Completion of the 6 day training

Father Godfrey and Patti

One of my small groups- such meaningful work and healing

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Feb 8, 2011- Yesterday we completed Raja's 6 day Integral Somatic Psychotherapy Training with 45 participants. It was a new way of working and we all took in the great gifts that came with it. Instead of asking participants to practice on their own, each Assistant Trainer provided the sessions that Raja had just lectured on, in small groups of 5. It was very deep work, and the first opportunity many Indian therapists had had to do personal work in a very long time. i.e. much gratitude and willingness to dig in deeply and stay with the process. Because it is so somatically based, it was new for many. The question again and again on the first several days of "what are you experiencing in your body, as you say that or recall that event?" was lost to many. Those beautiful eyes looking questioningly at you.... such a shift and a new way of working. But over the days we saw a deep awakening in the felt sense, and ability to move out of the thoughts and into the emotional body.

I myself found it to be very gratifying because I was able to see and hear through their stories and life's events what it is like to be born and raised here. I cannot imagine a more meaningful way to work, to travel in India. Yes, I heard the suffering but also witnessed the abiding spiritual nature of their lives, their love and committment to family and to wholeness. The participants came from all walks of life and are mostly highly trained, master's level therapists and above. Many are part of the Don Bosco order, who's mission is to provide support, education, therapeutic services, housing etc to impoverished women, children and youth.



More than 40% of Mumbai's population consists of children below the age of 18. Many of these children, because they come from families still struggling to settle down or subsist, they are in dire need of care and protection. This may include the 'railway children' who are the runaways that left impossible situations and live on the platforms of the railways and children of prostitutes. I will attempt in another post to describe more clearly all that we learned that this order does in India. While the government may not offer social programs for the care of the marginalized, Catholic Services and Don Bosco order do: they have the highest quality of individuals who are committed to lending that hand, emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually, to those youth in need.

Thanks to all who have sent a comment to me. It is of great support and warms my heart to know you are following. We have had little time for internet, but are now heading to Goa today for 4 days on the beach together! Pictures below are of street scenes, Mumbai view from my room window, incense & dyes sold outside of a temple, etc. Love to all~