The back cover blurb reads:

“Vital personalised choices are at the heart of Free Schools??? initiatives. Christopher Gilmore and Susan his visionary colleague and single mother of three, have developed a cutting-edge à la carte curriculum complementary to most prevailing systems. After successfully piloting ‘My Identity Audit’ in public and private schools, they developed a rich range of innovative educational exercises. This book teems with well-argued and refreshingly provocative ideas appealing to all optimists who see life as our best teacher.

Consider those who leave education without qualifications only subsequently to excel in the arts or business. Others with degrees stack supermarket shelves – if they can get a job at all. Not an entirely new approach yet woven throughout are radical insights inviting adventurous breakthroughs…!

Christopher and Susan present scores of multi-dimensional strategies to stimulate the love of learning in each spirited individual, with an emphasis on wellbeing, peace and sustainability. Th eir innovating team of experts now offers training and courses under their rainbow umbrella of INaSENSE Ltd (www.inasense.co.uk).

By putting a happy heart before a hurting head, Free Schools??? places students of all ages at the centre of all their learning choices. While calling for fellow travellers, Christopher shows how independence of Spirit guides us quicker to the goals we wish to achieve. So let’s feed all of our unique gift s, he says, and daily uplift ourselves with the desire to explore and ever improve our true inner Self (with a capital S!).”

FREE SCHOOLS??? will be published by Vanguard Press, an imprint of Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie. Watch this space for more details in the following weeks!

If we stop playing the piano or the violin, we lose touch with it. In the same way, our muscles lose their tone and function if they are not flexed. Financial advisers also advise that wealth should not sit in a ‘safe’ deposit box and depreciate, but that it needs to be reinvested for it to give a greater return.

Gerontologists visiting a nursing home gave certain exercises to the residents and within eight weeks, wasted muscles had come back by 300 percent, plus coordination and balance had improved and overall a sense of active life returned. The moral here is to remain active.

The mind is no different. If we just let our mind run wild it actually becomes weak. If we are distracted by everything we see, hear and touch, then the muscles of the mind become ineffective; meaning, we have no control over the mind and no power to do the things we really want to do. It is no wonder that we then complain that our mind is ‘driving’ us mad, or that we are ‘losing’ it, or worse still, we are ‘falling’ into depression! A depressed and wasted mind is indeed a paralysed mind.

Those who succeed in life are those that make a decision to do so. They use their mind to consciously create thoughts of abundance and gratitude. They exercise their will power to manifest productive results. They get what they want rather than leaving it to life to deliver the crumbs!

Think about it, it’s also when you use a tool that you realise its value. Different people have different tools at their disposal or for their convenience. To another it may be a piece of junk, but once we realise the potential of an item, we value it, protect it and look after it.

The same can be said of the mind. For those who use the mind and the power of their thoughts to manifest success know how powerful a tool the mind really is. Native Indians had mastered this technique for many years to change weather in their favour, to help crops grow and to aid fertility in women.

The mind is also as slippery as mercury – hard to contain and manage, some say. But with a little practice and focus it’s possible.

Why should we allow triggers from outside ourselves to determine the course of our thoughts and change the landscape of our inner world from a peaceful serene lake into a wild storm?

Know and understand that you have all the powers within you to control your mind and your thoughts and thus your actions and your destiny. Don’t leave it to chance!

To create abundance, it’s an irony, but you will first have to ‘s(p)end’ your wealth in the right direction! Abundance is a spiritual energy that is created through pure intention and a higher purpose. If you use your wealth in the right way, you will not have lost it but gained it in other ways such as blessings, trust, confidence and loyalty of others.

The same can be applied to time energy. The more we use time wisely and don’t waste it, the more we will then find that we have all the time in the world! We won’t feel rushed nor will we be running after time.

There is so much soul energy yet untapped. Just as there is so much mental energy not utilised. Scientists believe that we humans use only about 10 percent of our brain! Make a point of thinking something positive on a daily basis. Of giving some positive energy on a daily basis. It could be a relationship or a project or your environment. If we maximise this soul energy, then we will reap returns on many levels – mind, body and spirit.

