The Hoffman Podcast

Chris Germer, Ph.D. was terrified of public speaking and thought he had an anxiety disorder. He soon discovered, though, that what he had was a shame disorder. Through developing a self-compassion practice, Chris was able to heal his fear of public speaking and the shame that was behind it. While Chris’ personal story is remarkable, what is even more so is what he came to learn about healing shame. He shares that healing our negative core beliefs (like we do in the work of the Process) heals shame because they are one and the same. Healing our relationship with love and with ourselves and others leads to self-compassion. By developing this practice of self-compassion, we can know again our natural joy and playfulness. As a renowned clinical psychologist specializing in self-compassion, Chris’ work with self-compassion is well-aligned with the work done at the Hoffman Process. Prior to this conversation with Drew, he studied the research that has been done on the efficacy of the Process and the amazing results the Process brings about. Chris shares with us a bit about why the Process is so effective at healing what gets in the way of our relationship with love. More about Chris Germer: Chris Germer, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School.  He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010. Together, they wrote two books, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. MSC has been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion. He’s also a co-editor of two influential volumes on therapy, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. He is a founding faculty member of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, at Harvard Medical School, and the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, Cambridge MA. Dr. Germer also maintains a small psychotherapy practice in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA. Learn more about Chris, here. Follow Chris on Instagram and the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion on Facebook and LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Compassionate Friend exercise: You’ll find the Compassionate Friend exercise Chris mentions, along with other meditations you can use to deepen your self-compassion practice, here. The instructions can also be found in The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, pages 134-137. Kristin Neff: “Kristin Neff is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s department of educational psychology. Dr. Neff received her doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, studying moral development. Read more… Listen to Kristin Neff on the Hoffman Podcast Harry Harlow: “…an American psychologist best known for his maternal-separation, dependency needs, and social isolation experiments on rhesus monkeys…” Learn more… Brené Brown podcast with Chris Germer    

Beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, Chris Sansone, completed the Hoffman Process in November 2013. Chris came to the Process feeling challenged in every area of his life, except for his good health. After doing deep work in the Process, Chris experienced a profound simplicity in how he healed his past and forgave his parents. Before Hoffman, Chris was in commercial real estate. He was well-educated and highly qualified and experienced great financial success. But, he wasn’t happy. As Chris thought about his career moving forward, he remembered the calling he felt when he first started working – helping guide people through transformational growth in some way. Once he landed at the Process, he felt that call again and answered by applying to become a Hoffman teacher. Now, Chris lives connecting to the frequency of his Soul. He shares that we each have a longing that can feel like melancholy, loneliness, and even wistfulness. As he says, we must attune to our Soul by attuning to this longing. By doing so, we learn to follow the call of our Soul. Listen in and hear how Chris connects with this longing and to a poem he wrote while in deep contemplation with his Soul. More about Chris Sansone: As a Hoffman teacher, Chris says, “To serve and see others open up to who they truly are is a remarkable experience. Students reach inside and find answers within themselves for living fully and authentically.” As for his own Process experience, Chris shares: “I unearthed two gifts – knowing that my own happiness truly is a personal choice, and deep forgiveness for both my parents and, of myself. These have opened me to loving and living as I had only previously imagined possible.” He adds, “Years ago I had a personal awakening about my role, as a highly advantaged cis-gendered white male in racial and gender inequities. That has broadened my own sense of responsibility and spawned greater personal and spiritual growth in my life.” Chris holds a doctoral degree in Human and Organization Development. He is blessed with his life partner and wife, Maria Velasco, two sons Kellen and Andrew, and stepdaughter Carina. He lives in Longmont, Colorado, where he enjoys the outdoors, especially fly fishing. As mentioned in this episode: *Rejuvenated Process: Originally, Bob Hoffman did the work that happens at the Process with people in individual sessions. Then, in the early ’70s, the Process was done in a group setting for the first time, with participants meeting weekly as they did the work of the Process. A few decades later, the Process became an in-person retreat with participants coming together for eight days. In 2013, the Hoffman Process was rejuvenated into the seven-day Process it is today. Hoffman Process Visioning: Visioning is a powerful aspect of the work you do at the Process. “Visioning can transform your life. Your life can expand and become more vibrant than you thought possible. You can call forth a vision for your life from your Spiritual Self – your essence.” continue reading and download here. CTI (Co-Active) Model of Coaching: “Since 1992 CTI has been working with coaches and leaders around the world, helping them navigate toward stronger relationships, integral solutions, and creating meaningful impact in the world.” Read more here. Sicilian: A Sicilian is a native or inhabitant of Sicily or a person of Sicilian descent. Sicily is one of the twenty regions of Italy. An island in the Mediterranean, it is located near the “toe of the boot” of Italy. Learn more… Fielding Institute Doctoral Program: Chris mentions the Fielding Institute where he earned his Doctorate in Human and Organization Systems. Discover more here. Myers-Briggs: “The purpose of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory is to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives.” Discover more about Myers-Briggs here. I Ching: “The I Ching or Yi Jing … is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics.” Learn more here.  

