 13-18 • Vision Painting
Jan 18-20 • Singing Gestalt
Jan 18-20 • The Power of Story To Heal and Transform
Jan 20-25 • Taking Flight: Developing Vocal Magic
Jan 20-25 • Mosaic Art Intensive
Jan 25-27 • Finding Your Long-Lost Musician
Jan 27-Feb 1 • Finding Your Long-Lost Musician
Jan 27-Feb 1 • The Mystical Quality of Stained Glass
Feb 10-15 • New Connections: Dialogue and Improv
Feb 10-15 • The Healing Power of Sound and Music
Feb 17-22 • Artplane
Feb 22-24 • Mystery Art Extravaganza
Mar 3-8 • Drums of Passion
Mar 3-8 • Being in Theater
Mar 3-8 • Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea Ceremonies
Mar 8-10 • The Timeless Soul of Iran
Mar 10-15 • Textile Arts
Mar 17-22 • Creative Behavior from the Inside Out
Mar 17-22 • The Writer’s Way: Opening to Change
Mar 22-24 • Wild Voice
Mar 24-29 • The MAX: Stretching Your Self-Expression
Mar 29-31 • Improv Alchemy: Something from Nothing
Mar 29-31 • Enlightened Cooking: The Ayurvedic Way
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Sing to Your Own Tune
Apr 7-12 • Ceramic Insights
Apr 12-14 • Photographing the Seasons of Big Sur
Apr 19-21 • Painting Your Personal Mythology
Apr 26-28 • The Heart of the Story
Apr 26-28 • Awakening Creativity and Inspiration
Apr 28-May 3 • Life, Paint, and Passion
May 10-12 • Vision Painting: Evoking the Light
May 10-12 • García Márquez, Neruda, and Borges
May 12-17 • Improvisational Being
May 12-17 • Songwriting for Everyone
May 19-24 • Vocal Awareness
May 19-24 • Imaging the Faces of the Soul
May 24-26 • Writing About Our Lives
May 31-Jun 2 • Love, Sex, and Death in Proust
May 31-Jun 2 • Drawing Your Soul Mandala
Jun 2-7 • Basic Acting: Setting Free the Spirit
Jun 2-7 • Raku and Hakoniwa
Jun 9-16 • Painting and Point Zero
Jun 16-21 • Drawing and Painting with Nature
Jun 21-23 • Making Art, Teaching Art
8
Jun 21-23 • Re-creating the Self through Poetry
Jun 23-28 • Ashiko Drum Making
Jun 28-30 • Voic(e)motion
Jun 28-30 • Awakening Creativity and Inspiration
R
BIOFEEDBACK / HYPNOSIS
INTUITIVE DEVELOPMENT
/
Jan 13-18 • The High-Performance Mind
Apr 19-21 • Psychic and Intuitive Healing
Apr 21-26 • Awakening the Mind
Jun 7-9 • The Power of Your Intuition to Heal
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CHILDREN
/ FAMILIES
Mar 8-10 • The Path of Parenting
May 10-12 • Mothers and Daughters: Adult Women
Jun 14-16 • Patterns of Love: Fathers and Daughters
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CONTEMPLATIVE / SPIRITUAL
& RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Jan 6-11 • The Enneagram of Liberation
Jan 25-27 • Grace in Dying
Feb 1-3 • Cultivating a Divine Soul: The Musar Path
Feb 3-8 • The Art of Living Course
Feb 24-Mar 1 • Kabballistic Sound Meditation
Mar 1-3 • Chanting: The Heart of Devotional Yoga
Mar 15-17 • Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
Mar 17-22 • Three Pillars of Asian Wisdom
Mar 22-24 • A Weekend with Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
Mar 22-24 • Embodying the I Ching
Apr 5-7 • Just Sitting: Exploration into Meditation
Apr 14-19 • Transformation through Tibetan Meditation
Apr 28-May 3 • Meditating Together: Insight Dialogue
May 3-5 • A Buddhist Weekend for Cynics in Recovery
May 5-10 • Experiencing Kabbalistic Healing
May 5-10 • Self Awakening: The Ultimate Medicine
May 24-26 • OpenMind Training
May 31-Jun 2 • The Subtle Self
Jun 2-7 • The Direct Path: A Passion for Life
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DANCE
/ MOVEMENT
Jan 4-6 • Soul Dance
Feb 3-8 • Body Tales
Feb 17-22 • Soul Motion
Mar 3-8 • Drums of Passion
Apr 19-21 • The Halprin LifeArt Method
May 3-5 • Reinhabiting Your Body: Authentic Movement
May 17-19 • Introduction to Continuum
May 26-31 • The Heart of the Beat
Jun 16-21 • Wilderness and Continuum
Jun 28-30 • Voic(e)motion
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DREAMS
Apr 14-19 • Dream Healing Through Energy Centers
May 26-31 • Group Work With Dreams
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HEALTH
/ HEALING
Jan 20-25 • Energy Recalibration—Level I
Feb 8-10 • Qigong and Inner Alchemy
Feb 15-17 • Stories that Sicken, Stories that Heal
Feb 15-17 • Core Holoenergetics
Feb 22-24 • The Enlightened Healer
Feb 24-Mar 1 • Self-Healing: Awaken Health & Vitality
Mar 3-8 • Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Mar 8-10 • Deep Healing—Mind/Body Medicine
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Transformational Kinesiology
Apr 12-14 • Secrets Kept from the Mind
Apr 21-26 • Radical Healing and the Alchemical Body
May 10-12 • Waking Up from Depression
May 17-19 • Eating, Food, and the Body/Self
Jun 16-21 • Authentic Breathing
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INTEGRAL PRACTICES
Jan 25-27 • Experiencing Esalen
Jan 27-Feb 1 • Life Energy Process
Feb 15-17 • Experiencing Esalen
Feb 22-24 • The Tao of Practice
Mar 1-3 • Entering the Flow State
Mar 29-31 • Experiencing Esalen
Apr 12-14 • Vision and Practice of Transformation
Apr 26-28 • Experiencing Esalen
May 3-5 • Holistic Sexuality
May 17-19 • Experiencing Esalen
Jun 21-23 • Unnamed Desires, Unacknowledged Powers
Jun 28-30 • Experiencing Esalen
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MYTH / RITUAL / SHAMANISM
ANTHROPOLOGY
/
Feb 10-15 • The Way of the Shaman
Mar 10-15 • The Heart of the Shaman
Mar 24-29 • Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
Mar 24-29 • A Mythological Toolbox
Apr 14-19 • Dream Healing Through Energy Centers
Apr 19-21 • Ritual, Sacred Space, and Community
Jun 16-21 • Visionseeker: Shamanism
Jun 21-23 • Cycle of Fire: Afro-Brazilian Tradition
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PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
INTELLECTUAL PLAY
/
Mar 1-3 • The Ultimate Question
Mar 17-22 • Psyche and Cosmos in the 21st Century
May 3-5 • A Buddhist Weekend for Cynics in Recovery
May 17-19 • Life Beyond Death
Jun 9-14 • Deep Learning
Jun 28-30 • Evolution and Relationship
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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
TRAINING
/
Jan 13-18 • Treating Trauma: Integrative Approach
Jan 25-27 • Self as Instrument: For Therapists
Feb 1-3 • EMDR and Meditation: For Therapists
Feb 22-24 • The Enlightened Healer
Mar 1-3 • Transforming Trauma with EMDR
Mar 1-3 • Radical Rx for Health Professionals
Mar 24-Apr 21 • 28-Day Massage Certification Program
Apr 12-14 • Secrets Kept from the Mind
May 17-24 • EMDR: Comprehensive Training
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PSYCHOLOGICAL /
TRANSPERSONAL PROCESS
Jan 4-6 • PhotoGestalt: Self-Portraits, Self-Awareness
Jan 6-11 • Jupiter’s Rings: Balance from the Inside Out
Jan 11-13 • The Body Keeps the Score
Jan 13-18 • The Power of Growth
Jan 18-20 • Getting Real: Truth as a Path to Freedom
Jan 18-20 • The Power of Story To Heal and Transform
Jan 20-25 • Life’s Transitions: Letting Go—Moving On
Jan 27-Feb 1 • Abilities for an Endangered World
Feb 3-8 • Opening to Ourselves and Others
Mar 22-24 • Overcoming Back Pain
Mar 24-Apr 21 • 28-Day Massage Certification
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Transformational Kinesiology
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Healing from Trauma
Apr 14-19 • Upledger Lymph Drainage Therapy I
Apr 21-26 • Adventures in Bodywork
Apr 26-28 • Weekend Massage Intensive
May 10-12 • Massage Weekend for Couples
May 12-17 • Traditional Thai Medical Massage
May 17-19 • Introduction to Continuum
May 19-24 • Massage, Essential Oils, and Movement
May 24-26 • Weekend Massage Intensive
May 26-31 • Transformation: From Facade to Self
May 31-Jun 2 • Hanna Somatics
Jun 2-7 • Upledger SomatoEmotional Release I
Jun 14-16 • Focusing: The Inner Relationship
Jun 16-21 • Senses Wide Open
Jun 23-30 • Cortical Field Reeducation & Feldenkrais II
Jun 23-28 • Five-Day Massage Intensive
ED ODELL
R
Feb 8-10 • The Art of Leadership
Feb 8-10 • A Tender Invitation
Feb 10-15 • Soul Search: Embracing Our Spirit
Feb 17-22 • Unmasking the Soul
Feb 17-22 • Life Changes: The Purpose of Your Life
Feb 22-24 • The Courage to Be You
Feb 22-24 • Body of Awareness
Feb 24-Mar 1 • Playing the Edge
Mar 3-8 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
Mar 8-10 • Unfinished Issues: Sources of Growth
Mar 10-15 • The Power of Growth
Mar 15-17 • Subpersonalities and Self-Esteem
Mar 15-17 • Approaches to Death, Grief, and Illness
Mar 17-22 • Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
Mar 22-24 • Healing of Heart and Mind
Mar 24-29 • The MAX: Stretching Self-Expression
Mar 24-29 • Relational Gestalt & Big Sur Wilderness
Mar 29-31 • A Celebration of the Body
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Tools of Spirit and Grace
Apr 5-7 • The Transformative Power of Emotions
Apr 7-12 • Not For the Feint of Heart
Apr 12-14 • Intimate Connections
Apr 19-21 • Forgiveness and Intimacy
Apr 21-26 • Natural Powers
Apr 26-28 • Anger, Madness, and Creativity
Apr 28-May 3 • Living Our Learning
May 3-5 • Unfinished Issues: The Sources of Growth
May 3-5 • Holistic Sexuality: Integrating Sex and Spirit
May 5-10 • Getting Real: Truth as a Path to Freedom
May 12-17 • Group Process for High-Risk Takers
May 17-19 • ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple
May 19-24 • Embracing Life’s Challenges
May 26-31 • Transformation: From Facade to Self
Jun 2-7 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
Jun 9-14 • Completions and Transitions
Jun 14-16 • Focusing: The Inner Relationship
Jun 21-23 • The Visionary Life
Jun 23-28 • California Dreaming
Jun 28-30 • Freedom from Fear
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RELATIONSHIP /
COMMUNICATION
Jan 6-11 • A Longing for Wholeness
Jan 18-20 • Getting Real: Truth as a Path to Freedom
Jan 18-20 • Changing Yourself and Your Relationships
Feb 1-3 • Undefended Love
Feb 1-3 • Authenticity, Intimacy: Gay Couples
Feb 10-15 • New Connections: Dialogue and Improv
Feb 15-17 • Close Yet Free
Mar 10-15 • The Intimate Couple
Apr 5-7 • Couples’ Communication
Apr 14-19 • The Healing Relationship
Apr 21-26 • Finding True Love
Apr 26-28 • Getting to Resolution
Apr 28-May 3 • I-You-Us: Pleasure and Intimacy
Apr 28-May 3 • Meditating Together: Insight Dialogue
May 19-24 • Love and Passion
May 24-26 • Communication and Partnership
May 26-31 • Lasting Love: Real or Just a Fairy Tale?
May 31-Jun 2 • The Art of Conscious Relationship
Jun 2-7 • The Soul in Love
Jun 28-30 • Evolution and Relationship
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SOMATICS
Jan 11-13 • Sensory Awareness
Jan 18-20 • The Embodied Life
Jan 20-25 • Five-Day Massage Intensive
Jan 25-27 • Sphurana Yoga and Shinkido Massage
Feb 1-3 • Weekend Massage Intensive
Feb 3-8 • Sports Massage and Chi Gung
Feb 3-8 • Body Tales
Feb 8-10 • Massage Weekend for Couples
Feb 10-15 • The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
Feb 22-24 • Body of Awareness
Feb 24-Mar 1 • Advanced Massage Intensive
Mar 10-17 • Cortical Field Reeducation & Feldenkrais
Mar 10-15 • Esalen Massage Retreat
Mar 15-17 • Spiritual Reflexology
Mar 17-22 • Esalen Massage and Energetic Healing
WILDERNESS
/ ECOPSYCHOLOGY
Mar 8-10 • Biomimicry: Inspired by Nature
Mar 24-29 • Relational Gestalt & Big Sur Wilderness
Apr 7-12 • Wild Big Sur
Apr 7-12 • Feng Shui for the Soul
May 10-12 • Big Sur Wilderness Experience
May 12-17 • Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Jun 2-7 • River’s Wisdom, Mountain’s Way
Jun 16-21 • Wilderness and Continuum
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WOMEN ’S
/ MEN’S ISSUES
Jan 4-6 • Toward Finding a Soulmate: Gay Singles
Jan 27-Feb 1 • Gay and Single
Feb 1-3 • Authenticity, Intimacy: Gay Couples
May 10-12 • Mothers and Daughters: Adult Women
May 26-31 • Authenticity, Creativity: Gay & Bi Men
May 31-Jun 2 • Spiritual Buddies: Gay Men
Jun 14-16 • Patterns of Love: Fathers and Daughters
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WORKPLACE / EDUCATION
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
/
Feb 8-10 • The Art of Leadership
Feb 17-22 • Spirit in the Workplace
Mar 31-Apr 5 • Why Smart People Fail
May 3-5 • The Resurrection of Our Body Politic
Jun 9-14 • The Co-Active Coaching Course
Jun 14-16 • Natural Capitalism
Jun 21-23 • The Visionary Life
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YOGA
/ MARTIAL ARTS / SPORT
Jan 4-6 • Going Within: The Fifth Limb of Yoga
Jan 6-11 • Yoga Practice: Fueling the Inner Fire
Jan 25-27 • Sphurana Yoga and Shinkido Massage
Feb 8-10 • Qigong and Inner Alchemy
Feb 24-Mar 1 • Tai Chi
Mar 1-3 • Entering the Flow State
Apr 5-7 • Yoga: Refining Body, Mind, and Being
Apr 7-12 • Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga
Apr 28-May 3 • Yoga and Balance: For Runners, Walkers
May 5-10 • Yoga Practice: Engaging the Hero’s Journey
May 5-10 • Golf in the Kingdom
Jun 9-14 • Yoga and Tai Chi
Jun 14-16 • Developing a Personal Yoga Practice
Jun 23-28 • Qigong Training: Health & Transformation
9
Q
Seminar Spotlight—a
I
n our efforts to expand our programming in new directions, we continue to present new leaders whose names
may not be as familiar to you as others in the
Catalog. On this page we highlight a few of
these new offerings by providing a bit more
information than you’ll find in the Seminars
section.
closer look
broadcast from New York for Persians
nationwide. On his last televised show,
Gholam Hosain interviewed Terence about
his family’s return to Iran. It was then that
their friendship began.
“He was my Zorba,” says Terence, a writer
and cross-cultural consultant, of the charismatic Persian musician. Indeed, the multifaceted Iranian is a theatrical director, an ethnomusicologist, and was responsible for the traditional music in the film Meetings with
Remarkable Men.
Come and take a journey of your own to a
land that is at once wildly alien and inextricably linked to the American imagination.
See The Timeless Soul of Iran: The Other
Face of Islam, March 8-10.
Sobonfu was prepared almost from birth for
her special purpose—teaching her tribal ways
to America. She is here because of a prediction made by tribal elders: “The village will
be reborn in the heart and soul of the culture
that is destroying the village.”
“When I first came to America to be with
[husband] Malidoma, he showed me our first
apartment, and where my kitchen was. I
looked at him and said, ‘But where is the
smoke?’ I am used to cooking around the fire
with my family, which is very large. I am not
so used to constantly finding myself alone.”
If you have gotten used to finding yourself
alone, come and experience the healing
power that abides in community.
See Ritual, Sacred Space, and
Community, April 19-21.
Sobonfu Somé—Creating
Community that Heals
“In this timely seminar,” writes Terence
Ward, “we will peer inside the Islamic
Republic in search of eternal Persian themes
of art that are inspiring new generations. We
will provide firsthand accounts of Iran and
the reform movement which is gathering
strength. We will transcend the politics of
despotic kings and clergy, and listen to the
beating heart of a more humane Iran long
inaccessible to the world.
“We’ll explore traditional Persian music,
which has served as a fountainhead for
Arabic, Indian, Chinese, and North African
music, even the Spanish flamenco. We’ll
delve into Sufi literary masterpieces that still
resonate profoundly in the hearts of Iranian
people, far more rooted in their collective
unconscious than the bullhorn statements of
the mullahs.”
Born in Boulder, Colorado, Terence Ward
spent his childhood in Iran. In 1998 he and
his family set out on a pilgrimage back to the
Islamic Republic of Iran, where they had
lived in the 1960s. It was in the aftermath of
this journey that Terence met Gholam
Hosain, who had for eight years hosted a cultural television show for the Aftab network,
10
“We have to redefine community,” says Sobonfu
Somé. “Community doesn’t mean that our
family has to be there. It doesn’t have to be
geographical—these days that can be difficult.
We must look for people who value who we
are, who see our gifts, and whom we can then
bring together to form a community. We’re
talking about a community made of up people
to whom you can really open up your heart
without being hurt or rejected.”
Sobonfu Somé grew up in a small village in
the West African country of Burkina Faso.
There, community was the basis for all of
life, a vital place where each individual member was considered useful and irreplaceable.
The children referred to one another as
brother and sister, and called all adults mother and father. In the Dagara tribal culture, all
children are equally precious: Each child
comes into the world with special gifts and a
special purpose.
TANIA BARRICKLO
Terence Ward & Gholam
Hosain Janati-Ataie—
Understanding the Culture
of Iran
Rudy Ballentine & Lorie
Dechar—In Search of
Alchemical Transformation
Rudy
Ballentine
and Lorie
Dechar met
five years ago
at a gathering
for leaders in
the movement to reintegrate sexuality and
spirituality.
Though
Lorie had
worked as an
acupuncturist and
somatic psychotherapist
and Rudy as a homeopath/psychiatrist and
holistic physician for many years, delving
into erotic energy as part of their personal
healing process brought their work to a
deeper, more embodied level.
This exploration, combined with their passionate concern for environmental and
social issues, provided Lorie and Rudy with a
broad canvas. On it, they began to sketch a
vision of healing as a transformation into a
new way of being—not only for individuals
but also for groups. Continuing their search,
they discovered that the principles of healing
that underlay their past training were all
rooted in a universal set of truths. To articulate this truth they turned to alchemy, where
the mysteries of transformational healing
had been preserved in their most succinct
and complete form.
Lorie had already steeped herself in Taoist
alchemy in an effort to recover the spiritual
and psychotherapeutic underpinnings of
Chinese Medicine. Rudy had first encountered European alchemy in tracing the origins of homeopathy, and later realized that
his twenty years of intensive training with a
yoga master was rooted in the Tantric
alchemical tradition of India. Alchemical
teachings reveal the secret of how sexuality
and spirituality come together. They
explain how the inner union of feminine
and masculine creates an explosion of transformation that redefines reality and revives
the magical and mythical power of human
consciousness.
Each year when Lorie and Rudy come to
Esalen, a circle of open minds and hearts
assembles to unfold a powerful vision of personal and planetary healing—one that moves
beyond gender struggles, beyond victim and
scarcity consciousness, and one that brings
Spirit fully into ecstatic bodily expression.
See Radical Healing and the Alchemical
Body, April 21-26.
where so much work was done to develop the
new consciousness of our time. Esalen is also
a place where we can now begin to create a
desperately needed new politics.
“Since 1966 I’ve been travelling two converging paths: seeking to become a whole person,
and becoming an effective representative of
the people, a legislator and leader. In
November of 1966 I was elected to the
California State Assembly. That year I also read
Sidney Jourard’s The Transparent Self, and
entered therapy with Jesuit psychologist [and
Carl Rogers protégé] Leo Rock. In 1969 I
attended three Esalen programs—with Jourard,
James Fadiman, and John Heider. That same
year I traveled to Kairos to attend workshops
with Abraham Maslow and Rollo May, then
later with Carl Rogers himself. My personal
odyssey took me to bioenergeticist Stanley
Keleman (introducing me to my body), and
into friendships with Virginia Satir and Jack
Canfield (inspiring my self-esteem work).
“Increasingly my political life was informed
by my newfound faithful sense of myself and
all humans—programs in natural childbirth,
humanistic education, holistic health, developing healthy self-esteem, humanistic business—altogether a politics of trust.
“Looking back, I’m struck by how far we’ve
come. We boast of our ‘new economy,’ cherish our ‘new diversity,’ celebrate our ‘new consciousness.’ Yet we’re still stuck with the
same old cynical politics. So I’m working to
generate a new human political movement
befitting and based upon our faithful view of
our human nature and potential. For this
endeavor Esalen is a precious home base.
Please join me.”
See Masterminding the Resurrection of
our Body Politic, May 3-5.
Guy Dartnell—“Playing” with
Emotional States
John Vasconcellos—A Politics
of Human Potential
“Despite having had a traditional actor’s
vocal training,” recalls Guy Dartnell, “I first
truly became interested in the voice, and the
power it had as a medium for expression and
self-discovery, lying on a massage table.
“As I approach political retirement,” writes
California State Senator John Vasconcellos,
“it’s fitting that I return to Esalen, where I
gained so much of my own self-discovery, and
“I’d had chronic back pain for two years and
despite many attempts to heal it, through
both conventional and nonconventional
means, it was finally only through a combi-
nation of
my healer’s
hands and
the emotional releases I
experienced
during the
sometimes
subtle, sometimes
extreme
vocal expressions I let
out on the
table as I
gradually
learned to
relax, that
my pain
came to an
end. Ever since, for the past twenty years
now, a large part of my life has been devoted
to exploring how the voice, body, and emotions relate on an expressive level, and to
bringing that knowledge into my performance
work and into the workshops I’ve run for
performance, university, self-development,
corporate, and other groups around the world.
Along the way my discoveries have been
highly influenced by the pioneering
voice/movement work of the Roy Hart
Theatre, by time spent as a massage therapist
myself, and by my involvement in theatre
and improvised performance of different
kinds, especially with the internationally
acclaimed Improbable Theatre
(www.improbable.co.uk).
“Regarding improvisation, one of the main
thrusts of my work is developing spontaneity and the notion of having ‘fun’—especially
having ‘fun’ with emotional states, even
seemingly painful ones. It is one basic of acting that if an actor is supposed to be crying
(because the script says so) and he/she is crying, then, far from being in pain, they will be
more likely enjoying themselves, because
who they are and what they want to be will
not be in conflict. It is the experience of this
paradoxical truth (but without the script)
that I aim to share.”
See Voic(e)motion, June 28-30.
Other new workshops are highlighted in the
Seminars section.
11
esalen seminars
ED ODELL
S
Weekend of January 4–6
Going Within: The Fifth Limb of Yoga
Thomas Michael Fortel
Thomas writes: “The yoga system has an overarching guide in the form of the Eight Limbs of
Yoga from Sri Patanjali. These limbs represent
the broad foundation of the yoga practices
and experiences which occur over a long-term
yoga practice. In the Fifth Limb, Pratyahara,
Patanjali indicates the important experience
when the attention moves beyond the five
senses. Normally, consciousness is pouring
through our being and is expressed through
the senses. As one develops in yoga practice,
the drawing in of the attention from sensory
experience occurs and one begins to dwell on
the effulgent inner divine presence, the Self.
12
“In our yoga retreat this weekend—so close to
the darkest time of the year, Winter Solstice—
our focus will be on turning our attention
within. In our asana practice, pranayama,
meditation, and chanting, our gaze will turn
inward as we continue our experience of balancing the polar opposites.”
Everyone is welcome. All yoga props provided.
CE credit for nurses; see page 71.
Soul Dance
and the rich reservoir of movement we all
have within us.”
“We will dance,” Zoë writes, “to reclaim our
naturally wild nature—embodying the spirit
of earth, air, water, fire, and space. Movement
becomes meditation, release, and transformation.”
The dancers will be supported and inspired
by the music of Gordy Ryan and guest musicians on drums, bells, shakers, flute, and voice.
No previous dance experience is necessary—
simply a willingness to move and be moved.
Zoë Yayodele Ryan & Gordy Onàyémi Ryan
“Join us for a celebration of soulful music and
dance!” Zoë Ryan invites you to “experience
rhythm, song, and stillness, from your toes to
your fingertips as your own Soul Dance
emerges, infused with the wisdom of your
own being. In our Soul Dance we develop our
awareness of time, weight, space, and flow,
See pages 86–87 for fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts
Trusting the Stone: Exploring the
Soul through Stone Carving
Arthur Weinfeld
The essence of the journey to consciousness
is confronting our resistance. When the carver sculpts, he or she is encountering the same
resistances that occur in the psyche, and thus
the process is a metaphor for life. As we
become more conscious of our approach to
carving and our evolving relationship with
the stone, our creative and problem-solving
abilities emerge.
In this workshop, stone carving is used as a
creative vehicle both for the exploration of
the psyche and for emerging creativity. After
selecting your stone and hand tools (all provided), you begin the experience of stone
carving. Through the emerging process, you’ll
explore ways in which your creative self may
be realized.
($25 materials fee paid directly to the leader)
PhotoGestalt:
Self-Portraits, Self-Awareness
come and join us for a weekend of opening
your heart and expanding your consciousness
with other gay single men. In a supportive
and safe environment you will join other singles on their journey toward finding a soulmate. Learn how to break habitual and historical patterns of self-judgment and perfectionism that limit what we bring emotionally to
the dating table.”
Jim uses a blend of lecture, group exercises,
meditation, and discussion to teach you how
to capitalize on your strengths and develop
the skills required to combine the following
elements in meeting a mate: practicality, spirituality, sensuality, and a sense of adventure.
As a support in returning home, participants
will have the opportunity to develop and customize their own Dating Action Plan and use
this “dating tool-kit” in their life.
Dorothy Charles
Knowing who we are and what we feel or
want can be difficult when our self-knowledge is distorted, confused, outdated, or unexamined. Creating self-portraits and working
with the images can help us to perceive and
recognize ourselves more clearly. Making
images with the intent to represent feelings,
aspects of identity, inner conflicts, and avoided parts of ourselves can be a way of deepening our awareness and providing the possibility for change.
Working in pairs, using a Polaroid instant
camera, participants will create their own selfportraits, with partners serving as neutral
shutter-pressing assistants. The picture-taking
sessions may include humor, fantasy, props, or
still lifes. The workshop will incorporate journal writing and artwork to augment the photographic images. Participants will then use
Gestalt Practice to work with the results, both
in pairs and in the larger group. The discussion will include participants’ experience of
the process as well as the results of their selfportraits.
Polaroid cameras will be provided. Bring any
props you might like to include in your selfportraits.
Toward Finding a Soulmate—
For Gay Singles
Jim Sullivan
I am now open to receiving in my life a new mate.
Together, we enjoy happiness, prosperity, and long
loving companionship.
“Do you have the willingness to say yes to the
above affirmation?” asks Jim Sullivan. “If so,
Week of January 6–11
A Longing for Wholeness: Embracing
the Shadow in Relationship
Charlie & Linda Bloom
Although most of us are aware of what it
takes to promote intimacy, trust, and deep
connectedness in relationships, putting our
knowledge into practice is often another
thing altogether. We may find the challenge
of creating loving relationships far more difficult than we expected. Our partner can bring
out the worst as well as the best in us. In
many cases the pain engendered by unsuccessful efforts to establish loving contact can
become so intolerable that separation may
appear to be the only acceptable option. Yet
this need not be the case.
In this workshop, participants will be encouraged to open more fully to those aspects of
themselves that are relegated to the dark, as
well as to the “golden shadow.” In thus coming
to terms with ourselves we bring greater
authenticity, playfulness, intimacy, and co-creativity into our relationships.
Utilizing experiential processes, role playing,
and group exercises, the workshop is
designed to clarify the means through which
we can learn to listen to and speak from the
truth of each moment, even at those times
when we find our hearts closed in pain. We
can learn to harness the vast energies bound
in the shadow and transform them into powerful healing and creative forces in our lives.
The Enneagram of Liberation:
From Fixation to Freedom
Eli Jaxon-Bear
Every soul is longing for happiness and
peace. This longing is the call home, the call
within, to discover the depths of limitless
love. If you feel this longing for the end of
suffering, the Enneagram can be useful to
find the way home. This retreat with Eli
Jaxon-Bear is an opportunity to uncover the
subconscious identification with egoic suffering. The possibility of waking up from the
trance of fixation is the fruit of the willingness to uncover the lie of false identity.
Through Eli’s work, you can directly experience the truth of yourself.
“This possibility of Self-realization,” Eli writes,
“is the end of the spiritual path and the
supreme goal of life. In the past it was the rare
soul who journeyed beyond the known world
to find the ultimate truth. It requires a willingness to give up all that has come before to discover what is completely fresh and unknown.
This takes courage and a true desire to end suffering. Now this rarest of gifts is available to
anyone with the burning desire for truth. In
our time together we will sit in meditation,
engage in dialogue, ask questions, and open to
the silent truth of being.”
Recommended reading and listening: JaxonBear: The Enneagram of Liberation: From
Fixation to Freedom (book and audiocassette).
Inside Rhythm: The Song of the Drum
Gordy Ryan & Bruce Langhorne
Gordy and Bruce write: “With our voices,
hand drums, djun-jun (Yoruban music) or
dunun (Malinke music), bells, shekere, and
melodic instruments, we’ll take a cultural
journey from Africa to Big Sur via the
Caribbean and New Orleans. Through
embodying songs, refining our hand technique, and clarifying our understanding
of rhythmic orchestration, we’ll open our
ability to hear the muse of sweet inspiration
and feel the groove as a point of awareness
in the body.”
From playing traditional rhythms and songs
with integrity to finding the source of creativity for composing new music, these sessions
are designed to spark new dimensions of consciousness in your musical experience. Bruce
and Gordy have lived this music for decades
and bring wisdom and Big Fun to the creative
moment.
CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 71.
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Yoga Practice: Fueling the Inner Fire
“As with any of the spiritual practices, no one
is able to perform our yoga for us,” writes
Thomas. “Therefore it is up to us to give ourselves and our time to the discipline. Divine
grace assists us along the path, but in the end
it for us to show up. It’s natural that we get
caught up in our normal routines, both emotionally and physically. For the student to
keep coming to the yoga room means opening oneself to being physically uncomfortable
and emotionally vulnerable, and for many of
us this is not an easy process.
“The practices of yoga—asana, pranayama,
meditation, and chanting—ignite and fuel an
inner fire (tapas) which brings up our issues
and burns our impurities. In yogic terms, we
are working with our karmas and samscaras,
which opens a way for the deeper experiences
of divine love and bliss. Over time, a yoga student develops discipline, commitment, perseverance, clarity, and an enduring peace. These
qualities eventually emerge with an ongoing
practice.
“In this weeklong retreat we will focus on
stoking this inner fire. We’ll begin in the early
morning with pranayama and meditation,
have an active midmorning asana practice, and
a more restorative practice in the afternoon.”
All yoga props are provided. Please have a
minimum of 3 months of yoga experience.
Jupiter’s Rings:
Balance from the Inside Out
Howard Schechter & Barbara Lee
Stress is epidemic today. At the same time
there is a deep craving for psychological and
spiritual sustenance. If we emphasize the
external at the expense of the internal, work
at the expense of family and personal lives, we
are, as a result, out of balance and dissatisfied.
All attempts at rearranging the external elements will inevitably fail—it is like trying to
rearrange the furniture to save a sinking ship.
To enjoy that most precious of life’s gifts, a
deep sense of well-being, we must give priority to nourishing our internal process.
This workshop explores what constitutes a
life in balance. It presents a blueprint for a
personalized, integrated daily practice which
nurtures our physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual components. It offers models from
various psychological and spiritual perspectives presented in a fresh formulation of tradi14
tional wisdom. The emphasis, however, is not
on formulas or models but on each participant generating an understanding of what
uniquely nurtures his or her own internal
harmony and creates a satisfying balance.
“We will identify and explore each of our
unique strengths for developing harmony and
balance,” write Howard and Barbara. “We will
identify and address the blocks each of us has
created that limit our sense of well-being.
There will be experiential and interactive
exercises as well as focused guidance; however, the actual movement of the workshop
from one moment to the next will be determined by the interests and needs of the individuals in the group.”
The Body Keeps the Score:
Mind, Brain, and Body in the
Transformation of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk & Peter Levine
This workshop unites two of the leading figures in the field of trauma research and bodyoriented treatment approaches. Together they
will explore the implications of recent findings
in the neurosciences, from how the brain and
body deal with emotional information to an
understanding of effective therapeutic action.
The leaders will show that the trauma response
is a specific defensive bodily reaction that people initially mobilize in order to protect themselves, and then use against feeling the totality
of their horror, helplessness, or pain. However,
in the long range this response keeps them
frozen, stuck in the past, unable to fully be in
the here and now. Fixed in the defensive trauma response, the shame, defeat, and humiliation associated with the original event replays
itself over and over again in the body, detached
from history, but experienced in the present.
Traditionally, therapies have attempted to
change perceptions of the world by means of
reason and insight, along with conditioning,
behavior modification, drugs, and medications. However, perceptions remain fundamentally unchanged until the internal experience of the body changes. Even after the
death of a loved one, physical injury, a rape, or
assault, people can learn to have new bodily
experiences and can then come to heal and
accept what has happened and create new
lives and new communities.
CE credit for psychologists; see page 71.
Sensory Awareness:
The Rediscovery of Experiencing
Jill Harris
Jill Harris recalls: “At the beginning of my
study of Sensory Awareness with [pioneer]
Charlotte Selver nearly thirty years ago,
Charlotte asked me to come directly and simply from standing to lying on the floor. After
my third attempt Charlotte observed that I
seemed apprehensive. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘the floor
seems quite a distance away.’ ‘It is a distance
from your head,’ she replied. Then she asked,
‘How far is it from your feet?’
“With that question I realized that I had no
sensation of standing, that my orientation was
mental and visual, and that something essential was lacking.”
This workshop is designed to be a reminder
that our sense of ourselves and the world is
based on being open to the sensory experience inherent in our daily life. In an age and a
society in which both sensory and information overload are common, we may still discover within ourselves unexpected capacities
for discernment and perception, capacities
awaiting the interest, patience, and inner
quiet necessary for their revelation.
“In our time together,” writes Jill, “we will be
exploring, sensing our way through such
basic activities as sitting, walking, coming
into contact… in other words, the immediacy
of direct experience and the possibility of
being more present with whomever we meet
and in whatever we do.”
Recommended reading: Brooks, Sensory
Awareness.
CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 71.
Esalen’s Favorite Recipes
Charlie & Marion Cascio
Countless well-fed Esalen seminarians have
requested their favorite recipes from the
Esalen kitchen. If you are one of those satisfied customers, this workshop is a golden
opportunity. Esalen kitchen manager Charlie
Cascio and his wife Marion, an Esalen staff
chef, have put together a course designed to
help participants recreate some of the most
popular recipes from the Esalen kitchen. This
will be a hands-on course in which you will
“have your hands in the mix.” Participants will
have the chance to be sous-chefs working
directly with the chef in preparing an evening
meal for over 200 people. The chefs will pass
on a cornucopia of cooking techniques, from
how to create your own recipe to cooking for
a large crowd.
Participants are invited to request a favorite
recipe or two upon registration.
The Power of Growth
Everyone has unused capacities for further
personal development. When these capacities
are recognized and given attention, a natural
force is released which, like a tide, can carry
the individual to a higher level of ability and
action. Fritz Perls taught how to recognize the
force of avoided issues in dealing with
blocked energies. When unfinished issues are
confronted and assimilated, it is possible to
feel potent and in charge of one’s life.
In this workshop, participants will deal with
these issues by examining the influence of
the inner dialogue on thoughts and the
nature of impasse, as well as tendencies within themselves toward psychological completion and well-being. The basis of this work is
the Gestalt method, supported by studies in
various body disciplines, including sensory
awareness and bioenergetics. Each participant’s process of development will be honored, encouraged, and treated as unique.
Improvisational Being:
Stories the Body Tells
Nina Wise
Most of us are conditioned not to express ourselves freely, but once encouraged to feel our
inner impulses and to follow them with abandon, we encounter a vast landscape of characters, memories, stories, and images that lead
us toward freedom. Through movement,
vocal exercises, meditation, song, and dance,
this workshop offers physical and spiritual
tools to translate your inner life into theater.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” says Nina, “and
stories reside as much in the body as in the
mind. So we begin with movement—slow
stretches to open the body. We open the voice
with playful classical and jazz-based exercises.
We meditate to calm the heart, dance to free
the spirit, find a way to effortlessly compose
with language. The journey leads to giving
voice and physicality to the private characters
and inner realities that live in the subconscious mind and the cells of our bodies.”
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Seymour Carter
A workshop in Improvisational Being is like
dreaming on your feet. Expect to surprise
yourself, and to become more playful and at
ease before an audience. You might even find
that the sense of well-being achieved during
the workshop not only expands your creative
abilities but also enhances your experience of
daily life. And while it is not therapy,
Improvisational Being can be surprisingly,
delightfully, holistically therapeutic.
Peter Levine and Maggie Phillips have taught
and published on trauma and stress in national
and international settings, and bring a wealth
of experience and theoretical knowledge.
Please note: Completion of prior training in
hypnosis and Level I training in EMDR is
strongly recommended.
Treating Trauma:
An Integrative Approach
The High-Performance Mind:
Awakened Mind Brainwave Training
Peter Levine & Maggie Phillips
Anna Wise
This workshop—for professionals—explores
the treatment of post-traumatic symptoms
and conditions through a synthesis of
Somatic Experiencing, hypnosis, EMDR, and
other techniques. By understanding the biological impact of trauma, participants can discover and practice more effective ways of
applying “cutting-edge” approaches to their
work with traumatized individuals. The leaders will focus on ways of freeing the immense
energies bound in trauma and of using these
instinctual strengths as resources to lead
clients into the ecstasy of the deep self.
The high-performance mind is clearer, sharper, more flexible. Emotions become more
available, easier to transform. Information
flows readily between the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious levels, increasing
intuition, insight, and empathy. Having a
high-performance mind means being able to
enter at will the state of consciousness most
beneficial for any given circumstance—and
then understanding how to use that state.
This workshop is an opportunity to observe,
practice, and do personal work with the subtle energies underlying the healing of trauma.
Types of trauma to be addressed include accidents, natural disasters, rape, invasive medical
procedures, surgeries, childhood abuse, exposure to violence, and developmental and prenatal stress. Models for interweaving bodyoriented psychotherapy, EMDR protocols,
and hypnotic techniques will be presented
and demonstrated.
Through brainwave training for beta, alpha,
theta, and delta, this workshop teaches you
how to produce the components for an awakened mind, the brainwave pattern of peak
experience, optimum creativity, and spiritual
awareness. Working with both the state and
the content of consciousness, you can learn to
use these brainwaves to help develop a highperformance mind for self-healing, increasing
creativity, improving relationships, and developing greater awareness.
The workshop combines biofeedback monitoring with meditation, visualization, and
deep psychophysiological relaxation to help
15
you master your own states of consciousness.
The Mind Mirror EEG will be used to demonstrate brainwave patterns, and Electrical Skin
Resistance Meters will measure the depth of
arousal and relaxation of your autonomic nervous system, illuminating the interrelationship between your body and your mind.
Vision Painting
Helen Jerene Malcolm
What is your vision for your life? What
makes your heart sing and brings fulfillment
and peace into your life?
Through guided meditations, music, and
movement you can translate the unique perspective of your experiences through your
Vision Paintings. Allowing your “inner light”
to be expressed in a wide variety of color
brings awareness to the areas of your life that
seek healing. Release your expectations of
how you should paint and you’ll be surprised
at the power and wisdom of what comes
through you.
Getting Real: Telling the Truth as a
Path to Freedom
Susan Campbell
Everyone values honest communication, but
how many of us have the necessary skills? In
this workshop participants work with a set of
simple yet profound communication agree-
ments designed to help learn and practice ten
core skills for living honestly (for example,
distinguishing between your actual experience and your wishes, fears, beliefs, and judgments). The workshop is intended for people
who want to explore honesty as a spiritual
path, getting to the essential self that is beyond
conditioned fears, beliefs, and control patterns.
Participants will examine such questions as:
What are the areas of my life where I feel I
need to lie, sugarcoat, or pretend? What does
this reveal about my beliefs about myself and
the world? What practices can support my
living in here-and-now experience instead of
in my beliefs, judgments, and shoulds? What
if I decided to let go of my need to control
things? How can I be intimate with others
and still be 100% true to myself?
The workshop is based on this premise: We
can only be as honest as we are self-aware. We
become self-aware layer by layer as we peel
away the layers of conditioning that overlay
the essential self. Honest communication is a
vehicle for this. In the workshop, participants
will create a mini-society where they can get
real—and come from essence instead of conditioning. This is freedom.
ED ODELL
Vision Painting is designed to enable you to
access deeper levels of consciousness and
bring to light your soul’s vision. In Vision
Painting, you will explore how your intuitive
responses to color reveal information about
the state of your body, mind, and soul. In
Vision Painting’s meditations, you allow color
to express itself through you—in any shape
and form. Concepts of “right” and “wrong” are
dropped in order to enter a flow state in
which the painter learns to paint with intuitive receptivity, allowing the painting to
unfold of its own accord. Natural feelings of
excitement and fear that often accompany
creative endeavors are used as catalysts to
transform emotion into color and passion
into imagery.
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Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes:
Changing Yourself and Your
Relationships
Paul & Deborah Brenner
“Healthy relationships have been our quest;
reclaiming the soul, our dream,” write Paul
and Deborah Brenner. “It is on the path of
relationship that we meet our shadow and
reclaim our disowned parts.”
This hands-on workshop gives you the opportunity to look at yourself without blame, judgment, or guilt. The Brenners have created a
simple, visual psychological model to break
those patterns that hinder relationships at
home and at work. Their “Family Triangle”
process, utilized in conjunction with the creative arts, uncovers unconscious behaviors
that define how you love, what you love, and
what unique gifts you offer life.
This weekend workshop is designed to free
your authentic self. It is through self-repair
that loving relationships and personal spirituality fuse. The practical skills offered here are
easily integrated into daily living. This workshop is ideal for individuals, couples, and professionals.
beginners and those experienced in these
approaches. Through movement lessons,
meditations, awareness practices, and conversation, this will be a meaningful and joyful
time of learning together.
Singing Gestalt
Within the unconscious of each of us sleeps a
library of wisdom, memory, and feeling catalogued in the words of songs. From lullabies to
songs of love and longing, you have an inner
language you may be unaware of. Even if you
think you don’t know any songs or have forgotten them all, your subconscious has been storing songs and their meanings since birth.
Singing in a group creates awareness of and
connection to intimate parts of yourself and
others, parts that usually remain hidden in
our day-to-day interactions, even with those
closest to us. The power of Singing Gestalt is
in experiencing a new connection to yourself—a self you may not have met—expressed
in your own true voice through the wisdom
of your songs.
Russell Delman
Come alone or bring someone important to
you—a friend, a lover, a parent, someone with
whom you’d like to communicate in a different way. If you wish, bring photographs of significant people in your life, past or present.
All methods devoted to human potential
emphasize the importance of being present in
This Very Moment. Our physicality can be a
great ally in this process. Learning to sense
our breathing, standing, sitting, and other
activities with greater clarity while learning to
move in easier, more satisfying ways can help
us to be present with more joy and lightness.
If the idea of getting up and singing in front
of other people terrifies you, this workshop is
for you. If you love to sing in front of other
people and want to stretch yourself further,
this workshop is for you. If you have trouble
listening to your own voice, this workshop is
for you. If you’ve been too shy to try, this is
your chance.
The Feldenkrais Method of Awareness
Through Movement® is recognized as a brilliant sensory-motor approach to reeducating
the nervous system and for developing clearer
self-awareness. Using ingenious, enjoyable,
and intriguing movement sequences, this
work is of value to people at all levels of movement ability. Healthy athletes as well as people recovering from injuries can learn from
the same movement lesson.
Some guided imagery and Gestalt may be
used. Accompaniment and lots of lyrics are
available.
The Embodied Life: The Feldenkrais
Method® and Meditation
The meditation to be practiced is a bare-bones
approach to experiencing the present
moment “as it is”; this is the basis for being at
home in ourselves. Beyond ideology, the
workshop addresses the question: Unless we
learn to be at ease within our body/mind, can
we ever be deeply settled in our life?
This workshop will be of interest to both
Levine (Waking the Tiger) in this penetrating
exploration into the power of story to heal
and transform.
The Power of Story To Heal and
Transform
Cathrine Ann Jones & Peter Levine
How do we put together the pieces of the
past? How can we rewrite our life story? Our
lives may be less determined by our past traumas than by the way in which we remember
them. Healing and transformation depend
first on listening to the body’s story without
words, making it one’s own from within, and
then visualizing and rewriting one’s own new
life story. Join award-winning playwright and
screenwriter Cathrine Ann Jones (“Touched
by an Angel”) and trauma expert Dr. Peter
Taking Flight: Developing
Vocal Magic
Rhiannon
Are you a singer who would like to to let go of
the “known” and discover a more spontaneous
musical expression? Rhiannon’s program is
designed to help students discover the skill
behind the magic of improvisation. To grow
as an improviser means studying the forms
that hold this magic.
Taking Flight is a workshop for intermediate
singers who have developed basic skills in
rhythm and pitch and are comfortable
singing in a group setting. Working alone, in
pairs, and in ensemble, singers delve deeper
into the possibilities of spontaneously composed music, strengthening their skills in
rhythm, vocal technique, body integration,
harmony, and ear training. Improvisation
exercises put these tools into context, encouraging deep listening, musical awareness, and
expanded creativity.
Sessions are often taught in an a cappella circle, reinforcing group dynamics, full presence,
and allowing the group to create vocal
grooves and interlocking parts as a foundation for soloing. This demonstrates to the
singers that they can be the bottom line of the
rhythm and form of the music. Students will
also experiment with words, personal scat language, movement, and a variety of other innovative exercises that allow for greater levels of
freedom, joy, and unselfconscious expression.