It’s time… to tap into the soul energy and begin using all your resources in a worthwhile way. Make a concerted effort to create the reality you want by focussing all your energies in the right direction – be active but in a positive direction! The mind is a powerful tool, and with a little polishing and sharpening you will realise the other 90 percent and then wow, watch out!

©Aruna Ladva

This is the model that the Findhorn Foundation has adopted for pioneering ways of sustainable living. The Findhorn Foundation is built around the cornerstone of sustainability, and INaSENSE is proud to offer details of Findhorn’s varied training programmes on ecovillages in our H.E.A.R.T. Centre.

Find Findhorn in our H.E.A.R.T. Centre.

Sound healing is fast becoming the “new” medicine of today. The ancient art of sound healing is re-emerging across the globe. Sound can be used to help anyone tune themselves in to find a balance in life and new research is highlighting amazing benefits.

Most people listen to music for relaxation, to help invigorate or uplift them or simply to move the body into dance. We use it as a means to establish moods, however few people realise how powerful music and sound is for healing.

Indigenous peoples the world over have used sound to heal and bring life into balance – something that modern science is now re-discovering. It crosses many cultures – Aboriginal peoples in Australasia used music as part of their healing rituals, and in the 9th and 10th Centuries a series of Islamic scientists and doctors developed musical medical treatments, especially for psychological disorders.

Special tunes – makams – were composed for different treatments and were commonly used throughout the Ottoman Empire until the 18th Century. Now modern Turkish doctors at Istanbul’s Memorial hospital have revived the practice of playing traditional Arabic and Turkish healing tunes and seen positive effects on their patients.

In this country the NHS is also re-discovering the benefits sound and music can have on patients – in 2007 Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool worked with the BBC to bring the outdoors inside by recording the dawn chorus from a local park which patients can listen to on the wards.

The hospital has now extended its music therapy programme – working with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – with instrument trolleys which tour the children’s wards so young patients can make their own music.

Sound is being used in a variety of ways – by medical staff for treatments, by alternative practitioners as therapy and by artists and performers where music is just one of a variety of arts being used to aid healing.

On a scientific level, there is now a mass of research into the healing benefits of ultrasound – a very high frequency sound vibration inaudible to the human ear. Commonly used for scans for pregnancy and to detect abnormalities, ultrasound is fast becoming a very flexible treatment for many conditions.

It is used widely for lithotripsy – a way of breaking up kidney stones and even shrinking tumours – but ultrasound is now being used to treat many conditions including cataracts and varicose veins, and it has even been found to work with antibiotics to kill bacteria.

A surgeon in Glasgow, the city which pioneered the use of ultrasound for diagnostic use in the 1950s, is now using it to help heal broken bones. Orthopaedic surgeon Angus MacLean has found it stimulates bone growth and speeds up recovery time by more than a third.

Musicians can also increasingly be found in hospitals. Vital Arts, a charity associated with London Hospitals such as Barts has an extensive programme. It has seen harpists playing to patients awaiting surgery at the Royal London Hospital, and has drawn on the talents of top musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia.

And somewhere between the doctors using sound for treatments and the musicians calming the stresses of anxious patients, sit the alternative therapists – commonly called sound healers. They likewise use sound and music but what differentiates them from the medics and musicians is intention.

It was American sound healing pioneer Jonathan Goldman who penned the phrase “sound plus intention equals healing”. Jonathan has been a visionary pioneer for more than 30 years to bring the healing nature of sound into mainstream awareness. He sees intent as a prime ingredient to the success of sound healing, and by intent he means consciousness.

“A more advanced understanding of intent involves what may be understood as alignment with the purpose of our higher selves, or the ‘Divine Will’. It is that aspect of consciousness that is able to align with the sacred energy of sound,” he says.

“For many people, the initial understanding of intent is a major stepping stone in using sound as a transformative and therapeutic tool, for most of us have never created sound with conscious awareness and purpose.”

In the UK many sound healers are members of the the College of Sound Healing, a non-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting sound healing, organise training and accrediting therapists who wish to practice sound healing.

