Transpersonal Breathwork Workshops
Transpersonal Breathwork is a powerful experiential process based on the work of Stanislov Grof, MD and Christina Grof, creators of Holotropic Breathwork. Dreamshadow Transpersonal Breathwork is an evolution of that work developed by two of Grof’s long term students - Lenny and Elizabeth Gibson. (You can learn more about Dreamshadow here.)
The practice itself involves a combination of accelerated and intensified breathing, evocative music, group process and focused bodywork, and can induce an extraordinary range of non ordinary states of consciousness.
Many people have compared the effects of Transpersonal Breathwork to Psychedelic experiences, and a similar range of intense somatic and visionary experiences are possible. One advantage of Breathwork is that the breath can act as a throttle on the experience, amplifying or subduing the intensity of the journey based on what the breather is comfortable with. Another advantage is the emphasis on preparation and integration of the experience, which is often deeply supported by the group process and work with a facilitator.
Breathwork is traditionally offered as part of a weekend workshop, with plenty of time to move into and out of the experience, and long (3+ hour) session times.
I also offer one on one Breathwork sessions for people who want to explore the experience in a more open ended way. I offer these sessions over Zoom, and once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, in person.
Reiki In Depth Training
Reiki in Depth offers a distinct approach to learning Reiki’s 3 degrees that is rigorous, intuitive and gentle.
I first trained in Reiki through the 3rd degree in 2008 with Vittorio Perri, and again in 2012 with Judith Prevost. I am deeply grateful to my teacher’s for their great skill and generosity, and it was also clear to me that my own teaching style would be different from theirs. Reiki is typically taught in a brief intensive format, with an emphasis on the Initiation (or Attunement) process, and on students finding their own way to practice from there. I knew I wanted to continue that emphasis on practitioners finding their own voice. However, my extensive and ongoing training in massage and bodywork instilled in me the value of deep embodied training over a longer period of time.
Part of the beauty of Reiki is in its simplicity and openness - there’s no one right way to do it, and at the deepest levels it completely transcends technique - the healing and positive change comes spontaneously through the connection between Practitioner and Client. This beautiful gift can also present a challenge to practitioners in that they may leave their training intensive with little support or inspiration for how to cultivate and evolve their art form. True but vague notions like “Reiki will guide you,” may be sufficient for many people to make progress on their own. But in many cases, including my own, the structure of deep study and practice helps clarify and focus the evolution and skill building which the energy of Reiki invites us into.
For these reasons I’ve turned my own decade of study and practice (particularly inspired by the work of Frans Steine, William Rand, and my training in Esoteric Buddhist meditation) into a clear curriculum that puts great emphasis on direct experience rooted in powerful methodology. After several years of teaching, I’ve found that students consistently learn how to spontaneously connect and work with their own energy, and the energy of clients - in other words they’re not dependent on any formula or technique to get them there. At the same time, they have access to profound technical skills and a wide array of tools for helping clients release painful patterns in their bodies and mind. The proficiency in technique that all of the Reiki In Depth graduates have embodied gives them a level of precision and nuance in their work that goes far beyond what I could apply in my early years of practicing Reiki.
This is by no means meant to criticize or diminish the many wonderful teachers and approaches to Reiki that are currently available. In many ways I think that a connection with an authentic teacher and lineage, and a student’s integrity and trust in themselves play the biggest role in their development towards Mastery. However, I’ve found many Students also long for more structure in their training, and more support in developing specific skills as a Practitioner. It is my hope that these Courses will offer that in a deeply meaningful way.