|  "Coming
to The Option Institute has been, to say the least,
a life-changing experience. Through the Institute's
programs, I cured myself after 11 years of debilitating
illness and built the life I have always wanted.
When I looked at the kind of changes I made at
the Institute and saw how the teachers and mentors
facilitated those changes, I knew it was what
I wanted to do with my life. I applied for and
was accepted into the Certification training program
and started on the path of one of the most incredible
journeys I have ever taken.
Certification was very intensive, but I learned
more in those 4 weeks than I learned in 4 years
of college and over 10 years working in the world.
One of my biggest learnings was complete self-acceptance.
Before certification, I always wanted things to
be 'just so.' Because of this, I was constantly
analyzing and adjusting everything in an attempt
to manipulate my experience and the experiences
of others. During Certification, I realized that
I could not continue to operate this way and be
successful as a mentor, so I had to learn to trust
myself, do the best that I could, and trust that
it would truly be enough.More than anything, I
learned how, on the deepest level, to be completely
present, loving, nonjudgmental, and nondirective
with another person, even in the face of the most
intense and challenging events. At the end of
the month, I became a certified Option Process®
Mentor/Counselor.
Since then I have started my own practice and
enjoy many benefits both professionally and personally.
Life as an Option Process Mentor/Counselor is
so exciting, and I love to witness as people take
bold steps to change their lives or discover who
they really want to be. I cherish the ability
to open myself up to all the joyous possibilities
each situation brings. To be given the opportunity
to assist others in their process of learning
and growing is deeply fulfilling and an honor
that I will always cherish.
I think I realized just how much I had learned
on September 11th. I watched the people around
me go through many different emotions: fear, sadness,
anger, and for a minute or 2 went through them
as well. Then I asked myself, 'What is it the
world most needs right now?' The answer came very
clearly: love. And I knew what I could do to help.
I walked back into The Son-Rise ProgramŽ playroom,
where I work with one very special girl, and I
sat down to play. In that moment I realized I
could be present, loving, nonjudgmental, and nondirective
in spite of the events I had just become aware
of. I spent the day listening as fellow workers
expressed their feelings. Later that day, as I
processed the events of the day with my family
and friends, I realized how lucky I was to have
the tools to make a choice and to also be able
to help others find a way to make the same choice
for themselves.
The next day, a woman called me and asked for
a dialogue. She was very shaken by the events
of September 11th. She talked about how she felt
unsafe anywhere and was afraid for her children
and family. Through the dialogue she realized
that by being afraid she could not stop another
attack, and if one did occur, she would be spending
her last days living in fear. She came to believe
instead that by being at ease she was actually
better able to take care of herself and her family
if something were to occur, and, regardless of
what might occur, she could choose to live her
life to the fullest.
I guess that's one of the biggest benefits I get
out of being certified. I know that I have a choice,
always. I love knowing that I have a concrete
and effective way to help others know they always
have a choice, too. To be able to help them discover
and make those choices and live their lives to
the fullest is the greatest gift I could ever
receive."
— Ellen Stanley, Certified Option Process®
Mentor/Counselor
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|  "In
1998, I retired from an enriching career as an
executive officer and director of a publicly traded
bank. As far back as I can remember, I always
knew that I would retire and search for something
more meaningful to do 'when I grew up.'
After I retired, I gave myself the biggest gift
of my life: Living The Dream (now The
Grand Summer Sequence). That summer I reconnected
with the playful side of me that had been buried
for so many years. In my effort to thrive in a
competitive world, I hadn't realized how serious
I had become. Once awakened, I became a much happier
person who was clearer about what I wanted and
more empowered to live my life the way I wanted.
By summer's end, I knew I wanted to become an
Option Program® Teacher. Option Process®
Mentor/Counselor training was a prerequisite to
teacher training, so I took Certification.
During this intensive course, we submerged for
4 weeks of training, most days beginning very
early and ending past midnight. In addition to
having a great time and developing friendships
that will last my entire life, I learned how to
be totally present, nonjudgmental, non-directive
and loving with another person. This way of being
can be described in one word - heaven.
During the third week of training, I stayed up
late one night determined to continue a self-dialogue
until I was able to accept myself as being good
enough and doing the very best I can, always.
