For many of us, the global crisis has reactivated old fears, depression, dissociation, feelings of isolation and numbness. We live in times of uncertainty that awaken old traumas and reactions in us. When we are under stress and feel challenged, we resort to old patterns of survival. 

Join Dr. Gabor Maté & Betsy Polatin for a 4-day Live, online retreat July 16–19, 2020 from 9am-12pm Pacific Time. In this unique workshop we will learn to:

• Apply Dr Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry technique to access early traumatic event and uncover unconscious feeling states
• Trace and uncover repressed emotional states through body awareness
• Utilize meditation and breathing practices to generate calm and stability
• Express what has until now remained unexpressed from early trauma
• Cultivate self-acceptance and self-compassion, being with what is
• Access implicit memory through body sensations and emotions
• Cultivate patience, respect and choice in the healing process
• Find a balanced stance in ourselves

Many turn to spirituality to alleviate pain and suffering. The internal discomfort of anger, sadness, fear, shame, or self-loathing is soothed by pleasant or blissful experiences encountered through meditation, yoga, chanting, prayer and connecting in community. Spiritual bypass occurs when we use our spiritual beliefs, practices, community and way of life to avoid experiencing, revealing and processing emotional pain. The original wound can remain unhealed, despite years of dedicated spiritual practice. We may even intensify our practice in a disciplined effort to suppress difficult emotions.

Spiritual bypassing can be addressed through compassionately guided self-inquiry supported by bodywork, which, together, invite pain, discomfort and repressed emotions to come to the surface to be experienced, witnessed and worked through in a safe, supportive setting. Acceptance, allowing, non-judgement, expression and self-compassion are the ingredients needed for resolution.

This moment of crisis and uncertainty provides a potent opportunity to recognize old trauma dynamics and create new ways to respond informed by trauma education.

Resources

Find a complete list of resources here

Why Attend?

• to be introduced to the process of Compassionate Inquiry
• to understand your own triggers and their origin
• to recognize mental-emotional patterns and drivers, and how they limit your wholeness, choice and freedom
• to bring healing and integration to traumatic events from the past
• to participate in daily, live inquiry sessions with Dr. Gabor Maté

This program will feature Dr. Gabor Maté’s unique therapeutic work and teaching, Compassionate Inquiry, enhanced by movement and breathwork led by Betsy Polatin. We will explore emotional realities and traumatic imprints that spiritual modalities often ignore. It will be an in-depth program, suitable for therapists, spiritual seekers and anyone looking for a profound, experiential understanding of their traumatic imprint and the hidden beliefs that sustain it.

The teaching will be articulated in four main themes:

      1. Recognizing Trauma Dynamics
      2. Staying Grounded and Connected
      3. Expanding Compassion
      4. Developing Resilience 

Presenters

Gabor Maté

Gabor Maté, M.D. is a renowned speaker, and bestselling author who is is highly sought after for his expertise on a range of topics including addiction, stress and childhood development. Rather than offering quick-fix solutions to these complex issues, Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories, and his own insights and experience to present a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them. After 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, Dr. Maté worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. His book on addiction received the Hubert Evans Prize for literary non-fiction. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His next book, Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children is expected in 2025. Gabor is also the creator of a psychotherapeutic approach, Compassionate Inquiry, now studied by thousands of therapists, physicians, counselors, and others in over 80 countries.

Website

Betsy Polatin

Betsy Polatin, MFA, SEP, an internationally recognized breathing/movement specialist and best- selling author, has been teaching for 45 years. Her unique and intuitive perspectives are greatly influenced by the study of movement, breath, and trauma, as well as the teachings of spiritual and meditation masters. She speaks at conferences around the world.

As a well-known educator, she’s had numerous articles published in the Huffington Post, and is the author of The Actor’s Secret and Humanual.

Website

Lorraine Taylor

Lorraine Taylor is contributing some short gentle yoga asana and pranayama sequences to activate the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system. From a very young age, Lorraine was fascinated by the beauty of movement and music. Her childhood was spent exploring the body through gymnastics, ice skating and different styles of dance. In her early twenties, a strong calling to the path of Yoga became the catalyst for many deeper realisations in her life and she left everything behind to follow this call. She has now been a dedicated Yogini and lover of Truth for almost thirty years. She specialises in offering an insightful feminine way of practising Yoga, bringing forth her love of Tantra and Kashmir Shaivism. She has also dedicated many years to the study of Jnana (Non Duality), Bhakti (Devotion) as well as Traditional Hatha Yoga which has led her to discover the depths of the Yogic practice, understanding the beauty of the fluid form while investigating the more subtle layers that exist within us. Ultimately pointing to what lies beyond which is the true meaning of Yoga. Oneness. She is currently very inspired by somatic based practices and trauma informed Yoga, recognising how important this work is right now in our current world. Her classes are a journey of who we are on every level from the physical to the beyond all shared with a healthy dose of humour and an open heart.

lorrainetayloryoga.com