Workshops

 

Holotropic Breathwork
with Ted Riskin, LCSW and Jeannine Van Sandt

Saturday, November 4, 2017
Fairview Space for Transformation
81 Log Gap Road
Fairview, NC 28730  map

 
Ted Riskin, LCSW
Ted Riskin, LCSW
Jeannine Van Sandt
Jeannine Van Sandt

 

Throughout history, virtually every culture has provided an opportunity and a method to access nonordinary states of consciousness for inner exploration and healing. These methods have included drumming, chanting, dancing, fasting, ingesting psychoactive plants, altering breathing patterns, and many others. Drawing from centuries of such wisdom and adding insights from modern consciousness research, Holotropic Breathwork facilitates access to all levels of human experience, including unfinished biographical material, birth memories, transpersonal phenomena, and residues of trauma stored in the body.

Conducted in pairs in a safe and supportive setting, the process uses accelerated breathing, evocative music, and focused body work to transcend normal limitations and empower the inner healer. Mandala drawing and group sharing allow integration of the holotropic experience with daily life.

Advance registration is required. Please contact Ted or Jeannine if you have any questions or concerns.

Contact Jeannine: jrvansandt@gmail.com or 828-808-5467

Schedule
9:30 am to 8:00 pm. Introductory lecture at 8:00 am.

Tuition
$100 if payment received one week in advance, $120 after.

Dinner included.

Scholarships are available - all are welcome regardless of ability to pay.

Holotropic Breathwork group sessions with Ted Riskin may be credited as part of the training towards certification as a Holotropic Breathwork Facilitator, and he is available to provide the consultation sessions required by the Grof Transpersonal Training.

 

register for workshop
printable registration form

 

Ted Riskin, LCSW is a psychotherapist specializing in relationship issues and cognitive therapy. Along with certifications in Core Energetics, hypnotherapy, Internal Family Systems, Breath Therapy, and EMDR, he is certified in Holotropic Breathwork™ by Stanislav Grof. He served for five years as President of the Association for Holotropic Breathwork International (AHBI) and eight years as the music editor for The Inner Door. Ted is currently a faculty member of The Institute of Core Energetics. He has practiced meditation for the past 38 years and has been active in the human development movement for the past 33. He has been facilitating Holotropic workshops regularly since January 1997.

Jeannine Van Sandt is a life coach specializing in helping with the graceful navigation of life's major transitions. She has a degree in sociology and is certified in NLP and in Reiki. Perhaps her deepest learning experience has come from being a mother to six children of her own. Jeannine considers it an honor and a privilege to use her "mother energy" to support and hold space for anyone willing to explore their world through inner processes such as breathing.

 

Participant Feedback (rollover to pause ticker)

 

 
“Holotropic Breathwork is not mysterious. What a wonderful opportunity to feel and express one's feelings in a safe place. Feeling your feelings without censoring or defending yourself from yourself simply feels good... Like moving rusty gears on a bicycle, the breathwork allowed me to go forward into my daily existence without getting stuck or stopped by uncomfortable emotions. As a non-chemically induced form of therapy it provides an easy transition and integration of an experience of heightened awareness into the day to day.”
 
“Being separated from my mother at age 5 for several months was a major trauma blocking me from living my life fully. During the breathwork session, I was able to return to my memory of her and grieve the loss and feel the powerful feelings of love I had repressed for so long.”
 
“Because of a difficult past and a difficult situation that I must now tolerate, I have been carrying around a lot of pity for myself. In the session, I found myself crying a lot, and I believe that it released that unpleasant burden. Since then, though it didn’t happen all at once, I have been feeling much stronger and more capable of acting on my own behalf.”
 
“I started thinking about my brother who died in a swimming accident at age 19. I found myself wanting to take his place, and I felt myself in the water, then later on in the hospital bed in a coma, and later on in the coffin looking out at everybody - it was an extremely intense experience for me to do this - it was something I had thoughts about at different times but I had never emotionally experienced what I really thought and felt about him and my mother. I felt a lot of relief afterwards, and I felt a release from the guilt of not being there for him and not being there for my mother while she was visiting him in the hospital.”
 
“I was very close to my brother growing up, but for the last ten years he has closed me out of his life, and I despaired of ever reconciling with him. During the breathing I had an image of him being in a lot of pain and needing contact. I called him the next week, and in the midst of an unrelated conversation, he referred to the issue that had been bothering him all this time, and we were finally able to resolve it. I’m also experiencing a significant shift in how I’m relating to my mother.”
 
“I have asked myself more than once why I kept returning to go to such dark places. I now think I know and it's because of you and the good people coming to the sessions. For the whole day at Breathwork, I don't have to worry about who I am or that I am depressed and must hide it from everyone. It is the only time I feel like I can just be myself. On top of that, it's in a wonderfully loving and supportive atmosphere. I don't think I find that feeling anywhere else in my life. Thanks a million for doing what you do so well!”
 