Without this acceptance, my ability to mentor
others was affected. By judging myself when I
reviewed my dialogues, I was so busy wondering
how I could have asked such a 'stupid' question
that I wasn't able to learn from my experiences.
At 1:00 am I finally changed my belief - the wall
of judgment was finally lifted! I never experienced
anything like the transformation that occurred
that instant. From that moment forward I not only
gained the courage to absorb all the teachings,
I became a better mentor. I now knew from a place
deep in my heart that an explorer can change a
belief in an instant - this understanding has
helped me to help others do just that. During
training, I mentored a woman who had been struggling
for years with a challenging experience from her
past. After one of the questions, she changed
the very essence of the way she perceived this
past experience, and instantly became lighter
and incredibly free. I felt honored to be with
her on her journey. That moment, I knew I wanted
to spend the rest of my life helping others to
help themselves.
I was certified as an Option Process® Mentor/Counselor
and have since started my own private mentor/counseling
practice. The more I mentor others, the more I
am present, nonjudgmental, nondirective and totally
loving in my everyday life. It has deepened my
connections with my family, friends and others
around me and has allowed me to live my life in
a centered state. I absolutely love what I do,
both as a mentor/ counselor and as an explorer.
Since Certification, I have gained tremendous
clarity for myself in the areas of authenticity,
wants, spontaneity and the ability to be happy
even in the face of unmet wants. I am excited
and grateful to continue my self-studentship and
can't wait to start on the path to becoming an
Option Program® Teacher."
— Stan Cohen, Retired Banker, Certified
Option Process® Mentor/Counselor
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|  "When
I decided to do Certification, I knew I would
be in for another extraordinary Option Institute
experience. Back then I couldn't predict all the
ways in which I would grow in a single month.
All I knew was this: what I wanted most in my
life was to live in what I call the `mentor space'
- that is, to live my life being present, loving,
accepting and nonjudgmental. My goal was not the
certification; it was the attitude that I wanted.
I woke up every morning during that month in January
with the intention of getting out of my own way,
so that I could learn how to be in that space.
I will not mince words. In some ways the month
felt like a marathon. The days were long, intense,
and exhilarating, with only small moments of downtime.
In the few spare moments there were, we were dialoguing
amongst ourselves to get more clarity on our own
issues. The Option Program® invaded even my
sleep time! As Bears predicted, I was not only
eating and breathing Option; I was dreaming it
too! Much of my learning during the day was being
processed at night between 11pm and 6 am. I did
a fabulous amount of growing.
When I think back on that month and what kept
me going, the word 'adrenaline' comes to mind
- actually, adrenaline combined with desire and
prayer, and a line from Nelson Mandela's inauguration
speech: `You are a child of God. Your playing
small doesn't serve the world.' I had those words
on a piece of paper, taped to the wall in my room.
I read them every day and before every dialogue
I mentored. I had been playing a small version
of myself all my life, afraid not so much of my
shadow, as of my own light. I was tired of playing
small. It didn't serve the world and it didn't
serve me. Mentoring, and living the attitude,
became ways that I could step out from behind
my shadow. Mentoring and living the attitude means
being me, without the walls, the fears and the
masks.
Two weeks after the program ended, I was on my
usual morning walk when I suddenly had a vision
of volunteering my service as a mentor in a women's
prison not far from my home in New Hampshire -
a prison where women could see that they didn't
need to do their requisite time in misery, but
in happiness; where they left feeling clearer
and more empowered, breaking away from old patterns.
After all, unhappiness, or some version of it,
got them into jail - maybe happiness and clarity
could keep them out of it. Beyond the inmates,
what would prison be like if the guards could
also choose happiness in the face of managing
112 women, aged 19-24, 85% of whom are addicted
to drugs and alcohol?
I made an appointment and left feeling sure that
I would never set foot back inside those prison
walls again. I felt overwhelmed, terrified and
just as terrified not to do it. But late that
evening, I found myself reconsidering. It felt
like a big decision - go for daring action or
retreat behind my shadow and into my comfort zone.
I reached for my book 'Friendship with God,' and
randomly opened it and this is what I read: `The
purpose of life is to create ourselves . . . every
decision you make, every decision, is not a decision
about what to do. It's a decision about who we
are.' There was my answer - my reminder - volunteering
in the prison is not about doing something there.
