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Institute for Self-Actualization
(isa) was founded by Ole P. Larsen in 1977 with the creation of
the isa Experience. Ole developed the isa Experience as a way of
sharing information he had learned while seeking a higher level
of awareness and a greater sense of balance and wholeness in his
life. The isa Experience is an intensive workshop that focuses on
"you" and explores how your perceptions and experiences shape your
world and the way that your life unfolds.
on, Ole observed both in himself
and in others, that even successful people were missing a sense
of satisfaction and contentment in their lives. Searching for answers,
Ole studied philosophy and literature at San Francisco State University
in San Francisco, California. Continuing his quest for knowledge,
he found a teacher in W. A. Nyland, a man who had studied with Gurdjieff,
an Armenian philosopher. Ole studied with Mr. Nyland for five years,
and discovered he could shift the way he looked at his life and
his experiences. When Mr. Nyland died in 1975, Ole continued practicing
the methods himself. People around him noticed that he approached
life differently and began asking him questions about his life,
and about theirs. He felt a responsibility to share what he had
learned and developed the isa Experience, a practical information
and experiential seminar, to pass on this knowledge.
facilitated the first isa Experience
with a small group of people, consisting of people who knew him
or had heard about him. These attendees shared the value they had
received from the Experience with their friends and family, and
soon there became a steady demand for the seminar. Graduates of
the isa Experience grew and formed a community of like-minded people
who were actively working on themselves to shift their life perspectives
and experiences in valuable and healthy ways. isa has continued
to grow over the years through word of mouth and people sharing
the value of the Experience and the isa community with others.
Ole Larsen's apprentice
of twenty years, is the President of isa. Born and raised in Colombia,
Luis moved to the United States when he was 18. He served in the
Army and then enrolled in the University of South Alabama, studying
Dentistry. While an undergraduate, he met a professor who was strikingly
different - full of joy and excited about life and his work. When
he questioned the professor, he learned about the isa Experience.
skeptical, Luis attended
the next Experience. He now says that, to his surprise, it was "the
best, the most important, weekend of my life". He felt as if a veil
had been lifted and he could see clearly for the first time. He
recognized that he was in charge of his life and could change all
the negative programming he had acquired. He also realized that
his desire to be a dentist came from his belief that earning a lot
of money would make him feel secure. At the Experience, Luis realized
that true security does not come from money, but rather from the
way he lives his life. He saw that others also received a genuine
and profound value from attending the isa Experience. Luis decided
then that he wanted to facilitate the Experience. After studying
with Ole for many years and putting the information into practice
in his life, he led his first isa Experience in 1989.
currently resides in Chicago
and facilitates about 40 events a year, including the isa Experience,
the Graduate Intensive Training, and other isa workshops. A worldwide
organization, isa workshops are held in Nashville, Chicago, Denver
and Detroit in the U.S.A., in England, Sweden, and now Australia.
In each city, a growing community of isa graduates network, encourage,
and support each other in continuing their personal growth. The
national and international isa communities are also connected via
many projects and events. In this way, the work begun in the Experience
is continued in the lives of the graduates.
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