What Graduates Say
Process Workshop was incredible:
The Process Workshop was an incredible, groundbreaking experience for me. I tapped into various parts of my childhood that help me better understand myself as a person, parent, and husband today. I find myself already changing in how I show up in my home since the weekend.
–AJ, Process Workshop Participant
Grateful for the Process:
I am so grateful for myself and my husband having gone through the Process. I now have such a wonderful relationship with both of my parents and I love how my 15 month old daughter loves and engages with them. The Process has truly changed our lives as a couple and as parents.
–Written 3 years after DY and her husband took the Process.
My good news Post Process about my cancer diagnosis:
When I began the Process, the tumor in my left breast was 4.0 by 4.5 centimeters (down from 5.0 x 5.5 cm seven months earlier, in Oct. 2020). I also had a marker that was at 159 (up from 110 last October).
I could tell when I was releasing through the Process work that the tumor was shrinking. When the Process concluded, the tumor had shrunk to 3.9 by 3.9 cm, and the marker had gone down 30 points to 129.
Post-Process: As I was integrating the work over the four weeks after the Process graduation, my values shifted from that of a fear-based intellect to more heart-centered, which included paying attention to my own needs first, then those of others.
When I went for my exam with my naturopathic oncologist just four weeks out of The Process, he exclaimed, “This is down by 50% since October!” The tumor measured at 2.5 by 2.5 cm (down 1.4 cm in just four weeks), whereas it had taken seven months to shrink 1 cm previously. The marker had gone down an additional 16 points to 113. This is a very good trajectory.
My naturopathic oncologist said to me, “I want you to know that this has to do with your work in The Process. I never see tumors shrink this quickly, unless someone has done this type of healing of trauma.”
In deepest gratitude for The Process!✨🙏🏻😌❤️🌹
–FL
AUDIO CLIPS, Recorded November 18, 2012
The following audio clips of Process Graduates were recorded on November 18, 2012, at “Friends and Family.” You may need to enable a QuickTime media player to hear them.
Kaia (2012 Process Graduate, not her real name) was too busy, but she took the Process anyhow. (01:08)
Stephanie (2012 Process Graduate) describes how she ran away from the Process, and finally learned how to feel. (04:56)
Christine (2009 Process Graduate) talks to the new graduates about her experiences since completing her Process. (02:46)
Nelson took the Process in 2011 while commuting from Atlanta. He discusses his first year post-Process (05:01).
“The Process returned to me a knowledge of the deepest parts of myself. This was an experience more profoundly healing than I imagined possible.”
–Susan Griffin, Author of Woman & Nature: The Roaring Inside Her
“Completing the Process is the single most important thing I have done, for myself, in my life. The Process took me on a journey of discovering the realities of what went on in my childhood and how those events, experienced growing up, shaped me into the person I am. The Process gave me the tools which offer me a choice in how to respond, instead of reacting, to situations and people who I interact with. The Process led to a profound awareness, which was necessary for me to grow to a place of true acceptance of self. I learned to have courage in facing my fears, to grieve, let go, forgive and heal.
The Process is an amazing, transformational experience. I am deeply grateful for the teachers/therapists who supported me on my journey and continue to do this important work with others.”
— Cherril L., Process graduate
“The greatest gift I ever gave myself was the Process. It continues to change my life and the lives of those close to me.”
— Lu B., Process graduate
“I am still very pleased that I did the process some 32 years ago.”
–Joe Mayfield
“It’s been 15 years, and I’m still grateful for the indelible mark The Process made on my life – what an illuminating experience, and such highly gifted therapists to work with. ”
— Melissa Z., Process graduate
“I am so glad I know so much more about myself and who I am. This program 20 years later is still working for me.”
— Maryon M.
“The Process was very beneficial. My interactions with people are much more rewarding, fulfilling and meaningful than before the Process. And they only continue to improve.”
— Colette H., Process graduate, written 1 1/2 years after her Process
“Thank you so much for The Process. I think all the time of where I was and where I am today, and all that has happened. It’s been a wild ride and it’s just keeps getting better.”
— Christine W., Process graduate, written 1 year after her Process
“The Process changed my life in so many ways that I could never have imagined possible. It enabled me to free myself from old behavior patterns that kept me stuck and caused me much frustration. I credit the Process work for allowing me to create a richer inner life and cultivate a source of strength and stability within myself. Because of the profound changes that I was able to realize after completing the Process, I now have a successful new career at age 52 and look forward to what life has to offer next. The possibilities seem endless when we allow our unchained souls the freedom to fly. And the Process helped me do just that.”