It's about bringing my attitude into that space
called a prison. It's about living in that space
because that's who I am, who I strive to be."
— Grace Tomai, Certified Option Process®
Mentor/Counselor
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|  "Becoming
an Option Process® Mentor/Counselor has been
one of the most beautiful and powerful gifts I
have ever given myself. Following the life-transforming
work I did in Option Institute programs, I knew
I wanted to increase my ability to love and trust
myself on a profound level, to love others in
my daily life who felt indifferent toward me or
even disliked me, to further my practice of being
nonjudgmental in relationships, to listen deeply
to others, and to teach myself to trust others
as their own best experts. I simply made the decision
to become a mentor, raised the money, and began
what was one of the most challenging and joyous
learning experiences of my life-Certification.
I loved every minute of my training, the wonderful
sense of teamwork, my inspiring classmates, working
with the amazingly dedicated and supportive teachers,
and the challenge of a curriculum that asks you
to change beliefs about yourself that get in the
way of practicing the mentor attitude. I loved
the clarity of the curriculum, the laughter and
joyousness of our class sessions, and the awareness
that we were doing work which would profoundly
change the way we returned to our families and
our communities.
After Certification I immediately began using
my new tools working with children and adult clients
experiencing extreme academic difficulties.
I did dialogues with new clients, ranging from
young children to families to adults. In each
dialogue I witnessed the extraordinary power of
the human spirit to explore issues ranging from
physical pain, addiction, depression, unresolved
anger toward loved ones, career changes, low self-esteem,
and perceived failure in work and family life.
I have never met anyone who was not capable of
embracing the tools of the dialogue if they truly
wanted to. And I saw something truly remarkable-people
would work on themselves between dialogues, deepening
their own self-transformation.
One of the most profound gifts I received from
Certification has been the opportunity to work
with my 18-year-old son. He recently asked me
in front of a group of 12 adults and teenagers,
'Mom, can you teach me to do what you do?' My
son and I have finally begun to create the relationship
we have always wanted.
Give yourself the extraordinary gift of Certification.
Commit yourself to mastering this amazing tool
of self-knowing, and open the door to self-knowledge
for every person you meet who is seeking to love,
trust, and forgive.""
— Erika Bro, Educational Consultant, Certified
Option Process® Mentor/Counselor
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|  "First
of all, if you love snow, The Option Institute
is beautiful with all the snow in the winter.
Certification
was the most intense thing I have ever done, and
at the same time, one of the most enjoyable. It
is probably the best gift I have ever given myself.
I learned a great deal about the dialogue. The
first thing I learned was how much I had to learn.
The second and most important thing I learned
was to trust myself and let go of the results.
I know we all talked about doing that after taking
Living The Dream (now The
Grand Summer Sequence); however, for myself,
I was able to do that as long as it wasn't that
important. When you spend 1 month dedicated to
learning the dialogue and realize that you may
not get certified, it can be a major downer if
you let it. However, when I stayed consistent
with my intention to live in the present and enjoy
the journey rather than being concerned with the
outcome, I took the pressure off myself and it
was a fantastic journey. I actually did not think
I would get certified until the very end. I think
I made the comment in the third week that if I
went home right then it was worth the time and
money spent.
We had 6 in the class and I made some new friends.
I feel really blessed to have had and taken the
opportunity to take both Living The Dream with
all of you and Certification
and have so many special people in my life. Certification
is the first program at The Option Institute I
have taken that has graded tests and where you
are required to reach a certain standard to PASS.
Wow, what a change in dynamics. I felt all the
performance anxieties at the beginning (I had
not taken a test for a grade in over 20 years)
and at the same time felt so much love and support
from all the teachers and support people. Our
teachers came and did tape reviews with us Sunday
evenings, and numerous other people did all kinds
of special things with us and for us. I keep dreaming
of what our education system would be like if
the students could feel just 10% of the support
and love I felt at The Option Institute.
I also learned that Certification was not about
getting certified. While it is great to be certified,
it is about our individual journey. My classmates
were all instrumental in my journey and I hope
I touched them as well. They are all amazing people
and we stuck together all the way."
—Dave Tully, Retired Businessman, Certified
Option Process® Mentor/Counselor
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