Through the Intensive Journal ™ Program of Ira Progoff, PhD
.png)
Overcoming the Challenges
of Divorce
A classic tool using an integrated system of writing exercises for gaining clarity and awareness for your ongoing development
A 50 year track record of helping thousands reach their unique potential!
Workshops taught internationally (mostly online) by certified leaders under the auspices of Dialogue House
-
Clarity
-
Self-Confidence
-
Emotional Stability
- Self-Reliance
- Decision-Making
- Issue Resolution
Selected as one of the 65 most significant books on psychology and spirituality of the 20th century.
Source: Common Boundary, "Simply the Best," Jan - Feb 1999
Welcome to the Intensive Journal program!
Thank you for visiting our landing page
The Intensive Journal method has helped thousands of people develop their lives. Since our method is not easy to understand prior to actually experiencing it, I have provided a fairly extensive landing page that provides you with:
-
Background information on key principles of the method,
-
Dr. Progoff's statements that reflect his philosophy of self-development,
- A poem written by Dr. Progoff that reflects the profound nature of this work,
- Practical ways to develop your life,
- Article entitled, "Overcoming the Challenges of Divorce" By: Nancy-Elizabeth,
-
Highlights of Dr. Progoff's career,
-
Endorsements from participants,
-
Simple ways to learn more, and
-
Next steps for you to take in experiencing our method.
My goal is to give you a broad range of material that will help see the great potential our method has for helping you develop your life. I urge you to take the time to explore some of this valuable material - articles, audio, video of a sample Intensive Journal exercise, and more.
My hope is that you will want to learn more and join our mailing list to receive program updates and opporutnities to attend our 3 hour introductory sessions or full 2 day workshops.
At any point, you are welcome to call me at 330-998-6000 to discuss our method and program of workshops. My name is Jon Progoff and I am the director here at the Intensive Journal program.
I look forward to meeting you at one of our workshops!
WHAT IS THE INTENSIVE JOURNAL METHOD?
An Integrated Series of Writing Exercises
To access and connect with your emotions and experiences. Sample exercises cover personal relationships, career/special interests, life history, dreams and imagery, and spirituality.
Workshop Atmosphere:
Implementing Principles of Depth Psychology
Creates a progressively deepening environment working at a depth level away from your daily routine to become centered and access your inner process.
Work in total privacy in a non-judgmental and non-analytical frame of mind.
The Goals of the Program Include:
Get to know yourself better;
Develop the continuity and direction of your life;
Gain a foundation on your life as you work in its many areas;
Work through issues over time within the context of your life;
Become sensitive to using symbolic imagery as an integrated part of your life;
Develop the spiritual aspect of your life.
Practical Techniques for Working with the Deeper-Than-Conscious
Covers such areas as dreams, imagery, and spirituality;
Each area becomes an integrated part of an evolving life process;
Provide leads for creativity and insight about areas of life.
Apply Spiritual Disciplines
Stresses the importance of spiritual development as a component of overall growth: one of the four dimensions of the Intensive Journal workbook focuses on the subject of Meaning (Process Meditation).
Adopts a neutral set of procedures to connect participants with their beliefs, values, faith, or lack thereof.
Utilizes a reflective meditative approach for connecting with one’s true self.
Workshop Details
Certified leaders guide you step-by-step through Intensive Journal exercises;
Offered under the auspices of Dialogue House, the administrative headquarters for the work of Dr. Progoff;
Conducted primarily online through Zoom;
Typically 12 hours in length, spread over 2 days with breaks to pace the work;
Scheduled on weekends and weekdays;
Typical costs are about $225-$245 per 2 day workshop.
STATEMENTS FROM DR. PROGOFF ABOUT HIS APPROACH TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
My goal in creating Dialogue House is to provide a place where people can go to work privately in their lives using the Intensive Journal method. Then, after the workshop, they can use the Journal on their own, returning as necessary to the workshops.
Ira Progoff, PhD
CONNECT WITH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS TO DISCOVER THE REAL YOU
“The Intensive Journal process is our inner workshop, the place where we do the creative shaping of the artwork of our life.”
"Creative persons who reach out for the deeper mystery of reality... are also expressing their seed nature."
“The ultimate task of the new psychology is to reestablish man’s connection to life, to the sustaining forces beyond all intellectual doctrines."
"Events that seem to contradict one another all are part of the unity of process by which a life unfolds."
