Soul Wisdom Therapy
Groups, Classes, Workshops and Retreats
I. Free online Awakening to Spirit Group:
This is a free, nondual spiritual exploration group for those interested in exploring nondual spiritual wisdom. In the past, meetings took take place in Davis, CA, but since last March they are now over Zoom. The meetings take place on the third Saturday of each month from 10 am to noon–with a few exceptions. Note that this is a Meetup Group and can be found on the Meetup website: https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-DJkyBPhO/events/271574896/
An orientation to the group will be offered to group newcomers on Saturday, August 15.
As Wikipedia states, “While the term “nondualism” is derived from Advaita Vedanta, descriptions of nondual consciousness can be found within Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as western Christianity and neo-Platonic tradiitons.”
According to Pir Elias Amidon, one of the nondual spiritual teachers with whom I studied, there is an “indescribable, but definitely recognizable, reality that is the ground of all being.” This reality is signified by “many names” from “spiritual traditions throughout the world”:[313]
[N]ondual awareness, pure awareness, open awareness, presence-awareness, unconditioned mind, rigpa, primordial experience, This, the basic state, the sublime, buddhanature, original nature, spontaneous presence, the oneness of being, the ground of being, the Real, clarity, God-consciousness, divine light, the clear light, illumination, realization and enlightenment.[313]
Typically, I lead the group through a 20-30 minute meditation. Usually there is a topic of focus for each gathering, which I share ahead over Meetup. Periodically, I invite international nondual spiritual teachers to present to the group.
One area of focus is somatically based practices to assist group members with tuning into the inherent wisdom of the body to connect with Spirit/Oneness/God. In addition to my training in Somatic Experiencing, I offer iRest group sessions at times. iRest combines relaxation yoga and “getting-in-touch” practices that I learned from trainings with Dr. Richard Miller, of the Integrative Restoration Institute. I am a certified i-Rest Teacher. Dr. Miller developed iRest, a very powerful path to help you live a contented life, free of conflict and fear, by opening your mind and body to its inherent ground of health and well-being. iRest includes mindful body sensing, breath awareness practices relaxation yoga (Yoga Nidra) and other practices designed to achieve deep calm and peace quickly and easily, even when faced with difficult or traumatic events. As you learn and practice the i-Rest practices, you will find inner resources for deep peace and rest that can be done almost anywhere and at anytime to gain relief from anxiety, fear, or other uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms, and cultivate inner peace and homeostasis.
As well and most importantly, iRest is a path of awakening. Richard Miller himself is an awake, nondual teacher. He has extensively studied all of the great wisdom spiritual teachings from around the world, as well as deeply studying and experiencing many forms of yoga. He had a number of awakening experiences many years ago and lives as a shining light of awakeness for so many. He is helping military personnel all over the world to awaken to their true nature through his iRest trainings, which are now taught at dozens of military bases and VA Centers.
People can attend any of these Zoom monthly ATS group sessions as desired.
You can read more about this group and about upcoming gatherings at https://awakening2spirit.org/ or on the meetup website (link above).
II. Online Self-Discovery Group: Transforming the Shadow Within and Relating to Others Without Shame
This group is for you if you are interested in exploring:
- Unconscious motivations and projections (the “shadow” self)
- Ways in which your ego maintains its hold on you
- New ways of authentically relating from your heart
- Ways to deepen your capacity for trust and intimacy in relationship with self and others.
- Healing shame
This group will help you explore new ways of authentically relating from your heart as you deepen your capacity for trust and intimacy with self and others. The group rpactices I teach also include techniques for accessing intuition and clearing old behavioral patterns that no longer serve you.
The group process combines psycho-education sessions and relationship practice and skill-building sessions.
We explore how we “project” (make false assumptions about) others. Group members give and receive support as they work together to deepen their self-understanding and to connect with their soul-wisdom and inner guidance. Group process includes Byron Katie’s “Work,” the Enneagram, working with “downward spiral of negative emotions,” and working through shame stories (past shameful events). The group will also practice and work on deeper intimacy in relationship with each other and with others outside of the group.