— Helen S., Process graduate
“My personal changes have led me through various disciplines of which The Process was the most significant and fundamentally changing, and, without hyperbole, saved my life. I am forever thankful for The Process.”
— Juan L., Process graduate, written 30 years after his Process
“The Process not only changed my life, but also the lives of my children, because I learned how to parent them really well.”
— Jessica L., Process graduate and single parent
“Thanks for saving my life years ago.”
— Jack R., Process graduate. Written eleven years after his Process
“Thank you all as I can really see the process unfolding more and more.”
— Jennie M., Process graduate. Written six months after her Process.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was noticing how different I am, different in a positive way. I thought ‘It is truly amazing how different I am now compared to how I was before I did the Process.’“
— Mike F., Process graduate
“The Process is a wonderful program that gave me a real depth of understanding, compassion and forgiveness for my childhood and all the people involved in it including me. This program helped me realize that by freeing my heart and nurturing my soul, the answers and guidance that I need and want are there within me and all around me. It’s allowed me a very real level of trust and much peace, and I am grateful.”
— Andrea B., Process graduate, dancer
“Initially, the Process made me aware of the games that people were playing and the games that I was playing inside myself. Today, 20 years later, the Process continues to deepen and nourish my essence.”
— Jon S., Process graduate
“When I was 27 years old, everything was going well for me. Except that I found myself yelling at my two children, ages 4 and 6, when they didn’t deserve it. The therapy I chose at that time was the Process. I thought I took the Process for myself. But in fact, I took it for my grandchildren, and for all the other children of the younger generation. Because I took the Process and became a more loving and better parent, my son was also able to do the same. His children will grow up with positive and loving parents, which will support them the rest of their lives.”
–Elaine B.
“The Process helped me gain insight into my life experience and gave me such powerful tools to take action and change my self perception as well as change my interpersonal relationships. I became open and loving. Again my gratitude for, in a sense, giving me life again.”
— Faith W., Process graduate and singer
“Perhaps the element which attracted me most to doing the Process was that we would include spiritual exercises in our work toward recovery and transformation (I am an ordained minister). Each member of the staff, in his or her own way, is a person of spirit and commitment to a holistic approach to healing and learning. The Process is a way of integrating more of our minds, bodies and spirits as we seek to care for ourselves, others, and our planet. Finally, it was important to me in my own reclaiming of my past to do so in a context which acknowledged my own spiritual practices.”
–Wilma R., Process graduate and minister
“As a single parent and a recovering alcoholic I felt continually at loose ends and not able to ‘get on top of it,’ both financially and emotionally. Both my children and I were suffering because of it. The work that we did in the Process enabled me to reconnect with my spiritual aspect. My relationships with my family, my work and in my community have all deepened and strengthened. I will be forever grateful for this very rich experience.”
— Connie F., Process graduate and mother of two
“I have attended countless workshops touting promises of ‘inner peace’ and ‘fulfilling relationships.’ Most merely offered lessons in behavior modification and were not capable of helping me get to the roots of my behavior. Happily, I discovered that the Process went well beyond the others. It provided me the safest of environments in which to explore my past, and it enabled me to better prepare for my future. Not only am I happier, so are my loved ones.”
— Rich M., Process graduate and financial planner
“The Process empowered me to deal with the ‘closet’ issues of my life and gave me the tools to transform past hurts, fears and anger into feelings of being capable, lovable and worthwhile… I now feel free and realize I am a center of pure awareness, fully loving and free to be who I really am.”
— Carolyn M., Process graduate and minister
“The Process has enabled me to reconnect with a part of me, my Spiritual (Higher) Self, that I had first discovered years ago, but which had lain dormant for years. This reconnection has had a truly transforming effect upon my life. It gives me a valuable tool for coping with life’s everyday challenges. I now know that I possess a refuge within myself where peace, joy, hope, and love actually exist.”
–Bruce N., Process graduate and Attorney at Law
“Without any doubt, this therapy is the most comprehensive and thorough process for helping terminate the problems stemming from early childhood. It is upon this foundation that all other therapy and personal growth can make a deeper and more meaningful impact.”
— Armand C., Process graduate and retired bookkeeper
“The Process was a profound turning point. It was by no means the quick fix I desperately sought, but it was truly a beginning of a new way of life.”
— Jennifer L., Process graduate
“Before the Process I had no idea who I was. After the Process, for the first time, I knew who I wasn’t.”
