Live CE Webinar Open for Registration

Course Description

This seminar will focus on the skill and use of cultivating and strengthening the capacity to observe one’s inner process in psychotherapeutic work. It will focus on Buddhist Psychological roots of this process, while also covering Psychoanalytic, Jungian, and Somatic Psychotherapy (Hakomi) theories. A basic understanding of the principles of Buddhist Psychology will be discussed. The importance and function of the inner witness will be traced through the three main schools of Buddhism- Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana- with a specific focus on the Mahayana concept of Bodhicitta. The clinical benefit of building a strong inner witness will be discussed, specifically as it relates to transference, countertransference, affect tolerance, mirroring, empathetic listening, the transcendent function, memory reconsolidation, and the creation of new neural pathways.

Curricular Notes

AION 414 serves the curriculum by strengthening the clinician’s capacity for internal observation as a stable psychological function. Within the AION architecture—where participants have already encountered depth, symbolism, desire, ethics, and cultural critique—this course provides a disciplining counterweight: the cultivation of a witnessing position that can remain present without collapse, fusion, or enactment. Its role is not to introduce mindfulness as technique, nor Buddhism as belief system, but to anchor reflective consciousness itself as a prerequisite for advanced clinical work. The course ensures that increasing symbolic and ethical complexity does not overwhelm the clinician’s capacity to observe, metabolize, and remain relationally available.

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CE Value

This event spans 4 clock hours and awards 4 hours of Continuing Education.

Fees

$280 for CE credit
$190 for non CE / auditing
$150 for pre-licensed students

course status

This course is a live webinar. It counts as Elective credit towards any of Aion's certificate programs.

faculty

Nezam Ardalan, M.A

Prerequisites

None

Discord Link

Discord Link

If you’re curious about this course, or enrolled in it, please join our Discord Channel dedicated to it.

Event
details

Upon completion of this seminar, participants will be able to:
  1. Identify three schools of Western Psychology with three distinct nomenclatures for the inner witness.
  2. Describe the clinical significance of cultivating an inner witness as it relates to at least one psychotherapeutic phenomenon within the therapeutic relationship.
  3. Articulate three experiential techniques that can be used to cultivate an inner witness.
  4. Conceptualize an experiential technique for oneself, in order to cultivate and strengthen their own inner witness.
  5.  

Ecker, B., Ticic, R., & Hulley, L. (2024). Unlocking the emotional brain: Memory reconsolidation and the psychotherapy of transformational change. Routledge.

Hanh, T. N. (2008). The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching. Random House.

Jung, C. G. (2015). Jung on active imagination (J. Chodorow, Ed.). Princeton University Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/61190.

Jung, C. G. (1969). The transcendent function (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). In H. Read et al. (Eds.), The collected works of C. G. Jung: Vol. 8. Structure and dynamics of the psyche (2nd ed., pp. 67–91). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1958) https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400850952.67

Loizzo, J. (2012). Sustainable happiness. Routledge.

McWilliams, N. (1999). Psychoanalytic case formulation. Guilford Press.

Muzika, E. G. (1990). Evolution, emptiness and the fantasy self. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 30(2), 89-108.

Porges, S. W. (2009). The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 76(Suppl 2), S86.

Schore, J. R., & Schore, A. N. (2007). Modern attachment theory: The central role of affect regulation in development and treatment. Clinical Social Work Journal, 36(1), 9–20.

Thurman, R. A. (1996). Essential Tibetan Buddhism. Castle Books.

Weiss, H., Johanson, G., & Monda, L. (2015). Hakomi mindfulness-centered somatic psychotherapy: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice. W. W. Norton.

Aion Institute courses are open to all licensed mental health professionals, residents, interns, and graduate students in training, as well as members of the lay public who have an interest in psychodynamic psychology. Please use the following descriptions of our instructional level to gauge your own comfort level with the content.

✅ Introductory Level
For those beginning the path or seeking reorientation.
Courses at this level provide foundational knowledge in psychodynamic and integrative frameworks. No prior specialization is required—only a readiness to engage with depth-oriented psychological thought. These classes introduce core concepts, language, and philosophical underpinnings essential to the Aion curriculum.

Intermediate Level
For those building structure upon the foundation.
Intermediate courses deepen theoretical understanding and clinical application. Participants are expected to have prior exposure to psychoanalytic or Jungian concepts. These courses explore the evolution of major schools of thought, integrative approaches, and the emergence of relational and neurobiological paradigms, inviting greater complexity and case-based reflection.

Advanced Level
For those prepared to engage with nuance, synthesis, and transformation.
Advanced courses assume substantial familiarity with depth psychological theory and practice. Here, we move toward integrative models, complex case formulation, and contemporary theoretical frontiers. The focus is on synthesis, symbolic analysis, and the practitioner’s evolving stance as both healer and theoretician.

Hard Mode
For those willing to be changed.
Hard Mode courses are not merely advanced—they are initiatory. Designed for highly motivated participants, these offerings require deep reading, active participation, and a willingness to engage psychologically, imaginatively, and ethically. They are immersive, demanding, and transformational. These courses may involve longer sessions, seminar-style discussion, original writing or creative response, and the expectation that participants contribute to a shared field of inquiry. They are suited for those who seek to embody the work, not merely study it.

The Aion Institute reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any event, for which registrants will receive a full refund or credit. Refunds for payment processed online via electronic means will be refunded back to the credit card within 2 weeks after the cancellation.

Participants who wish to cancel their registration and paid registration fees online may be eligible for refund.

Participants may cancel their registration through the self-serve page accessed via the link included in the confirmation email sent after registration.

Please keep in mind that canceling a registration on the self-serve page does not automatically process a refund. Aion will refund cancellations made at least 24 hours prior to the start of this event.

The Aion Institute is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants.

This event is conducted online using a virtual meeting platform (Zoom). We encourage all attendees to ensure that their technological setup—audio, video, internet connection, and device settings—meets their individual accessibility needs prior to the event.

If you require any additional support, accommodations, or accessibility considerations in order to participate fully, please don’t hesitate to contact us through one of the contact forms on this website. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure your learning experience is welcoming, respectful, and attuned to your needs.

There is no commercial support for this Aion Institute program, nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Approvals

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.