LEARN A TOOL TO USE THROUGHOUT YOUR EVOLVING LIFE
"The Intensive Journal process is an open-ended means of gaining a perspective on where you are in the movement of your life."
"People become sensitive to the elusive threads of their inner lives when they have a definite way of working with them."
WORK AT A DEEPER-THAN-CONSCIOUS LEVEL
"The method provides an indirect approach to solving our life problems ...we step back and move inward and meet them at a deeper level."
“Outward activity propelled from within is the essence of creative existence.”
ACCESS SYMBOLIC IMAGERY IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS
"The creative person is one who is able to draw upon the images within himself and then to embody them in outer works, moving inward again and again for the inspiration of new source material, and outward again and again to learn from his artwork what it wants to become while he is working on it."
CLARIFY AND DEEPEN THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF YOUR LIFE
"The meaning of life cannot be told; it has to happen to a person."
"Only an experience of a meaningful life can make a person whole."
"For many people the Intensive Journal process has evolved into a spiritual discipline that fulfills the creative role of awakening."
POEM
Wisdom of Life
by Ira Progoff
If I did not believe
That the wisdom of life
Is greater than my own wisdom,
I could not have survived,
But having survived,
It is more than a faith now,
A knowledge.
I know,
That, great as my wisdom is,
--Almost as great as my will and my desire--
Yet the wisdom of life is greater.
And, as I could not float upon water when I tried to,
Now I can float upon life
Without trying.
In this is my wisdom
And the wisdom of anyone
To know that I know not
How to carry the weight of my existence.
But the waters of life will carry it for me
In their wisdom.
That is the wisdom of life
From which comes all power
And the ultimate glory.
And the greatness of my wisdom lies
In letting life be wise.
Written by Dr. Progoff in 1972.
Practical Ways to Develop Your Life
The Intensive Journal method provides specific techniques through our integrated system of writing exercises to help you:
Connect with the many facets of your life
-
Access your experiences and emotions throughout your life to connect with the real you: your interests, talents, passions, and priorities.
-
Gain a perspective on the direction and continuity of your
life from which to develop the next steps forward.
Work through issues about your divorce
-
Intensive Journal exercises help you connect with the m any facets of issues you are facing in divorce and beyond. Our process can help you clarify your thoughts and how to
approach these matters.
Process the multitude of feelings inside you
-
Use Intensive Journal exercises to work through your wide
range of emotions to gain clarity and understanding.
Deepen your connection to personal relationships
-
Explore and perhaps enhance family relationships to gain
understanding from different perspectives. -
Work through sensitive issues to become better prepared
to discuss them with family members.
Define and clarify your priorities and values
- Define your priorities and values. Notice how they may
have changed, and their implications for your life. -
Answer the question: what brings you meaning?
Key Statements from
Nancy-Elizabeth's Writeup
"...one of the roles of the Intensive
Journal process is to bring to
consciousness thoughts and
feelings that had previously been
unconscious. With more conscious
awareness, I could act with less
reactivity and my actions could
be more beneficial to all."
"During the mediation, I found
my Intensive Journal workbook
to be an invaluable help....Writ‐
ing about my emotions at that
time also helped me stay calmer
and more focused in the sessions."
"I found that writing dialogues
would often give me insights into
another person’s needs and
motivations in a way that I could
be more understanding of them.
This understanding had a beneficial
effect on my emotions and our later
interactions."
Overcoming the Challenges of Divorce
By Nancy-Elizabeth
In her article, Nancy-Elizabeth shares how she used the Intensive Journal method throughout her life, including during the last few difficult years in her marriage, during the times around her divorce, and during the aftermath of her divorce. Her Intensive Journal workbook became her companion, helping her deal with the wide range of issues and emotions that she faced during these challenging times. Nancy-Elizabeth later went on to became a certified instructor in the Intensive Journal method.
HIGHLIGHTS OF DR. PROGOFF’S CAREER
.png)
“The focus of my work has been to provide methods which will enable people to work continuously in their lives. it gives an inner perspective to guide them through transitions, evoking creative potentials and drawing forth new sparks of spirit as they move towards becoming whole persons.”
Ira Progoff, PhD
Creator of the Intensive Journal Program
01
First American to Complete His Doctoral Dissertation on the Work of Dr. Carl Jung
Upon reading Dr. Progoff doctoral dissertation, Dr. Jung invited Dr. Progoff to study with him in Switzerland in the early-mid 1950s, with a focus on the latter works of Dr. Jung. Dr. Progoff’s dissertation was published as Jung’s Psychology and Its Social Meaning. He later wrote a book on Dr. Jung’s concepts of synchronicity entitled Jung’s Synchronicity and Human Destiny.
