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You've felt this... The peace of a walk in nature, the stillness of a meditation, or the pure awe of witnessing a new born child. So how is it that... You can feel a disconnect in your relationship, unfulfilled at work, and disharmony in your daily life? It can be so disappointing to so clearly experience a sense of well-being and then not be able to enjoy it in the rest of your life. |
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Embracing your humanity takes effort. We have been trained to feel separate. Less than or better than. To fight for what we deserve. Always seeking our fair share. What if we learned a new way of being? Or simply remembered a way that we forgot. |
How I rediscovered my humanity!I grew up in Canada in a family that in hindsight had some dysfunction. I won't get into the details here and I have long since forgiven myself and everyone involved. What is noteworthy is how much of myself I was willing to hide in order to fit into my family, my society, and culture. In order to do so I learned to cover over my tenderness, my heart and the depth of experience and connection that is rooted in this place. I often used wit and sarcasm to keep people at a distance. I know that I am not alone in having felt this and suspect that most people have altered their character and suppressed parts of themselves to fit in.
I was in search of something from a young age just not sure what it was. At 21 years old my first real adventure began when I traveled from London to India and back overland. The trip was more than six months and the memories are still vivid. It was my first look at something outside of my everyday experience. My biggest understanding from this was that people are more alike than different. We all have very similar wants, needs and desires. I had the priveledge of meeting many kind and interesting people. My wanderlust continued taking me to San Francisco in 1983 and Dallas in 1984. I started studying Tai Chi and Qigong shortly after and this led to meeting a man who has had the most profound effect on my life. My biggest debt of gratitude is owed to Bart Anderson, a gifted spiritual teacher, who constantly invited me to go deeper. I met and began studying with Bart in 1987. Bart was an enlightened man who challenged his students to discover and unfold their gifts. I moved in early 2004 from Dallas, TX to Waitsburg, WA to continue my studies with Bart, spending some 15 months living with him and receiving his core teachings. It was Bart’s passing in 2007 that caused me to question how best to share this mentoring. After a period of reflection I was as Bart called it, “inspired to pick up my medicine,” the talents and gifts that I had unfolded through so many years with this dedicated teacher. That is when the choice was made to further my education and to begin to share my experience. Some of what I learned from this wonderful man was shared in the book you see to the right which was published in 2014. I graduated from Bennett/Stellar University in 2008 with certifications as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Master NLP practitioner. Immediately establishing a practice as a Hypnotist/Coach, I was hired in Feb 2009 by Positive Changes Hypnosis in Spokane, WA. I received additional training with Stephen Gilligan PhD who studied with Milton Erickson M.D. the father of modern Hypnotherapy. I have been registered in Washington state as a Hypnotherapist since 2008. As a Hypnotist/Coach at Positive Changes I enjoyed 8 years working with clients giving me the one on one time needed to hone my skills. It is this daily practice of working with thousands of unique clients that helped me to create a behavior change model that both explains and simplifies the process. I learned to deliver guidance in a clear and consistent manner that empowered clients to become fully engaged in their own personal transformation process. I worked there until April 2017 and then setup my own practice. I currently reside in Spokane Wa. |
Tribalize Now: The Practice of Belonging
Surely there must be more! This agreed upon reality that almost all of us accept as the standard operating system of the human being is nothing more than a poorly negotiated treaty that leaves us dependent and at risk. When we begin to discover who and what we are, outside of the stories that we have accepted as our truth, we open ourselves to the possibility of creating something different.
Other Resources by James
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