REWIRING THE BRAIN FOR INCREASED HAPPINESS, APPRECIATION, AND RESILIENCE
FOUR-WEEK ONLINE COURSE | BEGINS TUESDAY APRIL 30th
Naturally, we desire experiences that give us feelings of love, satisfaction, confidence, pleasure, inspiration, and awe. Neuroscience has given us ways to entrain ourselves with an ability to feel these things deeper, longer, and more often. Not only that, we can use such desirable mental states to heal stored hurts, transform stressful situations, and deepen other spiritual and healing practices we already have in our lives.
In this course, you'll:
Learn why your brain gives more attention the bad things that happen than the good
Train your brain to experience happiness, pleasure, and appreciation more deeply and more often
Learn to direct this activity towards healing traumas and everyday stress
Connect with others on a self-healing path
Explore ideas about boundaries and communication
Get a script for approaching difficult conversations and saying "no"
“Ralph has this wildly open honest compassion that shows you what radically loving yourself actually means.”
—Susie Bertie, personal assistant
HOW IT WORKS:
* Weekly video dharma talks
*Weekly audio meditations that progressively and systematically deepen as they go
*Weekly handouts and journal prompts
*Live video calls each Tuesday, 8pm–9pm Eastern Time (5pm–6pm Pacific Time)
*All calls are recorded in case you miss them
*Sliding scale option. No one turned away for lack of funds
*If after seeing the sliding scale options, you need a different arrangement or a comp, there’s a link where you can simply write to me. These teachings belong to us all.
The truth is…
there's only one thing that can truly satisfy us in a lasting way: awakened self-love and compassion. Each of us already have it inside, but it does get covered over. When we re-discover and apply these capacities, these wholeness we seek comes naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course self-paced or are there scheduled sessions?
Both!
Self-paced portion: Each Wednesday, you’ll receive an email with a link and a password to a private webpage that hosts a video dharma talk (20-50 mins), download links for 1 or 2 guided meditations for the week, and a handout to go with the lecture. There is also discussion forum with journaling prompts for the week and some suggested reading as well.
Scheduled portion: Each week, there’ll be a live call via Zoom. This call is our opportunity to share our experiences, ask questions, and for me to offer additional ideas and instructions for the week. If you can’t make the call, it will be recorded and shared with the group the next day. Note: Zoom is a free service that you do not have to sign up for. You just click the link I send each week and you’re on!
The online thing feels a bit impersonal to me.
Much to my surprise, I have found the opposite to be true. People have gone deeper and have been more committed to my online courses than any workshop I’ve ever offered in person. There is something special about attending these workshops in your own home and on your own meditation cushion or chair. Furthermore, you’re not alone. I’m always here to answer questions and emails and the live weekly calls have also surprised me with their transformative capacity. I myself was hesitant about teaching online at first. My experience has defied my assumptions in a big way.
This sounds like a lot. I’m busy. What if I fall behind?
This is an immersion course -- but it actually sounds like more than it is. This course requires that you sit for meditation once daily. Then, you’ll just need to watch an informative and inspiring video at some point during the week, spend 10-20 mins journaling, and engage in one coaching call to connect with really cool people. It’s pretty easy to switch out time you might usually spend on Netflix/phone scrolling to make room for this. That said, people do fall behind all the time and most people get caught up at some point. You’ll see a testimonial on the webpage from someone who didn’t do one of the courses until it was almost over and was very emphatic about how much benefit she still received from it.
I struggle with emotional issues such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and/or a personality disorder. Is this course appropriate for me?
This course was made specifically for you. As a trauma, depression, and addiction survivor myself, my work specifically speaks to people who struggle with emotional and behavioral disruptions and patterns. We will be moving safely and methodically through whatever arises for you in this course. You will be invited to move at your own pace and only do as much or as little as is right for you. You will be given revolutionary tools to relate to and heal the emotional activations in your life. You will also be given tools and practices for coping and calming down in the event anything becomes too much for you. Overwhelm, after all, is the enemy of healing. That said, the registration form does ask for some information that pertains to this so that I can be aware of all the issues and concerns people are bringing with them into the course. In some cases, I will request a follow up phone call to ensure this is a good fit, and in rare cases, I will have to inform someone that this course is not appropriate for them.
Is any experience with meditation necessary?
Nope. We’ll start with foundational practices for calming tension and busy-mindedness and will deepen from there.
I’ve been meditating for a really long time; will this be redundant for me?
Nope. Even the foundational meditation practices we will be exploring emphasize a deeper somatic (bodily) awareness, breath techniques almost never taught in the mindfulness or even yoga worlds, and bodies of insight and theory that integrate Eastern practice and Western psychology in a new way.
I’m an atheist or adhere to a religion other than Buddhism. Will this conflict with my beliefs?
Definitely not. All teachings are 100% secular, do not ask you to believe in anything, and are well aligned with the core principles found in any religion: love, awareness, compassion, intentional living, and so forth. All teachings are also rooted in evidence-based modalities, neuroscience, and peer reviewed scientific findings.
I’m here, I’m queer, I’m POC, not able-bodied, trans, neurodivergent, or feel marginalized by mainstream culture for another reason. I’m so sick of whitewashed wellness culture.
Hallelujah. Same! Expect F-bombs and real talk with an intersectional awareness from a perfectly imperfect mixed-race, genderqueer, neurodivergent being who came of age in the Riot Grrrl/third wave feminism movement of the 90’s. My intention is for these teachings to be eye-level and non-hierarchical in nature. I’m not a guru. I am on this path with you and will be in a learning and healing process side by side with you. I am also more than happy to extend a discount to you for this course. I recognize that marginalized folks tend to get paid way less in our society and I want to balance that out in any way that I can.
I’m none of those things but just plain broke.
Write me at ralph@ralphdelarosa.com and I will work with you. No problem. I’ve had to ask for so many discounts for workshops like these before myself. I got you.
My question isn’t answered here.
Email me at any time with any questions or concerns: ralph@ralphdelarosa.com
Sneak Peak from the Video Talks included in this course:
“Ralph is a rare find, a teacher that exudes compassion and wisdom that combines spirituality, psychotherapy, and parts work. But more importantly it is his humanness that is a lighthouse for so many students. In a sea of teachers, he stands out as the real deal, walking a path of humility, service, and deep commitment to change."
-Mark, online course participant