A leading researcher on self-compassion, Kristin Neff’s work is closely aligned with the work of the Hoffman Process. In this engaging, inspiring, and educational conversation, Kristin shares her research, deep knowledge, and life experience with us to illuminate why self-compassion is such a powerful practice for human beings. Drew and Kristin speak to the understanding that what happens to us when we are young isn’t our fault, but our healing is our responsibility. As Kristin shares, “…there’s no other body/mind and particular point in time and space that’s in the right position to take responsibility other than you.” This succinctly and clearly sums up the practical reason why it is up to each of us to take responsibility for our own lives. Going deeper into Self-Compassion: Listen in as Kristin shares a powerful story about her son who is autistic. He was in a very emotional state while on an overseas flight with her. Through this story, Kristin explains how the neuroscience of emotional regulation helped her to help him regulate his emotional state. Kristin shares that compassion has three components: kindness, mindfulness, and humanity. “Compassion is grounded in a sense of shared humanity.” At its core, compassion is the understanding that we are doing the best we can, moment to moment. That we are human beings. We are part of a much larger whole. Moment by moment, we are doing the best we can, learning and trying with care and love. If we learn this, things become much easier to deal with. Drew and Kristin then move into a discussion of how self-compassion supports us in the areas of global challenges such as climate change and social justice work. This is where Kristin begins to speak about the two aspects of compassion – tender compassion and fierce compassion. Fierce compassion is needed in all of us to help create a world that is just, safe, and supportive for all. More about Kristin Neff: Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion nearly twenty years ago. Kristin has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. She is the author of the bestselling book Self-Compassion.  Along with her colleague Chris Germer, she developed the empirically-supported Mindful Self-Compassion program and co-wrote The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook.  Her latest book is Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. For more info go to www.self-compassion.org.  As mentioned in this episode: Thich Nhat Hahn: “Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society. He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace. In the West, he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers, and countless others.” read more…  Internal Family Systems: “Internal Family Systems is a powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing.  Our inner parts contain valuable qualities and our core Self knows how to heal, allowing us to become integrated and whole. In IFS all parts are welcome.” Continue reading… Kevin Eyres: Kevin Eyres is a Hoffman Process teacher and coach. Discover more about Kevin here and listen to his Hoffman Podcast episode with Drew, Beyond the Intellect. Chris Germer, Ph.D.: Chris, who will be on the podcast in a few weeks, is “a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010 and MSC has since been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. They co-authored two books on MSC, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program.” Continue reading…   The fierce self-compassion graphic that Drew and Kristin mention.                            