A new group will begin in the Fall of 2020 or Winter of 2021. Cost is $50 per session. Group will meet for 12-14 sessions and may continue beyond that if group participants wish to. Past Self-Discovery Groups have met weekly for a full year.
See testimonials below from previous group members:
“I joined Deborah’s 12 week group for two sessions. Although we all led different lifestyles, had different family constellations, varied ages, we came to realize that our issues were quite the same. We worked through some old worn out issues (shadows) that kept getting in our way in our current life, in a very safe supportive environment. We learned some fun, empowering ways to support ourselves and let go of old wounds. Wednesday night group became a time that we could count on to let down, gain insight, be supported and always leave feeling empowered. Deborah provided a “presence” that created a safe cohesive experience.” M
______________________________
“The group provided me with insight and support as I deepened my spiritual experience. The women in the group were inspirational to me on all levels. Hearing others struggles and challenges allowed me to feel more connected to our universal experience of oneness” D
_______________________________
“I now have a tool kit of skills and techniques for dealing with shadow, as well as a greater understanding of what shadow is and how it manifests in my life. Additionally, the group provided me with a trusted cadre of like-minded women to support and gain support from. I was continually astonished at how we were often struggling with the same issues at the same time, even though we are all very different people at different places in our lives. I have a greater sense of how we are all connected in this great awakening because of this group.” M
___________________________
1.”Learned to value myself.
2. Learned ways to change the way I approach difficult or uncomfortable situations.
3. Experienced the extraordinary power that a group of women hold when they are joining in a spiritual setting.
4. Found new deeper levels of meditation.
5. Loved laughing with the other women about the ways we are so alike.
6. Helped me not be so serious about my perceived shortcomings,and probably a couple hundred other positive concepts, emotions, skills.
Most of all, I loved, absolutely loved, making the connection with the women who came each week. Having the support of those women, including Deborah as facilitator, was profound and incredibly supportive for me. Knowing one is loved by others despite our flaws was wonderful.” K
____________________________
“I had no idea what “shadow” was when I started attending your class. I had been attending Deborah’s Saturday monthly classes, and was being exposed to spiritual ideas which were both familiar and new to me. The Wednesday night meetings gave me tools to delve further into understanding myself and to understand how I hamper my own personal growth. It was a safe environment in which I could explore and share, and perhaps even help others. Deborah is a gifted teacher, and being in the group was very enlightening. Thank you!” S
_________________________
“This group was an incredibly safe and supportive experience to both begin and continue the process of identifying, understanding, and embracing my shadow aspects. It was deeply healing and made possible a deepening of spirituality that I had yearned for. It also created a community of lovely, spiritually-oriented women also committed to evolving consciousness, all of us learning so much from one another. It changed my life in big and small ways! I am so grateful to Deborah for this heart-opening group experience!”MR
_________________________
“I’d like to tell people who are seriously interested in personal growth and expansion, as I am, that the several weeks I spent in Deborah’s Shadow group was more than I ever hoped for. I am a person who has been in groups and therapy for years looking to open to all that I could possibly be in this lifetime. I was looking for a support group where others could really listen and help me unearth those deep thoughts and feelings I had long ago forgotten. Others in the group offered insights into places I didn’t previously look. As a result, I made quantum leaps in areas I was willing to explore. I am more accepting of who I am, warts and all.” D
__________
III. Online Soul-Discovery Group: Leading a Soul-Filled Life
This group is for you if you are interested in exploring ways to connect with your Soul Wisdom to manifest the fulfilling life you dream of. We will work with techniques and experiential exercises dedicated to helping you clear mental and emotional patterns that hinder your ability to connect with your intuition (where soul-wisdom is often found), and that are designed to connect you with your soul wisdom.
These exercises for accessing and working with your soulo wisdom include
- Dreamwork
- working with your positive shadow to see your potential Soul-Self
- energy psychology techniques
- guided visualizations
- forgiveness work with self and others
- soul collage
This group is currently not available but will begin inb Fall 2020.