— Didier B., Process graduate and musician
“Truth has been something that has always been important to me. In the Process I discovered what real truth is all about. The truths I had been living my life by had been myths that only served to hold me back.”
— Jana R., Process graduate and AIDS hospice administrator
“I used to want to be anyone else as long as it wasn’t me. The really incredible thing to me is I don’t want to be anyone else anymore.”
— Patty T., Process graduate
“I viewed life through a gray cloud of hopelessness. My experiences in the Process enabled me to see the beauty in living.”
–Penny S., Process graduate
“The Process enabled me to search for truths rather than living by what I was taught.”
–Rhody S., Process graduate
“It’s not about blame, it’s about understanding.“
— Quote from the Process
Newfound clarity and really useful tools
I am extraordinarily grateful to have done the Process, and am proud that one of my family members also just completed it. The Process helped me recognize patterns in my thinking and behavior that were not helping me to function well. I learned to sort the thoughts and feelings that are my own from those of my family and society. I also gained a much better understanding of what my own parents went through and how they came to be who they are, which allowed me to let go of some blame, resentment and tension I harbored. The combination of group and one-on-one work was great because I learned really different things from both kinds of sessions. Group was great because the work always felt like part of the real world so it was easy to employ in real life. One-on-one work was, not surprisingly, fabulously introspective. During the Process, I started to feel more present in my own life. I remember a day when I watched my cat walk, and he seemed somehow different – somehow more 3-dimensional and alive – and I think that’s because I was simply more present. Post-Process, my relationships with my parents and my husband have improved. I’ve also had two children, and can safely say that I use many of the tools I learned in the Process to parent them to the best of my ability.
—Ilana Krechmer
Das Process = The Trial
It wasn’t an easy experience. It wasn’t even an experience that was easy to begin. Honestly, there was very little easy about it. It was a worthwhile time in my life that did change my perspective on my familial relationships very significantly. And, not to brag, but I’m also now the kid in the family that actually doesn’t have issues with my family, so there’s that. I’m a bit of a structure freak, I like things in order, and the process took my entire life prior and helped me place it in my own order in my head. The Process was the tool (still is the tool), but the tool was something I made myself that lets me continue to have the relationships with my family, my wife, and my children that I want. The teachers were fantastic, many deeply moving memories were created, and from that point on, I’ve felt like my own man, defined by my own choices. I would highly recommend the Process to anyone who feels that they need to find their own decisions, or want to raise their children without the weight of their parents on top of them.
—Daniel Krechmer
Life changing.
The Process helped me uncover deeply rooted issues that were holding me back in many ways. The work has given me invaluable insights into my inner life and my relationships which allow me to live more consciously, with more choices and compassion. I’m truly grateful for The Process-I know my life will be richer.
—Kristin Torok
Incredible Outcome!
The Process helped me choose the person I want to be. I’ve almost gotten rid of past patterns, and the ones I’ve kept, I’ve made peace with! Old toxic relationships have all gradually improved for the better thanks to my new chosen behavior and balanced outlook in life. Now, I enjoy sharing love and being loved. And, I don’t expect more than I deserve, either. It has taken some time to detect and re-work new patterns, but with patience, love and support, everything is possible! Make sure you give this gift to yourself and everything and everyone around will change by itself.
Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you. I am glad to know that you are becoming the person you want to be. That is so powerful. Peace be with you.
—Anonymous
Transformative 9 weeks
I joined the Process at first very skeptical but based on a very strong recommendation from a trusted friend of a friend. My skepticism continued even when I started but with time evaporated as the experiences I gained built faith in myself and in the techniques the Process applies. The therapists are truly excellent and amazingly dedicated? It’s clearly a life’s mission for them and not a business. They are also highly experienced. There was a lot of work, reflection and weekly writings but it was well worth the effort. The group that I did this work with also became very close as we worked through our obstacles together. I must say that I was doubtful at times even through the work whether I’d make it up the next hill and into the final stages. But somehow, through my intent, my counselor’s belief and persistence and the support of my group, I’d come out the other side very pleasantly surprised, and therefore with increased faith through experience. I couldn’t have asked for more. It was life changing and I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to put in the time and work.
—s s (Entrepreneur and corporate executive)
Tremendous experience
I tend to be a skeptic, but as time progressed, I’ve become convinced that this Process has benefits I would never have experienced had I not enrolled. I learned about my family of origin through enactments and writing in such a way that the knowledge seemed new! I also learned tools with which I can transform old habits of mind into more beneficial and possibly more truthful ways of thinking. I highly recommend the Process. It is intense and helpful.
