This course is based on the book by retired Marriage and Family Therapist and Acharya Emeritus Susan Gillis Chapman. Chapman developed this unique material over decades of practice and contemplation, by combining the Contemplative Psychology teachings of Chögyam Trunpga Rinpoche (including The Five Buddha Families) with her own accessible metaphors and models. This allows the wisdom from the vajrayana traditions to blend seamlessly with a modern Western psychological orientation towards relationship, intimacy and community.

“But I Already Know How to Be Mindful in My Relationships”

Many of us hold this exact vision of ourselves. We’ve spent months and years and decades meditating. Of course we’re mindful. 

Until the exact moment when we get triggered. 

In these moments, we either collapse our confidence of our own goodness, OR we react with our old nemeses — grasping, aggression or denial (the Three Poisons) — towards those who triggered us, losing our confidence in their goodness. Far from allowing us to draw boundaries, this makes us poor at drawing adequate boundaries, and instead creates mindless barriers between ourselves and others.

“There Must Be A Way”

The deep-but-simple metaphors in this Chapman’s approach apply to every interaction in life. They allow you to relate better to overwhelm and being triggered, using your own mindfulness training as a basis. Chapman’s method transforms chaotic emotional dynamics into a direct and workable practice. This ‘living experience of relationship’ offers you a path back to confidence in the goodness of yourself and others — which then allows you to be more truthful, compassionate, and flexible in interactions with:

• sangha
• friends
• family
• work colleagues
• and beyond 

And that means you can be: 

• kinder
• clearer
• more effective
• and more helpful