Intimacy

What techniques will you be using in the group?
Everyone has had negative experiences in the area of intimacy: We have all been ridiculed, shamed and abused in some way or other. These feelings need to come up and be expressed. In the Humaniversity we have many techniques for this, the AUM meditation being one of the most famous. Flushing is another terrific technique for emotional release.

 Underneath anger and pain there is always love. Our love needs to be expressed as well, otherwise it just gets stale inside of us. I love working with dance, sensitivity, touch, breath, sound and movement. I have this idea that exploring yourself needs to be pleasureable and exciting too. There has to be some sense of risk and daring. There is nothing more exciting than going beyond your limits in a safe and supportive environment. It is called a break-through! Some people make big break-throughs and others small ones. The end result is friendship.

What does intimacy mean for you?
Intimacy means the ability to be really close with someone and becoming friends. In an intimate friendship you can drop your guard and become vulnerable. Trust happens and anger and fear can be put out and worked through, becoming a door to more love rather than creating resentments.

It is by becoming intimate with others that I learned to love myself. I needed to learn that I have a lot to offer. In the beginning I felt like a beggar asking to have his needs met, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Today I accept my needs and trust my ability to share myself with another human being.

Why are we afraid of intimacy?
Because we have all had experiences where we got hurt by someone we loved. Now, we protect ourselves from getting hurt by avoiding intimacy and our lives become grey and dull. In this workshop we will help you realize that love is the answer and what you actually are here on this planet for.

What can I expect as a participant of this group?
To get your belief system thoroughly shaken up! We create all kinds of rationalizations to protect ourselves from intimacy, such as “Oh, I don’t really need anybody”, “I am too busy with my school or career, I have no time!” or “I am too old by now…”. It is all bullshit and part of our armor, our defense system, once put in place because the pain was bigger than the pleasure. I want to help you replace outdated beliefs with this one: “Yes, you can!”

Anything else you want to add?
I grew up in a very christian part of Norway, where the motto was that it is not good to be too happy… ‘Intimacy’ was a bad word and actually never used… It gives me great joy to return to Scandinavia to show people that they are loveable and have a tremendous capacity for pleasure. I love to help people make intimacy a natural part of their everyday lives.