In 2016, David made his first pilgrimage to the hot springs at Esalen. There he met and studied Relational Gestalt with Dorothy Charles and Christine Price for 7 years. Conceived by Fritz Pearls in the 1940s as a radical departure from Freudian talk therapy, he came to Esalen to infuse Gestalt into its foundation as a school for radical human potential. Co-founder of Esalen, Dick Price became the champion of Gestalt after Pearls left. After Dick’s tragic death, his wife Chistine Price and protege Dorothy Charles took on the mantle. They still teach through Tribal Ground.

Gestalt is the complete arc of a thing. Most emotional pain stems from incomplete gestalt, an interrupted process which can be completed in circle. Life traumas arise in relationship and they can be resolved in relationship. When we complete our process and release the outcome, we can relive the emotional pain and feel more whole.

Circle is a place for active listening. We are invited to notice how we feel, think and respond. In circle we are welcome to stay in our bodies and observe our reactions. We make contact with the members of the group and then we come back to ourselves, watch that boundary and honor the qualities of the both experiences. this is a place for us to build trust.

In circle we can support each other to be playful and curious, honest, and safe. We explore parts of ourselves, our familial and ancestral relationships and our relationships to the land and to the divine. We move from talking about someone to talking to them, and if we feel safe enough, talking as them!

We do this work together because witnessing is an act of love. In the container of the circle it is possible to be seen and heal; it is possible that each person present will receive healing from any session or practice.

In our gestalt circle we blend forms of somatic therapy, partner and group practices, and states of awareness. The amanita tea will be noticeable and facilitate our capacity to witness and work with our own shadows. We also explore boundary work and the signal value of emotions. This work prepares us for ceremony by opening up the feeling and thinking layers of our subtle bodies before working in the spiritual realms.