Our Philosophy

Whatever skill you want to learn, it requires conscious, intentional awareness to learn and to maintain. This learning progresses along a continuum:

• from unconscious incompetence (I don’t know that I don’t know)
• to conscious incompetence (I know that I don’t know)
• to conscious competence (I know what I know)
• to unconscious competence (I have fully integrated what I know).

Therefore, developing intentional awareness is a foundational skill that underlies all successful learning. Our work is based on the models of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and related methods, such as Nonviolent Communication, Co-Active Coaching, Neurolinguistic Programming, and conflict resolution.

(Refer to References for a listing of resources.)

This shifts the process of learning from rote memorization to the development of conscious choice, as described by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl and psychologist Albert Ellis. Learning becomes an on-going way of living.

Because not everyone learns in the same way or by the same models, we include elements of several approaches in our presentations so that more people are able to grasp more of the material than if only one model was offered. There is greater flexibility and more inclusion in our work that allows participants to incorporate the learning in their own manner and for their unique situations.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is not just about stress; it is a way of awakening and engaging the mind, of learning how to learn, regardless of the task put before us. MBSR teaches you how to slow down, cultivate your inner resources, and create more skillful, effective, and compassionate responses to life’s challenges, which is useful in dealing with issues such as:

• Stressful events
• Emotional upsets
• Communication challenges
• Conflicts and difficult situations

We are not so much attached to the details of the presented material as we are to the process of self-discovery and how individuals learn. The objectives of our seminars are about shifts in perspectives and attitudes so that, regardless of the amount of material absorbed, it is applicable to everyday living and enables on-going learning. In a sense, the seminar never ends; the participants carry on without our having to be present throughout their days. To support this continuous learning, we offer participants private follow-up coaching sessions where they can dialogue about their unique challenges and develop their personal resourcefulness.

(A one-time follow-up session may or may not be included in the seminar fee, depending upon the number of participants and the seminar fee structure.)