I would like to thank you, dear listener-viewer, for finding your way to part 1 of this most recent podcast entry to the Windhorse Journal. Our panel discusses the book Healing Discipline, which has just been published as an e-book on the Windhorse Legacy Project website. The book is an edited collection of a three-seminar series taught by Dr. Edward Podvoll at Naropa University in 1985-1986. This is an exploration of three core areas of interpersonal healing: dream work, authentic communication, and life transitions. It seemed fitting for me to write the introduction to this first part of the podcast, as it involves a discussion of both contemplative psychology and dream awareness practice as it relates to working with extreme states of mind. Both of these areas of investigation are very dear to me, having studied and practiced them over the years with some depth and dedication, and having recently written a sizeable paper on dream work in psychotherapy. So, it was to my great personal discomfort (even horror), that I found myself at a total loss for words on more than one occasion during the taping of this podcast, most notably during the discussion of the dream seminar! But having the opportunity to watch the unedited “rushes” before writing this introduction, I was struck by the care, kindness, patience, and gentle encouragement demonstrated by my fellow podcaster-friends. My “dream” after taping the entry was that I’d somehow bombed, failed in my ability to communicate an understanding of the material properly, and the encroaching nightmare was that I may have singlehandedly turned viewers off to this gem of a book that elucidates the kind of work we do at Windhorse so beautifully. But the truth is that I wasn’t that bad, and my pod-mates—perhaps because I was able to absorb and act out in a fumbling, twitching, stuttering manner their own personal anxieties and inner demons—spoke to the wisdom of this book with exceeding intelligence, radiance, and confidence. Although I don’t want to do another one of these podcasts for at least 5 years, it was really fun. Please enjoy our full-spectacle discussion of Healing Discipline. You won’t regret it!
Blake Baily
P.S. You may download Healing Discipline online by following this link: https://windhorseguild.org/publications
Edward M Podvoll, M.D., a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, founded the Contemplative Psychotherapy Department at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and directed it for twelve years. During that time he also founded and was the medical director of the Windhorse Project, a highly lauded treatment community known for its compassionate care. Dr. Podvoll had returned to Boulder after twelve years of Buddhist meditation retreat and resumed his training of the Windhorse Project therapists.
Jeffrey Fortuna, M.A., L.P.C., received his MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy at Naropa University in 1980, and served on the Naropa faculty until 1989. In 1981, he co-founded the first Windhorse center, Maitri Psychological Services in Boulder, CO. From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Fortuna founded and directed a Windhorse group in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1992, he co-founded Windhorse Associates, Inc., and served as Executive/Clinical Director. In 2002, Jeff returned to Boulder as a co-director of Windhorse Community Services,Inc. He retired from his co-director role in 2013, yet continues to serve as a senior clinician and educator. He has taught widely, and written a book chapter and journal papers in the area of Windhorse treatment.
Eugenie Morton, M.A., L.P.C., received her undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She earned her MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University in 1987. Eugenie has worked extensively in the filed of recovery since the 1980’s. She joined Windhorse Community Services in 1988 and currently serves as a Team Supervisor and Psychotherapist. Eugenie’s unique style, diverse experiences through travel, teaching self- defense, and her own lived experience provide a foundation for her work. She most enjoys working with women, emancipating youth, and those looking to build a fulfilling life that encourages our unique gifts.
Kathy Emery, M.A., L.P.C., is a 1980 graduate of the East/West Psychology program from the Naropa University and has been a practitioner of the Windhorse approach to working with others for over 30 years. She also is a former Adjunct Faculty member at Naropa and continues to engage in and contribute to the study and practice of Contemplative Psychotherapy, which is the ground of the Windhorse approach.
Blake Baily, M.A., L.P.C., BCPC, has worked and volunteered in the mental health field since 1987. He has a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Counseling from Naropa University. He has a certificate in Mindfulness instruction and Windhorse Intensive Psychotherapy training. Blake has been with Windhorse since 2002.
Chuck Knapp, M.A., L.P.C., a student of Chogyam Trungpa and graduate of Naropa University, worked closely for many years with Dr. Ed Podvoll, originator of the Windhorse Approach. Chuck was a founding member and later director of Friendship House, which was a publically funded residential treatment home for people with extreme mental states. In 1990 he co-founded Windhorse Community Services in Boulder, Colorado, where he served as a Co-Director until 2019, and currently works as a senior clinician. Through his published writings, presentations at conferences, and as co-founder and coordinator of the Windhorse Journal in 2018, Chuck continues to share his interest in exploring mindfulness-based therapeutic environments for both individual and social wellbeing.