Clifford Wessel

International Integral Coach and Counsellor

Romantic Relationships as Spiritual Journey

What happened to meeting that special someone, falling in love, saying “I do” and living “happily ever after”? Was it all just a naïve dream our parents and loved ones held out for us?

What if today we just wanted more out of relationships? What if the old adage “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” simply doesn’t cut it any more? What is the whole point to all the technological advances we have made as a species if we can’t find lasting love?

If these questions interest you then you are invited to take part in a series of workshops aimed at exploring the above and more.

Singles and couples are welcome!

Session 1: The Soul of Relationship.  What if the missing piece in relationships was a spiritual component? Have you ever wondered if there is a higher purpose to relationships beyond being “together/procreation/etc.”? Are relationships simply an antidote to feeling alone? What if, our potential as human beings was much more than what we have been told/taught/sold? What if relationships where a portal to one of life’s greatest mysteries? A possible short-cut within? This session is an invitation into an utterly different perception of what relationships (past, present and future) might be in the hope that we may discover the true gift within. Monday December 5 or Wednesday December 7, 2011; 6 – 8:30pm

Session 2: The Blood and Guts of Relationship. Who’s emotional baggage is this anyways? Witch bags are mine, your and/or ours? Now that we have sorted our luggage, what do we do? Rent a storage bin? Open them up one by one and poke around? End the relationship and find someone else who “appears” to travel lighter? What if the “work” required to make a relationship work was something quite different than what we imagine? In essence every relationship harbours a challenge and on the other side of it is the greatest, most enlightened and integrated version of you waiting to be discovered. Wednesday December 14 , 2011; 6 – 8:30pm

Session 3: Free-Commitment: Oxymoron or Paradox? If love isn’t free, if love is out of necessity or obligation or forced, is it love? The answer is no. However, this is the madness that we all engage in. First we discovered love through freedom, at first love is liberating and then we saddle it down with attachments and expectations all under the miss-guided banner or commitment… however isn’t it actually just the other “c” word in disguise… aren’t we really just looking to control love and call it something noble like “commitment”? When this issue is raised some people assume this session is advocating “free-love” or “poly-amorous lifestyles” however, nothing could be further from the truth (as will be evident throughout all sessions). However, resolving this paradox between freedom and commitment might be at the root one of the most important keys to keeping love alive and vibrant within a fully committed, monogamous relationship. Wednesday December 21, 2011; 6 – 8:30pm

Session 4: The juice bits… sex, the quest for physical gratification or…? Where does intimacy fit in? For that matter, what actually is intimacy? How many types are there? Could it be another fundamental key to developing a soul-to-soul connection? Wednesday January 4, 2012; 6 – 8:30pm

Session 5: The Holy Grail of Relationships. What might it be? May we start with the difference between “being in love” and “being love”? And, what if there are experiences beyond love and intimacy? What might they be? Wednesday January 11, 2012; 6 – 8:30pm

These sessions will be facilitated through a mix of conversations, meditations, contemplation exercises and experiential activities. If you are seeking a soul mate or desire to deepen your current relationship then this might be your first step. For those wanting to go further and deeper there is the opportunity for 1:1 and/or couples coaching/counselling as well as additional weekend retreats.

Please bring a journal and water bottle and arrive ready to engage in experiential exercises and conversations bound to stimulate curiosity, debate, exploration, key insights and breakthroughs.

Investment:

Session 1: $65

Session 2, 3, 4 & 5, $200 

For more information or to register in person please contact:

cliffordmaw@gmail.com

Clifford Wessel Bio

On my journey to discovering how to coach/counsel others as "whole human beings" I completed both traditional and "other than traditional" training. The later of which opened my appreciation and understanding to what a whole and free human being actually is. 

Traditional training  

1. BA Psychology (www.ucalgary.ca) and 8 years progressive experience counselling children, teens and families undergoing severe life challenges at Hull Child and Family Services
2. MSc HRM plus 5 years experience as a HR consultant 
3. Coach at  Right Management Consultants (www.right.com) and Toombs KWA (www.toombsinc.com)
4. Instructor, SAIT Polytechnic (www.sait.ca)  in accredited business, leadership, HR and entrepreneurship courses
5. Instructor Con. Ed., University of Calgary (www.ucalgary.ca) , developed and led over 60 hours of courses dedicated to the exploration of human potential
6. Created and/or led over 2000 hours of professional development, lectures
7. Certified in the Birkman method (www.birkman.com). 2001
8. Certified in Values Orientation an integral assessment tool. 2011
9. Certified SDi Consultant (www.spyraldynamics.net) 2011
10. Member in the ’98 and ’99 National Masters Mountain Bike team, placing 55th and 19th at the World Cup respectively

“We can not solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Albert Einstein

Other than traditional training

1. Joseph Campbell Foundation (www.jcf.org) moderator of 3 forums (including one in Spanish). The JCF is dedicated to the study of comparative religion and mythology across all time and cultures. Conversations generally revolve around the application of spiritual/religious wisdom such as found in the mono-myth or hero's quest to day-to-day issues.
2. Graduate of the Nine Gates Mystery School (www.ninegates.org). Nine Gates is a perfect example of how in 18 days of experiential mystical/spiritual training one can learn more about the human condition and change than in 15 years of traditional training and professional experience.
3. I have studied with a Celtic Druid, African Energy Healer, Sufi Mystic, Hindu Monk, Christian Mystic/Esoteric, Hawaiian Kahuna several North and South American Shamans and a variety of Buddhist teachers (Zen, Tantra, etc.) to learn and develop transformation tools and skills to share with my clients and other professionals ready to explore a much broader definition of who we are, as human beings and what our greater potential might be.
4. Completed a year and a half apprenticeship with a South American Spiritual teacher and co-created and co-led several workshops, a 7 month in depth course, and coached over 150 clients
5. Launched my own practice in 2009. I facilitate workshops (in English and Spanish) in Canada and abroad and coach/counsel individuals ready to take their next step in their personal and professional evolution.
6. Have facilitated Spiritual Professional Development Workshops ranging from 2 hour to 4 day intensives with Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Coaches, Executives, Nuns, Artists,  all from different spiritual backgrounds such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Agnosticism, etc.. They all expressed gratitude for the opportunity to integrate new strategies as well learn from each other .
7. Certified in PLRT (www.brianweiss.com), 2011
8. Facilitated PLRT via Skype with participants in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, North and Latin America. 

Recommendations:

“Clifford is a really passionate ambassador for Integral and Spiral approaches to relationships, teamwork and organizations. He brings people together for meaningful dialogues and real change.”

Marilyn Hamilton 

“Clifford is a vitally needed "new" thinker / facilitator for the 21st century. In working with me, he always at all times spoke to me as a whole person, where there was nothing wrong, only something not yet seen. As a result, I was able to express my thoughts and ideas fully and completely; I felt heard. From a woman's /artist's /entrepreneur's point of view this was tremendously empowering.”

 Nan Thibert 

“Clifford asks all the right questions in the right way, at just the right time. He's an active listener, a strategic analyst and an absolutely uncanny intuitive when it comes to helping someone discover who it is they are meant to be. I highly recommend Clifford as a business consultant, personal coach and professional friend.”

 Dr. Dan McKinnon 

For more information or to register in person please contact:

cliffordmaw@gmail.com