Dr. Progoff presented at the annual Eranos conferences in Switzerland from 1963-1966 with his articles being published in Eranos Yearbooks. Dr. Jung was intimately involved in these conferences prior to his death in 1961. Dr. Progoff published these articles in his book, The Dynamics of Hope.
02
Wrote a Trilogy of Books on Depth Psychology Describing His Theories of Human Development
The titles are Death and Rebirth of Psychology, Depth Psychology and Modern Man, and The Symbolic and the Real. These works formed the basis for creating the Intensive Journal method
03
Prominent Advocate for the Integration of Spirituality into an Overall Program for Human Development
Progoff wrote one of the leading introductory commentaries and translations on The Cloud of Unknowing by the 14th century anonymous monk as he describes how individuals can become connected to God.
04
Created the Intensive Journal Method in the Mid-1960s
Provides a practical way for people of different backgrounds and interests to develop their lives;
Implemented his theories of human development that he termed holistic depth psychology;
Served as director of his organization, Dialogue House Associates, the administrative headquarters for the Intensive Journal program
Taught internationally under the auspices of Dialogue House through its certified leaders.
05
Refined the Intensive Journal method; professor, lecturer and author.
Added a major section on spirituality (the Meaning Dimension to the Intensive Journal workbook) which he described in his book, The Practice of Process Meditation (this material is now incorporated into the revised edition of At a Journal Workshop (1992).
Conducted hundreds of Intensive Journal workshops nationwide as he refined and developed the method further. Workshops also conducted for low income staff at a geriatric center and for offenders in the criminal justice system.
Graduate school research professor at Drew University in New Jersey studying the lives of creative persons and the processes that made them creative and dynamic.
Well-known lecturer on a broad range of topics related to psychology and spirituality.
Author of numerous published articles on his philosophy of human development and the Intensive Journal method.
06
Authored Fourteen Books on
The Intensive Journal method;
Meditation (Entrance Meditation readings);
The work of Dr. Jung;
Depth psychology;
Mysticism.
ENDORSEMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS
Divorce Endorsements
The Intensive Journal workshops have helped me to stay in conversation with myself in the continuity of my life and as I evolve, especially after divorce when my heart -- as Rumi teaches -- had broken open more than I thought I could possibly bear.
I learned a new way to go within for my own wisdom, to have conversations with myself and conversations I'd never had with other people in my life and even with my ex-husband. The dialogue brought me more healing, closure, and self-compassion than I could have ever dreamed was possible. My heart has opened so much with these practices and brought to me a mantra/crystal (seven syllable meditation phrase used in the Intensive Journal program): "Claiming my authentic self." All of me, no part left out.
Elizabeth M Perpetua, DNP, ACNP-BC, FACC
Seattle, WA
“
I have been married and divorced twice. The Intensive Journal method gave me plausible reasons why the marriages didn't last. I had to reflect and understand my relationships with the women in my life - my mother, my sister, former girl friends, former wives, female work colleagues, and female casual friends. The method helped me to feel much better about myself and to still continue to have positive and healthy relationships and
friendships with women.
Cliff
San Francisco, CA
“
General Endorsements
“
The Dialogue House experience is a “must do” for anyone who wishes to explore their inner and outer life in relationship to their world, relationships, spiritual life and more.
Jessica Siegel
Oakland, CA
“
I cannot say enough good things about my experience in participating in the Intensive Journal workshop. The process brought me so much clarity on a number of relationship and situational troubling issues in my life. What is fascinating to me is that the program helped me to find the answers and clarifications within my own consciousness.
Len Jarrott
Santa Barbara CA
“
I came to the Intensive Journal method at a very difficult time in my life, shortly after my mother died. It was hugely helpful in enabling me to digest what was going on for me, and lovingly witness my own process. At the same time, it allowed me to connect with the larger themes of my life, and understand what I was experiencing in the context of my entire journey.
Now it is a trusted companion, helping me reintegrate forgotten endeavours, access hidden wisdom and move towards ever greater awareness, growth and coherence.
HB
“
The Intensive Journal program offer much more than I expected. I found a way to access my inner wisdom... The workshop helped with professional direction and transitions.
