Sean Esbjorn-Hargens

Certified Integral Coach^®

Specialties: Ecology, Environmental Studies, Research, Academics, Meta-theory, Adult Development, Enneagram, Intersubjectivity, Embodiment, Consciousness Studies, Tibetan Buddhism, Diamond Approach, Western Philosophy.
Languages: English, Swahili, Tibetan (classical), French
Country: U.S.A.

Being an Integral Coach allows me to live the AQAL model in a fully embodied fashion. I love integral theory in an intense way and so I am always on the look out for sophisticated applications of it. Especially those that allow its full potential to be actualized in service of others wanting to live a more integral life. My passion as an Integral Coach comes from my love of being alive, my commitment to look directly at reality without blinking, and my desire to increase people’s experience of intimacy with Being.

Over the years number of things have prepared me for being an Integral Coach. I have over twenty years of leadership experience always serving in multiple major roles simultaneously. This has allowed me to develop perspective taking capacities and an empathic understanding of the variety of circumstances that inform people’s lives. As a professor of Integral Theory I have spent years helping 100s of integral students apply integral principles to their own lives by finding ways to link theory and practice in optimal ways. Also I have worked closely with Ken Wilber for over a decade operationalizing the Integral model in multiple contexts: education, sustainable development, ecology, research, intersubjectivity, science and religion, consciousness studies, and play. In the process of exploring these applications I have published dozens of articles and several books advancing the application of integral theory.

Having a multidimensional practice life has always been important to me. Currently, my integral life practice consists of the following—Body: getting 9 hours of sleep a day (yes even with an infant and toddler!), running, eating organically; Mind: applying the AQAL model in multiple contexts, reading veraciously, writing academically; Spirit: doing Ngöndro - the Tibetan Buddhist preliminary practices that consist of doing four practices 100,000 times each, practicing Presence as taught in the Diamond Approach, connecting to Source through nature; Shadow: doing regular Diamond Approach inquiry, working with feedback from my amazing wife (who is a psychotherapist!), and working on anger management. Some auxiliary modules I engage in include: Integral Parenting (raising two daughters), Conscious Relationship (with my loving wife who I met at Ken Wilber’s house), Ecological Awareness (through a series of practices I developed, see Integral Ecology chapter 10)

Living an Integral Life for me is not optional. In other words, living integral awareness is foundational to the core of my being. Ultimately it is about intimacy with Reality. I use integral theory and practice as a way of making contact with as much of Reality as I can in an ongoing process of action-inquiry.

One thing that always surprises people about me when they find out is that I have no sense of smell. It is a condition called anosmia and I believe that it occurred in my early years due to ongoing sinus infections. So while I have never smelled a pungent or offensive odor I have taken a big swig – on many occasions – of spoiled milk. Ah the trials and tribulations of an anosmic. I like to think that my other senses are heightened especially my vision-logic!

Perspectives

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