Human Awareness Institute

I attended my first HAI workshop during a time of personal crisis. The subject matter of Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality fit the description of the areas in which I needed growth and guidance I attended a 2-​hour mini-​workshop to check them out. I highly recommend this. The exercises were different and challenging for me. I was out of my comfort zone. I felt awkward and out of place at what to me seemed like woo woo, touchy feely stuff. AND it felt like it was just what I wanted and needed at the time.
The first weekend workshop I attended was very powerful and difficult. I found release, comfort, and support. I am thankful that I took a chance and attended as it started me on an exciting journey of growth, healing, and connection.
I have now completed 5 weekend workshops. Each workshop was heart opening, mind opening, and challenging its own way. I had many wonderful experiences and a few difficult ones. There were some times when I felt like I had had enough. It is a lot like life in that way. There is always something to learn from every activity. Most of the people I interacted with during the workshop seemed to be the right person at the right time for me. I am still amazed at how that worked.
The facilitators are very insightful. They provide very thoughtful guidance and support.
HAI has made a positive and lasting impact on me. One of the greatest benefits is the close friendships based on love, compassion, and acceptance that I have co-​created.

I am beyond grateful for the transformation that has occurred inside me and in my life as a result of the deep personal growth work that I’ve done with the Human Awareness Institute (HAI). When I walked into my first HAI workshop, I felt, as I had always felt, very small, very disempowered, to be honest, pretty lonely, and, in general, at a loss as to what I wanted for myself, and certainly how to make it happen.
There is so much warmth and loving energy at the workshops, so much support and attention paid, the facilitators are all incredibly skilled, such that it feels very safe in that environment to explore our patterns; the way we think about things; the way we connect with other people; and, most importantly, our relationship with ourselves.
Having now participated in all nine levels of the workshops, I hardly recognize myself from the person who walked in that first day. It is nothing short of miraculous that I now feel confident, joyful, in touch with who I really am and what’s important to me … that I’ve learned to open my heart so that I can now truly love and I have the willingness to receive love in a way that seemed impossible to me before. I’ve learned how to stand up for myself, to state and honor my boundaries, to make conscious choices, and to allow myself to feel and express my true self with freedom and passion.
The workshops are also a lot of fun, full of exercises that allow us to feel, on an experiential level, what respect is; what it’s like to be treated with compassion, without judgment; to listen to each other and to be heard; to use communication styles that are effective, honoring and loving. I have met incredibly wonderful people in these workshops, because most people who attend are there to learn how to feel better in the world and, in turn, make the world a better place, one interaction after another.
The facilitators of the workshops are masterful, wise, compassionate and loving. They have and continue to be my greatest teachers. The support team (those who help out at workshops) is solid and acutely present. The food is fabulous. The venues sit amid staggering natural beauty. I have made life long friends and continue to discover my potential. I can’t recommend enough the workshops of the Human Awareness Institute. I feel blessed to have found them.

This firm has been lurking on the American scene since that movie «Bob, and Ted, and Carol, and Alice.» That scene where everyone is meditating in the nude on a California hillside sure looks like the predecessor to what goes on today. A lot of their material comes from the Zegg social experiments that happened in Germany and it’s American successor, The Network for a New Culture.
Some of their material also comes from Eric Berne’s «game theory» of human interaction. He started that with his book «Games People Play» and further developed it into Transactional Analysis. The non-​verbal communications exercises are rather standard fare that one could learn at acting school in Hollywood.
The Institute has had to modify its curriculum considerably since its inception in 1984. This has happened mainly for marketing reasons. The initial emphasis on sexuality has turned off women from participating. They now emphasize intimacy, though that is at a rather physical, sometimes emotional, level.
As I learned many of its trade secrets through my own life experiences, I wanted to see if they would «put their money where their mouth is,» to wit, would they cooperate with me on helping open up more honest human communication. The management has stonewalled me when it has come to my attempts to cooperate with me and thus bring forth my large fund of knowledge on things psychological.
In fact, the local management slipped and let out their opinion that they liked seeing their new students come in naïve. They also swear their participants to secrecy; that could give rise to criticisms of «being a cult.»
I have found that the management and many of the grads still relate with the «parent-​child» relationship dynamic rather than transcend dominance and submission, to wit, relate to each other and to the author as two adults.
I could say a lot worse being that after ten years being a «grad» only to have the management revoke that status, and their imposition of a lifetime ban on any of their events. However, I want to show my own emotional maturity and keep my cool about reviewing this organization.
The management has never stated any clear reason, nor presented any factual evidence as to any «violation of confidence» that it alleges I committed, ever after repeated requests that I have stated in a civil manner.
Also, upon examining public financial information, I wonder why this organization, with an operating budget of $ 1.2 million a year is sitting on $ 300,000 cash.