Anonymous
“
Transformative is a very mild word to describe the benefits I get from the Intensive Journal method. Every year, I come to the workshops and get a compass for my life. The process takes me both higher and much deeper than any other self-development practice I do. It gives meaning and compass to my life that comes from my own depths, which I find much more valuable, useful, and motivating than trying to get those from an external source. I am deeply grateful to everyone who works together to make this process available
Julie Cullison
SIMPLE WAYS TO LEARN MORE
We have many ways for you to learn about Dr. Progoff’s pioneering work in depth psychology and the Intensive Journal method. If you find our program of interest, we invite you to join our mailing list and consider attending an Intensive Journal workshop.
1
Read our two most popular articles
This article originally published in Psychology Today provides an excellent introduction to the program, describing the workshop experience and Dr. Progoff‘s unique background and philosophy.
The Intensive Journal Process: A Path to Self-Discovery, an interview with Ira Progoff, PhD by Kathy Juline Download PDF ↓
Dr. Progoff explains his philosophy of human development and key principles and aspects of how he implemented it in creating the Intensive Journal method. Dr. Progoff discusses the importance of each person connecting with their inner nature to realize their potential. He explains how the Intensive Journal method can help us achieve this goal.
“One of the goals of psychology is to help individuals to live and unfold the potentials of their being in terms of the wholeness of their inner nature rather than a partial or fragmented aspect of their outer lives.”
“The creative process in people’s lives takes time to unfold before they can truly realize their potential and know what their lives are trying to become. Before that occurs, people experience cycles of hope and anxiety, success and failure, confidence and uneasiness...
“The Journal provides an instrument that helps people to maintain perspective as they move from the valley of anxiety until they reach the upward phase of the cycle. They learn from these cycles of experience so their awarenesses are enlarged and new capacities are realized. They work through their cycles of experience to realize their potential.”
2
Listen to a portion of Dr. Progoff’s lecture entitled Non-Analytical Ways of Growth - Evoke Your Potential
Viewing your life in a different way can help you learn from your tensions, fears, and confusions. Describing the life process as a constant state of growth and change, Dr. Progoff shows you how his non-analytical, evocative approach can help you work through these issues and gain new perspectives into your life. Explains key concepts of the Intensive Journal method.
3
Purchase Dr. Progoff’s award-winning book At a Journal Workshop (Rev. Ed. 1992)
Describes each Intensive Journal exercise with background information. An excellent resource to use after attending an Intensive Journal workshop.
"One of the most significant psychospiritual books of the twentieth century."
Common Boundary Magazine Award
Common Boundary’s distinguished committee selected 65 books of the twentieth century which transformed individuals or impacted the fields of psychology and the nature of spirituality, or both. This list included leading figures from the fields of psychology, philosophy and theology such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, Martin Buber, Norman Vincent Peale, Carl Rogers, and Rollo May.
Dr. Ira Progoff was selected for his pioneering book on the Intensive Journal method - At a Journal Workshop (original edition 1975).
NEXT STEPS
1
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Receive program updates, including announcements of Intensive Journal workshops;
*Obtain a free copy of chapter 1 from Dr. Progoff’s primary book on the Intensive Journal program: At a Journal Workshop (Rev. Ed 1992)
*You should receive a response within 24-48 hours.
2
EXPERIENCE A SAMPLE INTENSIVE JOURNAL EXERCISE
3
TRY A 3-HOUR INTRODUCTORY SESSION FOR ONLY $25*
This is not a sales pitch; you are learning how to use the method. We let the Intensive Journal method sell itself.
By attending this session, you will have a much clearer idea of what the Intensive Journal method is and whether you want to register for a full Part 1 - Life Context Workshop (LC): Gaining a Perspective on Life, a 12 hour program.
To register for a 3-hour session: Register Now
* The $25 rate applies where Dialogue House is handling the registration and includes the registration button on this page. Other organizations that are hosting a 3-hour introductory session may charge different rates and involve a separate registration process.
4
ATTEND AN INTENSIVE JOURNAL WORKSHOP
The workshops are listed on our website. Most are online through Zoom; we are offering a limited number of in-person programs at retreat centers. You will receive announcements about programs that are coming up.
5
QUESTIONS? CONTACT US!
Contact us at 330-998-6000 or at info@intensivejournal.org for additional information.
6
LET'S BE FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We have put a great deal of material on our Facebook and Instagram pages, including statements from Dr. Progoff, participants and other notable people in society.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can listen to sample portions of Dr. Progoff’s Entrance Meditation readings, his lectures, and interviews. Listen to the content of articles that have been converted to audio.