The Experiment of Being: Esalen & the Human Potential Movement ONLINE CLASS

The Experiment of Being: Esalen and the Human Potential Movement with Sam Stern

Since its founding in the early 1960s, Esalen has been a crucible for ideas and practices that reshaped psychology, spirituality, and culture at large. Born from the vision of Michael Murphy and Dick Price, Esalen Institute drew on the wisdom of a parade of cultural visionaries, including Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, Charlotte Selver, Joseph Campbell, Abraham Maslow, Ida Rolf, Fritz Perls, and Gabrielle Roth. What unfolded was a daring experiment in human potential: Gestalt therapy and encounter groups, psychedelic inquiry and breathwork, feminist consciousness-raising and Soviet-American peace exchanges, bodywork and movement practices that would guide and influence mainstream wellness for decades into the present day.

Esalen became known as a place where the boundaries of self and society could be questioned and reimagined. This part lecture/part interactive participatory course traces that arc, from the wild seeds of the 1960s, through the new age and feminist awakenings of the 1970s, to the international bridge-building and embodied creativity of the 80s and 90s, and into the contemporary era of trauma work, ecology, and intergenerational healing.

During these 4 courses, participants (seekers) will take part in the practices that defined them, from Gestalt awareness circles to guided breathwork. The Experiment of Being offers a window into cultural history and a living taste of the methods that continue to shape how we imagine human growth, belonging, and possibility.

Class 1: The Seeds of Esalen: Origins and Humanistic Psychology (1960s)

• A brief look at the history of the Indigenous origins and the Esselen tribe
• The wild culture of Big Sur Hot Springs that predated Esalen: fundamentalist Christian meetings on Saturday nights, hedonistic baths time, Marxist marijuana growers, Boho artists and writers like Henry Miller and Anais Nin.
• Esalen's founding story: Michael Murphy and Dick Price, the Stanford drop outs.
• Influence of early mentors and teachers: Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Campbell, Abraham Maslow, Charlotte Selver
• An Introduction to Humanistic Psychology
• Fritz Perls and Gestalt therapy

Experiential Component: Take part in a Gestalt awareness circle where each participant is invited to share from the prompt: “The part of me that showed up to class today is…” This playful yet grounding practice opens the door to self-awareness and openness, setting the tone for Gestalt’s emphasis on presence, contact, and the multiplicity of the self.

Class 2: Altered States and Expanding Consciousness (1970s)

• Altered States of Consciousness and the sociocultural shifts that led to the psychedelic inquiry that occurred in the 1960s. Esalen's history with leaders in the field: Timothy Leary and Michael Murphy, and how it could go too far.
• Esalen’s choice to focus on expanded consciousness in a wider way and the rise of Holotropic Breathwork as a legal alternative.
• Women’s studies and feminist consciousness
• Emergence of New Age interests: subtle energy, telekinesis, astrology, tarot
• Soviet-American exchange programs
• An evolution of Gestalt: Dick and Chris Price’s kinder, gentler modality

Experiential Component: Join us in a guided breathwork practice, inspired by the explorations of the 1970s at Esalen. Participants will use the breath as a doorway into altered states of awareness — an accessible way to shift consciousness that may leave them feeling energized, grounded, or unexpectedly open to new insights.

Class 3: Building Bridges - The Cold War and Global Human Potential (1980s and 90s)

• Gabrielle Roth: the evolution of her work from bodywork, to movement, to theater games, to 5 Rhythms.
• The Gazebo school - a Gestalt project for kids
• Sustainability practices - the early Esalen Farm and Garden.
• Notable guest teachers like Jack Kornfield, Dr. Andrew Weil, Joseph Campbell, Richard Feynman, Terence McKenna, and more.

Experiential Component: This short guided movement exercise is inspired by Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms. Participants are invited to move gently in their own space, following rhythm and sensation, and then reflect in breakout groups on what shifted for them.

Class 4: Modern Esalen and Mainstream Influence (2000s–Today)

• The legacy of Esalen in the mainstream: psychotherapy, somatics, Gestalt in modern training
• How Esalen continues to shape wellness and therapeutic culture today
• Esalen's current programs: trauma work, DEI, ecology, intergenerational healing
• The state of the Human Potential Movement today: what do we need to be focusing on given the state of the world? How can we feel good when there is so much bad? What do we all want for ourselves and our shared humanity?

Experiential Component: A closing ritual in classic Esalen style: guided reflection, group check-in, and intention-setting for carrying the Human Potential ethos forward.

Sam Stern is a Senior Content Creator at Esalen and host of the million-download podcast “Voices of Esalen.” He teaches human-centered AI at Esalen, exploring how emergent technologies can be engaged with curiosity, critical thinking, and play. When he's not spending time with his wife and 6 year old daughter in Big Sur, he is busily exploring the Esalen archives for hidden historical gems.

esalen.org

@esalen

Class Price:

Early bird rate: $100 for all 4 classes (avail until Oct. 15)

Regular four class price: $125; Individual class price: $35

Please email contact@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.

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