Tamara Andreas Interview about Core Transformation ®by Chris and Jules Collingwood in 1997)
Tamara taught the Core Transformation seminar in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in November 1997. 1. At what stage did you first become involved with Core Transformation / Aligned Self?I became involved after Connirae first developed the pattern. Initially it was only offered at advanced seminars. About five or six years ago I took the processes and fleshed them out so that we could piece them together for introductory seminars. My former partner John Parmater and I recognised the potential of this for people without an NLP background having seen another trainer, Robert McDonald, take an advanced pattern and make a seminar for newcomers out of it. 2. Having been a professional musician, how did you decide to change over to full time NLP training?I had always been interested in NLP even before I became a professional musician, so when I evaluated what I really wanted to do in life, NLP was more on target. I am really interested in helping people to change their lives. 3. How did you then come to move from NLP training with your own centre in Ohio to becoming the primary trainer of Core Transformation and based in Colorado?It was two decisions for me. I was becoming less and less enchanted with the administration of an NLP centre and more and more enchanted with training NLP. When I was first exposed to Core Transformation material it had an 'aha' experience to it. Within three days of being exposed to Core Transformation I decided I wanted to focus on that as it invited transformation at such a deep level. I moved to Colorado because I like it better here. I like the mountains, the climate, and the cultural idiosyncrasies of Boulder. 4. What criteria did you and Connirae use when writing the book Core Transformation?We were aiming to be as complete as we could in taking someone from knowing nothing about NLP or Core Transformation and giving them everything they would need to be able to use the process with themselves, insofar as that is possible, and given that some people need guidance in the early stages. 5. What do you want the reading audience to learn?Pretty much the same answer as above. The most important aspect is presuming a positive purpose for their own behaviour, emotions, etc. as a given. If this is the only thing they learn from reading the book, and fully integrate it, I would consider that quite an accomplishment. 6. What is Core Transformation?Core Transformation is a simple 10 step process that transforms our limitations by way of reaching a very profound resource that we call a core state. A core state is a state at a being or essence level such as one-ness, wholeness, inner peace. 7. These descriptions relate very well to a personal transformation context, how would a business person relate to this process?Often in businesses there is a lot of restructuring going on, expecting people to take more initiative and be accountable for their acts. Management is also expected to relinquish a certain amount of control. However the way this is usually approached in companies, is from an outside inwards direct, telling people they are supposed to behave differently. This approach has its inherent problems, because when people have the same kinds of beliefs and emotional patterns that they always had, it is difficult for them to react differently to order. However if a manager could do something really to transform the part of him or her that wants to keep control, or if someone who has had a fear of taking initiative could work with that part of them and transform it, this has the potential to be extremely valuable in a company. On an individual level we have examples of people who have used this process on issues which prevented them from being successful. One example is a woman felt under pressure and trapped between her boss and her customers, and she could not please both parties. She felt so much pressure that she felt pain in her chest and her throat would tighten so she could not breathe. She thought she would have to quit her job over it. She used Core Transformation process with that response and the next time the same situation arose she got really creative, and had no sense of pressure. She said she is having fun at her job again. 8. Many people who have done Core Transformation training continue to use Core Transformation on themselves. What comments have you had from people who have applied Core Transformation on a regular basis?Generally people report having a greater ongoing sense of well-being and another interesting thing that often happens is that other NLP patterns work more easily for them. One person who before using Core Transformation, found every NLP process she attempted with herself was a struggle, afterwards found it much easier to use them. 9. To your knowledge has anyone ever run out of 'parts' to work with?Not to my knowledge. For myself I find that Core Transformation process has cleared up a whole layer of parts and enabled me to get in touch with deeper structures. 10. Have you noticed any pattern in the responses of people as they use Core Transformation regularly over a time? Does it get quicker, or have shorter outcome chains in people who are familiar with the process?Typically it becomes quicker, outcome chains become shorter and core states become deeper and fuller. Some people, including me have reported that in a situation they will notice a particular feeling and then notice that part taking itself through the process in a matter of seconds and getting to a core state. 11. How many different core states do people have in your experience?This is an interesting question, but I have never pursued it. I don't think of a person's core states as a limited set. For myself, there are three or four that are relatively commonly recurring, and then I will experience one that is totally different. I don't have the feeling that I have experienced all the core states that I'm capable of, they keep evolving too, or I keep discovering deeper experiences. 12. Has anyone to your knowledge found an absolute core state that exists on its own at an even higher logical level?I don't know how a person would determine that. My assumption is that for any core state, something exists at an even higher logical level, or deeper state. I don't know what the evidence would be. 13. Sometimes other parts draw attention to themselves during a Core Transformation process, and are included in that session. Is this more or less usual than a single part going through by itself?It depends a bit on what kind of issue somebody is working with. In the seminar on the first exercise, we ask people to choose issues that are relatively mild, so usually they can work through that with one part and it is complete in itself. However when people work with more intense or more serious personal issues there is more likely to be inner conflict and complexity involved, so more than one part would end up being involved in the process. 