Library
Blog: Overcoming Denial: Part 1
By Denise Colby
Of all of the defense tactics and cycles of negativity that we get wrapped up in during our human experience, denial is perhaps the hardest to overcome. It’s insidious and manipulative, yet we cling to it fiercely.
We see denial everywhere we look. It is as rampant on the public and cultural scale as it is in our relationships. The external stage, as always, provides a mirror for our own inner relationship to truth. To live in truth, we must examine further the sources, motivations for, and consequences of denial on the inner stage, for it is only through the resolution of our own rejection of truth that we can begin to clearly see and resolve the external falsehoods that abound.
Article: Mindfulness In Leadership
Work is a lot of things. It’s fun and rewarding, challenging and exciting. It’s also hard a lot of the time and for most of us it can be a place of real struggle.
In order to thrive, today’s leaders need to develop many different kinds of tools. Trainings around things like presentation skills and strategic planning are relatively accessible. The real differentiator though is less about these kinds of visible skills and more about something that might be described as invisible: Mindfulness.
Blog: Aging Gracefully In A Youth Culture
By Laura Chandler
In a recent article in The Atlantic titled, “Your Professional Decline is Coming (Much) Sooner Than You Think” (July 2019), the author, Arthur Brooks, looks for a silver lining as he explores the idea of his own unavoidable decline and the loss of relevance he will suffer in old age. His investigation takes him to different psychological principles, Darwin’s theory of evolution, happiness studies, and ultimately to an Indian guru, Acharya. His question to this master was this: “Many people of achievement suffer as they age, because they lose their abilities, gained over many years of hard work. Is this suffering inescapable, like a cosmic joke on the proud? Or is there a loophole somewhere—a way around the suffering?”
Blog: Personal Responsibility: An Interview with Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Question: How would you define personal responsibility?
Isa: Personal responsibility is a process of becoming more self-aware, understanding your motivations, your intentions, and the effect your actions and thoughts have on you and those around you. It involves a willingness to contemplate the consequences of your emotional responses, and the ability to recognize when those expressions are harmful and when they are beneficial.
Blog: Huna: Aka-Mana Patterns
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
The idea of Aka and Mana is drawn from Huna, a tradition of knowledge that has been stored in Hawaii for the last thousand years or so. According to its oral history, it was brought to Hawaii for conservation in times of darkness. You can trace the progression of Huna from northern Africa all the way to India and throughout Melanesia. This system of knowledge has become incorporated into certain native practices of Hawaiian Shamanism.
Podcast: Episode 52: Barbara Higbie: Resonance
Today’s guest is Grammy-nominated, Bammy award-winning musician, Barbara Higbie. A composer, pianist, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Barbara has performed on more than 100 albums, including Carlos Santana’s 2007 release. She has 14 solo recordings to her credit as well as contributions to 10 compilations that have sold in the millions. A master collaborator and successful solo recording, Barbara was the first woman signed to Windham Hill Records, and had major commercial success with her chart-topping band, Montreux. She has also released music with Olivia Records and her own Slow Baby Records, and after nearly 40 years in the industry, she shows no signs of slowing down.
Blog: The Great Feminine: An Excerpt from Return to the Great Mother
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
The concept of a Great Feminine principle is common to many cultural and religious traditions. The icon of the Great Feminine is viewed in these traditions as the generator and caretaker of life. The images of the Great Feminine vary from tradition to tradition, but the values and qualities of these images are surprisingly consistent. Whatever her form, she is always considered a protector and guardian of life.
Blog: Boundaries: A Case Study
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
When people come into my office with relationship problems, they do not always realize they’re dealing with boundary issues. Many people think if they’re being treated badly in relationship, they must be doing something wrong. This is generally due to a lack of understanding about boundaries, and this lack of understanding usually stems from a place of unworthiness. The person being mistreated believes they’re flawed in some way, and makes compromises to stay in relationships where they are suffering. Boundary issues almost always arise when a person doesn’t feel lovable, and consequently, they’re willing to do almost anything to get another person’s approval. Because they don’t love themselves, they are dependent on others to be sources of love and validation.
