with Betsy Arizu and Brandy Kidd

Listen to Betsy Talk About Transforming the Inner Critic

Description

For many of us the inner critic is a constant companion, a voice that judges just about everything we say and do. The degree of its harshness varies. For some it loudly berates us for our shortcomings and demeans our sense of value as a human being.

The patterning of the inner critic arises in childhood basically to keep us safe and out of trouble, and is heavily influenced by the kind of parenting we received and our social and cultural conditioning. Over time, having incorporated unskillful and often unkind tactics to manage, correct and motivate us, the inner critic creates in us a limited and distorted sense of who we are.

Left unexamined and unchecked, the influence of the inner critic can lead to chronic anxiety, self-doubt, and depression, sabotage our relationships and spiritual practice, and thwart our creativity, well-being, and peace of mind. 

In this weekend retreat we will:

• Explore the inner critic and get to know the ways it operates within us, including its original positive intentions to protect us 
• Learn to cultivate a kind, wise, and discerning mind to allow for an open and spacious way of being and responding to the world within us and around us
• Explore ways to reparent and heal the inner protected or criticized child and invite the inner critic to let go of its outdated strategies and transform its role in our lives to one of support 

During the retreat, we will draw from the teachings of Buddhist psychology, as well as modern understandings of the inner critic, inner child, and parts therapies. We will use the powerful tools of meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection, along with Dharma talks, experiential practices, and group discussion to gain insight and practice skills to take with us on our path of healing and transformation.

Registration Process
Retreat registration is a two-part process. First, please submit the general information requested on this application. Then, once you complete this application, your confirmation email will include a link to a Confidential Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Please note that the CHQ is required so that we can determine suitability for this retreat; your application to participate in this retreat will not be considered without it.

Retreat Logistics

The retreat will begin Friday evening, May 17 at 7 pm and end Sunday, May 19 at 4 pm. It will consist of a Friday evening session (7 pm to 9 pm), all-day Saturday (7 am to 9 pm), and a Sunday session (7 am to 4 pm). The retreat will be conducted entirely on Zoom.

In addition to the weekend sessions there are two optional, yet highly recommended events that are part of the retreat:

This retreat is open to both FCM members and non-members and is appropriate for anyone interested in learning more about how to transform their relationship with the inner critic. The fee for participation is $140.

Retreat Scholarships are available; please click here to see FCM’s Retreat Scholarship Policy and for an Application, which needs to be submitted prior to the registration. 

The retreat registrar will be sending additional information to registrants before the retreat, including daily schedules, Zoom instructions and suggestions to help prepare you for a meaningful retreat experience from your home. 

The last day to register for this retreat is May 12.

Retreat Leaders

Betsy Arizu became a member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of Fred Eppsteiner in 2011. She was ordained as a member of the Order of Interbeing in 2015 and has participated over the years in numerous retreats and intensives including a three-year intensive Dharma Transmission Program. Betsy’s background is in counseling, art, mindfulness in education, and organization development. As an FCM Dharma Instructor she currently gives talks and facilitates classes, Intensives and retreats for the Mindful Living and Dharma Paths for FCM, and assists with Wisdom Path programs led by Fred.  She also has taught mindfulness, meditation, and social and emotion learning skills in a program for youth at risk.

Brandy Kidd, LCSW became interested in mindfulness (and subsequently, Buddhism) in her early 20’s after encountering suffering both in her personal life and in her professional life as a clinical social worker. Over the past 30 years, she has done her level best to devote herself to the study and practice of Dharma throughout the comings and goings of life's stages — dating; marrying; raising children; building a career in clinical social work and managing a private practice for the past 22 years; and being present to a large extended family as members move through their various life stages. For the past 7 years or so, she has co-facilitated the Naples Sangha and takes much joy in doing so.  

Questions?

For more information, please contact Betsy at betsyarizu@gmail.com or Brandy at brandymkidd@gmail.com

with Fred Eppsteiner

Description

From the time of the Buddha, awakened teachers have pointed out that our thinking mind is merely a functional capacity of our original natural mind. Mistakenly identifying with this small and conceptually constructed mind, we never are able to experience the innate simplicity and spontaneous wisdom that is our true birthright. Instead, we live in a self-created reality that prevents us from experiencing clarity, ease, emotional balance, and deep contentment in our daily life.

