Graduate Spotlight
Erik Larson
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is
to go on creating oneself endlessly.
-Henri L. Bergson
In the fall of 2005, Erik Larson wasn’t looking to change
his life. He was a successful CPA living in Aspen Colorado with
his wife and two young children. But in October of that year, Erik
was served with divorce papers, and ready or not, change had landed.
Fortunately for Erik, some of his friends were Process graduates.
One in particular, Lloyd Herman, suggested the Process, but as the
son of a Lutheran minister, Erik saw religion and spirituality as
one and the same, and “more religion was the last thing I
needed.”
After doing enough research to squelch his skepticism, Erik participated
in the Process in November 2005 just after his 40th birthday. As
he describes it, “everything changed for the better.”
When asked to describe himself before the Process, Erik tosses
out words like “angry, conservative, Type A, and reactionary,”
all hard to fathom when you meet the warm, loving, free thinking
man he is today. “A few days into my Process, two people commented
that they’d been afraid to talk to me because I had an angry
scowl on my face. That helped me know how far ahead my dark side
was.”
At the Process Erik connected with his own compassion, authenticity
and love and he realized that more than anything, he wanted to be
a great parent. “The connection I have withmy kids now is
something I didn’t think was possible,” says Erik about
Luke, 6, and Anja, 8. “My kids call the Process ‘better
mommy and daddy school’ and they actually get excited when
I go back (for a Q2), because that translates for them into “We’ll
have more daddy.”
The Hoffman community is a big part of Erik’s life. He facilitates
the Aspen graduate gatherings, which encompass the Roaring Fork
Valley. The group has well over 40 graduates, many of whom attend
the monthly meetings. He also has a great knack for guiding people
to the Process; in two years 50 people have enrolled at Erik’s
recommendation. “People see the changes in me and they want
what I have. It’s the furthest thing from a hard sell…”
“I’ve taken my life to an entirely new level since
the Process. As I tell everyone who will listen, “it’s
the greatest gift I’ve ever given myself. My life’s
not perfect, but now I’ve got the tools I need to respond
to any of life’s challenges.”
If you know a Process graduate whose story should be shared, please
email ellie@hoffmaninstitute.org
or call 415-485-5220 ext. 14. |