They often work in the community, but have also carried out projects in the NHS like the Soundscape project at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny where they created a therapeutic wall of sound using instruments like gongs and Tibetan sound bowls.

The College defines sound healing as the therapeutic use of sound and music for healing or “whole-ing”. Internationally known sound healer Simon Heather, founder and principal of the College, explained: “It offers a pathway to a drug free approach for treating pain and illness with no harmful side effects.”

Simon, who has written eight books on the power of sound and its healing qualities, said: “It can also be used as a preventative system to help a person stay in balance and ward off illnesses by helping them to stay “in tune” with themselves.

“Every organ, every bone, every cell in the body has its own resonant frequency. Together they make up a composite frequency like the instruments of an orchestra. When one organ in the body is out of tune it will affect the whole body.

“Through sound healing it is possible to bring the body back into harmony, hence avoiding the need for drugs or surgery.”

In its first year of operation the 250 kW boiler, which is fuelled by woodchips made from waste wood from a local sawmill, saved the equivalent of £15,000 in fuel costs while reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 80 tons.

Project Manager Graham Meltzer

The saving in emissions equates to taking 50 average-sized vehicles off the road and is seen as a worthy contribution towards the UK government’s ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions.

The biomass boiler replaced gas and oil-burning units in the Universal Hall, Community Centre, Park Building, Laundry and eight of the residential bungalows that were built during the early days of the community’s expansion and long before it became an internationally celebrated ecovillage with one of the lowest recorded ecological footprints in the developed world.

An added bonus is that hot water is also supplied to the popular outdoor Hot Tub that is made from recycled whisky barrels and previously depended on electricity for heating.

Project manager Graham Meltzer of the Foundation’s Asset Development Group says: “It’s been running a year with great success. It’s working well and requires little looking after.

“We also could not be happier with our choice of biomass fuel supplier and were very fortunate, following a wide geographic search and protracted tender process, to secure a nearby source with the woodchips coming by tractor and trailer from a sawmill just 10 miles away.”

A Woodchip Delivery

It is anticipated that the biomass boiler will have a useful working life of around 20 years and as fossil fuel prices continue to soar the savings in coming years will more than justify an investment of around £350,000.

Additional long-term benefits are also likely from the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive that replaces grant funding and promotes the use of renewable energy sources in place of fossil fuels. Over 20 years the rebates could equal the total initial investment!

With the success of the The Park’s biomass boiler, the Foundation is now investigating a similar installation at our Cluny Hill site in Forres to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in the Victorian residential complex that was once a popular hotel.

Graham Meltzer with Park Maintenance focaliser Jim Brown

Graham Meltzer has echoed the gratitude of the community to the Scottish Government which made the investment possible through a £150,000 grant from its funding instrument, Community Energy Scotland (CES) along with an interest-free loan of £100,000 from the Energy Saving Trust, which will be repaid over eight years.

“The Foundation is very keen to share its experience with other community groups who are considering biomass heating. We see it as one way we can show gratitude for the support we have received along the way and make an ongoing contribution to fighting climate change and environmental degradation,” he said.

“Every year our ecovillage hosts thousands of guests from around the world, many of whom come specifically to learn about sustainability. In summer thousands more day visitors take tours of The Park where they can view, not only the biomass boiler, but our electricity-generating wind park, ecological architecture, food production, sustainable forestry and our biological sewage treatment system called The Living Machine.”

The Findhorn Community Visitor Centre for further information.

A full report on the performance of the biomass boiler is available here.

Story and photos: Geoff Dalglish

by Sheila Whittaker

I feel impelled at this time to cast an eye over the work some of us are doing with Sound and Music, and just remind ourselves, and others who may not really understand yet, why we are doing this incredibly rewarding work.

I think it is being recognised now, more than ever before, that sound plays a huge part in our lives, either for good or otherwise. We can be adversely affected by unpleasant sound in subtle ways – our nerves can be jangled by roadworks or noisy building works, or loud music in shops. In contrast, the pleasure of sitting down and listening to a great piece of music on CD or at a concert is difficult to surpass. It takes us to a different place in consciousness. We all know how relaxed and rejuvenated we feel after such a pleasurable listening sensation.

