About the Course
"I spent so many years looking for external sources for healing internal wounds. It wasn't until I stopped, turned in and worked within to heal internally that I found true peace and real healing."
Previous Participants Testimony
To protect Participants Identies, Name and Identifying elements have been removed.
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"I am a 12 year Navy veteran with PTSD. I attended the meditation class
last year that was sponsored by Vir Fortis Foundation. I found that this class was an outlet for stress,
anxiety and depression that I didn’t know existed. It was a chance to relax and get away from my
everyday stressors and found that at times it actually helped more than any medicine subscribed by the
VA. This class also made it possible to connect with other veterans with similar issues that I could talk to that really understand me rather than paid therapists that are on the clock." - C.
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"For myself & others, routine meditation seems more difficult with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or the comorbidity of Chronic Pain. Post trauma a person can really feel alone. I’ve struggled for years with traumatic memories, the loss of family & friends, aggravating intrusive thoughts, head aches, sleep, anxiety, isolation, mood control, anger, cognitive challenge & short term memory issues due to PTS & TBI. Managing comorbidity of chronic pain of physical wounds & injuries compounds this challenge My experience today is if you stick with meditation it helps to manage & ease the effects of these symptoms. " - D.
Path to Freedom
"Most people wait for crisis, trauma, disease or diagnosis. They wait for loss or some tragedy to make up their mind to change. And my message is, why wait?" - Joe Dispenza
Do you suffer from Anxiety, Stress, Saddness, Trauma or just simply feel bound by the restrictions of emotions?
Do you ever ponder if its possible to set yourself free?
Or how much if any control do you have over your lifes success to be happy?
Do you find the idea of meditation impossible, or have failed attempts to relax and calm the mind?
Do you have a consistent meditative practice but struggle with emotions, thoughts, or old habits that limit your happiness?
This course is a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training that employes key elements of social-emotional learning and mindfulness-based behavioral training. The program focuses on increasing participants resources, capacities, and skills for self-awareness by developing
mindfulness, presence, focus, and attention stabilization. The program offers tools for developing emotion regulation, resilience, deep listening, empathic communication, problem-solving, forgiveness, and conflict management.
The Path of Freedom curriculum also focuses on increasing participants’ resiliency, self-reflective capacity, confidence, and positive life outlook through mindfulness-awareness meditation and contemplative/reflective practices. This direct contemplative experience encourages a shift away from fear-based, anti-social, or criminal strategies for meeting needs to pro-social strategies grounded in emerging confidence in their own innate goodness, the innate goodness of others, and a greater sense of possibility for their present lives and future. The program is also grounded in a holistic or whole-person, bio-psycho-social-spiritual, integral view of human development.
Course Outline
Weeks 1-5 - Self Awareness / Management.
Weeks 6-11 - Social Awareness / Relationship Management
Week 1. - Intro / Training the Mind
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Course Introduction
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Introduce the Window of Tolerance
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Introduce the Science of Emotion
Week 2 - Who am I?
Exploring Self Identity / Roles & Basic Goodness
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Introduction to the power of self-identity, roles & core beliefs
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Transforming negative or limiting core beliefs
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Increased self-Awareness & increase capacity for self-acceptance
Week 3 - Changing Habits
Identifying Obstacles & Creating Motivation for Change
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Recognizing obstacles to change & reframing obstacles as opportunities for transformation
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Understanding the role of mindfulness & awareness in motvating & creating change
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Sustaining Change to avoid relapse
Week 4 - Holding your Seat
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Remaining Calm when emotionally triggered
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Familiarization with the concept of emotional triggers
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Familiarize with basic feelings & emotional states
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Increase self awreness & witnessing capacity
Week 5 -Transforming Pain & Anxiety
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Introduce mindfulness as a tool for working with pain
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Pain is not Suffering
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Tools for easing Anxiety or Triggered States
Week 6 -The Drama Triangle
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Awareness of habitual roles
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Introduce skills for getting off the Drama Triangle, and staying off.
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Continue Building Mindfulness Skills
Week 7 - Empowerment
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Introduce the Empowerment Triangle
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Increase Social Awareness & Capacity for Relationship Management
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Increase Capacity for Drama Free Problem-Solving
Week 8 - The Art of Communication
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Introduce the Importance of Listening & Skill of Empathic Listening
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Introduce the skill of Identifying feeling state
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Increased Social Awareness & Capacity for Relationship Management
Week 9 - Transforming Conflict
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Introduce the Ladder of Inference as a framework for understanding and resolving or transforming conflict
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Introduce the Four Agreements as a prescriptive practice for avoiding unnecessary conflict & drama
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Week 10 - The Power of Frogiveness
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Introduce the Power of Forgiving Oneself and Others as a means for letting go and moving forward in life
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Introduce obstacles to forgiveness : Blame Game, Grievance Stories and Unenforeable Rules
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Introduce the skill of reframing and Reinforce development of positive intentions
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Increase empathy and capacity for forgiveness
Week 11 - Mindfulness in Action.
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Staying free through Mindful living
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How to continue in practice
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Recap of Resources
Week 12 - Closing
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Accepting & giving gift of Love
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Looking at Life with Appreciation
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Living in Acceptance
Specific Learning Goals
Participants will be able to :
1) Practice mindfulness awareness to increase capacity for focus, presence, insight, listening, & compassion. Learn to incorporate a consistent meditation routine.
2) Develop more understanding about how to apply mindfulness-based skills & practices to support self-regulation & stress Management
3) Identify negative habits & limiting core beliefs that hinder positive change
4) Develop an understanding about a) emotional triggers, (b) methods and application for emotion regulation, (c) emotional IQ - the ability to understand your emotions, the ability to listen to others and empathise with their emotions, and the ability to express emotions productively
5) Understanding the Karpman's Drama Triangle and the roles of the Triangle. - Strategies for staying off the Drama Triangle, managing and preventing negative drama
6) Avoid and diffuse conflict with mindfulness and somatic awareness
7) Learn simple tools for empathic and skillful communication and transform power of listening in relationships
8) Realize the value of letting go past grievances and create a path to forgiveness, working with obstacles
9) Integrate mindfulness into daily life activites and taking it off the mat