transformation and can bring up emotional pain and unresolved issues. This is not usually a
problem if the instructor has been well trained, has looked deeply into his own heart and mind, and
has good referral sources when needed. When suspending disbelief, challenging distorted thinking,
risking vulnerability and open-heartedness, students are required to make a leap of faith.
Ultimately it is faith in themselves but, in the moment, the faith is “borrowed” from the instructor.
Without profound conviction in the value of what is being taught, that is wholly based on personal
experience, the instructor may not inspire sufficient confidence and safety to make the leap from
the familiar and habitual into the unknown.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
(Lao Tzu)
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Ulco Visser of the Impact Foundation for supporting this work, and to Alan
Wallace and Paul Ekman for spearheading CEB.
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