We wrap up season five with A Taste of 2022!  Co-hosts, Drew Horning, Sharon Mor, and Liz Severin come together to reflect on magical moments from the episodes they hosted this year. Together, they share the podcast moments that shine a light on the magic that so often happens during the Process. In A Taste of 2022, our co-hosts weave together Process memories our guests shared with the wisdom our co-hosts have gleaned from teaching the Hoffman Process and hosting this podcast. Specifically, Drew, Sharon, and Liz touch on various subjects, such as the power of cathartic expression, the need to clear away what gets in the way of living as our true nature, and the reclaiming of lost parts of ourselves. They even highlight one graduate’s fearless reckoning with God. Like every episode of The Hoffman Podcast, these stories highlight how graduates’ lives and the lives of those around them are changed as a result of their work in the Process. In listening, we bear witness to how change ripples out into the world through the everyday radius of one person’s life. Our podcast offers beautiful windows into the healing that happens in the Process. Intrigued by what you’ve heard in the clips? Then listen to the full episode of each Hoffman graduate highlighted. Meander through this list of episodes to discover more about graduates of the Process and how taking the Process supports the kind of change within you that transforms your life and the lives of those around you. The Hoffman Podcast will be back for season 6 on February 16th. See you in 2023! Clips shared in ‘A TASTE OF 2022’ S5e7: Amanda de Cadenet – A Vegan Protein Bar in a Snickers Wrapper S4e13: Arielle D’Angelo – Coming Out and Coming Into Self-Love S5e11: Monique Petrov – Waking Up With New Eyes S5e13: Anne Hockett – The Body Expresses What We Repress S4e04: Ken Druck – Leaving a Legacy of Love S5e5: Ian Salvage – Aligned in the Goodness That I Am S5e9: Jeff Snipes – Awakening Spirit, Reimagining Education S5e3: Ryan Miles – Love is a Birthright S4e02: Katie – My Sobriety & The Hoffman Process S4e01: Liz Severin – I Know We Will Get Through This        

Dr. Michelle Robin, chiropractor, author, and healer, completed the Hoffman Process in 1997. After decades of a life of service to humanity’s well-being, Michelle has a lot of wisdom to share. In this conversation with Liz, Michelle reflects back on her time at the Process and the 25 years since. Michelle came to the Process because she realized she’d lost her sense of joy. She left with the profound realization that she isn’t broken and never was. She shares that she left no longer carrying that dark cloud of not-enoughness. Michelle shares her sense of and vision for a life of well-being. One of the beautiful takeaways from Michelle is how vitally important it is to be part of a community, especially one that is vibrantly alive and caring. Listen in to hear this wisdom about living a vibrant life. And listen all the way to the end to hear Michelle’s wishes for you and the coming year. More about Michelle Robin: Michelle is the founder of Small Changes Big Shifts®, Big Shifts Foundation®, and the Kansas City Wellness Consortium®, but more importantly, she is a visionary for the well-being of many generations. With a 30-year chiropractic practice in Kansas City, Michelle has become a national influence and memorable leader in the wellness industry. Her simple framework – called the Quadrants of Well-Being – is the key to what many people have been looking for when it comes to discovering their best life. Michelle has spent the majority of her career helping people make small changes that ultimately create the biggest shifts in their well-being. As a chiropractor, author, teacher, holistic healer, podcast host, unshakable optimist, international speaker, and passionate advocate for generational change, Michelle has left an impression on thousands of lives by helping them find their unique path to wellness and enriching their purpose in life. Learn more about Michelle on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Find out more about Your Wellness Connection on  LinkedIn and Facebook.   As mentioned in this episode: Crystal Jenkins: Michelle’s partner is Crystal Jenkins, Hoffman teacher and coach. Crystal holds a B.S. in education and a Master’s degree in counseling. She is trained in EMDR and the Enneagram and is a certified Daring WayTM facilitator. Read more about Crystal here. A Path to Personal Freedom & Love: Written by Bob Hoffman, this booklet offers substantial insight into the principles upon which The Hoffman Process is based. Read or download the booklet here. Chiropractic: In the chiropractic model, people are sick for three reasons: Thoughts, Trauma, and Toxins. Read more about these here. Dr. Richard Yennie: “In 1968, Dr. Yennie founded the Acupuncture Society of America, which was the first professional acupuncture association in the USA (NCCAOM was founded in 1982.) During the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Yennie brought in the best teachers and healers from China, Japan, and Korea to teach acupuncture classes to healthcare professionals in the chiropractic, medical, osteopathic, and veterinary fields.” – Miridiatech.com Chinese Medicine & Three Sources of Chi (or Qi): Original Lifestyle Chi, Soul Chi, and Chi from our parents. Learn more about Chi/Qi here. Qigong: “Qigong, pronounced “chi gong,” was developed in China thousands of years ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine. It involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being.” – National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health Feng Shui: “Feng shui, sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is an ancient Chinese traditional practice that claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term feng shui means, literally, “wind-water”.” Wikipedia Pickleball: “Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where players hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles.” –  Wikipedia  

