INNER RELATIONSHIP FOCUSING
An Alchemical Process for
Transforming Your "Stuff"
Into Spiritual Gold...

Sorry! This Class has been postponed until September 2013.

Please note: A similar Inner Relationship Focusing Level 1 Weekend Workshop will be held February 16-17, 2013, at Zen Garland Sanctuary in Airmont, New York.

So Why Does Your Toughest "Stuff"
Remain Untouched by Your
Deep Spiritual Experiences?

You come to spiritual practice looking for a deeper, richer, truer relationship to Life, to Lifeforce, to Spirit. Or maybe you stumble headfirst into this more profound experience of Life when you first experiment with a practice like meditation.

And you want more!

That’s when it frequently starts to go wrong.

The change may be subtle.

Maybe you simply begin to notice that your life has begun feeling a little thinner, rather than richer.

Maybe you begin experiencing a widening disconnect between your spiritual practice and the rest of your life.

Maybe your spiritual ideals begin to morph from signposts into whipping posts.

Maybe noticing your thoughts and feelings passing like clouds through the sky during meditation subtly turns into patiently waiting for them to go away.

So what the heck happened?

You aren't the only one who may have lost that initial opening up to Life in all of its profound and mysterious vastness that you experienced at the beginning of your spiritual journey.

So how did that transformational spaciousness shrivel up into shrinkwrap?

This is what it boils down to:

In your longing to live a more spiritual life, you begin to chop yourself up into the “good” bits and the “bad” bits.

You identify with the “good” bits of your experience and begin reflexively pushing the “bad” bits away. Or on the opposite side of the same coin, maybe you identify with the “bad” bits and see the “good” bits as being far away and out of reach.

You may engage in an ongoing tug of war, switching sides back and forth within this self-created divide in an effort to escape the quagmire.

And then you wonder why your life feels so stuck, fragmented, or even downright broken.

That dance you do...

That crazy dance you do with certain places in your life is a tangled-up, complicated avoidance of the simple truths of your experience.

It takes you directly away from your spiritual core – from the Life – that you long to connect with more deeply and fully.

There is a way forward...

And it is an exceptionally clear pathway to transforming this fragmentation into a fresh new wholeness. It is Inner Relationship Focusing.

Inner Relationship Focusing shows you the way back to the unadorned simplicity of being Present to What’s Happening Now, in this very moment.

And this simplicity drops you straight down into the profound, mysterious depths that lie at the heart of your “ordinary” life.

But how does Inner Relationship Focusing accomplish that?

When you can turn a friendly gaze to those parts of your life you see as your stuck and boring old "stuff," a softening occurs - an opening, widening, deepening.

This friendly Presence sets in motion an inner alchemy, and all by itself, the "stuff" that is touched by this gaze begins to soften, open, widen, deepen - and transform.

But what is the key to actually being Present when you're all tangled up in that dance you do?

(1) IRF begins by teaching you to reconnect with the part of you that has no choice but to be here, now - and that can therefore never lie about your experience - your Body. (And you will learn that the Body is not what you think it is!)

(2) With diamond-like clarity, through the lens of your Body, Inner Relationship Focusing allows you to pinpoint where and when you start experiencing isolated bits of yourself as the entirety of who you are; and

(3) Even more importantly, with gentle precision, it shows you how to return to experiencing yourself as the wholeness - the compassionate awareness - that you actually are (believe it or not!).

And from that alert, all-accepting space that you are, you can begin keeping company with that something in you doing that crazy little dance.

"And remind me - WHY would I want to keep company with THAT?"

By keeping company with this crazed little dancer in you with a friendly gaze, you give it the room it needs to simply be what it is.

And once you discover how to give it permission to BE what it IS...

That place in you doing its frantic little dance finally feels seen - and accepted - just as it is.

The magic...

The magic happens when your tired, angry, worried or just plain crazed little inner dancer comes to that resting place - and begins feeling its way out from that resting place toward a new sort of wholeness, a new sort of dance.

And as it transforms, you begin to sense the Life at the core of it. You begin to sense it as the very same Life that IS your Spiritual Core. And your Spiritual Core infuses your ordinary life.

You wake up to an experience of your ordinary life as new, mysterious and profound.

"Ordinary" life indeed!

Ordinary? As you begin to drop down into the actual Reality of your everyday life, into the actual Reality of all those "tired old issues," you drop down into the mysterious depth and richness of the Life that you are.

