Library
Podcast: Episode 50: Christina Rasmussen: Where Did You Go?
On this episode, Laura speaks with Christina Rasmussen, acclaimed grief educator, and the author of Second Firsts and Where Did You Go? She is the founder of The Life Reentry Institute and has helped countless people break out of what she has coined the “waiting room” of grief to rebuild their lives through her Life Reentry Model. She describes grief as a catalyst for redefining identity and introduces a new model of grief based on the science of neuroplasticity. Her institute’s mission is to bring forth a new way of speaking about and embracing loss within the medical, corporate, and social environments. Her work has been featured on ABC News, Washington Post, Maria Shriver, and the White House Blog.
Video: Depth Hypnosis: Hypnosis as a Tool for Navigating the Self
Isa Gucciardi and Laura Chandler discuss the highly effective therapeutic model Isa developed called Depth Hypnosis. Dr. Gucciardi explains how Depth Hypnosis uses altered states — such as meditation, hypnosis, and the shamanic journey — to access aspects of the self that are not known in our conscious awareness to generate healing and create movement in the places in our lives where we are stuck. She also explains regression therapy and how it works in Depth Hypnosis. This interview takes place at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, CA.
Special Announcement: The Strawberry Creek Project
Springs, and the streams that flow from them, have always had a special place in the hearts of traditional peoples. The Castalian Spring at Delphi, a temple in Greece renowned throughout the ancient world for its oracle, was considered to be the heart of the temple complex. The spring was believed to have mysterious and healing qualities, and those who wished to consult the oracle were obliged to purify themselves by washing there. In France, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has historically been a place of pilgrimage for those seeking healing, and the nearby spring emerging from the Massabielle cavern is believed to be the source of that healing power. The Gihon Spring in Jerusalem is another powerful source of water, revered since time immemorial, and likely one of the reasons many places of worship from different religious traditions were established nearby.
Article: Art & Spirit: The Process of Creating
In our bustling society, with advertisements bombarding us from every angle and art being sold to us by astute marketers who study our inclinations right down to what we search online, it’s hard to imagine a time in our consciousness when art was not a specialized field done by specialized people. Sure, you may dabble, but when did you start thinking you weren’t good at something, or worse, you were not “good enough?” Perhaps the more pressing question is when did artistry become something that you admired in other people such that it caused you to doubt your own abilities? If you can remember that time, then you are remembering a very important moment in your history when you turned away from yourself and inadvertently obscured your relationship to that larger essence of interconnectivity, cutting yourself off from something precious and regenerative.
Video: Depth Hypnosis: Accessing the Higher Self
In this conversation with Laura Chandler, Isa Gucciardi discusses the importance of connecting to the higher self in order to heal past wounds and effect change in one’s life, and how Depth Hypnosis helps facilitate that. Isa explains the concept of “spiritual emergency” and what inspired her to create this innovative and highly effective therapeutic model. This interview takes place at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, CA.
Blog: Engaged Listening on the Path to Coming to Peace
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
There truly is a wellspring of peace within each of us. To reach it, we must look in the most surprising place: right in the heart of conflict. When we examine our conflicts with others, a light shines on all the places where we have moved away from this wellspring. Conflict— and the path we must embark on to resolve it— serves as a beacon guiding us back to our inner peacefulness. To get there, we must first learn to recognize the kind of “light” or awareness that our conflicts with others are offering us.
Video: Depth Hypnosis: A Unique Counseling Model
Isa Gucciardi and Laura Chandler discuss the highly effective therapeutic model Isa developed called Depth Hypnosis. Dr. Gucciardi explains how it allows participants to move into deeper levels of self-inquiry and transformation. Informed in part by shamanism and Buddhism, it offers innovative processes to help people shift deeply held patterns so that they can lead happier and healthier lives. This interview takes place at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, CA.
Blog: Ask Isa: Finding Meaning in Divorce
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Question: I just got divorced and it’s brought up a lot of shame for me. I feel like I failed in my marriage. How do I deal with the shame?
Isa: Whenever you have shame, you have blame. It sounds like there might be an internal conflict going on, where one part of you is blaming you and one part of you is receiving the messages of blame and feeling ashamed. I would recommend sitting down and exploring the part of yourself that is making you feel ashamed.
One way to do this is to think about all of the expectations you had going into the marriage. Consider the expectations you had of yourself, the expectations you had of the other person, and the expectations you had of the marriage itself and what you hoped it was going to do for you. For instance, if you got married because you wanted to feel validated by your family, ask yourself why you didn’t feel validated before you were married. You have to honestly examine your motivations for entering the marriage to discover what is behind these expectations. As you become clear about what your expectations were, you’re going to see how you respond when your expectations are not met.
Article: Who is Tara?
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
One of the oldest Stone Age artifacts that has been recovered is a small statue of a full-bodied woman carved from limestone. The statue was named the Woman of Willendorf, after the small village where it was found in southern Austria, and is estimated to be around thirty thousand years old. Many similar statues dating to the early Stone Age have been discovered throughout Europe and beyond. Expressions of the feminine have been found in the art, mythologies and spiritual practices of many ancient cultures, often represented in the form of female deities and goddesses.
