Discovering Your "Secret Story": a Five-Day Workshop at Esalen.
Melinda Palacio -- March 31, 2006
Esalen has long been a spiritual haven for those in need of personal renewal or self- discovery. S.L. Stebel takes advantage of Esalen's dreamlike setting to offer a unique workshop for anyone wishing to write or discover that nagging story that creeps up whenever someone says, "you ought to write a book about that." Stebel, seasoned playwright, screenwriter, novelist and writing faculty at USC, shares his tools for harvesting your unique story by accessing your subconscious.
On the surface, Stebel's techniques are intuitive. What writer hasn't been awakened in the middle of the night with the inspiration for the right word, phrase, or idea? Stebel uses tried and true techniques to extract the hidden story from his students.
His techniques have made him a popular workshop leader at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference where he teaches the Advanced Dramatic Fiction Workshop. The "advanced" in the title shouldn't dissuade students from taking Stebel's workshop. To Stebel, "Advanced" only means writers are willing to drop all defenses, opening themselves to the possibility that by tapping into the collective unconscious, their work can be made better.
As a workshop leader, Stebel creates a safe place for writers to better learn their craft and receive feedback for their works in progress. Students are asked to share what they hear, instead of trying to collaborate with the writer and take over their story. By the end of the week-long conference, students who spend time in Stebel's workshop can answer questions for newbies with three simple words, "Read the book." Of course, they are referring to Stebel's book Make Your Subconscious Your Partner in the Writing Process and Double Your Creative Power. The Esalen workshop might use the same text, but the experience is completely different from Stebel's workshop at the SBWC or at USC, where he teaches writing in the MFA program.
"We actually put into practice all the concepts in the writing book for 6 hours a day," said Stebel. "Each person participates and people come out transformed. It's magical."
The writing retreat at Esalen has been a special teaching experience for Stebel and his wife, Karen Ford whose expertise in Stebel's methods places her somewhere between participant and workshop assistant. "I contribute when I can," says Ford. "Every once in a while, someone feels more comfortable coming to me because I'm a woman."
What's unique about Esalen's workshop has everything to do with the setting amidst ancient redwood and oak groves and dramatic cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since the '60's, Esalen has been a mecca for those needing to drop out and experience an alternate or zen reality, a unity with nature.
Stebel stresses that the five-day workshop, April 30-May 5 2006, is open to anyone. He delights in the variety of people who have attended. "People who show up, don't claim to be writers. They are creative. Some are writers. By the end of the week, they come up with a definitive work, a story. An intense version from deep inside them that usually they don't recognize themselves. It's their statement of being."
The added benefit of Stebel's journey to self-discovery and story is the advice on how best to market the work should participants choose to share their ideas with the public. However, the most important aspect of the Esalen workshop is the creation of a safe space or "magic circle", as Stebel calls it. Stebel expects all students to participate in the workshop and doesn't push publication as a goal.
Esalen continues to draw seekers from around the world. However, those willing to explore their subconscious and hidden story, must make a small sacrifice of time and money. The complex pricing system might baffle a few, as there are different tiers of pricing for various levels of material comfort, ranging from sleeping bag to private room. For those who've always sensed a story buried deep within themselves, five days and some money might be worth giving up to discover a hidden story.