I was told by the intake coordinators when I spoke with them prior to registering and after registering (there is a mandatory call) that this program was different than it ended up being and I'm very dissappointed in the lack of followup or follow through. For an organization that claims to be values based there is a lack of integrity here. A few things to note: you are forced to share your very personal information with strangers and then expected to work with them one on one (holding space for one another like a therapist); this is unsafe on so many levels and was not at all the program I was expecting. you are not allowed to be quiet, they call on you by name and shame you to take part in every exercise even when you are clearly processing and need a minute, there is no allowing of someone going at their own pace through a practice or waiting a few min to share, it felt forced and too forceful for a healing experience. the teachers are completely disconnected from the organization and so what you are told by one doesn't align with the other. the sales people at the organization level have no idea what actually happens in the course. the reasons I attended (what I wrote in my intake very clearly were my goals) were not addressed at all, this course tries to delve into childhood issues and parental issues and if you have done your work there already you are just dredging up the past stuff you have already worked through. It's basically a combination of various other courses offered, I found nothing new (they make you sign something saying their course is unique and proprietary - not true at all). Not a single practice was unique or new for me and it was very basic healing work meant for people new to even the basics of somatic processings, NLP, hypnotherapy, etc. In fact some of it was straight out of best-seller books I've read. Very disappointing. I'd save my money and do one on one healing work or an NLP course personally. read more

I would also say that similar to DARE programs which often introduce kids to drugs instead of sheltering them from it the hp introduces a lot of very harmful topics. For example when I was there they ascribed to the concept of emotional incest( maybe like what Marty in the old film experienced with his mom) but that's just such a toxic term. No family dynamic should be discussed in terms of incest. And if you are young when you are doing it ( I was about 22) you get exposed to a lot of middle aged peoples issues. I was in a series of disfunctional relationships in my 20s and 30s and I feel like the seeds of my sense of healthy boundaries being torn down was started w Hoffman, my experiences there made relate a lot to the Paris Hilton documentary though Hofmann was not as coercive or dramatic. Again sorry to ramble on but I would proceed w caution. Also I think maybe baby boomer wouldn't have had such a negative experience maybe it was aimed more at them. I will say that my godmother who was fanatical about the self help stuff turned from someone who was my absolute favorite person as a child to some I see as a manipulative font of psychobabble as an adult totally undergrounded in reality.I don't recommend if you want to do new age stuff yoga or meditation is prabably much better. read more

"If you're down, and troubled, and need a helping hand.." sang Carole King - then this is the place to go to. For one long week you will learn to heal your body, intellect, emotional self, and spirit. You will actually forgive those who have hurt you, and more importantly, truly forgive yourself. You will learn tools and strategies to approach life differently and maintain self-love and self-compassion. It's a mix of lecture, gestalt, group exercises, self reflection, journaling, guided interaction, meditation, and play. I found it very, very helpful. It's pricey and no cell phones or outside contact (i.e. Real world Withdrawal).You can ask for financial aid. The sulfur spring stinks, but Napa Valley is beautiful. The food is healthy and four-star quality. read more

The best personal/spiritual growth experience I can think of. I highly recommend this program to anyone having a range of life experiences including lack of joy, difficulty finding direction/meaning/satisfaction in life, difficulty connecting with others, feeling controlled by fear or other unpleasant patterns... the website can explain more than I can. But the point is, they do a marvelous job... if you can get over yourself enough to participate in sometimes cheesey activities. Hey, whatever works. It's one week of life that lasts. http://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/ read more

A life changing experience that is one of the most valuable life experiences I've had. My husband and I have both gone and both feel it was worth the money and something everyone would benefit from. Don't let fear keep you from going, you won't regret it. read more

Hoffman has transformed my life. What an amazing process. If you are thinking about going to the White Sulphur Springs location, make sure NOT to stay in the smelly, dorm-like, rooms, that they call the "carriage house." Its shared bathrooms and dirty rooms that smell like sewage. The food was amazing. Otherwise, a beautiful location and unbelievable process. read more

Hoffman was recommend by a therapist when I was separated from my husband 10 years ago. It's not that I didn't get anything out of the program, it's that it was the wrong program for a woman who wanted to save her marriage. In short it was bad advice to attend during a separation. Hoffman offers ZERO help for a woman who is separated or unhappy married to turn her life around. I found a program that is really what I wish I had known about back then. I'm sure I would still be married, and it would have saved me tremendous pain, upheaval, stress, and innumerable burdens. I am now remarried and I have a wonderful husband, who I adore. I found a marriage program after feeling like some of the old patterns were coming up again that derailed my first marriage. The program I'd recommend for a woman who wants to work on her marriage, or even is on the fence, even if he's cheated, is The Empowered Wife by Laura Doyle. It's a podcast, book, and coaching program. It's the most amazing transformation I've ever encountered for women and I wish I'd found it sooner. read more

