In this thirty minute PowerPoint presentation, participants will learn about Rabbi Korngold’s adventures in her book, “God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors with the Adventure Rabbi”. Q & A to follow presentation.

About the Presenter

RABBI JAMIE KORNGOLD is a Reform Jewish Rabbi.  She started the Adventure Rabbi program in 2001 and has become nationally known for her pioneering work integrating spirituality and the outdoors.  She was ordained at Hebrew Union College, and lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and two daughters.

Additional Resources

Presentation slides (PPT, 132 MB)

www.adventurerabbi.org

www.godinthewilderness.com

Adventure Rabbi: Synagogue Without Walls
637-B S Broadway PMB 311
Boulder 80305
303.443.2642

For more information, contact Kelli Daniel, Associate Publicist at Doubleday Religion, at 212.782.9390; kdaniel@randomhouse.com

The post God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

My work in Eldering was extensive in the process of October – becoming and Elder and November serving as one. December is another part that needs to be made explicit since it is the fruiting of life and not a calamity. In this session I hope to share introspection on the December process.

About the Presenter

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, is widely recognized as perhaps the most important Jewish spiritual teacher of the second half of the twentieth century. Reb Zalman as he is affectionately called, has been at the forefront of pioneering Jewish spiritual renewal. Through prayer and meditation, counseling and mentoring, movement, song, storytelling and philosophical discourses, he shares the central teachings of Hasidism and Kabbalah in a manner which is, at once authentic, contemporary and compelling. The heart quality of his teaching leaves a profound effect on those fortunate enough to become his students.

His spiritual formation has been from Hassidic and Kabbalistic Masters. He is committed to a post-triumphalist, ecumenical and Gaian approach. His belief in the universality of spiritual truth has led him to also study with Sufi masters, Hindu and Buddhists teachers, Native American elders, Catholic monks, and humanistic and transpersonal psychologists.
His extensive breadth of knowledge spans the worlds of Kabbalah and computers, bridging the disciplines of linguistics and metaphysics and the techniques of the psycho-physical and the intuitive.

He is the founder of the Spiritual Eldering Institute in Boulder, Colorado, which sponsors nondenominational workshops to help people grow into elderhood. He is also co-founder of the havurah movement and the founder of B’nai Or Religious Fellowship, Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, Aleph Rabbinic Seminary, and The Yesod Foundation.
Reb Zalman was ordained by Lubavitch Yeshivah Brooklyn in 1947 and received his M.A. from Boston University in Pastoral Psychology and his D.H.L. (Doctor of Hebrew Letters) in 1968 from Hebrew Union College. He has served as teacher and school principal, congregational rabbi, campus chaplain, Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Temple University, and former World Wisdom Chair and Professor of Religion at Naropa University.

Born Zalman Schachter in 1924 in Poland, the rabbi-to-be soon moved with his family to Vienna, where he attended both a traditional yeshiva and a socialist-Zionist high school. When the Nazis threatened, the Schachters went to Antwerp; when Belgium came under German attack, the family began an odyssey. Detained in a camp in Vichy France, they escaped to Africa, then to the West Indies, and finally to New York in 1941.

He completed his rabbinical studies in the Yeshiva of the Chabad/Lubavitch movement and received ordination from the late Lubavitcher Rabbi.  After serving the Lubavitch community for a number of years he came to the conclusion that rather than recreating the destroyed world of Eastern European Jewry, the true need of our time was to bring together the best of that world with the humanist insights of contemporary society.  He also understood the need to create a Judaism which could speak to the thousands of young Jews who were discovering spirituality outside of Judaism.  A result of his work was the Jewish Renewal movement.  Reb Zalman’s teachings incorporate wide-ranging knowledge of the spiritual technology developed by peoples all over the planet.

Additional Resources

Reb Zalman is the author of Spiritual Intimacy, (1991); Paradigm Shift, (1993); Gate To The Heart, (1993) and with Ronald Miller, From Age-ing to Sage-ing, (1995), Wrapped in a Holy Flame (2004) and his latest book, Jewish with Feeling: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Practice (2005). He also has a bibliography of over 150 articles and monographs on Jewish spiritual life and has translated many Hassidic and Kabbalistic texts.

