ABOUT MY WORK
OCTOBER 27-29
AUSTIN, TEXAS
LIFE FORCE is the spirit that animates you, the source of your power, vitality, wisdom, and strength.
When this energy is flowing through us, we feel powerful, connected, creative, capable, confident, and alive.
And yet most of us hold back our Life Force.
Why? Why are we afraid to fully express ourselves? To take risks. Be great? Go after what we want?
It’s because you made a decision a long time ago to never risk being vulnerable again.
It was an unconscious decision, a decision you probably don’t remember making, in reaction to something that happened to you as a child that was overwhelmingly painful.
So painful you resolved to never feel it again by refusing to do anything that might bring about that pain.
So you vowed to:
Never show the truth of who you really are.
Never ask for what you need.
Never open you heart.
Never trust.
Never be here all the way.
It was the perfect way to protect yourself and regain some control at a time when you were powerless.
The problem is, that decision is still running your life.
With vigilance.
So when you move toward expansion, growth, abundance, love, and connection, that part of you wakes up, believing you’re in danger, and shuts down your energy through procrastination, addiction, isolation, avoidance, perfectionism.
But it’s really just fear.
Fear of being hurt again.
This workshop is an invitation to confront and transform everything that’s holding you back.
Using the somatic techniques of Core Energetics and the power of the group, we’ll help you access, express, and liberate the suppressed emotions that have kept you from realizing the full potential of your power, creativity, and love.
“Run from what's comfortable.
Forget safety. Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation. Be notorious.
I have tried prudent planning long enough.
From now on I'll be mad.”
RUMI
This workshop is an opportunity to find out who you are when you’re don’t hold anything back.
For three days, we'll help you uncover and express the unconscious emotions keeping you from your full expression.
You'll explore the depths of your shadow and the immensity of your light.
You have something to say. Something to contribute. Something you long to give to this world.
And until you start giving it, you’ll stay stuck in frustration and resentment: a victim, mediocre, purposeless.
YOU WILL LEARN...
YOU WILL EXPERIENCE...
• How and why you suppress your feelings.
• How emotional blocks create negative thought loops.
• The source of your self-destructive patterns.
• Practices to understand and regulate your emotions.
•The freedom to feel and express everything you've been holding back.
• Mind-blowing revelations.
• The depth of your shadow.
• The power and purpose of your light.
"There’s something different about Dave. About how he shows up in the room, about how he guides you toward the places you may not be seeing in yourself, about his wisdom, and about his trust in your wisdom. I found there’s an electric quality, a spark of aliveness that is ignited in how he cultivates this work. I’ve done multiple workshops with Dave and each time was brought into deeper connection with myself. There’s room for everything from the primal to the tender. The invitation is to step into your vulnerability and you’re met with open arms. There is a transformational quality with this kind of work and Dave takes that to a whole new level."
MIKE HOWELL
MY INTENTION AND PHILOSOPHY
I serve as a guide for people to discover and connect to their deepest gifts.
I help uncover the false assumptions and limiting beliefs that keep us from understanding and claiming our full power.
I work to confront and integrate the shadow, the hidden part of us that wants to withdraw from life, stay separate, judge, and hate, with the awareness that these self-destructive impulses are protecting our deepest vulnerability.
I believe in the collective wisdom of groups and the healing power of relationships and community.
My workshops are co-creations. I encourage participants to not hold back, to speak their truth, and to risk expressing everything inside them.
I teach empowerment through self-responsibility. This means letting go of blame and taking ownership of our feelings, reactions, and circumstances.
I believe we are here to serve life, to support the evolutionary process, and that our fulfillment comes from feeling we are a part of, and contributing to, the growth of the whole.
Darius Basher describes his experience at the
Men's Intensive on his podcast "Heart To Mouth".
WHAT IS CORE ENERGETICS?
Core Energetics is a dynamic body-based process that works with our unconscious resistance to being fully alive and present. It was developed by John Pierrakos in the 1970s, evolving out of his work with Alexander Lowen.
Core works with the body as a means of exploring the unconscious mind. Physical techniques are used to support the expression of held-back feelings, with the intention of bringing consciousness to them.
The liberation and integration of these feelings brings greater awareness, presence, self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and a renewed connection to the physical, emotional, and spiritual vitality that is our birthright.
WHY MEN'S WORK?
For generations, men's role in the culture was clear and well defined: lead, support, provide and protect.
But as society has changed, and gender roles have undergone a revolution, many men feel confused and uncertain about their place in the world.
Masculinity, once defined by nobility, strength, courage, and perseverance, has come under attack.
In response, we’re being told we must change: men need to be softer, gentler, less aggressive, and more in touch with their feelings.
Yet at the same time, the challenge to "man-up" and the pressure to succeed in a fiercely competitive world is as strong as ever.
These mixed messages, and a generation of boys raised without strong role models, have left men in a crisis. We're falling behind at every level of education. There's an epidemic of addiction to drugs, alcohol, and pornography. Suicide rates are at disturbing levels. Too many men are living aimlessly without purpose or meaning, feeling lost and isolated.
Now more than ever, men need brotherhood, support, and accountability. And places to unburden their shame, express our rage, feel our pain, and reclaim the power and goodness of our true masculine essence.
The anger in the culture is a call for men to stand up and show up in a new way. Powerful men and healthy masculinity are essential to a balanced, thriving, and peaceful society.
This "new masculine" is not a repudiation or denial of our ancestral traditions, but an integration of old and new: strong, wise, loving, tender, fierce, powerful, and creative.
It's time, once again, for men to take responsibility for our lives, to align ourselves with our deepest truth and good intentions, and bring our gifts to the world in humility and service.
“I’m a successful entrepreneur who on paper has everything: marriage, startup, friends, etc. But still, I was unhappy. And I couldn’t figure out why. So I signed up for the Mens Workshop. I didn’t really know what to expect…it’s physical, it’s emotional, it’s intense...to be honest, I didn’t always feel comfortable. And I guess that's the point...to leave the comfort zone and get to the root cause. I have to say, this workshop is not for people who only want to scratch the surface. It’s tough! And that’s why it works! In just two days David AND the group of men helped me to feel and frame what’s wrong for me. I haven’t FELT so clear, understood and thankful in a long time.”
THORSTEN BOREK
David Sutcliffe is a Somatic Practitioner, Certified in Core Energetics, trained at the Radical Aliveness Institute of Southern California and Institute of Core Energetics in New York City.
He has been leading groups, workshops, and trainings for 12 years.
In 2008 he directed and produced the Documentary Series Group, about a one-week Radical Aliveness retreat.
In a former life, he was an actor best know for his role on the classic TV series "Gilmore Girls."
Born and raised in Canada, he currently lives in Austin, TX.