HOW THIS 7-MONTH TRAINING WORKS

The 7-Month Inner Relationship Focusing training consists of four consecutive modules, each based around mastering one of the four levels of IRF.

This is the basic structure of each of the 4 modules:

• A weekend workshop giving the core teachings through lectures, experiential exercises and Focusing practice sessions in the context of peer partnerships.
• Brief weekly readings. During the 5-7 weeks between classes, readings are assigned from the class manual to reinforce what you learned during the weekend.
• Weekly assigned peer partnerships. (New partners are assigned each week.) This is where the rubber meets the road and we solidify a whole new way of being in the world through actually practicing Focusing once a week on an ongoing basis.
• Weekly contact with the instructor through a private class message board.
  
• Ongoing e-mail/phone support from the instructor throughout the 7-month training.

These Are the Skills You Develop in Each Level:

Level 1:

• You learn the remarkable ability to be in Presence with your feelings rather than ping-ponging between reacting from those feelings or suppressing them.

• You learn how to access the rich personal wisdom held in your own body.

• You learn to combine these two crucial skills into a powerful process that catalyzes inner transformation.

• You become more trusting of yourself and your inner wisdom.

• You learn how to provide peer support to someone else as they facilitate their own process. (Although this work is done with a companion, you can express your feelings and process without revealing its content to your companion if you wish. Personal boundaries are a crucial part of the Focusing process.)

Level 2:

• You’ll learn how to “lead your partner in” to a state of grounded Presence.

• You’ll learn more about Presence, the ability to be with anything that arises.

• You’ll learn more about the “edge,” that place between the known and the unknown, and how that is the key to transformation.

• You’ll learn more about how Presence helps the “edge” form and how staying at the “edge” with a problem allows it to solve itself.

• You’ll learn how to help your partner stay at this “edge” of awareness, where the possibility of true transformation lies.

Level 3:

• Within the context of a peer partnership Focusing exchange, you will learn how to support your partner – and yourself – in a more active way through each stage of the Focusing process with suggestions.

• You’ll learn the typical “shape” of a Focusing session, and what steps are more likely to facilitate the session at a particular stage.

• You’ll learn how to support the beginning of the session so it’s more likely to go well, and how to support a gradual completion of the session, honoring its fullness.

• You’ll learn what reminders to give when two or more parts come.

• You’ll learn what to do if your reminder doesn’t help.

• You’ll learn more about what to do when positive feelings come.

Level 4:

• You learn why certain types of issues – e.g., Focusing with your “Critic,” or action blocks (when you desperately want to do something – and then don’t) – are particularly difficult, and how to effectively Focus with them.

• You learn how to discover and work with hidden, exiled parts that are powerfully affecting your life for the worse, but that you are no longer even aware of.

• You’ve learned a lot – and now you become more comfortable relaxing into the process and trusting your growing intuition about how to accompany a Focusing process.

• You begin truly settling into the foundational principle of Inner Relationship Focusing: The radical acceptance of everything you encounter in your inner world.

LOGISTICS

Location:
39 West 14th Street
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY

Schedule:
(Each day runs from 9:00am-5:00am)
Level 1 Weekend: November 17 & 18, 2012
Level 2 Weekend: January 5 & 6, 2013
Level 3 Weekend: March 2 & 3, 2013
Level 4 Weekend: April 27 & 28, 2013
Wrap-up Teleclass: Saturday, June 8, 9:30am-12:00 noon

Teaching Staff

Jocelyn Jacks Kahn will be the course instructor.

I was certified by The Focusing Institute as a Focusing Trainer and Guide through Ann Weiser Cornell, founder of Inner Relationship Focusing.

Prior to discovering IRF, I spent 20 years learning, practicing and teaching energy healing.

I made two interesting observations:

(1) that clients who had the best results seemed to connect with the deeper meaning in their pain or illness as their energies began to move; and

(2) that seeing them connect with this deeper meaning of their lives is what moved me most deeply.

This led to my growing desire to learn more about the role the psyche plays in healing – which in turn led me to Inner Relationship Focusing in 2008.

I realized I had been looking for this all of my life without realizing it! Over the course of more than two years I pursued in-depth study of this wonderful work with Ann Weiser Cornell, who developed it.

I have had the pleasure and privilege of teaching Inner Relationship Focusing since 2010, both via telephone classes and in the form of in-person classes at the Zen Garland community in Airmont, New York.

Hope Martin will be assisting in teaching this course.

