Wild Mind Intensive
June 28th - July 2nd 2024
Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic
“I will not die an unlived life
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit. “
Dawna Markova
DATE & TIME DETAILS:
June 28th- July 2nd 2024
Start time 1:00pm— End time: 12:00pm
LOCATION:
Villa Pajon Eco-Lodge, Valle Nuevo National Park, Dominican Republic
WHAT TO BRING:
All breakfasts and dinners will be provided starting with dinner on the first day, and ending with brunch on the last day. Participants are responsible for providing their own snacks and lunches.
Participants are also responsible for personal transportation to and from the program. Producer will share suggestions.
You will be staying in cabins in the eco-lodge, each person will have their own bed and will be sharing bathrooms with 2-3 other people.
A list of more specific “what to bring” will be sent in prep letter after registering.
PRICE: (Sliding Scale) $850-$1250: you are free to select any price within this range. (Payment plans available)
Based on Bill Plotkin’s book, Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche, this 5-day intensive is an experiential exploration of our human psyches as unique expressions of the universal forces and patterns of nature. We will work with what we call the Nature-Based Map of the Human Psyche, which is, among other things, a comprehensive inventory of what can be right about a person, a “shadow” version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), mainstream psychology’s list of what can go wrong with people.
Our wild minds possess astonishing resources, untapped potentials and depths that we might not even know exist until we discover how to access them, cultivate their powers, and eventually integrate them into our everyday lives. In this intensive, we’ll access these depths and potentials — which we call the four facets of the Self, or the four dimensions of our innate human wholeness — and also the four sets of fragmented or wounded subpersonalities that form during childhood.
Rather than attempt to eliminate our subpersonalities (which is not possible) or to beat them into submission, we’ll cultivate the four facets of the Self and uncover the gifts of our subpersonalities. Our goal is to fully embody our multifaceted wild minds, commit ourselves to the largest, soul-infused story we’re capable of living, and serve the greater Earth community.
Discover:
how to recognize and consciously cultivate the four facets of the Self — your innate human wholeness
how to identify the subpersonalities that supported you in childhood and adolescence to adapt to the challenges of family and social life, but ultimately became barriers to your full and authentic humanity
practices and guidelines for cultivating relationships between the Self and your subpersonalities, enabling you to heal your subpersonalities, discover their gifts, and foster Self-actualization
how each facet of the Self provides essential resources for the underworld journey (the descent to soul), its radical transformation of personal identity, and for living as a visionary artisan of cultural evolution.
We’ll explore the landscape of the psyche through a variety of practices, including creative expression, self-designed ceremony, solo exercises while wandering on the land, group work, movement, voice dialogue, journaling, and deep imagery work.
Our guides
Laura Gunion
Laura believes that humans have tremendous potential, much of it hidden and unconscious. As a mentor, wilderness guide and naturalist, it is both her privilege and responsibility to support others as they encounter their true nature. She feels it’s essential that we grow, not only for ourselves, but also to create cultures that will benefit future generations. She insists on bringing the soulful and sacred into daily living. Her curiosity, acute listening, and precise questioning support people in living boldly and courageously. Laura has been a mentor at Wilderness Awareness School since 2002, and continues to love instructing at their 9-month adult program, Anake Outdoor School. She lives in the woods above Duvall , WA, where she shares land with Bewick’s Wren, black bear, and many other wild ones.
Valle Nuevo
We will be held by the sacred lands of the mountains of Dominican Republic, 6800 ft above sea level, where the clouds and the pines meet, where the silence is so profound you will have no other choice but to listen, really listen to what she has to say, & where the darkest of nights gift us the brightness of the stars.
You will be staying at the beautiful Villa Pajón.
Villa Pajon is the only eco-lodge within Valle Nuevo National Park and within it are miles and miles of hikes within many diverse ecosystems.
It consists of 7 cabins, all with different capacities from 2-person, to a 10-person lodge. All cabins have several bathrooms, a chimney, living room and kitchen.
The eco-lodge also has a main kitchen and dining area where we will all be gathering for our meals together and other activities.
Villa Pajon is solely solar-powered, and we encourage the preservation of this energy to all guests.