Origin and Teachers of Our Work
The Midwest Institute for Forgiveness Training
The theoretical and practice foundations in all of our courses
are sourced from the transpersonal psychology model, Psychosynthesis
as developed by Dr. Roberto Assagioli
and refined by the experience of his student, Dr. Edith Stauffer
and her student, Mary Hayes Grieco.
Foundation: Transpersonal Psychology
Psychosynthesis
Psychosynthesis is an approach to human development initiated by Roberto Assagioli>> (1888-1974) beginning around 1910 and continuing to the present day.
It is both a theory and practice where the focus is to achieve a synthesis, a coming together, of the various parts of an individual’s personality into a more cohesive self.
That person can then function in a way that is more life-affirming and authentic. Another major aspect of psychosynthesis is its affirmation of the spiritual dimension of the person, i.e. the “higher”, “deeper”, or “transpersonal” self. This higher self is seen as a source of wisdom, inspiration, unconditional love, and the will to meaning in our lives.
Psychosynthesis is founded on the basic premise that we participate in an orderly universe structured to facilitate the evolution of consciousness.
A corollary is that each person’s life has purpose and meaning within this broader context and that it is possible for the individual to discover this.
Although Psychosynthesis is primarily used for psychotherapy, due to its universality it has been applied to many fields, including education, management, organizational development, politics and others.
Psychosynthesis has had a profound impact on the human potential movement.
For example, the use of guided imagery and the concept of subpersonalities within the context of Psychosynthesis have brought out an appreciation of their value and significance, to the extent that these tools are now in common use, not just by psychologists and therapists, but also by many other professionals and practitioners.
As you become acquainted with the insights and comprehensiveness of psychosynthesis, you may well find much that can enrich and empower your life.
“A psychology with a soul”
An Enduring Genius
Dr. Roberto Assagioli
Dr. Roberto Assagioli (1888 – 1974) was a brilliant psychiatrist who began his early studies in psychology at the age of 19 with Sigmund Freud.
He soon parted ways with Freud and psychoanalysis to develop his own theory of human health and wholeness.
His first exposition of Psychosynthesis theory was published when he was only 23, and he worked continuously on his transformational ideas until the time of his death.
No stranger to suffering himself, he endured privation and loss during World War II, including incarceration by the Nazis and the death of his only son.
Yet in his mature years he was a teacher to many students of psychology, and was known for his peaceful spirit, his great presence and wisdom, and the loving and humorous smile deep in his eyes.
Dr. Assagioli was respected and consulted by other great psychological minds of his day, including Abraham Maslow and Carl Jung.
His published works, Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Writings, and The Act of Will, are timeless, sophisticated works that map clear pathways to helping clients heal themselves and develop the ability to grow into their best selves.
He spent his final years in Vienna, where he continued to intensively train students from around the world who sought him out, including Edith Stauffer, in the summer of 1972.
For a complete biography of Dr. Assagioli>>
(in Dutch, let your browser translate)
Creator of Psychosynthesis
A Pragmatic Healer
Dr. Edith Stauffer PhD, LP
Dr. Edith Stauffer PhD, LP (1909 – 2004) Edith grew up on her family’s farm in Texas, and moved to California where she raised her two daughters, studied psychology and became a psychotherapist.
During the 1960’s, 70s and 80s there was an explosion of psychological/spiritual/human development theories and practices in California and elsewhere, and Edith’s training included, “literally, everything, dear.”
Dr. Stauffer actively practiced as a therapist and a teacher for over 45 years, wedding the best of modern psychology discoveries with her Texas farm girl “horse sense.”
Able to straddle science, spiritual esotericism, and everyday problem-solving, she found her true home in the work of Dr. Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis, and in her own pioneering Eight Steps method of forgiveness, which incorporated elements of psychosynthesis and universal principles gleaned in her spiritual studies.
Over the years, she taught classes in both psychosynthesis and forgiveness at California State University, as well as at the El Camino Counseling Center and at the High Point Foundation Retreat, both of which were founded and directed by her in the 1970’s.
