The Hoffman Podcast

Listen in to this deep conversation with Cynthia Merchant and Drew about the Hoffman Process, trauma and trauma-healing, Somatic Experiencing®, and the basic goodness that underlies all things. Cynthia’s vast knowledge and many decades of experience in working with people to heal trauma have helped her realize that the essential self is “ever-intending toward wholeness.” Cynthia is a Marriage Family Therapist and Somatic Experiencing® practitioner. She first completed the Hoffman Process when it was still in the three-month format. A few years later, she was asked to teach the Process. For seventeen years, she taught and supervised the teaching of the Hoffman Quadrinity Process in the US and abroad. Cynthia was fortunate to work and teach closely with Bob Hoffman for many years. Cynthia has an eclectic, embodied, soulful approach to healing and change. She has over thirty years of international experience facilitating psycho-educational, transformational groups. More about Cynthia Merchant Since 1988, Cynthia has trained directly with Dr. Peter Levine, the developer of the trauma resolution approach, Somatic Experiencing ® (SE™.) She has collaborated with him in many professional, master-level trainings. Cynthia has also taught the Enneagram, as well as trauma-informed somatic approaches to professionals. She facilitates experiential groups throughout the US, Europe, South America, Asia, and Canada. L-R: Cynthia, Reza Leah Landman, Bob Hoffman, Dr. Claudio Naranjo From 1989 until his death in 2019, Cynthia has been a dedicated student, collaborator, and friend of consciousness, Enneagram, and Hoffman Process pioneer of Dr. Claudio Naranjo and his Seekers After Truth (SAT) programs. She is the Executive Director of SAT Institute — USA, an educational non-profit, delivering the Naranjo Seeker After Truth programs in the US. In her private practice, Cynthia works with individuals, couples, children, & families to facilitate the resolution of accumulated, traumatic, and/or developmental stress and nervous system dis-regulation, resolve limiting attachment conditioning, and catalyze and stabilize resilience. Cynthia approaches the human transformational adventure with kindness & gusto. She encourages attitudes of self-acceptance, compassion, and love in her clients and students as they cultivate more robust, satisfying lives. Listen to this powerful episode with Cynthia and Drew: As mentioned in this episode Peter Levine, Ph.D.:  As Cynthia recounts, Dr. Levine developed Somatic Experiencing ® (SE™.) Over the years since, he “taught it to anyone who would listen and mentored thousands of therapists and healers worldwide.” Dr. Claudio Naranjo: Claudio Naranjo, M.D., was trained as a medical doctor. He came to the US from Chile, being one of the very first people to bring the Enneagram to the world. He also supported Bob Hoffman in bringing the work Bob was doing one-on-one with people into the group setting which became the Hoffman Process. Claudio was also the author of several books. The Enneagram or Enneagram of Personality: is a model of the human psyche largely taught as a designation of nine interconnected personality types. Reza Leah Landman: Reza Leah was an early Hoffman Process teacher, a therapist, and founder of The Institute for the Telling of Teaching Tales, Berkeley, CA. She was a master storyteller and was actively involved with spiritually-inspired actions the world over. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD: The author of The New York Times bestseller, The Body Keeps the Score. Dr. van der Kolk is a psychiatrist, author, researcher, and educator. Since the 1970s, his research has been in the area of post-traumatic stress. Orienting Exercise: At minutes 51:33 – 54:47, Cynthia offers an exercise in orienting oneself back to the here and now, especially re-orienting after an inner-world experience. Try it out below!  