The post December Lights appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

A month after our national elections, what do we understand and believe about the state of our country in relation to the world and our selves now? This session will give us all a chance to get better acquainted and share our hearts and minds on topics of importance to each of us.

About the Presenter

David Silver, M.D., M.P.H is a medical doctor and international consultant who is currently working locally as a medical advocate for people with health challenges.

David graduated from Cornell University and the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, and has practiced Emergency Medicine in the Denver metro area for 26 years. He was a founder of one of Colorado’s first holistic health centers, Wellspring, Partners in Health. David is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Colorado Medical School, and teaches public health at the CU Boulder campus. He currently serves on the Clinical Bio-medical Advisory Committee at Boulder Community Hospital.

With a growing interest in the health problems of the world’s poor, he completed his master’s in public health degree (MPH) through Loma Linda University. He has worked as a technical advisor for health projects in Vietnam, Guatemala, West Bank/Gaza, India, Kenya and Uganda.

David believes that one’s “attitude” is perhaps the most important asset contributing to a person’s sense of well-being in wealthy countries like the US. Despite the fact that illness and accidents are always part of life, true healing is always just around the corner for those open to its discovery.

Additional Resources

www.BoulderMedicalAdvocate.com

The post Open Dialogue: Politics, Moods & Prayers for 2009 appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

This talk will address the status of women under Islamic law, a complex and highly contentious subject. I will begin by speaking about the treatment of women in pre-Islamic and post-Islamic Arabia, according to the Qur’an. I will then explain how the Qur’an and hadith have been used to formulate Islamic law, and identify the major Sunni schools and Shi’a branch of Islamic jurisprudence. In closing, I would like to expose participants to the problems and benefits of Islamic law, and suggest how the ongoing struggles in Islam may change if and how current systems in place survive.

About the Presenter

Sophia Rose Shafi, MA, MTS, is a doctoral student in Religion at University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology, where her research interests include Western image-making of Muslims, Islamic modernism, and Shi’a mysticism and politics. Ms. Shafi has traveled in Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ms. Shafi earned a MA in Art History and Archaeology from Columbia University and a MTS in Ethics and Theology from Candler School of Theology (Emory University). She has studied Arabic and Islam with a variety of scholars, at Emory University, University of New Mexico, Dar al Islam, and University of Denver.

In her free time, Ms. Shafi makes quilts to send to Afghanistan through the assistance of U.S. servicemen as well as the organization More Than Warmth.

The post Islamic Law, Women, and the Islamic Reformation appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

Attendees can expect to have an outline of psychospiritual therapy presented. They will be able to see how the therapy is constructed and how it is able to address the emotional, physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of a client. Case examples will be presented to show the strength and depth of this approach. We will use some of our time for a guided meditation so that each attendee has an opportunity to experience his or her own spiritual guides. Attendees will be able to understand how this connection can then be used to assist in addressing issues and beliefs, clearing them so that the core issues are removed and the symptoms are alleviated.

About the Presenter

Doug Pratt, LCSW has been in private practice over 20 years.

“I treat children, adolescents and adults. I have always sought out better therapies and treatments especially for clients with longstanding issues. This pursuit lead me to establishing a psychospiritual therapy which comes from my own inner work as well as guidance from my own spiritual guides. I continue to work with a wide range of clientele and employ this therapeutic approach wherever appropriate and in whatever appropriate form.

For six years as a school social worker, I treated elementary aged children. I consulted with the Colorado SIDS program for 15 years and gained a specialty working with these parents in their profound loss. I truly enjoy consulting with parents about their children and their emotional well-being. In addition to my direct client work, I also provide educational groups for adults regarding past life regression, life between life regression and psychospiritual therapy.”

Additional Resources

Phone: 303-665-5829
Email: dkpratt@aol.com

Michael Newton, Ph.D: Journey of Souls, 1994.
Michael Newton, Ph.D: Destiny of Souls, 2000.

The post May Your Guides Be With You: PsychoSpiritual Therapy appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

This session will be an exploration of the evolving God image within our individual and collective psyches. We will look at our personal images of Divinity against the backdrop of ancestral and societal ideologies, and discuss how the divine “urge to wholeness” is calling us forward in our lives and in the life of our struggling planet.