The only reason this organization receives 2 stars instead of 0 stars is because staff members do seem to care. The program, however, falls far short of its stated goals. The program has been condensed from 10 days to 6 days, which is too short to have access to advisors and which provides little time to put practices into practical application and obtain enough sleep to be rested enough to absorb and participate in activities. This is a program that dabbles in the human spirit and provides little support for applying "concepts". --feels like a bunch of amateurs messing with the human soul without really knowing what they are doing. Personally, I feel the human spirit is far too precious to be dabbled with in a 6 day amateur group therapy session with 39 strangers --none of whom receive the time and effort they deserve--esp for the price and the promises. I cannot recommend this program. I attended the program in California. Extremely disappointed. read more

i never thought that going away for 8 days could change me forever. i finally love and respect myself. it's difficult to explain what it actually is, but it was worth every cent. i'm recommending it to everyone! read more

I can not say enough great things about the Hoffman Institute. I went in hopes of addressing long standing barriers to success that had been living in my emotions and intellect since I was a kid. I removed those barriers and many more that I was unaware of or were of less concern. My level of sensory awareness has been enhanced, my compassion for myself and others is immense. I am confident I can achieve anything I put my mind to. My experience of love......for my lover and my children, my parents and other family members......is transformational. Dare I say, it is a natural high? The 8 day Process is meticulously organized and executed.....no detail is overlooked. Your only job is to focus on recognizing the patterns in your life that are not working for you and dealing with them in a way that feels complete. This is achieved through multiple venues including, among others, dialogue, visioning and physical exertion. You are generally engaged in "the work" from 8:30 am until 9pm with breaks for lunch, dinner and snacks and short walks. It is exhausting, but in a good way. The clarity achieved is unbelievable. Your entire being....body, intellect, spirit, and emotional self are nurtured and cared for. You are served delicious food. You are encouraged to sleep at least 8 hours a night. The food is delicious.Your experience and progress are monitored by a teacher who knows you well (they know you well because the intake information you provide before arriving takes you 8 to 10 hours to execute....it is all encompassing. And did I mention that the food is delicious! Each and every day is organized around eradicating what is not working in your life and teaching you the tools that will help you keep your life in balance and on the path of your choosing. The end result is almost indescribable. I was walking around marveling at the world just after finishing the Process and thought to myself, if I were in Big Pharma, I would be trying to invent a pill that made me feel this way! This is what life is supposed to feel like! I found joy and lost despair. I found compassion and lost anger. I found love. I found myself and lost what was not me! Don't think about it. Just go. read more

I've dabbled in new-age self-improvement movements throughout my adulthood (I'm 67 now). Living in San Francisco, it's almost hard not to do that,even though I tend to be generally skeptical of such solutions to one's emotional issues. Of them all, the Hoffman Institute's offerings have been by far the most effective and have helped me both excel in parts of my life and weather emotional crises in others. I first went through their 8-day process in 2007 and six years later I'm still free of two of the bad habits/addictions I had at the time that went away as byproducts of the process, i.e. I did not focus on them during that 8-day experience. Since then I took their weekend review of their Process (Q2) a couple of times to help get myself going again. In 2010, I was trying to get off my anti-depressant Effexor and though I followed the doctor's directions it was too abrupt for my body chemistry sending me into a extreme depression. Even when I reluctantly went back on the Effexor, I couldn't kick the extreme depression I found myself in. I took a weekend Q2 and that totally got me out of the depression. Additionally, they really take great care of their clients. Highly recommended. read more

One of the most wonderful things about the Hoffman Institute is how safe you feel, with the instructors, with your classmates, roommates, and with your environment. Going there is very vulnerable and transformative for all attendees, although everyone's experience is their own. I recommend going to the Hoffman Process to anyone who feels stuck. We all will in life, and you cannot bury it forever. One day all you avoid just cannot be avoided. Want to feel energized about change and challenged to grow? Then this is the place to find out what you are made of--be brave. It can be fun, even when it is not! And you are fed quite well as you set on a journey that will change your life! read more