Ancient images of Quan Yin, the goddess of mercy, have been found in China, Korea, Thailand and throughout southern Asia. Pachamama, the goddess of the Earth and time, has long been depicted in the traditions of the Andes Mountains of South America in stories and art. Long before Mary, the embodiment of the great feminine in Christianity, Middle Eastern and African cultures revered Isis, who presided over the other gods, life, and death. Images of Kunapipi and Eingana, the mother goddesses of the Australian aboriginal cultures, have been found in rock art dating back at least ten thousand years.
Podcast: Episode 49: Robert Thurman: In Conversation: Part 2
On this episode, hear the conclusion of Laura Chandler’s interview with scholar and bestselling author, Robert Thurman, who talks about the importance of the Sacred Feminine, the ways he sees humankind progressing, and why there is reason for hope. And in the second half, Laura is joined by author and teacher, Isa Gucciardi, who regularly co-teaches workshops with Bob on the subjects of Buddhism, shamanism, and the Divine Feminine. Isa discusses her workshops with Bob and the importance of bringing the masculine and feminine aspects in each of us into balance in order to create a more peaceful, productive, and harmonious world.
Article: Mothering and Matriarchy
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Matriarchal societies are organized by maternal priorities, meaning all members are cared for in a nurturing and supportive way. To create communities rooted in these values, both men and women must change their fundamental relationship to mothering and motherhood.This shift must go beyond the rhetoric of early feminists who decried the second-class position mothering placed on women, and who sought to liberate women from the prison of the culturally-defined institution of motherhood. Instead, we must recognize the power of motherhood independent of any cultural value systems where mothering becomes a pawn of dominance and ownership. To do this, we must understand how our inability to nurture ourselves and others has weakened us, both on a societal and an individual level.
Blog: Encountering the Great Mother in the Birth Environment
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
To understand the essence of the Great Mother, it is helpful to look to the earth. From the moment we are born until the moment we die, we are held in the earth’s embrace, and it has many valuable lessons to offer us about motherhood. The earth is abundant, nurturing, unyielding, and adapting. The Great Mother is the embodiment of these qualities, offering us tremendous teachings about the mutuality of experience in the natural world.
You can find the power of the Great Mother expressed in the many mother goddesses appearing in different cultures around the world — Pachamama in the Andes, Tara in the Himalayas, Quan Yin in China, Isis in ancient Egypt, and Hera, Thera and Athena in Greece and Rome. There is a widespread understanding among different cultures about the importance and necessity of being in alignment with the power of the Great Mother, not only to bring forth life but also to nurture life in a way that is beneficial for everyone.
Despite a lack of understanding about mothering and matriarchal priorities in the west, the power of the Great Mother is accessible to women in the modern time. By connecting with this power, women can sustain themselves no matter what is happening in their birth process. Women can use their connection with this power to receive guidance and to understand the deeper meaning of their experience.
Special Announcement: A Night of Celtic Music with Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter
Sunday, February 24, Sacred Stream will present a very special concert in San Francisco with Windham Hill and Sony recording artist Lisa Lynne, and composer and multi-instrumentalist Aryeh Frankfurter. These two remarkable artists captivate audiences with masterful performances, humorous stories, music from Sweden and Ireland, and original works. Together, they have sold over a million albums and have performed with many of the biggest names in folk and acoustic music. They play a unique array of instruments, including the Celtic harp, Swedish nyckelharpa, Ukrainian bandura, and cittern. This promises to be an enchanting night of music and mastery you won’t want to miss!
Blog: Ask Isa: Unexpected Pregnancy
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
Question: I’m pregnant and I’m having a hard time connecting to my child. I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant and I’m not sure how I feel about it. What can I do to feel more connected to my child?
Isa: First of all, there isn’t anything wrong with you if you don’t feel connected to your child right away. This is a huge moment in your life, and you need to give yourself all the time and space you need for this pregnancy to fully register for you.
If you can’t connect with your child immediately, it’s likely because you need to take time to explore the ways you’re going to change as you become a mother. In order to connect with your child, you first have to connect with yourself. If you don’t put your own emotional and physical needs first, it will be more difficult to connect. Focusing on yourself in this way is not selfish, but will actually be beneficial for your child.
When preparing for motherhood, it is essential to reflect on what being a mother means to you and to consider how having a child is going to affect your everyday life. I recommend looking at your own definition of “mother” and examining the way you were mothered. If you have been well-mothered, reflect on what values you might emulate as a mother for your child. If you were not mothered well, there may be places within you that need healing.
Special Announcement: Depth Hypnosis Pilot Study Featured in The International Journal of Regression Therapy
There is much anecdotal evidence about the efficacy of Depth Hypnosis, based on the many reports of thousands of people who have been helped with the modality. In 2014, Dr. Joanna Adler, a long-time Depth Hypnosis Practitioner, set up the Depth Hypnosis Research Project to measure the efficacy of Depth Hypnosis in addressing symptoms of depression, anxiety, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and in increasing well-being.