“Each breath was the fuel for my soulsearching journey. It felt great. Like a plant needing water, each breath provided life. I experienced my beginning and ending again and again. At end, there was peace.”
 
“I began attending 'Breathwork' because I was consumed with feelings of self-hatred. I felt hopeless, stuck, and depressed. I did not realize that suppressed childhood traumas were controlling my current behaviors, thoughts, and reactions. Through the breathing sessions I was able to relive these traumas and truly feel, express, and release the grief and anger that were buried deep within me. Instead of meeting with the abuse, rejection, and criticism that surrounded me and permeated these experiences when I was a child, the facilitators and other participants of the workshops allowed me to 'do it again' in an extremely nurturing atmosphere, filled with genuine support, caring, and acceptance. As a result, I am beginning to value myself, and to regard life as something to be embraced with joy, rather than endured in pain.”
 
“My experience with Holotropic Breathing has been holistic with life-changing awarenesses. Holistic in terms of its effectiveness in the physical, emotional (psychological) and spiritual realms. I am transformed from a sickly, fearful, faith-lacking being (that my belief system pretends I am) into a powerful, bold, spiritual being that God knows me to be. True reality comes into focus and distorted 'images' are no longer needed. Breathing is the vehicle that takes me to this place of remembrance. It is as if I awaken to hear Spirit remind me of everything that I had forgotten or pushed aside so that Ego may reside. I cannot wait to start breathing because my body, mind and spirit want to be 'set free' once again. The loving touch of Spirit takes me to places I've been and will be, all with the assurance that life is pure energy, and God rests in the midst of that energy. The Breath is Blessed.”
 
“I feel so much stronger physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually as a result of having attended Holotropic Breathwork Seminars for the last two years. I've learned, through the breath, how to access, trust and utilize an inherent wisdom I was not aware of before. I was always searching for a way to transcend the pain of having to live with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Depression. Instead, I found a way to work with it. I've learned that there is always a little darkness in the light and a little light in the darkness and, most importantly, I'm finally o.k. with that. Holotropic Breathwork Seminars have been, for me, the safest environment to allow both the dark and light aspects of myself full expression without the fear of punishment or judgment. I believe the gradual integration of these two aspects of myself are leading me towards true wholeness.”
 
“I want to say thank you for providing the safe space for breathworks and also for all the kindnesses you have shown me. I had a glimpse of the power of the work today, as I was stuck for over an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Cross-Bronx expressway (the road from Hell). I found myself doing tonglen for all the other people caught in that snarl (both sides). By the time I crossed the George Washington Bridge, I was so high, all I could do was rejoice in life. I owe that (somewhat different from my typical) response to such traffic to the experience I had Saturday. It's deep healing work.”
 
“That was some workshop Saturday. Early in the afternoon there was an interval where I thought to myself, "What am I doing here?" Somehow I no longer saw the point to it. But sitting changed all that. For me sitting seems to be a very powerful experience. To witness one of my fellow humans going through such powerful inner experiences, then maybe resting a bit, then launching into some other inner process... I feel such incredibly strong empathy then. This must be good for the soul.”
 
“Thank you for your dedication to the work that you do. It was an incredible session for me....I was able to go deeeeeep into release of anger and rage. --first it startled me that it was there and ----then it startled me as to how much was there. There is more space for me now. :) yay!”
 
“The workshop was so helpful! The people were awesome! I am feeling so much better and with so much energy! It really made my issues clearer and what I need to continue to work on; I am definitely not feeling stuck anymore -- just the opposite. Hope too see you again, as I am making it my intention to attend future workshops.”
 
“I have done breathwork countless times and every time the experience is different. My childhood experience was one of horror and terror. It was Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). All the fear I internalized as a child followed me into adulthood. By the time I did my first breathwork I had several years of counseling. Breathwork has hit on a deeper level, allowing me to let go of so many fears. Things are so connected in the psyche. During the last workshop, I had the realization that I cut myself off from love because I could not trust. It all had to do with my past. I saw that particularly the left side of my body was affected. The left side is the receptive side of the body. I am blind in my left eye. Connected to the false belief "Trust is not safe" was the false belief "If I do trust and allow love it is limited in nature." At the same time the realization happened during the workshop, I saw who I really am – a beautiful child of the Great Spirit – and that there is no limitation. The experience was so beautiful; I saw that everything goes on without ending! I plan to do breathwork every chance I get. It has made such a difference in my life.”
 