In the meditative tradition of the Great Perfection (Dzog-chen), the path that leads to Awakening is clearly delineated. It involves establishing a strong foundation or ground for one ’s spiritual life; following a path that is clearly marked; and ultimately arriving at the place of one ’s deepest aspiration.

This retreat will focus on facilitating participants’ meditative experience of their original and natural mind and show how to integrate this understanding into the circumstances of daily life. Directly experiencing the mind as it is and all the things that appear in it (especially the self!) as empty of any substance or solidity allows one to break through into the totally open and spacious mind nature. This is the basis of true transformation.

This retreat is a Wisdom Path Retreat and is appropriate for those FCM members who have previously participated in a Wisdom Path Intensive or retreat, or for those who are walking the Dharma Path and feel ready for a deeper exploration of their mind through meditation and guided reflection. If you have any questions about whether this retreat would be suitable for you, please contact Fred directly (Teacher@floridamindfulness.org). Due to the nature of the teachings, the interaction with the teacher, and the importance of a deep, silent container for practice, this retreat will be residential only (overnighters and commuters).

The retreat will include four Practice Sessions daily that will include silent and guided meditation, Dharma talks and instructions, meetings with Fred, opportunities for Q&A, group sharing, work meditation, along with time for meals & rest, outdoor walking, and time for personal practice. 

Registration Process
Retreat registration is a two-part process. First, please submit the general information requested on this application. Then, once you complete this application, your confirmation email will include a link to a Confidential Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Please note that the CHQ is required so that we can determine suitability for this retreat; your application to participate in this retreat will not be considered without it.

Also please note that this registration does not confirm acceptance into the retreat. Shortly after the registration deadline (May 3), Fred will review applications and make final decisions as to acceptance. Notifications will be made by May 6.

Retreat Logistics

FCM's retreat center in Tampa, Florida provides a beautiful and serene refuge from the noise and business of our everyday lives. Set among our bamboo gardens, walking paths and pond, our center offers comfortable double-occupancy accommodations in our Great Cloud residence hall, nourishing vegan meals and ample indoor and outdoor meditation spaces for personal reflection.

The retreat will begin with orientation at 5:00 pm on Saturday evening, June 1, followed by dinner at 5:45 and the opening session at 7:00. The retreat will end on Saturday, June 8 at 1:00 pm. Full payment will be due upon acceptance into the retreat.

The fee for in-person participation is $630 for overnighters and $490 for commuters, with a $50 deposit required to register. The balance of the fee will be due by May 10.

FCM aspires to support the retreat experience for all who are on this path, and thus retreat scholarships are available and encouraged if it would support your participation. Please click here to see FCM’s Retreat Scholarship Policy and for an application, which needs to be submitted prior to the registration deadline for this retreat. The teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of Dana, wherein the teachers freely give of themselves to the students out of gratitude for what they ’ve received from their teachers and a desire to be of service. The student ’s response is also based on Dana, i.e., generosity that naturally flows from a sense of appreciation of the value of Dharma and gratitude to the living lineage.

The Retreat Coordinator will be sending additional information to accepted registrants closer to the retreat start date.

The last day to register for this retreat is May 3.

Retreat Leader

Fred Eppsteiner has been a student of the psychology of Buddhist meditation for over 40 years, and was a psychotherapist for more than 30 years. He has trained extensively in the Buddhist meditative traditions the U.S. and Asia. He received permission to teach from Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994 and is the editor of two books: The Path of Compassion and Interbeing.

Questions?

For more information, please contact Angie at parrish26@gmail.com

With Angie Parrish, Maria Teresa Jaureguizar and David Braasch

Save the Date

With Fred Eppsteiner

Save the date. All who have taken the Way of the Bodhisattva Intensive with Fred are invited to experience this weekend of formally taking the beautiful and profound Bodhisattva Vow.

With Fred Eppsteiner

Save the Date

Save the date for this weekend retreat, suitable for beginners and practitioners of all levels who wish to touch into the nourishing and transformative practices of mindfulness and meditation.

With Fred Eppsteiner

Save the Date

Save the Date