So for years we have been using harmonious music and sound as self-therapy when we feel the need to relax and de-stress after, for instance, a hard day at work. What we are doing is bringing our subtle energy system back into balance with music.

Sound Healing is one step further than that – Sound Healers are deliberately using certain known-to-be beneficial sounds to consciously impact our being in a positive way, on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. To do this we use the voice, gongs, singing bowls, tuning forks, violin, and other instruments which appear to have proven healing and stress-relieving properties – some of which have been in use for thousands of years in many different cultures. I think we are just starting to realise that the ancients had a lot more knowledge and wisdom than we, in our ignorance, previously gave them credit for!

As a classically-trained musician, with a mother who was a gifted professional pianist, I have always been aware of the positive effects of good music played well – I was brought up on it from an early age. And I have always enjoyed my work in the classical arena, both teaching and performing. But it wasn’t until I came across Sound Healing some years ago that I discovered my true vocation and realised that the application of certain types of sound could be used so simply and effectively for healing on all levels, and for the relief of stress, which I believe is at the root of all dis-ease.

My work has taken me, via a series of synchronicities, into the world of gongs. An odd world, you may think, and not as yet very well-known. I think it will become much more widely-known in the years to come because of its obvious effectiveness in the growing field of Sound Healing. I now use the highest quality large gongs as my principal Sound Healing tools. When I first heard the gong, played by Don Conreaux, I was completely blown away by the sound and the effect it had on me. It was totally compelling and turned out to be life-changing for me. I knew I had found the ultimate Sound Healing instrument and that this was the work I was here to do at this time. Since then, never doing anything by halves, I have immersed myself in Sound Healing and particularly in this world of the gong.

If you haven’t yet had a direct experience of the gong, you may not understand what I am talking about here. The gong needs to be experienced; you can read about it, and hear about it from other people, but as with other things, until you have actually had the experience, you don’t totally understand. The gong contains an awesome power but we rarely use the full volume of the instrument – only occasionally at certain key points in our work. It is just not necessary; played well and in certain ways, the gong works its magic using the huge variety of tones and harmonics available, at lower levels of volume. We always approach the gongs with respect and humility, without ego, and act as channels for whatever sounds need to come through the gongs at any given moment. In effect, you don’t play the gong – the gong plays you! It is a great privilege to work with these instruments in this intuitive way.

Gongbath recipients normally lie down in order to get the full benefits of the gong sounds. We call it a “gongbath” as you are literally bathed in the sounds of the gongs. The Om or Aum sound made by the gong has the effect of timelessness – you become immersed in the sound, and time as we know it disappears. It also has the effect of de-materialisation – people usually lose all sensation of the physical body, and often have the experience of floating in space, or in an ocean. Going deeper, the Universal quality becomes more apparent – many people report feeling at One with the Universe and everything. I have some clients who have descended to the causal layer and had previous life experiences. A few people may have visions or see colours. Some people become so relaxed that they go into deep sleep – it is not unknown for people to sleep right through a gongbath! The usual effect of the gong is to take you into a state of deep meditation. This is the state where healing can more readily occur, as the mind is still, so that the body can concentrate on drawing in the sounds it needs to re-align and harmonise itself on all levels. Most people emerge from a gongbath feeling extremely relaxed, re-energised and refreshed, as though after a good nights’ sleep. It is not unknown for aches and pains to have disappeared, some many years old. And the silence which settles after the gongbath has finished is very profound, as the sounds of the gongs have cleared away old energy and created a sacred space and high vibrational energy in the room. Most people want to remain in that wonderful energy space as long as possible.

A good way to have your first experience of the gong is by attending a group gongbath session. This is a good introduction, and will enable you to decide whether you want to commit to having a one-to-one therapy session with a gong practitioner. As with all private sessions, this would cater to your own needs exclusively in the privacy and comfort of the therapist’s treatment room. I train gong practitioners and we are gradually building a network of practitioners around theUK, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find one within reach of where you are.