Accepting Life’s Transitions:
Letting Go—Moving On
Mary Goldenson
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began . . .
— Mary Oliver
The only certainty in life is change, yet we
often resent our transitions because of patterns of fear and self-denial. Old beliefs keep
us stuck in our resentments, unsuccessful
marriages, friendships, and careers, and can
cause illness, sorrow, and the inability to forgive. Transitions are crossroads in our lives
that give us the opportunity to take time out
17
and reconnect with our truth. It is never too
late to change. Transitions are doors to the
renewal of our passions, courage, and commitments.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop will present you with ways to
help complete the past, be open to the present, and create a future. Participants will
have a safe, supportive environment that
includes taking risks, intense bodywork,
Gestalt imagery, dance, and meditation in
order to support the transitions that keep us
committed to the process of discovering ourselves.
Energy Recalibration—Level I
Cecilia Keenan
Energy Recalibration (E.R.) is a multilevel,
step-by-step process that helps the student
learn to identify and release negative patterns
that create physical dis-ease, hold them in limitation, or keep them stuck in life-depleting
activities.
This class is for anyone who feels they could
benefit from a “how-to” manual for helping
themselves. Energy Recalibration is a “personal emergency room” that is always available to
you. It helps you understand how you constrict your life-force and helps to identify the
subconscious forces that are shaping your lifeexperiences.
Level I of E.R. focuses on helping the student
learn how to use the hands-on process and
understand how to interpret the material.
Emphasis will be placed on demonstrating
the technique and allowing the students to
practice on one another. This approach allows
the students to gain confidence in their ability while subtly training their intuition.
Mosaic Art Intensive: From the
Ordinary to the Extraordinary
Jayson Fann
To invent you need a good imagination
and a pile of junk.
— Thomas Edison
Mosaic is the ancient art of assembling and
adhering variously colored and textured
material, such as tile, stone, and stained glass.
Known for its rich texture and visual depth,
mosaic is found throughout the world.
Whether an intricately-tiled portrait or a table
in your home, mosaic is a medium that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Adults and children alike can quickly produce striking results.
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In this workshop, students will be provided
with a wealth of colorful tiles and stones,
stained glass, jewels, and trinkets with which
to create. (Soon the sound of your favorite
dish shattering will ring with the delight of
artistic possibility.)
Participants may work on a range of projects—
a hanging mirror, a lamp or small table, a
sculpture, a garden stepping-stone. By the end
of the workshop students will have completed several projects to take home with them.
Five-Day Massage Intensive
Char Pias & Carl Chase (CC)
During these five days, participants will learn
to give and receive an effective and pleasurable Esalen Massage. The basis of this style
consists of long flowing strokes which contribute to deep relaxation. There will be an
emphasis on the issue of boundaries and trust
with respect to the particpants’ physical and
emotional well-being. The instructors will
present a method that addresses individual
needs, integrates the whole person, and honors the sacred and healing quality of touch.
In addition, CC will introduce his CC Flow™,
a form of massage that keeps the body in a
state of constant motion and touch. Char will
share her knowledge of Reiki and other crosscultural energy-healing methods. Whether
you are a beginner or a more experienced
hand, you will gain inspiration and the ability
to give a full-body massage.
Experiencing Esalen
Experiencing Esalen Staff
We must answer anew the old questions. “What
are the limits of human ability, the boundaries of
the human experience? What does it mean to be a
human being?”
— From the 1965 Esalen Catalog
This workshop is designed to introduce the
various transformational practices of Esalen
to first-time participants or to those renewing
their acquaintance with Esalen. Emphasis will
be on finding those approaches to self-awareness that work most effectively for each participant. Sessions may include: meditation,
sensory awareness, Gestalt Practice, group
process, art, movement, and massage. There
will also be time to explore the magnificence
of the Big Sur coast.
Finding Your Long-Lost Musician:
Ways and Tools for Lifelong Inspired
Musical Performances and Listening
David Darling
David Darling’s music improvisation workshops have touched thousands of people from
all walks of life, including corporate executives, school children, teachers, professional
musicians, prisoners, and therapists, opening
their hearts to the mystery of sound. David’s
passion is to provide an environment in
which each participant has a chance to discover and work with his/her own unique musical
abilities. He has spent the last forty years
developing methods that bring people face-to-
face with their own wondrous sounds and
rhythms.
Working in groups and individually, people
will find the classes relaxed and humorous,
yet intensely centered on the profound qualities of the wonders of music. Please bring any
instruments you play or want to play. No
experience is necessary. Piano and percussion
instruments are provided.
Grace in Dying
Frank Ostaseski
Within the suffering that arises with loss or
dying there are also the seeds of grace. These
transitions are often uncomfortable, challenging old patterns leaving us feeling uncertain
with a heightened sense of vulnerability. At the
same time these experiences provide an extraordinary opportunity for growth, true freedom,
and the exchange of love and compassion. This
workshop will explore ways of utilizing the
encounter with loss and death to encourage the
movement from tragedy to transformation.
One need not be a spiritual master to attain
peace at the end of life. Ordinary people regularly experience transformed consciousness,
profound understanding, and deep calm at
the time of their death. Each of us is capable
of experiencing this sense of fulfillment.
Weaving together moving stories, Buddhist
practices, and good common sense developed
over twenty years at the bedside, Frank teaches that accompanying the dying is much
more than providing appropriate medical
care. It is a spiritual practice
He will introduce meditations, contemplative
practices, and pragmatic tools that help us to
reclaim the spiritual dimensions of dying and
foster a peaceful death. Participants will
explore how our view of after-death shapes
our dying, methods for facilitating life review,
guided meditations on pain, forgiveness practices, and rituals near and after death.
This experiential workshop is open to anyone
interested in exploring their relationship to
death but may be of particular interest to
those caring for the dying.
Self as Instrument:
A Workshop for Therapists,
Counselors, and Consultants
Lynne Jacobs & Gordon Wheeler
New models of therapy and consultation
emphasize relationship, authentic use of self,
and the person-to-person meeting between
clinician and client, working together to cocreate meaning and change. All this is a far
cry from the older models that many therapists and counselors were trained in, where
the practitioner was an “objective expert” or a
“blank screen.”
Under these new models the clinician faces
new and more complex dilemmas: What do I,
in the authentic encounter, share of my own
experience? How do I do this? What do I disclose of myself? Where does that self-disclosure serve the client’s healing and growth?
Where does it get in the way, or risk damage?
These are the questions to be taken up for
experiment, interaction, and discussion in
this workshop.
Sabetti Sphurana Yoga and
Shinkido® Massage
Week of January 27–
February 1
Finding Your Long-Lost Musician
David Darling
For workshop description see January 25-27.
Human Abilities for an
Endangered World
Malcolm Parlett
We create systems, systems create us. As an
“advanced” or “intelligent” species, we have
co-created unsustainable systems, a fragmenting social order, and ways of living which for
many people are ultimately unsatisfying.
Realizing that we are helping to perpetuate
present systems can lead us to feel despair and
helplessness. Many respond creatively by pursuing political or ecological activism, or a spiritual path.
Stèphano Sabetti
This workshop introduces two practices
developed by Stèphano Sabetti in conjunction
with his Life Energy Process®: Sphurana Yoga
and Shinkido Massage.
Sphurana is the spiritual self one feels especially in the heart chakra. When our spirit
is oriented toward sphurana, we can, says
Ramana Maharshi, experience “a taste of
enlightenment.” Sphurana Yoga integrates:
vibratory energy (vibrations of the spirit
and opening of the healing channel); asanas
(postures which are changeable as energy
movement changes); and balance (finding
balance in imbalance to better integrate the
practice into daily life). Sphurana Yoga also
incorporates emotional work, humor, and
pleasure to soften muscles, support humanness, and allow energy to flow in its inherent rhythm.
Shinkido, the art and science of vibrational
energy, is the form of Life Energy Process
which integrates Eastern and Western massage techniques by working with energy
waves in the body. Shinkido works on four
levels of energy: sensual pleasure, physical
health, emotional expression, and spiritual
evolution. Touch becomes communication
between partners as each finds wave resonance with the other. Shinkido can help you
develop greater self-awareness, a better feeling
for your body and its needs, as well as an
understanding of fundamental connections
between energy waves and pleasure.
There is another way. Personal development,
like much else in Western society, has promoted “individual” well-being. What happens
if we explore a different kind of human
potential? This workshop will involve active
inquiry into Five Abilities that human beings
arguably need to develop, if they (we) are to
learn to live more communally, sustainably,
peaceably, and intelligently with other human
beings.
Malcolm Parlett writes: “We shall investigate
and actively practice our abilities to Respond
(the basis of response-ability); to Interrelate (in
particular, to manage conflict); to SelfRecognize (our obsolete as well as emerging
patterns); to Embody (our lived experience,
with full sensory and bodily involvement);
and to Experiment (being present, exercising
discernment and choice). The intention is
that these constituents of Being-in-the-World
can underpin a new kind of human education: educating societal change agents and
pioneering ‘carriers’ of saner ways.”
Gay and Single:
What Keeps Us Out of Relationship
Rob Bauer
“Dreams of loving and being loved spring
from the healthiest aspects of our nature,”
writes Rob Bauer. “Yet growing up gay we are
taught to deny our need for love, support, and
nurturing from each other and to see ourselves as sexual objects. We struggle to find
our true selves and are told to shut our hearts
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down. Emotions and needs that we suppress,
however, do not go away—they stay inside our
bodies and psyches, affecting our health and
well-being. Denying feelings, we lose relationship with ourselves, causing contact with others to become confusing and problematic.
“The fulfillment of your dreams is achievable,
whatever your history and whatever your
heartbreak, because through learning about
yourself you can understand your relationship
with others. In this experiential workshop, we
will learn communication skills and techniques on how to be present in the moment
(or how to avoid bringing along old memories
that sabotage new beginnings). We will find
new ways to touch each other, emotionally
and physically, and learn how to make contact
with other men in respectful and nonthreatening ways. We will share our laughter, stories,
and feelings, and in so doing, reclaim our souls
hidden beneath our sexual personas.”
All gay, bi, and trans men are welcome, regardless of age or HIV status, single or in relationship.
Life Energy Process®
Stèphano Sabetti
The Life Energy Process (L.E.P.) is a spiritually-oriented body approach to self-development, lifestyle enhancement, and professional
growth based on Eastern and Western energy
dynamics. Specifically designed micro-movements activate energy vibrations which lead
to the release of held emotions, while opening
to love and healthy sexuality.
Practice of the Life Energy Process can lead
naturally to body harmony and emotional
balance as well as to new possibilities in relationships and professional skills based on the
consequences of energy attunement.
Life Energy Process includes: martial arts,
dance, theater, massage, yoga, and pool work,
among others (depending on group process).
The workshop is of particular interest to professionals and mature laypersons who are
excited by the integration of theory, pleasure,
and hands-on application of energy concepts.
Recommended reading: Sabetti, Wholeness
Principle and Waves of Change.
The Mystical Quality of Stained Glass
Piovra Caffe & Esperide Ananas
This workshop provides an opportunity to
work with Piovra Caffe and Esperide Ananas,
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master artisans and educators who have
devoted over two decades to the construction
of the Temple of Mankind, a five-story underground temple in the Turin region of Italy
which features some of the largest stainedglass dome ceilings, doors, and windows in
the world. The temple was built in a community called Damanhur, a vibrant artistic and
spiritual community known for its advancements in the relationship between the arts
and spirituality.
Each participant will be shown the secrets of
working with art glass: how to turn an idea
into a suitable design, how to cut, mount, and
solder. Participants will take home a piece
that they have made during the week.
Piovra and Esperide will share some of the
techniques used by Damanhur’s artists to
enhance creativity and artistic expression.
Breathing techniques, inspirational drawing,
the use of archetypal symbols and dance
movements, as well as specific preparation for
dreaming will be used to encourage a sense of
freedom in the artistic process. This workshop is suitable for total beginners as well as
the advanced artist. For more information
you can visit Damanhur’s website at
www.damanhur.org.
Weekend of February 1–3
Combining EMDR and Meditation:
A Workshop for Therapists
Rachel Harris & William Zangwill
The process of meditation naturally releases
habitual thought and emotional patterns. We
often gain new levels of insight and awareness, but then we just “sit with them.”
Combining Eye Movement Desensitization
and Reprocessing (EMDR) with a meditation
retreat offers the opportunity to move
through personal issues as they arise.
This workshop is only open to therapists
already trained in both levels of EMDR,
regardless of level of other training or clinical
experience. Experience in meditation is not
necessary. The evocative power of meditation
combined with the possibilities for healing
offered by EMDR creates a powerful transformative process.
Time will be spent sitting in quiet contemplation, walking mindfully in nature, and meditating with guided imagery. As in the EMDR
trainings, there will be time in small groups
to develop EMDR skills as well as work on
personal issues. Body awareness exercises,
creative expression, energy work, and journal
writing will augment the deepening experience of meditation and healing.
Recommended reading: Harris, 20-Minute
Retreats.
CE credit for psychologists pending; see page 71.
Cultivating a Divine Soul: The Musar
Path of Jewish Introspection and
Transformation
Alan Morinis
Hidden within Judaism is a little-known path
of practices for inner transformation called
Musar. This traditional discipline of soul cultivation has been evolving over the past 1,000
years and lays out a step-by-step path of practice that leads to self-improvement, wisdom,
and, ultimately, to revealing the holiness that
is our natural potential.
Our habits, tendencies, and imbalances often
obscure the inner light of holiness. Musar
provides practices that acquaint us with the
soul and then help us do the work of rebalancing, cutting through, or transforming our
soul-traits, as needed. Some practices are purely introspective and contemplative; others
help us turn everyday life experiences into
spiritual practice. Musar teaches us how to
purify soul-traits by making grist for the mill
out of whatever happens in our lives.
Alan Morinis has been a pioneer in rediscovering the Musar discipline. In this retreat he
introduces and guides participants along
Musar’s transformative path. The focus is on
becoming intimately familiar with your own
soul and on learning how to cut through timtum ha-lev, the blockages to the heart. This
workshop provides participants with new
insight into self and soul, along with techniques they can continue to practice to deepen awareness and cultivate holiness.
Undefended Love:
When Close is Not Close Enough
Jett Psaris & Marlena Lyons
The capacity exists in all of us to love without
defenses or requirements, so that real intimacy—direct, unmediated, heart-to-heart connection with ourselves and with our partner—
becomes a lifelong expression of our deepest
nature. This is the power of Undefended
Love, a transformative path that guides us
beyond close, companion-based partnerships
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
toward intimate relationships, where each
moment is a fresh, spontaneous expression of
who we genuinely are.
This workshop, open to couples and individuals, offers a vision to cut through personal differences and reach the direct connection—
with ourselves and others—that can only
occur when the heart is undefended. The
focus is on shifting our center of gravity away
from our conditioned personality (the places
where we feel stuck, confused, hurt, and
defensive) toward our essential self (the part
of us that is free, whole, connected, peaceful,
powerful, and joyful). Through lively experiential practices, participants will learn:
• What unconditional love really is and how
to achieve it
• How to sustain our experience of ourselves
regardless of what our partner is feeling
• How to “dissolve” rather than “resolve”
relationship problems
• When “needs” can be unexpected guides to
undiscovered inner resources
• How problems can be entry points to
deeper connection
• Why there is no difference between men
and women when it comes to intimate
loving
• How comfort and safety can prevent rather
than promote intimacy
Recommended reading: Psaris & Lyons,
Undefended Love.
Weekend Massage Intensive
Robert Helm & Margaret Stevens
This weekend workshop will introduce the
core techniques of Esalen Massage. Through
brief lectures and demonstrations, and with
lots of personal supervision of hands-on
work, the workshop will present essential
tools and knowledge that can be effortlessly
applied. Fundamental elements of bodywork,
such as breath awareness, grounding, movement, and quality of touch will also be introduced. The goal will be to create a firm foundation of massage to build upon. The workshop is designed to enable each student to
return home with the ability to give a fullbody Esalen-style massage.
Authenticity, Intuition, and Intimacy:
A Workshop for Gay Couples
Justin Hecht
Gay men in committed partnerships face
challenges similar to all couples. Successful
gay male partnerships have also succeeded in
mastering a number of unique challenges. In
this supportive workshop, partners in gay
relationships will explore how to become
more authentic and less defensive in their
interactions. The workshop will present a
variety of structured exercises designed to
help participants improve their communication, deepen their access to feelings, and
enhance their passion for each other.
Being in a partnership requires creativity and
intuition, but fears of intimacy or of losing
your identity can often block access to your
intuitive, knowing self. Toward this end, the
workshop will incorporate group process,
music, and guided meditation to access your
intuition and overcome these fears. This is a
program designed to foster greater intimacy
and to allow you to leave with your relationship enhanced by connecting with your intuition and creativity.
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You will explore your relationship with your
own partner for most of the workshop. There
will also be some two-couple and large-group
explorations. The workshop will conclude
with affirmation and celebration of the
unique achievements of our relationships.
Week of February 3–8
Sports Massage and Chi Gung
David Streeter & Sherry Galloway
Sports massage can be approached from
diverse directions. Trigger point, deep tissue,
and cross-fiber massage are all technical applications of this work. Combined with Chi
Gung postures and principles, the sports massage becomes both a dynamic and a meditative practice.
A tremendous amount of power and precision
can be generated through the hands of a Chi
Gung master, with very little effort. In this
workshop the leaders will draw upon ancient
Chi Gung secrets and techniques and apply
them to sports massage. Anatomical considerations and individual instruction at the table
will also be included.
The Art of Living Course: Enriching
Mind, Body, and Spirit
Have you noticed that every emotion has its own
rhythm in the breath? With a little skill of how to
use the breath you can let go of negative emotions,
dissolve accumulated stress, and bring peace to the
mind. When you reduce the stress inside you and
restore harmony to the rhythms of the mind, body,
and emotions, you will find that your true nature
is joyful, peaceful, and loving.
— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Laugh, sing, dance, and meditate. Learn to live
in the present moment. The Art of Living
Course contains wisdom from the masters of
the Vedic tradition presented by His Holiness
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. His message of love,
practical wisdom, and compassion inspires
people from all walks of life. This knowledge
can bring a clear vision of who you are, not as
matter, but as pure energy or consciousness.
The Art of Living Course is about the connection between the mind, emotions, and the
breath. The cornerstone of this course is the
Sudarshan Kriya, a breathing technique that
is both powerful and gentle as it releases physical and emotional stresses from the body.
The result is more energy, clarity, and a tangi22
ble feeling of joy and centeredness. This technique, once learned, can be practiced at home
in a few minutes each day. Enjoyable for people of all backgrounds, the workshop is relaxing and rejuvenating, and the tools and techniques are easily practiced at home.
Opening to Ourselves and Others
Rachel Harris
In order to survive and make our way in the
world, we develop defense mechanisms, rigid
patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
We deaden, dissociate, or sacrifice parts of
ourselves during early childhood experiences,
chronically stressful situations, or traumatic
events. These brittle habits, originally
designed for survival, limit our vital connection to ourselves as well as to others. We create our own self-limiting prisons.
“This workshop is about softening, melting,
opening,” says Rachel Harris. “We’ll create a
safe opportunity to identify our chronic
defense patterns and explore who we are
underneath these personality structures. We’ll
seek to become more objective about ourselves and increase our psychological freedom. The focus: to deepen our sense of ourselves and enhance our capacity for relationship with others.
“We’ll use an integrated approach of body
awareness, mindful introspection, breathing,
creative expression, and dyadic exercises to
gently lighten the burden of our chronic
defenses. The opportunity is to stop being
who we think we have to be and develop the
process of being with ourselves as we are,
which is all we really have and what we will
take home with us.”
Recommended reading: Harris, 20-Minute
Retreats.
Body Tales: Bringing Our Movement
Stories to Life
Olivia Corson & Lysa Castro
This Body Tales workshop interweaves intuitive movement and personal story for creative expression, communication, and healing. Participants engage in clear and imaginative practices for exploring impulses, needs,
and sustaining values through improvisational movement, dance, sound, language, and
writing.
“Body Tales opens up a wealth of resources—
we are touched and inspired by our commonalties and our differences,” writes Olivia
Corson. “We humans have a tremendous need
to share our artistry and our passions. It is not
enough to write in a journal forever and ever
and have no one read it, not enough to dance
alone to the gods. There is something about
dancing for your tribe, about being seen,
heard, and appreciated, that is tremendously
affirming. My joy in this work is tapping into
the miracle of the body and making way for
our fierce and tender stories—our wisdom. We
dance for relatedness and for freedom, for
autonomy and for belonging.”
This somatic practice, developed over twenty
years, enables you to create intimate, shared
movement theater embracing the sacred and
the mundane, the personal and the planetary.
Experience the transformative power of being
witnessed, of giving and receiving positive
feedback. Encourage and protect your creativity. Come to your senses—in your body, your
relationships, and your world.
Qigong and Inner Alchemy:
The Elixir of Longevity and the
Practice of Pure Radiance
Roger Jahnke
Qigong—the skill of attracting and managing
vital energy—can transform your life. Not
merely a form of exercise, Qigong is a way of
being. Designed for beginning students as
well as for more experienced Qigong, Tai Chi,
and Yoga practitioners—and anyone else who
seeks effective self-healing—this course with
Roger Jahnke, author of The Healer Within,
demonstrates how the regular practice of
Qigong can prevent and treat illness, establish
balance by reducing stress, and bring peace by
integrating, body, mind, and spirit.
The workshop will begin with simple selfhealing (tao yin) methods of Qigong that can
be shared with family, friends, patients, or
clients. Inspired by readings from the Tao Te
Ching, the original Taoist book of power and
“the Way,” students will learn ancient Qigong
forms that cultivate “the medicine within.”
Finally, the course will explore the Secret of
the Golden Flower, a highly refined form of
“inner elixir alchemy.”
Used in hospitals and clinics worldwide,
Qigong is a simple and safe healing art that
combines movements and meditation, and
blends knowledge from traditional Chinese
medicine, ancient quantum systems, Taoism,
Confucianism, and Buddhism. The practice of
Qigong can dramatically enhance your
health, healing, vitality, empowerment, and
longevity.
The Art of Leadership:
Communication, Creativity, Vision
Ron Alexander
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities
While in the expert’s mind there are few.
— Suzuki
This workshop is for individuals interested in
exploring an intensive experiential process to
become more effective leaders, both in personal and professional life settings. Designed
for entrepreneurs, executives, managers, and
others committed to improving their communication and leadership skills, it is especially
intended for those open to doing deep personal work to transform the self and thereby
become more effective leaders. The major
areas of focus will be: resolving conflict, developing trust with those who feel threatened,
addressing blind spots in self-esteem, healing
blocks in creativity, and building support for
transforming vision into reality.
The workshop includes Gestalt open seat
work, sharing feedback on leadership and
communication styles, improving coaching
skills, developing the unconscious to creatively solve problems, and role-playing exercises
for real-life work situations.
This workshop may have up to 35 participants.
Recommended reading: Heider, The Tao of
Leadership; Bennis, On Becoming a Leader;
Hargrove, Masterful Coaching; Crum, The Magic
of Conflict.
Massage Weekend for Couples
Laurie Lioness Parizek & Peter Cline
This workshop is for loving partners who
wish to bring the bonding practice of massage
into their daily lives while spending a weekend together cradled in the beauty of the Big
Sur coast. It is also for couples who wish to
deepen existing massage skills as well as those
looking to create more time for healing and
intimacy.
This weekend intensive will impart basic
massage skills and focus on teaching couples
to give and receive a pleasurable full-body
massage. It will address issues like keeping
love, touch, and a healing interchange alive
during busy, stressful times; touching with
care and sensitivity; asking for what you need;
and reciprocity, so that both partners feel nurtured and loved. Sessions will include demonstrations and hands-on instruction with plenty of practice time.
Although the emphasis will be on loving
touch and communication between couples,
the massage techniques presented are useful
for tension, pain, and stress, and can increase
vital energy. They may be used with sensitivity on children as well as on friends and family, and provide a useful tool for family and
community health and well-being.
A Tender Invitation
David Schiffman
“Our aims for this weekend are simple,” writes
David Schiffman. “To join together and share
the magical timeless realities of Big Sur’s sea,
sky, and mountains. To feel emotionally and
physically restored, healed, and cleansed. To
rediscover the lovingly creative inner
resources of our own music, poetry, and
prayer. To feel ready again to face whatever
comes next in our lives.
“Together we will create a mood of sanctuary
and a time to be met by kindred spirits. The
approaches utilized will be drawn from a
wide variety of practices aimed toward physical, emotional, and spiritual attunement in
order to restore our gratitude and appreciation for being alive.”
The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, noninvasive,
hands-on technique to help detect and correct
imbalances in the CranioSacral System that
may cause sensory, motor, or intellectual dysfunction. It is used to treat a myriad of health
problems, including headaches, neck and
back pain, TMJ dysfunction, chronic fatigue,
motor coordination difficulties, eye problems,
endogenous depression, hyperactivity, and
central nervous system disorders.
Participants will learn the detailed anatomy
and physiology of the CranioSacral System,
its functions in health, and its relationship to
the disease processes. Half of the class time
will be hands-on, developing the sensitive
palpatory skills needed to detect subtle stimuli in the human body.
Class material will concentrate on palpation
and its potential as an evaluative and therapeutic process; fascial and soft-tissue release
methods; and the pressurestat model which
explains the mechanism of the CranioSacral
System. Participants will learn a ten-step protocol for evaluation and treatment of the
entire body. By the end of this intensive program, participants will be able to identify and
localize significant restrictions and imbalances in the CranioSacral System.
Recommended reading: Upledger &
Vredevoogd, CranioSacral Therapy (chapters 16); Upledger, Your Inner Physician and You.
Please note: Registration for this workshop is
through The Upledger Institute only. Please
call 1-800-233-5880.
Creating New Connections:
Dialogue and Improvisation
Lynne Kaufman & Glenna Gerard
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
This workshop is designed to help you create
new ways to connect more authentically and
fully, with yourself and others, in both your
personal and professional life. Whatever your
life journey and work, if you are interested in
developing your communication skills to create more meaningful conversations, build
trust-based relationships, and tap into collaborative creativity, you will enjoy and benefit
from this work.
This program interweaves the complementary
disciplines of Dialogue and Improvisation.
Awareness exercises, based on theatre games,
offer simple and playful ways to focus attention and energy for creative collaboration and
transformation. The principles of these spontaneity exercises are further explored in
Dialogue Circles, drawn from the work of
David Bohm. Here, in guided group conversation, participants learn the skills of working
with their judgments and assumptions, practicing inquiry and reflection, and speaking
and listening in the present moment to reach
shared meaning.
This workshop offers a chance to open your
synapses, experience the new, and apply a
wider and more joyful vision to your daily life.
The Healing Power of Sound
and Music
Hani Naser
Throughout his life, Hani Naser has “felt a
holistic sense of the musical experience and a
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need to communicate this experience on a
global level.” In this workshop, master drummer Naser demonstrates how the positive
power of music can be integrated into daily
living—throughout one’s life.
and the Spirits of Nature,” an advanced
Foundation for Shamanic Studies workshop.
It qualifies participants to take more advanced
trainings with Michael Harner and the faculty of the Foundation.
journey to acknowledge and nurture our
inner voice, explore our strengths, enhance
our relationships, and enliven our spirit.
Therapists will learn techniques for use in
their own practices.”
“We are vibrations,” says Naser, “and sometimes
vibrations get out of sync. Music restores that
balance.” Starting from this simple premise,
this workshop explores the fundamental relationship between the powerful forces of music
and rhythm, with the goal of leading participants toward higher consciousness.
Please note: Bring a rattle or drum (if you have
one), a bandanna, and a pen and notebook to
record your journeys.
Sound and rhythm are elemental to a positive
sense of self. By cultivating a heightened
awareness of the forces of sound and rhythm,
one can discover a state of greater well-being,
attain an increased body-awareness, and
strengthen the bonds of community. Through
the use of special chants and rhythms that
activate each of the body’s seven energy centers—the chakras—one can be stirred at the
cellular level, unleashing innate intelligence,
compassion, and clear perception. By applying diverse musical and rhythmical tools, one
can achieve greater insight into their healing
effects within the body.
The leaders write: “Childhood has a way of
disconnecting our true self, the self that is
deeply connected to our soul. Growing up—
even in a ‘normal’ family, much less one with
trauma, abuse, or neglect—conspires to create
a system of defenses to protect us from future
pain. These defenses become a barrier from
our true feelings and awareness. We are cut
off from our own sense of spirit—that spirit
which allows us our deepest pleasure, our
clearest awareness, and our most profound
access to ourselves and a higher power.
David Corbin & Nan Moss
This course introduces core shamanism, the
universal methods of the shaman to enter
non-ordinary reality for problem solving,
well-being, and healing. Emphasis is on the
classic shamanic journey, the remarkable
visionary method to explore the hidden universe otherwise known mainly through myth
and dream. Participants are initiated into
shamanic journeying, aided by drumming
and movement practices for experiencing the
shamanic state of consciousness and for awakening dormant spiritual abilities. Participants
are provided with methods for journeying to
discover their own spiritual teachers in nonordinary reality, a classic shamanic practice.
Soul Search: Embracing Our Spirit
Julie Bowden & Richard Balaban
“This workshop is designed for individuals
who desire to move beyond pain, trauma,
numbness, or meaninglessness. In our soul
search, we learn to embrace the spirit within
us which enables growth, well-being, and
emotional health. We learn to listen to ourselves and receive guidance from this reconnected spirit. This allows us to navigate with
intention and awareness through life’s joys as
well as challenges.
“Using experiential exercises, imagery, writing, dialogue, and introspection in a safe (and
drug-free) environment, we will co-create a
The course also provides an opportunity for
advanced work with the spirits of nature in
Esalen’s beautiful and powerful setting. By
learning from the plants and animals, the
rocks and mountains, the wind and waters,
and from sun, moon and stars, shamans
helped their peoples live in harmony with the
universe. In a world out of balance, the way of
the shaman can teach us once again how to
respect nature, our planet, and its inhabitants
at a deep spiritual level.
This special course incorporates “Shamanism
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Experiencing Esalen
Reclaiming Your Body: Stories that
Sicken, Stories that Heal
Sam Keen
Human beings are biomythic animals, storytellers, myth makers, spinners of tales. The
stories we tell, our conscious and unconscious
myths, inform our minds and bodies, give
shape to our lives, and predispose us to contract certain diseases. By discovering the
somatic aspects of our myths—the way they
shape our bodies, form our character armor,
structure our use of energy, sicken us—we can
begin to recover the power to heal ourselves.
This workshop explores some of the following topics:
• Personal history—What disease scripts did
you get from your family? What did you
learn about the body, about sensuality and
sexuality, from your parents? What
meanings were assigned to special diseases?
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
The Way of the Shaman and
The Spirits of Nature
• Social and political myths—What religious,
economic, and cultural myths are
informing your life and death styles? What
price do you pay in health and happiness
for living by the myth of competition,
success, progress?
• Somatic cryptology—How do you decipher
the messages of your pain and disease?
How do you listen to the voices of your
illness?
• The art and techniques of self-healing—
How do you use creative imagination,
memory, visualization, dreams, meditation,
and touch to change your disease scripts
and enter into a more healing relationship
with your self?
Core Holoenergetics®: The Art and
Science of Healing with Love
Leonard Laskow
Holoenergetic® healing, a process of “healing
with the energy of the whole,” is based upon
dissolving the illusion of separation which is
at the core of illness. It takes enormous energy to maintain the misperception that we are
not one interconnected whole but only many
individuals. Through heart awakening,
Holoenergetics can help us come into wholeness and liberate this bound energy, which
can then be used for growth and healing.
In this hands-on seminar, Dr. Laskow will
introduce heart-focused energy healing and
present breakthrough scientific research that
integrates the advances of medical science
with the unifying power of a loving consciousness. Participants will experience how
subtle energy and intention can restructure
physical matter (evidenced by verifiable
changes in water, wine, and oranges) and
effect profound change deep within the inner
self. This seminar will help you learn how to:
• Establish a loving, healing presence in
alignment with your spiritual essence
• Detect and evaluate subtle energies with
your mind, heart, and hands
• Activate the body’s immune system to help
transform illness into wellness
• Recognize, understand, release, and reform
energy patterns that are sources of illness
• Bring peace, power, and intuitive guidance
into your life and the lives of others.
Recommended reading: Laskow, Healing with
Love.
Close Yet Free: Keeping a Good
Relationship Alive
ence that weaves together creative personal
expression, relationships, and divine dialogue.
Gerald Smith
How can we be open and vulnerable to love
another person, yet at the same time free in
order to continue to grow as an individual?
The balance of merging and still maintaining
a strong sense of self is never completely
worked out, because each partner is continually changing. But this dilemma of competing
needs can be dealt with in ways that will add
to the aliveness in the relationship.
Much of the participants’ time during this
weekend will be spent with their partners,
separate from other couples. The workshop
will use verbal, nonverbal, and written exercises to enhance openness, support, and affection, as well as skills to resolve differences in
ways that do not produce “scar tissue.” Also,
since play is an essential part of keeping a
relationship alive, there will be experiences to
spark the imagination and willingness to play
together.
Enrollment is limited to 12 couples.
Soul Motion™
Vin Martí
The dancer of the future will be one whose body
and soul have grown so harmoniously together
that the natural language of the soul will have
become the movement of the body.
— Isadora Duncan
Soul Motion encourages participants to cultivate the ability to relax while in motion, to listen to their body. Using the interior landscape of the mind and body as well as the
outer environment, participants discover the
simple yet profound revelation that emerges
when the intellect is hushed and intuition is
opened: They are movement.
“I do not teach people how to dance,” writes
Vin Martí, designer of Soul Motion. “Rather,
unscripted movement structures are created
in which students are invited to play and listen as the dance emerges. We learn best when
we stumble around. Rather than lock in and
concentrate, students are encouraged to spin
and surrender, to listen deeply to their own
rhythms, movements, sounds, and images.
When dancers let go of their expectations and
definitions of success, they can witness the
unfolding of their dance.”
Soul Motion is a guided movement experi-
Unmasking the Soul
Joe Cavanaugh
What we are looking for is what is looking.
— St. Francis
The Greek word psyche means soul. The
essence of soul is loving. Yet we have all experienced wounds of the heart, causing us to
retract our love to protect against further
hurt. We developed our own unique personality (from the Latin persona, or mask) to survive in a world of uncertainty. This left many
of us suffering the greatest wound of all—the
illusion of separation from the sanctity of our
soul.
“Love is for-giving,” says Joseph Cavanaugh.
“When we hold on to past wounds, we block
the flow of love and stifle our creativity, vitality, and aliveness.” Through personal and interpersonal processes, this workshop offers participants an opportunity to penetrate their
own masks and reawaken the vitality of the
soul. In a supportive context, participants will
be guided in learning to love and accept
themselves while developing empathy and
compassion for the suffering of others. Thus,
the workshop embraces a larger vision, a
transpersonal perspective through which we
can all work together toward the common
goal of healing the planet as a whole.
This workshop is designed for anyone wishing to enrich the quality of their lives, as well
as professionals seeking to enhance their
therapeutic skills.
Prerequisite: Be willing to abstain from alcohol
and nonprescription drugs during the workshop.
Spirit in the Workplace: A Course in
Connection and High Performance
Rudy Miick
Rudy Miick writes: “When people in the
workplace are allowed and encouraged to
show up with their whole being and consciousness, then begins the ability to
acknowledge, even honor, their connection to
self, peers, customers. When this occurs with
the work itself, performance catches fire individually and collectively. Whether your focus
is for-profit or not-for-profit, top- and bottomline performance radically improves.”
In this workshop, participants will explore
25
the possibilities of what can be in a working
environment, as the workshop itself becomes
a model for what can be in our work environment at home. The course will incorporate
discussion, experiential learning, communication training, breathing techniques, and
vision development to support individual and
group learning. This will be more a course of
self-exploration and group process than lecture. Each participant will step into a rich
environment to explore the possibilities that
can occur when every person in a working
environment is invited to show up fully.
Topics to be explored:
• What can happen when “the personal” is
not left out of the work environment; when
inclusion is the norm rather than the
exception
• What about the fear element, buttons that
get pushed when Spirit is mentioned?
• What each of us means when we use Spirit
in terms of work and being
• The impact of Spirit when it shows up in
the work environment and daily life
• Action steps that can assist in Spirit being
acknowledged in the workplace
Life Changes—
And the Purpose of Your Life
Carol Adrienne & Sigrid Matthews
In the accelerating rush to “get things done”
we hardly allow ourselves time to ask: Does
what I’m doing now really matter to me anymore? Research shows that those with a sense
of mission, a reason to get up in the morning,
live longer and are healthier and more
resilient. But how—amid time constraints of
family and work and the babble of consumerism—can we find the purpose of our
lives? How can we learn to define our passions and deepest values—and stay in alignment with them? How can we let synchronicities (those magical moments when new
doors open effortlessly) and our own interior
wisdom guide us to the most natural next
step in our lives?
This humor-filled workshop offers a time to
discover the purpose you were born to
express and guidelines for staying true to that
purpose. You will explore the early inklings of
your destiny, the positive purpose behind
childhood experiences and parental influences, and the development of beliefs which
still affect your potential for success.
The workshop includes guided visualizations,
journal writing, aroma therapy, and practices
for increasing balance in the body’s seven
26
energy centers, setting clear intentions, developing trust in intuition, tapping into personal
cycles, and defining important aspects of
typology, talent, and character. Participants
will write a purpose statement to serve as a
lifelong touchstone.
Artplane
Nicholas Wilton
This workshop is a lighthearted, playful
exploration of the creative image-making
process. It presents practical principles of
painting coupled with a fresh approach to
working more freely and intuitively. In addition to demonstrations, critique, and extensive hands-on painting, this course offers
clear, concise explorations of color theory,
harmony, value, and design, .
“There will be little time to worry about success or failure,” Nicholas Wilton writes, “as
our process will take the form of a flowing
series of small paintings or multiples. We will
sometimes be painting on two or three pictures simultaneously. Working in this way
helps to avoid the tendency to overly focus
and constrict the creative process. The fundamental idea of this class is to recognize and
remain in this state of high creativity—
the ’artplane.’ This process enables us to see
the opportunities made possible by our mistakes and learn how to evaluate and improve
upon our own work.”
Come prepared for a whirl of creative selfexpression and the weary, wonderful feeling
of leaving a workshop with a collection of
your own paintings which celebrate the
process of inspiration, reclamation, and the
journey of self-discovery. All that’s needed is
life experience and a willingness to play. For
more information, call Studio Zocolo at 415488-4710, or visit Nicholas Wilton’s website,
www.NicholasWilton.com.
Recommended reading: Bayles, Art and Fear.
ple are beginning to say no to the false and
often destructive promises of the quick fix.
Moreover, new research is showing the efficacy of patient, long-term practice, which, it
turns out, is far more important than talent in
achieving mastery.
In this workshop, human-potential pioneer
George Leonard introduces a path (tao) of
practice that can bring long-term pleasure
and fulfillment. Drawing on the Integral
Transformative Practice (ITP) he cofounded
with Michael Murphy, Leonard will offer the
fundamentals of a program for realizing the
potential of mind, body, heart, and soul.
You will have a chance to learn a forty-minute
series that includes physical movement,
breathing practice, relaxation, transformative
imaging, and meditation. You will practice
balancing and centering, the use of chi,
focused surrender, and the creation of effective affirmations. There will be discussions of
the principles of human transformation as
revealed in a two-year experiment Leonard
and Murphy conducted.
This workshop involves physical movement
but is not strenuous. All that’s needed is a generous heart and a willingness to participate.
Recommended reading: Leonard & Murphy,
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery;
Murphy, The Future of the Body.
The Enlightened Healer
Jamieson Jones
Something we were withholding made us weak,
until we found it was ourselves.
— Robert Frost
If health-care workers just allow the new
medical culture to happen to them, they end
up busy, disconnected, and burned out. This
workshop provides a pause for health-care
providers to explore how to bring new levels
of understanding, imagination, and love to
the evolution of medicine.
The Tao of Practice
George Leonard
We’ve tried them all—the ten easy steps to
power and prosperity, the programs offering
instant enlightenment or total fitness in fifteen minutes a week—and we’ve discovered
they simply don’t work. More and more, peo-
“We will explore the boundaries imposed by
our current perceptions, our areas of collective limitation in consciousness,” writes
Jamieson Jones. “The goal will be to provide a
spaciousness for detecting and releasing individual possibilities in healing as well as
exploring the larger collective potential of
medicine.
“Initially we will focus on some basic human
homework. Many of us have developed selfrealized understandings in our personal lives;
can we take those same principles to the workplace and other collective endeavors? In creat-
repressed anger, fear, resentments, sadness,
joy, and laughter that keep you stuck in old
patterns. Using emotional release work, writing, movement, Gestalt, meditation, and
silence, the workshop will provide a safe environment to explore your deepest emotions.
The focus will be on:
• Having adult relationships with partners,
parents, and children
• Taking full responsibility for your life
• Discovering your own personal rhythm of
closeness
• Distinguishing accountability from blame
The workshop constitutes an in-depth lifereview. All that is required is a willingness to
engage wholeheartedly.
Body of Awareness: The Integration
of Infant Movement Patterns with
Adult Experience
Ruella Frank
ED ODELL
All infants move through a similar sequence
of patterns throughout their development,
but each infant performs them differently
and demonstrates his or her unique relationship to the caregiving environment. These
patterns accompany and propel the development of the infant’s psychic life and set the
foundation for later behaviors of the adult.
ing any individual shift in awareness, we must
recognize the ways we protect ourselves emotionally, own our reactivity, and dismantle the
complex latticework of self-sabotage and past
associations. We must recognize and then use
those unresolved past wounds and losses in a
way that will expand our ability to heal and be
healed. We’ll begin by probing ourselves for
our inner reflections of the external hierarchies, dogmatism, power, and patterns in medicine. This involves recognizing that to heal
and be healed is a simultaneous requisite for
deepening medicine’s potential.
“This workshop is designed to be a plunge
below and beyond the edges of our familiar
reality into the depth of our human potential,
both individually and collectively.”
The Courage to Be You:
Letting Go and Moving On
Mary Goldenson
Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom.
How do they learn it?
They fall, and falling, they’re given wings.
— Rumi
Much in life is beyond our control. Our
choices lie in how we respond to these
moments. We can develop the ability to move
into these moments with aliveness and passion. This choice is an act of courage.
This workshop will help you explore what
you are holding in, holding onto, and holding
back that keeps you from experiencing who
you truly are. “The courage to be you” means
the ability to appropriately express the
Through movement experiments, Gestalt psychotherapy demonstrations, and lecture material, workshop participants will explore these
early patterns and learn how the unfinished
business of their infant lives is reflected in
their current bodily processes, as well as how
to work through these developmental issues
in the here and now.
This workshop will appeal to a variety of people. Psychotherapists will find a unique system of observing and working with their
clients’ bodily processes that goes beyond
classical character analysis. Bodyworkers and
yoga teachers will discover the underlying
psychological functions inherent in their students’ breathing patterns, gestures, postures,
and gaits. Infant and child educators will
learn a holistic perspective of development.
And, all students of human potential will
explore the roots of experience.
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Mystery Art Extravaganza
Noel Mapstead & Keiko Suga
For eight years, Noel and Keiko have offered
their pottery-with-a-twist workshops at
Esalen, which have included clay body-prints,
underwater watercolors, and live-model body
painting. This time they present a weekend
cornucopia of creative surprises, which will
include making raku tea cups, calligraphy,
and clay mud baths in Esalen’s hot springs.
Between the print date of this catalog and the
actual date of the workshop, there will have
been plenty of time for Noel’s outré imagination to concoct some artistic activities rarely
experienced in the Western hemisphere (he
was last seen researching the drum ceremony
of the Papua, New Guinea mud people).
You can preview this workshop on the Web at
www.mapstead.com/noel, or e-mail Noel and
Keiko at [email protected].
in massage and bodywork. This program will
incorporate somatic movement, meditation,
and experiential anatomy. Emphasis will be
on creating new possibilities—including nontraditional client positioning, subtle energy
balancing, and working with breath support—
as well as perfecting your Esalen Massage
skills. There will be ample time to integrate
the new material, along with an opportunity
to discuss theoretical issues and problem
areas in your practice.
The Kabballah teaches that God used certain
sounds or vibrations to create the Universe
and that these vibrations underlie all existence. (The modern science of super string
theory adopts a strikingly similar viewpoint
when it teaches that fundamentally the
Universe is pure vibration.) Kabballistic
Sound Meditation involves the use of specific
vocal sounds, each with a unique vibratory
resonance related to a different aspect of the
Kabballistic Tree of Life.
Participants will learn four different sound
meditations for ascending the Kabballistic
spiritual ladder to the awakening of their
Neshamah and the cultivation of compassion,
which, Kabballistically speaking, is the highest form of wisdom.
Kabballistic Sound Meditation:
A Symphony of Souls
Shulamit
Super string theory suggests that “the microscopic
landscape is suffused with tiny strings whose
vibrational patterns orchestrate the evolution of
the cosmos... The universe—being composed of
an enormous number of these vibrating strings—
is akin to a cosmic symphony.” —
Self-Healing: Awakening Your Power
to Create Health and Vitality
Meir Schneider
You can take charge of your own health. Meir
Schneider’s Self-Healing Method has helped
thousands of people with a wide range of
“incurable” conditions and injuries make
remarkable gains in health and function.
People with refractive errors such as nearsightedness and diseases and injuries of the
eye have used this method to improve their
eyesight. Computer users, health-care professionals, and others have learned how to prevent and overcome repetitive strain injuries.
Athletes and musicians have used SelfHealing to overcome injuries and enhance
performance.
Brian Green, The Elegant Universe
Week of February 24–March 1
Advanced Massage Intensive
Vicki Topp & Lawrence Jenkins
No one is ever competent enough, nor is any technique ever effective enough. It is only the continuing growth of the practitioner that can guarantee
competence and effectiveness.
— Thomas Hanna
The purpose of this workshop is to assist in
the awakening of the Neshamah through the
practice of Kabballistic Sound Meditation.
Self-Healing is body/mind work—every exercise teaches you how to listen to your body
and respond to its needs. It grew out of Meir
Schneider’s personal journey as a teenager
from congenital blindness to full functional
vision. During this period of intense self-discovery, with Braille-sensitive hands, Meir
began to craft massage and movement regimens for disabled people that brought about
dramatic improvements. In this workshop
you’ll learn Self-Healing movement, massage
and self-massage, visualization, and breathing
exercises to nurture many systems of the
body. Highlights include:
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This is an invitation for certified massage
practitioners to improve their skills, stimulate
their creativity, and experience current trends
The Kabballah teaches that each of us has a
higher Soul, the Neshamah, which knows
everything we need to know about our destiny on earth and our connection the Divine.