About the Presenter

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, M.A. is an author, therapist, and spiritual teacher.  She is fascinated with the common boundary shared by Kabbalah (Jewish mystical teachings) and Depth (Jungian) Psychology. This provides a focus for her teachings which center on the integration of ancient mystical wisdom into contemporary life.  Her publications include, With Roots in Heaven: One Woman’s Passionate Journey into the Heart of Her Faith; The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women’s Wisdom,and The Woman’s Kabbalah: Ecstatic Jewish Practices for Women.

Additional Resources

www.tirzahfirestone.com

Suggested Readings for those interested in the Transformation of the God-Image

Rabbi Firestone may be contacted at contact@tirzahfirestone.com

The post Transforming Our God Image appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

Holistic psychology sees spiritual development as an equal partner with other aspects of individual development. How do we invite the spiritual journey into conversations about a personal life story? What language works best? Realistic optimism is a sense, based on life experience, that one has the capacity to cope with whatever life brings. It is an adaptive strength that serves most aging adults well and is often related to spiritual development. What underlying processes create and reinforce the value of realistic optimism for most aging people?

About the Presenter

Robert C. Atchley, Ph.D. is an award-winning teacher, scholar, author, and mentor who since 1985 has focused on the subject of how human beings develop spiritually and manifest spirituality in their lives. He has presented numerous lectures and workshops to a wide variety of audiences and has written more than a dozen articles for general audiences on this subject. His programs are lively and accessible. His knowledge of the subject comes from extensive interviews and research, being part of several working groups of researchers, writers and lecturers focusing on spirituality, being involved in several organizations promoting “conscious aging” and/or spiritual growth, and his own 30-year conscious spiritual journey.

In the mid-1970s at age 35 Atchley began a conscious spiritual journey. He read dozens of classic texts on spirituality from a variety of spiritual traditions, took numerous workshops on meditation and spiritual development, went to India to study with the Indian sage, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and spent several years teaching at Naropa University, which emphasizes contemplative education and is Buddhist-inspired. Since 1996 he has found spiritual community in a Quaker Meeting.

In the 1980s, Atchley began teaching about spiritual development as part of his university course on adult development. He also began to include questions about spiritual life in his research interviews with middle-aged and older adults. In the 1990s, he published a series of articles on various aspects of spirituality and spiritual growth. He also became involved with the Omega Institute’s series of programs on “conscious aging” and in the Spiritual Eldering Institute and the Sage-ing® Guild. In addition to doing many workshops on his own, he was co-presenter of workshops with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi on “From Age-ing to Sage-ing” and with Ram Dass on “Conscious Aging.” Since 2000, he has published entries on spirituality for three different encyclopedias.

Atchley is Distinguished Professor of Gerontology (emeritus) from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is author of more than a dozen books and research monographs, including Understanding American Society (1970), The Sociology of Retirement (1976), Aging: Continuity and Change (1987), Continuity and Adaptation in Aging: Creating Positive Experiences (1999), and ten editions of his introductory gerontology text, Social Forces and Aging (2004). He is working on his next book, Spirituality and Aging: Expanding the View, forthcoming from Johns Hopkins University Press.
He has received more than a dozen awards for his teaching, writing, and service, including the Distinguished Career Achievement Award from the Gerontological Society of America and the Benjamin Harrison Medallion, Miami University’s highest honor given to a faculty member. He received the American Society on Aging’s award for Distinguished Contribution to the Education of the Nation.

Additional Resources

Handout for Presentation

PowerPoint for Presentation

The post Spiritual Development and Realistic Optimism appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

Brainspotting is a new therapeutic technique developed by EMDR therapist David Grand. This methodology has an almost magical capacity for resolving traumas that are stuck in the mid-brain. Engaging in this process also links together other life events and issues in a healing network, in a manner that is spontaneous, unique to the individual, and can surprise both therapist and client. Sometimes people have profoundly spiritual experiences that are comparable to those experienced through prayer and meditation, even if the client has no particular religious faith. Laurie Branch and Susan Hubbard will be presenting information on Brainspotting itself and will give examples of transformational experiences that we have born witness to in therapy.