So now, in a roundabout way, we have come back to the question at the head of this article – Why Sound Healing..? I’ve answered my own question – the answer is: because it works! And it has worked for thousands of years, but we forgot, somewhere along the way. Now we’re beginning to realise and recall the wisdom of our ancient ancestors, and we’re learning to apply sound consciously for the benefit of mankind in therapeutic ways. I think in the next few years, Sound Healing will become known the world over, and it’s the right time now. We need as much help as we can get during this turbulent period on Earth, while we transition into a new age of peace, joy and love. But that’s another story for another time.

Copyright 2009 Sheila Whittaker, Healing Sound

The new biomass boiler will reduce carbon emissions by more than 100 tons a year and save about £1,000 each month in fuel costs.

Latest news: Findhorn Foundation shares findings on the first year of the biomass boiler’s installation.

Project Manager Graham Meltzer with the new biomass boiler that will reduce carbon emissions by more than 100 tons a year.

The 250 kW boiler, which is fuelled by woodchips made from waste wood from a local sawmill, went operational during September, replacing all existing gas and oil boilers in the Community Centre, Universal Hall, Park Building and eight residential buildings in the heart of The Park.

While the community already boasts the lowest recorded ecological footprint in the developed world, project manager Graham Meltzer of the Foundation’s Asset Development Group said: “The latest initiative is a natural and essential progression that will help us at Findhorn to feel much better about ourselves as an internationally reputed ecovillage.”

But the project, which took three years from inception to completion and cost more than £300,000, was not without its share of 11th hour challenge.

The delivery and final positioning of the 12-ton biomass boiler was aborted less than 100 yards from its destination when the project team faced muddy conditions caused by heavy rain and a technical problem with the rear-wheel steering mechanism of the transport vehicle.

One of two huge specialised cranes hoists the boiler over sensitive duneland in a spectacular operation that saved the lives of three mature trees.

Only by removing three mature trees lining the route near the Universal Hall, with inevitable damage to garden beds, could the original delivery plan have succeeded but this was not acceptable to the Findhorn Foundation community.

Various alternatives were explored including the possible use of an RAF helicopter, but eventually two giant cranes were sourced to lift the boiler in two stages across sensitive duneland to its home on a concrete plinth behind the Park Building.

Graham Meltzer echoed the gratitude of the community to the Scottish Government which made the investment possible through a £150,000 grant from its funding instrument, Community Energy Scotland (CES) along with an interest-free loan of £100,000 from the Energy Saving Trust, which will be repaid over eight years. Two thirds of the unforeseen extra costs of hiring the two cranes were also covered by CES.

The Findhorn Ecovillage has been at the cutting edge of sustainable development with the use of electricity-generating wind turbines as well as the creation of various types of ecological housing including some made from whisky barrels.

The Living Machine is a sewage treatment system that was the first of its kind in Europe in 1995, and uses a series of tanks containing plants and bacteria to break down waste without the use of chemicals, the end product being clean water.

Each year thousands of visitors from around the world participate in community life in a variety of ways ranging from tours of a few hours to involvement in educational workshops and programmes.

Story and photos: Geoff Dalglish

Happy birthday!

It’s an historic time of commemoration and celebration as the Findhorn community enters its 50th year at The Park as a force for positive change and pioneer of new ways of living harmoniously and sustainably.

To honour a half-century committed to awakening the highest in human potential the community has initiated a series of talks, workshops and events leading up to the 50th birthday on November 17, 2012.

The first gathering in the Universal Hall on November 14 brought together long-serving community members and newcomers alike for a fascinating and emotive evening, which spotlighted the earliest days when founders Dorothy Maclean and Peter and Eileen Caddy and their three young sons, arrived with their now-famous caravan in tow.

Dorothy, Eileen & Peter outside the original caravan circa 1964

Not for a moment did they realise they were the nucleus of a spiritual community, ecovillage and centre for holistic learning that would develop an international reputation as a unique laboratory for change, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

“Looking around now I am absolutely amazed and can hardly believe it,” Dorothy said. “I think of the three ordinary people that we were, but we had the commitment to God and that takes you everywhere. One person with God is in the majority.”