It is through the Neshamah that true joy is
attained. For the most part, however, we
remain unaware of this extraordinary aspect
of ourselves, which lies dormant and hidden
until our intention, yearning, and effort awaken it.
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• Methods to let go of deeply-held tension
and stress
• Natural vision improvement exercises,
including a starlight walk to improve
nighttime/peripheral vision
• Pool/hot tub exercises to enhance joint
mobility
• Exercises to overcome back pain and
stiffness
• Strategies for preventing and overcoming
repetitive strain injuries
Recommended reading: Schneider, The
Handbook of Self-Healing.
CE credit available for physicians, psychologists, and
other health-care professionals.
Playing the Edge
David Schiffman
In the early stages of growth, success seems to
be its own reward. Excitement, vitality, and
the willingness to face life boldly are characteristics of those who are involved in new and
successful ventures. To keep this spirit alive is
not easy. Enormous pressures, grinding routines, and demands of involvement can
dispirit even the healthiest people. To listen
to one’s heart requires the courage to pause. In
this willingness to stop and listen to the deeper self live the true resources that guide and
protect us.
The purpose of this week is to create a mood
of sanctuary for people in transition considering major changes in career, relationship, or
matters of the spirit; those in need of a break
from stressful responsibilities; and individuals interested in breaking new ground in the
areas of self-nurturance, intuitive functioning,
and problem solving.
The process will be gently restorative, illuminating, and enlivening. The intention will be to
create a community based on trust and goodwill with emphasis on individual freedom.
Traditional methods of self-inquiry (Gestalt
Practice, bioenergetics, psychosynthesis) will be
combined with music, meditation, poetry, ritual, and prayer to foster this spirit of living fully.
Tai Chi
Catherine Elber-Wenner
Tai Chi began thousands of years ago and the
stories of its evolution are varied, colorful,
often contradictory, and always fascinating.
The most important factor in its history, however, is that it’s a living history. Tai Chi has
moved like a river through the centuries as a
wellspring of relaxation, rejuvenation,
strength, and clarity. The gifts of Tai Chi are as
alive now as they were thousands of years ago
and we, in the present, can easily partake of
the endless, timeless nourishment this discipline provides.
There are many forms, styles, and schools of
Tai Chi to choose from, yet, regardless of the
mode or system, it is the internal energy, the
chi, that is being cultivated. This workshop
presents one of the simplest yet most powerful methods of Tai Chi; deeply personal
results are often experienced immediately,
regardless of physical ability. The circulation
of chi is cumulative in effect, and every time
we practice we add more chi to our internal
reservoir. In this way, our understanding
deepens in regard to the endless benefits
bestowed by this ancient practice, permeating
every level of our existence with balance,
healing, deep calm, and powerful inner peace.
mate and most ambitious of questions related
to how we choose to use the time allotted to
us. The question, age-old and perennial, is
this: What is the meaning of life?
Ambitious? Of course. Yet what question pursued in a free-flowing and open way among
intelligent people is more worth talking
about? Discussions will be moderated by
National Public Radio host and scholar Dr.
Michael Krasny. Members of Dr. Krasny’s
large listening audience had a go at this and
participants will hear some listener responses
before tackling the question themselves. The
workshop will take place in a warm and supportive environment that offers every
promise of being vital, dynamic, and highly
enlightening.
Weekend of March 1–3
Chanting: The Heart of Devotional Yoga
Entering the Flow State:
Quiet Mind, Fluid Body
Jai Uttal with Geoffrey Gordon
Jena Marcovicci
Embark on a vocal journey through the
sacred sounds of ancient India. With call-andresponse group chanting and storytelling, Jai
Uttal creates a space of invocation, prayer, and
heartfelt expression.
Whether your arena is athletics or Life, what
is often lost in today’s competitive world is
the joy of simply playing or finding meaning
in what you do. This workshop can help you
play better, have more fun, and enter the state
of flow referred to by athletes as “the Zone.” It
also provides an introduction to many of the
practices available at Esalen.
Drawing from an unbroken tradition of
Indian devotional singing, Jai will introduce
the ancient practice of kirtan (or chanting),
the heart of devotional yoga. This meditative
practice of calling to the divine creates a
bridge between the individual and the eternal, opening the heart and welcoming the
spirit. Jai will relate stories from the spiritual
epics of India as well as from his personal
experiences to create a modern context in
which to explore this tradition.
“These ancient chants,” writes Jai, “contain a
transformative power and healing energy. By
singing these prayers and expressing a full
range of emotions through our voices we join
a stream of consciousness and devotion that
has been flowing for centuries. The chanting
begins as a faint spark and is fanned into a
flame of ecstatic awareness by repetition,
rhythm, and remembrance of the divine.”
A sports psychologist and former tennis professional who played at Wimbledon and the
French Open, Jena Marcovicci has worked
with world-class tennis players. Blending
Western psychology with Eastern practices,
he has developed a seven-step process for
releasing the conditioned patterns that sabotage the joy and effort of playing a sport—or
succeeding in any aspect of life. Says Jena,
“The more you relax, the better you play. By
finding your organic rhythms, you can liberate yourself from the narrow fight-or-flight
mindset that inhibits optimal performance.”
No previous experience is needed. This is an
exploration of the heart, independent of vocal
or musical technique.
Through yoga, t’ai chi, meditation, visual
imagery, drumming, and free-form dance, you
can discover this map for maximizing your
potential. Whether you’re a serious or wouldbe athlete, or seeking to master your “competitive mind,” this workshop can help you attain
“quiet mind, fluid body.”
The Ultimate Question
Bring a tennis racquet, a drum (if you have
one), running shoes, and loose, comfortable
clothes.
Michael Krasny
As most of us dramatically extend on the
longevity of our parents and grandparents,
here is a seminar which dares to ask the ulti-
Recommended reading: Marcovicci, The
Dance of Tennis.
29
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Transforming Trauma with EMDR:
Advanced Clinical Workshop and
Refresher Course
Laurel Parnell
In this workshop participants will have the
opportunity to refresh their technique and
review EMDR protocols and procedures, consult on their difficult cases, watch demonstrations, and practice EMDR in small supervised
groups. Instruction will focus on using
EMDR with complex cases, resource development and installation, target development,
and cognitive interweaves.
This EMDR course is for participants who
have completed either Level II training or an
equivalent EMDRIA-approved course.
CE credit for psychologists pending; see page 71.
Radical Rx for Health Professionals:
Heal Thyself
Charlea Massion & Bob Stahl
“We care for others,” write the leaders, “but
how about ourselves? Both in our training
30
and our everyday work as health professionals, we focus on care of patients, clients, and
their families. Daily we encounter people
who are in pain, suffering intensely, and in
major life crises. As health professionals we
are expected not only to apply knowledge and
technical expertise but to respond with empathy and compassion, regardless of our own
physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulties.
Typically there are few opportunities
to ’metabolize’ the grief, sorrow, and discomfort that we intimately experience in our
work.”
This workshop—for physicians, nurses, midwives, psychotherapists, acupuncturists, and
other health professionals—will focus on
identifying, exploring, and improving health
practices of the caregiver. Through training in
mindfulness meditation, exercises in transformative writing, group discussion, and other
modalities, participants will learn skills that
support health professionals in caring for
themselves as well as others.
Mindfulness meditation is a way to quiet the
mind by cultivating nonjudgmental awareness. Mindfulness develops our potential to
experience each moment, no matter how
unexpected or intense, with serenity and clarity. Participants will learn specific practices
such as the body scan and meditations during
sitting, eating, walking, and stretching. These
practices support the caregiver’s own health
and can be extended to families, colleagues,
patients, and clients.
Week of March 3–8
Drums of Passion: African
Drumming, Dancing, and Chanting
Babatunde Olatunji
Babatunde Olatunji continues to spread his
musical vision by sharing the joy, energy, and
exhilaration inspired by the sounds and
rhythms of the universal language of African
drumming, dancing, and chanting. The
Nigerian-born percussion virtuoso has been
bridging the gap between American and
African culture for over forty years. In this
jubilant workshop he will teach how the
drums communicate, stimulate, and pace the
activities of traditional African life. This
workshop is for dancers, percussionists, musicians, and anyone who wants to speak the language of the drums. Drummers can experience the dance and dancers can experience
the drums. Please bring a drum if you have
one.
Please note: This is a popular workshop, with
lots of people drumming and dancing in a
small area. The energy runs high—be prepared
for a crowded, exuberant atmosphere!
Gestalt Awareness Practice
Christine Stewart Price & Guest Leader
The Way, when declared
Seems so thin and flavorless.
Nothing to look at, nothing to hear—
And when used—is inexhaustible.
— Lao Tzu
Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived
from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by
Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard
and Christine Price. The work integrates ways
of personal clearing and development that are
both ancient and modern. To the extent that
awareness is made primary relative to action,
Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This
form is similar to some Reichian work as well,
in that emotional and energetic release and
rebalancing are allowed and encouraged.
The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than
interpersonal. Participants are not patients but
persons actively consenting to explore in
awareness. The leader functions to reflect,
clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this
process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness,
and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or
accomplishment. The workshop will utilize
group exercises, meditations, and discussion.
The format combines introductory group
work with the open seat form in which each
participant will have the opportunity to work
with the leader in a group context.
Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy
Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape.
Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Maria Lucia Sauer Holloman
Spiritual Massage is a hands-on healing practice that works directly on the energy body,
balancing the chakras, cleansing old thought
forms, and gently facilitating release of emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages, allow-
ing for infusion by the Lightbody.
Born into a family of healers with a generations-old tradition, Maria Lucia studied with
healers in her native Brazil, where Spiritism—
receiving healing knowledge from the spirit
world—is familiar to much of the population.
In 1979 she came to Esalen and was sponsored by Esalen cofounder Dick Price while
she learned Spiritual Massage from Brazilian
healer Luiz Gasparetto.
This workshop presents practical methods for
using the hands as instruments of physical
and spiritual healing. Incorporating hands-on
and energetic work, it emphasizes intentionality as the fundamental tool of any healing
art for moving energy. The course includes
exercises for grounding and attuning to energy as well as Afro-Brazilian shamanic practices for self-protection. Emotional release
work and group process will be integrated as
they emerge.
This work is accessible to anyone—nurses,
bodyworkers, businessmen, therapists, and all
those interested in working with energy and
people’s bodies.
oped in Japan over 400 years ago as a means to
make functional wares—tea cups, flower vases,
incense burners—for Chanoyu, the zen tea
ceremony. Guided by the spirit of this traditional art, we will strive to create our wares—
without attachment to the final product.
“We will dig and prepare our own clay from
the Big Sur hills, make our wares, and fire and
glaze them in kilns at the Esalen Art Barn.
Giving moment-to-moment attention to the
process, we will build our own sweat lodge,
hot mud baths, and tea house for group ceremonies. We will cultivate our sensibility
through the utensils and materials employed,
and the formal movements and manners that
arise in each moment.
“The workshop is designed to instill an aesthetic appreciation that is rooted in self-awakening. Come make ’Raku pleasure’ and drink
tea as friends. There is no other secret.”
Being in Theater: Explorations In
Creative Awareness
The Timeless Soul of Iran:
The Other Face of Islam
Peter Goldfarb
TerenceWard & Gholam Hosain Janatie-Ataie
This workshop provides a playful opportunity
to overcome our conceptual conditioning and
reconnect with the power of direct experience. The process involves training and practice in several mind-body and creative disciplines, including Buddhist Space Awareness,
Theatre Games and Improvisation, Dream
Work, Gestalt Awareness, and Guided Fantasy.
Through a series of experiential exercises, participants will enact the full-blown cast of
characters we already carry within. This affirmation of our unique and vast personal
resources can lead to a new paradigm for creative work.
For over two millennia, the Iranian plateau
has spawned great treasures of civilization:
proud Persepolis, sacred retreat of Darius the
Great; Shah Abbas’ turquoise miracle of
Isfahan, the “Florence of Asia”; and Shiraz, city
of poets, gardens, and nightingales. Yet for
most Americans, Iran’s phenomenal cultural
legacy is almost unknown. Contemporary
Iran remains a terra incognita hidden behind
its black Islamic shroud. Today, however,
something critically important is happening:
Persian culture is quietly crossing over
boundaries. And now, more than ever, we
need to understand Islamic culture.
This workshop is open to both actors and
non-actors and anyone interested or involved
in the creative process.
Consider these examples: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma
launched his long-awaited Silk Road Project
with a tribute in New York honoring the rich
legacy of Persian music. The American literary world has embraced a best-selling Persian
poet called Rumi, who wrote in the thirteenth
century. An unknown Iranian filmmaker,
Majid Majidi, shocked Hollywood by garnering two successive Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Film (Children of
Heaven, 1999; Color of Paradise, 2000).
Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea
Ceremonies
Noel Mapstead & Keiko Suga
Bearing the mind in lofty awakening, return to
the mundane.
— Basho, 17th century Japanese poet
Noel Mapstead writes: “Raku ceramics devel-
This groundbreaking seminar will focus on
31
two Iranian art forms—music and poetry—
opening the door into the mystic path of erfan
the spiritual quest of divine love. Gholam
Hosain will play, demonstrate, and discuss
classical Persian music using various traditional instruments in live performance.
Terence will span history from the ancient
Persian Empire to twenty-first century Iran
on a cultural odyssey, drawing from his extensive archive of photographic images and
video. Participants will come to recognize the
living symbols of erfan interwoven into contemporary cinema, Sufi poetry, architecture,
popular music, and, naturally, everyday life.
See Seminar Spotlight, page 10.
Deep Healing—The Essence of
Mind/Body Medicine
Emmett Miller
“At our essence,” says Dr. Emmett Miller, “is a
divine ’Knower,’ an inner healer and guide.
Invalidated and injured by trauma, stress, and
neglect, this abused spirit retreats, depriving
the body of its wisdom and healing. One
result: the profusion of physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral imbalances and diseases that abound.” In this experiential workshop, Dr. Miller guides participants in awakening the healer within. The workshop focuses on:
• Letting go of stress, relaxing deeply, and
entering the Healing State
• Evoking and nurturing the deep Self (the
healer within), opening the door to selfacceptance and true spirituality
• Exploring how beliefs and images become
physical and behavioral events in the body
and mind (i.e., symptoms)
• Allowing the inner healer to channel
thoughts, developing beliefs and images
that lead to wellness and peak performance
• Learning tools for attaining integrity of
thoughts, feelings, and behavior, in
relationship to self, other, and the world
• The direct experience of healing, peace, and
joyful self-awareness
The workshop features hands-on experience,
deep relaxation, imagery and movement,
group discussion, and lecture. It is designed
for professionals and lay persons, beginners
and experts alike.
Recommended reading and listening: Miller,
Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body
Medicine (book or cassette) and Healing
Journey (cassette).
32
The Path of Parenting:
A Spiritual Approach
Barbara Sachs
Parenting is difficult. We are given no formal
education to prepare us for this profound
undertaking, yet we are expected to “know”
what to do with the being entrusted into our
hands. We want to raise our children to be
happy, healthy, loving adults, but we often
end up tired, discouraged, and distanced from
them. The purpose of this workshop is to help
parents understand their child’s psychological
and spiritual growth, and mirror and support
the child’s emerging self.
Usually we parent the way we were parented—or just the opposite. Unskillfully repeating patterns interferes with doing our best for
our children. How can we be fresh in the
moment and yet skillful, tenderhearted, and
firm; let them separate and yet stay connected? What beliefs, preconceptions, and expectations do we bring to this environment? Is
there anything in us that blocks us from
being conscious parents, raising conscious
children? What supports us and our children
to be in a conscious, loving environment?
Can we carry out appropriate discipline? Do
our children need structures to live within?
This workshop will focus on the capacity to
be steadfast and loving even when our children push on us a thousand times to get their
way. The format will be experiential. There
will be time for personal work. Parenting will
be explored through the lens of the Diamond
Approach. This workshop is suitable for couples, single parents, grandparents, and pre-parents. Childcare is available on-site at the
Gazebo.
Unfinished Issues:
The Sources of Growth
Seymour Carter
Many potential sources for growth reside in
our unfinished issues, the developmental
processes that we have not recognized and
assimilated because of distressing life experiences or the inability to learn about them.
“Unfinished issues” refers to normal phases of
development which have been bypassed or
ignored. Unfortunately, most families emphasize some of our attributes and ignore or discourage others. These unclaimed potential talents, tendencies, and traits are a powerful
reservoir within us waiting to be tapped.
Using a primarily Gestalt-oriented process,
supported by the tools of family systems theory, practices of introspection, and body-oriented intervention strategies, participants can
begin to discover and utilize capacities in
themselves for new possibilities in their lives.
Each participant’s process of development
will be honored, encouraged, and treated as
unique.
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired
by Nature
Janine Benyus
Imagine solving a design challenge by asking
yourself: What organism or ecosystem has
grappled with, and solved, this very same
problem? Want a life-friendly adhesive? Ask
for the barnacle’s recipe. A solar-powered
desalination device? Consult the blueprint of
a mangrove’s root membrane. A less toxic way
to manufacture fibers? Ask the spider how
her web is woven. An agriculture that
enhances rather than depletes soil fertility?
Ask the prairie. This workshop will give you
the opportunity to understand and try out
biomimicry.
Biomimicry is a design discipline that seeks
sustainable solutions by studying and then
emulating nature’s time-tested strategies.
Biomimics around the world are consciously
asking “What would nature do here?” to help
them find products, processes, and policies—
new ways of living—that are well-adapted to
life on earth over the long haul. The resulting
designs are beautiful, functional, and, not surprisingly, sustainable as well. Their models are
organisms that manufacture without “heat,
beat, and treat” methods, and ecosystems that
run on sunlight and feedback, creating opportunities rather than waste.
In this workshop, you’ll have a chance to
explore deep patterns of biological design,
review the latest biomimetic research, and
apply this method of inquiry to your own
design challenges.
Recommended reading: Benyus, Biomimicry:
Innovation Inspired by Nature.
March 10–17
Your Life Cannot Be Any Easier
Than Your Movement: Cortical Field
Reeducation® and the Feldenkrais
Method®
Harriet Goslins & Sybil Krauter
How we sit, stand, move, or respond to contact with others reflects patterns wired into
our nervous systems by infancy. By early
childhood, conflicting intentions distort
these patterns. Feeling powerless, we attempt
to survive and to win love by figuring out “big
people’s rules.” The resulting strategies may
protect us as children but, deeply ingrained in
our muscular postures and movements, they
imprison us as adults and limit our choices.
They remain outside of awareness, causing
discomfort and limitation.
By reeducating the brain-muscle-emotion
connection, restrictions in movement can be
released, freeing lifelong behaviors that have
organized around that movement, restoring
freedom of choice. The protective postures
are altered, deeply affecting the body’s habitual defense system and allowing a higher level
of energy.
This workshop is a relearning of the ease, fluidity, and openness taken for granted as a
child and lost somewhere along the way. It is
for the sedentary; for the active who want to
increase physical skills and reduce risk of
injury; for those dealing with aftereffects of
injury or emotional trauma, and the professionals who work with them; for the chronically tired and stressed who want to take better care of their necks, shoulders, and backs;
and for those who want to improve their posture, flexibility, and breathing while deepening their sense of connection and belonging.
used to enter shamanic trance, experience deep
catharsis, and find the path with heart.”
Come prepared to use this shamanic environment as a sacred vessel for deep personal
exploration and spiritual growth. This workshop is physically demanding, personally
revealing, and includes an all-night ceremony.
Because of the special nature of this work,
enrollment is limited.
Please note: This workshop is for couples only.
Char Pias & Pablo Piekar
Recommended reading: Rosenberg & Morse,
The Intimate Couple; Rosenberg, Rand & Asay,
Body, Self, and Soul; Rosenberg, Total Orgasm.
This workshop offers the opportunity to start
developing the skills to give an effective and
pleasurable Esalen Massage, as well as a chance
to replenish your spirit with the healing
power of nature on the magical Big Sur coast.
Through brief lectures, demonstrations, and
plenty of hands-on supervised practice, you
will learn the foundation of Esalen Massage, a
healing way to connect with another—and
oneself. Esalen Massage, with its nurturing
contact, long integrating strokes, and detailed
attention to the whole body, provides a feeling
of deep relaxation and wholeness. The focus
will be on quality of touch and effortlessness,
with attention to self-care. The workshop will
also emphasize body and breath awareness
through movement, meditation, and play.
This course is for beginners as well as more
experienced bodyworkers interested in learning some new approaches to massage.
Week of March 10–15
The Intimate Couple: An Integrative
Body Psychotherapy (IBP) Workshop
Seymour Carter
Jack Rosenberg & Beverly Kitaen Morse
Trust, love, erotic sexuality, and a core experience of self are the building blocks for a vital
relationship. Yet, unless our bodies are awakened, these essential qualities remain elusive
ideas rather than familiar body feelings.
Furthermore, until we recognize the themes
that distort our views, cause our prejudgments, and perpetuate old defensive patterns,
it is difficult to trust or be trusted. For a relationship that works well, we must have practical body-mind tools and know ourselves in
order to resolve life’s inevitable dilemmas.
The Heart of the Shaman
Richard Yensen Pérez-Venero &
Donna Dryer Pérez-Venero
The Pérez-Veneros write: “The shamanic
awakening is a mythic and poetic spiritual
journey of initiation. In this work we learn to
honor our innermost wounding experiences
and use them as a portal into the spirit world.
The journey of death and rebirth awakens our
capacity to be compassionate and loving.
“A circle of trust developed through ritual will
carry us through the crack between the worlds.
Both ancient and modern practices will be
Designed as a preventive model, this workshop can help you uncover the key undermining themes in your relationship and provide tools to deal with them before they
become terminal problems. It will also provide tools for experiencing heightened aliveness, sustaining a sense of self in the body,
and making sex better.
Esalen Massage Retreat
The Power of Growth
ment with your partner—and have seen what
gets in the way—you will know how you got
there and how to achieve it again and again.
Most couples want an equal and reciprocal
relationship, but few know how to accomplish this attunement of partnership.
However, once you have simultaneously experienced the internal feeling of self and attune-
Textile Arts
Keiko Suga
Come and explore the many facets of textile
arts—silk painting and natural dyeing, felt
tapestry, simple hand weaving, paper-making,
and creating sculptural pieces with a variety
of natural fibers and found objects.
Experience the satisfaction of taking raw
material—have you ever sheared a sheep?—
through the process (cleaning, spinning, felting) of becoming a finished piece.
Other fiber arts will be available, such as the
ancient art of spinning, transforming raw
fibers into yarn to be used in various textiles.
These materials are integral to all our lives—
from the functional to the fanciful, from the
clothes we wear day-to-day to that special
scarf or cloth that we treasure just to hold and
admire. This workshop is a space for exploring and creating in an open, nurturing environment that encourages experimentation,
play, and receptivity to creative surprises.
All are welcome. No previous art or textile
experience is needed, although artists may
find that these new mediums will inspire
their creative imagination.
Being Present for Your Life:
Introduction to Mindfulness
Meditation
James Baraz
How much are you present for your own life?
Most of us spend more time in our own inner
world—worrying about the future, replaying
the past, or lost in fantasy—than experiencing
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what life is offering to us right now. The present moment is where we can most directly
be intimate with our life—touched by beauty
and intimacy, while learning through the difficult lessons how to open our hearts.
Participants will be introduced to this meditation practice and the principles on which it is
based. There will be periods of silent sitting
and walking meditation as well as discussion,
providing a foundation for applying mindfulness practice to everyday life.
ED ODELL
Mindfulness—or vipassana—meditation is the
practice described by the Buddha for developing wisdom, compassion, and peace by learning to be mindful of what is actually happening in the present moment. Using the breath,
body sensations, thoughts, and emotions as
objects of attention, we can learn to be more
fully awake. When we see directly that the
nature of reality is change, we begin to let go
of clinging to the pleasant or avoiding the
unpleasant. We become more capable of meeting each situation with spontaneity, fearlessness, and love.
The workshop will be largely experiential,
with some didactic material and discussion.
Recommended reading: N. Branden, How to
Raise Your Self-Esteem and The Six Pillars of SelfEsteem.
Working with Subpersonalities to
Build Self-Esteem
Devers Branden
The idea of subpersonalities is almost as old as psychology itself...
— Nathaniel Branden.
This program offers a variety of processes
aimed at developing greater self-understanding, deeper insights into one’s motivations,
and strengthened self-esteem through the
work of encountering and integrating our
subpersonalities (often referred to as “parts” of
ourselves).
Devers Branden will focus on the subpersonalities found to be most important for the way
we live. The premise is that unrecognized or
disowned and rejected subselves tend to
become sources of conflict, unwanted feelings, and inappropriate behavior. Subselves
that are recognized, respected, and integrated
into the total personality become sources of
energy, emotional richness, increased options,
strengthened self-esteem, and a more fulfilling sense of identity.
An example of the kind of question to be
addressed: “Who selected my romantic partner (or my career, or a particular emotional
response, or any of my major life-choices)—
was it my child-self, my teenage-self, my opposite-gender-self, my mother-self, my fatherself, or me the adult?”
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Psychospiritual Approaches to Death,
Grief, and Illness: Wisdom from Folk
Tales and Clinical Cases
remembering the dead, music, and a slide presentation of related issues across time and cultures. This course is designed for those dealing with life-threatening illness, death, or
grief in their personal or professional lives.
Spiritual Reflexology
David & Christel Lukoff
Ardell Hill with Billy Cauley
Death, grief, and life-threatening illness are
challenges that affect our personal and often
our professional lives. Most spiritual traditions have long utilized the healing power of
stories and storytelling when dealing with
dying, bereaved, and seriously ill persons.
Following the oral tradition, Christel will tell
myths and folk tales about death, grief, and illness to illustrate the psychological and spiritual issues of fear, denial, acceptance, and
healing that are often part of these life transitions. The collective wisdom of these stories
speaks to us on the archetypal level of soul
and deep knowing.
This course in Spiritual Reflexology takes the
modality of reflexology to another level.
Reflexology—applying pressure to areas or
points on the feet and hands—has always
addressed the glands, organs, and other parts
of the body; it taps into the body’s innate healing systems, offering deep relaxation, reducing pain, and creating physical harmony. As
we look deeper, we find that the human system, as it performs the vital functions of life,
is an orchestra of sounds and rhythms.
Combining reflexology with sound exploration can create vast and effective change,
harmonizing the body’s healing systems and
promoting new levels of health and vitality.
David will share case histories to help formulate assessments and intervention strategies
for specific cases in a format that health professionals have used since Hippocrates. The
combined ancient wisdom of folklore and the
clinical understandings from case materials
will help participants to be more fully present, better able to meet the psychological and
spiritual challenges of these major life transitions.
The workshop will include a ritual for
This workshop introduces varied techniques
to help you “know” the reflexes in the body.
Using color, touch, and energy movement,
Ardell Hill will help you focus on
“sensing/feeling” the reflexes in the feet.
Through a variety of exercises and sonic experiences, musician Billy Cauley will show the
importance of being in touch with your
unique “rhythm of life” to foster mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
This workshop is suitable for all levels of
reflexologists. Bring an open heart, drums,
and thumbs.
Recommended reading: Hill, Spiritual
Reflexology: Spiritual Gifts of the Body.
Three Pillars of Asian Wisdom
Chungliang Al Huang
Two years ago, Huston Smith and Chungliang
Al Huang inaugurated this ongoing series of
annual studies in Asian philosophy, focusing
on the three wisdom traditions of Taoism,
Confucianism, and Buddhism (especially
Chinese Ch’an and Japanese Zen). This year
Chungliang will continue the series, offering
the essential core of these teachings through
an experiential program of practical techniques to assist students in delving deeper
into these perennial philosophies. The
emphasis will be on day-to-day practice: ways
to apply the embodied awareness and wisdom
at the heart of these traditions to thrive in the
modern world.
Although Huston Smith will not be participating in this year’s workshop, he remains,
through his long friendship and collaboration
with Chungliang, an “invisible hand” that
continues to guide this vital series of Asian
studies at Esalen.
For more information see Special Programs,
page 74.
Psyche and Cosmos in the
21st Century: The Return of Soul
to the World
Stanislav Grof & Richard Tarnas
As Jung was the first modern psychologist to
suggest, astrology possesses an extraordinary
capacity to illuminate the archetypal dynamics of the human psyche. During twenty-five
years of collaboration, Richard Tarnas and
Stanislav Grof have repeatedly encountered a
rich and consistent correlation between specific planetary positions and a wide range of
psychological states. Besides providing
invaluable insight into both the timing and
the specific archetypal character of psychotherapeutic transformations and other significant life experiences, these correlations
suggest that the relationship between the cosmos and the human psyche is very different
from that assumed in the conventional disenchanted worldview of modernity.
This seminar presents both the practical
applications of this research and its larger
implications. Topics will include precise
descriptions of the correlations observed, the
phenomenon of synchronicity, instructions
for calculating and evaluating one’s own transits, and a look at major past and current planetary alignments. The workshop addresses
the relevance of this work to the larger depth
psychology tradition, and presents an overview
of the evolution of the Western mind.
The emphasis of this seminar is on providing
participants with both a theoretical framework and practical information that can be
immediately integrated into their own lives.
Prior background in astrology, though useful,
is not necessary. Participants should bring a
copy of their birth chart.
Recommended reading: the epilogue to
Richard Tarnas’s The Passion of the Western
Mind, and any book by Stanislav Grof.
Creative Behavior from the Inside Out
Gilah Hirsch
Creative behavior may be found not only in
the arts but in myriad other forms, including
lifestyle, relationship, and community. This
how-to workshop on creativity—for any medium of expression—is designed to cut through
creative blocks and impel you toward your
unique expressive gifts.
You will explore the power of form to find
your most potent vehicle of authentic expression. Authenticity is discovered by learning to
discern between the “Three D’s”: Direction
(that which you are born to do), Diversion
(simply a pastime), and Distraction (that
which takes you off course).
To facilitate original expression, obstacles such
as Preciousness (attachment to what is familiar
and previously praised) and Fear (denying
what is hidden in the past and shrinking from
the unknown in the future) will be transformed into fuel for the creative process. Once
you understand that all of the surprises of
life—positive and negative—are opulent gifts,
catalysts of change, and grist for the creative
mill, then the generative process becomes an
inextricable weaving of life, work, and art, an
evolving and ascending matrix of positive
expansion and compassionate expression.
This is not only a workshop for practicing
artists, writers, photographers, and painters,
but also a springboard into the creative
process for those who have never dared to
reveal themselves through the expressive arts.
The Writer’s Way: Opening to
Change—A New Path Through the
Wilderness
Nancy Bacal
“Change,” writes Nancy Bacal, “can be as profound as death, as subtle as a new day.
Whether we are dealing with love, loss,
health, work, or the daily reversals of life, a
time of change is frequently a time of vulnerability. It can deliver us into joy, or abandon us
to fear and confusion. It can also be an opportunity to awaken to a new perspective of life.
Rather than feel shaken by a shift we cannot
control, our goal in the workshop will be to
pick up our pens and use it as material.
“In the safety of a group we will begin to excavate our stories. As we come to know them,
we come to know ourselves; as we share them,
we move out of isolation. As the details
emerge, they bring vitality to our writing, for
the writer’s greatest inspiration comes from
the truth of our own lives. When we claim
our experience for the writer we cease to be
victims of circumstance, for in that moment
we substitute curiosity for expectation and
feel free.
“The schedule will include movement, meditation, laughter, tears, moments of resistance
and amazing discovery! With support and
guidance, we will write in and out of the
group, and read and discuss our material. We
will learn to identify the critic and soften its
hold on our work. More than skill, enthusiasm for the writing process and its surprises
are the most important requirements.”
Recommended reading: Chodron, The
Wisdom of No Escape.
Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
Mary Goldenson
We have all experienced moments of feeling
totally alive, yet much of our life is spent in a
half-asleep, half-committed state of being.
While there are many life-situations beyond
our control, we choose how we respond to
these events. The choice to be passionately
alive is an act of courage. To choose life is to:
• Open ourselves to all of life—suffering, joy,
success, failure, love, and grief
• Fully acknowledge the truth of who we are
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• Commit to living our deepest values and
dreams
• Define what we must change in our
relationships
• Learn new ways to heal, forgive, and
communicate
The challenge is to honestly address the ways
in which we have compromised, given up, or
lied to ourselves and others. This workshop is
designed to bring to awareness our unconscious choices of how we deaden ourselves
and to create the possibility for new aliveness
and passionate involvement.
Come alone or with a partner. A safe, supportive atmosphere will be provided, using communication skills, movement, Gestalt, and
Reichian work.
Integrating Esalen Massage and
Energetic Healing
Laurie Lioness Parizek & The Esalen
Teaching Staff
What lies before us and what lies behind us is but
a small matter compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
The first week of spring is a natural time for
physical and spiritual renewal, inspired by the
majesty of Big Sur. This workshop is for people who would like to learn to integrate energetic healing into a full-body massage, in a
restorative setting. The grounding, nurturing
principles and long, flowing strokes of Esalen
Massage will be combined with specific touch
and balancing techniques that encourage a
sense of deepening strength and wholeness.
Most sessions contain short demonstrations
with supervised hands-on exchanges and
plenty of practice time. Emphasis is on creating a safe environment for learning and
exploration. The workshop incorporates
movement, meditation, sounding, and awareness exercises for a deeper understanding of
energy dynamics, as well as centering, good
breathing, and refining the quality of contact
and touch. Demonstrations present principles
of energy flow, opening and balancing meridian lines, chakra integration, and the application of supportive, intuitive touch. This is
combined with the soothing strokes and
stretches of Esalen Massage. Specific and individual needs will be addressed.
The workshop will make full use of Esalen’s
beautiful grounds and facilities. Please bring
warm, comfortable clothes and your favorite
music. This program is open to all levels of
experience and is especially useful for body36
workers, health practitioners, and those interested in developing effective tools for working with friends and family.
range of motion and to problems with joints,
tendons, discs, and muscles, causing discomfort, injury, and pain.
Fortunately, the brain has the capacity
throughout life to quickly form new patterns
of movement, feeling, and thought, replacing
old disruptive patterns with effective new
ones. At the same time, people can experience
renewed vitality coupled with emotional,
mental, and physical well-being.
A Weekend with
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche
In Tibet the Dzogchen text entitled Kunzang
Monlam is known as the teaching of
Primordial Wisdom and the manifestation of
an enlightened mind. It reminds anyone who
hears it of their own true nature: awareness
that is luminous, spacious, and timeless.
Traditionally it was used to awaken the sick
and speak to the dying, as well as to the
healthy and already initiated. It completely
encompasses the Liberation by Hearing
(known in the West as the Tibetan Book of the
Dead) but its application is a command for us
all to wake up to the present moment and our
own enlightened nature. This teaching transcends the concept of Buddhism and is recommended for Buddhists and non-Buddhists
alike, as well as being especially suitable for
those in the healing professions.
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche has taught throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and has the
ability to explain complex spiritual truths
with simplicity and gentleness.
Overcoming Back Pain
Anat Baniel
Our only limitation is our belief that it is so.
— Moshe Feldenkrais
Over 80% of Americans suffer from back pain
at some point in their lives. Even with mild
back pain, the cost—physical, emotional, and
mental—is significant. Overcoming back pain
can be elusive; it seems to have a life of its
own. Anat Baniel has developed a program,
using gentle sets of movements coupled with
new ways of understanding how we function,
which leads to increased flexibility, increased
strength, and reduced pain.
The Anat Baniel MethodSM is based on Moshe
Feldenkrais’s findings that certain repetitive
movement patterns—for example, the way we
sit, stand, or walk—tend to overuse certain
muscles and joints and underuse others. In
time, these habitual patterns lead to limited
These outcomes are available to all, regardless
of age, level of fitness, or degree of limitation.
The process is safe, gentle, and fun.
This workshop is recommended for those
with back or neck problems, joint stiffness, or
pain; those who work with anyone who has
back problems; and those seeking increased
flexibility, strength, and vitality.
Healing of Heart and Mind:
Choosing to Change
Fred Luskin
Every human being has suffered rejection,
mistreatment, betrayal. Yet some people
maneuver through these painful experiences
while others remain stuck. This workshop
will examine why and how this happens.
Through sharing and processing experience,
participants will work toward understanding
how sadness, frustration, and anger arise—and
how to change those feelings.
By demystifying the process of healing, we
can accelerate this mysterious process, learn
to let go of old hurts, and become less likely to
create new ones. Using cognitive approaches—lecture along with guided practice in
reframing, disputation, and existential understanding—this workshop presents forgiveness
as a choice. The cognitive approaches will be
complemented by practice in mindfulness,
imagery, and heart-centered methods
designed to help access the heart’s restorative
potential. Journal writing, dyadic exercises,
and group discussion will also be used.
Uniting mind and heart and letting go of old
hurts is an expression of the soul’s desire for
connection and harmony. With insight and
practice, it is possible to successfully work
with the emotions that prevent us from moving forward in our lives.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Embodying the I Ching: Further
Explorations
For additional information see Special
Programs, page 74.
aged and surprised by what they can do; experienced singers will remember why they
started to sing in the first place.
Wild Voice
Ms. Massé, founding member of Grammyaward winning Manhattan Transfer, is an
internationally-known jazz vocalist who has
taught workshops at colleges and retreat centers throughout the country. Her most recent
recording, Feather and Bone, is a personal
exploration of the divine feminine (for more
info see www.laurelmasse.com).
Chungliang Al Huang
In this ongoing series, designed for novices as
well as seasoned meditators of the I Ching,
Chungliang Al Huang continues to explore
this perennial Chinese wisdom classic. He
will guide participants through the three levels (heaven-human-earth) of energy awareness and the powerful Jing (essence), Ch’i
(breath), and Shen (spirit) Chi Gong practice,
applying the technique of Tai Ji rituals, visual
images of the Eight-trigrams mandala, and
Yin/Yang Chi polarity exercises, combined
with the seven chakras of the Kundalini energy circulation in our bodies.
Time will be devoted to the discussion and
exploration of the deeper physical and psychic power in the universal “collective unconscious,” with its multidimensional meanings
inherent in the Chinese written symbols of
each of the major I Ching hexagrams. Special
focus will be on learning to apply the insights
to assist in day-to-day choice-making.
Laurel Massé
Singing is a primal, primary human activity.
We sing to celebrate, we sing to mourn. We
sing to connect with and worship that which
we hold most sacred. We sing to gather and
bond as community, and to effect change. The
development of most musical instruments
was inspired by the desire to mimic some
aspect of the human voice. Yet many of us
have been cut off from the free expression of
our voices and our hearts by the fear of “not
doing it right.”
This workshop is paper-free—there will be no
printed music to read or memorize—and pressure-free—no mandatory public performance
at its close. Instead, Laurel Massé will lead the
workshop through group improvisations and
gentle guided imagery into an exploration of
the power of song. All levels of ability are welcomed: Inexperienced singers will be encour-
March 24–April 21
28-Day Massage Certification Program
Sherry Galloway & Perry Holloman
For workshop description see Special
Programs, page 74.
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Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
Hank Wesselman & Jill Kuykendall
Today interest in complementary and alternative therapies is on the rise, and increasing
numbers of people are discovering the healing modalities pioneered by indigenous peoples. Among them, the time-tested techniques
of the traditional shamans are being reconsidered and reworked, providing nontribal
Westerners with effective methods for healing and problem solving.
This workshop provides in-depth training in
shamanic healing. At the core of this work
lies a cross-cultural consideration of the
nature of illness, healing, and health care.
Hank Wesselman writes: “We will expand our
connections to our inner sources of power
and wisdom, deepen our contacts with our
ancestral spirits and healing masters, experience spiritual dismemberment, work with
shamanic extraction, and Jill will provide us
with her unique approach to soul retrieval.”
The Visionseeker workshops provide a
shamanic perspective derived from the
Hawaiian kahuna tradition in which knowledge of the personal soul cluster, as well as the
nature of reality, forms the foundation. This
training is open to those who have completed
the weeklong Visionseeker I workshop (see
June 16-21) or its equivalent. If in doubt,
please contact Hank Wesselman before registering at PO Box 2059, Granite Bay, CA 95746
or e-mail him at [email protected].
Note: Bring a rattle, a drum (if you have one), a
notebook or sketchpad, a small set of oil or
chalk pastels, a bandanna or eyeshade, and a
light blanket. Please refrain from alcohol use
during the workshop.
Recommended reading: Wesselman,
Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future;
Medicinemaker: Mystic Encounters on the
Shaman’s Path; and Visionseeker: Shared Wisdom
from the Place of Refuge.
The MAX: Stretching the Limits of
Your Self-Expression
Paula Shaw
The MAX is an outrageous voyage through
your own humanity—a journey to turn yourself inside out and explore the extent of your
self-expressive power. It employs a variety of
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acting, communication, and observation
methods designed to expand your limits “to
the max” and move you into a new arena of
personal creativity and self-expression.
The MAX is extremely challenging.
Participants must commit to a rigorous exploration of the sources of their emotional limitations. Seminar hours are longer than usual
early in the week (and shorter later in the
week). Participants work individually in front
of the room, playing to and with other group
members. There are exercises that use raw
emotion, role-playing, and “dress-up” assignments.
This is an opportunity to experience yourself
in a way you may have dreamed about but
never imagined possible. The game is risk, the
premise: You’re either daring or dead. This
course is not for the faint of heart, but it is full
of heart, humor, and irreverence and is constructed with the understanding that this
kind of risk taking requires a very safe workspace. If your heart beats faster when you
think of taking this workshop, then maybe it’s
just the thing to do.
Please note: Due to the intense and sequential
nature of this workshop, attendance at all sessions is necessary.
Prerequisite: A 1-3 minute memorized piece—
monologue, poem, song, etc.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord:
A Mythological Toolbox
(10th edition, revised)
Robert Walter & The Joseph Campbell
Foundation
In Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Carl Jung tells
of the day when he realized “what it means to
live with a myth, and what it means to live
without one.” And so, he writes, “I took it
upon myself to get to know ‘my’ myth, and I
regarded this as the task of tasks.”
As did mythologist Joseph Campbell. He
cited Jung’s remarks to explain why he always
celebrated his birthday by leading a workshop
at Esalen. When Campbell died, the Joseph
Campbell Foundation continued his annual
exploration of the myths that shape our lives.
This year participants will explore the myths
that influence how we play the game of life.
Individual exercises, small-group activities,
and collective projects will offer opportunities for both reflection and expression.
Participants might dance, discuss, sing, or sit
quietly; make music or masks or medicine
bundles; decode films or dreams. Always, the
talk will be of transformation: Who were you?
What childhood stories were impressed upon
you? What were your favorite games? Who are
you? What is enshrined on your mantel, taped
to your refrigerator door? What lies forgotten
in the basement? Who do you aspire to be? What
face do you hope to see in the mirror? What’s
set upon your metaphoric altar, pursued in
your fantasies?
Foundation president Bob Walter orchestrates the festivities, joined by award-winning
author/artist Gerald McDermott, wordweaver/song-spinner Rebecca Armstrong,
and other special guests. Bring a favorite
game to teach, a tale to tell, and a small
totemic object that’s both meaningful and
expendable. More information and suggested
readings are available from the Foundation at
www.jcf.org or 1-800-330-MYTH.
Inner Nature/Outer Nature:
Relational Gestalt and the Big Sur
Wilderness
Eric Erickson
Nature has a silent, peaceful, absorptive quality in which our hopes and longings can safely
emerge. These yearnings, often relational in
origin and frequently associated with resistance and fears, are a source for growth. This
workshop combines the dynamic approach
of contemporary relational Gestalt with the
unparalleled beauty of hiking the Big Sur
wilderness to provide an opportunity for
exploring both your inner and outer world.
Esalen is a trailhead to one of the world’s most
spectacular wilderness areas, and the workshop will explore outer nature through dayhikes into the Santa Lucia Mountains. Esalen
is also a traditional trailhead for exploring
inner nature, which participants can do
through the sharing of yearnings and hopes
that emerge during the journeys into nature.
There will be an opportunity for working
individually with the leader as well as for processing whatever emerges within the group.
The workshop will offer two or three dayhikes 3-6 miles in length. Please bring comfortable walking/hiking shoes and clothing as
well as a day-pack. No previous hiking experience is necessary.
Experiencing Esalen
A Celebration of the Body:
A Self-Empowerment Weekend
Carolyn Braddock & Chris Hendricks
People usually consider walking on water or in
thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is
not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to
walk on the earth.
This process can help you to trust your own
intuition, sense of humor, eloquence, and
physical grace, and it allows you get out of
your own way to convert the raw material of
spontaneous impulse into glittering nuggets
of creative gold.
The workshop is also just a lot of fun.
Beginners and shy people are welcome; no
experience is necessary. Prior improv experience will be forgiven.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
The workshop utilizes breath, sound, and
select centering and martial arts practices to
assist participants in vocal expression—the
source of their power—while encouraging
release through movement. The gentle martial arts practices promote flexibility and body
awareness while helping the individual to
stay centered, release areas of tension, and
move through difficult feelings. Participants
will be taught how to move out of harm’s way
when in conflict, use more voice—verbal and
nonverbal—in relationships, and enhance creativity.
The workshop utilizes experiential exercises,
group process, bodywork, situational roleplaying, the natural environment, humor, and
video analysis.
Recommended reading: Braddock, Body Voices.
Enlightened Cooking:
The Ayurvedic Way
Leanne Backer
This workshop offers you a chance to taste
the benefits of modern natural-food techniques combined with the ancient wisdom of
Ayurveda, under the direction of Leanne
Backer, executive chef at the Chopra Center
for Well Being.
“In this course,” writes Leanne, “we will learn
how to create delicious cuisine that enhances
our digestion, balances our physiology, and
enlivens our body energy. We will learn about
balance of the mind, the body, and the soulful
experience of cooking, creating, and dining
well. We will explore the wisdom of Ayurveda
as it applies to modern nutrition. Using
the ’Foundation Four’ of Ayurvedic cooking,
we will learn to understand and balance the
unique qualities of our bodies by including
the ’six tastes’ into our daily diets. We will
explore traditional Indian cooking methods
to illustrate the benefits of healthy cooking
by using healing herbs and spices, quality oils,
organics, and whole foods.”
So good, and good for you, too.
Improv Alchemy:
Brewing Something from Nothing
Week of March 31–April 5
Paula Shaw
The spontaneity of theater games can open
you up to extraordinary surprises, to
unknown abilities, even to brilliance—a brilliance born of generating from a blank slate,
from the nothing and nowhere of beginner’s
mind. This workshop is an exploration of letting go of your programmed patterns and discovering the joy of spontaneous creation.
The first premise of improvisational theater
games (which Robin Williams claims
unleashed him) is to “go in blank.” Within the
game structures, participants are coached to
be receptive: stop, look, and listen; deny nothing; release control; let go of planning ahead.