Linda and Charlie Bloom each did the Hoffman Process thirty years ago. The powerful transformations they experienced at the Process continue to be alive in them today. Charlie tells us how he learned of the freedom and joy in taking responsibility for his own life. Linda shares about grieving the image of ‘parents charming,’ the perfect parents she didn’t get so that she could come to accept and honor the parents she did have. Listen in as Linda and Charlie offer decades of learning, experience, and insight around partnership as a laboratory. In their work, they guide clients to see relationships as a way to learn how to be in and grow into partnership, as well as a path to wellness. The Blooms originally became psychotherapists because they came from difficult families and wanted to understand what functional families look like. With that understanding, they could create a better family for their children. Along the same lines, they started working with couples after going through a rocky time themselves in their marriage.  More about the Blooms Married since 1972, Linda and Charlie Bloom have been working with groups, individuals, couples, and organizations since 1975. Their work is to support clients in enhancing the quality of their relationships and communication skills. Linda and Charlie both have Master’s degrees in Clinical Social Work. They’ve lectured, led seminars, and provided consultation at universities and learning institutes nationally and internationally. The Blooms’ organization, Bloomwork, is dedicated to promoting healthy, fulfilling, and successful relationships for individuals, couples, and organizations. Linda and Charlie have served as psychotherapists, marriage counselors, consultants, and seminar leaders since 1975. In addition to their academic and professional training, the Blooms’ expertise in the field of relationships stems from experience in the crucible of their own committed partnership of over 52 years. The Blooms have written and published four books: Happily Ever After…and 39 Other Myths about Love: Breaking Through to the Relationship of Your Dreams, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married: Simple Lessons to Make Love Last, Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Stories from Real Couples about Lasting Love, and That Which Doesn’t Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger in the Broken Places.  Linda and Charlie offer many complimentary e-books as well as great content on YouTube. You can find out more about them at Bloomwork, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. As mentioned in this episode Enlightened Self-Interest You don’t have to choose between your needs and your partner’s needs or the relationship’s needs. Everything you put into your relationship will come back to you. John Gottman of the Gottman Institute     https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Drew_and_the_Blooms_Podcast_Take_3.mp3

Eleanor Cyrce offers a profound conversation about the nature and benefits of innate play and the journey she undertook to learn to play again. Initially trained as a computer scientist, Eleanor now devotes her life and work to play. This shift wasn’t something she was looking for. She wasn’t even comfortable playing. But her Spiritual Self found a way to guide Eleanor through this huge life change. Eleanor was deeply harmed at school by bullying and cliques. She has always wanted to put an end to people harming each other. She realized she could begin to work with kids to understand how to support them to stay “pure and connected to life.”  When Eleanor made herself available to them, they asked her to play. She had to be willing to let go of any limitation on her part that got in the way. It wasn’t an easy journey. She made a deep commitment to learning and changing. This led to Eleanor discovering that “Play that doesn’t harm is actually the giving and receiving of love.” Eleanor’s life story is one of deep transformation. When life wants us to transform, we find a way to make the ‘serious’ change feel compelled to make. The Hoffman Process has been a part of the large amount of healing work Eleanor has done to heal her past trauma and transform her life. By doing this, she has broadened the arc of her love’s everyday radius. Eleanor Cyrce in Her own words: I was born and raised in the South. As a result of a history of trauma, post-traumatic stress creates limitations that I work continually to surmount so that I can fulfill my dreams.  I remember deciding when I was a pre-teen that my goal in life was to never harm anyone, especially a child or a woman. The healing work I do with children is supported by The Foundation for Compassionate Connection, a non-profit I created years ago. I really want to know what these young people need to feel happy, connected, and whole. I want to make sure they get it.  