Join us at the hearth
May 16-18, 2025 Northern California
From Friday May 16- Sunday May 18, I will be teaching a 3-day deep-dive into the neurobiology of connection at our beautiful 10-acre eco-reserve in Northern California, 45 minutes north of San Francisco.
In this training I will overview the Autonomics framework, and how it elaborates on and enhances Polyvagal Theory, as well as places it fundamentally contradicts it. This work is based on 30 years of research, input from 5,000 wellness professionals, 100+ advisors in 25 disciplines of wellbeing from 24 cultures, and has been tested with more than 15,000 people in 50 countries.
I will then spend the bulk of the training focused on the evocation of health-creating connection states. I'll explore the full range of the salugenic side of autonomic state (union, restoration, enjoyment, connection, play, competition), and explore the five doors model from the book (safety > connection > settled interoception > grounded intuition > relatedness > enduring wellbeing).
We keep these groups small intentionally, so that there is spaciousness in the training.
Our eco-reserve is stunningly beautiful and lush right now. There is water flowing, the plants are green nearly to fluorescence, wildflowers abound, birds are everywhere. Our property is filled with hiking trails, places to rest, refuge and vista views, and the practical amenities required to create an ideal context for experiencing this work. We have been lovingly creating it over the past five years as the embodiment of the kind of spaces that deepen our experience of relatedness to place. It is part of a larger former 1,500 acre sheep ranch, pristine in the extreme, in a valley that has been continuously inhabited for 10,000 years, and we have deeded access to 800 acres of hiking trails in two private nature preserves.
This is an opportune moment to experience the work in a setting specifically designed to hold it, with the the person who developed it ;)
I will draw from two texts in this teaching: Autonomic Compass, and The Neurobiology of Connection (digital version here).
The training is by application. If your application advances, I will interview you.
We begin at 9 am on Friday May 16, and end at 4 pm Sunday May 18. Registration includes tuition for the program. You are responsible for transportation, lodging, and meals. On registration we will send you a guide with information about local hotels, restaurants, and all of the particulars of coming to the eco-reserve.
Questions?
Contact my assistant: shikari@restorativepractices.com