Tools of Spirit and Grace:
Transforming Your Life—
Hellinger’s Approach for
Changing Family Systems
Stephen Victor
Occasionally someone finds something so strong
that it changes the way people live... Bert Hellinger
has discovered something about love in intimate
family relationship systems... so revolutionary that
it grasps people and changes their lives. What he’s
found is this: if you want love to flourish, then you
must do what nourishes it, and you must refrain
from doing what harms it. Love thrives when you
consent to the world the way it is, even when it
isn’t how you wish it were... It flourishes only
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop is designed to facilitate the
integration of body, mind, and spirit into a
healing journey, particularly for survivors of
trauma (sexual and emotional trauma, physical illnesses, surgeries, body-image issues, loss,
and accidents). The material is intended for
daily use—at home, at work, in relationship—
for personal and professional growth.
when you are prepared to see reality beyond belief
and prejudice.
— Hunter Beaumont
(introduction to Love’s Hidden Symmetry)
Stephen Victor writes: “Using Hellinger’s
approach you can make honorable and loving
life-changing movements in your soul, freeing yourself and other family members, lending strength and peace to your life. This
approach addresses issues that originate in
the soul of your family system. This system is
other-than-psychological; it is instead a system/field that families exist within. Bring
your personal, family, and professional concerns. With respect, humility, and boldness
we will:
• Identify the sources of problems by
bringing background entanglements to
light
• Seek solutions
• Regain the movement of love within
yourself and your family
• Foster the movement of creative energy
within your workplace
“This is a participatory workshop in which
you can experience the desired changes within yourself throughout our time together. You
will also assist others by ’standing-in’ as representatives of their family members.
Whether ’standing-in’ or observing, healing is
furthered by being ’in the field’ when doing
this work.”
Sing to Your Own Tune
Susannah Self & Michael Christie
The voice is the mirror of the soul. Through
the voice we can express our deepest wisdom
39
and joyfulness. The focus of this workshop is
to empower your unique voice. It is designed
to help you create vocal sound that combines
power with physical ease.
Through simple vocal exercises you will learn
to massage the throat with vibrations that create firm sound free of strain, which has the
ability to heal and open the chakras. Through
group chanting, using Tibetan singing bowls,
you will enter an inner journey to discover
your authenticity. And through breath, your
connection to feeling will lead you to your
creative source.
“We will compose our own songs,” write
Susannah and Michael. “Individual compositions literally and symbolically enable us to
sing to our own tune. Through guided visualization we will discover text and sounds that
form the basis of music. The voice work will
become our ’opus.’”
Susannah Self and Michael Christie studied at
the Royal College of Music, and they perform
and lead workshops together. They have both
composed for the Royal Opera House Garden
Venture and their own company, Selfmade
Music Theatre. They delight in creative
music-making and the practical insights that
come with it.
No previous singing or composing experience
is necessary.
Transformational Kinesiology
Debra Greene
This program presents the art of muscle testing and the science of subtle energies. Muscle
testing (also known as specialized kinesiology) is a sensitive biofeedback method that can
provide you with a heightened level of awareness. It is a powerful adjunct for bodyworkers,
counselors, and health-care practitioners, yet
simple enough for anyone to learn and practice. This workshop is designed for practitioners who wish to expand their therapeutic
options as well as individuals seeking tools
for personal and spiritual growth.
Since the human body is an extremely sensitive instrument, during a kinesiology session
the physical body—for example, an extended
arm—is used as a delicately responsive
biofeedback mechanism. In addition to testing for energy imbalances, muscle testing can
be used to identify limiting belief systems.
You’ll learn the right questions to ask as well
as methods to get more reliable answers.
Included is a seven-point energy-clearing
process as well as brain-integration kinesiology techniques.
40
The power of Transformational Kinesiology is
in identifying a goal and using kinesiology to
help discover what is blocking you from that
goal. You’ll gain clarity and direction toward
releasing whatever stands in your way of finding inner resolution and taking your next
step. You’ll enjoy the transformative process
of being balanced and balancing others. This
process can provide surprising insights and
energetic help for consciously making the significant changes your life path calls for.
Why Smart People Fail
This workshop—for massage practitioners,
bodyworkers, medical professionals, and anyone interested in learning body-oriented intervention techniques—focuses on hands-on ways
to release trauma (particularly in sexual trauma
survivors). It is designed to heighten sensitivity to the psychological and physiological manifestations of post-traumatic stress: dissociation,
flashbacks, energy blocks, and breath patterns.
Special emphasis will be placed on establishing
safety and trust in the client/practitioner relationship. The workshop will also present martial arts techniques to help survivors move
through difficult, intense feelings.
The workshop is applicable for Braddock
Body Process® Training hours for certification.
Carole Hyatt
“Most of us experience some form of setback
in the course of our lives,” says Carol Hyatt.
“By losing the fear of setback we gain the
most important tool for thinking successfully.
Smart people know they will succeed because
they know where the pitfalls lie. The key to
success is understanding where other people
have experienced setbacks and developing the
personal perspective that will enable you to
maneuver around the constriction points of
anger, disappointment, and personal turmoil.”
Recommended reading: Braddock: Body Voices.
Weekend of April 5–7
Just Sitting: An Exploration into the
Meditative Process
Jason Siff
In this workshop, Carole Hyatt will teach you
how to anticipate and/or cope with potential
career life-changes. The material is based on
her best-selling book When Smart People Fail:
Reinventing Yourself for Success. This book has
been the basis for articles in major newspapers, magazines, and television talk shows
throughout the United States. The experience
of failure is worldwide and the personal
process that failure triggers can open unexpected horizons for learning.
Healing from Trauma:
Body-Centered Interventions
Carolyn Braddock & Chris Hendricks
Some day the body will present its bill, for it is
incorruptible as a child who, still whole in spirit,
will accept no compromises or excuses, and it will
not stop tormenting us until we stop evading the
truth.
— Alice Miller
The body remembers because the body is the
scene of the crime. This memory is expressed
through “body voices”—how a person
breathes, speaks, moves. When a bodyworker
places hands on a survivor, memories may
flood in and body sensations be blocked,
resulting in rigid holding and movement patterns. Releasing these patterns allows the survivor’s body to unwind and expand.
The meditative process is unique to each individual, though there are commonly shared
experiences and insights. Most meditators are
not taught how to become aware and investigate the nature of their own unique meditations, but are instead usually just given a single set of instructions to follow. The objective
of this workshop is to help people understand
what goes on in meditation and from there to
develop ways of working with anything that
may arise within a meditation sitting.
This approach for examining the meditative
process relies heavily on what Jason Siff calls
“reflecting back.” What becomes important
during meditation is not the quality of one’s
sittings, but rather the learning that goes on
from reflecting back on what has occurred in
the sitting. Through a dialogue with the
teacher, and through listening to other meditators discuss their meditations, the student is
able to remember many things about his sittings that had gone unnoticed. From this
increased awareness of one’s mind in meditation, new experiences and insights are recognized for what they are, and become the basis
for trusting in the meditative process.
People who are new to meditation will learn a
way of meditating that is simple, nonjudgmental, and grounded; more experienced
meditators will develop a clearer picture of
I’ve never heard a couple say, “Warren, I want a
divorce—my partner understands me.”
ED ODELL
At the deepest level, most couples do not feel
understood by their partner. Promises of honesty and love begin to fade when the expression of genuine feelings is perceived by our
partner to be criticism. Criticism begets criticism, and soon the fear of escalation leads to
stuffing the feelings and “walking on
eggshells.” The children consume too much
time for unraveling the feelings, even as they
also create a reason to stay together. The
result: Couples remain legally married but
psychologically divorced, developing a “silent
deal” that looks too much like their parents’
and not enough like the initial promise.
where they are in their meditation practice.
Yoga Practice: Refining and
Magnifying Body, Mind, and Being
The Transformative Power of Emotions
Sietze VanDerHeide
Emotions are more than feelings. Emotions
are deeply interconnected with all aspects of
our mind, body, and spirit. They are the fuel
that powers us toward our goals and guides us
toward satisfying our needs. Activating emotional resources can enhance all aspects of our
life.
Emotions are also information. By deepening
our connection to our emotional world, we
can access the wisdom of our emotions, allowing us to learn what our experiences may
actually be trying to teach us. By utilizing this
emotional wisdom we can increase the depth
of understanding of ourselves and others,
allowing for constructive change and growth
in our lives.
This workshop will focus on increasing emotional consciousness through the use of
trance work, self-exploration, and interpersonal contact. Throughout the workshop
individuals will be supported in learning
about their emotional patterns and in connecting with the needs and information contained in those patterns, thereby setting the
stage for transformation.
“One of the fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy,” writes Thomas Fortel, “is that every
human being is, at core, an expression of
divine light and love. The yogis refer to this as
the Supreme Self or Inner Self. We can imagine it as Consciousness expressing itself as an
individual. Many of us glimpse this from time
to time, but the thrust of our journey is to
honestly address the physical, mental, and
emotional toxicity which covers up our inner
luminosity. This is the paradigm shift needed
as we move into a fuller expression of our true
nature.
“Yoga practice is a double-edged sword requiring both effort and surrender. Effort is necessary as we purify, refine, and integrate body,
mind, emotion, and spirit. Surrender is critical in the face of alchemical transformation;
letting go leads us into the restoration and
edification of our true nature, divine light.
These principles unfold in the yoga room as
we place our bodies into postures (asanas),
focus our awareness on breathe (pranayama),
and enter the sanctuary of the heart (meditation or dyana).”
Everyone is welcome. Please have a minimum
of 3 months of recent yoga experience. All
yoga props are provided.
Recommended reading: Goleman, Emotional
Intelligence; LeDoux, The Emotional Brain.
Couples’ Communication
Warren Farrell
The most important component in this cycle
is the inability to handle what our partner
perceives as feelings and what we perceive as
criticism. Active listening, the best solution, is
rarely used. Dr. Farrell has modified active listening to avoid what prevents most couples
from using it. Once conflict can be fully
expressed, he helps couples develop “conflictfree zones.” Once the fear of walking on
eggshells disappears, he works with couples
to replace that fear with an atmosphere of
positive associations. The outcome: reigniting
passion without sacrificing stability. Once
these methods are mastered with our partner,
Dr. Farrell helps participants apply them to
our children, our co-workers, and finally our
own parents.
Recommended reading: Farrell, Women Can’t
Hear What Men Don’t Say.
Week of April 7–12
Not For the Feint of Heart
Mariah Fenton Gladis
This workshop is not for the feint of heart.
Nor for the faint of heart. It is designed for
people with a passionate commitment toward
creating healthy relationships within healthy
lives. It offers each participant the opportunity to benefit from intensive individual work,
which may involve emotional injuries rooted
in the past, recurring themes or patterns of
dysfunction, or personal longings in the hereand-now. Whatever the content of your work,
this workshop will help you:
• Discover the issues that are immediately
obstructing the quality of your life
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• Learn contact skills and understand their
importance as a measure of healthy
functioning
• Risk working more deeply in an
atmosphere of trust and mutual support
• Develop more authentic and vital
communication skills
• Expand your capacity for generosity and
compassion for yourself and others
This workshop is particularly helpful for
adult children of dysfunctional families,
human-relations professionals, and those on a
path of personal betterment. This experiential
and didactic workshop will blend individual
and group Gestalt work, spiritual practice, and
bodywork. Mariah is also well known for her
effective and innovative use of music to
enrich the workshop experience.
forth on day-hikes into Big Sur’s wild backcountry to let our souls (and soles) be
touched.”
The group will venture out on five hikes, 4-10
miles in length. Each hike begins after breakfast and concludes in time to enjoy the hot
springs and dinner at Esalen. Evening sessions include informal sharing, introduction
to basic awareness practices borrowed from
aikido and meditation, and useful outdoor
skills.
All levels of experience are welcome.
Participants should be prepared for the invigorating challenge of physical activity as well
as the opportunity to simply sit still in quiet
reflection. More information will be sent
upon registration.
Feng Shui for the Soul
Denise Linn
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga
Chuck Miller
Ashtanga Yoga is both a system and a method.
It is a system in that it is a unified body of
knowledge. The small pieces have integrity
with the large. The parts reveal the whole as
the whole also reveals the essence. It is a
method in that there is a very specific intent.
It is clear where it is sending us.
“Ashtanga” means “eight limbs,” and refers to
the eight limbs of Patanjali’s yoga sutras.
Ashtanga Yoga is intent upon delivering us to
the experience of the final limb, the highest
goal of yoga: Samadhi. The routine is the
same each time so there is space to move intuitively, deeper inside. We learn to create “standard practice,” self-reliance, and to go “slowly,
slowly, one-by-one” in the direction of our
intent. This can be a very safe way to progress.
The teaching is contained in the practice.
This class is for those students of Ashtanga
who already know by heart at least the Sun
Salutes and Standing Pose routine of this
method. Focus will be on hands-on adjustments and individual attention.
There are many levels of feng shui and “space
clearing” (an important aspect of feng shui).
You can feng shui the land, a house, a room,
and even a desk, but you can also feng shui
and “space clear” yourself. In this hands-on
workshop, you can learn how to use feng shui
to dramatically change your life by aligning
your outer environment with your inner
being.
Combining knowledge from her own Native
American heritage and information that she
has collected from native cultures around the
world, Denise shows you how to balance your
life by rearranging your home environment.
Through lecture, inner processes, and demonstrations, she presents the sacred principles of
feng shui.
Denise will also teach you how to “sense”
stuck energy. Discover which rooms in your
home are out of balance and how to correct
them. Learn how to clear stagnant energy and
how to perform a home blessing ceremony.
This workshop is open to all, from those with
no previous knowledge of feng shui, to feng
shui practitioners, to anyone interested in
personal growth and self-discovery.
Wild Big Sur
Steven Harper
Ceramic Insights
“Big Sur in springtime declares ‘Green!’”
writes Steve Harper. “This workshop is an
immersion into the raw, emerging springtime
beauty of Big Sur—and of our selves. Spring is
a season of re-creation, a time for the rebirth
of creative energies. With wild nature as our
inspiration—both inner and outer—we will set
Embree De Persiis
42
“In this workshop,” Embree De Persiis writes,
“we will explore the infinite creative possibilities offered to us by that most primal of substances—clay.
“The material used will be a smooth and tactile porcelaneous clay that is ideally suited to
the ancient method of stone-burnishing with
agates to produce a lustrous sheen. A palette
of colored clays will be available to further
enrich the surfaces of our work. As spontaneous forms emerge, many techniques can be
investigated to help achieve one’s personal
vision—inlaying of colored clays, pinching,
coiling, and sculpting.
“A variety of firing techniques based on ageold methods of pit-firing will be explored in
daily (and nightly) firings, so that results of
our work can be studied on an ongoing basis.
Big Sur seaweed will be an important ingredient in our firings as it imparts its minerals to
the clay surfaces. The concluding event will
be a celebratory pit-firing on a cliff above the
ocean ... each piece will emerge from the fire
with its own imprint of the Big Sur coast.”
No previous experience is required to enjoy
this workshop, and its small size provides a
unique opportunity to truly immerse oneself
in a compelling medium of self-expression.
The Vision and Practice of Human
Transformation
George Leonard
The creative capacity of the human brain/
body is, for all practical purposes, infinite.
Each of us is a prodigious learning animal,
and our ultimate destiny may well be to
evolve capacities that would now be termed
extraordinary. Research conducted by George
Leonard and Michael Murphy strongly suggests that the best path to the realization of
our latent powers lies in a long-term practice
which integrates mind, body, heart, and soul.
In this hands-on workshop, Leonard introduces you to Integral Transformative Practice
(ITP), a path of practice that can help you realize your inborn genius while bringing pleasure, fulfillment, and good health, not just during this workshop but also in the weeks,
months, and years to come. You will be introduced to a forty-minute series that includes
physical movement, breathing practice, relaxation, transformative imaging, and meditation.
You will practice balancing and centering, the
use of ki, focused surrender, and the creation
of effective affirmation. There will be discussions of the principles of human transformation, as revealed in a two-year experiment he
and Murphy conducted with 50 people.
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery and
The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons of an American
Sensei.
Secrets Kept From the Mind But
Not From the Body and Behavior
Ian Wickramasekera
This workshop presents an outline of the
High Risk Model of Threat-Related Disease
and the supporting scientific evidence for
these mind/body risk factors.
Ian Wickramasekera writes: “On Friday
evening a volunteer will demonstrate in ’real
time’ before the group the effects of mental
stress on eight biological response systems
(heart rate, muscle tension, skin temperature,
blood volume pulse, and others). This will
enable us to identify the volunteer’s ’window
of vulnerability’ and the organ system in
which he/she is most likely to develop symptoms and/or physical disease when under
chronic psychosocial stress.
Intimate Connections
“On Saturday morning, using pencil and
paper tests, we will measure certain select
mind/body risk factors (e.g. hypnotic ability,
repression, etc.) on all members of the group.
Later we will discuss where research or clinical-observation evidence permits the most
effective ways of reducing or reversing these
mind/body risk factors. If time permits, I will
demonstrate with another volunteer the use
of psychophysiological psychotherapy to alter
these risk factors. We will show how physiological monitoring can be used as
another ’royal road to the unconscious’ and to
get at the ’secrets people keep from themselves.’”
Recommended reading: Wickramasekera,
“Secrets Kept From the Mind But Not From
the Body and Behaviors” (Advances in MindBody Medicine, 1998, Vol. 14, pp. 81-132; also
indexed in Medline on the Internet).
Creating stable and fulfilling relationships is a
challenge that everyone faces. To be successful, human relating must be understood as an
activity, an ability that requires movement,
purpose, emotional capacity, and contact
skills. People often believe that good relating
evolves naturally, but they discover in the routine of living with families, friends, and lovers
that, in truth, they have not been adequately
prepared to meet the demands of loving relationships.
This workshop will focus on the nature and
basic requirements of healthy relationships. It
offers participants opportunities to assess
their abilities and disabilities, to develop
awareness, and to practice risking positive
action with others. It is for anyone who has
“hit the wall” in a relationship or who has
experienced being stuck at some seemingly
impenetrable contact boundary and wants to
break through. Particularly helpful for adult
children of dysfunctional families, ACAs, and
human-relations professionals, this experien-
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
43
tial and didactic workshop blends individual
and group Gestalt work, spiritual healing,
bodywork, and personal metaphor.
Photographing the Seasons of Big Sur
Cynthia & Daniel Bianchetta
Participants in this workshop will contemplate with a camera the beauty of Big Sur. On
Friday night the group will meet to prepare
for Saturday’s photographic excursion by
invoking the use of photography as a tool for
meditation, healing, self-growth, and spiritual
connection. Saturday will be a time for connecting with Big Sur in its springtime attire:
the wildflowers, the sunsets, the misty
panoramas. On Sunday morning, thanks to
the miracle of overnight film processing, the
group will gather to share its creativity
together.
No experience is necessary and all levels are
welcome. Please bring a 35mm camera you
are familiar with, your favorite print film, a
journal, and any existing photos you want to
share with the group.
($12-per-roll fee for overnight film processing)
The Path of Transformation through
Tibetan Meditation
Daniel Brown
This workshop explores the path of meditation from its very beginnings to its endpoint:
enlightenment. Emphasizing concentration
meditation, it is an intensive introduction
designed both for beginning meditators
wishing to establish a solid foundation and
experienced meditators wishing to refine
their practice.
The workshop utilizes the Tibetan “Nine
States of Mental Calming/Staying,” a method
to train the mind to stay on the meditation
object and to calm unfolding consciousness.
This approach was developed to correct for
common problems in meditation practice,
such as habits that prevent realizations from
coming forth, or reaching a plateau that
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Big Sur abounds with natural beauty in every
season. It is a land where the waves of the
Pacific caress the rugged California coastline,
where the sun and the fog perform their
perennial dance through magical redwood
forests and over grassy slopes.
impedes further gain. It is especially suited to
Westerners who haven’t been able to deepen
their practice. The course also introduces classic emptiness meditations on the nature of
self, reality, and time. This combination of
mental stabilization and realization of emptiness serves as a foundation for many
advanced practices.
The course follows the Tibetan oral tradition,
an interactive approach which emphasizes
short, repeated practice periods, followed by
time to review the experience, followed by
further instructions between each practice
set, depending on the state of mind reported.
Daniel Brown draws on thirty years of meditation practice in the Tibetan and Burmese
Buddhist traditions, ten years of translating
meditation texts from Sanskrit and Tibetan,
and ten years of scientific research on meditative states.
Note: Please bring your own zafu or meditation bench.
ciated with each of the energy centers and
construct living totem poles. As we travel
through our emotional and spiritual landscapes, we learn to identify where we have
given up personal power through soul loss or
negative attachments. We encounter spiritual
helpers and learn to reclaim our vital energy,
release negative attachments, and live more
vibrant, creative, heart-centered lives.
“The journey deepens as we enter the realms
of soul recovery, grow the circle energy, and
explore our connections with beings and
energies in multidimensional reality. We
develop rituals to honor our visions and grow
healing dreams for our partners, our communities, and our world. We practice the ancient
arts of Asklepian healing and shamanic
dreaming and journey to realms of initiation
and high adventure that have been the goal of
shamans and mystics throughout the ages.”
Please note: To register, you must first write to
Robert ([email protected]) explaining
why you wish to participate. Please describe
your relationship with the dreamworld.
Recommended reading: Moss, Conscious
Dreaming and Dreaming True.
Dream Healing Through the
Energy Centers
Robert Moss
“In this new program,” writes Robert Moss,
“we journey through the seven major energy
centers and develop powerful tools for selfunderstanding and self-healing. We discover
animal guardians and personal symbols asso-
The Healing Relationship
Howard Schechter & Barbara Lee
The quality of our relationships—the joy of
intimate relationships, the satisfaction of
friendships, the nature of workplace associations or casual connections—has a tremendous impact on our happiness. The focus of
this workshop is on transforming all these
forms of human connection into healing relationships to make our lives—and the lives of
others—more fulfilling.
While the healing relationship is generally
addressed in the context of psychotherapy,
this workshop will emphasize how all relationships can be therapeutic. If we are conscious of the principles of the healing relationship, all our interactions—from the grocery-store clerk to our intimate partners—can
provide the opportunity to grow and heal.
The purpose of the healing relationship is
emotional and spiritual expansion. Its primary characteristic is depth—depth of feeling
and depth of connection. We go deep within
ourselves to harvest our highest virtues and
connect with others from that place.
Through demonstrations, practical exercises,
and inner work, participants will learn and
practice the seven elements of the healing
relationship. With the healing relationship
guiding our interaction, we become a force
for healing wherever we are. Others feel better in our presence—they feel they can drop
their masks and share themselves more easily.
This workshop is for couples, singles, people
in the healing arts, and anyone interested in
learning how to transform relationship into
spiritual practice.
The Upledger Institute’s Lymph
Drainage Therapy I
Beverly Cook
Lymph Drainage Therapy (LDT), developed
by Dr. Bruno Chikly, is an original hands-on
method of lymphatic drainage that incorporates techniques from general medicine,
osteopathy, and oriental medicine. The LDT
process uses methods of manual listening to
teach practitioners how to tune to the
rhythm, direction, and quality of the lymph
flow. This enables advanced practitioners to
perform a “lymphatic mapping” with their
clients to find the precise pathways for draining the lymph.
Proper functioning of the lymphatic system is
critical to our body’s ability to detoxify and
regenerate tissues, filter out foreign substances, and maintain a healthy immune system. If lymph circulation stagnates, toxins
accumulate and cellular functioning is compromised, opening the way to physical ailments and hastening the aging process. LDT
is highly valuable when such dysfunctions
occur.
The LDT procedure involves subtle manual
maneuvers applying light touch, easy to use
and not tiring to perform. Practitioners work
with flat hands, using all the fingers to simulate gentle, wavelike movements. This enables
them to feel the rhythm of the body fluids
and thereby stimulate circulation in connective tissue as well as muscles, articulation,
periosteum, bones, and viscera.
through The Upledger Institute only. Please
call 1-800-233-5880.
Ritual, Sacred Space, and
Community
Sobonfu Somé
Ritual is to the soul what food is to our body.
— Sobonfu Somé
In the absence of ritual and the sacred, our
society suffers from fragmentation. Many of
us experience challenging, even insurmountable, relationship barriers—with ourselves and
with each other. Alienated from the experience of community, we search for rituals to
restore a sense of connection and belonging.
Sobonfu Somé writes: “During our time
together we will make creative use of traditional African cosmology and practices to
open up to the art and craft of healing and
community in order to find a way of relating
to each other and to Spirit. We will enact
meaningful rituals that address life’s challenges. Through our collective experience you
will know what a sacred space is, and why it is
so important in our culture at this time.”
Sobonfu, whose name means “keeper of the
rituals,” travels the world on a healing mission, sharing the rich spiritual life and culture
of her native Burkina Faso. This special event
is a place to reexperience our deep-seated
longing and capacity for community. It is also
a place to learn about the power of ritual as
both a catalyst for change and a vehicle for
community. Participants will learn how to
create and enact community-based rituals.
Recommended reading: Somé, Welcoming
Spirit Home and The Spirit of Intimacy.
The Body as Sacred Ground:
The Halprin LifeArt Method
Rana Halprin
I have never encountered another temple as blissful
as my own body.
— Saraha, ancient Indian poetess
The body has its own knowing. Within each
of us there is a story longing to speak out and
reveal itself. When we move with integration
and wholeness we are able to rejuvenate our
sense of vitality and aliveness. When we are
allowed to fully express ourselves spontaneously, new and unexpected qualities of the
Self emerge. If we are attentive, we can honor
and listen to our body’s language and its
instinct to move toward well-being.
This workshop is designed to provide an indepth experience of the Halprin LifeArt
Process. This internationally-renowned
method is at the forefront of movement and
expressive arts. Participants will have the
opportunity to explore their authentic nature
in dance within “nature’s stage” of Esalen. The
workshop will introduce such tools as movement rituals (slow sequences of meditative
movements integrated with breath), movement scores, graphic visualization, body dialogues, creative writing, dance games, and
“emotional scripting.” Participants will move—
alone and with each other—in informal “performances.”
This workshop is for all those wanting to celebrate their moving body as well as for practitioners interested in applications of this
method to related fields.
Forgiveness and Intimacy:
A Time of Acceptance
Mary Goldenson
All life is about relationships. Creating an
alive and honest connection with an intimate
partner requires us to go deeply into our
hearts and allow the courageous self to
emerge. This journey to intimacy begins with
the path of forgiveness. How does forgiveness
lead to intimacy?
• It allows us to let go of anger, resentment,
and grief
• It allows the agitated mind to move more
deeply into the healing heart
• It resolves separation from ourselves and
from others
• It allows us to complete unfinished
business
The workshop will present ways to help com-
45
plete the past, be open to the present, and create the future. It will offer a safe, supportive
environment that will include taking risks,
intense bodywork, Gestalt imagery, dance,
and meditation.
This workshop can be especially helpful for
those dealing with boundary issues, the
effects of a dysfunctional family life, or addictions that have been used as a defense against
intimacy. It is appropriate for everyone: individuals and couples, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons, and healing professionals. The
workshop may have up to 34 participants.
Psychic and Intuitive Healing
Shelley Hodgen
In this workshop, Shelley Hodgen teaches
you how to pay attention to energy and open
up your ability to enhance your everyday life
with your intentions. She will teach you how
to stay centered (even when life seems to
bombard you), protect yourself when necessary, increase your overall energy level, and
develop your natural clairvoyance and intuition. You will explore the meaning of terms
such as aura, chakra, clairvoyance, telepathy,
and spirit guides, as well as learn how to do
energy healing on yourself and others. This
enables you to replace obsolete energies and
create positive changes in your life.
Painting Your Personal Mythology
Terry Hatcher & Victoria Stiefvater-Roffers
Each of us comes to this earth with a unique
purpose, what shamanic cultures call a life
dream. This program will utilize painting,
meditation, guided imagery, movement,
inquiry, and journaling to assist you in accessing the depths of your unconscious, where
your life myth is unfolding.
First you’ll paint in an intuitive method, using
the medium of tempera to find out where you
are in your dream. Then you’ll experience a
psychological process designed to teach you
how to understand your paintings, and you’ll
translate those insights into everyday life.
Through your paintings, you’ll work on personal issues, awaken and enhance your creativity, and discover the beginning of your
personal myth. Artists of all disciplines will
find this method particularly useful. No art
background or experience is necessary. All
that is required is a sense of adventure, a willingness to travel internally, comfortable painting clothes, and a journal. All art materials
ED ODELL
Knowledge about how energy works—
whether from the level of spirit, body, or the
manifested world—has been part of human
traditions for thousands of years. It has often
been part of secret societies and religions
where access could be controlled. In modern
times, this awareness of energy has been
rediscovered through different frontiers of
science as well as through more personal
explorations. The current term approved by
science for psychic healing, prayer, and energy work is “intentional healing.” The rediscovered truth is that intention shapes energy, and
energy shapes reality.
46
will be supplied.
Note: This process may evoke strong emotional responses.
($25 materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
Radical Healing and the
Alchemical Body
Rudolph Ballentine & Lorie Dechar
The crisis we are experiencing today is not
just personal or cultural. It is a crisis of planetary consciousness. Such crises occur only at
pivotal junctures in history. We are now suspended at the edge of the unknown, with the
opportunity to consciously create a new way
of being—to free us from the tyranny of time,
take us far beyond the limits of rational
thought, and open us to new possibilities for
relationships, creativity, spirituality, and healing. This seminar is for those committed to
taking the leap into the new consciousness,
leaders in healing, communications, business,
education, and the arts—people willing to
involve themselves in the transformation
needed to ensure a viable, sustainable future
for life on Earth.
Holistic medicine has been a hot spot for
recent shifts in cultural consciousness.
Physician Rudolph Ballentine and acupuncturist Lorie Dechar have collaborated to distill
principles of healing and transformation from
Taoist alchemy, Tantric and Native American
healing, homeopathy, Jungian psychology,
quantum physics, and energy medicine. In
this course, you will grasp these principles
experientially as well as intellectually and
learn to apply them not only in the treatment
room but in the classroom, the boardroom,
the community, the family, even in your most
intimate relationships.
This seminar will engage body, emotions,
mind, and spirit. Come prepared to learn, listen, laugh, grieve, wonder, and dance—to take
on the challenge, excitement, and adventure
of alchemical transformation.
Adventures in Bodywork
Deborah Anne Medow & Carl Chase (CC)
This intermediate/advanced workshop is for
massage and bodywork practitioners who
wish to enhance their skills, experience current directions in bodywork, and have a good
time while learning.
Together CC and Deborah have over fifty
years of experience in the massage, movement, and bodywork fields, and will draw
upon their expertise in massage, deep tissue
methods, cross-fiber friction, polarity therapy,
anatomy, yoga, “ballistic” stretching, and
more. They will customize a workshop to give
you new information and inspiration to
improve the caliber and diversity of work you
presently incorporate into your massage and
bodywork sessions.
Bring work-out clothes, musical instruments,
CDs, and tapes for a week of learning and
laughter.
Awakening the Mind: Mastering the
Power of Your Brainwaves
Anna Wise
Inside each person lives a wealth of knowledge, capacities, and power rarely transmitted
to the conscious mind. Brainwave training,
combined with meditation and biofeedback
monitoring, can help develop these deeper
resources, allowing access to greater creativity,
reduced stress, and a deeper awareness and
understanding of the inner self.
After assessing the brainwave patterns of
hundreds of unusually highly-functioning
people, the late C. Maxwell Cade of London’s
Institute for Psychobiological Research began
to see similarities in the patterns of optimal
states of mind. Drawing upon Cade’s work,
Anna Wise has developed a program to help
access these optimal states.
Brainwaves are affected in specific ways by
different methods of meditation, visualization, and psychophysiological relaxation, as
well as by specific acts such as tongue, eye,
and body positions. This workshop presents
techniques for brainwave development of
beta, alpha, theta, and delta, and helps you
determine which practices are best for your
particular brainwave pattern. It also addresses
how to use these optimum states for creativity, mental flexibility, self-healing, problem
solving, and spiritual development.
The Mind Mirror™ EEG will be utilized to
demonstrate brainwave patterns, and each
participant will be able to use an Electrical
Skin Resistance Meter to measure the depth
of arousal or relaxation of the nervous system.
Finding True Love
Daphne Rose Kingma
“Love,” writes Daphne Rose Kingma, “is an
experience of emotional and spiritual awakening to the unbounded bliss that is the true
condition of our souls. Love is our one true
human quest and an intimate romantic partnership its most fond and luminous expression.”
In this workshop, you will be guided in the
spiritual and emotional preparations necessary to attract love into your life. Focusing on
the four keys to true love—Faith, Intention,
Trust, Surrender—you will be led on a step-bystep journey to self-knowledge that can liberate your heart. As you move through each
process—resolving emotional issues from
your past, healing relationship wounds, examining your myths about relationships, identifying your life theme (and discovering its
effects upon your past relationships)—you can
discover your own internal barriers to intimacy and gradually release them.
“This workshop,” writes Daphne, “is for people
who are looking for a love in the highest and
deepest form. It is for those who want to finally heal the pain of old unresolved relationships as well as those who can’t seem to bring
themselves into alignment with the love that
is already waiting to approach them.”
Activities will include meditation, exercises,
and group process.
Recommended reading: Kingma, Finding True
Love.
Natural Powers: Making a Real Life
out of Our Heart’s Desire
David Schiffman
“This workshop,” writes David Schiffman, “is
for people who seek the courage, skill, and
support to live their lives with true originality, passion, and integrity. It will be a time to
explore the realms of unconventional logic
and the mysteries of spirit, the fundamental
realities of those who are self-made, spiritually independent, and visionary in orientation
and ways. Our aim will be to cultivate the
resources, rhythms, and wisdom that come
from deep self-knowledge and self-mastery.
“In a climate of mutual support, simple trust,
and honest interest in each other, our aim will
be to bring ourselves entirely toward whatever we hope for and cherish. A wide variety of
47
psychological themes and attunement practices, both dynamic and meditative, will be
used to illuminate the character of our commitment to ourselves and our style of relating
to others. Together we will see what we can
do to strengthen our faith and adeptness at
applying the logic of our hearts to our own
self-care as well as to our relationships,
careers, community, and the understanding of
our life’s true mission.”
Experiencing Esalen
Anger, Madness, and Creativity:
Reimagining Anger
Richard McCutchan
Our culture requires that we repress most of our
anger, and, therefore, we are repressed in most of
our creativity.
— Rollo May
Rollo May’s words challenge us to reexamine
the way society views anger. Anger’s powerful
energy has impacted our lives in one way or
another, whether it be a rageful father, our own
lashing out in moments of frustration, or our
retreat to safe ground when others show their
fire. In this workshop participants will collaboratively explore the many manifestations of
anger. Using personal stories and ancient
mythology, the workshop will look at both the
destructive and constructive nature of anger.
When emotions are suppressed they work
against us. When we embrace them they have
the potential to transform us. Using interactive
exercises, self-refection, and storying, the workshop will look toward a reimagining of anger,
both individually and collectively, in search for
its transformative potential. As the Dalai Lama
suggests, with compassion, anger can be the
catalyst that brings positive action.
In this workshop you choose a compelling
incident from your life and learn how to
transform it into a moving and universal narrative. You learn how to recognize and nourish the heart of the story, how to choose the
telling detail, how to build structure and
meaning. In each session you write not exercises and fragments, but a section of your
ongoing story, read it aloud, and receive honest and supportive responses. You practice the
sacred rule of storytelling: arousing in the listener the one great question, What Happens
Next? By Sunday noon, you experience the
pleasure of having written your own complete short story and having participated in
the creation of a number of others.
This workshop is for writers of all levels of
experience who wish to understand and communicate the stories of their lives through the
lens of art.
Getting to Resolution:
Turning Conflict into Collaboration
Stewart Levine
The foundation for all of our personal and
professional collaborations are explicit or
implicit agreements. Unfortunately, making
agreements is a skill we never learned. We
realize our agreements were inadequate only
when we end up in conflict about an agreement we thought we had. And, no matter how
good our agreements, we will have disagreements.
This program provides a new way of thinking
about collaboration and conflict. It introduces
new tools for resolving conflicts ranging from
marriages run amok to business deals gone
sour. You will learn how to create partnerships based on covenant, and an efficient
process for resolving conflicts that quickly
returns you to relationship, productivity, and
satisfaction, while minimizing your lingering
emotional chatter.
Lynne Kaufman
Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.
— Pablo Picasso
We all have important stories and insights to
share. Too often, however, we don’t know how
to shape them, how to get them on paper.
48
Weekend Massage Intensive:
A Sensitive Connection
Brita Ostrom & Laurie Schutz
Massage is an enriching holistic experience,
unifying body and mind and connecting with
spirit. Massage can also heighten intuitive,
nonverbal communication. In this workshop,
participants will learn to touch from a centered place of contact and connection, focusing awareness and easing stress.
Using touch and movement, students will be
guided through the body to learn the elemental skills of Esalen Massage, including the
long flowing strokes, deeper detail work, quality of contact, and the shared stillness that
promotes a sense of wholeness. The use of
breath and relaxation will also be emphasized.
There will be plenty of time for supervised
practice as well as for special concerns, including an exploration of the impact of touch in
one’s personal history. The goal will be to create a firm foundation of massage upon which
to build—and to have fun in the process.
This workshop is for anyone wishing to learn
massage basics or add to massage skills, for
individuals seeking a retreat from the mental
chatter of the workplace, for those engaged in
a personal healing journey, and for couples
wishing to communicate more fully.
Week of April 28–May 3
Awakening Creativity and Inspiration
Life, Paint, and Passion:
The Painting Experience
Jayson Fann & The Esalen Arts Center Staff
The Heart of the Story:
A Writing Workshop
artistic approaches and mediums that are
both enjoyable and accessible. The workshop
is structured to provide you with the guidance, materials, and supportive environment
to awaken and explore your creativity and
artistic passion. For added inspiration, there
will be live musical accompaniment woven
throughout the weekend.
This workshop is for those wanting to
immerse themselves in a weekend of abundant creativity. Silk painting, print making,
gourd crafting, and mask making are some of
the mediums to be explored to entice what
lies beneath in the ocean of your imagination.
What makes this weekend unique is the
opportunity to work with guest artists who
will share their knowledge in a variety of
Stewart Cubley
Creative exploration is a lifelong voyage of
discovery where the journey itself is the goal.
This workshop is designed to help you rediscover art-making as the great nourisher of the
human psyche—to experience firsthand the
flow of intuitive creation along with its potential for transformation, healing, and insight.
Join Stewart Cubley, cofounder of The
Recommended reading: Hunt & PaineGernée, Emotional Healing and Secrets to Tell,
Secrets to Keep; Miller, The Drama of the Gifted
Child.
Meditating Together:
The Practice of Insight Dialogue
Gregory Kramer
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Being mindful is a challenge. Being mindful
while speaking and relating with others
sometimes seems impossible. With practice,
though, one can change. In this workshop,
participants will explore specific ways to
bring mindfulness, lovingkindness, and other
meditative qualities into Dialogue.
Painting ExperienceSM, for an in-depth exploration of the mysteries of expressive painting.
Topics include:
• Trusting the voice of spontaneous
expression
• Daring to do things imperfectly
• Transforming the destructive inner critic
• Using creative blocks as catalysts for
change
• Exploring the connection between risktaking and increased energy
During this five-day exploration you are provided with tools to undertake a profound
journey of free-play and self-revelation
through art without the pressures of interpretation, comparison, or evaluation. The work
takes place in an authentic studio setting with
large white surfaces to confront the creative
void, along with a rich spectrum of colors and
brushes. No prior art experience is necessary,
just a willing spirit of inquiry.
This workshop is designed for people from a
wide variety of disciplines, including art, education, counseling, and meditative practices.
All materials are supplied. For more information visit www.processarts.com.
Recommended reading: Cubley (coauthor),
Life, Paint, and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of
Spontaneous Expression.
I-You-Us: Pleasure, Intimacy, and the
Search for Connectedness
Terry Hunt
This workshop is about healthy relationships—in love, in friendship, in daily life. The
focus is on how we can nurture our own vitality in situations where we long for our connections to be more real, more safe, or more
rewarding.
Pleasure is essential for healthy relationships.
Add the erotic element and the potential for
pleasure grows exponentially. But the reality
of sustaining delight in each other over time
is often a mystery and a struggle, whether in
friendship or in love relationships, in samegender or opposite-gender relationships. We
substitute old avoidance patterns for intimacy
as we play out the “good girl” and “super guy”
roles we developed during traumatic childhoods and adolescences. Or we repeatedly act
and react out of fear, sadness, or rage, keeping
our relationships locked in “the cultural missionary position.”
This workshop is designed to help individuals
and couples identify myths that block the
flow of joy. Terry Hunt writes: “Together we
will redefine the role of pleasure in our lives
and create updated images of our sexual and
sensual selves. There will be time to explore
new language that more honestly communicates our desires. We will encourage each
other to approach our gender gaps with intention rather than fear, assertion rather than
suspicion. We will follow our instincts for
pleasure into enriching and creative moments
of wholeness.”
Insight Dialogue, codeveloped by Greg
Kramer, is a meditation practice combining
Buddhist Insight Meditation (Vipassana)
with Bohm-inspired Dialogue. Insight
Meditation, traditionally done alone and in
silence, is carried into relationship with others. The practice supports opening of the
heart, a transformed relationship with words,
and letting go into deeper understanding, wisdom, and spiritual freedom. During this
workshop participants will:
• Explore the Insight Dialogue guidelines:
surfacing assumptions, roles, and reactive
judgments, and developing trust in what
emerges moment to moment
• Practice Insight and lovingkindness (metta)
meditation
• Bring refined awareness to consciousness
and the learning process itself
• Learn to speak and listen without
abandoning meditation
The essence of Insight Dialogue is the transformation that comes from letting go of conditioned responses and meeting reactivity
with stillness. This workshop is an opportunity to experience the creativity, joy, and wisdom of coherent group process, as well as the
challenges of feelings arising in enhanced
awareness.
Please note: Participants must have a regular
meditation practice.
Yoga and Balance: A Workshop for
Runners, Walkers, and Other
Creatures
Jean Couch
We all know the numerous health benefits of
running and walking. That’s why we run and
Come alone or with an intimate.
49
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
walk. But who hasn’t experienced an injury or
back problem along with the benefits?
Although there is no magic bullet to fixing a
“bad back” or chronic neck problem, learning
how to achieve a balanced posture certainly
helps. Few of us, however, know how to evaluate our own balance or how to achieve it. This
workshop will:
• Teach you the secrets of balanced postures,
in daily life and in workouts, so you feel
glad you’re exercising
• Evaluate your standing, walking, and
running postures and stride to break bad
habits
• Demonstrate how to shift your skeleton
within seconds to become more balanced
with your body weight
• Show you how to get feedback to ensure
that muscles relax fully
• Show you how to realign bones every single
time you sit and stand
The benefits:
50
• Your running and walking improve
dramatically as you acquire balance
• Aches and pains dissolve
• Balanced feet enhance strength
• Personalized recommendations to balance
your walking and running stride
• The discovery that you don’t have to live
with pain
If you are running the Big Sur Marathon, this
workshop will guide you to an easy, speedy
recovery.
Living Our Learning™: Life Lessons
with Masters
Mel S. Kimura Bucholtz
Each of us has, by creating our lives, developed a special mastery. How did we go about
learning (and teaching ourselves) how to act
in our lives? Whom did we learn from as
mentors in this critical life process? This
workshop will draw on that mastery to
teach—and to learn with others—new ways to
enrich our living expression. Living Our
Learning is a seminar for reviewing and creating new ways to act that bring us more fully
and effectively into our lives—immediately.
Incorporating coaching and tools from the
Gestalt perspective, hypnotic techniques, and
dramatic performance, the workshop will
provide an exciting learning environment in
which group members become both students
and mentors to each other. Recalling their
own most valued learning experiences, participants will demonstrate what those experiences were and how they incorporated them
into their daily lives. In this way each participant will become a presenter of his or her
own mastery at bringing these valued learning experiences into their lives and, by so
doing, become a mentor for others.
Individuals will choose the particular medium for teaching that suits them best: reenactment, drawing, music, or movement. Each
participant’s unique style of presentation will
be honored completely.
This is a teaching/self-guided, highly interactive learning seminar.
Weekend of May 3–5
Unfinished Issues:
The Sources of Growth
Seymour Carter
For workshop description see March 8-10.
Masterminding the Resurrection
of Our Body Politic
John Vasconcellos
“It’s time we invest ourselves in a new political movement, grounded in the vision and
promise of our human potential,” writes
California State Senator John Vasconcellos.
“We’re living a profound revolution in how
we envision human nature—from evil (and
therefore needing control) to innocent (and
deserving liberation). It is little wonder that
traditional politics fails—in solving problems
or in inspiring people. We proclaim the ’new
economy,’ enjoy the ’new demography,’ herald
the ’new consciousness’—yet we’re stuck with
the ’same old politics’ based upon cynical
assumptions about ourselves. We deserve a
politics incorporating Carl Rogers’ faithful
vision that we humans are ’innately inclined
toward becoming life-affirming, constructive,
responsible, trustworthy.’ This workshop aims
to create:
• A team that recognizes that our politics
emerge from (knowing) who we are
• A shared vision, capable of healing our
political wounds
• A strategic action plan for moving forward
• An implementation agenda of pragmatic
policies and programs
• A plan for mobilizing others to generate
political momentum
• Critical masteries required by our new
politics of vision, collaboration, and
durability.
“Now is the time, and we are the people!
Attend this workshop if you’re passionately
committed to a new human politics, eager to
team up for the long haul.”
Holistic Sexuality:
Integrating Sex and Spirit
Ramon Albareda & Marina Romero
This workshop is for individuals who wish to
explore how sexuality and spirituality can be
integrated to foster evolution and growth.
While our sexual/primary dimension is fundamental to bringing a sense of vitality and depth
to our everyday life, the spiritual dimension is
central to generating peace and guiding our
evolution beyond the reach of our own mental
understanding. Tensions or conflicts between
our sexuality and our spirituality are usually
due to structures and tendencies that are incoherent with either their essence or their natural cycles of growth and transformation.
Through experiential exercises participants
will explore those aspects that shape us in
either connecting or separating these two
essential dimensions of life, as well as a fuller
embodiment of their integration. The principles and practices which make up Holistic
Sexuality are inspired by life’s natural processes, emphasizing nature’s creative expressions
as an organic reference of healing and transformation. Far from reduced to sexual expression, Sexuality is understood to be the vital/
primary energy of the person, and Holistic to
be the different levels—somatic, emotional,
mental, spiritual—in which this energy is
transformed as well as the wholeness resulting from this transformation.
The fruit of several decades of research and
experience, Holistic Sexuality is an approach
to integral growth neither affiliated with
tantra nor with other existing methods of
working with sexuality.
Please note: Instruction will be in Spanish,
with English translation and collaboration
provided by Jorge Ferrer.
Why Aren’t You Smiling? A Buddhist
Weekend for Cynics in Recovery
Wes Nisker
Oh wondrous creatures,
By what strange miracle
Do you so often smile?