  Devi Cavitt Razo Hoffman Grad and former Hoffman teacher, Devi Cavitt Razo, did the Hoffman Process in 1996. She went on to teach the Process for 17 years. During her time at Hoffman, Devi also served as Process and Faculty Director, VP, and Director of Teacher Training. In this episode, Devi shares a pivotal moment from her Process. It was a particularly difficult day during her time there. Devi noticed that she wasn’t crying nearly as much as her Process mates. They all seemed to be shedding many tears. Then, later that day, Devi fell to her knees weeping deeply as she realized how much she wanted things to be different in her life and how much she loved her parents. This was a huge breakthrough for her as she realized that our feelings don’t come when we think they should. Rather, if we stay open with the intention to heal, things move and change in their own time. How did she first hear about the Process? Upon leaving the Process, Devi’s friend came to visit her to tell her she just had to do the Process. Hearing this, Devi immediately knew it was right for her and signed up. During her Process, it became clear to Devi that she was meant to teach the Process. Fast forward about 20 years later, although Devi was happy and felt fulfilled in this work, she began to hear the small voice within telling her there was something new on the horizon. The only thing was – she loved her work teaching the Process. How do we decide to go when we love something so much? That’s a question so many of us ask at least once in our lives. Devi did indeed follow her inner voice to set out to create something brand new. Listen in as Devi shares how she views change and our relationship with it. Although we often fear change and the unknown it brings, with self-trust, self-knowledge, and support from others, we can step out into action on the path to our vision. More about Devi Cavitt Razo: Devi Cavitt Razo Devi Cavitt Razo is the president and co-founder of Aurum Leadership. An international consulting, training, and coaching firm, Aurum is focused on bringing greater aliveness, human connection, and creativity to organizations, teams, and leaders. Devi’s work spans the globe, from the US to Europe and Asia, with offices in California and the Netherlands. Devi created Aurum to bring to life her vision of leaders, organizations, and teams where trust, respect, and relationality are the norms. Her vision to create Aurum grew during her 17 years as a Hoffman Teacher.  Devi holds degrees in psychology and organizational systems. She has a passion for doing transformative work with mission-driven groups, teams, and organizations, starting with the leaders. Devi’s worked with leaders and organizations from around the world, ranging from tech startups to global accounting firms to non-profits, to spiritual communities. Her work is dedicated to creating organizations where both mission and humans can thrive.  Devi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three beloved stepdaughters. When she’s not traveling, facilitating, envisioning, and creating, you will find her hiking in the redwoods of Northern California. You can learn more about Devi on LinkedIn. Learn more about Aurum on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Learn about Aurum’s EoS – Essentials of Self: A Breakthrough Training for Leaders. As mentioned in this episode: Hoffman Teacher Training: Here you’ll find general information about being a Hoffman teacher and what a typical teacher training program entails, as well as information on how to apply when we begin our next hiring process. Please note: You must be a graduate of the week-long Hoffman Process to apply to the Teacher Training Program. Hoffman Leads Harvard Graduate Students Explore the Inner Side of Leadership: For several years, a diverse group of Harvard Graduate students participated in the Hoffman Leadership Path, with outstanding results. In 2005, Harvard’s world-renowned Kennedy School of Government (KSG), in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report, conducted a study that concluded that the majority of today’s leaders are poised to work well within the system, rather than being poised to exceptionally lead the system for the common good. Continue reading here. The Hyde Schools and Hoffman Transforming Lives & Building Community: Joey (Gauld) completed the Hoffman Process in 2007, at age 80. Since then, many Hyde parents, administrators, and teachers have become Process graduates. Hoffman teacher Linda Hartka-Reiss spoke with Joey and Hyde School administrators/staff members Pam Hardy, Laura Gauld, and Joanne Goubourn (each of whom is a Process graduate) about the positive changes at Hyde since the Process was introduced. Continue reading here. Listen to Joey Gauld on the Hoffman Podcast.    