She said that perhaps the milestone of 60 years should be celebrated rather than 50, as each of the trio of community co-founders had spent 10 intensive years going within and learning to follow that inner guidance, also putting those spiritual practices into place during the management of the Cluny Hill Hotel and Trossachs Hotel, prior to the unexpected move to the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park.

Setting the scene with a slideshow depicting the early days, Jonathan Caddy, son of Peter and Eileen, chatted fondly about life in the incredibly cramped confines of the original caravan that was home to the six of them for the first few years. “I think it was difficult for the adults but for us children it was a great place to grow up. We were feral here, running barefoot and swimming year round in the Moray Firth. My Dad described the water as ‘invigorating’ but it was sometimes so cold that everything since then has seemed warm. My great love of the outdoors comes from that time.”

He paid tribute to John Willoner, who became like a second father to the Caddy boys, taking them on regular outings and camping trips that cemented lifelong friendships and intensified Jonathan’s love of nature and adventure.

Like so many others since, John was inexplicably drawn to Findhorn, first visiting after receiving a postcard sent by a friend that featured the Findhorn Bay Caravan Park and a cryptic message on the back: “I think you’ll find it interesting here.”

“I saw a rubbish dump and lots of dilapidated caravans and was looking for site number 27 which was out of sight from the rest, in a hollow. Eventually I found a friend who I’d been at university with called Dennis and he was with an older person called Peter Caddy who I was introduced to. They were smashing rocks to create a base for a bungalow that was due a couple of months later at Easter. I was given a sledgehammer and joined in.”

John only stayed a couple of hours that time but was given some copies of Eileen’s guidance that he found inspiring, and returned often for longer periods until he quit his teaching job down south. That winter of 1967 there were just seven of them but by the end of 1974 the numbers had swelled to between 250 and 300 people.

John Willoner & Jonathan Caddy with Dorothy Maclean

What was the attraction? “I really enjoyed the company of the three founders – there was some sort of magnetism that’s difficult to pinpoint. I enjoyed being in this place that was gradually growing up around the first caravan and had no wish to be anywhere else.

“Peter taught, not in a lecturing way, but while digging alongside him there were pearls of wisdom,” John recalls.

“We met every day for meditation which was called Peace time as local people used to have their Piece, which was bread and jam. So if the Caddy boys said their parents were having their Peace this was accepted.”

Jonathan grew up in an atmosphere of reverence for the divine with his parents and Dorothy living in total faith. “Dad’s belief in my mother’s guidance was absolute,” he said.

Ironically, although she had been spurned in some quarters during her earlier years Eileen was eventually awarded a prized MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to spiritual inquiry and also named one of the 50 most spiritually influential people in Britain on Channel 4′s ‘The God List.’ Her books and daily guidance continue to inspire many thousands today.

Liza Hollingshead, Dorothy Maclean & Freya Secrest

The talk was the first in a series of 12 monthly sharings and the brainchild of Liza Hollingshead who worked closely with Eileen Caddy, while Freya Secrest, who is now with the Lorian Association of North America and a visiting Findhorn workshop facilitator, added interesting insights about her personal experiences.

Jonathan said Findhorn was a place of transformation, referring to the ever-changing outer landscape and the far-reaching changes that individuals experienced during their stay.

Perhaps more than anything it has been a lesson in the power of faith, the founders following inner guidance to create pivotal structures like the Sanctuary, Community Centre and Universal Hall, despite the fact that initially they had neither the money nor the numbers to justify the investments in time, talent and resources.

“There was no money but we went ahead anyway and the people came,” he said, pointing out that the cherished dream of the Duneland housing and community development in the dunes at the end of the Runway, was now manifesting as a contemporary example of the power of faith.