— Hafiz, 12th-century Sufi poet
“At this very moment,” writes Wes Nisker,
“there are apparent miracles taking place all
around us and within us. We have only to look
closely in order to become amazed and to fall
in love with ourselves and the world. In this
workshop we will make creative use of some of
the most important Buddhist meditation techniques as we explore the amazing experience
of being human. With an attitude of curiosity
and playfulness, we will examine the workings
of our bodies and minds, our nature ’as’ nature,
and our place in the grand scheme of things.
In the process we will hopefully find some
relief from our personal dramas, and a new
sense of value and meaning in our lives.”
The retreat sessions will include guided meditations on the life of the body; on our vital “animal” conditioning; on death and dying; on the
nature of consciousness. The talks and discussions will present both traditional Buddhist
views of self and reality, as well as some of the
latest information from evolutionary biology
and psychology to support and guide the meditations. The retreat will also include daily sessions of gentle mindfulness-based yoga.
Reinhabiting Your Body: Authentic
Movement as a Pathway to Wholeness
Tina Stromsted
Our bodies may be our closest link to the
unconscious, expressing the soul’s longing
through dreams, breath, gesture, the rhythm
of our step, and the music of our speech.
Authentic Movement, with roots in the psychology of C.G. Jung, is a meditative form of
dance that can bring us back into contact with
our instinctual wisdom and sense of self.
Unresolved physical and emotional wounding is often held in the body until it can be
brought to consciousness. Once we make
contact, the flow of unconscious material can
find expression through the body, enabling us
to come to terms with it. Deeply replenishing,
Authentic Movement provides a container
within which we discover ways to reinhabit
our bodies, engage our creativity, and re-member our relations in the natural environment.
It enhances access to feelings, sensuality, playfulness, stillness, and embodied sacred experience in an atmosphere of acceptance, curiosity, respect, and love.
No experience in dance is necessary—only a
desire to feel more at home in your body and
a bit of courage to engage the unknown.
Designed for healing practitioners, clinicians,
educators, artists, and those interested in
growth and matters of the spirit, this process
will assist you in rediscovering your own natural rhythms, bridging body, psyche, and soul
through expressive movement, dream sharing, drawing, and writing.
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Week of May 5–10
Yoga Practice:
Engaging the Hero’s Journey
In the great myths that are woven through
the cultures of all times, the Heroine/Hero
comes to a breaking point with the known
and familiar. Often there is the presence of a
herald or guide offering encouragement:
“Have courage. Take heart. You can do it. You
are almost there.”
“For many of us in this modern day,” writes
Thomas, “the yoga practices provide an array
of disciplines to support our descent into the
underworld of our karmas and samscaras (past
impressions). The great sages and gurus
repeatedly assure us that our body and being
is the temple of supreme consciousness, and
the yogic disciplines can guide us to a place of
facing our inner demons. The essence of this
process is integration. We break with the past
and descend into the depths to become conscious of that which has been hidden or unacceptable. In the end, we make an offering of
our shadow material to the light of consciousness, and, over time, the union of light and
dark occurs.
“In this weeklong retreat, we will hold this
awareness and intention as we engage the
practices of meditation, pranayama, strong
asana, and restorative practice, as well as
chanting. There will be time for sharing and
opening to the wisdom of our yoga circle. All
are welcome. Please have a minimum of 3
months of recent yoga experience.”
gleaned from a study of the deeper game will
be utilized, as well as principles from psychosynthesis and Gestalt, to explore the inner
self and how one interferes with its emergence. Two days will be spent on field trips to
the Monterey Peninsula where participants
will practice and play in some of the most
beautiful golf country in the world. On other
days there will be time to relax and enjoy the
natural pleasures of Esalen and Big Sur.
Experiencing Kabbalistic Healing
Recommended reading: Murphy, Golf in the
Kingdom and The Kingdom of Shivas Irons;
Gallwey, The Inner Game of Golf; Shoemaker,
Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible.
Drawing on thirty years of intensive research,
broad clinical experience, and extensive
teaching, Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen present
an interactive program, sharing their pioneering work by initiating participants into the
world of Kabbalistic Healing, an approach to
psycho-emotional and physical healing based
on melding the ancient wisdom of the
Kabbalah, the Jewish spiritual tradition, with
modern science, homeopathy, and Tibetan
Medicine.
(greens fees—about $145—paid directly to the leaders)
Getting Real: Telling the Truth
as a Path to Freedom
Susan Campbell
What is your truth in this moment? The question sounds easy to answer. Yet so many
things get in the way of simply experiencing
and expressing what we truly feel—our beliefs
about what is safe, our shoulds about what is
appropriate, our unfinished business from the
past, and our automatic, patterned ways of
reacting.
“In this experiential workshop,” Susan
Campbell writes, “we will learn to notice and
free ourselves from all the ways we avoid real
human contact in the present moment.
Instead of trying to be ’right, safe, and certain,’
we will support one another in
becoming ’real, unique, and open, experiencing and expressing our moment-bymoment ’truth’ with trust, presence, and
grace.
Golf in the Kingdom: An Exploration
of the Deeper Game
Stephen Cohen & Andy Nusbaum
Ye’ll come away from the links with a new
hold on life, that is certain if ye play the game
with all your heart.
— Michael Murphy
(as Shivas Irons), Golf in the Kingdom
The game of golf provides many opportunities to enhance the journey of self-discovery.
It can be experienced not only as an athletic
endeavor, but also as a metaphor for the way
one lives. Just as in life, issues of self-confidence, fear, trust, discipline, and awareness
emerge in the conflict between the ego’s
desire for success and the inner self ’s ability
to achieve.
“We will create a mini-society where we practice being completely transparent with one
another about our current experience. We
will use a variety of processes to help us free
ourselves from control patterns and get back
in touch with our essential nature—Gestalt
open seat work, reowning projections and
shadow aspects, humor, psychodrama, bioenergetics, guided inner exploration, uninhibited dance, emotional release work, paired communication and feedback exercises, silence,
journaling, and meditation. Everything we do
in the workshop will be aimed at helping you
reconnect with your self-trust and trust in life
so that you can let go of fears about how others may react to your truth and live a life of
integrity, freedom, and love.”
During these five days, teaching methods
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Rabbi Steven Fisdel & Gerald S. Cohen
In this experiential seminar, Rabbi Steven
Fisdel and Dr. Gerald Cohen return to Esalen
to offer participants, regardless of background, an opportunity both to learn and,
more importantly, to experience the healing
process through the practical application of
the Kabbalah and its teachings.
This hands-on program focuses participants’
attention on understanding their own hidden
layers as well as their relationship with the
cosmos through a penetrating exploration of
the universal paradigm, the Tree of Life, the
blueprint of all Creation. The objective of this
workshop is to provide participants with both
in-depth healing and practical training in
understanding and working through the
Healing Process to promote physical recovery,
psycho-emotional healing, and spiritual
development.
For more information see Special Programs,
page 74.
Self Awakening:
The Ultimate Medicine
Leonard Laskow
Do you ever find yourself longing to be so
quiet inside, so at peace, that you can wholly
relax into the moment and appreciate the
sheer wonder of existence? Busy creating
livelihoods, healthy relationships, and meaningful work, many of us feel as if the seams of
our lives threaten to burst from our hectic
pace to “do it all.” We have forgotten how to
simply be who we truly are.
Using the themes of Self Awareness, Love,
and Healing, this retreat guides you toward
awakening to who you are beyond the experiences and perceptions of the personality.
Using step-by-step processes that blend
ancient wisdom with modern scientific
research, you will be encouraged to release
the limitations that veil your essential nature.
These processes help to quiet the mind, bring
you more peace, joy, and abundance, and
allow an intuitive, loving presence to unfold.
This loving presence empowers you to:
• Clear past conditioning and “treasured”
wounds that foster illness and suffering
• Release ancestral patterns that have
adversely affected your entire family for
generations
• Support your body to heal, unimpeded by
mental and emotional blocks
As the mind rests and the heart opens, the
truth of who we are is revealed. The search for
love ends the moment we discover it to be
ever present within ourselves.
Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Steven Harper
Esalen is the trailhead to one of the most
spectacular mountainous coastlines in the
world. With the Big Sur wilderness as the primary teacher, participants will explore the
beauty of this alive and wild coast from
ancient redwood-forested canyons to dramatic coastal beaches, from rugged rocky mountains to the soft grassy slopes of the Big Sur
hills. Drawing from nature and various awareness practices, individuals will be encouraged
to open both to the natural world and to the
landscapes of their inner world. It is said that
Big Sur is not just a place but a state of mind.
This wilderness experience seeks to merge
mind and place, then to embody what is
learned.
Weekend workshops will take two day-hikes
(3-6 miles in length). Weeklong workshops
will venture out on five day-hikes (4-10 miles
in length). Each hike begins after breakfast
and concludes in time to enjoy the hot
springs and dinner each evening at Esalen.
Evening sessions include informal sharing,
basic awareness practices, and useful outdoor
skills. All levels of experience are welcome. Be
prepared for the invigorating challenge of
physical activity and the opportunity to simply sit still in quiet reflection. More information will be sent upon registration.
Waking Up from Depression:
Releasing the Secret Power of our
Deepest Wounds
Julie Motz
Depression is usually viewed as a disempow-
ered or diseased state, something to be gotten
rid of. It is generally believed to be caused by
a chemical imbalance in the brain, something
we are born with.
“The truth,” writes Julie Motz, “is that this
chemical imbalance is preceded by an energetic imbalance in certain tissues and cells of
the body. This imbalance is the result of
severe trauma or shock, often occurring when
we are most helpless, in the womb or shortly
after birth.
“The message of depression is ’Don’t move.’ It
is one of Nature’s ways of protecting us when
movement would bring even greater danger
or harm. When this message comes to us
early and often in our lives, the nervous system of our individual cells starts being triggered at the slightest suggestion of a threatening situation. We then devote the body’s
aggressive energy to protecting ourselves by
constraining movement on the physical level
and creating thought patterns to justify this
constraint.”
This workshop will show you how to unlock
the tremendous energy your body has been
using to create the protective state of depression. You will be guided in energy healing
and mind-body techniques that take you back
to the source of trauma, and shown powerful
ways to repattern your nervous system and
your cells. You will discover the vast potential
for movement and growth your depression
has been hiding and find ways to release its
energy to power your life.
Vision Painting: Evoking the Light
Helen Jerene Malcolm
“Within you right now is an imprisoned
splendor,” says Helen Malcolm. “Your awareness of this splendor unlocks the light that
you are. Living as light, aware of who you really are, can change your experience of the ’real
world.’”
Vision Painting is a method for accessing
your light, your inner vision, and expressing
it through painting. It is a process designed to
expose the conditioned mind and its limitations, to illuminate how your current state of
consciousness creates your experiences.
Prompted by visualization, meditation, music,
and movement, your creative expression is
evoked from your feeling centers, through the
hand, and onto paper. As you move beyond
your rational mind to deeper levels of motivation, the painting seems to paint itself and
reveals its message.
Vision Painting permits you to look at the life
you create for yourself—physically, spiritually,
and professionally. Your paintings become a
treasure map of your life where change and
healing are affirmed. This is a transformational adventure in personal creativity. It is also
fun and educational.
For the absolute beginner as well as the artist.
Massage Weekend for Couples
Laurie Lioness Parizek & Dean Marson
This workshop is designed for partners who
wish to bring the bonding practice of massage
into their daily lives and to spend a weekend
together cradled in the beauty of the Big Sur
coast. It is also for couples who wish to deepen existing massage skills as well as those
looking to create more time for healing and
intimacy in their daily lives.
This weekend intensive will impart basic
massage skills and focus on teaching couples
to give and receive a pleasurable full-body
massage. It will address issues such as keeping
love, touch, and a healing interchange alive at
home during busy, stressful times; touching
with care and sensitivity; asking for what you
need; and reciprocity, so that both partners
feel nurtured and loved. Sessions will include
demonstrations and hands-on instruction
with plenty of practice time.
Although the emphasis will be on touch and
communication between couples, the massage techniques presented are useful for relaxation, pain, and stress, and can increase vital
energy. They may be used with children as
well as with friends and family, and provide a
useful tool for health and well-being.
Mothers and Daughters:
A Workshop for Adult Women
Marianne Preger-Simon
“The mother-daughter bond,” says Marianne
Preger-Simon, “is ordinary, yet miraculous.
The depth of connection and the depth of
hurt are profound. It’s a relationship that
influences every other in a woman’s life. It
affects our creativity, our vitality, and our ability to give and receive love. It affects our connection with the feminine, with our bodies,
and with our deepest sense of purpose. The
words ’mother and daughter’ describe more
than a relationship: they represent potent
archetypes and identities. Tending to motherdaughter dynamics can liberate strength,
humor, wisdom, and joy. If these dynamics
53
remain buried or rejected they will haunt us
and, almost inevitably, our daughters as well.”
This workshop is designed for mothers and
daughters to attend either alone or together
(we are not dependent upon present or even
living mothers or daughters to heal our mother-daughter wounds). Through lecture, discussion, guided imagery, small-group interaction, music, journal writing, poetry, and artwork, participants will explore the secular
and sacred realms of mothers and daughters.
Weaving Dreams: García Márquez,
Neruda, and Borges
Amelia Barili
Fascination with Latin American literature
exceeds frontiers and continents. The magic
realism of García Márquez’s One Hundred Years
of Solitude, the love poems of Neruda, and the
metaphysical fictions of Borges transport us
into fantastic worlds. But what of the lives of
these writers? What was the source of their
writings?
Amelia Barili writes: “We will explore the
autobiographical and cultural references present in the short stories and poems of Neruda,
García Márquez, and Borges (whom I had the
pleasure to count among my friends) to deepen and enrich our readings of those works.”
Using these readings as springboards and
drawing inspiration from how these writers
integrated their experiences into their literature, participants (who so desire) will be
encouraged in the last session to put some of
their own experiences into writing.
The workshop will be conducted in English;
the Spanish originals will be provided along
with the English translations. For those who
speak Spanish, videotaped interviews with
García Márquez, Neruda, and Borges will be
available.
Recommended reading: Neruda, Full Woman,
Fleshy Apple, Hot Moon; Borges, Ficciones; and
García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Week of May 12–17
Steven Harper
For workshop description see May 10-12.
Improvisational Being
“Life comes in stories, hour by hour, minute
by minute,” writes Nina Wise. “By honoring
the experiences that life gives us we are in
turn gifted with the richness of our lives. Our
stories reside in our bodies—in our bones, our
muscles, our tissue. Most of us are conditioned not to express ourselves freely, but
once encouraged to feel our inner impulses
and to follow them with abandon, we
encounter a vast landscape of characters,
memories, stories, and images that lead us
toward freedom.”
Through movement, vocal exercises, meditation, song, and dance, this workshop offers
the physical and spiritual tools to translate
your inner life into theater. In so doing, the
creative process is experienced most authentically by residing in the place of “not-knowing.” This requires courage. And faith. Resting
in the unknown and expressing ourselves
without constraint can be remarkably satisfying. When we tell our stories through our
bodies, we reveal—to ourselves and others—
the exquisite complexity of our experiences.
Improvisational Being is like dreaming on
your feet, letting your subconscious have free
reign. And while it is not therapy,
Improvisational Being can be surprisingly,
delightfully, holistically therapeutic.
Traditional Thai Medical Massage
Richard Gold
Traditional Thai Medical Massage is a primary
component of the 2500-year-old medical system of ancient Siam, now known as Thailand.
Developed within the context of the
Theravada Buddhist culture of Thailand, this
traditional form of bodywork combines elements of acupressure, yoga, and meditative
mindfulness.
Thai Massage is based on an energetic paradigm of the body-mind-spirit that has been
historically influenced by ancient India and
China. This bodywork was traditionally
administered by Buddhist monks in the wats
(monasteries) of Thailand.
Thai Massage is practiced very slowly, without the use of oils or lotions. The practitioner
utilizes his/her hands, feet, knees, and elbows
in the application of the work. The work is
done on mats or futons on the floor while the
client remains fully clothed in loose-fitting
clothing.
This workshop will be a practical, hands-on
experience in the learning, giving, and receiving of Thai Massage.
Nina Wise
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Required reading: Gold, Thai Massage: A
Traditional Medical Technique.
Songwriting for Everyone
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Texas singer/songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore
draws on a wide variety of musical and literary influences to forge a one-of-a-kind style.
Blending a lifelong interest in esoteric philosophy, psychology, and spirituality with musical elements of country, pop, folk, blues and
rock, he has produced a series of criticallyacclaimed recordings.
This workshop focuses on songwriting as a
tool for self-discovery. Group interaction is
encouraged and collaboration is explored,
with the ultimate goal of providing each participant with methods and motivation to
carry over into individual work. (Although
little emphasis is placed on the business
aspects of songwriting, invariably there is
interest in the subject so some time will be set
aside for it.)
The format of the workshop is a blend of
activities and discussion “guided by the
group’s intuition and my prior experience in
this setting,” says Gilmore, who adds, “The
success I can claim is that my prior workshops have produced some good songs and
some lasting friendships.”
This workshop is structured to be valuable for
everyone from beginners to seasoned pros.
Intensely Personal: Creative Group
Process for High-Risk Takers
Niela Miller
You’ve done a lot of personal work on facing
past traumas and discovering their valuable
lessons. You’ve been in therapy. You’ve studied
many paths to consciousness and self-discovery. Now what would really attract you is a
group experience in which you—and everyone else—can be bold, try out new ideas and
behaviors, experiment with creative ways of
expressing your deep self, work at your growing edge.
This is it. This workshop will provide opportunities for individual work, pairs, small
groups, and whole-group interaction.
Approaches will include many forms of
expressive and creative work. The workshop
will integrate fun, play, and humor with challenge, exploration, and discovery to help you
reframe your view of yourself in relation to
your world. It is designed so that you’ll leave
revitalized, inspired, and in touch with your
whole self.
May 17–24
Transforming Trauma with EMDR:
Comprehensive Training
Experiencing Esalen
Laurel Parnell
Life Beyond Death
Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful new
therapy that has helped thousands of people
recover from the debilitating emotional aftereffects of traumas such as disasters, war
assaults, childhood abuse, devastating personal loss, and accidents. EMDR offers rapid and
lasting recovery not only for victims of major
trauma but also for less severe traumas which
lead to problems such as depression, anxiety,
phobias, eating disorders, and relationship
difficulties. With EMDR, many clients experience a feeling of wholeness and well-being
along with increased compassion for themselves and others.
William Roll
This course, in two parts, covers beginning
and advanced EMDR training to provide the
skills and information necessary to use
EMDR in a therapy practice.
Part I: Through lecture, demonstrations, and
supervised group practice, participants learn
EMDR’s history, the EMDR model, the components and eight phases of EMDR treatment, protocols and procedures for using
EMDR with a range of diagnoses, cautions
necessary for its safe use, and the issues, problems, and goals in utilizing EMDR.
What has been discovered about life after the
death of the body? Dr. William Roll, fresh
from a weeklong Esalen Invitational
Conference on the survival of bodily death,
will tell of the conclusions reached by major
researchers on life after death.
As a supplement to the overviews of the evidence for survival, Dr. Roll will lead the participants in practice sessions so that they may
have the experience of actually interacting
with their departed loved ones. The practice
sessions include the soul dance, sympathetic
near-death experiences, and psi sessions. The
workshop will be of special interest to individuals who have lost someone close as well
as to grief counselors.
Dr. Roll has written more than 100 scientific
papers, edited ten volumes of the series
Research in Parapsychology, and authored three
books. In 1996 he was the recipient of the
Parapsychological Association’s Distinguished
Career in Parapsychology Award.
’Tis a Gift to Be Simple
David Schiffman
This weekend is for people who would like to
return to the simplicity of the values we treasure most. Its aim is to create a climate of
mutual support and encouragement for
exploring how to best cultivate the spirit of
real generosity and faith in dealing with ourselves and others. This process will embrace
the following elements:
• Sanctuary—the opportunity to step away
and pause, to create a mood of peace
• The company of kindred spirits—a chance
to be met with honesty, empathy, and
wisdom in an atmosphere of soulful
support
• The emotional freedom to be—the right to
let down and be sad, glad, or mad in order
to clear the air and move on, making room
in our hearts for new possibilities
• The right to feel free and alive in our
bodies—the use of movement and touch to
restore the vitality of feeling truly alive and
physically at ease
The methods will be drawn from a wide variety of practices, both traditional and nontraditional, all aimed at restoring our gratitude and
appreciation for being alive.
Introduction to Continuum
Cynthia Johnson Bianchetta
Part II: Participants learn advanced techniques
for the development of EMDR targets, techniques for working with blocked processing
and abreaction, the use of imaginal and cognitive interweaves, using EMDR with adults
traumatized as children (including physical
or sexual abuse, medical trauma, and grief ),
techniques for developing inner resources
used for interweaves, and client closure.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
The training is for licensed mental health professionals or mental health interns currently
supervised by an EMDR-trained supervisor,
and fulfills the training standards of the
EMDR International Association.
Participants who complete the course will be
eligible for EMDR certification and EMDRIA
membership.
55
& Beth Pettengill-Riley
The message of God can be felt in the movement of
water...The ocean, our blood, the liquids inside our
planet, amniotic, and spinal fluid are one.
— Emilie Conrad
There is a world deep within us that is liquid,
where cells dance, fluids swirl, and bone, muscle, and tissue commune. What we call a
“body” is not a fixed boundary, but rather a
nonlinear creative flux resonating with all
other life forms.
Through the movement exploration of
Continuum, pioneered by Emilie Conrad, we
can loosen our perceptive boundaries of
“body” to discover the intrinsic world of fluid
movement. We become an open system in
which change, growth, and innovation can
occur. We come to know movement as something we are as well as something we do.
“As we enliven ourselves from the inside,”
writes Conrad, “our dynamic expressions in
the world increase ... Released from convention, our movement vocabulary can include
textures and dynamics that are the expression
of what is current and alive.”
No dance or movement experience is necessary.
Eating, Food, and the Body/Self
Jerome Front
Eating, food, and the body/self are intimately
intertwined. Unresolved feelings, stress, and
alienation from our creative, communal, and
spiritual selves impact the body/self at the
intersection of eating and food. As a result, we
may try to use eating and food to fill our emotional, relational, creative, and spiritual
hungers. Unrecognized trances and personal
mythologies around food and the body misdirect our deepest energies away from being in
the moment, free and fully alive.
This workshop offers neither a diet plan nor
medical advice. It does provide, in mindful
retreat format, tools to transform the practices
and metaphors of eating and food into deep
nourishment for the whole person—body,
mind, and spirit. Open to all, the workshop is
also a rich resource for therapists, health practitioners, and bodyworkers. Topics include:
• Your unique food mythologies, patterns,
and trances
• Parameters of Self, Other, and Cosmos
• Eating and the body as deep practice for
contemplation, and transformation
• Communal reconnection and release of
shame and secrets
• Cultivating embodiment, depth, and
creative, spiritual energies
Methods will include self-assessment, silent
community meals, experiential rituals, music
and artwork, walking and sitting meditation,
and deep relaxation. Activities will alternate
with periods of silence.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
The work begins by developing sensitivity to
our intrinsic world through heightened sensory awareness and exploring the mobility of
breath. Discovering how our own sound permeates connective tissue, we can experience
the fluidity of our biological origin through
micromovements and wavelike undulations.
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Week of May 19–24
Love and Passion
Charlie & Linda Bloom
Intimacy is to the soul as food is to the body.
When the longing for intimacy is satisfied we
experience wholeness and sufficiency, a sense
of being at one with ourselves and the world.
Deep intimacy can be exhilarating, inspiring,
even transcendent.
with the Self. This approach integrates spiritual principles for self-awareness with practices for using the mind/body/spirit to sing
and speak powerfully, easily, and effectively. It
can help you transform your voice into a living instrument rich with life, love, and power.
This workshop is designed not only as a vocal
training class but as a journey toward wholeness along life’s path. For more information,
you can visit www.vocalawareness.com on the
web.
Please note: Bring a tape recorder, if you have one.
The shadow side of this connection is the fear
of intimacy, which is actually the fear of loss,
rejection, shame, or humiliation. These fears
are common, perhaps even universal, yet their
presence need not prevent us from experiencing the joys of intimate contact.
How do we maintain an open heart in the
face of powerful emotions? How can we redirect and intensify the energy contained within these feelings towards states of heightened
awareness? How can we open to include and
honor the full range of feeling that enters into
our experience during these times? What specific practices will promote the quality of
physical and emotional connection that is
deeply sustaining?
This workshop will experientially confront
these and other questions that directly relate
to our ability to dive fully into the bottomless
pool of our heart’s truth, and feel love in all of
its physical, sexual, and spiritual splendor.
The workshop is for individuals as well as
couples.
Vocal Awareness: To Sing, To Speak,
To Breathe, To Live Fully
Arthur Samuel Joseph
Your voice is your identity. It can express
everything about who you are, how you feel
about yourself, what you believe in.
“Singing is intrinsic to being human,” says
Arthur Joseph. “It is part of the mammalian
brain, as fundamental as breathing. There is
not a people on the face of the earth who do
not profess their profoundest emotion in
song or chant. Singing, speaking, and breathing are important keys to unlocking the Self.”
In Vocal Awareness the voice is a metaphor,
representing an individual to the world. The
Vocal Awareness system comprises a structured set of methods of vocalizing, sound
meditation, movement, song study, and vocal
development as a means for both discovering
your authentic voice and deepening contact
Embracing Life’s Challenges:
Courage, Faith, and Self-Acceptance
Phyllis Shankman
You so often experience change as though something terrible were happening, when in reality the
change is moving you from confinement into freedom, from habit into truth. Crossroads are the call
to exploration.
— Emmanuel
The only thing predictable about being alive
is its unpredictability. Life is a river of ongoing changes and challenges. Some are not difficult, but many are troublesome to navigate
or cope with. Yet each challenge or crisis
offers an opportunity for expansion, learning,
and healing, a chance to break set and move
beyond old patterns. As individuals our work
is to develop the courage, faith, and self-acceptance that will enable us to find personal
meaning and value in each challenge and
grow from it.
This workshop is an opportunity to face these
challenges in a safe, supportive space.
Honoring ourselves—our fear as well as our
courage—and the goodwill of others, participants will engage in personal Gestalt work,
group process, discussion, meditation, artwork, and whatever else spontaneously arises—all in the context of expanding our capacity to transform challenges into meaningful
growth experiences.
Celebrating Womanhood: Esalen
Massage, Essential Oils, and
Movement
Ellen Watson, Daniela Urbassek & Robin Fann
“Come sisters, come mothers, come daughters, come princesses and queens,” write the
leaders. “Join us for a week of touching, sensing, dancing, playing, and praying together.
We will teach the long, sensuous strokes and
moves of Esalen Massage and explore combining massage with the use of essential oils.
We will dance, write, practice yoga, laugh and
cry, and create rituals and rites of passage.”
The workshop will introduce the use of seven
essential oils in combination with massage:
birch, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, peppermint, rosewood, and sandalwood. Each oil
enhances a different aspect of massage: relaxation, rejuvenation, detoxification, and so on.
This program is for any and all women. No
previous massage or movement experience is
necessary. All levels are welcome.
Please note: Bring your pampering supplies,
musical instruments, favorite music, and your
journal. If you have your own essential oils,
bring them with you; if not, the leaders can
supply small bottles of each oil for $75. You
will be contacted prior to the workshop
regarding ordering oils.
Recommended reading: Robbins, Jitterbug
Perfume; Suskind, Perfume; Montague,
Touching.
Imaging the Faces of the Soul:
Illuminating Your Story, Honoring
Your Mystery
Bonny McGowan
Utilizing the transformative power of symbols to awaken the creative spirit, this workshop uses simple artistic methods to enable
you to create a powerful deck of SoulCollage™
Cards. A SoulCollage deck is a collection of
collaged cards—intuitive images of your multifaceted self that tell your story symbolically.
Making and using SoulCollage Cards weaves
together the creative, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of the Soul.
By collaging powerful images that speak to
your heart, this workshop is designed to
enhance creativity in all aspects of your life.
Working below the visible and rational surface, these personal images foster a greater
acceptance and appreciation of the mysterious and sometimes contradictory nature of
your being. This process (developed by Seena
Frost) encourages deep soul-searching. The
cards are divided into four suits:
• The Committee: Aspects of your
personality—the psychological nature of
Soul (Artist, Teacher, Rebel, etc.)
• The Community: People, both living and
deceased, who have deeply affected your
life—the communal nature of Soul.
• The Companions: Symbolic images of the
chakras—the energetic nature of Soul.
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offers skills to calm the mind, regulate affect
states, and develop trust with the unconscious. It is designed for anyone from beginner to advanced. There may be up to 45 participants.
Recommended reading: Goldstein &
Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom;
Epstein, Thoughts Without a Thinker; Suzuki,
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind; Rossi, The Symptom
Path to Enlightenment.
Writing About Our Lives
ED ODELL
Ellen Bass
• The Council: The archetypal images that act
as larger metaphorical influences—the
spiritual nature of Soul (Healer, Trickster,
Creator, Victim, Lover, Warrior, etc.)
($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader;
optional $24.95 for SoulCollage Book)
it easier to express your truth and take
responsibility for your feelings and issues.
OpenMind Training: Innovations in
Meditation and Mind/Body Healing
Communication and Partnership
Mary Goldenson
Underlying all our relationships—husband,
wife, lover, friend, daughter, son, mother,
father—is the need to communicate. Too often
we learn to express our needs through control, power struggles, addictions, dependency,
guilt, denial, and unreasonableness. This
workshop is about healing the soul-wounds
sustained in our attempts at partnership. The
focus will be on:
• Exploring the possibilities of equal soul
partnership
• Learning new ways to express our fear,
sadness, grief, and love
• Defining what we need to change in our
relationships
• Learning different language styles to better
connect with our partners
• Learning ways to heal, forgive, and move on
to a mutually beneficial relationship
Come alone or with a partner. The workshop
will provide a safe, supportive environment to
learn new practices of breathwork, communication skills, movement, and Gestalt, making
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“The philosophy behind this workshop,”
writes Ellen Bass, “is best expressed by
Martha Graham, who said, ’There is a vitality,
a life force, an energy, a quickening that is
translated through you into action. And
because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique. And if you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium,
and be lost. The world will not have it. It is
not your business to determine how good it
is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares
with other expressions. It is your business to
keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the
channel open.’”
Ron Alexander
OpenMind Training provides instruction in
meditation and mind/body healing from
both a psychological and a spiritual perspective. The focus is on the practice, experience,
and benefits of meditation and self-healing in
daily life.
Meditation cultivates self-regulation through
relaxation and the development of attention.
Training in mind/body healing facilitates
awareness of the inner resources of the Core
Self—trust, comfort, time, and curiosity—to
activate the healthy and creative aspects of
the unconscious mind. This promotes insight,
wellness, and individuation.
Meditative practices of various Buddhist
schools—especially Tibetan, vipassana, and
Zen, as well as Advaita (non-dual)—will be
explored. These methods utilize mindfulness,
insight, visualization, and presence to activate
physiological and psychological energies
whose merger can produce powerful states of
mind to penetrate into the reality of our being
and experience a spacious quality of freedom.
Participants will also be taught forms of
breathing, chanting, trance states, and
mind/body healing exercises. The workshop
This workshop will help keep the channels
open. It will be a supportive place to share our
lives and work, our voice, our creativity. There
will be a lot of time for writing, as well as time
for sharing and feedback. From beginners to
experienced, all writers are welcomed.
Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, or journal writing, this workshop
provides an opportunity to explore and
expand your world.
Note: Although Ellen Bass is known for her
work with survivors of child sexual abuse, the
focus of this workshop will not be on healing
from trauma. Rather, it is a creative writing
workshop in which participants are free to
write on any subject they choose.
Robert Helm & Margaret Stevens
This weekend workshop will introduce the
core techniques of Esalen Massage. Through
brief lectures and demonstrations, and with
lots of personal supervision of hands-on
work, the workshop will present essential
tools and knowledge that can be effortlessly
applied. Fundamental elements of bodywork,
such as breath awareness, grounding, movement, and quality of touch will also be introduced. The goal will be to create a firm foundation of massage to build upon. The workshop is designed to enable each student to
return home with the ability to give a fullbody Esalen-style massage.
Demystifying the Business World:
Profit Without Sacrificing Creativity
or Integrity
Dennis Duitch
Creativity and business are not enemies. This
workshop is about understanding and using
sensible business practices to support, rather
than hinder, your expectations. It is for people
who may feel intimidated by financial concepts which are tough to appreciate or
respect. Whether you’re planning to start or
attempting to grow a business, or if you’re
simply frustrated with the daily conflicts
between business realities—the “rules of the
game”—and the toll this takes on your creative
energies, this workshop offers practical
approaches for maximizing rewards and minimizing hassles.
Depending on group background and interests, participants may explore fundamental
business practices, financing and record-keeping issues, owner-versus-worker perspectives
and payroll obligations, concepts of profit and
cash-flow projection, minimizing taxes, time
and money management, and, most important, optimizing personal objectives—all in
plain English, blending conventional wisdom
with real-world pragmatics.
No business expertise or experience is
required. Dennis Duitch is a CPA, MBA,
musician, and poet who has authored and
taught business, financial, and management
concepts to grade-schoolers as well as graduate students, to artists and performers as well
as scientists and corporate executives. Come
and learn some practical, creative, and even
enjoyable ways of getting and keeping the
cash reward from business endeavors without
threatening your creativity—and conquer
some insecurities in the process.
Week of May 26–31
Letting in the Light:
Group Work With Dreams
Jeremy Taylor
We all dream every night, whether we
remember the dream or not; each night we
produce incredible dramas and sometimes all
we recall are what feel like “silly” fragments.
All dreams, whether snippet or epic, come in
the service of health and wholeness. The trick
is to figure out the (often) incredibly complex
coded language of dreams.
Although only the dreamer can say for sure
what a particular dream means, it is extremely
difficult to discern that meaning without the
help of others. Dreams speak the archetypal
language of myth and metaphor, which
means that projections on our dream by others will likely awaken the “aha” of recognition,
not only in us but in the group as well. The
group-participation style of dreamwork
Jeremy has pioneered over the last thirty
years has profound effects. Working on
dreams in this way releases extraordinary creative energy and emotional awareness that
can lead to deep healing.
Writes Jeremy: “We’ll look at fundamental
assumptions and techniques for group dreamwork and for working with dreams on your
own. We’ll explore the Dark Shadow (in
nightmares) and the exciting world of moving beyond the Dark Shadow to integration of
the Bright Shadow, as well as other universal
themes in dreams, such as the Trickster and
the Wise Soul.”
This seminar is open to all. Dreamwork puts
beginners and experts on an equal emotional
footing from the outset.
Recommended reading: Taylor, The Living
Labyrinth: Exploring Archetypal Images in Myths,
Dreams and the Symbolism of Waking Life; Where
People Fly and Water Runs Uphill; or Dream Work.
Lasting Love: Real or Just a Fairy Tale?
Richard Berrett
As we grow up most of us think that love—
being in a meaningful relationship, having a
partner and children—leads to happiness.
Living “happily ever after” is not just a fairy
tale, but also a pursued goal. Unfortunately
these exciting expectations are all too often
crushed by by the reality of failed relationships, unhappy partnerships, “broken hearts,”
and parenthood that makes us wish we were
childless. The qualities of satisfying relationships are diverse and best explored in a nonproscriptive fashion. Understanding in the
deepest way the inner barriers to meaningful
relationships that we carry, what is realistic in
our love relationships, how intimacy can be
obtained, and how we participate in the success and problems of love—this process
involves an inquiry of our whole selves: mind,
body, and spirit.
Role-playing, imagery, art, music, poetry, and
individual and group work will be used to
help you experience how your current thinking as well as your family of origin influences
your ability to achieve intimacy. Dr. Rich
Berrett, an award-winning professor and
active clinician who has studied family systems for more that thirty years, will help you
examine the barriers to intimacy that exist
within each person. Through these processes
you can move beyond these barriers to find
the truth that lies buried: our human inheritance to be in valuable and valued relationships.
Transformation: From Facade to Self
Richard Blasband & Patricia Frisch
The Heart of the Beat
Kathy Altman & Jonathan Horan
The trap is man’s emotional structure, his character
structure.
— Wilhelm Reich
“In this workshop,” write Kathy and Jonathan,
“we explore the direct link between the state
of our body and the state of our emotions.
Dancing Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms™, a
cathartic form of ecstatic moving meditation,
we free our bodies and feel what is held in our
heart. The Heart of the Beat is a journey into
the land of forgotten feelings, where we learn
the art of befriending our emotions, expressing them with purity and directness. Along
the way, we reclaim our power to love.”
When we are open we experience pleasure,
liveliness, and vitality. All too often, however,
we are contracted and feel tension, lack of sexual desire, frozen, heavy, trapped, and ill.
These symptoms, communications from the
depths of our past, are rooted in the present
in our character structure and body armor.
To free up our life energy we must become
conscious of our most habitual styles that
twist our body/mind into distortions of who
we really are.
Recommended reading: Roth, Sweat Your
Prayers and Maps to Ecstasy.
This workshop is an intensive, confrontational, personally demanding process for those
who wish to restructure their character style
at deep levels of psychophysical being. It uti-
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lizes Reich’s methods of character analysis
with breathwork and direct interventions on
the body armor within the context of Carl
Jung’s model of the transforming self. Dr.
Richard Blasband and Dr. Patricia Frisch have
a combined clinical experience of over fifty
years in this discipline.
Within a dynamic, supportive group process
individuals can experiment with their structure in bold and profound ways that insist on
change. Dreams, guided imagery, and movement will deepen the exploration and provide
material for a trusting exchange within the
workshop community. As we shed unnecessary layers of armor and facade we discover
our true naturally sexual and spiritual
natures.
Authenticity, Intuition, and
Creativity: A Workshop for Gay
and Bisexual Men
Justin Hecht
Many gay and bisexual men desire a more satisfying and creative life. The readily accessible
resources of the gay community don’t always
create a real sense of connection and honesty.
In this workshop, participants will form a
supportive group to explore living more
authentically and to learn how to let go of
defensive ways of being in order to become
more spontaneous, joyful, and whole.
Living authentically is what leads to a deeply
satisfying life. The workshop will help you
contact your inner wisdom to make your life
more creative and fulfilling. The course will
use group process, guided meditations, and
music to enable you to connect with your
intuition. Focused small-group work will cultivate depth, while larger-group work will cultivate broader connections and support.
Weekend of May 31–June 2
ipants to relax, be genuine, have fun, and learn
to use relationship as a vehicle to become
more awake.
The Art of Conscious Relationship
James Baraz & Steven Newmark
Moving toward greater intimacy takes
courage—the courage to be seen for who we
are and see others as they are. When we open
up to the truth, we see beauty and goodness as
well as fears and attachments. Intimacy
requires a willingness to see the whole package and value the deepening sense of connection—to ourselves as well as others—that can
be experienced through the practice of conscious relationship.
Forming or deepening meaningful intimate
relationships can be a painful and confusing
process. By becoming aware of unconscious
patterns that sabotage real intimacy, we have a
greater possibility of creating the kind of
meaningful bonds we seek or deepening ones
we already have.
Bringing a spiritual dimension to the challenge of real intimacy allows us to shift our
perspective and not take our predicament
quite so seriously. By using mindfulness practice we can see through our identification
with negative thoughts that block our natural
expression of love and presence. As a result,
we can move toward more honest, centered,
spontaneous communication.
Through frank discussions and experiential
exercises, this workshop—for singles as well as
those in relationship—will explore the challenges of consciously forming new relationships and deepening existing ones, so that
barriers that keep us apart can be dissolved. A
safe, supportive environment will help partic-
Hanna Somatics:
Freeing Muscles and Emotions
Eleanor Criswell Hanna
As we move through life, our bodies become
increasingly restricted due to chronic muscle
contractions. Thomas Hanna named this sensory-motor amnesia (SMA). We are all vulnerable to SMA, but we can reverse or avoid it.
Hanna Somatics, developed by Thomas
Hanna, enables us to overcome SMA and
some of the negative effects of stress, trauma,
and aging. Hanna Somatics can also enhance
performance and well-being. Somatically free,
we can receive feedback from our bodies
more accurately and continue to develop
somatically throughout our lives.
This workshop explores the neuromuscular
responses to emotional states—the somatics
way to internal mastery of muscles and emotions—and the joy that comes from the body’s
renewed awareness and freedom. There will
be guided somatic exercises and individual
sessions with practitioners trained by Thomas
Hanna. The workshop presents:
• How to recognize the basic postural reflex
patterns that can become habitual
• How emotions affect muscular contraction
patterns
• How muscle contraction patterns affect our
somatic disclosures and somatic perception
of experiences
The workshop is ultimately designed to help
you connect deeply with different aspects of
your self—your personal history, your intuition, and your potential—and to tap your creativity in seeking positive responses to areas
of your life that feel neglected or unsatisfying.
The week will conclude with structured exercises to help you to make specific changes for
your ongoing personal growth.
HANNS BECKER
For more information, contact Justin Hecht at
415-673-0283 or [email protected].
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• How to use the daily maintenance exercise
series and other Somatic Exercises with
yourself and others
Recommended reading: Hanna, Somatics, The
Body of Life, and Bodies in Revolt.
The Body, Love, Sex, and Death
in Proust
attunement exercises will be combined with
daily sitting and movement meditations,
sound and breathwork, and verbal process.
There will also be discussion of the metaphysics of consciousness and how fundamental consciousness can facilitate psychological
and physical healing. Please come prepared
for deep, concentrated work.
Recommended reading: Blackstone, The Subtle
Self and The Enlightenment Process.
Don Hanlon Johnson
“Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time rivals
the work of Freud, Reich, Jung, and Perls in its
brilliant articulations of the roots of our personalities in earthy processes and human history,” writes Don Johnson. “Yet, while those
psychologists wrote about therapy outside the
text, Proust succeeded in making sentences
whose very reading brings about changes in
the reader’s sense of self. But the size of the
text makes its vast riches virtually inaccessible to a wide readership. In this seminar, we
will relish passages from the volumes read
aloud, view the film Time Regained, and
explore in juicy ways Proust’s many contributions to the concerns of those of us who come
to Esalen: the body, family histories, love, sex
of many shapes, and death. Please come with
the text and, if you have read at least something of it, a favorite passage or more.”
The Subtle Self: Attuning to
Fundamental Consciousness
Judith Blackstone
All spiritual traditions refer to an essential
dimension of existence, calling it fundamental consciousness, True Self, non-duality, and
many other names. This dimension is not an
abstract concept. It is the core of our own true
nature and can be experienced by anyone
willing to approach it with patience and
openness. Fundamental consciousness is
experienced as clear, mirror-like space, pervading our body and our environment, transcending the duality of self and object. It is
deeper than the physical and energetic levels
of our being and beyond our psychological
defenses, projections, images, and archetypes.
Subtle Self Work® is a precise method of
attuning to fundamental consciousness.
This work offers ways to integrate fundamental consciousness with the body and
breath/energy system; experience oneness
with nature and people (while remaining
grounded in one’s body); and see, hear, and
touch on a subtler level. Subtle Self Work
Spiritual Buddies—For Gay Men
Brad Gooch
This workshop will concentrate on ways in
which gay men can tap into their own source
of wisdom, happiness, and well-being—and
then form friendships and communities with
like-minded buddies. Based on Brad Gooch’s
best-selling book, Finding The Boyfriend
Within, as well as a forthcoming sequel on
“connecting Boyfriend Within to Boyfriend
Within,” the course will explore the effects of
seeking validation from within on gay social
life and gay spirituality.
In Finding The Boyfriend Within, Brad Gooch
writes: “’The Boyfriend Within’ is made up of
qualities we find attractive in ourselves but
often imagine others to possess more fully, as
well as of our own dormant qualities we wish
to nurture and grow.” To get in touch with
these qualities, the workshop will present
exercises in learning to listen to a helpful
“voice within,” as well as awareness exercises
for identifying traits of the Inner Boyfriend
and for beginning Self Dating. This notion
will then be expanded to include learning
how to relate to others “Boyfriend Within to
Boyfriend Within” and to experiencing gay
spirituality.
Tibetan Buddhists, Aborigines, and Native
Americans. This workshop will introduce you
to the mandala, and through it, to the mystery
of the soul and the passionate world of the
inner artist. It offers a supportive initiation
for all participants, regardless of experience,
to open to their natural creativity through art,
meditation, ritual, and music. Each participant will complete a personal mandala as a
symbol to live with, to study, and to begin a
process of learning, growing, healing, and
artistic development.
Discover your soul symbols as powerful tools
for personal and professional transformation.
Come to a deeper understanding of your own
creative forces. Mandala drawing can open
your eyes in a heart- and soul-connected
way—to see and feel things you may never
have experienced before.
Art supplies will be provided. No previous
experience is necessary.
Week of June 2–7
River’s Wisdom, Mountain’s Way:
A Wilderness Retreat
David Schiffman & The West Wolf
Medicine Society
For workshop description see Special
Programs, page 74.
Christine Stewart Price & Guest Leader
For workshop description see March 3-8.
The Direct Path: A Passion for Life
Andrew Harvey
This seminar—for anyone single, dating, or
“married”—is an opportunity to explore connections between sexuality, romance, and
spirituality often not explored within the gay
community.
Art as a Spiritual Path:
Drawing Your Soul Mandala
Paul Heussenstamm
It is the artist’s mission to penetrate...in the womb
of nature, in the primal ground of creation where
the secret key to all things lies hidden.
— Paul Klee
The mandala, an ancient symbol and concentric map of the psyche, has been used by various cultures around the world, including
In his passionate and practical book The Direct
Path, Andrew Harvey challenges two millennia of accepted spiritual wisdom and opens
what he calls “a path to God without dogma or
priests or gurus, a path of direct self-empowerment and self-awakening, in and under God,
in the heart of life.”
In this workshop, Harvey presents, in depth
and detail, his vision of the Direct Path and
how he discovered for himself its transformative power. Special focus will be placed on
three aspects of the path: (1) a “map,” drawn
from all of the world’s mystical traditions, of
the evolution of enlightenment; (2) seven
essential mystical practices—practices of
mantra, visualization, heart-practice, and
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ED ODELL
prayer—that individuals can use to establish
direct contact with their own divinity; and (3)
“embodiment and integration”—the physical
practices of exercise, yoga, and sexual Tantra
that enable the seeker to infuse ordinary life
with sacred passion and beauty.
The workshop will be highly experiential,
employing sacred music, simple forms of
movement meditation, and discussion.
Harvey’s hope is that all participants will
leave “radically empowered with their own
divine truth, equipped with time-tested practical ways of embodying it, and inspired with
a vision of service and love-in-action on
behalf of all sentient beings.”
