Porosity of Mind

The Center for Deep Self Design is honored to collaborate with acclaimed author and groundbreaking Internal Family Systems (IFS) consultant and teacher Robert (Bob) Falconer for a trilogy of live half-day workshops. The final workshop in the series, Porosity of Mind, will explore Bob's groundbreaking research and latest innovations on the true nature of the mind, revealing how to access a deeper source of inspiration and creative flow.

In this multi-sensory workshop, we’re invited to embrace a reality common in many non-Western cultures: that our minds are not singular or separate but instead are multiple and porous. This ‘porosity view’ of the mind shatters the outdated and erroneous ‘citadel view’ of the mind as being separate and disconnected—a view that fosters isolation and alienation, unnecessarily contributing to modern mental illness and intractable social challenges.

Porosity of mind reveals a deeper truth—that we are profoundly interconnected and intricately shaped by the relationships and environments we inhabit. By embracing porosity, not only do we gain access to resilience and a deeper sense of wellness. We also unlock a state of openness, inspiration, and transcendent creativity that allows insights, imagination, and archetypal wisdom to flow freely. Reclaiming this natural state of our mind demolishes the idea of a lone creative genius, waiting for the Muse.

After this learning experience, you will have:

1. insight into the origins of the "Citadel Mind" and its harmful effect on individuals and society
2. an overview of pioneering research on your extended and Porous Mind
3. a strong sense of how interconnected your mind is to the web of life—and why that matters intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually
4. strategies on how to leverage porosity of mind for enhanced creativity, insight, and problem-solving
5. practical tools to tap into a vast, imaginative potential that goes well beyond the personal mind
6. greater confidence that vast-reaching imagination isn't limited to only a few

Robert (Bob) Falconer is one of the most seasoned and sought-after practitioners of a psychotherapeutic model now exploding in popularity called Internal Family Systems (IFS). In 2017, Bob co-authored with the founder of the IFS model, Richard (Dick) Schwartz, and has learned from and trained with Dick for decades.

Bob is now focused on expanding the edges of IFS, placing it in a multicultural, historical and consciousness-expanding context. His 2023 book, , addresses energies and influences we find in our minds that are not part of our personal psychological systems. This book leads the Western reader to another paradigm-shattering realization: that we are not separate from a vast field of invisible others and, in fact, our minds are permeable. This can be understood as a natural 'porosity of mind' and it will be the theme of Bob's second workshop in our trilogy. To help us navigate these new, sometimes startling realities of our psychic structure, Bob most recently published a collection of quotations and short stories called .

The Center for Deep Self Design (CDSD) is what’s called a third place—a creative and contemplative space that bridges life and work, enhancing and replenishing both.

We are an educational collective that offers live events, workshops, coaching, and tools for courage, clarity and authenticity in uncertain times.

More about our offerings and co-founders can be found on our website: centerfordeepselfdesign.com.

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