In 1978 she incorporated as Psychosynthesis International, which continued to train students from all over the world, in person and at conferences and in a correspondence course, until 1996.
She met Mary Hayes Grieco in 1986, and the two launched on a ten-year-long apprenticeship to pass on the teaching of her work. Edith taught her last workshop with Mary when she was 88, and she passed away at age 95.
Inventor of our healing process
The Eight Steps of Forgiveness
An Inspired Teacher
Mary Hayes Grieco
“Be a light, or a lifeboat, or a ladder – help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house each day like a shepherd.” – Rumi
“When Liz emerged from the intensity of the session in which she forgave her minister for a sexual assault when she was young – her pain was completely gone. There was light in her eyes, and energy in her body, and she seemed to me like a fresh and full-blown rose.” – Mary Hayes Grieco
Since the earliest days of her troubled childhood, Mary Hayes Grieco felt a longing to learn how to help people deeply heal the wounds of life.
Her life path was checkered with a variety of losses and traumas, to the point that she wondered if she was “born unlucky.”
At age 32, after a fervent prayer to become healed and to be an effective healer for others, Mary met her mentor Edith Stauffer at a church retreat, where she recognized Edith as her life teacher, and teaching forgiveness as her life work.
Mary says, “I followed her around like a lovesick puppy, and somehow she recognized in me a future leader of her work. We shared the same birthday, October 24, and when she affectionately referred to us as “the twins” because we had so many odd commonalities, I felt so honored!”
Mary trained with Edith intensively for ten years, healing her own stories, helping her teacher at public workshops, and eventually teaching her own workshops, which she has done from 1989 until the present day.
Now, she frames her unfortunate life experiences differently: not bad luck, but rather a serious path of training for someone who is meant to be a master of forgiveness.
Mary’s talent with people and her gift in using this method to heal people quickly blossomed, and many doors opened to her to share this work. She trained professional counselors and the general public all over the US and in other countries. She taught at St Thomas University for four years and served on staff at Hazelden-Betty Ford Renewal Center for 16 years.
Click here for complete CV of Mary Hayes Grieco>>
Click here for a video about Mary’s life and work>>
With her gift for storytelling and her uncanny intuition in working with people, Mary’s forgiveness events are always memorable.
As Edith said once, “I see that you have really allowed your creativity to flow into this work, and you are taking it to a new level.”
In 2012, Mary synthesized her forgiveness wisdom gleaned in 25 years of practice in her book, Unconditional Forgiveness A Simple and Proven Method to Forgive Everyone and Everything, published by Simon & Schuster.
She also shares her forgiveness insights in a lively podcast, found at www.riseandthriveshow.com
Mary continues her work today and into the future, hoping to “be a light” well into old age, as her teacher Edith was.
Director and Lead Trainer
A Loving Community
A Pathway for Future Teachers of Forgiveness
Living, learning, and teaching forgiveness
is a spiritual path and a way of life
There is little that is more rewarding than being able to facilitate the healing experience of forgiveness, and to introduce others to this beautiful pathway for health and spiritual growth.
The Midwest Institute for Forgiveness Training is steadily cultivating the next generation of forgiveness teachers.
Our approach to training a new teacher is based in the classic relationship of an apprentice to a master teacher, and depends on that steady and trusting relationship and a patient, immersive approach to experiencing the miracle of forgiveness, again and again.
The training pathway for an approved teacher requires:
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An existing certification as a counselor, coach, or clergy member
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Attendance at 3 public forgiveness workshops
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Two cycles of the Self Mastery program, with Mary Hayes Grieco
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12 practice forgiveness facilitation sessions, with notes & oral de-briefing
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Assistant teaching at 3 public forgiveness workshops.
This learning journey has taken some people as short as 18 months to complete, and others 5 years. You learn at your own pace and with your ability to attend workshops, as they happen.
START NOW if you feel a call to become a forgiveness teacher. Call for an interview and to learn when the next courses are scheduled. 612-874-6622.