The Upledger Institute’s
SomatoEmotional Release I
Melinda Roland
SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is a healing
process that helps rid the mind and body of
residual effects of past trauma and associated
negative emotional experiences. Joint research
efforts by Dr. John Upledger and biophysicist
Dr. Zvi Karni led to the discovery that the
body often retains (rather than dissipates)
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physical forces resulting from accident, injury,
or emotional trauma, and then isolates the
dysfunctional area, creating an “energy cyst.”
Although a reasonably healthy body can work
and adapt to “energy cysts,” extra energy is
required to perform normal bodily functions.
As the years pass, the adaptive pattern of the
body loses its effectiveness, and symptoms
and dysfunctions begin to appear which
become more difficult to ignore or suppress.
In SER I, students learn how to assist the
patient/client in physically identifying and
expelling the “energy cyst” and in reexperiencing and resolving unpleasant memories.
Before participating in this course, students
must complete Upledger CranioSacral I and
II, either at Esalen or elsewhere.
only through The Upledger Institute. Please
call 1-800-233-5880.
The Soul in Love
Jeremiah Abrams
The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.
— Rumi
What gives soul to people is the capacity to experience the paradox of life.
— Evangelos Christou
We are all searching for love and connection.
The compelling force that drives us toward
intimacy and coupling is quite simple: Our
souls need a container for unfolding where
we can let the power of love heal both the
inner and the outer beloved in each. But souls
also need autonomy and freedom. This apparently irreconcilable conflict between connection and autonomy—the Paradox of Love—is
the source for our most vexing relationship
problems. How can we satisfy both needs—for
intimacy and for self-realization—without ultimately breaking the vessel that contains both
souls in relatedness?
This retreat, for both couples and singles,
focuses on unveiling the paradoxical in our
relationships. Jeremiah Abrams writes: “We’ll
begin with an inner journey to identify our
most burning love problems. Then, using the
group’s evolving dialogue, we’ll engage in
soul-centered activities to help reframe our
experience of the Paradox of Love and define
a new basis for mutuality and surrender in
intimacy. Special emphasis will be on sexuality, the field of experience where most of the
symptoms of love problems turn up and
where love can be most transformative.”
Basic Acting: Setting Free the Spirit
Paul Mantee
At its most creative, acting technique involves
taking chances. It involves opening emotional doorways and moving through them, little
by little, to inside places—while having fun at
it. And, of course, it also involves a supportive
setting.
The purpose of this seminar is not so much to
perform as to free the spirit. You will be gently guided—individually, in pairs, and as a
group—through a series of sensory exercises
in relaxation, focus, freedom, imagination,
and active listening. You will be encouraged
to recognize impulses—and to embrace them
as they occur. You will be given tools to strip
away any “head interference,” to allow yourself
to stumble, almost by accident, upon awareness of what you feel moment to moment—in
short, to behave spontaneously to the drumbeat of your impulses in a highly supportive
environment.
Come and experience the magic of acting. It
resides in the present moment, where everybody is a gifted newcomer.
Raku and Hakoniwa—
Ceramic Symbols in a Sandbox
Noel Mapstead, Keiko Suga
& Katsuhiko Murakami
Noel and Keiko, Esalen’s longtime pottery
teachers, team up with Katsuhiko Murakami
to present Hakoniwa, a workshop that combines the joy of getting your hands in clay
with Jungian and Taoist psychology. In
Hakoniwa, participants “play” with toys in a
sandbox garden in a manner designed to
reveal what Jung calls “the symbol produced
at the place of consciousness and unconsciousness.”
Participants will create their own miniature
toys, using Big Sur clay and found natural
objects as well as use toys provided. The
group will create individual and group sandbox gardens, and take a field trip to a local
beach (for the ultimate sandbox). The workshop also features a Zen tea ceremony, a sweat
lodge with clay sculpting in the dark, and
mud baths in Esalen’s hot springs. In addition,
Katsuhiko Murakami will discuss his eighteen years of teaching Hakoniwa.
The leaders write: “Discovering symbolism
through art, we will play, create and explore
ourselves in a group setting, surrounded by
the sanctuary Esalen offers, the sandbox, and
the power of silent Gestalt. Join us for a week
of play, transformation, and compassion.”
Weekend of June 7–9
The Power of Your Intuition to Heal
Judith Orloff
We are keepers of an innate intuitive intelligence so powerful that it can tell us how to
heal and prevent illness. Dr. Judith Orloff, a
board-certified psychiatrist and practicing
intuitive, shows how to reclaim this intelligence. She believes that the future of medicine lies in reincorporating intuition and
spirituality—vital parts of our wisdom usually
disenfranchised from health care. With intuitive healing, every aspect of one’s being gains
a vote in the search for well-being, opening
the door to total health—of our bodies, our
emotions, and our sexuality.
In this experiential workshop, Dr. Orloff
details a practical program to access our intuitive ability to self-heal. She will teach participants to be in their bodies, sense subtle energies, evaluate their beliefs, listen to dreams,
and use the intuitive technique of remote
viewing. Participants will learn how intuition
facilitates:
Orloff ’s Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second
Sight.
June 9–16
Creativity Without Limits:
Painting and Point Zero
Michele Cassou & Carol Levow
For many of us it is difficult to just let go and
create. Programmed to fear being judged, we
set narrow boundaries on our creativity. The
“dragons” of product, meaning, and control
limit our choices of subjects, colors, and
forms. However, once we find Point Zero, the
ground from which creation springs, we can
push these fears and patterns aside and recapture the magic of spontaneous creation. This
work offers practical ways to dissolve creative
blocks and find inspiration so that, in a state
of infinite possibility, art becomes not a
means to an end but a place we inhabit, in
which to explore our true selves and the
mystery of our lives.
Michele Cassou has created an original
approach to painting as a tool for self-discovery and spiritual exploration, guiding students for over twenty years. This workshop is
designed to be seven days of support, stimulation, painting, free play, and self-realization
for artists and seekers of all stripes, educators,
counselors, and anyone with a thirst to revitalize the creative juices. No art experience is
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self-diagnosis
Relieving anxiety and depression
Awakening spirituality
Choosing a doctor and using medications
Clearing emotional blocks
Opening up and balancing sexuality
Maintaining the body’s physical health and
subtle energy system
• Strengthening good relationships and
salvaging bad ones
Please bring a dream journal to record your
dreams.
Note: This workshop is expected to have a
very large enrollment.
Recommended reading: Orloff, Dr. Judith
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necessary, just the desire to unleash your natural, spontaneous self-expression.
Michele will teach the mornings sessions;
Carol will teach the remaining sessions. For
more information, call 415-459-4829, e-mail
[email protected], or visit www.michelecassou.com.
Recommended reading and viewing: Cassou,
Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits and (coauthor) Life, Paint, and Passion; (videotapes) Birth
of a Process and Creativity and Passion.
Week of June 9–14
Deepening Our Peaceful Practice:
Yoga and Tai Chi
Deborah Anne Medow
& Catherine Elber-Wenner
The fluidity and focus of yoga and tai chi
make these two ancient systems natural complements to one another. As your body benefits from the balancing, harmonizing, and
strengthening imparted by the movements
and postures of tai chi and yoga, your mind
gradually fills with greater tranquillity and
quietude. The deep, permeating power of this
peacefulness becomes a source of rejuvenating nourishment on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.
This workshop will be five days of learning
and practicing tai chi and yoga. The sessions
will offer valuable and viable practices that
can be easily incorporated into the rhythm of
your daily life. There will also be time to
enjoy the beauty, power, and serenity of elemental nature on the Esalen grounds and the
Big Sur coast.
Completions and Transitions—
Letting Go and Moving On
Mary Goldenson
Often in our lives we feel incomplete with
the past. Unresolved issues inhibit us from
moving into the present with an open and
generous heart. Though we experience them
as “finished,” old memories continue to
haunt us. When we exist more in the past
than in the present, it is time to make the
distinction between “finished” and “complete.” Transitions without completions foster unsuccessful marriages, friendships, and
careers, producing sorrow and, some believe,
the causes of illness.
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Transitions are crossroads in our lives that
give us the opportunity to complete the past,
reconnect with our present truth, and renew
our passion, courage, and commitment for the
future. The focus of this workshop is an indepth review of our lives to try to discover
what needs to be transformed from “finished”
to “complete.”
The workshop will provide a safe, supportive
environment that includes risk taking,
intense bodywork, Gestalt, imagery, movement, and meditation to keep us committed
to the process of discovering ourselves.
The Co-Active Coaching Course
Craig Carr & Jil Windsor
People seeking powerful results and change
in their lives are hiring professional coaches
every day. Whether focused on specific goals
and achievement, personal growth, or transition, the whole-life model of Co-Active
Coaching emphasizes that authentic living
aligns with three fundamental principles: (1)
honoring core values is basic to a fulfilling
life; (2) choices from there lead to a life in balance; and (3) being aware of moment-tomoment experience sustains our aliveness
and purpose.
Co-Active Coaching refers to the collaborative, proactive, and client-designed relationship that allows the coaching to be dynamic
and effective. This experiential, skill-based
seminar will include intuition, curiosity, listening, self-management, and deepening
client learning while forwarding action as
essential elements to artful coaching. You will
coach and be coached in carefully designed
one-to-one and group exercises, and specific
feedback will be offered to accelerate the
learning of new skills and new tools.
This lively-paced program is appropriate for
curious beginners as well as seasoned coaches,
those incorporating coaching skills into their
current profession, or individuals wanting to
develop valuable communication and life
skills. It is the foundation workshop of the
Coaches Training Institute, fully accredited
by the International Coach Federation toward
certification as a professional coach. For more
information you can visit www.thecoaches.com.
Recommended reading: House, Sandahl &
Whitworth, Co-Active Coaching.
This class is licensed for CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs
through the Coaches Training Institute.
Deep Learning: Discovering What We
Know, Remembering Who We Are
Al McLeod
Gazing at the map...all the diversity of the world is
intimated on the parchment, even as the diversity
is intimated within me. The map and myself are
the same.
—Fra Mauro, 16th century monk
and cartographer
Recent brain research confirms that each
learning experience is accompanied by a
release of complex biochemicals. The meaning we assign to each experience plays a vital
role in whether we trigger our brain into
releasing stressful or pleasurable hormones; it
impacts our emotional, mental, and spiritual
well-being. Our habits of the heart—how we
interpret the world—form the inner maps that
describe and limit our boundaries. Our deepest maps are the assumptions of which we are
least conscious. Like a fish in water, we swim
in them unaware.
The goals of this workshop are (1) to examine
and clarify our most deeply embedded
assumptions, our maps of life, and (2) to sense
into our next step, to where our longings and
dreams call us. Only as we are conscious of
old maps and have a vision of new ones can
we bridge the gap between the two. As we
build the bridge to more skillful living, we
simultaneously shift inner maps and brain
chemistry.
To support this journey into deeper learning
states, the workshop will use guided inquiry
exercises, music and imagery, group ritual and
process, and elements of play and theater.
Recommended reading: Cowan, A Mapmaker’s
Dream; Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of
Living and Dying (first half ).
Natural Capitalism and the Resource
Efficiency Revolution
Amory Lovins
Capitalism defies its own logic by liquidating,
but not valuing, its largest stock of capital—
the natural resources and ecosystem services
that make possible all life. In contrast, natural
capitalism fully values physical, financial,
human, and natural capital.
Previous industrial revolutions economized
on people because the relative scarcity of people limited progress. Yet now people are abundant and nature is scarce. Applying the same
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
logic to this new pattern of scarcity, natural
capitalism makes resources 10-100 times more
productive. Natural capitalism also redesigns
industry on biological models with closed
loops and zero waste, and shifts the economy
from sales of objects to the continuous flow of
value and service. Finally, as any prudent capitalist must do, it reinvests in restoring, sustaining, and expanding the natural capital
that creates wealth and sustains life.
The result profitably addresses many social
problems. Lack of work and hope, shortages
of satisfaction and security, are not isolated
pathologies, but result from the intimate connections between the waste of resources,
money, and people. Their solutions are equally intertwined: firing the unproductive tons,
gallons, and kilowatt-hours lets us keep the
people, who will then have more and better
work to do.
This workshop, based on Amory Lovins’s book
Natural Capitalism (cowritten with Paul
Hawken and Hunter Lovins), is an in-depth
exploration of resource-management solutions.
“In the last five years, there has been an
exploding popularity in the practice of yoga,”
writes Thomas. “Although for thousands of
years this practice has aided the spiritual and
emotional development of millions of people,
in this modern day we tend to view yoga as a
purely physical practice. While the healing of
the body is an important aspect of hatha yoga,
there is a far greater depth which we are able
to access. We have many choices as we
approach the yoga room, yet we assume that
our initial encounter somehow defines the
breadth of yoga. Just as there are many styles
of dancing, there are many forms of yoga.
During this weekend we will explore some of
them as we build a personal practice.
“We will immerse ourselves in pranayama and
meditation, engage the slower and more
refined qualities of Iyengar yoga through the
focus on alignment and the use of props, dive
into the experience of restorative yoga,
express our hearts as we chant in Sanskrit
with live music, and purify our bodies with
the more vigorous vinyasa style as we conclude our yoga retreat.”
Developing a Personal Yoga Practice
Beginners are welcome. All yoga props will be
provided.
Focusing: The Inner Relationship
Ann Weiser Cornell
Focusing is a body-centered technique for
reaching beyond familiar thoughts and feelings to an underlying “felt sense” of something. Instead of the usual internal chatter,
you start to listen in a relaxed and friendly
way to the parts of yourself that do not normally get attention. Out of this deeper bodily
listening, creative and transformative openings can emerge.
This highly experiential workshop is a deep
introduction to the spirit, attitudes, and methods of Focusing. You’ll learn how to tune in to
“felt senses,” messages from your deeper self
that are held in your body. You’ll learn how to
create a climate of acceptance and welcome
within so that you can hear from these parts
of yourself without judgment. You’ll learn
how to receive the messages that lead to relief
and release in your body when you do.
The workshop will provide a safe and supportive atmosphere in which your inner
sense of rightness is respected, even to
whether and when you speak in the group.
You’ll learn how to guide yourself through a
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Focusing process, and you’ll practice partnership skills that support making Focusing a
regular and trusted part of your life.
Those who aren’t familiar with the Focusing
process will begin to learn to use it immediately. Those who are familiar with it will go
even deeper. Helping professionals will learn
powerful tools for working with clients.
Patterns of Love: The Mythic Journey
of Fathers and Daughters
Larry Lima & Mary Cole
All our significant relationships are lived
through patterns of loving established early
in our lives, not the least of which is that
between father and daughter. This experiential workshop uses play, guided meditation,
art, movement, and storytelling to explore the
mythic dimensions of this powerful, lifemolding relationship. How do daughters
form loving, healthy relationships with the
men in their lives? How do fathers foster loving independence in their daughters, allowing
them space to grow and become the women
they were meant to be? What happens when
things go wrong? What are the shadows of the
father-daughter bond? How do we heal, celebrate, change old patterns that don’t work for
us, and rejoice in the ones that do? What is a
daughter’s responsibility to her father? A
father’s responsibility to his daughter?
These questions will be explored through
delving into the archetypal spaces of three
myths: The Fisher King, The Handless Maiden,
and a Swedish story called Aris and the Dragon.
Working with story helps us to connect with
powerful forces in our lives in a safe, healing
way. Through working on our relationships as
fathers and daughters, in an atmosphere of
love and respect for everyone’s story, we heal
not only ourselves but generations of our families as well.
This workshop is open to all fathers, stepfathers, and adult daughters.
Week of June 16–21
ous beginners—express our deeply-felt intuitive response to the natural environment?
How can we put aside our learned skills, intellectual concepts, and familiar ideas which
block perception and inhibit us from taking
risks in our work? How do we let the wildness inside ourselves express, through the artmaking process, the essence of our personal
connection with wind, sky, light, land, sea,
and the miracle of growth?
Participants in this five-day workshop with
San Francisco artist Leigh Hyams will draw
and paint Esalen’s waterfalls, gardens, forest,
canyon, streams, and ocean, working on-site
and in the studio. Demonstrations, informal
discussions, and critiques are all an integral
part of the course. Previous art experience is
not a requirement.
($65 materials fee paid directly to the leader))
Authentic Breathing for Health and
Self-Transformation
Dennis Lewis
Drawing and Painting with Nature
Leigh Hyams
The great Sufi mystic Rumi wrote: “There is
one way of breathing that is shameful and
constricted. Then there’s another way: a
ED ODELL
How can we, as experienced artists—or curi-
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breath of love that takes you all the way to
infinity.”
To breathe is to live. To breathe fully is one of
the conditions of living fully. Unfortunately,
most of us do not breathe fully. We have lost
the dynamic, healthful power of natural, fullbody breathing that we had as babies and
young children. For most of us in our busy,
stress-filled lives, our breathing is generally
so “shameful and constricted” that it undermines our health, our vitality, and our consciousness.
Using ideas and practices from his acclaimed
book The Tao of Natural Breathing: For Health,
Well-Being, and Inner Growth and his more
recent audio program Breathing as a Metaphor
for Living, Dennis Lewis will take participants
on a fascinating journey into the physiology,
psychology, and spirituality of “natural breathing.” Through simple but powerful self-awareness, qigong, chanting, and breathing practices, and “Liangong in 18 Exercises” (a qigong
form that can help open up the internal
breathing spaces of the body), participants
will learn how to integrate natural, wholebody breathing into their lives to support
their overall health and their quest for selfknowledge and self-transformation.
Mountains and Waves:
Wilderness and Continuum
Susan Harper & Steven Harper
Wilderness is a primary teacher of movement,
creativity, and awareness whose richness and
beauty awakens our senses to the world
around us; Continuum movement takes us
inward, heightening our awareness of inner
experience. This workshop combines two
practices, integrating day-hiking in the magnificent Big Sur backcountry with the subtle
inner explorations of Continuum movement.
The hikes will introduce participants to basic
and increasingly refined awareness practices
to enhance sensitivity to all that wilderness
can offer. In so doing, there will be not only
contact with the natural world but also the
opportunity to reawaken those elements of
wilderness within.
During the indoor Continuum sessions, participants will explore movements that express
and embody what they have taken in during
the hikes, enlivening their ability to feel what
they experience in nature as well as in their
own inner nature. In this sensual environment, the group will play with movement,
breath, sound, dreams, and ritual.
This will be a time for contact with nature
and wilderness, inside and out. Participants
need not have previous experience in hiking
or dance.
Visionseeker: Shamanism and the
Modern Mystical Movement
Hank Wesselman & Jill Kuykendall
The rediscovery of shamanism has emerged
as a major thrust in the spiritual reawakening
sweeping the Western world. Virtually everyone in this broad movement is a seeker of the
direct, transformative experience of the
sacred, and the techniques of traditional
shamans provide an extraordinarily effective
method for accessing hidden dimensions of
reality and connecting with inner sources of
power and wisdom.
Hank Wesselman writes: “We will rediscover
our indigenous heart through the classic
shamanic journey, reestablishing connections
with our spirit helpers, teachers, ancestors, and
possibly descendants, as we engage in visionary
fieldwork and examine the nature of health, illness, and healing from the perspective of spirit
medicine.” The workshop provides a clear introduction for those new to the shaman’s path,
and, for more experienced inner travelers,
offers unique material on the soul cluster from
the Hawaiian kahuna perspective. The week
concludes with a powerful healing ritual.
Wesselman, an anthropologist, has worked for
more than thirty years with scientists investigating the mystery of human origins in East
Africa and has spent much of his life with
indigenous people. In the 1970s, while doing
fieldwork in Ethiopia, he began to have spontaneous visionary experiences strikingly like
those of traditional shamans.
Bring drums and rattles (if you have them), a
notebook, sketch pad, a small set of oil or
chalk pastels, a bandanna or eyeshade, and a
light blanket. Please refrain from alcohol during the workshop.
Recommended reading: Wesselman, Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future; Medicinemaker:
Mystic Encounters on the Shaman’s Path; and
Visionseeker: Shared Wisdom from the Place of
Refuge.
Senses Wide Open:
An Active Exploration of Presence
Johanna Putnoi
Scene: You shake hands with a stranger.
Warmth and kinship seem to flow into you.
Your body says, Pursue this relationship. You
tell yourself, I must be imagining things. You
turn away.
Scene: You go on a long walk. You return home
feeling fit and refreshed. Your body says, I feel
great. But when you look in the mirror you
tell yourself, I’ll never look the way I should.
Scene: Your lover’s touch feels rough, insensitive. Your muscles tense. You can’t seem to get
in a romantic mood. Your body says, I really
don’t like the way this feels. You tell yourself,
There must be something wrong with me.
Our body, in its wisdom, continually sends us
signals. We know we should pay attention,
but our mind takes over. We reject the body as
wrong—too weak, too lustful, too fat, too old.
Instead of listening to our body’s natural wisdom we do the opposite, then wonder why
we don’t feel better.
Learning to live fully in your body changes
your relationship to everything—to yourself,
to others, to the earth. This workshop in the
Lomi Somatic tradition integrates Western
psychological and bodywork perspectives
with Eastern spiritual disciplines. The tools
are presence, perception, contact, and practice. The disciplines used are meditation,
conscious movement, bodywork, breathwork, and Gestalt. This is an opportunity
to practice interrupting your habits of body,
heart, and mind by expanding your ability
to see, hear, sense, feel, and be existentially
present.
Recommended reading: Putnoi, Senses Wide
Open: The Art and Practice of Living in Your Body.
Unnamed Desires,
Unacknowledged Powers
George Leonard
Ever since humanity first learned to think
and hope, human beings have been haunted
by an irrepressible dream—that the limits of
human ability lie beyond the boundaries of
the imagination; that each of us uses only a
fraction of our abilities; that there must be
some way for everyone to achieve far more of
what is possible to achieve.
Now science is showing us that the creative
capacity of the human brain/body may be, for
all practical purposes, infinite. Research conducted by George Leonard and Michael
Murphy suggests that the best path to the
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realization of our latent powers lies in a longterm practice that integrates mind, body,
heart, and soul.
In this hands-on workshop, Leonard introduces you to Integral Transformative Practice
(ITP), a practice that can help you realize your
inborn genius while bringing you pleasure,
fulfillment, and good health. You will be
introduced to a forty-minute series that
includes physical movement, breathing practice, relaxation, transformative imaging, and
meditation. You will practice balancing and
centering and the creation of effective affirmations.
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery and
The Way of Aikido.
The Cycle of Fire: Introduction to the
Afro-Brazilian Spiritual Tradition
Tina de Souza
The Cycle of Fire is an introduction to the
world of the Afro-Brazilian tradition, specifically its Umbanda form, presented by Ialorixá
Tina de Souza (a Ialorixá is a medium who has
completed the highest level of initiation in
the Umbanda tradition). Umbanda brings
together ancient African practices with
indigenous Brazilian traditions.
The workshop will show how energy, as it
evolves, passes through stages that correspond
to the elements of Fire, Earth, Water, and Air.
The work will focus specifically on the four
Orixás of Fire, the distinctive qualities of energy associated with Fire called Elegbara, Ogum,
Oxumare, and Xango. From the primal fire of
Elegbara to its most elaborate expressions, the
workshop will explore how each Orixá has a
vibrational frequency and carries, within its
essence, a spiritual reality.
Through sacred rituals, the energies of the
Orixás and the form of consciousness associated with them can be accessed to balance
and harmonize the physical, emotional, and
spiritual bodies. Ritualistic drum rhythms,
songs, and movements serve as vehicles to
activate a new perception of the Self and its
relationship with Nature. Dance, in turn,
becomes movement experienced on profound
levels, allowing a journey to the essence of our
being. The workshop will also utilize group
process, the natural environment, and free
movements.
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Note: Please bring a set of white clothes, one
red shirt, and one pair of black pants to be
used during the work.
Making Art, Teaching Art—Releasing
Creativity in Yourself and Others
Leigh Hyams
This weekend workshop in the visual arts is
designed for teachers, group leaders, arts
administrators for community agencies, and
anyone interested in experiencing a a swift
release of their own creativity in the arts.
Guided by artist-teacher Leigh Hyams, participants will use a variety of orthodox and
unorthodox art materials, working from
imagination, observation, stories, ideas, and
Esalen’s natural beauty.
Studio sessions will be followed by discussions on attitudes and suggestions for inventive ways to impart creative openness and
freedom to others. Teachers will find fresh
ideas for integrating the arts into all subjects
so art becomes a natural part of the learning
process, not an isolated activity. Group leaders
and program administrators will find the artmaking process a useful tool in stimulating
creative thinking and recharging their art
programs. The workshop will deepen participants’ understanding of art and its importance as a necessary and pleasurable part of
their own lives and the lives of those they
touch. Previous experience in the arts is not a
requirement.
Recommended viewing: Making Marks: About
the Excitement and Importance of Making Art
(for ordering information see www.makingmarks.com).
CE credit available for teachers.
of the visionary? How are these skills developed and maintained? This program will not
only provide the remarkable research findings but will demonstrate these qualities in
filmed and live interviews.
The quest for a visionary life is a journey that
each of us is capable of. The focus of this
workshop will be on creating vivid dreams,
discovering the path to get there, and finding
the courage to travel the road.
Re-creating the Self through Poetry
Bonnie Roberts
Led by Pulitzer Prize nominee Bonnie
Roberts, this workshop explores poetry as a
vehicle to re-create the self. Using imagery—
primarily that of the tree of life—to help you
reconnect with a more whole and innocent
self, Bonnie guides individuals to redefine
their pasts as well as their views of life, both
now and in the future.
This workshop is designed to open, or rather
reopen, your creative life, which, Bonnie
believes, is “already perfectly intact.” She is not
a therapist, but a poet and mentor who has
found healing and re-creation of her own self
through the arts. A Pulitzer Prize nominee for
To Hide in the Light, Bonnie won the 1998
Alabama Book of the Year Award.
Participants will be asked to move creatively,
draw, share imagery experiences, and write.
No particular “skill” in writing is required.
June 23–30
The Visionary Life
Robert Maurer
In the past, psychology’s usefulness has traditionally been limited by its focus on people
with problems. Recent studies, however, have
centered on those who have succeeded in the
major challenges of life, from vocation to relationships. How did they achieve and sustain
success?
This weekend program explores one of the
key attributes common to all successful people: vision—the clear sense of purpose that
guides and sustains actions and emotions,
particularly during times of crisis. During
these challenging times, people of vision and
commitment are essential. What are the skills
Standing on Two Feet: Cortical Field
Reeducation® and Feldenkrais®—
Week II
Harriet Goslins, Sybil Krauter
& Carol Lessinger
Most adults, without realizing it, habitually
stand more on one leg than the other. A history of physical trauma or pain in one area asks
the body to compensate by bearing weight in
another area. Emotional traumas may also distort posture.
When there’s a leg we don’t stand on, physically we are gradually deteriorating our joints,
from both underuse and overuse; we hold old
compensations in place, preventing complete
healing from old injury and increasing the
risk of new injury from falls, lifting, or athlet-
ics. Emotionally, there may be some viewpoint we don’t have available, some behavior
we feel not at choice about.
Through floor work and table work, participants will address remaining problems in
eyes, neck, shoulders, ribs, spine, pelvis,
knees, ankles, and feet. The metaphoric question “Are you able to stand on your own two
feet?” will be answered by increased permission for personal power, self-trust, compassionate boundary-setting, and having what
you want. Healing is learning.
Please note: This workshop is open only to
those who have completed Harriet Goslins’s
introductory seven-day workshop (see March
10-17).
Week of June 23–28
Qigong Training: For Health Care and
Personal Transformation
Roger Jahnke
Chinese Yoga, known as Qigong (Chi Kung)
is emerging as the self-healing tool of choice
in many people’s lives and in hospitals,
HMOs, and retreat centers throughout the
world. This training is designed for those who
seek healing as well as those who wish to go
on to teach Qigong to others.
“Throughout the training we will advance
through practice of Qigong and Tai Chi
forms, exploration of Chinese medical theory,
forays into inspiring philosophies of Taoists,
Buddhists, and Alchemists, enlightening
comparisons with Western physiology and
quantum physics, with a weaving of instructor training. Very simple methods of Qigong
healing will be introduced as well.
“For those who seek healing this is an opportunity for deep immersion in Qigong learning and practice. For those who wish to
become Qigong teachers this training will be
equivalent to a major portion of Level One (of
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Roger Jahnke writes: “We will begin with the
simplest levels of self-healing known as Dao
Yin, including gentle Tai Chi body movements, self-massage, breath practice, and meditation. By the conclusion we will have
learned and practiced at least five beautiful
Qigong forms, including Tendon Changing,
Marrow Washing, Seven Precious Gestures,
and numerous standing and sitting Qigong
meditations.
three) for the Qigong Instructor Training
Program at the Santa Barbara College of
Oriental Medicine. For all of us, we will be
creating and bathing in a field of pure and
radiant Qi.”
blend of historical, geographical, and cultural
influences that are uniquely encouraging of
personal change and growth: It’s the place we
come to begin again, to make ourselves up
anew.”
Big Sur and Esalen are considered a Mecca for
those seeking this fertile and restorative state
of mind. They are inevitable destinations for
studying the ways of transformation, greater
personal fulfillment, and the rewards of natural wisdom. A veteran facilitator and gatekeeper in this domain, David offers: “Come
join me in wise consideration of what it takes
California Dreaming: Staying Fully
Alive and Living by Your Own Rules
David Schiffman
“California is not just a state,” says David
Schiffman. “It’s a state of mind, an alchemical
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to keep true to your own path and make a real
life out of your heart’s desire. Together we will
examine the six essential concerns necessary
to live a fully-realized existence:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Presence to Self
Presence to Others
Presence to Place
Presence to Spirit
Presence to Purpose
Presence of Mind
“Come prepared to be deeply engaged in what
matters most to you. Share in the midst of
community and spirit-family—a place to meet
yourself and others with openness and honesty in a climate of mutual support. Join me
in retrieving the romance, adventure, and
fresh eyes we need to live with enthusiasm
and authenticity.”
• Select the appropriate wood
• Cut, glue, sand, and finish the body of the
drum
• Weld the tuning rings
• Stretch the drum skin using the distinctive
Mali knot
should wear loose clothing suitable for movement, and should memorize, though not prepare, a short piece of text (other than a song) so
that its words may be used if necessary.
In the end, your drum will reflect the care
and attention to detail of a fine handcrafted
instrument. Its sound will be filled with the
spirit of you, the craftsperson.
Freedom from Fear
($100 materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
David Richo
Only a paradox comes close to comprehending
the fullness of life.
— C.G. Jung
There are three simple steps toward handling
neurotic fear:
Experiencing Esalen
First, admit you feel fear. This breaks through
all the rationalizations by which you talk
yourself out of the fear or make it into something else. Instead of saying “I am uncomfortable around her,” say “I am afraid of her.”
Vicki Topp
Awakening Creativity and Inspiration
Esalen Massage is a creative form of bodywork that is continually evolving. Through
brief lectures and demonstrations along with
supervised hands-on practice sessions this
workshop will present the fundamental elements of Esalen Massage such as breath
awareness, quality of touch, and long integrative body strokes. The leader will also include
some of the creative stretches and table movements that are currently part of her work.
This workshop is for beginners as well as
those who work with their bodies, especially
performing artists, athletes, dancers, and individuals interested in learning some new
approaches to massage.
Jayson Fann & The Esalen Arts Center Staff
Ashiko Drum Making
Jayson Fann & Terry Craven
The Ashiko drum is a dynamic, acoustically
rich drum from Africa. Its voice is deep and
earthy while embodying a tonal range that is
versatile and expressive. Today the Ashiko
drum is played by percussion and rhythm
enthusiasts throughout Africa and around the
world. Its melodic quality makes it a wonderful drum for the beginner as well as the
advanced drummer.
In this workshop Jayson and Terry will guide
you step by step through the process of creating your own instrument. You will learn how
to:
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For workshop description see April 26-28.
Voic(e)motion
Guy Dartnell
“In this workshop,” Guy Dartnell writes, “we
will explore, through improvisation, how to
integrate voice and movement as well as how
to access and express hidden emotional qualities within ourselves. The workshop will aim
to create an atmosphere in which we can let
go of some of our fears surrounding the
notion of what it is to be emotional in public,
and instead experience the full range of our
emotional voice/bodies. Rather than focus on
the content of our emotions, or on where they
may or may not stem from, we will look at
what it is to be them—to embody and vocalize
the patterns and rhythms inherent within
them, so that we can both ’play’ with them as
well as feel them. This process involves exercises and improvisations of both an individual and group nature, so that we can explore
the edges where our expressive identities
blend with those of others, while developing
our sense of presence and spontaneity.”
Though taught from a performance perspective, the workshop is as appropriate for those
purely interested in deepening their selfexpression as it is for those interested in
developing as a creator/performer. Participants
Second, feel the fear fully, with no attempts to
get rid of it. Shake, shudder, do whatever it
takes to experience the emotion.
Third, and most difficult, act as if fear could
not stop you. Act as if you were fearless. This
is the truth. Since you actually contain all
opposites, you do have fearlessness inside you.
It is only that you have not accessed it. This
adds resourcefulness to your defenselessness.
When you follow these three steps, you begin
to trust that you really can live through fear.
That makes courage real. You have counterpoised reality to unreality, true evidence to
false. This makes you trust yourself and
enriches your self-respect.
Admit, feel, and act is paradoxical because you
are doing the very thing that you feared! “I am
afraid of this roller coaster, so let’s buy the
tickets.” You trick yourself into getting over
the fear. You fear the water and integrate it by
learning to swim. The way to integrate fear is
to admit it, feel it, and act over it. This is freedom from fear.
This weekend workshop will be spent applying these principles to real-life situations.
Evolution and Relationship
Gordon Wheeler
We’ve grown accustomed to simplistic models
of evolutionary psychology that tell us that
our inherited human nature is fundamentally
competitive and aggressive, that our life in a
“state of nature” is a struggle for dominance.
Applied as they have been to society and personal relations, these models leave us in a
continuing education programs
Going Within: The Fifth Limb of Yoga
A Longing for Wholeness
Yoga Practice: Fueling the Inner Fire
The Body Keeps the Score
Sensory Awareness
Treating Trauma: An Integrative Approach
The High-Performance Mind
Getting Real: Truth as a Path to Freedom
Energy Recalibration—Level I
Grace in Dying
Self as Instrument: For Therapists
Life Energy Process®
EMDR and Meditation: For Therapists
Sports Massage and Chi Gung
Opening to Ourselves and Others
Qigong and Inner Alchemy
The Art of Leadership
Upledger CranioSacral I
Soul Search: Embracing Our Spirit
Reclaiming Your Body
Core Holoenergetics
Unmasking the Soul
The Enlightened Healer
The Courage to Be You
Body of Awareness
Advanced Massage Intensive
Self-Healing: Awakening Health and Vitality
EMDR: Advanced Clinical Workshop
Radical Rx for Health Professionals
Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Deep Healing: Mind/Body Medicine
Cortical Field Reeducation®and Feldenkrais®
The Heart of the Shaman
Esalen Massage Retreat
Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
Approaches to Death, Grief, and Illness
Spiritual Reflexology
Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
Esalen Massage and Energetic Healing
Overcoming Back Pain
Healing of Heart and Mind
28-Day Massage Certification
Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
Celebration of the Body: Self-Empowerment
Transformational Kinesiology
Healing from Trauma: Body Interventions
Just Sitting: Exploration into Meditation
The Transformative Power of Emotions
Yoga: Refining, Magnifying Body, Mind, Being
For additional information on CE courses for
nurses, contact Sherry Galloway, R.N., Continuing
Education Coordinator, 831-667-3000.
Please note: All two-day workshops offer 10 hours
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Apr 21-26
Apr 21-26
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Apr 26-28
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Apr 28-May 3
Apr 28-May 3
Apr 28-May 3
Apr 28-May 3
May 3-5
May 5-10
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May 10-12
May 12-17
May 12-17
May 17-24
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May 19-24
May 24-26
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May 26-31
May 26-31
May 31-June 2
May 31-June 2
June 2-7
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June 16-21
June 16-21
June 16-21
June 21-23
June 23-30
June 23-28
June 23-28
June 28-30
Couples’ Communication
Not For the Feint of Heart
Secrets Kept From the Mind
Intimate Connections
Transformation through Tibetan Meditation
Upledger Lymph Drainage Therapy I
The Body as Sacred Ground
Forgiveness and Intimacy
Psychic and Intuitive Healing
Radical Healing and the Alchemical Body
Adventures in Bodywork
Awakening the Mind: Mastering Brainwaves
Anger, Madness, and Creativity
Getting to Resolution
Life, Paint, Passion: The Painting Experience
I-You-Us: Pleasure, Intimacy, Connectedness
Meditating Together: Insight Dialogue
Yoga and Balance
Reinhabiting Your Body
Yoga Practice: The Hero’s Journey
Getting Real: Truth as a Path to Freedom
Self Awakening: The Ultimate Medicine
Waking Up from Depression
Traditional Thai Medical Massage
Intensely Personal: For High-Risk Takers
Transforming Trauma with EMDR
Eating, Food, and the Body/Self
Esalen Massage, Essential Oils, Movement
Communication and Partnership
OpenMind Training
Lasting Love: Real or Just a Fairy Tale?
Transformation: From Facade to Self
Hanna Somatics: Freeing Muscles and Emotions
The Subtle Self
Upledger SomatoEmotional Release I
The Power of Your Intuition to Heal
Deepening Practice: Yoga and Tai Chi
Completions and Transitions
The Co-Active Coaching Course
Developing a Personal Yoga Practice
Focusing: The Inner Relationship
Authentic Breathing
Visionseeker: Shamanism
Senses Wide Open
The Visionary Life
Cortical Field Reeducation® and Feldenkrais®
Qigong Training
Evolution and Relationship
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of CE credit and all five-day workshops offer 26 hours.
If you wish to receive a certificate, please notify your
workshop leader. There is a $10 fee for each certificate
of completion, payable to the office
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Jan 27-Feb 1
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Mar 29-31
Mar 31-Apr 5
Mar 31-Apr 5
Apr 5-7
Apr 5-7
Apr 5-7
registered nurses (provider number 01152).
The Board of Registered Nursing has approved
Esalen as a provider of continuing education for
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massage practitioners and bodyworkers
by the National Certification Board for
Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)
as a continuing education provider under
Category A (provider number 043062-00).
Workshops for which CE credit has either been
approved or is pending are listed below and also
noted in the Seminars section. For current status
information, contact Brita Ostrom at 831-667-3040.
D
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salen is an approved provider of continuing education for: psychologists,
accredited by the American Psychological
Association (Esalen maintains responsibility for
the program; California psychologists may now
use APA courses toward their mandatory continuing education requirements); MFTs and
LCSWs by the California Board of Behavioral
Sciences (provider number PCE403); and
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invitational conferences
ED ODELL
S
The Esalen Center For
Theory And Research
Survival of Bodily Death
Conference
I
April 1–6, 2001
n its ongoing commitment to the
fields of education, religion, philosophy,
and the physical and behavioral sciences,
Esalen regularly sponsors invitational conferences that bring together experts who share
their research and points of inquiry. These
conferences promote a cross-fertilization of
disciplines that have been shunned by traditional educational institutions, leading to pioneering projects in medicine, education,
psychology, somatics, meditation research,
physics, and Russian-American relations.
Most recently, these conferences have been
convened under the banner of the Esalen
Center for Theory and Research (CTR).
72
In December, 1998 Esalen’s Center for Theory
and Research launched its first in a series of
annual conferences on the topic of Survival of
Bodily Death. Bringing together a variety of
scholars whose expertise ranges from neardeath studies and neurobiology to child psychiatry and transpersonal psychology, this
annual conference convened for the third
time at Esalen in April, 2001. Combining a
mix of both new and old faces, this gathering
witnessed some fascinating new perspectives
on how human consciousness may possibly
survive death as well as informative updates
on research being conducted by previous
attendees.
New Presentations
The conference began with presentations
from the new members to this annual conference series. University of Virginia psychiatrist Jim Tucker kicked things off with his
research on children who remember past
lives. Tucker has verified and documented a
number of startling pieces of evidence, such
as birthmarks on children’s bodies that correspond with memories of bullet wounds
received in previous lives. Stanford
University lucid-dream researcher Stephen
La Berge followed by discussing the implications of his work with expanded dream states
of consciousness for the survival thesis.
Transpersonal psychologist Arthur Hastings
addressed the question of why so many academicians dismiss the quality empirical data
supporting the view that human conscious-
ness can function independently of the body.
In this light, Hastings mentioned the wellknown NDE (near-death experience) case of
Pam Reynolds, in which a hospital patient
accurately reported details of her operation
and operating room while, medically speaking, she was dead. In the evening of the first
day Institute of Noetic Sciences educator
Christopher Bache capped off the new presentations by describing his more collective
approach to the question of reincarnation and
karma. He noted that the “soul” may be less
like an individual unit of consciousness than
a node in a “soul field.” Because Westerners
have a tendency to think of reincarnation as a
progression of discrete souls through time,
Bache spotlighted a more collective perspective on karma.
researcher Emily Kelly. The book will be a
tribute to Frederic Myers and a reevaluation
of his work in light of 20th century research.
None of these young women had previously
been to Esalen. A sampling of their writings,
written during the retreat:
Overall, the conference was a wonderful success. Novel, rich, and varied perspectives on
the topic of survival were shared, and the
group’s commitment to the book project is
strong under the leadership of the Kellys.
Plans were made to develop it further and
meet again at Esalen in May, 2002.
Well, I’ve been very happy because I’m the first person in my family to get a high school diploma.
Damn I feel good after people started following me,
then my cousin got his high school diploma two
days ago. Damn we both feel good, when I get older
I want to be a social worker, and in order for me to
accomplish this goal I have to keep moving forward and never look back and make sure I don’t
let anyone get me down. Damn I feel good.
— Frances Houston
Other conference participants included John
and Alyce Faye Cleese, Esalen staff member
Berni Riechelmann, and CTR coordinator
Frank Poletti.
Special thanks to the Institute of Noetic Sciences,
co-sponsor of this conference series.
Presentations from Other Participants
Transpersonal psychologist Charles Tart
opened the second day’s presentations with
some insights into how the field of survival
studies can advance itself. Pointing out that
mediums and psychics rarely cross-validate
each other, Tart called for independent verification of and training in these professions.
Following Tart, philosopher Michael Grosso
predicted that transpersonal psychology and
parapsychology will become more unified in
the coming years as they combine the fruits
of their research toward articulating a more
comprehensive new paradigm which is inclusive of survival studies. Next, Canadian
anthropologist Antonia Mills reviewed her
work with the reincarnation beliefs of two
Northwest Native American tribes, the
Gitxsan and Witsuwit’en. They maintain the
startling belief that it is possible for a soul to
choose to reincarnate in multiple bodies
simultaneously.
Spirit Awakening Foundation
Conference
June 22–24,2001
For the third consecutive year, Esalen hosted a
Spirit Awakening Foundation retreat for
young people from the inner cities of Los
Angeles. These youths were graduates of
“Unmasking Your Authentic Voice,” a program
founded by writer/actress Akuyoe Graham
which utilizes writing as the vehicle to explore
values and identity issues. Esalen provided the
Spirit Awakening participants a supportive
environment in which they were encouraged
to push past cultural and economic parameters
into the realm of spirit and mind.
Who am I is the question, the question I ask myself
and my soul. I sit here dazed and confused, wondering who am I and who am I going to be in life.
Well, I see myself and my soul full of joy, full of
laughter and happiness. I am going to be who I
always wanted to be no matter how long and hard
it takes me I will be who I want to be.
— Sandra Clantz
…As I sit with my sister and this wonderful group
of people I have developed a better relationship
with everyone, and every time we sit down to eat I
say to myself, Damn we don’t have any meat…
Much love and peace and I wish I had some meat.
— Frances Harstar
I’m willing to receive
Now that I’ve destroyed the negative in me.
Now I’m willing to receive what I need the most.
Love.
I’m willing to receive positive things of life.
— Christine Churtine
Myers’ Model of the Mind
On the third day, author and psychotherapist
Adam Crabtree explained Frederic Myers’
detailed model of the human mind. A book of
enormous scope, Myers’ monumental work,
Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily
Death (1903), has served as the inspirational
fount for this conference series. Using an
array of visual displays, Crabtree highlighted
a number of the features of Myers’ model,
including his notions of the subliminal mind,
the meta-ethereal world, and the threshold of
repression.
Book Project
The week closed with a spirited discussion
about launching a collaborative book project
spearheaded by the husband-and-wife team of
neuropsychologist Ed Kelly and psychiatric
73
S
special programs
T
he programs listed below are either
part of an ongoing series or longer
than the standard Esalen workshop.
Prices quoted below for these programs are
for standard accommodations as described in
Reservation Information, page 86. Sometimes
bunk bed space is available at a reduced rate.
Scholarships are also available; please see
Scholarship Information on page 87.
March 24–April 21
28-Day Massage Certification
Program
Sherry Galloway & Perry Holloman
The Esalen monthlong massage program provides a minimum of 150 hours of instruction
in fundamental massage skills. This training
includes principles of movement, anatomy,
massage technique, and meditative awareness
that are the basis for this work. Attention will
be given to self-care, legal and ethical considerations, and, as time permits, special circumstances and contraindications that can arise in
the practice of massage.
Upon satisfactory completion of the program,
students wishing to fulfill California certification requirements will have six months to
give and document 30 practice massage sessions. Upon payment of a $50 processing fee,
a state-approved certificate of completion will
be issued.
This is a professional training group with limited admission. To request an application, contact the Esalen Office at 831-667-3000. Please
submit your application, along with a letter
stating your personal intention in taking this
training, to Sherry Galloway, Massage
Certification Program, Esalen Institute, Big
Sur, CA 93920.
Standard accommodations: $3975
Bunk bed room, if available: $2980
June 2–7
River’s Wisdom, Mountains’s Way:
A Wilderness Retreat
David Schiffman &
The West Wolf Medicine Society
Home base for this Ventana Wilderness
retreat will be Kachun, a 4,000-year-old
Esselen Indian village site situated on the
banks and high cliffs above the Arroyo Seco
River, one of the few designated “Wild and
Scenic Rivers” in the U.S. that remains
undammed and unchanged. It is a place that
reverberates with ancient aboriginal life as
well as with the romance and pristine beauty
of colonial California’s Rancheria days.
“Our aim,” writes David, “is to share the ‘old
ways’ of earth-based spirit medicine and the
natural, timeless realities of tribal village living. There will be time to explore the surrounding mountains, with their hidden treasures of oak-studded savannas interlaced with
cool streams abounding with wildlife.
“Our focus will be on physical and emotional
attunement and purification, along with personal reflection, rest, and rejuvenation, using a
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Daily sessions will consist of a combination of
lecture, demonstration, and supervised
hands-on practice. There will be some written
assignments and ample time for practice outside of class time. Students will be assisted in
learning how to balance the technical information with their own intuitive and creative
instincts. Sessions will be available for interand intrapersonal issues that need attention
and daily feedback will be encouraged.
