| phone: 800/506-5253 or 415/485-5220 email: enrollment@hoffmaninstitute.org |   |
Frequently asked questions
1. What are some common indicators for taking the Hoffman Process? (If one or more of the following statements apply to you, we recommend that you consider the Process.)
I feel that something is holding me back and I want to take the limits off.
I experience too much stress, and I'm not having enough fun.
I know what I should do, but often can't generate the will to do it.
I often feel angry, resentful, embarrassed or depressed.
I flip flop between intimidating people below me and avoid being dominated by people above me.
I feel intimidated, coerced, and manipulated and can't stand up for myself.
I work compulsively, often to the detriment of other aspects of my life.
Meaning is going out of my marriage, my career, or life in general. I often feel I'm just going through the motions.
There's a lack of intimacy in my life—I've been unsuccessful in creating relationships.
I'm either non emotional and disconnected from my feelings or my feelings are running me.
I'm in recovery from substance abuse (clean and sober for 90 days minimum) and want to confront the original pain that led to addiction.
I recognize that my parents were not as loving and supportive as I wanted them to be, or that bad things happened in my childhood.
I see myself passing my own suffering on to my children.
<< Back to top
2. Is the Hoffman Process a form of therapy or a drug and alcohol recovery program?
The Hoffman Process is not intended to be a substitute for psychotherapy. Many people have reported the Process to be an important adjunct to their therapeutic experience. In particular, if you have reasons to think you may have a mood disorder, or if you otherwise have a history of psychiatric issues, we require that you consult your M.D. and/or therapist about your choices to participate.
The Process is not intended to be a detoxification program or a recovery support group. Nor is it intended to be a substitute or alternative to such programs. If you are addicted to alcohol or drugs, we urge you to seek a program designed to help you achieve sobriety. Once having achieved a stable level of sobriety, many people have reported the Process to be an important adjunct to their [12-step] recovery program.
<< Back to top
3. Does the Hoffman Process provide relief for depression?
The Process is an effective program for people who experience depression that is the result of stress, anxiety, and or/repressed anger. Psychologists at the University of California, Davis, during a blind, independent research study found that there was a significant decrease in depression on the part of Process graduates, and these negative affects continued to decrease over time. The research also indicated a decrease in anger, obsessive-compulsive behavior and anxiety, which also continued to decrease when measured one year, and multiple years later.
4. Will the Hoffman Process facilitate healing my attachment issues?
Our relationships with parents and primary caregivers in childhood (i.e., attachment experiences) shape our understanding of who we are and the world we live in. The quality of our parents' (caregivers') behavior and nonverbal communication when we were young children strongly influences our adult self-understanding and the quality of our adult relationships. What Hoffman calls "negative love" behaviors are the result of childhood attachment deficits.
The Hoffman Process provides a safe, supportive environment to identify and begin healing negative attachment patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving in relationships. The Hoffman Process helps individuals deconstruct negative attachment patterns and develop new positive relationships. Attachment injuries are identified, understood, and the process of healing makes it possible to feel lovable and capable of loving others.
5. I get along well with my parents. How can the Process help me?
The Process is based upon the recognition that the persistent negative behaviors, moods, and attitudes of adulthood have their roots in formative childhood experiences with our parents and the internalized negative introjections from these experiences. The focus of the Process is on resolving the relationship between yourself and the negative internalized parents of your youth, not the parents in your life today.
<< Back to top
6. Does the Process helps people experience greater levels of contentment?
The University of California, Davis, researchers also discovered that for graduates of the Hoffman Process, there were significant increases in the positive affects of empathy, emotional intelligence sense of well being, and spirituality; all of which contribute to an overall sense of well being. These too continued to increase over time.
7. What are the possible outcomes of participating in the Process?
Through the Hoffman Process, you will come to know yourself emotionally, spiritually and intellectually as never before. The Process offers deep and rapid resolution of emotional issues and enables you to come to terms with life as it is. You can recover the love, happiness, ease of self-expression and emotional intelligence that are your birthright, and emerge as a renewed powerful and mature adult.
<< Back to top
8. What's the daily schedule during the Process?
The Hoffman Process is conducted as an 8-day residential program. We strongly recommend that you spend the two days following the program as time for personal reflection and integration.
Each day begins with breakfast at 7:30 AM and ends at approximately 10 PM. The days are full and structured with ample time for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
<< Back to top
9. Who presents the Process and how is it conducted?
Our faculty has completed a very rigorous training in the methodology of the Hoffman Process. They are mature professionals grounded in various disciplines. Our teachers provide instruction and personalized individual guidance to ensure that each student progresses successfully through the Process and learns tools for ongoing development.
The Process is designed to be a safe and supportive environment. We combine the best of group and individual work to support your personal journey, which is the core of the work. Teachers employ an empathic supportive approach, which respects the dignity of each person.