14. How did you decide to use 'parts' as the metaphor in Core Transformation?That was Connirae's decision, so I can't say how she chose it. I can say how it is useful. Typically in a situation of difficulty the one thing that makes a difference is that the person is not congruently wanting one thing. So for instance if I have some behaviour, say I get frustrated or angry in a situation, and lets say that I also don't like feeling that way, the frustration or anger is there because there is something I'm wanting, but at the same time you could say another part of me does not want to feel angry, so there is an inner conflict going on in a certain sense. We use a parts metaphor so that we can respect and honour and satisfy each aspect of myself in that situation. 15. What are your outcomes for participants in the Core Transformation seminar?That each participant will have a significant experience for themselves and depending on where a person is starting from, what constitutes a significant experience will vary. The course is designed to teach people how to reach their own core states and transform their own limitations. In addition we also work with two other processes that support the Core Transformation process. Each of these other two processes is tremendously powerful on its own and the three processes together work towards the goal of greater resourcefulness and presence and well being from three different directions which gives additional security to the result. 16. Can you describe some of the results people have gained through using the Core Transformation material?A woman reported after the seminar that she became really clear about her mission in life, and very motivated to move forward in her career. This is a fairly frequent type of report. Often people get changes at the seminar that they have not even worked on at the time. For instance one woman found that after the seminar she no longer spent money on things that were not important to her. She did not even realise this until she noticed that her bank account was getting bigger. In retrospect she realised she used to spend money to get kind of a temporary high, but now that she had an ongoing sense of well-being she no longer had that urge. There was a woman at a Core Transformation seminar whose vision improved after doing Core Transformation seminar, who had it verified when she went to renew her driver's licence and passed the eye test without corrective lenses for the first time. Not everyone's vision changes at the seminar, but there have been several reports of demonstrable improvements to vision or hearing. 17. In this process, we invite a part of a person into having a desired state fully and completely. When a 'part' steps into having a state fully and completely, does the whole individual have to experience that state, too?Usually an individual is aware of the state that the part is stepping into, however sometimes in the beginning of the process the part is experienced as outside the body. In that case sometimes the person sees the part stepping into the desired state and does not experience it until later in the process when the part is brought into the body. 18. What are the benefits of learning to apply Core Transformation to yourself and to others?They can be as wide as your imagination in terms of what areas of your life you want to improve. Another area of benefit we haven't mentioned this far is relationships. I know someone who after he learned the Core Transformation process he got in an argument with his wife and since he knew the process, called time out and spent a few minutes taking the part that was arguing through the process, and then, when they resumed their conversation his wife commented, 'what did you do,' because he was approaching the discussion in a completely new way, more resourcefully. There have been at least two people who have reported getting relief from TMJ. One has had months of follow up, and it is still working. Another two people used this process to recover from chronic fatigue. 19. What are the benefits of being taken through Core Transformation by someone else?Usually, especially in the beginning when learning the process, it is easier to go into it deeply when someone else is guiding. Myself, even after having a lot of experience with the process, I would often have someone else guide me if I were working with something major. After being taken through by someone else, it is generally easier to do it on ones own. 20. What is the Core Transformation process like to experience?It is generally extremely pleasant. People are often surprised that they can work with extremely unpleasant emotions, however with this process we go directly to what is underneath those unpleasant emotions, which generally speaking becomes profoundly wonderful very quickly. 21. It has been suggested that through experiencing Core Transformation you can attain states and places normally associated only with years of dedicated meditative or spiritual practise. Do you know the developmental process Connirae used to design such a powerful piece of work? Could you comment on this, please?Connirae did not set out at all to develop a spiritual process. It was a surprise to her when it happened. What she was setting out to do was to formulate a process that was effective in transforming limitations. Basically the process she used to develop Core Transformation was she intentionally worked with people on whatever their issue was, using advanced language patterns. She would tape these sessions and afterwards go back and find out the process embedded in the work that she did. Sometimes she would find the process embedded conversationally was anchoring, or visual squash, etc. and sometimes it was something that currently did not exist in NLP. Those were the ones that ended up becoming Core Transformation process. It really came from Connirae modelling her trained unconscious process. 22. The ease and reliability with which Core Transformation learning is translated into participants' lives is striking in contrast to the results of many personal development seminars. How did you ensure that such lasting results became the norm?Part was the design with three processes, part is the assistants and their deployment, part is being really explicit in the handouts (word for word). 23. The skill level of the assistants (experienced Master Practitioners and Trainers) at the recent Core Transformation taught by you and Connirae in Denver was noticeable, and their deployment ensured that all 95 participants achieved results. What are your criteria for selecting assistants, and how do ensure that they track everyone?See assistant manual. People who are good with basic rapport, have a sense of warmth and caring, and some experience with this process, or catch on fast. That they work well as a team member, and can step into leading at a moment's notice. To ensure tracking, we divide the large group of participants into smaller groups, so that each assistant tracks a manageable number through out the seminar. We encourage the assistants to sit in with each group and ensure that they are progressing. Resources related to Tamara Andreas and Core Transformation
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