74
variety of activities drawn from both Native
American and human potential practices. Our
intention is to examine, clarify, and strengthen
what it takes to live a soulful, authentic, creative life, a life that echoes the profound natural power that Mother Earth’s gifts provide to
those who have the courage to stop and listen.”
The trip is suitable for newcomers as well as
seasoned wilderness veterans. No strenuous
hiking is required. For further information
call 831-659-9577. $885
Please note: Because of this expenses incurred in
preparing this wilderness workshop, a nonrefundable deposit of $200 is required to reserve
a space, with the balance due 14 days before
the program begins. If you cancel prior to 30
days before the retreat, your deposit may be
applied to other Esalen programs, to be used
within one year. If you cancel 30 days or less
from the start date, your deposit is forfeited.
Ongoing Series
The Kabbalah and Healing
Close collaborators for over thirty years,
Rabbi Steven Fisdel and Dr. Gerald Cohen
have been working to apply the most central
teachings of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, to the areas of diagnosis, physical treatment, and psycho-emotional therapy.
In the course of working with clients and
patients, Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen have
identified precise stages of the healing
process and have developed practices for the
expansion of consciousness and for integrated
healing. Their work is enhanced by correlating Kabbalist doctrines with the wisdom
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism as well as with
current scientific research in the areas of consciousness, healing, and spirituality.
As part of an ongoing program of research
and development, Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen
are presenting an evolving series of seminars,
sharing their most recent findings, demonstrating their cutting-edge technology, and
guiding participants through successive
stages of the healing process as well as
through expanding levels of consciousness
and personal transformation.
All seminars in this series are geared for new
participants and former seminarians alike.
Each seminar emphasizes new perspectives,
presents current research, and reviews pertinent material from earlier workshops.
See Experiencing Kabbalistic Healing,
Three Pillars of Asian Wisdom
The Asian classics—Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching,
Chuang Tzu’s Inner Chapters, Confucius’s
Doctrine of the Golden Mean, Buddhism’s Zen
Oxherding Pictures, Compassionate Heart Sutra,
and the I Ching—have been gaining newfound
appreciation worldwide. For the first time,
Esalen is endeavoring to offer the type of
ongoing, in-depth study in these wisdom traditions normally available only in graduatelevel Asian Studies programs (See Three
A small library on health and transformation,
healing, somatics, psychology, bodywork, and
related subjects is available for teachers, practitioners, and students while at Esalen. For
access to this project, write to Laurie Lioness
Parizek at Esalen, call 831-667-3000, or e-mail
[email protected]. For further information about
the EMBA, write to EMBA at Esalen, call 831667-3018, e-mail [email protected], or visit the
EMBA website at www.esalenmassage.org.
Pillars of Asian Wisdom, March 17-22,
and Embodying the I Ching: Further
Explorations, March 22-24).
Chungliang Al Huang grew up in the villages
of China, where he received his training in
the classics and a variety of Oriental fine arts
and martial arts. The son of prominent
Chinese scholars, Huang left the mainland
with his family in 1949 to migrate to America,
where he continued to explore ways to share
his lifelong learning: to translate the universal
wisdom of these philosophical classics into
tools for everyday living in the West. A
teacher at Esalen since the mid-sixties, he has
collaborated with seminal thinkers such as
Gregory Bateson, Joseph Campbell, and Alan
Watts, who called Huang “a gifted teacher
who works upon others as the sun and rain
upon plants.”
Huang is founder of the Living Tao
Foundation, an international cultural arts network for lifelong learning, and director of the
Lan Ting Institute, a cross-cultural study and
conference center located in the historic
sacred mountains of the People’s Republic of
China and at Oregon’s Gold Beach.
Q
future
programs
L
isted here are some of the programs
scheduled for the months ahead. This is
not an invitation to register, but information to assist you in your long-range plans
to participate in an Esalen workshop. Dates
are subject to change; please call the Esalen
office or see the next catalog for more specific
information.
June 30–July 5
Drums of Passion: African Drumming,
Dancing, and Chanting
Babatunde Olatunji & Friends
Ridhwan Teachings
Joyce Lyke & Jessica Moore Britt
Esalen Outreach and Education
and the EMBA
This project extends Esalen’s work in the healing arts and sciences. An independent serviceoriented program of Esalen teachers and associates, Esalen Outreach and Education offers a
global information network linking Esalen
visitors to centers, teachers, and health professionals in somatics, psychology, and massage,
so people may continue their Esalen experience after returning home. Some Esalen practitioners and teachers travel in the United
States as well as internationally and are available for private sessions and classes. If you are
interested, please let us know. The Esalen
Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA)
also extends Esalen Massage and associated
skills. (Our listings are public information and
are not meant to be an endorsement of any
individual or institution.)
Steve Harper
Creating Exact Moments of Healing
May 5-10.
75
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audio recordings
The Dolphin Tape Series
Dolphin Tapes has no complete catalog, just overlapping tape lists. When you place an order,
let us know your field of interest or your favorite speakers. We may have more information
on some of them. Many tapes are in stereo. Tape length is normally 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Single-tape titles are $10:
Abraham/McKenna/Sheldrake: TRIALOGUES: Cast of Characters, 1989-90
Anne Armstrong: On Being a Psychic, 1971
Anne & Jim Armstrong: The Power of Intuition, 1987
Angeles Arrien: Eight Universals that Sustain Health, 1990
Gregory Bateson: Cultural Relativity and Belief Systems, 1976
John Blofeld: Taoist and Zen Practice, 1978
Robert Bly: Six Powers of Poetry, 1983
David Brower: Breaking the Species Barrier, 1971
Fritjof Capra: Ecological Vision, 1984
Barry Commoner: Human Meaning of Environmental Crisis, 1971
Prem Das: The Singing Earth (Huichol Chanting), 1977
Ram Dass: Yoga of Daily Life, 1970
Big Sur Drums: The Sky Children, 1968
James Fadiman: Guided Fantasy and Fairy Tales, 1972
James Fadiman: Hasidic and Sufi Teaching Stories, 1980
Stanislav Grof: A New Paradigm for Psychotherapy, 1980
Willis Harman: Origin of the Psychedelic 1960s, 1977
Arthur Hastings: Transpersonal Realities, 1979
John Heider: Living in the Tao, 1987
Albert Hofmann: LSD and the Nature of Reality, 1978
Aldous Huxley: Human Potentialities (MIT Cambridge), 1961
Aldous Huxley: Visionary Experience (MIT Cambridge), 1961
Robert Johnson: The Roots of Modern Masculinity, 1990
Stanley Keleman: Biological Roots of Consciousness, 1970
Jack Kornfield: The Sword of Wisdom (Boston), 1979
Jack Kornfield: The Smile of the Buddha (Bombay), 1982
Stanley Krippner: Communes, Telepathy, and Dreams, 1977
Timothy Leary: American Culture: 1945-1985 (College of Marin), 1977
Janet Lederman: Early Childhood Experience (Gazebo), 1987
George Leonard: Steps Toward Utopia, 1966
John C. Lilly: The Dolphin Experience, 1969
John C. Lilly: Dolphin Behavior with Humans, 1976
Abraham Maslow: Self-Actualization, 1966
Abraham Maslow: Psychology of Religious Awareness, 1967
Terence McKenna: Hot Concepts and Melting Edges, 1994
Terence McKenna: Laws and Freedom, Habits and Novelty, 1994
Ralph Metzner: Varieties of Human Transformation, 1984
Robert Muller: Toward the Language of Happiness (Tarrytown), 1983
Humphry Osmond: Early Psychedelic History, 1976
Joseph Chilton Pearce: Intelligence of the Heart, 1992
Fritz Perls: Dream Theory and Demonstration, 1967-1968
Fritz Perls: Gestalt Therapy and How It Works, 1966
Paul Rebillot: The Pluto Story: Journey into Madness, 1984
Carl Rogers: The Person of Tomorrow, 1970
Carl Rogers: My Philosophy and How It Grew, 1972
Rogers/Bateson: Dialogue on Thinking, Feeling, Learning, 1975
Will Schutz: An Inner Fantasy Experience, 1969
Will Schutz: Principles and Philosophy of Encounter, 1970
Bob Schwartz: Shifting Nature of the Human Journey (Tarrytown), 1983
Charlotte Selver: An Introduction to Sensory Awareness, 1969
Rupert Sheldrake: Morphic Resonance, Formative Causation (Bombay), 1982
Sheldrake/Pearce: Resonant Fields of Heart and Brain, 1993
John “Jay” Shelfer: Taoist Chi Energy Breath Movement, 1993
Julian Silverman: A Lighthearted Course in Miracles, 1984
Huston Smith: The Coming World Civilization, 1968
David Steindl-Rast: The Body, Sensuousness, and Spirituality, 1990
Richard Tarnas: The Passion of the Western Mind, 1993
Charles Tart: On the Paranormal, 1971
Wilson Van Dusen: The Nature of Humanness, 1969
Alan Watts: Divine Madness, 1968
Carl Whitaker: On Becoming a Professional Therapist, 1989
Arthur M. Young: The Reflexive Universe, 1973
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Two-tape titles are $16:
Walt Anderson & Ted Roszak: (2) The Upstart Spring (Esalen), 1984
Angeles Arrien: (2) Cross-Cultural Shamanic Practice, 1991
Gregory Bateson: (2) Balinese Culture and Shamanism, 1976
Prem Das: (2) The Huichol Cosmology (Creation & Return), 1977
Ram Dass: (2) One Man’s Journey to the East, 1969
Bruce Kumar Frantzis: (2) Taoist Philosophy and Practice, 1994
Buckminster Fuller: (2) The Critical Path (Maui), 1982
Stanislav Grof: (2) The Birth Trauma, 1981
Stanislav Grof: (2) The Cosmic Game, 1987
Jean Houston: (2) The Possible Human (Boston), 1979
Robinson Jeffers’s Poetry: (2) A Dramatic Celebration (Carmel), 1972
Timothy Leary: (2) The Power of Imprinting, 1982
Joseph Chilton Pearce: (2) The Magical Child, 1975
Frederic Spiegelberg: (2) India and the Saints, 1964
Wilson Van Dusen: (2) Confronting Hallucinations, 1982
Alan Watts: (2) Eastern Religion and Western Therapy, 1971
Watts/Grof/Silverman: (2) The Science of Madness, 1968
Watts/Perry/Ginsberg/Naranjo: (2) The Poetry of Madness, 1968
Janet Zuckerman: (2) The Feeling Process, 1987
Four-tape titles are $34:
Ralph Abraham: (4) The Chaos Revolution, 1994
James Fadiman: (4) A Weekend of Stories, 1984
David Finkelstein: (4) Indeterminacy and Undecidability, 1978
Roland Fischer: (4) Creative, Psychotic, and Ecstatic States, 1969
Buckminster Fuller: (4) Integrity Day (Marin), 1983
Abraham Maslow: (4) An Informal Weekend in Big Sur, 1966
Terence McKenna: (4) Eros, Chaos, and Meaning’s Edge, 1994
Terence McKenna: (4) Deeper and Broader Questions, 1994
Rupert Sheldrake: (4) Resonance and the Habits of Nature, 1987
Rupert Sheldrake: (4) Rebirth of Nature: Revival of Animism, 1990
David Steindl-Rast: (4) Living in the Now, 1988
David Steindl-Rast: (4) Enjoying Poetry, 1992
Andrew Weil: (4) New Insights into Addiction, 1987
Colin Wilson: (4) Human Evolution and a New Psychology, 1968
The Dolphin Vinyl Album Tape Sets:
Gregory Bateson: (6) Steps to an Ecology of Mind, 1980
UCSB Symposium: (6) Entheogens, The Spiritual Psychedelics, 1983
John C. Lilly: (6) Ego, Self, and Essence, 1971
John C. Lilly: (6) The East Coast Workshop, 1973
Abraham Maslow: (6) The Eupsychian Ethic, 1969
Joseph Chilton Pearce: (6) Journey to the Heart, 1990
Rupert Sheldrake: (6) Resonance and Presence of the Past, 1985
Andrew Weil: (6) All You Wanted to Know About Drugs, 1993
Robert Anton Wilson: (6) The “Coincidance” of Joyce, 1985
Ruthy Alon: (6) Lessons in the Feldenkrais Method (Series I or II)
Terence McKenna: (8) Collected Talks: Series I (1982-83) or II (1983-86)
Terence McKenna: (8) The Esalen Scholar-In-Residence Series, 1989
Julian Silverman: (8) Commentaries on A Course in Miracles, 1980
Colin Wilson: (8) The New Analytic Philosophy, 1967
Colin Wilson: (8) New Pathways in Human Evolution, 1990
Selections: (8) Early Psychedelic Years (Series I), 1977-1983
Buckminster Fuller: (8) The Pajaro Dunes Tapes, 1977
Moshe Feldenkrais: (6) Awareness Through Movement Lessons (Series I)
Terence McKenna: (8) True Hallucinations (A Talking Book), 1984
Abraham/McKenna/Sheldrake: (10) TRIALOGUES at the Edge, 1989-90
Virginia Satir: (10) Conjoint Family Therapy, 1968
Esalen Symposium: (12) Wilhelm Reich: His Life and Work, 1974
Gregory Bateson: (12) Informal Esalen Lectures, 1975-1980 (Archives)
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$60
$66
$66
$66
$66
$66
$72
$72
$72
$72
$84
$84
$96
$96
Please add $3.00 to your complete order for handling and mailing (add $3.00
more if you wish priority mail). Overseas orders add $1.00 per tape for mailing.
California residents include 7.25% tax. Institutional purchase orders please add
10% to tape cost for invoicing and deferred payment. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for
delivery (most orders are mailed within two weeks). Please mail your order and
your check payable to:DOLPHIN TAPES, P.O. Box 71, Big Sur, CA 93920
S
work study program
T
he Work Study Program is a 28day program for those interested in an
intense involvement with the Esalen
environment. A work- and service-oriented
program, it is emotionally and physically
challenging, and only rarely is it restful.
Participants work 32 hours per week in one
of Esalen’s departments and participate in
that department’s program.
During most evenings and one weekend intensive, work students are together in one
of two groups (see below). Each group emphasizes one type of growth practice, such as Gestalt,
meditation, creative arts, massage, or somatics
work, and has a specifically assigned leader(s)
who is with the group throughout the month,
coordinating the study schedule and facilitating
many of the evening sessions. Applicants may
state their preferred group and must be prepared
to stay at Esalen for the entire month.
Selection of work students is done by Patrice
Hamilton, the Work Study Coordinator. Since
this is a work and service program, preference
is given to applicants who are open and willing
to learn about themselves within the work context as well as within the study/process groups.
Because the work can be physically challenging (lifting, bending, etc.), it may not be suitable for all who wish to apply. First-month
work students, in particular, are assigned to
departments largely on the basis of community
need (usually the kitchen or housekeeping).
In addition, Esalen now offers a two-month
Work Study Program, focusing on subjects such
as Gestalt, yoga, movement arts, and Esalen
Massage certification (see January 6-March 3
and May 26-July 21). These two-month programs are more rigorous than the one-month
program allows for; they require a full participation commitment from students (participants
must pay for and commit to attend both months
in advance). The intensified study schedule
requires additional teaching staff, and the fee for
these programs will be $1740 for two months.
Please note: The Work Study Program is designed
to explore and apply human values and potentials. It
is not intended as a substitute for therapy or as a “cure.”
Work Study Programs scheduled for this
catalog period are as follows:
January 6–March 3
This two-month massage certification program,
led by David Streeter & Brita Ostrom, is
designed for the serious massage student who
wishes to have an intensive professional learning
experience immersed in the Esalen community.
Participants will learn the basics of Esalen
Massage by means of lecture, demonstrations,
anatomy classes, and lots of supervised hands-on
class time. Self-awareness practices will include
meditation, Chi Gung exercises, and movement
classes. Sessions, scheduled primarily during
afternoons and evenings, are in addition to the
32-hour workweek commitment, so applicants
will need a clear and unencumbered commitment to the program. Students must complete a
minimum of 150 hours to satisfy certification
requirements.
Following successful completion of the
course, those wishing to certify have six
months to complete and document 30 massage sessions upon returning home. Upon
payment of a $50 processing fee, a California
state-approved Certificate of Completion will
be issued. Admission is limited and preference
will be given to those with Esalen Work Study
experience. In addition to your Work Study
Program Application, please submit a Massage
Course application, available from the Esalen
office or on the web at www.esalen.org. Send to:
Brita Ostrom, Massage Certification Program,
Esalen, Big Sur CA 93920.
$1740 (two-month fee)
January 6–February 3
This Gestalt month with Dorothy Nell
Thomas will focus on individual and group
process. Emphasis will be on inner exploration (“Who are the different ‘folks’ that
make up the whole of who I am?”), and on
investigating being states of consciousness
through such practices as meditation and
social silence. Participants will be encouraged
to practice a deeper level of authenticity by
surrendering to the truth of what is, in the
moment, and to pay attention to what flows
out of that process. Structured fun and creativity will be thrown into the mix—dancing,
singing, painting, and writing.
Please note: There will be a $20 materials fee
paid directly to the leader.
February 3–March 3
Self-exploration and group process will be the
emphasis of a month with Seymour Carter &
Associates. The program will feature Gestalt
group process, both structured and unstructured, along with meditation, sensory aware-
ness, guided fantasy, and massage in an atmosphere of self-disclosure and emotional honesty. Each participant’s process of development will be honored, encouraged, and treated as unique.
March 3–31
We spend most of our lives building an identity/personality, thinking it is who we really are.
At some point we begin to question what we
have created. This month with Oliver Bailey
will utilize self-inquiry, meditation, guided
imagery, Gestalt awareness, and individual and
group process in order to move from the
perimeter of our identity to the still center of
our being. This process is designed to enhance
the student’s ability to see, moment to
moment, how psychological habit blocks connection with essence. It is an opportunity for
participants to find their center, stretch their
limits, and experience their truth.
Shamanism is the oldest spiritual system in
the world. David Corbin & Nan Moss offer a
monthlong exploration of the shaman’s ancient
and universal methods to enter non-ordinary
reality for problem solving, well-being, and
healing. Participants will learn to enter the
shamanic state of consciousness and be initiated into the shamanic journey to experience the
same sources of profound wisdom and compassion known to our ancestors. The group
will seek to restore spiritual power and to
apply shamanism in contemporary daily life to
help heal oneself, others, and the planet.
March 31–April 28
Maria Lucia Sauer Holloman will lead a
monthlong program teaching spiritual massage and healing—the laying on of hands. This
practice integrates both hands-on and energetic work. Yoga, meditation, artwork, and
Tibetan and bioenergetic exercises will be
incorporated to complement this energy
work and to help bring participants in tune
with their bodies. The program will integrate
emotional release work and group process as
they organically emerge.
Phyllis Shankman & Friends will offer a pro-
gram on creative approaches to healing and
self-awareness using art, music, writing, guided imagery, dance, and ritual, as well as
wilderness hikes and gentle mindfulness
practices. Gestalt open seats and private sessions with the leader will take place during
some afternoons each week.
77
April 28–May 26
The focus of a month with David Schiffman
is the theme of transition. This program is
geared for people facing major changes who
would like to create a time for sanctuary and a
mood of mutual support. The intention will
be to cultivate an individual approach to
change that is heartfelt, open-minded, and
resourceful in spirit. Traditional methods of
self-inquiry (Gestalt Practice, bioenergetics,
psychosynthesis) will be combined with
innovative methods incorporating music,
meditation, poetry, ritual, and prayer.
Helen Jerene Malcolm guides a month of
Vision Painting in which painting is used as a
process to expose the limitations of the conditioned mind. The atmosphere will be one of
exploration and acceptance, encouraging participants to suspend judgment and enabling
the creative impulse to play, take risks, and
face fears. Emotional awareness, visualization,
meditation, music, and dream images will be
used to evoke creative expression—through
color, light, and form—from one’s inner source
of wisdom and intuition.
fifty-four postures of this ancient movement
meditation, with hours of practice and refinement. Kenn will integrate Feldenkrais®
Awareness Through Movement exercises into
the class, helping students to free the body for
more efficient mastery of the T’ai Chi forms.
Movement analysis and Functional
Integration will also be part of the program,
helping to relieve stress and pains arising
from chronic misuse of posture.
full at the time you apply. The work scholar fee
is $795 for the first month, $745 for the second
month, and $695 for the third month. Work
students may be invited to remain for a second
or third month depending on space available
and community needs (work scholars may not,
however, stay longer than three months in a
twelve-month period). Occasionally it is possible to stay for a longer period as an Extended
Student. There are no scholarships available for
the Work Study Program.
June 23–July 21
Food and Housing: Accommodations are
This program, led by Debra Silverman, presents the ancient language of the elements—
water, air, earth, and fire—in order to deepen
your understanding and appreciation of self
and others. This process—called Sagecraft—
has been designed to facilitate your learning
to truly love yourself and to develop your
skills in relating with increased awareness,
authenticity, and creativity. Through experimentation, exercises, and games, in a supportive environment, your will enrich your map
of possible relationships and increase your
skills in achieving them. Laughter and joy
will be major ingredients.
Please note: There will be a $40 materials fee
paid directly to the leader.
July 21–August 18
May 26–July 21
This two-month Esalen Gestalt Program is a
special offering designed for the serious
Gestalt student/practitioner who wishes to
have an intensive learning experience
immersed in the Esalen community. Dorothy
Charles & Guest Faculty will integrate Gestalt
theory and practice with other related psychological modalities including family systems,
characterological approaches, intersubjectivity,
mindfulness practice, and expressive arts and
movement. Teaching methods will include
mini-lectures, experiential exercises, group discussion, and interpersonal group process.
Admission is by application. Preference will
be given to those with previous Work Scholar
experience. In addition to the Work Study
Program Application, please submit an Esalen
Gestalt Program application (available from
the Esalen website www.esalen.org) to Patrice
Hamilton at Work Study Program, Esalen
Institute, Big Sur, CA 93920.
$1740 (two-month fee)
May 26–June 23
Kenn Chase leads a monthlong intensive
exploration of the entire Yang-style T’ai Chi
Ch’uan sequence. Students will study the
78
Peter Meyers will lead a month of exploration
in theater arts designed to awaken the playful
nature of creativity. Using movement, language,
sound, improvisation, theater games, and
music, the group will work together to reinvigorate the whole body as an instrument for communicating the poetic language of the spirit for
the stage. All levels and abilities are welcome.
“Open Circle” with Howard Schechter &
Barbara Lee is about exploring the wisdom
of feelings and celebrating our identity as
divine beings. This program integrates the
psychological methods of psychosynthesis,
Gestalt, and process work with movement
and the expressive arts. The focus of each
circle will be determined by the individuals
and the group in the moment. Surrendering
to the spontaneous unfolding of the circle
can lead us to elevated states of consciousness
and a sense of full aliveness.
Inasmuch as the Work Study Program is a complete program in itself, please do not plan to take
regularly scheduled catalog workshops during
your stay. Professional services, such as massage
and counseling, are available at staff rates.
Fees: A deposit of $400 in U.S. currency is
required with your application. You may pay in
shared (occasionally co-ed), with up to four
people to a room, usually at South Coast
Center, a staff complex located 1.5 miles north
of Esalen. Housing and meals are included in
your tuition.
Transportation: When making travel
arrangements, note that the closest airport to
Esalen is Monterey. With at least 48-hour
advance reservations, van service to Esalen is
available from the following locations on the
Sunday of your arrival:
Monterey Airport: Departs 2 PM. Cost: $30
Monterey Transit Center: Departs 2:20 PM.
Cost: $30
San Francisco Airport: Departs 11:30 AM.
Cost: $80
For van reservations call 831-667-3005.
Please note: Application is not registration
in the program. Registration is made only
after approval of application and upon receipt
of deposit. If you do not pay in full at the time
of application, the balance of the fee is due on
arrival and is nonrefundable thereafter. If you
choose to cancel, you will be refunded the following amount of your original payment:
15+ days prior to start, $300; 8-14 days, $200;
3-7 days, $100; 0-2 days, $0.
Please mail the application form (see next
page) with your personal statement and
deposit to:
Work Study Program
Esalen Institute
Big Sur, CA 93920
or fax to:
Work Study Program
831-667-2724
For more information contact the Work
Study Office at the above address or phone:
831-667-3010; fax: 831-667-2724; e-mail:
[email protected]. We will contact you
regarding your status within 14 days of
receipt of your application. We ask you not
to contact us prior to that time.
Q
work study program application
please print legibly.
Name _______________________________________________________________________________________
o Male o Female
Today’s Date __________________________________________
Phone: Day ( ————— ) ___________________________________ Evening ( ————— )_____________________________________ Fax ( ————— ) _______________________________________
Home Address __________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________________________
Country___________________________________ E-mail Address _______________________________________________________ Date of Birth ___________________________ Age ______________
Occupation ______________________________________________________________ Place of Employment____________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have any limiting physical/emotional conditions (e.g., bad back, severe depression) which might affect your full participation in this
program? o Yes o No If yes, please specify ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you currently taking any medication? o Yes o No
If yes, please specify ________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If a former Work Scholar, list approximate dates and where you worked _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Work Study Program is for 28 days, beginning and ending on Sunday. Sometimes particular dates and/or leaders are not available. List below,
in order of preference, the dates/leaders for which you are available. (For example, Choice 1: 5/26 to 6/23, Chase; Choice 2: 6/23 to 7/21,
Silverman; Choice 3: 7/21 to 8/18, Meyers; Choice 4: None.)
dates
Choice 1 _________________________________ to ___________________________________ Preferred Leader ____________________________________________________________________________________
If your application is accepted and we cannot give you Choice 1 above, we will place you in your next available choice. Should this occur,
would you like to be on a wait list for your preferred choice(s) or take the available guaranteed space only? o Wait list(s) o Guarantee only
Please note: Space may become available up until the program start date. You must let us know if you wish to be removed from a wait list, because if you’re on
a wait list and space becomes available you will be automatically placed and then notified. If you cancel after placement you will be charged a cancellation fee.
Work students may be invited to remain for a second or third month, depending on space available and the needs of the Esalen community.
Please indicate your availability for such an invitation (no obligation): o No extension o One-month extension o Two-month extension
We encourage ridesharing. Are you bringing a vehicle? o Yes o No; Are you willing to give a ride? o Yes o No; Receive a ride? o Yes o No;
I wish to rideshare from (if different from above address) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Assignments to departments are made according to community labor needs (usually kitchen or housekeeping). However, if you have preferences
in housekeeping, kitchen, maintenance, gardening, or groundskeeping, please list them below (skills not always necessary).
o Place me wherever I’m most needed – or – note my preferences below.
Choice 1 __________________________________________________ Skills/Experience ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
o Please check here if you have emergency medical skills (M.D., R.N., or E.M.T.) and are willing to use them during your stay.
Please attach a personal statement about your interest in the Work Study Program and why you’d like to participate.
All applicants are required to sign a standard release-from-liability and assumption-of-risk form as a condition of participation
in the Work Study Program. This form will be mailed to you upon acceptance to the program.
Do you want van service? From o Monterey Airport, 4 pm ($30 fee); o Monterey Transit, 4:20 pm ($30); o San Francisco Airport, 1:30 pm ($80).
Payment o $400 deposit
o $795
o $————— Other
Card No. _______________________________________________________________________________
o Check (U.S. funds only), attached and payable to Esalen Institute
Credit Card Expiration Date _____________________________________________________
o MasterCard o VISA o American Express
Name (if different from name above) _________________________________________
Please Note: No pets, drugs, or violence allowed.
Authorizing signature ______________________________________________________________
Applications cannot be considered without a deposit and a personal letter included.
79
R
biographical information
A
Jeremiah Abrams has worked for 30
years in the helping professions. Director of
the Mt. Vision Institute (www.mtvision.org),
a certification counseling program in Marin
County, he is author of Meeting the
Shadow, The Shadow in America, and
Reclaiming the Inner Child. p. 62
Carol Adrienne is the author of The
Purpose of Your Life, The Purpose of
Your Life Experiential Guide, The
Numerology Kit, and coauthor (with
James Redfield) of the two Experiential
Guides for The Celestine Prophecy and
The Tenth Insight. p. 26
Ramon Albareda is a clinical psychologist, theologian, and sexologist. He is
the founder/director of Estel, a center of personal growth in Barcelona, and creator of
Holistic Sexuality. He is the coauthor of
Nacidos de la Tierra: Sexualidad,
Origen del Ser Humano. p. 51
Ronald Alexander, psychotherapist
and executive coach practicing in Santa
Monica, has explored Buddhist meditation
and healing disciplines for over 30 years. A
business and entertainment industry consultant, he focuses on leadership coaching,
creativity, and communication. p. 23, 58
Kathy Altman is on the teaching faculty for Gabrielle Roth’s institute, The Moving
Center. She has studied with Gabrielle for
25 years, cofounded The Moving Center
School in California, and maintains a
teaching practice in Mill Valley. p. 59
Esperide Ananas leads seminars on
healing, inspiration, and perception all over
the world. A graduate of Damanhur’s
School of Spiritual Healers (Italy), she is a
member of Damanhur’s Way of the Oracle,
researching dreaming and subtle energies.
p. 20
B
Nancy Bacal, lyricist, screenwriter, and
longtime Esalen leader, edited Leonard
Cohen’s anthology Stranger Music and
wrote and produced Raga, a film starring
Ravi Shankar. She conducts ongoing writing workshops in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, and Honolulu. p. 35
Leanne Backer is the executive chef at
the Chopra Center for Well Being in La
Jolla, Calif. Her work reflects her background in natural foods preparation and
her extensive research in the art of
Ayurvedic cooking. p. 39
Oliver Bailey is a practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage. His background includes training in Gestalt Practice,
neurolinguistic programming, intuitive
work, and meditation. p. 77
80
Richard Balaban, a licensed clinical
psychologist and certified group psychotherapist, has taught at Indiana University and
SUNY at Buffalo. His passion is for his family, his work, and life’s journey. p. 24
Rudolph Ballentine is the chief medical advisor at the Olive Leaf Wholeness
Center in Manhattan and author of
Radical Healing. A Duke Medical School
graduate, he completed a residency in psychiatry, then a postgraduate fellowship in
Ayurveda and homeopathy in India. p. 46
Daniel Bianchetta has been teaching
meditation and intuitive practice at Esalen
for over two decades. A photographer as well
as Esalen’s media coordinator, his photographic interests are the Big Sur coast and
Native American rock art. p. 43
Judith Blackstone is a meditation
teacher, psychotherapist, dancer, and
founder of Subtle Self Work®, a method of
realizing the integration of the body,
authentic self, and spiritual consciousness.
She is codirector of Realization Center in
Woodstock, N.Y. p. 61
Anat Baniel began studying the
Feldenkrais Method® in early childhood in
her native Tel Aviv and later became the
student and apprentice of Moshe
Feldenkrais. She works extensively with
infants and children, health-care professionals, and musicians. p. 36
Richard Blasband, an internationally recognized exponent of Wilhelm Reich’s
work, is a psychiatrist in private practice in
Tiburon, Calif. Formerly on the medical faculty of Yale University, he is past president of
the American College of Orgonomy. p. 59
James Baraz has taught vipassana
insight meditation retreats and classes since
1977. Cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation
Center in Marin County, Calif., he holds an
MA in psychology and has a counseling
practice in Berkeley. p. 33, 60
Charlie Bloom is a teacher, consultant,
and therapist specializing in relationship
issues. He has designed and facilitated experiential seminars since 1982, and codirects
The Empowerment Network with his wife
Linda. p. 13, 56
Amelia Barili is an Argentine-born
journalist and university professor who
teaches Latin American Literature at UC
Berkeley. Coauthor of Conversations with
Borges, she is author of Jorge Luis Borges
y Alfonso Reyes and the forthcoming
Borges, A Weaver of Dreams. p. 53
Linda Bloom is a psychotherapist, seminar leader, and codirector of The
Empowerment Network. She has facilitated
relationship workshops throughout the U.S.
as well as internationally. p. 13, 56
Ellen Bass has supported, encouraged,
and inspired writing for over 20 years. She
has published a dozen books, including poetry, nonfiction, and children’s stories. She
recently won the Pablo Neruda Prize for
Poetry and has a new volume forthcoming
in April. p. 58
Rob Bauer has been working with gay
men for 16 years as a body-centered psychotherapist. He has presented his groundbreaking “Touching the Body, Healing the
Spirit: The Rubenfeld Synergy Method for
Gay Men” at Esalen and Omega Institutes.
p. 19
Janine Benyus is a life-sciences writer
and author of six books. An educator at
heart, she believes that the better people
understand the genius of the natural world,
the more they will want to protect it. p. 32
Richard Berrett is a family science
professional, university professor, and clinician, with experience in business, government, and education settings. A past president of the International Association of
Interactive Imagery, he is faculty for the
Academy of Guided Imagery. p. 59
Cynthia Johnson Bianchetta is a
photographer and a movement artist with
Esalen’s Movement Arts staff. Teaching
dance and movement for 30 years, she is a
12-year associate of Continuum. She is former director of the Weston Photographic
Gallery, p. 43, 55
Julie Bowden, a psychotherapist in
Santa Barbara for 20 years, now teaches as
she travels. Coauthor of Recovery: A
Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics
and Genesis: Spirituality in Recovery,
she is cofounder of the National Association
for Children of Alcoholics. p. 24
Carolyn Braddock is a body-centered
therapist and consultant in private practice
in Lakewood, Colo. She authored Body
Voices and trains professionals in posttraumatic stress disorder using breath,
sound, and movement. p. 38, 40
Devers Branden is a personal-development consultant, corporate coach, and the
coauthor, with husband Nathaniel
Branden, of What Love Asks of Us. She is
recognized for her pioneering work in relating the field of subpersonalities to that of
self-esteem. p. 34
Deborah Brenner, an artist displayed in galleries internationally, is an art
therapist devoted to exploring the creative
process of relationship. She and her husband
Paul have offered workshops throughout the
U.S. and Canada. p. 17
Paul Brenner holds a doctorate in medicine and psychology. Moderator of the PBS
series “Healing Through Communication,”
he is the author of A Shared Creation,
Health is a Question of Balance, and
Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes.
p. 17
Daniel Brown has a group private
practice in Cambridge, Mass., and is on the
faculty of Harvard Medical School and
Simmons School of Social Work. He is
author of 12 books, including
Transformations of Consciousness
(with Ken Wilber and Jack Engler). p. 44
Mel S. Kimura Bucholtz lived
with the Navaho, traveled with the people
of Lapland, and trained at the Zen Temple
at Seppu, Hokkaido. Personally trained in
hypnosis by Milton Erickson, he has been
teaching about the relationship of art and
attention for 30 years. p. 50
C
Piovra Caffe is an accomplished
painter and sculptor who specializes in artistic glass techniques, including Tiffany. She
supervises all artwork for the Temple of
Humankind at Damanhur (Italy) and is
directly involved in designing and making
art pieces for its halls. p. 20
Susan Campbell is a trained Gestalt
Therapist, a respected couples therapist and
couples group leader, and author of the bestseller The Couples’ Journey: Intimacy as
a Path to Wholeness and the recently published Getting Real. p. 16, 52
Craig Carr comes to the coaching profession from a background in psychology and
body/mind medicine. He is a senior trainer
with the Coaches Training Institute and
maintains a thriving clientele from his
office in Santa Cruz, Calif. p. 64
Seymour Carter, Gestalt teacher at
Esalen and in Europe for more than three
decades, is a lifelong student of the everevolving models of psychotherapy. He combines studies in family systems theory with
Buddhism, sensory awareness, and other
body-oriented practices. p. 15, 32, 33, 50, 77
Charlie Cascio manages the Esalen
kitchen. He is a chef, restaurateur, consultant, and lecturer on vegetarian and living
foods who has worked and taught in the
U.S. and throughout Europe for more than
30 years. p. 14
Marion Cascio comes from a family of
cooks and has been involved with restaurants since childhood. She studied culinary
arts in Germany for five years and has
worked in many famous restaurants and
spas. She is currently a staff cook at Esalen.
p. 14
Michele Cassou, internationally recognized passionate artist and teacher, founded The Painting Experience Method, which
she developed into the Point Zero Painting
Method, using painting for self-discovery
and exploring the spiritual dimensions of
the creative process. p. 63
Lysa Castro has five years of in-depth
experience in Body Tales and Authentic
Movement, including the completion of the
three-year training program at the
Authentic Movement Institute. She has
been working with Olivia Corson since
1997. p. 22
David Corbin is a shamanic practitioner and teacher, with a private practice
in shamanic counseling and healing in
Maine. He is a faculty member of the
Foundation for Shamanic Studies.
p. 24, 77
Billy Cauley is a musician, guide, and
educator who has devoted his life to exploring the healing potential activated by working with vibration and meditation. He currently performs and cofaciltates with dance
visionary Anna Halprin. p. 34
Ann Weiser Cornell has taught
Focusing in fifteen countries on five continents. She is a student and colleague of Gene
Gendlin, the developer of Focusing. Her
book is The Power of Focusing: A
Practical Guide to Emotional SelfHealing. p. 65
Joseph Cavanaugh is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in the Sierra
foothills, a psychology instructor at a local
community college, and has facilitated personal growth workshops throughout
California for the past 30 years. p. 25
Olivia Corson is a pioneering movement/story artist, teacher, and performer.
Body Tales, infused with her lively devotion
to Earth’s sacred and creative powers, has
inspired people internationally. Her website
is www.bodytales.com. p. 22
Dorothy Charles is a Gestalt practitioner whose primary interest is in combining Gestalt Practice with artistic expression.
p. 13, 78
Jean Couch, author of The Runner’s
Yoga Book, is director of the Balance
Center in Palo Alto, Calif., gleaning new
knowledge about fitness by studying populations of people who have no back or joint
pain. p. 49
Carl Chase (CC), developer of the CC
Flow™, is a bodyworker who specializes in
cross-fiber friction and deep tissue methods.
He has also studied sports massage and softtissue manipulation. p. 18, 47
Kenn Chase has taught traditional
Yang-style T’ai Chi Ch’uan for 30 years and
has studied with several T’ai Chi masters. A
certified Feldenkrais teacher, he is stress
management consultant for Marin General
Hospital. p. 78
Michael Christie studied cello, composition, and piano at London’s Royal College
of Music, where he won the Bliss Prize.
Involved in musical projects throughout
Europe, he teaches and composes for groups
from the English Sinfonia to children’s
development pieces. p. 39
Peter Cline has been a massage therapist for 14 years and has been on the Esalen
staff since 1996. p. 23
Gerald S. Cohen is a lecturer on the
subject of consciousness and healing. He is
the executive director of the Foundation for
Mind-Being Research in Los Altos, Calif.
p. 52
Stephen Cohen, Gestalt practitioner
and longtime golf hacker, is founder and
president of The Shivas Irons Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing
golf’s beauties and virtues. p. 52
Mary Cole is an artist, singer, poet, and
arts therapist with extensive experience in
the arts and healing. A member of the
Graduate Creative Arts Therapy faculty at
Pratt Institute, she is working on a memoir,
On Being Her Father’s Daughter:
Memories of a Preacher’s Kid. p. 65
Beverly Cook is a fourth-generation
health professional and certified Lymph
Drainage Therapy instructor. She is in private practice with medical and naturopathic
doctors, psychotherapists, acupuncturists,
bodyworkers, and spiritual healers at Seattle
Healing Arts. p. 45
Terry Craven has studied African,
Congolese, and Afro-Cuban rhythm and
dance. Today he performs with Congolese
master Mamaboukaka, Nigerian drummer
Babatunde Olatunji, and the performance
group Village Heartbeat. p. 69
Stewart Cubley is cofounder of the
Painting ExperienceSM in San Francisco and
has led seminars in creativity for 19 years.
He currently works as a consultant for corporations concerned with the creative wellbeing of their employees. p. 48
D
David Darling is a cellist, teacher, and
composer. He is cofounder of Music for
People, an organization dedicated to selfexpression through music and improvisation. His latest recordings include 8-String
Religion, Cello, Darkwood, and The
River. p. 18, 19
Guy Dartnell has taught workshops
worldwide and is an advisory artist to the
London International Workshop Festival.
An award-winning director and performer,
he has worked with the likes of composer
Meredith Monk and the groundbreaking
Improbable Theatre. p. 70
Lorie Dechar is an acupuncturist,
body-psychotherapist, consciousness explorer,
and planetary activist. She writes and leads
workshops on the psychological aspects of
Chinese medicine and the relationship
between embodied spirituality and planetary healing. p. 46
Russell Delman studied with Moshe
Feldenkrais and has been teaching the
method since 1975. For 30 years, he has
maintained a Zen meditation practice. He
conducts workshops and professional trainings internationally, and has a private practice in Santa Rosa, Calif. p. 17
Embree De Persiis has worked and
taught at her Big Sur studio for more than
20 years. Her work has been exhibited in
galleries and private collections throughout
the United States and Canada. p. 42
Tina de Souza is a psychologist and
Ialorixá with 30 years of initiation in the
Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition of Temple
Guaracy, Brazil. She has developed workshops to balance the mental, emotional,
physical, and spiritual bodies, and works
worldwide. p. 67
Dennis Duitch practices public
accounting, business consulting, and financial/tax planning, working with artists, performers, personal service professionals, and
business entities. He develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets new product inventions worldwide. p. 58
E
Catherine Elber-Wenner has been
a student of yoga since 1964, of tai chi since
1970, and a teacher of tai chi since 1975.
Renowned for her distinctive approach, she
is “honored to be instrumental in bringing
this gift into people’s lives.” p. 29, 63
Eric Erickson, a longtime student of
Gestalt, studied with Esalen cofounder
Richard Price. He is currently studying
intersubjectivity theory and working on his
doctorate in psychology. He spent many
years as a Big Sur Park Ranger. p. 38
F
Jayson Fann, Esalen Arts Center coordinator, has 15 years’ experience as a musician, performer, visual artist, costume
designer, composer, and musical director. He
studied music in Africa and the Caribbean,
and has taught at Cal State University,
Monterey Bay. p. 18, 48, 69, 70
Robin Fann has a lifelong background
in dance and movement. An Esalen
Massage practitioner, CranioSacral practitioner, and certified yoga instructor, she has
taught and assisted Esalen Massage trainings, yoga retreats, and Upledger Institute
trainings. p. 57
Warren Farrell, author of Father and
Child Reunion; Why Men are the Way
They Are; and Women Can’t Hear
What Men Don’t Say, has been a pioneer
in both the women’s and men’s movement,
and has appeared on over 1,000 television
and radio shows. p. 41
Ruella Frank is director of the Center
for Somatic Studies in New York City. She
is also training faculty at the New York
Institute for Gestalt Therapy, and the
author of Body of Awareness: A Somatic
and Developmental Approach to
Psychotherapy. p. 27
Patricia Frisch is a licensed psychologist, Reichian analyst, family therapist, and
group leader. She is director of Counseling
and Training Consultants, which provided
communications trainings for inmates and
staff in California State prisons. p. 59
Jerome Front is an adjunct faculty at
Pepperdine University and teaches about
eating, food, and mindfulness-based
approaches. He has worked at the Rader
Institute for Eating Disorders, leads retreats,
and is an MFT in private practice in Studio
City, Calif. p. 56
G
Sherry Galloway is an Esalen massage staff practitioner and teacher whose
focus is sports massage, balanced with
Esalen bodywork. A practicing RN, she specializes in emergency medicine and psychiatric intervention. p. 22, 37, 74
Glenna Gerard is a nationally recognized consultant in the area of interpersonal
communications and transformation. She is
coauthor of Dialogue: Rediscovering the
Transforming Power of Conversation.
p. 23
Jimmie Dale Gilmore received
Grammy nominations in the category of
Contemporary Folk Music for two of his
CDs, Spinning Around the Sun and
Braver, Newer World. His songwriting
integrates his life in music with his spiritual
life. p. 54
Mariah Fenton Gladis, longtime
Gestalt practitioner and trainer, founded
and for 17 years has directed the Bucks
County Institute. She is director of the
Pennsylvania Gestalt Center for
Psychotherapy and Training. p. 41, 43
Richard Gold has been practicing and
teaching Oriental healing arts since 1978. A
graduate in Thai Massage from the Old
Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai,
Thailand, he is chairman of the board of the
International Professional School of
Bodywork in San Diego. p. 54
Rabbi Steven Fisdel is a teacher
and author who has lectured on Kabbalah
for over 25 years. His current book is titled
The Practice of Kabbalah. p. 52
Mary Goldenson is a clinical psychologist, chiropractor, and certified Radix®
teacher in Los Angeles. She has a private
practice specializing in relationship therapy
and transitions, and leads mediation trainings and workshops around the country.
p. 17, 27, 35, 45, 57, 63
Thomas Michael Fortel is a longtime yoga practitioner/teacher, influenced
by the Iyengar and Ashtanga styles. He
blends strong practice, focus on alignment
and breath, and compassionate support.
He leads workshops and retreats internationally. p. 12, 14, 41, 51, 64
Peter Goldfarb received the 1996 Best
Actor Award from Drama-Logue and a
Helen Hayes Award nomination for outstanding performer of 1997. A trustee and
founding faculty of Naropa University, he is
also the U.S. representative of the UNESCO
Theatre Chair. p. 31
81
Brad Gooch is the author of Finding
The Boyfriend Within; the biography of
the poet Frank O’Hara, City Poet; and two
novels, Scary Kisses and The Golden Age
of Promiscuity. p. 61
Geoffrey Gordon coproduced Rita
Coolidge and Walela’s newest release
Unbearable Love. He is heard on CDs
with Jai Uttal, Robbie Robertson, Ram
Dass, and Tulku, and performed on
Broadway with Julie Taymor. His website is
www.geoffreygordon.com. p. 29
Harriet Goslins is the originator of
Cortical Reeducation®. She is a Feldenkrais®
practitioner with a background in psychosynthesis, applied kinesiology, craniosacral
work, and social anthropology. p. 32, 68
Debra Greene is a student, teacher,
researcher, and practitioner of the science of
subtle energies. She has a doctorate in
somatic studies and a private practice in
Transformational Kinesiology (TK) on
Maui Island in Hawaii. p. 40
Stanislav Grof is a psychiatrist,
author, and researcher of psychotherapy and
non-ordinary states of consciousness. He is
co-developer of Holotropic Breathwork, and
conducts workshops and trainings worldwide. p. 35
H
Rana Halprin has performed internationally from childhood and has since
taught the Halprin LifeArt Method worldwide. She has worked among the Cheyenne,
Roma (Gypsies), and children of war
around the globe, and has a private practice
in San Francisco . p. 45
Eleanor Criswell Hanna, professor
of psychology at Sonoma State University, is
editor of Somatics, director of the Novato
Institute for Somatic Research and
Training, and author of How Yoga Works
and Biofeedback and Somatics. p. 60
Steven Harper is a wilderness guide,
author, and Big Sur resident. He has led
both traditional and experimental wilderness expeditions internationally for over 20
years. His work focuses on wild nature as a
vehicle for awakening. p. 42, 52, 54, 66
Susan Harper teaches Continuum
workshops in the U.S., Canada, Europe,
and Japan. She also offers Quest trips—for
celebrating what is still wild, inside and
out—in the wilderness and in Asia. p. 66
Jill Harris, resident and staff member at
Esalen from 1967-1971, is still grappling
with the question “But what about real
life?” She has a massage practice in Palo
Alto and has co-led Sensory Awareness
workshops with Charlotte Selver. p. 14
Rachel Harris was in the 1968 Esalen
Residential Program. A psychotherapist in
private practice in Princeton, N.J., and a
consultant for executives on leadership and
interpersonal skill development, she is the
author of Children Learn What They
Live. p. 20, 22
82
Andrew Harvey, poet, translator, novelist, and mystical scholar is the author or
editor of over thirty books, including the bestsellers Journey in Ladakh; The Way of
Passion: A Celebration of Rumi; Son of
Man; and the new The Direct Path. p. 61
Chungliang Al Huang teaches Tai Ji
philosophy, East/West synthesis, and the art
of movement meditation. He is the founderpresident of the Living Tao Foundation and
director of Lan Ting Institute in the Sacred
Mountains of China. p. 35, 36
Terry Hatcher has been an exhibiting
artist, art instructor, and meditation student
for over 30 years. She is also an expressive
art therapist and adjunct faculty at John F.