The Human Awareness Institute is a 501©(3) non-​profit organization originally founded by Stan Dale in 1968. Ever since, HAI has been honing, practising and communicating a rich curriculum of life skills centered on love, intimacy and sexuality, in warmly, safe, beautiful, relaxing environments all over the world, now centered on its main site at Harbin Hot Springs in northern California. The format of the workshops are week-​end retreats spanning Friday night through Sunday night, with many participants choosing to stay over to have breakfast together, off-​workshop, on Monday morning too.
As a former startup geek surfacing in Silicon Valley, I see HAI as one of its best kept secrets, a rich gem in its crown and a recipe for disrupting lacking foundational beliefs of western society at large. The scope and agenda of HAI is well captured by its mission statement, without being daunting to you as a workshop participant — to the extent it does change the world, it does so one person at a time — through that person’s own growth, at choice:
«The Human Awareness Institute (HAI) empowers individuals to be potent, loving, contributing human beings. HAI promotes personal growth and social evolution by replacing ignorance and fear with awareness and love. HAI aims to create a world where people live together in dignity, respect, understanding, trust, kindness, compassion, reverence, honesty and love. The Human Awareness Institute is committed to creating a world where everyone wins.»
HAI is a magnet for those emotionally affluent who invest in their beliefs, emotions, and humanity, interested in the power of connecting at all levels, provides, models and conveys the tools — and community — for doing so at deeper levels. In a perhaps-​unwise move, the community calls its by now a dozen workshops «levels», incidentally — which I believe, combined with the working and well-​reasoned asks of protecting the integrity of other participants, and the detailed content of the workshops, sometimes lends them an air of being a sect to outsiders. Little could be further from the truth.
There is an art to replacing ignorance and fear with awareness and love, and having done all nine Love, Intimacy and Sexuality workshops, their two couples workshops and a tenth not-​yet-​in-​the-​series one, I would say that not having false beliefs about understanding what the contents are, how I would react to it, or if I could embrace, integrate and achieve any of it in my life or on site is core to making it work for everybody. Not even needing to know what that ignorance and fear was in myself upfront is a mere side bonus.
Over the years since I discovered HAI in 2009, HAI has been a go-​to zero-​planning-​overhead kind of recurring vacation I recharge my batteries in, whenever I need to fill up and feel like surrounding myself with sufi wisdom, love, and really attuned people. The only logistics I need to figure out are freeing up a weekend, getting myself there and back, and through the generosity and helpfulness of the community, the latter two can often be bridged fairly easy, joining other participants or even workshop assistants for the ride, whether I have my own means of transportation or not.
I can trace notable parts of my core life skills of today to the loving temporary autonomous zone all the HAI workshops establish for growth and life apprenticeship, and with everyone I care about the same opportunity.

I was an isolated wallflower until I went to the Human Awareness Institute workshops. Through that experience my life was transformed. I learned relationship skills that enriched both my personal and professional life. I was enabled to find and retain my life partner for over 20 years. Before taking the workshops I lived my life in black and white, whereas now I live it in color!

