Inner Bonding® Buddy Course*

A 4-week online course (next course TBA)

*Thanks to Dr. Margaret Paul and Dr. Erika Chopich, sole creators of the Inner Bonding®  process, for permission to teach Inner Bonding® in this course.

Can you sense the power of Inner Bonding®, but find it hard to do the 6-step process by yourself? Perhaps—

—You struggle with anxiety, shame, and perfectionism

—You have a hard time accessing your Loving Adult and hear your guidance on your own

—You’re hesitant to seek support from friends or family for fear of being judged

 —You’ve benefited from sessions with an Inner Bonding facilitator, but need a more affordable source of support for the long term

I have healed more false beliefs in the past few weeks with the Inner Bonding Buddy Course than I have in years of therapy…I believe the partnerships I have formed will be life changing for me.

– N N  Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

We all need a safe way to process our intense emotions

If you are built sensitive, meeting this need can make all the difference in the quality of your life.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you’ve gotten a taste of the inner peace Inner Bonding can bring, but you can’t figure out how to “get there” consistently. But I have two pieces of encouraging news for you:

1—You aren’t doing Inner Bonding “wrong” 

On the contrary. When you delve into your deepest stuff, you encounter a truth of inner work: the more challenging an issue is, the harder it is to create Loving Adult presence around that issue. That’s why it is nearly impossible to do your deepest work alone.

2—You don’t have to do this alone

Whatever your experience level, you can use peer support to go much deeper into the Inner Bonding process than you could go by yourself. In the 4-week Inner Bonding Buddy Course, you will get information, skills, and 1:1 peer practice to do just that.

This week I was talking with one of my Inner Bonding Buddy class partners about how doing the process together seemed to be the single most effective action that moved us into the ability to do Inner Bonding in the moment of being triggered. Doing the process out loud accompanied by another person has helped me to access the process even when the Wounded Self emotion is stirred up…now I can do it by myself pretty easily alone.

– S M  Hamlin, New York

Discover the power of peer partnership

Overcome your fear of asking for the support you need… 

As we practice together each week in and between classes, you will find yourself relaxing and opening up…and the better you get at listening to your “buddies”, the stronger your own Inner Bonding practice will become. The course is open to all experience levels (if you are new to Inner Bonding, take a look at my short video, What is Inner Bonding?) You’ll come away with—

Powerful new skills

  • Three ways to ground yourself in your Loving Adult, with support from your Buddy
  • A daily practice to break addictive thought patterns of anxiety, shame and perfectionism
  • How to ask for guidance, and how to remove blocks to hearing it when it comes

Life-changing insights

  • Why it is hard to dissolve shame on your own, and how peer support can help
  • The surprising power of listening without advising, judging, fixing or trying to change the other person
  • Why radical acceptance is key to making progress with your toughest issues

I have truly met my personal goal of expanding my Inner Bonding experience over the 4 weeks. Suit up and show up! Your inner self will thank you for the safe container that the class creates with others willing to do the same.

—A G, MECHANICSVILLE, VIRGINIA

Meet your teacher…

Emily Agnew serves creative, sensitive people who struggle with anxiety, shame, and perfectionism. As a certified Focusing Trainer and a certified Inner Bonding facilitator, she offers 1:1 sessions, the six-month 1:1 Inner Listening Intensive program, and several online courses.

Emily writes the bi-weekly Sustainably Sensitive newsletter and teaches “teaches teachers” for the Focusing certification program at Focusing Resources. She’s a professional oboist/oboe teacher/partner/mother/ friend/bookworm/ flower-grower/meditator/yoga practitioner…and a highly sensitive person.

What you’ll receive in the course

Tuition for the Inner Bonding Buddy course is $199 (last day to register: TBA). You’ll receive:

  • Four 90-minute classes: [dates TBA]
    Note: Though class recordings will be available, the success of this course depends on your attending the class online each week at the appointed time, so you can take advantage of hands-on practice. If you miss one class, you can still complete the course if you watch the video and do your partnership for the week. 
  • Special materials created for this course
  • Access to the class from anywhere in the world by internet or by phone, via Zoom videoconference
  • An intimate course setting with personalized attention: class size is limited, so please register early
  • Free, ongoing support from your fellow IB Buddies after class ends

Sign me up for the course…

Pay in full (save $21)

$199

Pay half now, half in one month

$110

Registration closing date TBA. Class size is limited—register early!

Questions?

Please email me. I’ll be happy to answer your questions….and I hope to see you in the course!

Still needing help deciding?

Read comments from graduates on a variety of aspects of the course:

I feel more in control of my life and more in touch with my feelings. I was surprised that I could share my feelings with someone that I’ve just met.

