It was a truly transformational experience. I also appreciated that even in a group setting, I was completely able to focus just on my partner and I, and how we deal with the challenges of coupledom. The Hold Me Tight Workshop was transformative. I am so glad I attended the San Francisco Hold Me Tight Workshop led by Michelle Gannon, PhD and Sam Jinich, PhD with my husband, We had been feeling disconnected and out of touch, and this workshop helped re-establish our connection and provided invaluable tools to ensure we stay connected into the future. Lifelong deep wounds were exposed and cradled and cared for in love and safety. We were able to have our own healing conversations. It was very validating to watch video clips, see examples and hear that other couples argue over similar things and in similar ways. This is sacred, fundamental and critical work. I have been taking workshops at Esalen for 30 years and my partner has been taking them for 40 years. Your knowledge, skill, sincerity and caring clearly come through in how you present EFT and how you work together. That's HUGE! more, Top Selling Tours & Activities in and around Brighton. The way home to a deeper connection starts right here! We used to say to each other, “I don’t understand.” Now we cannot stop telling each other how much we empathize! Thank You! A Hold Me Tight ® couples experience is designed to deepen your engagement and connection with each other. The workbook, material layout and pacing were expertly facilitated to cover the seven conversations. With the help of Sam and the other volunteer therapists, we were able to actually go through the entire process of forgiveness and heal some of our deepest wounds. 4.6 out of 5 stars. The Facilitators are experienced and knowledgeable relationship counsellors. We feel so grateful we found this Hold Me Tight Workshop and we know our relationship is deeper and stronger because of the work we are doing. Not only were other LGBT couples in attendance, but it was apparent to me that Michelle and Sam designed the workshop to be very inclusive. I sure was proven wrong. The Hold Me Tight Workshop is exactly what my girlfriend and I had been looking for without knowing it. We were in a rock-bottom place recently and our hope is restored and we are giddy around each other as if we just met all over again. Both Michelle and Sam were kind, real, approachable and made an otherwise awkward situation feel comfortable, warm and welcoming. Thank you for an amazing weekend. Sam and Michelle and their team of assisting therapists were very approachable and accessible. Based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) & Attachment. I have done many workshops so I have experienced this sort of thing before, but this was the first time my partner had ever done something like this, and the first time I had done a couples workshop. are not solved or resolved, we realized it is possible to be together in a loving and connected way. When we decided to take the Hold Me Tight Workshop at Esalen, Big Sur led by Michelle Gannon, PhD and Sam Jinich, PhD, neither of us felt our relationship was bad- we just wanted to make a good relationship better. Additionally, the retreat setting at Esalen Institute, Big Sur is also worth mentioning… Esalen is the perfect place to explore love and nurturance for yourself and your partner. It was so nice to know that there were EFT Therapists there if we needed the support. The idea of getting help over two days is appealing, but how does it work? In the past 10 years "Hold Me Tight", Dr. Sue Johnson's book about romantic love, attachment and relationships, has sold over 500,000 copies and been translated into 22 languages. Do not wait until your relationship is in trouble. The dynamic of human attachment is ancient “technology” which has helped mammals survive for millenia. Becca piloted the first Hold Me Tight workshop for Sue Johnson in 2008 before the facilitators guide was published. I never knew I was afraid to do this. We just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and we both wrote in our cards that things are better than ever. My husband and I really saw each other by the end of the workshop and knowing that it IS possible, makes us keep trying. We have already put into action several of the things we learned. Thanks for making a difference in the lives of couples and all of the other lives that they come into contact with and for pouring your hearts into your work! Fortunately for us, Dr Michelle Gannon and Dr Sam Jinich make this powerful work available and easily accessible to couples at their Hold Me Tight Workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. From the second we walked into the room, our anxiety of what to expect dissipated. You’ll learn from lectures, video examples of other couples & YouTube clips. Michelle and Sam did an amazing job of drawing a map to guide us into those dark places, and making it all feel OK. I need my partner to understand me. Another thing important to me in this workshop was the sense of safety I felt from working among other couples who were also working on their relationship at the same time and place. After 30 years of marriage,we wanted to celebrate and dive deeper into relationship. We were able to do the exercises in a positive way, moving forwards and closer to each other. I really believe that there is no greater gift that we can give to ourselves and the people that we love than the ability to learn how to be truly, vulnerably, authentically wholehearted. There were so many valuable points, insights and touching experiences during the workshop it would be impossible to recount them. All of the therapists who assisted us this weekend were so kind and non-judgmental, and along with the entire Hold Me Tight Workshop experience, we were both able to heal and forgive each other. Hold Me Tight Book Author of Two Books: Wisdom On Stepparenting: How To