  Frankie Olivieri Frankie Olivieri is a third-generation Italian-American and third-generation owner of historical Pat’s King of Steaks. Listen in as Frankie and Drew talk about family history and doing the Hoffman Process. People come to the Process when they are serious about change and Frankie is no exception. He believes in the importance of wanting to better oneself and the power of surrounding oneself with those who want to do that, too. In the Process, Frankie saw that his life could take two very different paths. In his work through the Process, Frankie chose, and continues to choose, the Right Road, the road of compassion and taking responsibility for one’s life. This is the life he wants to embrace. Frankie also shares with us the fascinating family history behind the birth of the Philly Steak and Cheese Steak Sandwiches and his famous restaurant. More about Frankie Olivieri: Pat’s King of Steaks was established in 1930 by Pat Olivieri. A humble hotdog vendor who wanted something different for lunch, Pat Olivieri made a sandwich of chopped steak and onions on a crusty roll. When a cab driver said he wanted to give it a try, Pat gave him half of his sandwich. The cab driver loved it and the Philly Steak sandwich was born in South Philadelphia. President Obama orders a Philly Steak Sandwich from Frankie. Over 90 years old, Frankie’s Great Uncle Pat’s legacy lives on in Pat’s King of Steaks. This famous restaurant has been owned and operated by the original Olivieri family since its inception. Frankie E. Olivieri is the current owner of Pat’s King of Steaks. After graduating from Friends Select School in 1982, Frank was accepted to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. He was ready to follow his dreams of a culinary degree and four years in Paris, but he got sidetracked. Frankie went on to manage his family’s business. With still unfulfilled dreams of being a Chef, Frankie enrolled in The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. There, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts and Sciences. Next time you’re in Philadelphia, stop by Pat’s King of Steaks, 1237 E. Passyunk Ave (at 9th & Wharton Sts), and say Hi to Frankie! As mentioned in this episode: Pat Olivieri: Along with his brother, Harry Olivieri, Pat Olivieri created the Philly cheesesteak. The brothers opened Pat’s King of Steaks in 1930. Pat Olivieri died in 1970. Harry’s grandson Frank Jr. (Frankie!) now runs the business. The 1st Rocky Movie and the Orange Toss: When Rocky runs through the Italian Market, one of the vendors tosses Rocky an orange. This was a completely spontaneous moment. Read more about it here. World Famous Italian market, continuously running for 127 years. Quaker School, Friends Select, est. 1869 Frankie and his wife Nancy The Hoffman High: Spending seven days in the Hoffman Process is quite powerful. There are no phones and there is no driving in cars. Guided by teachers, you’re engaged in many immersive, outdoor, and deep experiences that can change your nervous system.  By the last day, the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of the work have an impact. Often, the result is the sense of a peak experience.  While that Hoffman high realistically cannot last forever, it does provide the impetus to continue the work once you leave the Process. Post-Process weekend: Participants often feel very different after completing their Process, almost like a new self who is inhabiting a new life. In order to orient and synthesize everything you have experienced and learned, we strongly recommend taking the weekend for yourself as a time for quiet integration. Hoffman Process tools: Recycling/Pre-cycling The Q2 Intensive Retreat: In the Q2: Beyond Mom & Dad, we meet you where you are today. The Q2 is all about your current life, looking at and transforming the challenges that hold you back from what you want now. We’ll also look at what’s in the way of being fully alive and living your vision.

Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, Seamus Mullen, is our guest today. Seamus shares how realizing he is not his patterns led to profound healing. Identification with our patterns can perpetuate suffering. When we realize our Spiritual Self can never be patterned we find freedom and a genuine willingness to take responsibility for our lives. Growing up on a rural farm in Vermont, Seamus and his brother cooked meals alongside the rest of the family. Seamus learned early on that he could make others happy if he cooked good food for them. Eventually, his career became an extension of this early learned pattern and belief. When he arrived at the Hoffman Process classroom, Seamus noticed a wall poster that said, “I am not my patterns.” Seamus took this in as he looked back over his life. Twelve years earlier when he was working to heal from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Seamus’ new functional doctor helped him see that “he wasn’t sick but he had this illness.” This is the difference between identifying with sickness – I am sick – versus having an illness. Through the Process, Seamus worked to heal through the cycle of transformation. Another big learning at the Process for Seamus was how compassion must be the precursor to forgiveness. Through the Process, he forgave his parents, which brought him freedom and peace. Listen in as Seamus shares a beautiful story of healing and forgiveness that happened post-Process with his father and family. More about Seamus Mullen: Seamus Mullen is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. A health crisis nearly ended his career in 2012. A dramatic re-evaluation of his lifestyle and relationship with food led to a total transformation. In twelve months, he reversed an “incurable auto-immune disease, lost over 80 pounds, and returned to being an active and healthy human. As a nationally recognized leading authority on health and wellness, Seamus is on a mission to help as many people as possible take control of their own health and embrace the remarkable healing power of Real Food! Seamus can often be seen as a featured judge on the popular Food Network series “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” and is a frequent guest on programs such as The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, and CBS This Morning where he shares his knowledge of cooking and nutrition. In 2012, Seamus published his first cookbook, Hero Food. In 2017, he released his second cookbook, Real Food Heals. Seamus lives in sunny Malibu, California, and is the Culinary Director for the Rosewood Sandhill Hotel. You can find him swinging kettlebells, riding bikes, and hiking in the coastal mountains when he’s not cooking or writing. You can learn more about Seamus here, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter. As mentioned in this episode: Pattern Ping Pong: Patterns feed off each other and reactions lead to escalation. Functional Medicine: “The functional medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach. This approach empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.”    

  Do you wonder why the Hoffman Process works so well on many levels? Listen in as Volker Krohn, psychotherapist, Director of Hoffman Centre Australia/Singapore, and Director of Hoffman International shares his experience of and insights into the Process. Born in Germany, Volker found his way to Australia after spending a short time in the United States. In the late ’80s, he attended the second Process ever held in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Bob Hoffman was his Process teacher as well as his Process teacher trainer. In this conversation between Volker and Drew, we learn some fascinating things about the Process. Volker reminds us that the Hoffman Process is a psycho-spiritual process. As such, it supports the integration of the psychological and spiritual natures within us. With a background as a psychologist as well as his studies in spirituality, Volker shares his sense of what happens underneath the surface of the Process. Through his experience of decades of teaching the Process, Volker speaks to the heart of what the Process does. He says the Process helps each of us come to live by the intrinsic values of our hearts. He goes on to add that we aren’t our thinking and we’re not our feelings, rather these are aspects of our ego structure. Ultimately, the Process helps us come back into Presence and back into peace with ourselves. Volker beautifully encapsulates the Process as one that re-initiates us into our own humanity and into the family of humanity. Settle in for this beautiful conversation. Be prepared to come away with a deeper sense of your place in the family of humanity. More about Volker Krohn: Volker Krohn is an accomplished psychotherapist and has been the director of the Hoffman Centre Australia/Singapore since 1991. He is also the director of Hoffman International. He was personally trained by Robert Hoffman in the late 1980s and is a senior supervising facilitator of the Process. Volker’s extensive professional background includes Family Therapy, Self-Psychology, and Creative Arts Therapy as well as organizational development. He also speaks and writes widely on emotional healing, re-education, and spiritual renewal, through the exploration of early childhood conditioning. Volker is passionate about helping people improve their emotional and spiritual intelligence and has inspired thousands of Hoffman graduates in Australia and worldwide to live from a place of self-acceptance and gratitude claiming compassionate leadership in their lives. As mentioned in this episode: The Arakwal and Bundialung Nation: Hoffman Centre Australia’s retreat site is part of the Arakwal national park. The Arakwal are part of the Bundialung Nation. Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young The lyrics that Volker mentions: Teach your children well Their father’s hell did slowly go byAnd feed them on your dreamsThe one they pick’s the one you’ll know by Read the full lyrics here and listen on YouTube. Two Spiritual Paths: The Yana Path – the path of understanding. For instance, Zen Buddhism follows the Yana path. The Bhakti Path – the path of devotion. For instance, Sufism follows the Bhakti path through prayer, dancing The Enneagram: 3 basic human instinctual drives, Claudio Naranjo, and the 27 Enneagram sub-types. How climate change is affecting us: Climate Anxiety and Climate Depression University of California research on the Hoffman Process: Several different scientific research studies have been conducted about the Process – on the methodology and its aftereffects. One of the most significant studies was done by Professors Michael R. Levenson and Carolyn M. Aldwin, of the University of California, Davis. Their three-year, grant-funded research study shows that Hoffman Process participants experienced lasting significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and obsessive/compulsive tendencies, coupled with lasting significant increases in emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, compassion, vitality, and forgiveness. Further information on the study can be found on our website here, downloaded here, and in the Nov/ Dec 2006 issue of the scientific peer review journal, EXPLORE, The Journal of Science and Healing. A worldwide search of the research literature shows no other treatments or interventions that produce lasting, significant reductions in negative effects while simultaneously producing such increases in positive effects.  

Anne Hockett calls herself a gut geek and a lifelong learner – and, she is so much more than that. Anne’s story is a powerful testament to our spiritually human capacities of resiliency, adaptability, and deep capacity to return to trusting in the unknown and the knowing that comes from deep within. Anne’s background is in public health and medicine. She is a proponent of western medicine. But when she found herself diagnosed with a major cardiac diagnosis and prognosis with little hope for a long life, she turned toward eastern medicine and alternative modalities. With these, she began to heal. Anne found herself with a new capacity for knowing things about people just by looking at them, things that one hundred percent of the time turned out to be true and supportive of that person’s healing. Anne did the Hoffman Process in 2016. Through doing the Process, she found the ability to love herself. She left the Process with a deep understanding of who she was without the degree of shame she had around her shadow patterns. Anne tells us her experience of open-heartedness and lack of judgment during the Process allowed her to know them much more than simply as ideas. She now feels them because she received them during her Process. One other big result from doing the Process was solidifying her knowledge of her life purpose. More about Anne Hockett: For over four decades, Anne’s work has concentrated on the healthcare field. She has applied her work experience, research, and teaching skills in Asia to better understand how modern medicine and traditional, gentle, natural approaches can be most effectively integrated. Since 1983, Anne has worked in a variety of capacities with children and adults with physical and emotional needs. She specializes in the care of those managing cancer and heart disease, but her practice has broadened considerably over the years. Before moving to Asia in 1989, Anne worked with the Ford Foundation, The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. She has a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Anne also has a variety of training and certification credentials in other health care and healing modalities including homeopathy, Bach Flowers, therapeutic yoga, plant-based medicine, healing breath work, meditation, guided imagery, past life regression, hypnotherapy, and Reiki. She’s years into a Ph.D. she might never complete in plant-based medicine and also halfway through excelled training in Functional Medicine. You can learn more about Anne at YouHealing.org. As mentioned in this episode: Shadow patterns Rishikesh is a city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. Pacemakers and ‘pacing’ Near Death Experience (NDE) Other healing modalities explored by Anne: Reiki BodyTalk Harvard Study on crying and good health Anne’s exercise: “In a world without judgment, what is the most self-loving thing for you to do, right here, right now?”