In order for people to be able to work on integrating what they have learned and experienced during an Intensive I came to the conclusion that it was necessary for them to keep a journal. This has always been allowed on long Intensives, I have now also allowed it on three day events. I emphasise that the journal is simply a record of what they have understood or experienced – it should not be an analysis or any sort of internal conversation (which are valid journal techniques). I permit writing in journals only during rest periods and last thing at night – and then only for short periods. This seems to have worked well.
The first thing for the participant to do is to review their journal. For a long Intensive this can take longer than 45 minutes, so I also include a meal break in the period. On a short EI 45 minutes is ample time. I recommend that they consider the implications of what they have learned or experienced in all areas of their life, including
- their inner standards
- their intimate relationships
- how they work or operate in the world
- how they present themselves and what they do to others
- their relationship to the Divine – or whatever they regard as the highest for them
I recommend that they assemble a short list of the key points or issues to which they can refer during the dyads (so it is acceptable to refer to the list, but not to spend time reading the journal during the dyads).
On the two week Intensive in 2006 the schedule for the complete group was as follows;
Day 0: Arrive by 6pm
6.00 – 7.00pm Dinner
7.00 – 7.30 Introductory talk
7.30 – 8.15 Dyad on objectives and change
8.15 – 8.45 Tea and snack
8.45 – 9.30 Opening talk of EI
9.30 – 10.15 First Enlightenment Exercise
Days 1 to 12
Full schedule of dyads each day from 6.00am until 10.30pm
Days 13 and 14
Schedule shown below
The first dyad on the very first evening had two parts. For the first 4 changeovers both partners work on
Tell me what you hope to gain from this Intensive
then for the last four changeovers they work on
Tell me what you would like to change in your life
This dyad is an essential preparation for the integration work on days 13 and 14.
Day 13 Schedule
| 6.00 | 6.15 | Get up | |
| 6.15 | 7.00 | Introduction and Q & A | |
| 7.00 | 7.15 | Physical | |
| 7.15 | 8.00 | Reflection on Journal (what has been learned?) | |
| 8.00 | 8.45 | Breakfast | |
| 8.45 | 9.30 | Dyad 1: what I have learned | |
| 9.30 | 10.15 | Walk (reflection on change) | |
| 10.15 | 11.00 | Dyad 2: what I want to change | |
| 11.00 | 12.30 | Group: (rule changes) | |
| 12.30 | 1.15 | Lunch | |
| 1.15 | 2.00 | Dyad 3: obstacles and ways to overcome them | |
| 2.00 | 3.45 | Rest and Physical exercise | |
| 3.45 | 4.00 | Snack | |
| 4.00 | 4.45 | Lecture | |
| 4.45 | 5.45 | Group and Q & A | |
| 5.45 | 6.30 | Dyad 4: first steps in change | |
| 6.30 | 7.00 | Dinner | |
| 7.00 | 7.45 | Dyad 5: help I need and how to gain it | |
| 7.45 | 8.30 | Group | |
| 8.30 | 9.15 | Walk / relaxation | |
| 9.15 | 10.00 | Wise man process (optional) | |
| 10.00 | 10.30 | Snack and retire |
Day 14 Schedule
| 6.00 | 6.15 | Get up | |
| 6.15 | 7.00 | Reflection on process so far | |
| 7.00 | 7.15 | Physical exercise | |
| 7.15 | 8.00 | Dyad 6: Reflection or forward looking | |
| 8.00 | 8.30 | Breakfast | |
| 8.30 | 11.30 | Group and letter writing | |
| Final Interviews | |||
| 11.30 | 12.30 | Final Group | |
| 12.30 | 1.15 | Lunch: leave after lunch |
The dyads used in this schedule were as follows;
Dyad 1:
Tell me what you have learned about yourself, life and others during this Intensive
Dyad 2:
Tell me what you would like to change about how you live and relate to others
Dyad 3:
Tell me about something you want to change
Thank you
Tell me why this might be difficult
Thank you
Dyad 4:
Tell me about something you want to change
Thank you
Tell me the first steps that would be required to make this change
Thank you
Dyad 5:
Tell me about something you want to change
Thank you
Tell me what help you might need to make this change
Thank you
Tell me how you could obtain that help
Thank you
Dyad 6:
Tell me about your insights and resolutions that have arisen as a result of this Intensive
Thank you
Tell me what more I need to know to fully understand this
Thank you
Dyad 7:
Tell me what changes you expect to have made 1 month from now
Thank you
Next five minutes
Tell me what changes you expect to have made 3 months from now
Thank you
Next five minutes
Tell me what changes you expect to have made 6 months from now
Thank you
Next five minutes
Tell me what changes you expect to have made 1 year from now
Thank you
Of these dyads Dyad 5 was the least helpful. By the time people reached this stage of the process they already knew what help they needed and where to get it – no on reported any additional benefit from this dyad. Dyads 6 and 7 were offered as alternatives in the Dyad 6 slot on the morning of day 14. Most people chose dyad 6.
Given that people are in a state that could not be sustained, it was important that they did not seek to address issues unrealistically. This was why the very first dyad on day 0 addressed these questions – and provided the base point for the integration work at the end. This was remarkably successful. Almost everyone was able to relate what they had surfaced in the first dyad to everything that they had learned and wanted to change at the end. I strongly recommend this approach.
It is important that the slots labelled Group are well managed. In 2006 we made the first group a completely open group – and this threw people – they suddenly felt unsafe and several participants made unhelpful contributions that exacerbated this. On reflection we decided that it would have been preferable to have had an extended “round” where each person gave a brief account of where they had got to and the issues that were now of most concern to them. The later groups worked better because they were generally focussed around a Question and Answer format following a lecture or brief introduction. The aim of these later groups is to enable people to raise something that has arisen that they have not been able to resolve or make headway on. One issue that arose and was usefully explored was that of introducing a regular daily practice into one’s life.
The wise man process son the evening of day 13 was extremely successful. Indeed it was here that several people who were stuck in knowing how to make effective changes in their life received detailed guidance on how to proceed. This could have been organised earlier – and on a shorter integration schedule should definitely be earlier. The other strategy used for addressing the fact that the participants wer5e in an unsustainably open state after the EI, was to make use of a letter writing exercise. In this they write a letter to themselves that they would want to receive in three months time. They put the letter in a self addressed envelope to themselves and hand it in. I then post it to them 3 months later – to serve as a reminder for the integration work – and whatever else they have put in the letter. This proved very popular – though some people also commented that they were not looking forward to hearing from themselves in three months time
A Master's Path 