Dan Fauci's The Mastery of Self Expression
Bristol UK
November 10-12 2023
"The Mastery" is a practical and effective weekend workshop that will enable you to change the course of your life measurably for the better without having to master a new discipline, or adopt a new religion.
The Details |
A note for actors |
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Not an acting workshop -- but paradoxically it is very good for actors. It's about coming into relationship with yourself and with an audience at the same time. It is about that slippery word authenticity. And it's about its discovery in relationship. The Mastery is not about acting technique -- you still have to learn your craft. But it's about a quality of presence -- the ability to risk being authentically who you are in the presence of an audience. It's about taking that fear, putting a bridle on it and riding it -- using the permission of a good relationship with yourself in the presence of others. I'm passionate about this work -- it seems to reveal
the depth and breadth of the human spirit. And it's about emotional intelligence.
It's not about getting over the fear -- be terrified! But understand that
you are big enough to take all of the power that sits in that terror and
ride it -- use it to come into powerful and moving relationship with an
audience-- or a group -- or an individual. |
What is the Mastery of Self Expression?
Created by Dan Fauci in 1977, this workshop was based originally on the training of actors. It is a workshop which is designed to give you an experience of your own capacity for creative and spontaneous self-expression, to connect you to your passions and to enable you to discover who you really are behind the mask. It is about you as an individual and what becomes possible for you when you release more of yourself into your life.
Life creates us until we start to create our lives - this is a radical, simple and powerful shift in personal experience. If you continue to be who you have always been, you'll continue to do what you always do and thus continue to get what you always get. It starts with who you are being. The Mastery challenges you to be something more, beyond who you know yourself to be, not up mountains or through huge feats of endurance, but in the most significant way possible - in relationship.
Over the course of the weekend you will explore exactly where you are right now in your life, what might be blocking you, what you might be carrying from the past and what you would like to have more of in the future. This can often lead to tremendous breakthroughs for participants and many people describe The Mastery as a truly life changing event.
Who is the Mastery of Self Expression for?
Thousands of people around the world and from all walks of life have participated in the course, building its reputation as one of the most powerful and effective personal development courses available today.
The workshop is designed for anyone who feels they would like access to more of themselves. It offers a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore new ways of being, to reinvent and recreate themselves and to discover what already works about them. Wherever you are in your journey and whatever you do for a living, the Mastery can enhance your experience and open up even greater possibilities for your future. Rediscover the joy of expressing yourself fully and rekindle your own creative spark.
What do people say about it?
"Stalled ambitions take flight... in an atmosphere of friendly
encouragement"
Health and Fitness
"For personal development and creativity, I recommend the
Mastery to open doors that have remained locked"
Denise Wong, Theatre Director
"Of all the self-awareness programs I have participated
in all over the world, this was the one that gave me the key to my freedom"
Sarah Wheater, Personal Assistant
What they said about recent Masteries in Bristol
Some of the results most frequently reported by participants
- greater confidence and self belief
- increased self-awareness
- improved relationships
- clearer sense of vision and direction in life
- greater ability to assert oneself
- increased ability to communicate expressively
- greater understanding of limiting patterns of behaviour
- rekindling of joy and enthusiasm for life
- improved ability to make decisions and choices
- being able to live your own life and not someone else's expectation
How does the Mastery work psychologically?
As far as I can get, it resolves, in a very deep way, the
paradox that we all desperately want to be seen and we are all desperately scared
of being seen. We put people in a really scary place in front of an audience
and ask them to talk about themselves or express themselves in other ways. Around
this we put layers and layers of safety, empathy and compassion which allows
them to stay with and express the difficult feelings which come up, moving through
these and discovering that vulnerability and truth can be extraordinarily powerful.
One of the things I say again and again is that vulnerability is not weakness,
it is openness. Scary, yes, but so much closer to our own personal truth than
the masks we put on to survive in the outside world.
I think Mastery leaders model good parents but in the expectation that everyone
can be their own good parent and take responsibility for leading and supporting
themselves.
Course Leaders for the Bristol Mastery
Adrian
Longstaffe
Adrian has worked as a teacher in more than six careers including veterinary
medicine, choreography, acting training and educational technology. He graduated
as a psychotherapist in 2000 and leads his own personal development workshops.
"The Mastery has been a vital element in my journey. I have sat on the back row of more than 40 masteries in the last 27 years and have spent the last 10 years in leadership training, gaining the Diploma in Leadership of the Institute for Creativity in 2003. I also assist in the training of Mastery leaders. My experiences across the fields of academia, personal development and theatre have resulted in a fascination with the training of actors -- one of the few groups of people for whom the taking of emotional risk is part of the job description. Responsible acting training has so much to offer in terms of emotional intelligence for the rest of us."
"One of my aims is to enable people to walk their emotional universe with the same confidence that they walk their intellectual universe -- balancing the rational with the non-rational."
Ranjit
Krishnamma
Ranjit has been an actor and facilitator for more than half
his life. He has led The Mastery of Self Expression for around thirty years.
He has also developed intensive workshops of his own including “Feeling
What Is,” “Beyond the Method,” (a six week acting course)
a short dramatic intensive called “Expresso,” a residential drama/development/holiday
in France – “The Heart of Drama,” and an outdoor adventure
week in North Wales, ”Into the Wild.”
He is a co-creator and leader of “The
Space” workshop : a laboratory for emerging leaders.
Most recently he has been involved in running Circling and human connection
retreats and facilitating Authentic Relating workshops internationally.
