Becoming: Story, Body, and the Possibility of Change

I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be.
—Joan Didion

So much energy goes into trying to change. We leave relationships, go to therapy, break down, begin again. Sometimes we seek change or make promises about who we will become. Other times, life changes us without our permission.

But how do people actually change? What role do the stories we tell about ourselves play? And what can our bodies reveal that our stories can’t?

This experiential, open-hearted workshop is for anyone on a transformative journey — or thinking of beginning one. We’ll explore change in two ways: through the narratives we use to make sense of our beliefs and identities, and by paying closer attention to our bodies and nervous systems. Though the stories we tell about ourselves can change how we live, our bodies may hold on to old habits, fears, and ways of responding long after we think we’ve changed. And sometimes the body registers change before we can put it into words.

You will be guided through writing, breathwork and meditation, conversations in small groups, and time on Esalen’s extraordinary grounds, where generations of seekers have explored new possibilities.

Together, we’ll explore personal change at a time when the world seems to be changing faster than we can absorb. What has already shifted for you, and what remains? What do you still hope might change about yourself, and what might need to be accepted or integrated instead? And how do we change ourselves when the structures, identities, and assumptions we’ve built our lives around no longer feel fixed?

Explore these questions with curiosity and a sense of possibility — and leave with more room, and more tools, for whatever comes next.

Recommended Reading: You’ve Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation by Benoit Denizet-Lewis