Kennedy University. p. 46
Terry Hunt is a licensed psychologist
and certified bioenergetic therapist. He has a
private practice in Boston, with subspecialties in adult children of alcoholic and abusive homes, addiction, and older adolescents.
He is a consultant to the Hazelden Institute.
p. 49
Justin Hecht is a Jungian psychologist
and executive coach in private practice in
San Francisco. He teaches meditation and
leads groups and workshops designed to
awaken authenticity and creativity.
p. 21, 59
Robert Helm is a longtime teacher
and practitioner on the Esalen massage
staff. p. 21, 58
Chris Hendricks is an Aston Patterner®,
Ju Jutsu instructor, and licensed massage
therapist. He is in private practice in Seattle,
specializing in improving performance,
rehabilitating injuries, ergonomic consultation, and movement education. p. 38, 40
Paul Heussenstamm is a fourthgeneration artist and has taught “Art as a
Spiritual Path” throughout the U.S. and
abroad. Gabrielle Roth’s book, Maps to
Ecstasy, features his original mandala on
the cover. p. 61
Ardell Hill is a licensed massage therapist and reflexologist experienced in a variety of modalities, including shiatsu and
craniosacral. Author of Spiritual
Reflexology, she also incorporates the
chakras and meridians as a framework for
looking at the body. p. 34
Gilah Hirsch is an internationallyknown multidisciplinary artist and a professor of art at CSU Dominguez Hills. Her
work in writing, painting, photography,
and video have been inspired and informed
by extensive travel and extended solitary
sojourns in nature. p. 35
Shelley Hodgen has read people clairvoyantly and taught them to develop their
psychic and intuitive abilities for over 22
years. Formerly the director of the Berkeley
Psychic Institute, she currently teaches classes and workshops in Marin County. p. 46
Maria Lucia Sauer Holloman
has practiced spiritual healing in Brazil and
the U.S. since 1982. She has been a resident
student and teacher at Esalen and conducts
trainings and seminars internationally.
p. 31, 77
Perry Holloman has taught at Esalen
and in Europe for over 20 years, focusing on
the physical, energetic, and emotional causes
of chronic pain. He is on Esalen’s bodywork
staff and teaches somatic approaches to
Gestalt Therapy at the Gestalt Institute in
Dortmund, Germany. p. 37, 74
Jonathan Horan is on the teaching faculty for Gabrielle Roth’s international institute, The Moving Center. In addition to leading workshops throughout the U.S., South
America, and Europe, he is a certified massage therapist and a professional actor. p. 59
Leigh Hyams is a painter/teachingartist at UC Berkeley Extension, JFK
University, and Atsitsa in Greece. A
Fulbright Scholar whose work is exhibited
internationally, she leads painting intensives and museum tours in Latin America
and Europe. p. 65, 68
Carole Hyatt is a best-selling author,
internationally reputed social-behavior
researcher, and worldwide lecturer. For 18
years, she was president of Hyatt-Esserman
Research Associates, working with Fortune
500 companies, government agencies, and
philanthropic organization. p. 40
J
Jamieson Jones started a neonatal
fellowship 15 years ago working with HIVinfected infants. The fields of neonatology
and HIV care challenged him to seek an
expanded model of medicine. Currently he is
co-authoring the forthcoming Enlightened
Healer, Enlightened Healthcare. p. 26
Arthur Samuel Joseph is a teacher
and professor of voice and creator of Vocal
Awareness, a method that integrates
mind/body/spirit through the vocal arts.
He is author of Sound of the Soul:
Discovering the Power of Your Voice.
p. 57
K
Lynne Kaufman is an award-winning short-story writer and playwright
whose stories have appeared in Redbook,
Cosmopolitan, and McCalls. Her plays
have premiered at The Magic Theatre,
Actors Theatre of Louisville, and
Theatreworks. p. 23, 48
Sam Keen is the author of numerous
books, including The Passionate Life,
Faces of the Enemy, Hymns to an
Unknown God, and, most recently,
Learning to Fly. p. 24
Lynne Jacobs is cofounder of the Gestalt
Therapy Institute of the Pacific, and Teaching
and Supervising Analyst at the Institute of
Contemporary Psychoanalysis. She publishes
articles, teaches, and conducts workshops
nationally and internationally. p. 19
Cecilia Keenan is a former speech
pathologist/audiologist and business owner.
From a family with a rich intuitive tradition, she has for the past 12 years focused on
spiritual counseling and energetic healing.
She is the author of the Energy Recalibration
Self-Healing manuals. p. 18
Roger Jahnke has practiced Chinese
medicine for 25 years. He is the chairperson
of the National Qigong Association, director
of the International Qigong Instructor
Program at Santa Barbara College of
Oriental Medicine, and author of The
Healer Within. p. 22, 68
Daphne Rose Kingma is a therapist, lecturer, and teacher of relationships as
a spiritual art form. She is the best-selling
author of seven books on relationships,
including Coming Apart, Finding True
Love, and the forthcoming 9 Types of
Lovers. p. 47
Gholam Hosain Janatie-Ataie is
an Iranian-born theatrical director and ethnomusicologist who studied art, calligraphy,
music, literature, and poetry with his grandfather and father who taught him the radif,
the traditional Persian classical music system. p. 31
Gregory Kramer, a Vipassana
teacher for more than 20 years, studied
Buddhist meditation and psychology with
respected Asian teachers. He directs the
Metta Foundation, supporting the development of Insight Dialogue meditation and
the Buddha’s teachings as they manifest
today. p. 49
Eli Jaxon-Bear is the author of The
Enneagram of Liberation: From
Fixation to Freedom and the editor of
Wake Up and Roar. He founded the Leela
Foundation, a nonprofit spiritual organization dedicated to world peace and freedom
through universal Self-realization. p. 13
Lawrence Jenkins is a practitioner of
advanced Rolfing Structural Integration,
Esalen Massage, vipassana meditation, feeling good, and having fun. p. 28
Don Hanlon Johnson is a professor
of somatics at the California Institute of
Integral Studies and a writer. p. 60
Cathrine Ann Jones is an awardwinning playwright and screenwriter
whose films include “The Christmas Wife”
(Jason Robards) and “Unlikely Angel”
(Dolly Parton). A Fulbright Research
Scholar, she studied shamanism and indigenous healing in south India. p. 17
Michael Krasny, professor of English
at San Francisco State University, is host
and producer of the award-winning
Northern California radio program
“Forum.” He is also a prize-winning
teacher, journalist, scholar, and fiction
writer. p. 29
Sybil Krauter teaches Integrated
Awareness® and Cortical Field Reeducation®.
Her background is in clinical hypnosis, neurolinguistic programming, and education.
Currently her focus is on how we create
reality. p. 32, 68
Jill Kuykendall is a physical therapist
and transpersonal medical practitioner who
has worked in the standard Western medical paradigm for over 20 years. She is
now in private practice with the Center
for Optimum Health in Roseville, Calif.,
specializing in soul retrieval. p. 37, 66
L
Bruce Langhorne is a legendary
recording artist and composer who has been
nominated for an Academy Award in film
scoring. He is the inspiration for the Bob
Dylan song “Tambourine Man.” p. 13
Leonard Laskow is a Stanfordtrained physician who has studied the healing power of love for more than 25 years.
The developer of Holoenergetic® healing, he
teaches it to the public and to health and
healing professionals internationally.
p. 25, 52
Barbara Lee has been a circlemaker for
the past 21 years. Her primary focus is on
the heart-centered remembrance of the
Divine. She is the author of Loving
Yourself. p. 14, 44, 78
George Leonard is the author of 12
books, including Mastery, The Ultimate
Athlete, and The Way of Aikido. He is a
fifth-degree black belt in aikido, founder of
Leonard Energy Training (LET), and president of Esalen. p. 26, 42, 67
Carol Lessinger has taught healing
practices through dance, awareness, and
movement for over 25 years. A certified
teacher of the Feldenkrais Method® and
Integrated Awareness®, she is currently
teaching a professional training with
Harriet Goslins. p. 68
Peter Levine holds doctorates in both
medical biophysics and psychology. A stress
consultant to NASA’s early space shuttle
project, he directs the Ergos Institute for
Somatic Education and is the author of
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.
p. 14, 15, 17
Stewart Levine is dedicated to providing skills and ways of thinking that people
will need to thrive in the next millennium.
His book Getting to Resolution: Turning
Conflict Into Collaboration was named
one of the 30 Best Business Books of 1998.
p. 48
Carol Levow, passionate painter and
teacher trained by Michele Cassou, has
taught with Cassou for the past six years in
addition to facilitating her own workshops
in Mill Valley, Calif. p. 63
Dennis Lewis has been developing his
approach to natural breathing since 1966. A
longtime student of the Gurdjieff Work and
Taoism, he also teaches qigong, tai chi, and
meditation, and is a practitioner of Chi Nei
Tsang (internal-organ chi massage). p. 66
Larry Lima is the founder and director
of The Place—A Resource Center for Men, a
New Jersey nonprofit organization. He is a
licensed social worker, a certified holistic
health educator, and a trained Gestalt
Therapist. p. 65
Denise Linn is the author of 11 books,
including Sacred Space, Feng Shui for
the Soul, and Space Clearing A-Z. The
keynote speaker at the last two International
Feng Shui Conferences, she is at the forefront of the feng shui movement. p. 42
Amory Lovins has been a resource-policy consultant to ten heads of state and has
published 26 books. The Wall Street
Journal named him among 28 people in the
world most likely to change the course of
business in the 1990s. p. 64
Vin Martí is cofounder of Body Moves,
an established innovative movement-arts
studio in Portland, Ore. Since 1976, Vin has
assisted individuals in realizing their potential as creative movers and dance artists. He
teaches Soul Motion internationally, p. 25
Christel Lukoff is a storyteller and
therapist in private practice in Petaluma,
Calif. She also works at the Petaluma
Hospice, where she uses storytelling in her
work with the dying and bereaved, cancer
patients, and children. p. 34
Laurel Massé, cofounder of
Manhattan Transfer, left the group after
seven years to pursue a successful solo performing and recording career. She currently
sings a cappella concerts and rituals, and
leads workshops in the power of song. p. 37
David Lukoff is a professor of psychology at Saybrook Institute and coauthor of the
new DSM-IV diagnostic category “Religious
or Spiritual Problem.” He has authored over
50 publications on religious and spiritual
issues. p. 34
Charlea Massion is a family physician and women’s health specialist practicing in Santa Cruz, Calif. She is on the clinical faculty at Stanford University Medical
Center and is a member of the founding
board of the American College of Women’s
Health Physicians. p. 30
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler, formerly
a vocal coach and accompanist, is the originator of Singing Gestalt, which utilizes
lyrics and songs as a means of self-expression. She is director of programming at
Esalen. p. 17
Chuck Miller has been practicing yoga
for over 25 years and is an advanced
Ashtanga student and teacher. His teaching
reflects his deep commitment to yoga as a
way of life. p. 42
Emmett Miller is widely recognized as
a founder of mind/body medicine and as the
inventor of the guided-imagery audiocassette. He is the author of Deep Healing
and has recorded more than 50 deep-relaxation meditations and talks. p. 32
Niela Miller was trained by many of
the pioneers in humanistic and Jungian
psychology, Gestalt, bioenergetics,
Dreambody work, theatre, and music. She
has trained therapists and taught graduate
courses in humanistic psychology for more
than 30 years. p. 54
Sigrid Matthews, founder of
Integrated Fitness in Sherman Oaks, Calif.,
is a certified personal trainer, aromatherapist, and yoga teacher. Her training and
experience also include aerobics, weight
training, and Alexander Technique. p. 26
Alan Morinis completed his doctorate
in social anthropology at Oxford as a
Rhodes Scholar. He has held university
posts, authored books, and founded and
directed nonprofit organizations. For four
years the nearly-lost corpus of Musar has
been his work and passion. p. 20
Robert Maurer is Director of
Behavioral Sciences for the Family Practice
Residency Program at Santa Monica-UCLA
Medical Center. He also teaches writing
classes in creativity, storytelling, and character development at UCLA and USC. p. 68
Beverly Kitaen Morse is a marriage and family counselor in private practice in Santa Monica and a senior instructor
and executive director of the RosenbergKitaen Institute for Integrative Body
Psychotherapy. p. 33
Marlena Lyons cofounder (with Jett
Psaris) of the Bay Area’s Conscious Living
Center, has been in private practice since
1979 specializing in relationship issues and
the cultivation of the capacity for undefended love. p. 20
Richard McCutchan has been doing
research and presentations on anger/rage
and its transformative potential. With a
doctorate degree in psychology, he has
worked as an educator and counselor with
an emphasis on men’s issues, couples therapy, and group dynamics. p. 48
Nan Moss is a faculty member of the
Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She
teaches shamanism and Tai Chi, and has a
shamanic counseling and healing practice
in Maine. p. 24, 77
M
Bonny McGowan is a local designer
and artist who has worked with the
SoulCollage™ process for over eight years.
She is passionate about honoring, inspiring,
and encouraging the creative spirit in people
of all ages. p. 57
Fred Luskin works at Stanford
University’s Complementary and
Alternative Medicine Program studying
the psychospiritual factors of heart disease.
He is also a licensed therapist who lectures
and conducts research on the training of
forgiveness. p. 36
Helen Jerene Malcolm, artist, consultant, and teacher, works with a visionary
consulting team designing long-range vision
paintings for individual clients and Fortune
500 corporations. p. 16, 53, 78
Paul Mantee, veteran actor and published novelist, began teaching acting in
Watts, Calif., directly after the riots of 1966.
Subsequently he conducted a highly popular
and successful workshop for 25 years at the
Melrose Theatre in Hollywood. p. 62
Noel Mapstead is a local fine artist
and potter who has studied and exhibited
extensively in New York and Japan. He is
now at home with Big Sur clays using traditional firing techniques. p. 28, 31, 63
Jena Marcovicci is a former touring
professional tennis player (1972-1976) who
competed against Borg and Vilas. He has a
doctorate in counseling and psychology, and
a private sports psychology practice in
Richmond, Mass. p. 29
Dean Marson is a practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage who uses selfcare techniques as a means of introducing
people to the pleasure and potential of
human touch. p. 53
Robert Moss is a lifelong dream
explorer, a shamanic counselor, novelist, and
former professor of ancient history and philosophy. He teaches courses in personal
growth, creativity, and Active Dreaming—
his original synthesis of dreamwork and
shamanism—worldwide. p. 44
Al McLeod has been a professor of social
psychology and a group leader for 25 years,
specializing in researching and creating
deep learning states. His leadership style
reflects his interest in Jungian psychology,
shamanism, and Tibetan Buddhism. p. 64
Julie Motz is an internationally known
energy healer who pioneered the practice of
doing healing work in the operating room.
She has lectured at Stanford, Dartmouth,
and Columbia, and teaches workshops that
focus on problems she feels are not sufficiently addressed today. p. 53
Deborah Anne Medow, Esalen
workshop leader and bodywork practitioner
since 1969, teaches ashtanga yoga, massage,
creative movement, Gestalt awareness, and
related healing disciplines throughout the
U.S. and Europe. p. 47, 63
Katsuhiko Murakami is president of
Japan Professional Counseling Association
in Osaka. He has 18 years of experience
teaching Hakoniwa, which is now used in
human-management training programs.
p. 63
Peter Meyers, founder and director of
the Vector Theater Conservatory in San
Rafael, Calif., received the Golden Bell
Award for outstanding achievement in educational planning. He has directed numerous theater shows and performed on television and film. p. 78
Rudy Miick is a business consultant
whose company, Miick & Associates, focuses
on successful start-ups, performance improvement, and maximizing team spirit within
organizations during times of traumatic
change. He has a Masters degree from Antioch
University and a postgraduate certificate from
the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. p. 25
N
Hani Naser is a Jordanian-American
hand drummer as well as an accomplished
oud player, songwriter, and producer. He
has performed and recorded with musicians
such as Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Hamza
el Din, and David Lindley. p. 23
83
Donna Dreyer Pérez-Venero
studied the shamanic tradition of the
Hmong hill tribes in Thailand. She is a
transpersonal psychiatrist and serves on the
faculty of the University of Maryland
Medical School. p. 33
Richard Yensen Pérez-Venero
studied the shamanic tradition with Carlos
Castaneda and Maria Sabina. A psychologist, he has served on the faculties of
Harvard Medical School and Johns
Hopkins University. p. 33
Beth Pettengill-Riley has worked
with Continuum Movement for more than
twenty years. A dancer, choreographer,
teacher, and parent, she brings Continuum
into everyday life. She has taught creative
movement, yoga, dance, and Continuum
internationally. p. 55
Maggie Phillips is a psychologist in
private practice and director of the
California Institute of Clinical Hypnosis in
Oakland, Calif. She leads workshops on
hypnosis and personal growth and is coauthor of Healing the Divided Self. p. 15
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Char Pias, Esalen massage staff member
since 1980, is a facilitator and founding
member of the Esalen Arts Center. She is a
Reiki Master and a licensed minister of the
Center for Spiritual Healing in Tiburon,
Calif. p. 18, 33
Steven Newmark is a psychotherapist, author, lecturer, and leading expert on
singles issues. He has created three best-selling videos: What Women Really Want,
The Art of Meeting Men, and How to
Meet Women, as well as a six-cassette
audio album, Love, Sex, and Dating in
the 90s. p. 60
Wes Nisker has practiced Buddhist
insight meditation for 25 years with teachers in Asia and the West. He is founder/editor of the Buddhist journal Inquiring
Mind and author of Buddha’s Nature:
Evolution as a Guide to Enlightenment.
p. 51
Andy Nusbaum is a 30-year member
of the P.G.A., a longtime teacher, and a
founding board member of The Shivas Irons
Society. He is committed to the mysteries,
beauties, and transformative capabilities of
the game of golf. p. 52
O
Babatunde Olatunji, master percussionist from Nigeria, has performed internationally for over 40 years. His album
Drums of Passion was the first stereo
album to bring African music to Western
ears. He is an authority on African religion.
p. 30
Judith Orloff is a psychiatrist in private practice in Los Angeles. She is assistant
clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and
the author of Second Sight, her story of
learning to reconcile her talents as a clairvoyant with the rational world of science.
p. 63
84
Frank Ostaseski is founding director
of Zen Hospice Project and Esalen’s former
spiritual teacher-in-residence. He leads
workshops throughout the U.S. and Europe,
maintains a grief-counseling practice, and is
a longtime Buddhist practitioner. p. 19
Brita Ostrom, a licensed MFT, has led
massage and other workshops at Esalen for
over 20 years. She is trained in Gestalt awareness work and participated in Esalen’s twoyear somatics education project. p. 48, 77
P
Laurie Lioness Parizek combines
traditional and innovative ways of healing.
She teaches and practices interactive and
energetic healing and is a longtime teacher
of Esalen bodywork. She also pilots Esalen
Outreach and Education, extending Esalen’s
services to the world. p. 23, 36, 53, 75
Malcolm Parlett, an internationallyknown Gestalt trainer and editor of the
highly-rated British Gestalt Journal, is
currently investigating, teaching, and
attempting to live the Five Abilities. p. 19
Laurel Parnell is a clinical psychologist
and author of Transforming Trauma:
EMDR and EMDR in the Treatment
of Adults Abused as Children. She is
adjunct faculty in the psychology doctoral
program at California Institute of Integral
Studies. p. 30, 54
Pablo Piekar has been practicing bodywork for 12 years. He is a member of the
Esalen massage staff and has a background
in psychology. p. 33
Marianne Preger-Simon is a psychotherapist in private practice in Whately,
Mass. She is a consultant and workshop
leader, author of many articles, a dancer,
musician, wife, stepmother, mother, and
grandmother. p. 53
Christine Stewart Price is a
teacher and ongoing student of Gestalt
Awareness Practice and other approaches to
developing awareness. p. 31, 61
Jett Psaris, after a career spanning the
heights and depths of the financial world,
began to question every belief she held true.
After completing a Ph.D. in psychology, she
began offering workshops with Marlena
Lyons to other seekers on the path of selfknowledge. p. 20
Johanna Putnoi is a dancer, writer,
and somatics educator who leads workshops
and trainings in Lomi somatics, the movement arts, and the enneagram throughout
the U.S. and in Europe. She has a private
practice in Menlo Park, Calif. p. 67
R
Rhiannon is a gifted singer, composer,
and teacher who has been bringing her
potent blend of jazz, world music, and
improvisation, to audiences for three
decades. She is a founding member of the
innovative a cappella ensembles Voicestra
(with Bobby McFerrin) and SoVoSo. p. 17
David Richo has a doctorate in clinical
psychology and is the author of When Love
Meets Fear; Unexpected Miracles: The
Gifts of Synchronicity; and Shadow
Dance. He emphasizes Jungian and
Buddhist themes to integrate psychological
and spiritual work. p. 70
Bonnie Roberts has been poet-in-residence for the Alabama State Council on the
Arts and the National Endowment for the
Arts. A many-time fellowship recipient and
Fulbright scholar, she has taught poetrywriting abroad. p. 68
Melinda Roland combines skills in
CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional
Release, manual therapy, homeopathy,
Chinese medicine, and energetic healing.
Trained under Dr. John Upledger, she has
taught for the Upledger Institute for 15
years. p. 61
William Roll is professor of psychology
and psychical research at the State
University of West Georgia. A former staff
member of the Duke University
Parapsychology Laboratory, he researched
for seven years with Dr. J.B. Rhine, founder
of modern parapsychology. p. 55
Marina Romero is a therapist and
teacher. She is director of Estel, a center of
personal growth in Barcelona, and creator of
Holistic Sexuality. She is the coauthor of
Nacidos de la Tierra: Sexualidad,
Origen del Ser Humano. p. 51
Jack Rosenberg is a psychologist in
private practice and clinical director of the
Rosenberg-Kitaen Institute of Integrative
Body Psychotherapy in Venice, Calif. He is
the author of Body, Self, and Soul. p. 33
Gordy Onàyémi Ryan has 30 years
of experience playing with Babatunde
Olatunji’s Drums of Passion as well as an
extensive career as a recording artist and
composer for dance, albums, and films.
p. 12, 13
Zoë Yayodele Ryan teaches transformational movement and dance to people of
all ages. After training in dance education
in London she apprenticed with Gabrielle
Roth, and has lived and breathed African
music and dance with Babatunde Olatunji
and others for over 12 years. p. 12
S
Stèphano Sabetti, founder of the
Life Energy Process®, has a doctorate in psychology and trains therapists internationally. He is also an organizational consultant.
p. 19, 20
Barbara Sachs is a certified Diamond
Approach teacher, a licensed psychotherapist,
and a mother and “young” grandmother.
p. 32
Howard Schechter is interested in
learning and teaching about emotional and
spiritual liberation. He is the author of
Rekindling the Spirit in Work and the
forthcoming Jupiter’s Rings: Balance
from the Inside Out. p. 14, 44, 78
David Schiffman is a longtime group
leader at Esalen. His primary interest is in
facilitating people in transition toward a
more heartful, unstrained existence. p. 23,
29, 47, 55, 61, 69, 74, 78
Meir Schneider, an internationally
known therapist and educator, is the
founder of the School for Self-Healing in
San Francisco. His latest publication is
Yoga for Your Eyes, a video on natural
vision improvement. p. 28
Laurie Schutz, senior Esalen Massage
practitioner and teacher, integrates her
degree in body awareness psychology with a
nonintrusive massage approach to maximize the release of both mind and body tension. p. 48
Susannah Self is an international
mezzo-soprano and composer who studied
voice, composition, and lute at London’s
Royal College of Music. She has performed
and taught throughout Europe. p. 39
Phyllis Shankman is a licensed therapist in Southern California and a longtime
Esalen group leader. She offers retreats and
seminars on self-esteem, creativity, and spirituality. p. 57, 77
Paula Shaw, a professional actress and
acting teacher for over 25 years, conducts
workshops in expanding self-expression,
well-being, and creativity for non-actors
across the United States and Canada.
p. 38, 39
Shulamit is a practicing Kabballist and
creator of the CD Beyond Words: The
Sounds of the Kabballah. She spent many
years as a businesswoman and Wall Street
investment banker before leaving to pursue
her spiritual path. p. 28
Jason Siff has been teaching meditation
for over 12 years, starting when he was a
Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka. He conducts
workshops on Samatha-Vipassana meditation, writes Buddhist fiction, and translates
Pali Sutras. p. 40
Debra Silverman is a trained psychotherapist and astrologer who is designing
an elemental psychology based on soulful
beauty and outrageous humor. “Looking at
personality,” she says, “is always funny.”
p. 78
Gerald Smith is a licensed psychologist
in private practice in San Mateo, Calif. Dr.
Smith has authored two books on relationships, Couple Therapy and Hidden
Meanings, and has led couples’ workshops
at Esalen since 1966. p. 25
Sobonfu Somé, born into the Dagara
Tribe of Burkina Faso, was recognized by
village elders as possessing special gifts. From
the age of five, she was prepared to teach
ancient African wisdom, ritual, and practice
to the West. p. 45
Bob Stahl is the director of mindfulnessbased stress reduction programs at hospitals
in Santa Cruz and the Bay Area. He is a
longtime meditation practitioner who lived
in a Buddhist monastery for over eight
years, and has trained with Dr. Jon KabatZinn. p. 30
Margaret Stevens is a senior member of the Esalen massage staff and a student
of yoga, dance, and voice. p. 21, 58
Victoria Stiefvater-Roffers is a
psychotherapist trained in expressive art
therapy, energy psychology, and the “Four
Fold Way” of Angeles Arrien. She is also a
member of the adjunct faculty at John F.
Kennedy University. p. 46
David Streeter, a certified sports massage practitioner on the Esalen massage
staff, has taught yoga and anatomy and
worked as an athletic trainer. Before joining
the Esalen faculty, he lived as a Camaldolese
monk. p. 22, 77
Tina Stromsted is a psychologist and
dance therapist with 26 years of experience.
International trainer and faculty member
in the Somatic Psychology Program at CIIS
in San Francisco, she integrates body-oriented, Jungian, and creative-arts approaches to
healing. p. 51
Keiko Suga is a ceramic and textile
artist whose focus is on traditional techniques using natural materials. p. 28, 31,
33, 63
Jim Sullivan, a dating and relationship
coach with 25 years of counseling experience,
is founder of Dating Strategies. He has conducted seminars for gay men throughout the
U.S. p. 13
T
Richard Tarnas, former director of
programs at Esalen, teaches at the
California Institute of Integral Studies and
Pacifica Graduates Institute, and is the
author of The Passion of the Western
Mind and Prometheus the Awakener.
p. 35
Jeremy Taylor blends spirituality with
an active social conscience and a Jungian
perspective. Cofounder and past president of
the International Association for the Study
of Dreams, he leads workshops nationwide,
and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
p. 59
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche is a
Tibetan lama and a Dzogchen master of
Vajrayana Buddhism. He spent eight years
in solitary retreat and is the tenth lineage
holder of the Repkong tantric yogis of Tibet.
p. 36
Dorothy Nell Thomas was
founder/director of The Keys Institute in
Key Largo, Fla., and is also a former director
of the Work Study Program at Esalen.
Currently a process facilitator and writer,
she is foremost a lover of truth, even when
the truth “ain’t pretty.” p. 77
Vicki Topp is a senior practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage and somatic
bodywork. She teaches workshops and training groups internationally and is a
Registered Movement Therapist and practitioner of Body-Mind Centering®. p. 28, 69
U
Daniela Urbassek is a long-term
member of the Esalen massage staff. Her
work is strongly influenced by her studies in
craniosacral work, movement, yoga, and
dance. p. 57
Jai Uttal, a sacred music composer,
recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and
ecstatic vocalist, combines influences from
India with influences from American rock
and jazz to create a multicultural world
spirit-music. His website is
www.jaiuttal.com. p. 29
V
Sietze VanDerHeide is a clinical
psychologist in private practice in Los
Angeles and a faculty member at Ryokan
College. He specializes in neuropsychology,
behavioral medicine, and interpersonal relations, focusing on the integration of psychotherapy and neurophysiology. p. 40
Bessel van der Kolk is a clinician,
researcher, and teacher in the area of Post
Traumatic Stress. His book Traumatic
Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming
Experience on Mind, Body, and Society
(coedited with A. McFarlane) is the premier
text on the subject. p. 14
John Vasconcellos is Dean of the
California Legislature, representing Silicon
Valley these past 35 years—paralleling his
35 years of personal odyssey as a protégé of
Maslow, Rogers, May, Satir, and Keleman.
p. 50
Stephen Victor has focused for two
decades on providing personal and spiritual
transformation in the forms of neurolinguistic programming and Hellinger-based
coaching and mediation to public and private individuals and organizations. p. 39
W
Robert Walter, Joseph Campbell’s
editor for a decade, is president of the Joseph
Campbell Foundation and a poet/playwright with several decades of diverse experiences as group leader, teacher, publisher,
and theatrical producer/director/designer.
p. 38
Terence Ward grew up in Iran. In
1998, after 30 years of absence, he returned,
inspiring his book Searching for Hassan:
An American Journey Back to Iran. He
is a cross-cultural consultant in the public
and private sector in the U.S. and the
Islamic world. p. 31
Ellen Watson is a teacher/student of
transformational practices including
Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms™, Trance
Dance™, yoga, Holotropic Breathwork™,
and Esalen Massage. She has been at Esalen
since 1984, practicing and teaching on the
massage and Movement Arts staff. p. 57
Arthur Weinfeld is a clinical psychologist and passionate stone carver. He has
been able to blend the two into helping himself and others along the journey to self-discovery. p. 12
Hank Wesselman conducts research
in Ethiopia and teaches anthropology at
American River College and Sierra College
in northern California. His books,
Spiritwalker, Medicinemaker, and
Visionseeker describe his investigations
into the shamanic realms of magic, mysticism, and meaning. p. 37, 66
Gordon Wheeler is senior faculty at
the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and
author of Gestalt Reconsidered. He writes
and trains extensively in the Gestalt model,
focusing on men’s issues, intimacy and
shame, and building interpersonal support
systems. p. 19, 70
Ian Wickramasekera is a psychophysiologist and professor of psychology
at Saybrook Institute, as well as a clinical
professor of psychiatry at Stanford Medical
School. He has made important contributions to mind/body science for over 30 years,
and has received the Morton Prince Award.
p. 42
Nicholas Wilton has been working
professionally as an artist for over 17 years.
His paintings are exhibited in numerous
galleries and private collections, and have
been featured internationally in magazines,
children’s books, and print and digital
media. p. 26
Jil Windsor is a senior trainer with the
Coaches Training Institute. She works
internationally as a personal coach and
directs her company, Coaching Elements,
Inc. from Santa Cruz, Calif. p. 64
Anna Wise has taught meditation and
training brainwaves worldwide for over 25
years. She is the author of The HighPerformance Mind: Mastering
Brainwaves for Insight, Healing, and
Creativity and Awakening the Mind: A
Guide to Mastering the Power of Your
Brainwaves. p. 15, 47
Nina Wise is a performance artist whose
provocative and original works have been
honored with seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle
awards and three National Endowment for
the Arts fellowships. Her written pieces have
appeared in numerous magazines. p. 15, 54
Z
William Zangwill is an EMDR trainer who teaches therapists worldwide. He has
a private practice in New York specializing
in PTSD, sexual and relationship issues, and
family therapy. After many personal meditation retreats, he presents workshops combining EMDR and meditation. p. 20
85
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reservation information
Making Contact with Us
Mail or Fax: The most efficient way to
register for a workshop at Esalen is to fax
or mail your reservation. If you fax your
reservation, be sure to include accurate
credit card information.
Esalen’s Fax: 831-667-2724
(Our fax line is exclusively for reservations—
no personal correspondence, please.)
Phone: If you prefer to make your reserva-
tion by phone, please be prepared with your
completed reservation form, workshop dates
and leaders, and your credit card. We know
that all calls to Esalen are long-distance and
will try to be as efficient as possible.
General Information: 831-667-3000
Express Reservations: 831-667-3000,
ext. 7321 (Express reservations are for those
who have previously taken a workshop at Esalen
and know the workshop, date, and leader of the
workshop for which they are registering. Please
have ready your credit card and type of accommodation you desire.)
All Other Reservations: 831-667-3005
Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000, ext. 7100
Messages: 831-667-3000, ext. 7402
(to leave a message for a seminar participant or
room and board guest.)
Phone Reservation Hours:*
Mon., Tues., Thur.: 10 am to 7 pm
Wednesday:
10 am to 12 noon
Friday:
10 am to 5 pm
Saturday:
10 am to 3 pm
Sunday:
12 noon to 5 pm
*The reservation office is closed on Christmas
and New Year’s Day.
World Wide Web: http://www.esalen.org
Registration
Fees and Reservations: Preregistration, by
fax, mail, or phone, is required prior to arrival.
A registration form is provided on page 88.
Since workshops fill quickly, it is advisable to
sign up as early as possible. In order to reserve
a space in any workshop, we require full payment or the following deposits:
Weekend:
$150
5 to 7 days: $300
12 to 14 days: $400
86
19 to 21 days: $450
More than 21 days:
$600
Deposits are payable in U.S. currency only.
Overseas residents must pay by checks drawn
on U.S. banks or use a credit card. The balance
will be automatically drawn from your credit
card five days before your arrival. (Please see
page 87 for information on discounts and
reduced rate options.)
Please indicate your second choice for a workshop in case your first choice is cancelled and
we are unable to reach you.
Esalen Institute reserves the right to cancel any
program at any time.
Fees and Accommodations
Please Note: Workshop fees cover
tuition, food, and lodging. Fees are
subject to change without notice.
All accommodations are shared. We
cannot guarantee requests for singles.
Standard Accommodations: This is shared
housing, two or three persons per room. In
some cases, bathrooms are shared. Couples
will always be housed together.
7-Day Rate,
per person
5-Day Rate,
per person
Weekend Rate,
per person
$1370
$885
$485
Bunk Bed Rooms: This is shared housing,
four or more persons per room. There are a
limited number of these spaces, which are
reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
7-Day Rate
5-Day Rate
Weekend Rate
$1020
$660
$360
Sleeping Bags: Meeting rooms are some-
times used as shared sleeping bag space and
may be available for workshop participants
with limited financial means. Sleeping bag
spaces are for sleeping only, as meeting rooms
are frequently in use and therefore inaccessible
between 9 am and 11 pm. There is a 7-day
limit on sleeping bag stays.
7-Day Rate
5-Day Rate
Weekend Rate
$655
$425
$230
Own Accommodations: If you are staying
off the property the following rates apply.
7-Day Rate
5-Day Rate
Weekend Rate
$805
$520
$285
Camping on the grounds, either in tents or
campers, is prohibited. We do not have parking space to accommodate RVs.
Room and Board
Occasionally, when beds aren’t needed for
seminarians, room and board is available. This
gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the
grounds, the baths, and massage without participating in a workshop. Accommodations
are standard (2 or 3 per room) or bunk bed (4
or more per room). Not all rooms have private
baths. Room and board rates include dinner
on the day of arrival and breakfast and lunch
on the following day. We require full payment
at the time of reservation. There are no cancellations; this payment is nonrefundable and
nontransferable.
Note: Room and Board reservations must be made
by phone with a reservation specialist, not by fax.
For a room and board stay between Sunday
and Thursday, please call us no earlier than
the Thursday before for room availability. For
a Friday or Saturday night stay, please call no
earlier than the Sunday before. The following
rates are per person, per day.*
Weekend
(Friday and
Saturday nights)
Weekday
(Sunday through
Thursday nights)
Standard Accommodations (2 or 3 per room):
$150
$130
Bunk Bed (4 or more per room):
$95
$90
*Off-season rates are in effect from October 1
through March 31, holidays excepted.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
Cancellations must be made by phone with
one of our reservation staff. If you cancel or
change any part of your reservation at least
five full days before the start of your workshop(s), your nonrefundable deposit, less a
$50-per-workshop processing fee, will be
transferred to a credit account to be used
within one year. If you cancel with less than
five days’ notice, you forfeit your entire
deposit. If you have prepaid your entire
reservation fee, we will retain the deposit,
as above, less the $50 processing fee, and
return the balance to you.
Scholarship Information
Esalen is able to provide some scholarship
assistance to workshop participants in exchange
for a work commitment (usually in the kitchen).
Approved scholarship recipients will receive
their work schedules upon arrival at Esalen.
Assistance
Weekend
5-9 days
$ 50
$100
Work
4 hours
8 hours
If additional scholarship assistance is required,
please send a letter of explanation to:
Scholarships at Esalen. Due to the number of
requests we receive, we can only provide one
scholarship per person per year.
Reduced Rate Options
and Discounts
If you pay in full at the time you make your
reservation, you will receive a $10 prepayment
discount per workshop and be eligible for
express check-in upon arrival. This discount
does not apply to scholarship recipients, sleeping bag accommodations, own accommodations, or the Ongoing Residence Program.
Senior Citizen Discount: Esalen offers a
special discount to individuals over 65 years
of age. The discount for a weekend workshop
is $25; for a five-day or longer program, it’s
$50. Please request this discount at the time
of registration. When you complete the reservation form on page 88, please indicate the
discounts for which you qualify. If you qualify, and you make your reservation by phone,
be sure to ask for this discount. (Please note:
Senior discounts are not available for the
Work Study Program.)
The Early Childhood Program is available to
seminarians who would like child care at
Esalen. Child care is provided during workshop hours only. Daytime activities for the
children include gardening, pony rides, learning about animal care, exploring nature, a real
boat, the magic castle, and an Indian tepee.
Evenings are spent with a teacher in the
Gazebo Farmhouse, engaged in activities that
are age-appropriate, such as reading, learning
and playing with the computer, baking, arts
and crafts, or building-block play.
Reservations should be made at least a month
in advance. Call the Gazebo Farmhouse,
831-667-3026, for more information and
reservations.
Weekend: $250 Week: $450
The Gazebo School Park
Early Childhood Program
The Gazebo School Park is a unique educational experience for children one to six years. It is
open year-round and has an average of 15 to
20 children in attendance each day.
Schedules
Check-in/Check-out and Meals: Rooms
become available at 4 pm; however, guests are
welcome to arrive anytime after 2 pm. Weekend
programs begin with dinner on Friday and end
with brunch on Sunday. Five-day and longer
programs begin with dinner on Friday or Sunday and end with lunch on Friday or Sunday.
Check-out time is noon on departure day.
Workshops: Workshop sessions normally
begin at 8:30 on the first evening and end at
noon on the final day.
Internship Program: This is a three-month
program for those who wish to have intense
exposure to life at the Gazebo School Park and
its unique educational resources. The Internship Program offers experience with children,
the Gazebo environment, and its teaching philosophy. Applicants must have completed at
least three work scholar months at Esalen
before being considered for this program.
Call the Gazebo Farmhouse, 831-667-3026,
for more information or reservations.
1st month $450/2nd month $400/3rd month $350
Seminarians as Volunteers
For Your Information
Health Services: There are no medical ser-
vices or pharmaceutical supplies available at
Esalen. If you will require medical attention
or supplies during your stay, please come
prepared to administer to your own needs.
Esalen is 45 miles from the nearest medical
facility or pharmacy.
Technology and Communications:
Esalen is technologically inconvenient and
lacks ready access to e-mail, computers, faxes,
television, and other inventions to which you
may be habituated.
Seminarians in residence at Esalen are invited
to contribute one or two hours per week to
work with the staff, usually in the kitchen.
Your help enables us to meet the pressures of
peak working times and enables you to experience Esalen from the inside out.
Money: We are unable to act as a banking service. Please bring adequate funds for your stay.
Transportation to Esalen
Snoring: All of our accommodations are
Accommodations for Families: Two full-
paying adults housed in standard accommodations may have their children in the room
for a meal charge of $20 per child per day
($10 for children under six). Note: If children are enrolled in Gazebo School Park or an
Esalen workshop, additional fees are required.
Contact the Gazebo, 831-667-3026, for
information regarding their fees.
van service from Esalen is on Fridays and
Sundays at approximately 6:30 pm. If you plan
to use this departure service, please make sure
that your plane reservations are after 8 pm.
Ridesharing: We would like to encourage
ridesharing to reduce the number of cars on
the road and at Esalen. See the reservation
form on page 80 for ridesharing options.
Van Service: On Fridays and Sundays we
have van service from the Monterey Airport
at approximately 4 pm and from the Monterey
Transit Plaza (corner of Pearl and Alvarado,
next to Ordway Drug) at approximately
4:20 pm. If you plan to use this service, please
inform the Esalen office at least 24 hours
prior to your arrival. The $30 one-way fee
(subject to change) is payable to the Esalen
office when you check in. Return reservations
may be made at that time. The only departing
Valuables: The Esalen office has no facili-
ties to store your valuables.
Flashlight: Please bring a flashlight for use at
night while walking on the grounds.
shared. You or your roommate may snore.
Please come prepared (nose guards, ear
plugs, etc.) for this possibility.
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in any
of our accommodations or meeting rooms.
Illegal Drugs: In accordance with state and
federal laws, the possession or use of illegal
drugs on Esalen grounds is strictly prohibited.
Guests: Seminarians are not allowed guests
on the property during their stay.
Pets: No pets are allowed on the property.
Lost and Found: To inquire about items left
behind from your Esalen visit, call 831-667-3019.
87
S
esalen institute reservation form
phone number. A nonrefundable deposit for each person registering
and each workshop applied for must accompany this form. (Please see
Reservation Information, page 86, under Fees and Reservations,
Making Contact with Us, and Cancellation and Refund Policy.)
This form is for your convenience in reserving a space in Esalen workshops. If you wish to make reservations for more than one person,
please photocopy this form so that each registrant has his/her own
form, unless you are registering as a couple with the same address and
Name of Registrant___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PRINT
Sex: M o F o Couple o
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________________________________________________________
State __________________________________________________
Zip _______________________________
Home Phone ( __________ ) ____________________________________________________________
Work Phone ( __________ )___________________________________________________________________
o Check if you have previously been to Esalen and this is a new address.
Passenger Van Service:
Ridesharing: If you are driving to Esalen and willing to give a ride to someone
from your area, check here o ; if you need a ride, check here o .
Occasionally there are unexpected situations that require us to contact you immediately
before your stay here. If you will not be at the above numbers during the two weeks prior
to the workshop, where may we reach you?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please mark your first and second choices for housing after referring to page 86 for accommodation descriptions and rates. Total cost includes workshop fees, lodging, and meals.
o
o
o
o
Check for standard accommodations, if available.
I want transportation from (check one):
o Monterey Airport at approximately 4:00 pm on
___________________________________________________________________________________
(date of arrival, Fridays and Sundays only).
o Monterey Transit Plaza at approximately 4:20 pm
(corner of Pearl and Alvarado, next to Ordway Drug)
The $30-per-person charge (subject to change) is payable on
arrival at Esalen. Please prepare to arrive at the airport well before
4:00pm so you do not miss our van. Esalen cannot be responsible
for taxi fare or other transportation costs. If your plans for use
of the passenger van service change after you have made
your reservation, please notify us. The only departing van
Check for bunk bed room, if available.
Check for sleeping bag space, if available.
service from Esalen is on Fridays and Sundays at approximately
6:30 pm. If you plan on taking this van please make sure that your
plane reservations are after 8:00 pm. Passenger van service is not
available at any other time.
Check if you wish to room as a couple.
Write here the name(s) of any person(s) with whom you wish to room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other Notes:
All workshop reservations require a nonrefundable deposit. The balance will be
All of our rooms are non-smoking. If you smoke, please plan to
do so outside.
No pets allowed.
We are unable to act as a banking service for our guests. Please
bring adequate funds for your stay.
automatically drawn from your credit card five days before your arrival.
Your signature below authorizes Esalen to charge your credit card for the balance.
Workshop Date
Leader’s Name
Fee
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Workshop Deposits Enclosed __________________________
Tax-deductible contribution to Esalen (Optional) __________________________
$5 Catalog Contribution (Optional) __________________________
Subtotal __________________________
Total Amount Enclosed __________________________
o
o
o
o
Check here for $10 prepay discount (see page 87).
Check here if this is your first visit to Esalen.
Check here if you need directions to Esalen.
Check here if you are a senior.
o Check here if you do not want your phone number given out
for ridesharing.
Please make checks payable to Esalen Institute, in U.S. currency
only. (There will be a $15 fee for returned checks.) Overseas residents must pay by checks drawn on U.S. banks or with one of the
charge cards below. Checks or credit card information must
accompany the reservations form. Or, you may fax this form to us
at 831-667-2724. If you do so, you must include payment
via one of the credit cards below.
Card No. ____________________________________________________________________________
Expiration Date __________________________________________________________________
RES INITIALS
CIRCLE DEPOSIT CC
DEPOSIT AMT.
RES. BK
CC AUTH. #
DATE TYPED
TYPED INITIALS
88
nizations who have services, information, or events that might
be of interest to our subscribers. Please check here if you prefer that your name be used for Esalen mailings only.
Your reservation can be charged to:
o MasterCard
o Visa
o American Express
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
DATE REC.
o We occasionally make our mailing list available to other orga-
PP
SCHOL
CK
LIMO
CA
SUS
SENIOR
Authorizing Signature _________________________________________________________
Thank you for your reservation. As soon as it is processed you will
receive by return mail a receipt for your deposit and a notice of
confirmation. Please review your confirmation for accuracy.
Esalen Institute is a center to encourage work in the
humanities and sciences that promotes human values
and potentials. Its activities consist of public seminars,
residential work-study programs, invitational conferences, research, and semi-autonomous projects.
Esalen Institute
Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9616
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PA I D
San Francisco, CA
Permit No. 2

January 2002 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

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