Over the years, I donated my time working with the children of Haitian women who were dying from AIDS. I’ve also worked with homeless, parentless children on the streets and with children in schools. These included Magnolia School, Esalen’s Gazebo School, and Full Flower Education Center. I‘m trained in CranioSacral therapy for people and horses. I’ve also trained in lymphatics, Nonviolent Communication, various types of trauma release, and watsu (Japanese water therapy).  Every day, I am nurtured by the time I spend in nature.  I love swimming long distances in the warm waters of Florida. I love, especially, spending time near wild horses and manatees. Learn more about Eleanor and her work at InnatePlay.org.  The Foundation for Compassionate Connection welcomes donations to help with our work with innate play with children. If you are moved to do so, you can donate here. As mentioned in this episode: Innate Play “It is well established now that when we are born, we interact and relate to our world through a “state of being” that is safe, loving, kind, spontaneous, non-competitive, and non-judgmental.  In this state, children feel totally loved and secure and have a sense of belonging to the world. Interacting to others in this state through play is the safest, kindest way of being in the world and what can be called innate play. Unfortunately, at a very young age, children are taught “cultural play” and are deprived of innate play that keeps them whole, healthy, and cooperative. …” Read more at InnatePlay.org    

Aimee Song, fashion icon, designer, and influencer, is our guest this week. She shares a powerful story of how she moved from what she calls ‘fake’ confidence to real confidence. When she was younger, she found that wearing clothes of style made her feel better about herself and helped her feel more confident. Eventually, Aimee began to see that this confidence wasn’t sustainable because it wasn’t authentic. She realized she had to go within to find the genuine confidence she now knows. The Hoffman Process was pivotal in her journey. Aimee shares a story about one of her patterns, one she discovered at the Process. She found herself envying the transformations she witnessed others having. Deep in her own week at the Hoffman Process, she noticed that everyone else seemed to be having big breakthroughs – except her. Her realization helped her name and let go of the pattern. Aimee realized how different she was post-Process while doing her forgiveness walk. She realized she had indeed transformed. She tells Drew it was “so beautiful” to be present in a way she’d never been before. More About Aimee Song: Aimee Song — pronounced [Ah-Meeh] like Mommy, not Amy — is a social media influencer** and an interior architect by trade. She runs one of the largest fashion and lifestyle sites worldwide, Song of Style. Aimee has amassed a huge audience on social media and has become an influencer with an audience of over six million followers on Instagram. Based in her hometown of Los Angeles, Aimee’s content ranges from what she wears and where she travels, to design inspiration and personal topics. Aimee has worked with countless venerable companies, including Dior, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., SKII, Giorgio Armani, and Volvo. In addition, she has served as the first digital ambassador for global beauty brand Laura Mercier. Named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, Aimee has been included in the Business of Fashion’s prestigious BOF 500. This is a professional index of influencers who shape the global fashion industry. In 2016, she released her first book Capture Your Style, now a New York Times bestseller. Her second book, World of Style, followed in October 2018. Aimee has focused increasingly on sharing her philanthropic work and more personal aspects of her life with her audience, including her experience starting therapy and doing the Hoffman Process. Most recently, she launched the long-awaited apparel brand, Song of Style Collection, with immense success. Find out more about Aimee at  Song of Style, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Amazon. As mentioned in this episode: “World peace, one person at a time.” Bob Hoffman **Influencer – “A social media influencer is someone who has established credibility in a specific industry, has access to a huge audience, and can persuade others to act based on their recommendations.” Jen Atkin on the Hoffman Podcast The Forgiveness Walk: This is a Hoffman Process ritual done on the weekend after the Process to help complete the deep transformation that happens during the Process. It is a self-love and self-forgiveness experience reflecting the heart work done at the Process. During the Process, students do the deep work to find forgiveness for their parents. The Forgiveness Walk deepens forgiveness and love of oneself. Accountability Buddies: At the end of your Process, you choose a few other graduates with whom you wish to be buddies. As you re-enter your everyday life and find challenges, you have a buddy to reach out to. Your buddies were there with you in all the beautiful and challenging moments of transformation. A buddy is someone you’ve developed trust and rapport with and someone who understands.  

