Retirement Emeritus Style

When I officially retired July 1, 2022, there was so much poignancy – transitioning clients I had worked with for years and knew so well to new resources and resonant therapists, wrapping up the years of teaching here and there and beyond in the final days at the Cape Cod Institute. And in the spaciousness of time that opened up that summer, marveling that I had tried to do so much on so many fronts for so many years. 

Not questioning the why. The passion for healing and awakening into aliveness and wholeness was always a powerful motivator, and witnessing and guiding amazing growth and transformation in amazing people was always rewarding, always inspiring awe and gratitude.

But the intuition to create that spaciousness, to open to new horizons, has proven to be wise and rewarding also. New learning, new perspectives, and the time to savor them.

So why return to two particular commitments  – Awakening Joy and the Cape Cod Institute – for teaching again this year?  Because of the deep worth of the programs and the integrity of the people who run them.

I’ll be providing clinical consultation to therapists and mentoring to teacher trainees in the 2023 Awakening Joy program, January 26-June 1, 2023. James Baraz, founder of the program in 2003 and co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in 1985, has been my guide in spiritual practice and wholesome living for twenty years. I participated in and guest taught in the live Awakening Joy course beginning in 2008. I led Deepening Joy groups in support of the course in my home 2010-2015 and have incorporated the practices of awakening joy in my own teachings for more than a decade.

The ten pillars of the program – intention, mindfulness, gratitude, finding joy in difficult times, integrity, letting go, loving ourselves, connection with others, compassion, and being – help people cultivate lives anchored in deep meaning and happiness. And experiencing the deepening of joy throughout the course is a great joy in itself. 

Cape Cod Institute has provided excellent clinical trainings for 43 years in a “working vacation” format that allows clinicians to deepen into and integrate the latest tools and techniques while enjoying a sense of community and savoring walking the beach and watching whales. I’ve had the privilege of teaching The Resilience Mindset: The Neuroscience of Coping with Disappointment, Difficulty, Even Disaster since 2016, this year July 3-7, this year live in person and online.  Working with director Kat Rorke and exchanging ideas with dedicated clinicians is very much its own awakening of joy. 

I’m excited, appreciative, and still relaxed in a deepening sense of living and being.

For more information: Awakening Joy

“Awakening Joy can lead each of us to live with dignity, compassion and gracious freedom. Savor and practice the exercises…use them to open your heart and transform your life. Your days on Earth will be full of blessings.” —Jack Kornfield, Author of A Path with Heart

Cape Cod Institute, The Resilience Mindset: The Neuroscience of Coping with Disappointment, Difficulty, Even Disaster

“Loved it! Linda is an incredible teacher and clinician.” – 2022 Participant

“It is always a pleasure to be with a Master teacher. I appreciated her ability to manage the class discussion while also keeping everyone on point.” – 2022 Participant

“I don’t know how Linda Graham can hold so much knowledge in one brain.” – 2022 Participant