In his spare time he enjoys table-tennis, swimming, and writing fiction.
“I like to lead from a place that acknowledges the one-ness that exists
beneath our conditioned minds and I encourage an individual and intense exploration
of the inner world and its relationship to our daily lives. I am proud to be
a part of what I believe to be some of the most effective and ethical human
development work on the planet.”
Sam
Chittenden
Sam is the Director of creative development company Different Development, based
in Brighton. Her experience includes many years as a Board Director in the NHS,
& as an actor/director, writer & poet. She is fascinated by stories
and the characters that inhabit them.
Sam is the author of leadership textbook, Rhyme & Reason - The Poetry of Leadership. She hosts a variety of personal development workshops and retreats both in Brighton and in a remote farmhouse in Brittany.
"When I took the Mastery in 2007, I discovered a voice and a determination I didn't know I had, and this has led to my continued involvement. I continue to be fascinated by what participants discover in the space this workshop creates."
"The Mastery of Self Expression is a weekend of exploration for everyone involved. I am always bowled over by the creativity and passion shown by participants, and by the changes they choose to make in their worlds."
Jan
Castle
Jan is a professional coach and leadership facilitator who works with clients
and businesses throughout the UK and Europe. Her varied background encompasses
film making, mediation and visiting some of the most beautiful places on earth.
She first became interested in our ability to create and ‘be’ without
constraint in the 1990s when exploring the traditional art of the The Fool.
She went on to create her own workshops such as Live Your Dream and Walking
For A Change, helping people make empowering life changes.
“When I first attended The Mastery
I realised I’d found a workshop that explored the ‘edge’ I
experience in myself and see in others, between being a version of myself that
I imagine is acceptable, and fully showing up in all my wonderful, messy, creative
humanity. I am constantly moved and inspired at the workshops by what I see
as the powerful key to this work: unconditional acceptance - of self, others
and whatever emerges.”
Click here to see what they said about the Leaders
A personal experience of the work -- Adrian Longstaffe
I first participated in this workshop in 1982. At this stage of my life, I knew nothing of personal development but having, through my work in the theatre, met a group of people who seemed to be more alive, more authentic and more trustworthy, I did it because they recommended it -- which is usually the main reason that people undertake this work.
It was enormously challenging. I discovered I had to engage with things called feelings that I had tried to avoid for most of my life up until then. But it put me in the driving seat. It gave me an experience that life was not just something that happened to me but something I could engage with, create, take charge of. The journey that started that weekend has taken me through many exciting developments that eventually led to me becoming a therapist and workshop leader in my own right. My continuing association with the work has provided support, direction and a deep conviction of the essential sacredness of the human spirit.
Safety
Although it can feel scary at times, this is the sort of scary where another part of you actually knows you are completely safe -- a bit like the emotional equivalent of a roller coaster. I think most people who have been on a real rollercoaster can relate to that feeling you get at the very top when something says "what have I done this for -- I must be mad!" The workshop is bounded by a strict and explicit set of ethics, including confidentiality, which everyone, leaders, support staff and participants must sign up to before taking part in the workshop. This creates a level of safety which is then further enhanced by the workshop ethos of empathic support.
Caveat
Although it operates within an empathic and supportive ethical framework, the Mastery takes place at the level of personal development. It is not a therapy workshop nor a substitute for therapy. I think I can best explain it by saying that it starts from the point of "... yes -- I've got some problems -- but I'm coping -- and I want more out of my life." If your starting point is "I've got this really big problem..." then maybe the Mastery is not for you -- yet.
Logistics
The Mastery takes place over a Friday evening and weekend, followed by an optional evening 10 days later. Courses are limited to a maximum of 18 participants to ensure individual attention.
Dates:
November 10th-12th, 2023
Times:
Friday 5:30 p.m.- LATE i.e. possibly after 11 PM
Saturday 9:30 AM.- LATE i.e. possibly after 10 PM
Sunday 9:30 AM - 7.30 PM latest
Plus optional follow-up evening via Zoom – Wed Nov 22nd from 7-10 PM
Venue:
Factory 8
Upton Road
Southville
Bristol
BS3 1QZ
Cost structure:
Full fee: £245
Early bird: £196*
Retakes/reviews: £130
*If paid in full by 12th of October 2023
Click here for a printable booking form
Preparation
Prior to the weekend, you will need to learn by heart, a two minute piece (poem, song, dance, monologue, story, piece of music, mime etc) that you will use as a vehicle for your expression. Choose something that chooses you or which you feel passionately about. Not improvisation!
Learning it off by heart is important -- it means that you will be freer to experiment.
Mastery taster sessions*
Anyone who’s done the Mastery will tell you that it’s curiously difficult to explain quite what the workshop is and what makes it so unique and powerful. This is why most people who attend the workshop hear about it via word of mouth. With this in mind, we have scheduled taster evenings to which you can come along and talk to people who've done the workshop and enjoy some (fun but not compulsory) Mastery style processes.
The taster sessions may run online or live in Bristol.
Please get in touch with Jan for details and dates. (see contact details below).
One Participant's experience of the Mastery
Liz Headon attended the Mastery and wrote about her experience. Obviously everyone will have their own unique experience but we think her article gives a great insight to what it’s all about and the effect the workshop can have.
Click here for the article (downloadable PDF 30 K)
For more information please contact:
Jan Castle
07896 343981
jancastleuk@hotmail.com
Updated 22/05/23