TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
 

Transformative Education is an approach to learning and human development which focuses on deepening our understanding of human nature and cultivating our evolutionary potential. It is based in the recognition that individual transformation that produces Inner Maturity is key to the well-being of individuals, communities, Humanity, and the Earth itself. What do we mean when we say "transformation?" Transformation refers to a qualitative shift in our perspective, such as learning that the world is really round, not flat, or viewing with detachment a situation that, in the past, always aroused anger within us. Transformations in our perspective can be large or small, world-shaking or merely eye-opening, but every time we experience transformation of any degree, our worldview is changed, and we take a step toward becoming a more internally mature human being.

Transformative education consists of three aspects: 1) self-knowledge, 2) tools of Inner Work, and 3) the development of an Observing Self (The Witness).
 

SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Self-knowledge is knowledge about human nature and the process of human development drawn from the physical, biological, social, psychological, and spiritual sciences, as well as from the various disciplines of the arts and humanities. This knowledge includes, but is not limited to, maps of the human psyche, mechanisms of the human psyche, interpersonal dynamics, and the history of Humanity's developmental process.

Without self-knowledge, human beings live their lives according to unfounded assumptions, superstitions, and prejudices regarding all aspects of human nature, resulting in gross misinterpretations of personal experiences, widespread interpersonal conflict, dysfunctional social systems, and all of the other self-generated ills which plague Humanity.
 

TOOLS OF INNER WORK

Tools of Inner Work are techniques and skills that are self-applied in order to facilitate healing, growth, and transformation. These tools include, but are not limited to, journal work, process-oriented interaction (such as counseling, psychotherapy, and coaching), meditation, movement, the arts, bodywork, and different types of vocal expression.

Without tools of Inner Work, human beings have no way to transform their lives, even when they are painfully aware that something needs to change. As a result, they live their lives in an ongoing state of slavery, chained to the assumptions, superstitions, and prejudices of their self-ignorance, weighed down by the accumulated suffering from their past, and unable to release themselves from this tragic condition because they simply don't know what to do.
 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OBSERVING SELF

The development of an Observing Self is the outcome of applying self-knowledge through the practice of tools of Inner Work. This Observing Self is a deep internal presence which transcends yet includes our usual sense of individual identity - it is a self-knowing which is based in direct self-perception, moment to moment, and does not depend on conceptual definitions such as "I am a man" or "I'm good at what I do" or "I'm hot!" for its existence. From its perspective, the various aspects of human nature - the body, emotions, mind, and so on - which we usually see as being "who we are" can clearly and accurately be differentiated from our True Being, which is sometimes known as "Consciousness." The process of clarifying our identity through differentiating aspects of human nature from our True Being is the essence and goal of the entire progression of human development.

Without the development of an Observing Self, human beings live their lives mired in a state of chaos and confusion, searching for their True Being everywhere, and settling for substitutes such as their appearance, their role in life, or their personality, since they lack the perspective from which it is possible to distinguish between these aspects of human nature and their True Being.
 

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Acquiring self-knowledge, learning tools of Inner Work and how to use them, and developing an Observing Self - these are valuable goals for anyone who wants to relieve their suffering and develop their potential as a human being. The curriculum of The Institute of Transformative Education, known as Transformative Inner Work^©, is designed to facilitate the achievement of these three goals through a carefully constructed progression of courses that gradually takes the student into deeper and broader views of human nature and the potentials of human development.