3 ½ Stars
Where to begin. .. I do like the Human Awareness Institute [HAI] and the 9 primary workshops they offer called Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality [LIS] Levels 1 – 9. The founder, Stan Dale, was a tremendous visionary to have created these workshops in 1968.
The Mission Statement:
«The Human Awareness Institute [HAI] empowers individuals to be potent, loving, contributing human beings. HAI promotes personal growth and social evolution by replacing ignorance and fear with awareness and love.»
«HAI aims to create a world where people live together in dignity, respect, understanding, trust, kindness, compassion, reverence, honesty, and love. The Human Awareness Institute is committed to creating a world where everyone wins.»
After completing LIS Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, I can unequivocally say the workshops themselves goes a long way to helping individual participants achieve alignment with HAI’s stated mission.
All the LIS workshops for Northern California are conducted at the Conference Center on the grounds of the Harbin Hot Springs Resort in Middletown, California (north of Napa County). HAI is an international organization that conducts LIS workshops throughout the U.S. and around the world.
HAI workshops are not for the faint of heart, nor are they for shy people. LIS levels challenge your notion of self awareness. I think LIS largely are forums and a fervent medium for personal traumas, beliefs, and fears to be aired out and dealt with if you are brave enough. Whatever issue or psychology you may have surrounding Love, Intimacy, and Sexuality, there are numerous chances to work to resolve them in the various exercises and social interactions designed into the courses.
As I personally have spent my entire lifetime developing my awareness and consciousness to cosmic heights and beyond, I had hoped in a vanguard socially progressive organization like HAI, there would be lofty souls of the spiritual as well. There are in fact a few individuals that are; But, for the most part, I find the organization and community ONLY socially and sexually progressive.
The HAI support community is riddled with individuals who have many conflicting patterns of double standards and reflect their limitations onto others, just like in the real world. The beautiful bubble of emotional safety and love created in every LIS workshop is not practiced in the «business operations» behind the scenes I have found.
Just like in the outside world, there are individuals with power in HAI who can only make decisions with what skills and abilities they possess. Unfortunately, these mostly volunteer positions are filled with people who fall prey to the very ignorance that the HAI mission statement aims to rise above from.
Another very positive part of HAI is their front office staff; The people who answers the phones, the people who really are the «Face of HAI» for first impressions. KerryAnn Laufer has always been friendly, kind, professional, and a very special person. If you call the Northern California office you will likely be fortunate to speak with KerryAnn. The HAI Global Headquarters/​Northern California Office is in Petaluma, California, just next door to my home.
HAI LIS Workshops — 4 ½ Stars
Harbin Conference Center & Food — 4 Stars
HAI Facilitators — 3 ½ Stars
HAI Assistant Community — 1 ½ Stars
HAI Office — 4 ½ Stars
What I do find exceptional about most HAI people and particularly about the HAI Facilitators (LIS Leaders and Directors of HAI) is their willingness to love and to express love. If there is one thing that I absolutely appreciate from anyone, it is affection, whether it be with words, eyes, touch, or action.
There are no shortage of hugs at HAI. .. and I’m happy to get some of those.
Review 0115

They have incredibly great workshops on love, sensuality and communication. I highly recommend them. Not only are they great workshops, but they are also safe and supportive. You can also sign up for a free mini-​workshop of a few hours just to see what they are like. Just go to their web site «Human Awareness Institute».

HAI does incredible work around heart and sensuality. These are intense and beautiful workshops. They hold a very safe space and always honor the individual choice of the participants. I have benefited tremendously from the four workshops I have done with HAI.

These workshops completely changed my life! This was the California I came to find. I learned more about myself in them than I ever have anywhere else. The communication skills I have learned changed my personal relationships and my business relationships. I am a 100% better person because of these new insights. And I met my new life partner here! Workshops are located throughout the SF Bay Area and throughout the world.
Update 10/​16/​2006: I just came back from the most amazing workshop! Learning to clearly speak my mind, to recognize which parts of my mind were self-​limitng and which parts were open to new growth, learning to relate to other people in an open, loving, nonjudgemental way, remembering to see the divinity in everyone, were some of the lessons and reminders I drew from the experience. The workshops have helped me communicate, have changed my way of looking at myself and other people, and have given me confidence and serenity. I am feeling full of praise and gratitude today!