<< Back to top
10. How large is the group? Will I get individualized attention?
A typical Process ranges from 28-40 students, with 42 being the maximum. There is one certified teacher for every 7-9 students.
<< Back to top
11. Is the Hoffman Process anonymous?
Your safety and integrity is of the upmost importance to us. All participants are asked to sign confidentiality agreements on arrival and all details are kept completely confidential.
<< Back to top
12. What effect does the Hoffman Process have on parenting?
Research indicates that the best predictor of a child's "attachment" development, that is, their sense of security, safety and well-being, is the quality of their emotional relationships with parents. A parent's self-understanding, attitudes, and behavior influence the quality of a child's attachment development.
The way in which parents make sense of their own early life history is one of the most important factors that determine the way they relate to their children. Even if your childhood experiences were problematic, painful or frightening, the restrictive behavior adaptations of our brain can be changed, as well as our self-understanding.
The Hoffman Process facilitates the examination and repair of our own childhood attachment experiences. It facilitates emotional healing and self-understanding, exposes maladaptive coping strategies, reduces stress, anger, anxiety, and depression accompanied by an increase in the capacity to experience creativity, joy and love. Secure, open, honest, parental relationships have a powerful positive effect on child development and resilience.
<< Back to top
13. What clothing will I need? Should I bring other materials or personal items?
Clothing: comfortable, casual, loose; enough for 9 days (no washer/dryer); some exercise clothing; one outfit for a casual festive occasion; jackets/sweaters for evening. Alarm clock. Warm clothes, an umbrella and rubber-soled shoes as the season dictates. If you normally write on a laptop computer, you are welcome to bring it for the writing assignments during the week of the Process. The writing is for your personal use and you will not need a printer. You will need a CD player for listening to CDs during the Process and the post-Process weekend. A small, portable CD player with headphones is fine.
<< Back to top
14. What are the restrictions during the Process?
Participants are required to refrain from alcoholic beverages, non-prescription mood altering drugs, and sexual activity.
During the Process we ask you to fully focus on the work at hand as if you were on a silent meditation retreat. Plan not to make or receive calls or emails. Of course, if an urgent need arises on either end, you can reach your family member or they can reach you through the Hoffman Institute.
<< Back to top
15. What is the cost and how do I enroll?
Tuition for the Hoffman Process is regularly $4,295. When you enroll for a Process at least three weeks before the start date of the course, we'll take $300 off, lowering your tuition to $3,995!
A $500 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required to reserve your space. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express, as well as personal checks.
Please click here to see open Process dates.
<< Back to top
16. Is financial assistance available for the Hoffman Process?
Some people with a strong desire to participate in the Process have financial constraints that prevent them from doing so at a time when it would be most helpful to them. For this reason, partial financial assistance (in amounts from $350 to $1500) is available through the Hoffman Institute Foundation Scholarship Fund. Requests for financial assistance are evaluated based on several factors and are evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once scholarship funds for a specific Process course are allotted, no more assistance is available for that particular course, so we encourage you to apply early! To receive a scholarship application, please call the Hoffman Enrollment Department at 800-506-5253 or email enrollment@hoffmaninstitute.org with your request.
<< Back to top
17. Are payment plans available for the Hoffman Process?
The Hoffman Institute offers a limited amount of payment plans for each course, on an as-needed and as-available basis. The plan requires that 50% of the total tuition (including the $500 non-transferable, non-refundable deposit) and a nominal processing fee, be paid before the start of the course. The remaining 50% can be paid over a 4 month period following completion of the course. To learn more, please call the Hoffman Enrollment Department at 800-506-5253 or email enrollment@hoffmaninstitute.org.
<< Back to top
18. Where is the Hoffman Process held?
The Hoffman Process is taught at our own 45-acre site, White Sulphur Springs, in the Napa Valley of Northern California, and in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Both sites are pristine, private, and surrounded by nature. Each is a place where you can relax and trust that your needs are taken care of, ensuring that you can focus on your personal growth and learning. Both sites are located near a major airport for your convenience.
<< Back to top
19. Does scientific data support the effectiveness of the Hoffman Process?
Scientific study is an important responsibility in accounting for the benefits offered to the public by the Hoffman Process. Professors Michael R. Levenson and Carolyn M. Aldwin of the University of California at Davis presented the findings of their three-year, grant research study on the Hoffman Process in the Nov/ Dec 2006 issue of the scientific peer review journal, EXPLORE, The Journal of Science and Healing.
This University peer review research shows that Hoffman Process participants experienced lasting significant reductions in depression, anxiety and obsessive/compulsive tendencies, coupled with lasting significant increases in emotional intelligence, life satisfaction, compassion, vitality and forgiveness. A world wide search of the research literature shows no other treatments or interventions that produce lasting, significant reductions in negative affects, while simultaneously producing such increases in positive affects.
Please click to download and read the study.