Walt Hubis is a man who wears many hats. But more than this, Walt is someone who always considers how the work he does can be part of the solution to mend our world. One hat Walt wears is that of Sound Engineer for the Hoffman Podcast. It’s because of Walt’s generosity and engineering skills that our podcast sounds great. He donates his time to support Love’s Everyday Radius. By trade, Walt is an engineer and an artist. He is the father of two daughters, a grandfather, and the husband of  Hoffman teacher and coach, Jo Mattoon. At the suggestion of his therapist at the time, Walt completed a vision quest first, prior to doing the Hoffman Process. He shares that the vision quest first helped him to really free up his intellect so he could get more out of the Process. Walt started out in photography at nine years old when he discovered his grandfather’s photography equipment. He’s always had this ‘yin and yang’ of art and engineering playing out in him. We all benefit from his joy of both with his work on our podcast. Walt is responsible for the amazing sound quality of our podcast, as well as the intro music that he composes to complement each guest’s conversation. Walt gives us some insight into what it’s like to be married to a Hoffman teacher. Together, both Walt and Jo want to work to create a better world as a couple – extending their love’s everyday radius. Walt holds down the home while Jo travels to lead the Hoffman Process. This way they both feel they are tending to the betterment of our world. More About Walt Hubis Walt and Jo live in the Denver Colorado area. He is a father to two daughters. Walt works for Micron Technology as a computer storage security architect. He enjoys producing electronic music and provides audio recording and editing services for the Hoffman Institute, including engineering for this Hoffman podcast. Walt has worked as a professional photographer, earning his Electrical Engineering degree while working as a photographer for Colorado State University. His work includes travel photography of Europe and the US Southwest. Most recently he has been working on completing a photo essay of the prairie and the Sandhills of western Nebraska. Learn more about Walt’s photography, and his creativity and technology work. As mentioned in this episode Hoffman Couple’s Retreat Las Animas Institute   https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Sharon_and_Walt_Hubis_Podcast_Take_2.mp3

Paula and Tim Floyd are both graduates of the Hoffman Process. What’s it like to be a couple who’ve both done the Process? Listen in as Paula and Tim Floyd share their experiences of the Process, and of life together, post-Process. Paula was first to attend the Process about three years ago. When she returned home, Tim saw an immediate shift in Paula’s presence and vulnerability. Six months later, Tim did his Process. Now, a few years post-Process, Paula shares that she had no idea that life could be so beautiful. Tim shares how he now connects with his Spiritual Self on a daily basis, a relationship he used to long for when he saw it in others. While their childhood stories are different in many ways, their Process experiences of forgiveness share a similar theme. To experience true forgiveness for their mothers, both Paula and Tim needed to acknowledge and feel the anger they held inside. Once acknowledged, fully felt, and released, the anger became a doorway into deep and abiding forgiveness. Paula and Tim recently moved to Bend Oregon. They live there with daughter Sally, daughter-in-law Mackenzie, and puppy Bean. MORE ABOUT PAULA & TIM FLOYD After her extensive career in the beauty industry, Paula realized she had the formula that would benefit so many companies. She founded Headkount, an outsourced national field organization for beauty brands, inspired by her mentors, employees, colleagues, recruiters, customers, and even her competitors. Headkount is a consumer-driven, cost-effective, and fast way to improve brand awareness, increase brick-and-mortar sales, and grow at scale. As Headkount CEO, Paula’s favorite part of working in beauty is being in the field, hands-on with her sales team and customers. Paula is bringing her spirituality and influence to the beauty industry. Found out more about Paula here.  Tim grew up middle-class in Belmont CA. When his parents divorced when he was eight, he lived back and forth between his Mom’s house and his Dad’s house with little supervision. Tim played sports through grade school and high school. Then, realizing he didn’t have the discipline to continue college/ sports at a higher level, he joined the Navy at nineteen. Looking back, he sees the Military as the best thing that could have happened to him. It gave him the structure he was lacking at home. Tim excelled in training and his job as an aircraft mechanic and Naval Flight Engineer. He received multiple awards for carrying out combat missions during the gulf war and other conflicts. Tim and Paula met while Tim was on deployment. Soon after, he began his career in the mortgage business. Tim recently opened a mortgage branch in his new home in Central Oregon for his company. His goals are to help as many people as possible become homeowners. He also returned to civilian flight school and now has his pilot’s license. Follow Tim on Instagram. Mentioned in this Episode: Coping With a Parent’s Suicide Left Road/Right Road Visualization The Hoffman App!   https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Drew_and_The_Floyds_Podcast.mp3

