I have been doing inner work for over 20 years, much of it intense. That said, I found the (6) 2-hour sessions facilitated by Toni a wonderful tool for organizing and understanding at a feeling level several of the conscious and unconscious life challenges I have uncovered and have been working with most of my life.

During the final week of these sessions, I chose to share my personal daily work sheets with my partner, Pat. She found the sharing of my work helpful in understanding me as a feeling being. During the 6-Session process I came to have deeper compassion for myself,  and sharing these experiences with Pat further grounded us in our relationship.

Pat (point 4) and I (point 3) used one of my worksheets in one of our couple’s counseling sessions, and our counselor felt the power of the process as we shared this experience with him. In the counseling session the counselor was able to help me to begin to be able to experience how much love and care Pat has for me in response to the feelings I discovered in the process and shared with Pat. I am quite sure that my experience with this process and Toni’s facilitation of it will serve me in the weeks and months to come. Thank you, Toni!       - Gary V., U.S.

I was raised by a very critical and unpredictable mom. (probably a low functioning point 8). I was always afraid because I'd never know what would trigger her, and as an only child to a single mom, it was always my fault. She tore up my art if  she didn't like it, called me a whore when I wanted to join drill team, and would threaten suicide regularly because of how I upset her. I was, in hindsight, a very good kid, got good grades, and never sassed. It took me years to realize she was a narcissist and had other issues as well.

In my adult relationships, the same things happened. I just began to figure it was me. The man that once was the love of my life (Point 1) would yell and scream if I hung the TP with the paper rolling off the top forward, instead of down from the backside. I just could never remember to check it. He once didn't speak to me for days because (this is a long time ago) I picked up photos from our trip and opened the envelope to look at them before 'we could look at them together.' Exhausted, I'd end the relationship and get into another like it.

I've now been married for 33 years to my beloved husband. I've learned to set boundaries, but any criticism could bring me to tears or, to angry words to protect myself. Yes, I would overreact because the pain and the feelings of 'not being good-enough' were always there... and he had some of the same attributes as my mother and the others, but to a lesser extent.

Through Dr. Toni's class I was able to see it wasn't me. I was able to learn that to have boundaries I don't need to act like a brass-knuckled b----h so people fear me and don't criticize me. As I was able to remind myself of this during crisis moments, I was able to stay calm and centered. Best yet, as I changed, my husband and others in my family changed. My daughter stopped the verbal abuse, and we've grown very close again. And with others, like my stepson and his family, we're just gracefully staying politely away from each other, which is fine. People sense boundaries, you don't need to gnarl at them so they can fear you.

It healed a lifetime of self-blame, and 'miraculously' those that would treat me in some ways like my mother in our relationships vanished from my life or changed.

It doesn't mean I don't need to remind myself occasionally, or that I don't feel sensitive or protective of my inner child - that doesn't go away. It's living in constant trauma that goes away. - Alexandra M, Mexico