I have taught the Alexander Technique for 25 years in the United States and abroad. I maintain a lively private practice, train Alexander teachers at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, and operate Hope Martin Studio in New York City. I am a meditation instructor and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and a Focusing Trainer.

FEES

Although this is a single, 7-month training, each of the four modules is paid for separately prior to the beginning of that Level.

Each Module is $295. For Level 1, there is an additional fee of $75 for a 1st IRF guided session with me. (See more about this below in the "Further Information on Fees" section.)

SUMMARY OF WHAT THIS FEE INCLUDES:

• A weekend immersion in the skills of Focusing in the context of a small group (maximum of 15 students).
• The weekend is a mix of discussion, experiential exercises to get a foundation in the basic skills, and Focusing partnership sessions during which you can practice your new skills - all with plenty of Q&A mixed in throughout. (I feel the best time to address questions and concerns is when they come up!)
• During the approximately 7 weeks between classes, Focusing partnerships will be assigned for each week.
• You will receive The Focusing Student's and Companions's Manual, Part One at the beginning of Level 1, and you will receive the Part Two of the Manual at the beginning Level 3.
• You will receive "crib cards" or "cheat sheets" to help you remember the Focusing skills you learn as you practice with your partners.
• You will receive a binder for your crib cards and other handouts you will receive.
• You will be able to e-mail, call or Skype with me during the Partnership Weeks with any questions that come up.
• In addition, I will compile my answers to any questions and concerns relevant to the entire group (which will be most of them!) and distribute them to everyone via a brief weekly video.
  

You should not register for this class if:

• You feel you will not be able to participate in the Focusing partnerships each week. This is where the learning is solidified. None of this is rocket science! However, we have deeply ingrained habits of being with our experience in a way that does not support the skill of Focusing. It takes time to establish new instincts of how to be with our experience.
• You know you will not be able to attend all four weekends. There is a lot to learn! The weekends are the foundation of each Level.
  
• If you do not have the intention at the outset to complete the entire 7-month training. If you cannot complete the training due to an unforeseen circumstance, or even simply because you have realized it is not for you, you will not be penalized in any way. However, the initial intention you should bring to this training is that it is one 7-month training that you will complete. (Please note that if you have already had prior levels, you can join at a later level.)

HOW TO REGISTER

There are two steps to registration.

Step 1.

Please fill out the form below to begin your registration process.

Step 2.

To complete registration, please pay the fee for the Level you are registering for.See the information below on the schedule of class fees.

When you are ready to pay, please go to the Payment Page if you would like to pay via PayPal or a credit card. If you would like to pay with a check, please mail your check to:

Jocelyn Jacks Kahn
149 Royal Avenue, Apt. 8
Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Your payment should be sent within a week of submitting your registration form. Your place will be held for up to a week; if payment is not received by then, you will lose your place and must re-register if you would still like to attend.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON FEES

Although the series of four Inner Relationship Focusing Levels are intended as one complete training, payments are made prior to each Level for that Level. If you decide not to pursue the subsequent Levels, there is no penalty.

One week prior to the first weekend of each module, the fee for that module will go up $50. So if you feel the training is right for you, please do not procrastinate!

• The fee for Level 1 includes a highly recommended prerequisite Inner Relationship Guided Focusing session. This session has several benefits:
• As with any new skill, we begin with baby steps. A guided session will give you an immediate sense of where you are going with this skill, and a sense of what a full IRF session will feel like when you are more skilled in the process.
  
• This will confirm to both of us that this is training is right for you.
• The fee included in the Level 1 class is the least expensive rate I charge for a guided session! So even if you have experienced an Inner Relationship Session previously, you may want to take this opportunity for a session with me at a seriously low rate. (And if you would prefer not to, simply request a PayPal invoice for the class fee only.)

The fees for the IRF Levels are:

Level 1: $370 ($295 + $75 IRF Guided Session Fee)

Level 2: $295

Level 3: $295

Level 4: $295

You can register for each module with a deposit (the balance to be paid 30 days later) or with payment in full.

To complete your registration, you can pay via PayPal or with a credit card.

• To pay via PayPal or a credit card, please visit the Payment Page - if using a credit card, you do not need to be a member of PayPal to submit a credit card payment through PayPal.
• To pay with a check, please send a check to:

Jocelyn Jacks Kahn
149 Royal Avenue, Apt. 8
Hawthorne, NJ 07506

A deposit or full payment must be paid within a week of submitting your registration form in order to hold your place.

Thank you!