Virgil Roberson came to the Hoffman Process just one month before he was to be married. One month later, Virgil broke into a spontaneous song while saying his wedding vows. The Process was profoundly transformative for Virgil. There, he released his song, and also found his joy, laughter, and generously compassionate presence. Listen in as Virgil shares his childhood story of trauma with vulnerability and an open heart. Virgil was adopted at three weeks old. In his adoptive family, he experienced the family disease of alcoholism, which also included infidelity and keeping secrets. The Process supported him in not holding back from finally releasing the pain of his childhood. Now, Virgil says he is able to truly be present with his clients in a way he was not able to be prior to the Process. How did this happen? While at the Process, he was finally able to be truly present with himself. In a moment of this episode, Virgil recounts what it feels like to connect with an open heart full of love to people you have only just met. It’s the feeling of “I see you and I love you.” You don’t want to miss the power of this moment. More about Virgil Roberson Virgil Roberson, M.Div., L.P., and NCPsyA Executive Director, is a New York state-licensed and certified Psychoanalyst, Psychotherapist, Couples Counselor, and Group Psychotherapist. He holds a Master of Divinity in Psychiatry and Religion from Union Theological Seminary. He also trained at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. Virgil has been in private practice for over 30 years. In his practice, he works with individuals, couples, and groups to resolve complex life circumstances. Virgil has expertise in working with addiction, relationship and marital problems, and divorce. He also treats people struggling with anxiety and depression, adoption issues, and difficulties in the workplace. Virgil helps people gain clarity about and diminish the obstacles in their lives that may be impeding growth and fulfillment. In his work, Virgil’s awareness, guidance, and compassion allow people to transform and heal. As mentioned in this episode Open vs Closed Adoptions Keeping Secrets The Lion King: The Circle of Life On the Street Where You Live https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Drew_and_Virgil_Roberson_Podcast_Take_2.mp3

  David Stobbe / StobbePhoto.ca Marlene McNab is our guest this week. Many years before Marlene came to the Process, she found sobriety. She came to see, though, that her underlying intergenerational trauma still needed to be healed. Her work at the Hoffman Process profoundly supported this healing. After the Process, Marlene felt she had “mended a broken link in her family chain.” A Nêhiýawak (Plains Cree) member of the George Gordon First Nation, Marlene learned about the Hoffman Process from a health store magazine. She saw the Hoffman Quadrinity symbol and became curious about it. It appealed to her because of her Indigenous background and how they use the Medicine Wheel. Subsequently, she found it easier to relate to the Process work through this similarity. Marlene attended an Indian Residential School, as did her mother and grandmother. With deep compassion, Marlene shares the painful truth about the horrors of these institutions and the pain they have caused for generations of Indigenous peoples. One of the most profound processes she had to heal was learning how to grieve because “this grief is real.” Marlene adds, “It’s a living energy I need to consistently release.” MORE ABOUT MARLENE McNAB Marlene McNab teaches Indigenous Social Work at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan. Her personal and professional paths have culminated in a desire to share what she has experienced in her healing process and in the reclaiming and remembering of her Nêhiýawak (Plains Cree) identity. Currently, a Ph.D. candidate at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Marlene’s research focuses on studying the recovery process from intergenerational trauma and addictions. She’s also developing a recovery-oriented framework for substance use interventions. In her 30-year career as a community-based trauma therapist and professor of Indigenous social work, Marlene has witnessed first-hand the impacts of historical trauma in Canada’s Indigenous communities. As a result, she has been steadfast in helping others break intergenerational cycles, create awareness, and heal trauma responses. As mentioned in this episode The Medicine Wheel and The Four Directions Canadian Residential Schools History of the Nêhiýawak (Plains Cree) First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Saskatchewan  