On the Air: Soulspace Podcast #16: Depth Hypnosis with Isa Gucciardi
Relying on our human will can only take us so far. There comes a time in our life when we have to surrender the mind and allow the soul’s path to unfold naturally. On this episode, we explore the unseen powers of nature with Isa Gucciardi. Isa has spent over 30 years studying spiritual, therapeutic, and meditative techniques from around the world. She has worked with master teachers of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Sufism, as well as expert Shamanic practitioners from the indigenous traditions of Hawaii, North and South America, Siberia, and Nepal. Isa is the creator of Depth Hypnosis, a therapeutic modality that integrates elements of Shamanic journeying and Buddhist meditation. She guides us through a live Depth Hypnosis journey during the interview *please don’t follow this part while driving, for obvious reasons*. She is the co-founder of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, a school for consciousness studies in California. They offer courses like Depth Hypnosis, Applied Shamanism, Buddhist Psychology, and Integrated Energy Medicine. Isa is the author of two books, Return to the Great Mother and Coming to Peace.
Video: Isa Gucciardi on Depth Hypnosis
In this in-depth interview, Laura Chandler talks to Isa Gucciardi about the highly effective therapeutic model Isa developed called Depth Hypnosis. Influenced in part by aspects of Buddhism and shamanism, Depth Hypnosis uses altered states such as meditation, hypnosis, and the shamanic journey to access ordinarily hard to reach aspects of the self in order to gain insight and effect change. Isa explains the relevance of the higher self, universal consciousness, somatic experience, energy medicine, and spontaneous regression to the healing process.
Buddhist Meditation in Depth Hypnosis
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Depth Hypnosis is a therapeutic process that blends elements of Shamanism, Buddhism, transpersonal psychology, hypnotherapy, and energy medicine. Buddhism is one of the main engines of Depth Hypnosis, and meditation is one of many tools we use to help clients alter their state of consciousness. Meditation enables clients to shift their focus from their “thinking minds” to their inner experience.
Podcast: Episode 51: Pema Dorjee: Tibetan Children’s Villages
In this episode, guest host Isa Gucciardi, interviews the venerable Tibetan Buddhist monk and teacher, Geshe Pema Dorjee. Geshe Pema Dorjee is a tireless advocate of the poor and disenfranchised in Nepal and India, especially children. He has dedicated his life to helping stop human trafficking and travels the world to raise funds for his many altruistic projects and often brings those funds to remote villages, which sometimes requires days of walking to the final destination.
Geshe Pema Dorje was the Director of the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Dharamsala for many years and has helped thousands of displaced children gain an education and find their way. In 1995, he became the first Principal of the College for Higher Tibetan Studies and in 2001, His Holiness the Dalai Lama asked him to revive and promote the Bodong tradition of Tibet, and he became the founder and Director of the Bodong Research and Publication Center.
Video: Depth Hypnosis: Inspirations and Influences
In this talk with Laura Chandler, Isa Gucciardi discusses the inspirations and influences that helped her create her groundbreaking therapeutic model, Depth Hypnosis. This interview takes place at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, CA.
Blog: Ask Isa: Manifesting Vs. Magical Thinking
Question: I believe in manifesting, but sometimes I worry that my thinking is “magical.” What’s the difference between manifesting what you want in life and magical thinking?
Isa: Manifestation is the process of moving into the unknown. To manifest properly, you have to be clear about what you want to manifest and why. Having a clear intention focuses your awareness, creating more possibilities for manifesting what you want.
On the Air: Ask Herbal Health Expert Susun Weed & Sacred Stream’s Isa Gucciardi
Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Isa Gucciardi.
Topics Discussed In This Episode
• Low blood cell count – low compared to whom?
• Red meat
• Difficulties losing weight
• If by virtue of us wanting something, is it adding to my health?
• Addiction to Diet Coke – how to wean yourself off using natural sweeteners
• Life is not about order, it is about chaos
• Reinventing Eve
• When your heart is grieving it is in the process of expanding
• Releasing tension in the body causing digestive upset
• Realization process to fully inhabit the body
• Subtle and nourishing practices