The Evening in the Hall

“Talking about faith is easy to do,” he said, “but the Duneland project has yet again required everyone involved to actually put this vital quality into practice. For me this has brought a far deeper respect for the endeavours of my parents and the early pioneers of this community. It is a community that continues to demonstrate a simple and practical way of living and has created a modern transformative myth that has great power and relevance in this materialistic and unstable world that we live in.”

On November 17 the community celebrated its 49th birthday with a dinner that also marked the official start of the 50th year of community.

Contributed by Geoff Dalglish via the Findhorn Foundation

Sadly, in 2004, the original database at the centre of this research fell foul of a technological blip – the data was irretrievably damaged, and Susan and her team found themselves having to rebuild. Never one to be put off by a disaster, Susan saw it as a new challenge to overcome, and the team’s general view was that this data needed to be updated and reorganised.

This is still in progress and now takes centre-stage as one of INaSENSE’s ongoing missions – to continually seek out the latest and most cutting-edge developments. The team has existed as a self-funding organisation until now, as INaSENSE begins to broaden its horizons and seek new investment a opportunities for the future.

What has been established during the course of this journey is a solid Research and Development unit exploring all aspects of education from a multi-dimensional point of view.

INaSENSE’s latest project, MIA – standing for My Identity Audit – started life in 2008 as a special pilot that went out to 200 students in six educational establishments: two state sector schools, two private sector schools and two further education colleges. The results were startling. There were two major themes within the results that came back from the students: anger, and unhappiness. Not used to being consulted about their personal well-being, they experienced frustration and confusion.

Susan felt that by recruiting the help of more students, parents and teachers all working together, these debilitating layers of low self-esteem in children could be radically improved.

This work is ongoing, with a new project partner – The Silverlight Academy – preparing to bring a new offering to colleges in the shape of a brand new Higher Diploma for post-GCSE students, primarily in Further Education colleges. At the heart of this qualification lies the goal for individuals to learn fully about themselves on a multi-dimensional level. They will explore this within their local communities and mirror this in a global community context. Through this process of discovery students will build their self awareness and self esteem, fully empowering them for their future life direction – whether employed by a company, or as part of a new group of entrepreneurs carving out their own success. To do this, INaSENSE is partnering with an accredited awarding organisation to meet Ofqal criteria.

INaSENSE will adapt the framework to create courses for mental health care units, prison services and coaching establishments. The Silverlight Academy is creating two tiers of training for professionals. The first of these as an add-on qualification for professionals working in one of the above fields. The second tier will be a more inclusive course for teachers to deliver the Higher Diploma into Further Education establishments.

Our group there includes two special needs teachers, a school psychologist and drama therapist, experts in nutrition and also a member with interests in the effects of trauma and addictions. Some are based in Oslo and some two hours away in Skien but they all plan to work together to run monthly weekend profiling workshops staffed by two members on a rotational basis.

The first weekend takes place in December and many places are already booked. Report writing for these sessions will be supported by Jane on Skype so that everyone has the opportunity of extending their knowledge and insights with a variety of different clients.

Of course many people attending the workshops will need some extra help and that is well in hand. Children and young people who need educational tests and further diagnostic assessments will be referred to the education professionals and referrals to other group members will be made as appropriate. Jane will always be on hand to help out with all the queries which will inevitably arise from these assessments too.

In a few months time similar group sessions will be used to check up on progress resulting from the True Expressions programmes and products recommended by the Profilers and other supporting interventions. Often people put progress down to chance events or maturity, but when functions are properly retested and people see that everyone else has improved too they realise the value of the therapy.

This group are very aware of the need to support each other and share their experiences and to that end they set up a closed Facebook group less than a day after the final training! They are also sharing their skills with computing, website design and translation which are so vital in support of their efforts to let everyone know that they are there for people and can help.

Media support is not far behind. Many hours of Profiler training, public meetings and interviews giving success stories have been professionally filmed and will soon be transformed into a full length DVD and shorter training and advertising clips. Watch out soon for something on U-Tube! An article has also been written by a well-known Norwegian journalist and will appear in a high circulation health magazine next year.

Where Norway leads, the U.K. must surely follow. Contact us if you want to be part of this revolutionary new process or would like to profit from it.