The course has given me more insight into the Inner Bonding process which was very helpful. I learned more about the actual practice of Inner Bonding. You get to meet others like yourself that are dealing with issues and you get to help each other. I feel more in control of my life and more in touch with my feelings. I was surprised that I could share my feelings with someone that I’ve just met. I enjoyed the friendly environment that was presented and how it was broken into 4 weeks, making it more digestible.  I also liked that the sessions were recorded so that I can revisit the sessions.

– RF, Bronx, New York

I had only been doing Inner Bonding in writing by myself: it hadn’t worked to do it out loud alone, but this works: I can go up to guidance, or in to dialogue… and something about having done the process out loud with company has made it easier for me to go into the process during the day.

I loved this Buddy course and was surprised how wonderful it was to be listened to, heard and held while doing Inner Bonding.  I had only been doing Inner Bonding in writing by myself: it hadn’t worked to do it out loud alone, but this works: I can go up to guidance, or in to dialogue… and something about having done the process out loud with company has made it easier for me to go into the process during the day.The deep connections I made have continued, and I am working with a buddy even after the course has finished.  Emily is an amazing facilitator and I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in Inner Bonding.

— L W, Queensland, Australia

I am one of the highly sensitive who was criticized and ridiculed -- and easily hear "You've done something wrong to cause this bad feeling." I am getting so much benefit from the course.

I am one of the highly sensitive who was criticized and ridiculed — and easily hear “You’ve done something wrong to cause this bad feeling.” I am getting so much benefit from the course. I feel obstacles are melting in significant ways. I feel this work is helping facilitate that. Although I’ve read the introductory e-book and watched the videos — and done work that is similar but different — this is my first Inner Bonding course. I was drawn to it because of the combination of being highly sensitive and integrating Focusing, which grounds the work in the body — which is really helpful for me and more effective than doing it on a more mental level.

— NK, Houston, TX

This is something I have known intellectually through the study of IB, but the actual experience of it with a partner in a safe place allowed me to really understand on a deep level that I do not cause other people’s hurts.

I have healed more false beliefs in the past few weeks with the IBBC than I have in years of therapy.  The boundaries Emily’s class provides around the partnerships allow for deep growth and learning in a very safe place. For example, a few days ago my partner had a difficult reaction to my process because she wanted to fix it.  It was a difficult feeling for her and her feeling caused her to want to flee.  She talked about it during her process.  In the next meeting I was able to process how I was not the cause of behavior (her wanting to run).  This is something I have known intellectually through the study of IB, but the actual experience of it with a partner in a safe place allowed me to really understand on a deep level that I do not cause other people’s hurts.  This realization brought me deep joy and I am so grateful to Emily and to the partners I have worked with though this course.  I believe the partnerships I have formed will be life changing for me.

– NN  HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK

Each session has been a learning curve for me. I am learning to be kinder to myself; not have unreasonable expectations on myself; work through anxiety; perfectionism symptoms; false beliefs, and new ways of doing things.+

Each session has been a learning curve for me. I am learning to be kinder to myself; not have unreasonable expectations on myself; work through anxiety; perfectionism symptoms; false beliefs, and new ways of doing things.

I have become more aware of what specific areas of IB I need to work on. I have learnt new skills from other people and the course sessions. The course has helped me understand we are not alone in our challenges. We can be confident in expressing our deepest concerns, because of the IB Buddy atmosphere of confidentiality. We are also taught to listen attentively and compassionately, without judgment, trying to fix the other person, or offer advice, (unless they ask). This creates a very safe place.

It was a relaxed, non-judgmental, safe atmosphere where people could ask questions if they didn’t understand something, or were having trouble in some areas of IB. Emily uses analogies to explain situations, which was helpful.

A great thing is, that even though the course has finished, we get to go away with our new IB buddies and continue working with them. Thank you so much for your work with IB and Focusing, it has been a profoundly helpful experience.

—JD, Loxton, South Australia

What I experienced which I didn’t expect to experience, was the transformation when I connected with Spirit. As if Spirit was working through me, healing an aspect of the inner child.

I hadn’t actually been through an IB process with anyone so it was great to get some practice, now I feel I can connect to my inner process better, while being present with someone else. What I experienced which I didn’t expect to experience, was the transformation when I connected with Spirit. As if Spirit was working through me, healing an aspect of the inner child.

The course has increased my confidence to do Inner Bonding.  I just LOVED your teaching style, I felt really heard seen and understood and I love that you aim it at HSP, which isn’t something I was focused on but came to be a huge part of it. Thanks so much Emily, it’s been great, very powerful class.

– KS, Christchurch, NZ