“Ever since my surgery 1 1/2 years ago, I have had problems with shortness of breath as well as experiencing pain every time I was able to get a deep breath. (This is different from the knot I had been feeling that got me to the workshop). Western medicine, accupuncture/herbs and chiropractic physicians have not been able to help with the pain and I thought this was something I was just going to have to accept and live with. I am delighted to tell you after yesterday's breathwork session I keep taking deep breaths and feel NO PAIN!! (I'll try not to hyperventilate!) It is so wonderful and I am so grateful to the both of you for continuing to host these wonderful breath workshops. I love you guys and, you know, I also just love to breathe..... (3 weeks later…) I am happy to say the pain is still gone! And, yes, you can add this account to your website if you wish.”
 
“Thank you so much for holding the workshop this weekend! I had a very positive, affirming experience, which is just what I needed at this time… I have been noticing subtle reverberations from the experience these past few days; in brief, I feel that the self-doubt that I have been carrying around with me for many years has been released.”
 
“Let me thank you, one more time, for giving me the opportunity to participate in your Saturday's "Focus" workshop. It was a very emotional experience which has already influenced significantly my life in so many respects. The breathwork session affected me very profoundly in a way that I am only beginning to realize. I feel the process initiated during breathwork is slowly developing but it runs mostly on an unconscious level. And, I think, my experience, so far, is just the "tip of the iceberg" with much more to explore. It looks like the first part affected is a very outer layer of the unconscious mind (sorry if this sounds unclear but I've never received any training in psychology, so in my layman view, a mind has a layered structure). I was very pleased with the workshop ambiance which you masterfully created. Thanks to a welcoming, friendly and relaxed atmosphere I had a chance to meet bunch of nice, outgoing people. It felt great to spend some time with the like-minded individuals.”
 
“Thank you for having this great workshop. I experienced a definite change from normal waking consciousness. I don't know how to qualify or quantify the experience. While doing the breathing, after an unknown length of time, the breathing seemed to take over. As I observed the experience, I seemed to start making spontaneous humming sounds that went along with the music. As I watched this going on, I felt detached, like I was observing it, and at the same time felt great joy, possibly bliss, when certain frequencies were intoned. Occasionally coordinated with this were flashes of light and colors of aqua blue and green. I didn't experience much mental processing like I do when taking mushrooms or peyote. After, there was a wonderful feeling of calm; the mind wasn't frantically running from one thought to the next. Very peaceful and this has lasted for many days now.”
 
“The weekend at Yogaville was amazing. I will never forget it! Thank you for all you do, and I hope we will cross paths again in the future. I can honestly say it was life changing. You are both gifted in what you do, and I will be forever grateful.”
 
“I am still on a spiritual high after yesterday. I hope to participate in another breath workshop in the near future. It was a beautiful journey. One that I will treasure.”
 
“My first experience was pretty limited — I saw a lot of yellow, remembered a few scenes from my childhood, but nothing traumatic like I was expecting. No traumas came over me. After I finished I thought, well, I didn't get that much out of this, but it was ok for my first time. Then, to my great surprise, for the following 4 weeks or so, I had so many memories resurface. My dreams were extremely vivid and colorful. I needed a LOT of sleep and rest just to stay grounded. A lot of energy moved out and through me and I had to take care of myself very intently so it could be transmuted. I can say after this whole process I feel much clearer about my direction in life, and I feel lighter and freer. I must have released things I wasn't aware of I was carrying, and I'm not aware what they were, it all happened in its own time and wisdom and at its own rate. All I know is I feel much lighter. Also my breathing is much easier now, and deeper. Thank you so much.”
 
“Just wanted to drop you this line to say thank you for yet another safe and loving space you created for us on Saturday. I appreciated all the small yet very thoughtful details -- like the beautiful array of colorful food -- the tissues -- the fabulous music -- the scented hand cream in the bathroom -- well all of it. But most of all , for allowing everyone to have their own experience without judging it.....your love and the love for your work shines through...”
 
“I did a holotropic session this past fall. That session was a catalyst for a transformative period of growth, a wave in which I'm still riding, and I want to say THANK YOU! For the sacred space provided, for facilitating, and most of all, for allowing someone like myself with a psychiatric history inclusive of 'psychosis' to participate. I was fearful I would be turned away if I was honest and this work and paradigm is a god send. It's what I needed and feel like it offers great potential for the world and others who've experienced similar Emergencies. I feel like the breathwork allowed for channels of my consciousness that needed to be revisited safely in order to heal and reconnect with myself, my spirit and my soul. Your facilitation allowed me that opportunity and for that I'm ever grateful!”

 



 

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ITS STRENUOUS NATURE, THIS WORKSHOP IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN OR ANYONE WITH HEART DISEASE, SEVERE HYPERTENSION, EPILEPSY, GLAUCOMA, OR SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS.

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