Jason-Aeric Huenecke is our guest this week. He did the Hoffman Process in July of 2005 and tells us the remarkable, profound, and lasting effect on him. He shares that through his work as a Homeopathic Practitioner and Spiritual Director, the effect of the Process has ‘cascaded like nectar‘ to the world around him and continues to ‘nourish’ the people he works with. As a result of doing the Process, Jason-Aeric now has a joy for living and the courage to be himself. This wasn’t always the case. Jason-Aeric shares that he was not a typical child but was misunderstood and feared by his peers. He was verbally and physically assaulted at school. As he grew older, he began to try to understand why these things were happening to him, why he was caught in this cycle. He explored this through the lens of his religious upbringing as well as Tibetan Buddhism. Eventually, someone told him about the Hoffman Process. Jason-Aeric shares that in his work as the co-founder of his Classical Homeopathy training program, he and his fellow co-founder say, “The first remedy is love.” MORE ABOUT JASON-AERIC HUENECKE Jason-Aeric is a thriving Classical Homeopathic Practitioner and Astrologer who works with a sense of curiosity, wonder, and gratitude for the cosmos. His mastery of two different and profound healing arts was possible because he began studying at a very early age. Mystically inclined as a child, he loved nature, art, and creative play. He read everything he could find regarding mythology, world religions, and a variety of spiritual traditions. The concept of the Field, the Vital Force of the cosmos, and the interconnectivity of all beings and the cosmos absolutely thrilled him. In March 2021, Jason-Aeric co-founded the Prometheus Homeopathic Institute, a Classical Homeopathy training program. He is the Lead Faculty for their training program based on the Spiral Learning Theory, Growth Mindset, and the healing power of the Life Force. In addition, Jason-Aeric is also the Principal Investigator in The Field Provings. He works with an international team researching substances that are prepared as homeopathic medicines to heal the sick. Jason-Aeric is a Hoffman Institute Graduate Group leader for the Twin Cities in Minnesota. He lives and works in Stillwater, Minnesota. As mentioned in this episode Homeopathy Tibetan Buddhism Stillwater Lift Bridge Hoffman Graduate Group Leader If you’d like more information about becoming a Hoffman graduate community leader, please contact us at 415-485-5220 (or 800-506-5253) or email gradsupport@hoffmaninstitute.org.   https://media.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/content.blubrry.com/the_hoffman_podcast/Drew_and_Jason_Aeric_Podcast.mp3

Tim Harjo, General Manager of KNMQ Television in Albuquerque, NM, is our guest today. Tim’s vision is to amplify Native voices into the mainstream conversation around how we live with each other and with Mother Earth. He sees Native voices as a voice for how to live more sustainably and beneficially with our Earth. Tim did his Process as part of Hoffman Institute’s Leadership Path while a student at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The Institute worked with the Kennedy School to support graduate students from around the world to deepen their leadership capacities. Tim found the Process to be life-changing. He says, “as great as an experience Harvard was for me personally, it was even better because of Hoffman.” Tim is a member of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe. As a child, he was a student at an Indian Boarding school, as were other members of his family. The Process helped him heal the pain of his past. The tools Tim discovered at the Process have helped him stay on track toward the positive outcomes he set for his life. Tim works with Raz Ingrasci, Hoffman teacher and founder, to help broadcast the powerful benefits of the Process to other Native Americans. More About Tim Harjo Tim earned a B.S. degree in Management from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. His Juris Doctorate is from Arizona State University. Tim received his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge. Before his current role at KNMQ, Tim was the Director of the Central New Mexico Community College as the Small Business Development Center. Tim also served as the Chairman of Prairie Band LLC, a tribally-owned economic development company of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. For several years, Tim was an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business and Economics Marketing Department, at California State University, Northridge. Tim has served on various government and non-profit boards, commissions, and working groups. These include the National Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee for the US Census Bureau Department of Commerce from 2012 to 2016. These groups and organizations all serve American Indian and Alaska Native economic development, education, and healthcare issues. As Mentioned in This Episode KNMQ Television Fort Sill Apache Tribe Native American Boarding Schools: Native American History & Culture: Boarding Schools Unspoken: America’s Native American Boarding Schools US to review Native American boarding schools’ dark history Hoffman’s Leadership Program at Harvard Harvard Kennedy School of Government