COURSE DATES:

Module 1 – 26 – 30 March 2025 Emerson College
Module 2 – 7 – 11 May 2025 Emerson College
Module 3 – 2 – 6 July 2025 Emerson College
Module 4 – 5 – 9 November 2025 Emerson College
Module 5 – 4 – 8 March 2026 Emerson College
Module 6 – 13 – 17 May 2026 Emerson College
Module 7 – 22 – 26 July 2026 Emerson College
Module 8 – 11 – 15 November 2026 Emerson College
Module 9 – 10 – 14 March 2027 Emerson College
Module 10 – 19 – 23 May 2027 Emerson College
Module 11 – 21 – 25 July 2027 Emerson College
Module 12  – 13 – 17 October 2027 Emerson College

Each module begins at 4pm on Wednesday and runs until 12.30 on Sunday.

THEMES Covered in the twelve modules of the programme

Whilst we encourage all participants to attend in person, we hope to provide every module both in person and virtually.

We expect all participants to attend a minimum of 5 modules in person and emphasise the importance for participants to attend modules 1, 2, 5, 9 and 12 in person (unless exceptional circumstances prevent them from doing so).

Module 1 Core Psychological Themes:

Psychology and related psychotherapeutic perspectives including anthroposophy and mainstream: Introducing general cosmology, psychology and morphology of the human being as body, soul and spirit as an expression of self consciousness: Comparative morphology contrasting distinctive gestures of the animal & human skeleton.

Module 2 Childhood Development 0-7 years:

Physical embodiment, including neurological and immunological development; Laying the foundations for understanding sensory psychology and attachment theory in relation to lasting effects of trauma; related organ studies – organ observations – brain & spleen.

Module 3 Childhood Development 7-14 years:

Cultivating health and well-being in middle childhood, habits – rhythm vs ritual; related organ studies – heart, lung and rhythmic system; 9th year developmental “rubicon”; Introduction to the twelve senses and the seven life processes and their corresponding expression in terms of adult learning.

Module 4 Adolescence 14-21:

Challenges of soul development including crises of identity, idols & “ego-ideals” and the search for personal authenticity; related family and relationship dynamics; eating disorders (part I); acknowledging and expressing sexuality and gender; self harm; related organ observations – liver, kidney and adrenals; introducing different soul types.

Module 5 Anxiety & Trauma:

Phenomenology of anxiety, its expression, meaning and management; trauma and its relationship to the renal and adrenal system; exploring the interactions of sensory and metabolic processes via the seven life processes; psychospiritual manifestations of separation and loss; awakening the “I” in its higher function as a witness to soul.

Module 6 Depression & Bipolar Phenomena:

Exploring their somatic, psychological, spiritual and medical perspectives; grief and mourning; life processes and their correlates in the soul; working with depression and suicidal ideation; encountering psychotic phenomena in relation to inner and outer threshold experiences, sense organs and metabolic processes.

Module 7 Obsessive Disorders and Compulsive Behaviours:

Addictions and eating disorders (part 2); differentiating primitive and higher (rational) ego defenses; encountering mid-life crises of meaning and identity; spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency; Understanding how therapeutic care communities may support rehabilitation.

Module 8 Personality Structure 1:

Introducing the concept of personality structure and its relation to historic changes in human consciousness; exploring twelvefoldness of the zodiac, related zodiacal polarities and their expression through the three planes of space; experiencing planes of space through movement and drama and their corresponding personality structures including the use of mask; narcissism, avoidant, paranoid & histrionic personality types and their related therapeutic approaches.

Module 9 Personality Structure 2:

Content developing general themes as with 1, module 8, now addressing obsessive, antisocial, dissociative & borderline personality types and their related therapeutic approaches; Differentiating these personality disorder from psychotic precesses. Mentalisation as a therapeutic modality.

Module 10 Personality Structure 3:

Content developing general themes as with 1, module 8, now addressing schizoid, schizotypal, passive -aggressive and dependant personality types – Codependency and therapeutic approaches; differentiating schizoid, schizotypal and schizophrenic phenomena. Steiner’s twelve philosophical world views in relation to personality structure. The hero/heroine’s journey.

Module 11 Addressing the Question of Evil:

Recognising distortions in self and society – discernment exercise based on seven life processes; confronting the challenges of fear, hatred and doubt and their deeper origins; differentiating the Luciferic and Ahrimanic doubles.

Module 12 Conflict & Community Building:

Addressing forces underlying conflict within organisations and communities: mediation; biographic view exercise; exploring evolutionary changes as these relate to individual development and collective responsibility; working with loss and change; beginnings and endings within therapeutic practice and beyond.