—Lori Gortner
open mind
The Taste of Freedom Workshop is exactly that. The lead therapist was excellent. The group exercises were simple yet each one resulted in meaningful, and often completely unexpected, revelations. The Workshop gave me the gift of subjectively seeing/feeling impactful moments during my childhood in which the adults were not setting particularly good examples and/or were (dysfunctionally) meeting their own needs instead of mine, then helped me discover my unwitting and habitual behavior as an adult that is related to those experiences, and the sneaky way my psyche continues to help me try get my needs met today but instead continues to derail my life. Now the insight into how easy it is to catch these stealthy habits in the moment, help me choose different, better. The work of the workshop looked easy enough, and was, but at times it was very hard work because it’s the work of being absolutely radically honest with oneself. What’s really interesting is that at no time during the workshop did it feel unsafe to do so. I attribute this to skill of the workshop leader. Towards the end of the day, during a visualization exercise, I was flooded with a profound sense of gratitude for my childhood … followed by the extraordinary feeling that this is simple, this is doable … this is freeing. The Process works.
—Jean
The Most Important Inner Work I Have Ever Undertaken
The Process has made such a difference in my life, and in my parenting skills. I am a much happier person, more aware of my internal processes, and much more able to respond rather than react. I am able to have positive relationships with my children, my husband, my parents, and others since taking the Process. It basically changed how I view myself and the world around me. It is the best work I have ever done. I believe that the Process creates peace in the hearts of the participants, a peace that lasts over time.
—Elaine B
A Better Relationship with My Son
My son took the Process a number of years ago and it made a significant positive change in our father/son relationship. As his dad I would tell him when I thought he was on the right track and when I thought he wasn’t. After the Process, his attitude to my rants changed completely. No longer did he lose it when I worried about his faults. He recognized the love in them as well as the reproof. Of course, as he changed so did I. I no longer needed to give him news he was already well aware of. Want to improve communication with your grown children? Suggest the Process. You will be very lucky if they say, “Yes.”
—Ken K.
It still lives in me, after 20 years!
I did the process 20 years ago, and I still feel the benefits of it. In a sense it was a roto-rootering of the challenges of my childhood so that I could get on with my life. In retrospect, I can say that the Process really helped me complete my childhood and start with a new perspective on life – much healthier, more present, and much more satisfying. And that continues all these 20 years later. I’m still grateful for the amazing opportunity the Process afforded me, with a wonderful support team.
—Joanie Ciardelli
Still profound and life-changing thirty-two years later!
I completed the Process over 30 years ago, and it’s still something I draw upon to help me live life to the fullest. Highly recommended for those who want to take a giant leap forward in their personal growth. I see the Process as offering in a short timeframe the benefits of many years’ worth of psychotherapy. And you gain valuable tools you can continue to use as you negotiate the twists and turns life offers up in the years afterward.
Response from The Institute for Personal Change: Thank you Nancy. We are so glad that the Process was so life-changing for you. We would be happy to help any referrals you might send our way.
—Nancy Carleton
I took the Process when I was 5 years sober and my life was falling apart at the seams. This program took me to new awareness about my life, my upbringing, and unfinished family business that needed to be dealt with. I continue to be challenged with illnesses like lymes disease, but use the tools I learned in the process to maneuver these challenges. I was willing to do the work completely, and it paid off big time. What I liked best was the concentrated focus of the work, because I was able to stay with my feelings, until they changed for the better. This was much easier for me because I did not need any input from family members. I consider this work to be the most important thing I have done, since becoming sober. I highly recommend this. Take the leap, jump in with both feet, and make the decision to grow and improve your life. You will not regret it!
—Lynne B.
I discovered the Process by chance and I’m so glad that I did. I was going through a tough, lost time in my life, looking for answers. Doing the Process changed my life in so many ways I didn’t think was possible. It helped me gain a better understanding of who I was and how my childhood and upbringing impacted my “adult life”. Really opened up my eyes. I’ve done about 10 years of therapy on and off, here and there, and nothing was like the Process. The Process is a 9-week program that allow yous to get everything out. Most of all it gave me tools to be a better person, to be a better parent and to open up so many doors to my life and all my relationships – professionally and personally. Great team of therapists. Thank you all!!!
—Christine W.
I took The Process in 1989, and it was the single best intervention of my life. This time-limited program focused on family of origin issues is brilliant. Clients put in a LOT of hard work, but the results are every bit as significant and long-lasting. Other members of my family have also done it, and they all swear by the results, too.
—Vera S.