About the Presenter

Laurie Branch, M.A., L.P.C., CACIII earned her B.S. in Respiratory Therapy at Kansas University and her M.A. in Pastoral Counseling at St. Thomas Seminary. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Addictions Specialist.  She is also certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).  More recently, Laurie has completed the Phase 1 and 2 training in Brainspotting with founder, David Grand.  Laurie has extensive experience in substance abuse treatment, work addiction, trauma resolution, and couples therapy.  Laurie has worked with  her canine assistant, Eden for the past 7 years.  Eden is a facility dog credentials through Canine Companions for Independence.  She is also a Pet Partner through Delta Society and a Reading Education Assistance Dog at Community Montessori Elementary School.

Susan Hubbard, LCSW, has been in private practice in Boulder since 1972. She earned her MSW at Columbia University in 1966, a horrifyingly long time ago. She is a consultant in EMDR therapy, is trained in Brainspotting, and is a Diplomate in the American Board of Sexology. Susan works with adults and couple of various ages. She has a specialty in sexual counseling and has written a manual called, “Spicing Up Your Sex Life: a Tasteful Guide for Ordinary People”. In addition, she has had a number of professional articles published and has produced a music CD of mostly original songs called “Celebration”.

Additional Resources

Susan’s website: www.spicedupsex.com

Laurie can be reached at 303-444-7256 or lauriebranch@gmail.com

Laurie’s website: www.lauriebranchtherapist.com

David Grand’s website: biolateral.com

Suggested Reading:
EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused as Children by Laurel Parnell
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel Amen, M.D.
EMDR Solutions edited by Robin Shapiro
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing by Francine Shapiro
Emotional Healing at Warp Speed: The  Power of EMDR by David Grand
Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine

The post Brainspotting: a Magic Window to Release Trauma and Receive Spirit appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.

What do we remember, and how do we remember? These are the questions that are at the basis of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology, that which explores the time before and around birth.

We are seeing clinical sessions where children, adults, and infants are remembering and responding with awareness of what influenced their early arrival. We call these neuronal imprints. They are the records in the nervous system, and record our first experiences; they often create templates of behavior and response.

As therapists, understanding the influence on the newborn or prenate’s body in terms of shock and trauma is essential. By exploring the earliest imprints of what occurred in the energetic field around the time of birth, therapists can help clients reduce anxiety, repair intimacy issues, and settle the heart. This is true whether the client is an infant, child, or adult. Understanding that infants are capable of freeze, dissociation, or fragmentation responses helps clients repair consciousness and integrate into wholeness.

About the Presenter

David Sawyer, MA, LPC has been practicing body-centered psychotherapy since 1988. He is the founder of the Center for Somatic Psychology, LLC through which he teaches 500-hour certification training programs in Switzerland and the United States. His work is an empowerment based approach that blends the fields of trauma and shock, pre & perinatal psychology, self-psychology, family systems theory and the body based modalities of aquatic body work and cranial sacral therapy. David is known for his strong emphasis on healthy interpersonal boundaries and his ability to use somatic skills to cultivate strength in the present and to navigate traumas of the past.

David is a graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A. Psychology, 1985) and Naropa University (M.A. Psychology, 1988), a Licensed Professional Counselor (State of Colo., 1996), a certified practitioner, trainer, and former institute director of Integrative Body Psychotherapy of Boulder, LLC (1990 – 2000), a certified practitioner and instructor of the Watsu method of aquatic bodywork (2000). David has developed and taught CEU approved trainings for licensed psychologists in the State of Nevada and has been a course consultant for the graduate psychology program of Regis University and an internship supervisor for the graduate psychology programs of Naropa University.  David is a Buddhist Seminary graduate and spent six months as an inter-faith student at the Findhorn Community in Scotland.

David has a private practice in Boulder, CO where he lives with his family.

Additional Resources

David Sawyer can be reached at:
d.sawyer@comcast.net
(303) 440-9725

Annie Brook can be reached at 720.839.4332. or www.coloradotherapies.com

The post Soul to Body: Helping Clients to Repair Their Earliest Influences appeared first on Interface Boulder, Colorado.