Succeed Where Others Fail Link: Wisdom on Stepparenting: How To Succeed Where Others Fail There were carefully selected movie clips and cartoons… I noticed they focused a lot of time on the “dance” couples get into … and then, concentrated their time on how to really REPAIR the emotional wounds. It was so helpful to realize our own opposite tendencies when trying to connect. We have tools to avoid the difficult times and more tools to navigate when we find ourselves stuck. It occurred to us it was the way the conversations were presented in a safe, encouraging, warm and humorous atmosphere. Feel the Love You Felt in the Beginning. They conduct the weekend with the right balance of research and examples with keen insight into the humorous side of the human condition. You and your partner will also be guided through the 7 Transforming Conversations described below. This is a BIG Deal. Imagine all the grief that he had bottled up the past 9 years. I thought that my partner was the "needy one" and I was "low maintenance". This model has achieved a 75% success rate. If I was upset about something I would rationalize that I shouldn't be that sensitive and usually I wouldn't bring it up unless I reached a boiling point and would explode over something and then apologize for my tantrum and let it all happen again. Thank you!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us start on the road to a happier journey. In this San Francisco Hold Me Tight Workshop with Michelle & Sam, my husband who thought it was distasteful to show needs and even admit that he has needs…was able to look in my eyes with tears in his eyes and tell me he loves me and will be there for me. Hold Me Tight Workshop showed me a new side to my husband of 25 years. This Couples Workshop with Michelle and Sam was the perfect environment for us to work on issues we have been dealing with for years. The Hold me Tight Workshop was unquestionably the single most helpful weekend my wife and I have spent together since getting married! Hold Me Tight Workshop was 100% as good as I expected it would be. Great job. Having the extra EFT-trained therapists on hand was comforting and not invasive. We then had a crisis in our relationship which led to a breakdown in trust and much pain. We had both read the Hold Me Tight book and knew our negative cycle, but neither of us could be the first to let down the walls and to be vulnerable to the other. Thank you for creating a safe place in which we could take such risks with each other. Every human being is worthy of and deserves to love and be loved wholeheartedly. She accepted my feelings and saw why I would feel this way and now we can see our cycle as the enemy not each other. If you are seeking to reignite your connection, need to work through injuries or simply keep your secure connection trending upward and are seeking tools to help you live a better, more loving life together, this is a safe and sensible seminar that can truly help you transform! In developing and sharing Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Dr Sue Johnson has shown us that what has always worked to keep mammal parents close to their babies is the same for romantic couples. We felt supported and respected throughout the whole process. Michelle and Sam provided very skilled, compassionate leadership throughout our few days together… You can really tell they have a heart and passion for this work and that transmits to the couples and the work we came to do. This is an incredible course for people who want a better relationship, pure and simple. Having said that… I was reluctant to give up an entire weekend to spend inside in a couple’s workshop. Your mixture of interpersonal discussions, written reflections, and your multiple modes of delivery of information spoke to us in many ways that were meaningful. They are superstars in focusing the conversations for each couple. Would thoroughly recommend. Thank You!”. We thank you very much. One of the most important things I learned at this workshop was how to recognize that I was not having a discussion with my wife, but was caught in a well-worn script in which I was not listening to what she said or sensing how she felt, but waiting for her to stop talking so I could go on blaming or criticizing. We really liked that we had a structured and guided workbook to help us to understand each other more. It would be hard to find a more empathetic, but knowledgeable team than Sam and Michelle. So your Hold Me Tight Workshop has reached out to more people than you think (macho men). We did not consider ourselves having big issues or problems. We will never forget you and all the lessons you taught us, your inspiration, and your help and support as we renewed our 10 year wedding vows rather spontaneously with all of you as our witnesses! Hold Me Tight Workshops; Hold Me Tight Online; Hold Me Tight Program / DVDS; Education Programs. From the very start, we both could tell the Hold Me Tight Workshop was going to be extremely enriching for our marriage. Upcoming Workshops / The Backdrop / Testimonials / Attend a Workshop / Hold Me Tight® Workshops Featured Workshop . Start Here. We have talked so many times about how powerful it was to have other couples around us going through the process on a similar deep level. As a man, I appreciate your clarification that emotional intimacy and physical intimacy work both ways and are equally important to being connected. We found the Hold Me Tight Workshop to be very beneficial, personally and professionally. We went into the weekend not knowing what to expect and we even considered backing out to spend the time just the two of us. We attended the San Francisco Hold Me Tight Workshop this past weekend with Michelle & Sam. After reading the book, Hold Me Tight, we both felt that the “Seven Conversations” might help many of our marital difficulties. 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