Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.
Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.
Please note: On Wednesday September 20, online registration may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes while system maintenance is performed. If the 'Register Now' page does not load, please wait about 15 minutes and try again.
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic — RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling classics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others.
Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.
One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.
In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.
Among the questions we will explore:
Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living.
Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.
Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Michael Guy Thompson, PhD, is a psychoanalyst who worked with R.D. Laing for many years in London. He continues to work with extreme states, and has been training therapists for more than 30 years. He has lectured all over the world and his books include The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2nd, revised edition) (Routledge).
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Nita Gage, DSPS, trained with R.D. Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. She also trained with shamanic teachers and specializes in integrative psycho spiritual healing, and is a teacher with Hoffman Institute. Nita is the author (with Linda Star Wolf) of Soul Whispering: The Art of Awakening Shamanic Consciousness.
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Fritjof Capra, PhD, is the author of several international bestsellers, including Uncommon Wisdom, which features his extensive conversations with R. D. Laing. His latest work, co-authored by Pier Luigi Luisi, is The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision (Cambridge University Press).
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Need a scholarship? Apply here.
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic — RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling classics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others.
Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.
One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.
In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.
Among the questions we will explore:
Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living.
Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.
Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Michael Guy Thompson, PhD, is a psychoanalyst who worked with R.D. Laing for many years in London. He continues to work with extreme states, and has been training therapists for more than 30 years. He has lectured all over the world and his books include The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2nd, revised edition) (Routledge).
Nita Gage, DSPS, trained with R.D. Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. She also trained with shamanic teachers and specializes in integrative psycho spiritual healing, and is a teacher with Hoffman Institute. Nita is the author (with Linda Star Wolf) of Soul Whispering: The Art of Awakening Shamanic Consciousness.
Fritjof Capra, PhD, is the author of several international bestsellers, including Uncommon Wisdom, which features his extensive conversations with R. D. Laing. His latest work, co-authored by Pier Luigi Luisi, is The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision (Cambridge University Press).
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic — RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling classics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others.
Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.
One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.
In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.
Among the questions we will explore:
Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living.
Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.
Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson
September 24–29, 2023
This program is full. Find another.
Applications are closed.
Applications are closed.
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic — RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling classics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others.
Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.
One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.
In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.
Among the questions we will explore:
Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living.
Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.
Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Michael Guy Thompson, PhD, is a psychoanalyst who worked with R.D. Laing for many years in London. He continues to work with extreme states, and has been training therapists for more than 30 years. He has lectured all over the world and his books include The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2nd, revised edition) (Routledge).
Nita Gage, DSPS, trained with R.D. Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. She also trained with shamanic teachers and specializes in integrative psycho spiritual healing, and is a teacher with Hoffman Institute. Nita is the author (with Linda Star Wolf) of Soul Whispering: The Art of Awakening Shamanic Consciousness.
Fritjof Capra, PhD, is the author of several international bestsellers, including Uncommon Wisdom, which features his extensive conversations with R. D. Laing. His latest work, co-authored by Pier Luigi Luisi, is The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision (Cambridge University Press).
Please note: On Wednesday September 20, online registration may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes while system maintenance is performed. If the 'Register Now' page does not load, please wait about 15 minutes and try again.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
September 24–29, 2023
This program is full. Find another.
Applications are closed.
Applications are closed.
Psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, social critic, author, poet, and mystic — RD Laing wore many robes. At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, Laing was the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. Arguably the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud, he experienced a meteoric rise in the 1960s by making complex ideas accessible with best-selling classics The Divided Self (1960), Sanity, Madness and Family (1964), The Politics of Experience (1967), and many others.
Laing’s impassioned plea for more humane treatment of society’s most vulnerable catapulted him into the forefront of intellectual and cultural debates about the nature of sanity and madness. A generation of psychology students, intellectuals, and artists turned this disarming Scotsman into a social icon, and Laing was a regular presenter at Esalen until his death in 1989.
One of the most seminal aspects of Laing’s approach to the human condition involved an exploration of how we treat one another. As a psychoanalyst, philosopher, and existentialist, he had a no-holds-barred critique of the dark sides of the human condition, as well as its virtues — the healing dimensions of our relationships. Our symposium this year will explore what healing entails in all of the many contexts we experience it, including psychotherapy, altered states, psychedelics, education, and any experience that brings us peace of mind and a more meaningful existence.
In previous Esalen workshops, we have explored the meaning of sanity, therapy, authenticity, love, happiness, spirituality, and ethics. The focus of this year’s Esalen symposium and workshop will shift to psychotherapy and training in existential psychoanalysis, a more philosophical yet personal approach to therapy initiated by Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. Two of our workshop leaders trained with Laing and founded Free Association, Inc., and the New School for Existential Psychoanalysis to further this approach to healing. The workshop will consist of theoretical presentations (including several student presentations), panel discussions, and experiential breathwork exercises to demonstrate practical aspects of Laing’s legacy.
Among the questions we will explore:
Join us for five revelatory days to explore how we can promote more humane and effective ways of helping those suffering from the anguish of living.
Note to prospective participants: This program is best suited for those who are familiar with Laing’s work and who wish to explore it further. This program is not structured as an experiential workshop. There will be more lectures and witnessed dialogue than group discussions. Please read the description thoroughly to ensure this workshop is right for your personal growth goals.
Recommended Reading: The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness and Essays in Existential Psychoanalysis: On the Primacy of Authenticity by M. Guy Thompson
Learn more about the requirements to receive continuing education credit.
Michael Guy Thompson, PhD, is a psychoanalyst who worked with R.D. Laing for many years in London. He continues to work with extreme states, and has been training therapists for more than 30 years. He has lectured all over the world and his books include The Death of Desire: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness (2nd, revised edition) (Routledge).
Nita Gage, DSPS, trained with R.D. Laing at the Philadelphia Association in London. She also trained with shamanic teachers and specializes in integrative psycho spiritual healing, and is a teacher with Hoffman Institute. Nita is the author (with Linda Star Wolf) of Soul Whispering: The Art of Awakening Shamanic Consciousness.
Fritjof Capra, PhD, is the author of several international bestsellers, including Uncommon Wisdom, which features his extensive conversations with R. D. Laing. His latest work, co-authored by Pier Luigi Luisi, is The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision (Cambridge University Press).
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.