40 Days
Visionary Leadership from the Workshop Director
His Holiness, Shah Nazar Ali Kianfar, a world-renowned Sufi master who has been teaching spiritual practices and techniques for over thirty years, directs and guides the entire program. The practical spiritual techniques he uses in each session are based on the ancient wisdom of the prophets and have been used by spiritual masters throughout the ages.
“Tranquility is available only by unity of heart and mind.”
This is the first time in history that the introduction to and preparation for chelleh has been offered publicly, as Shah Nazar Dr. Ali Kianfar had been directed. However, the practice itself remains individualized and private and is available only to those who qualify themselves.
It is also the first time that this highly spiritual practice of purification has been combined with psychological training, for Dr. Kianfar recognizes that many of us carry psychological wounds that first must be healed before we can progress on our spiritual journey.
Workshops for Psychological Balance and Spiritual Development
Contact phone number: 415.499.1115
The Program
Practical. Intense. Transformative.
This unique program is based on the ancient recognition that psychology, physiology, and spiritual experience are interrelated and interconnected dimensions of the whole self. To better understand any one dimension requires exploration of all dimensions. Such an exploration fosters emotional balance and a deeper understanding of our attitudes, behavior and spiritual development.
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The 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Series is designed for individuals interested in further exploring the multiple dimensions of self, as well as for practicing psychotherapists who are interested in methods for addressing these dimensions with their clients.
Psychotherapists can earn five CEU credits per session.
Four day-long sessions are offered over the course of a year, one in each season. Each session builds upon information presented in the previous session. Attendance at all four sessions is encouraged but not required.
Participants interested in more intensive study and who wish to fully integrate, through concentrated practice, the concepts presented in day-long sessions may sign-up for a guided practice group that meets weekly over a 40 day period. Attendance of at least one of the day-long sessions is required and there is a separate registration form and fee.
What to Expect
The workshops introduce techniques of ancient wisdom that lead to confidence and stability. The principles and practices of psychological and spiritual development include:
- Awareness of the body and bringing it into a state of equilibrium.
- Exploring the dimensions of ego and using it effectively.
- Recognizing the power of mind and its influence on personality.
- Increasing concentration, presence, and focus.
- Bringing intention and action into alignment.
- Accessing the wisdom of the heart and experiencing tranquility.
Workshop sessions are held on the beautiful campus of Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael. Session fees include lunch at the University cafeteria, which offers locally grown organic food.
Practice Groups
After any one of the day-long workshop sessions held at Dominican University, participants who wish to fully integrate the concepts presented in the workshops through in-depth study and concentrated practice may sign up for a study group wherein they meet weekly and receive instruction for a course of practice over forty days.
Throughout the ages and in traditions across the globe, a practice of forty days has been valued as a concentrated method of self discovery, a means of experiencing increased awareness, personal transformation and healing. Practitioners move daily, step-by-step, from a limited experience of self to a greater sense of wholeness. The result of the practice is embracing peace and is known as the Alchemy of Tranquility.
Workshop Facilitators
Members of the Community Healing Centers, who are licensed psychotherapists and physicians with many years of clinical experience and spiritual practice in the ancient wisdom of Sufism, help bridge spiritual teachings with the contemporary language of psychology. They present this wisdom in a way that is accessible and very practical.
Sheikh Salman Baruti, MSW is a licensed clinical social worker. He graduated from UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare in 1981. For the past 30 years he has provided case work and mental health services to underserved at risk youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the past 25 years Mr. Baruti has worked at the Alameda County Child Guidance Clinic where is currently a Senior Psychiatric Social Worker supervising a day treatment unit. Mr. Baruti, a student of Sufism uses transformative life skills including Sufi wisdom, stories and sayings that he has learned from his teachers to help young people to appreciate and value their lives.
Dr. Dawn Brown, D.O. is a physician trained to work with her hands, diagnosing and treating the whole person. Through hands-on osteopathic care, Dr. Brown listens deeply into the dynamic stillness of the therapeutic process, restoring balance and neutrality as she supports the body’s innate healing potential and guides her patients in becoming even more self-empowered with their health. Dr. Brown also integrates her training in subtle Eastern energetic sciences, movement therapy, meditation, nutritional counseling, and health coaching into her work. Through the 40 days program, she practices listening to and understanding the deep wisdom inherent in the human system, and assists in facilitating workshops with the 40 days team to help others access their own inner wisdom and health.
Jamal Lawrence Granick, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay Area and associate core faculty at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is a presenter in the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program. Dr. Granick is the co-director of the Sufism and Psychology Forum and co-editor of the SPF Newsletter, a department of the International Association of Sufism. He is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. His doctoral research and a significant focus for his teaching is on presence in psychotherapy. He also holds a third-degree black belt in Aikido, which he teaches in regular weekly classes.
Mary Toth Granick, M.Ed, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and maintains a private practice with offices in San Francisco and Albany, where she works with individual adults, couples, adolescents and their families. She also has extensive experience and a background in school-based counseling services in various settings in the Bay Area. Ms. Toth Granick is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism and a member of the International Association of Sufism. She has contributed articles in the SPF Newsletter and the journal, Sufism: An Inquiry. She has also presented her work with Sufism and Psychology at various retreats in the Bay Area.
Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D., MA, LMFT, JD. Dr. Arife Hammerle is a student of the Uwaiysi School of Sufism, as guided by Sufi Teachers Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali. Kianfar. She is a member of the International Association of Sufism and Sufi Women Organization. She sits on the Executive Committee Board of the Institute for Sufi Studies. Dr. Hammerle has taught Psychology, Stress Management and Sufi Courses at the Institute for Sufi Studies and 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Hammerle is a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with the Community Healing Centers, an integrative psychotherapy non-profit organization. She is a published author who has written several books and articles on spirituality and psychology.
Jalal Brian Heery Ph.D. is a 4th degree black belt and head instructor at Rocky Valley Aikido in Menlo Park. He has been investigating the interstices between the body, mind, and spirit, since his time as a competitive world class gymnast. Dr. Heery did his doctoral research on “Awakening Spirit in the Body” at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is s student of the Uwaiysi School of Sufism, under the guidance of Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar.
Rahmana Lynn Larkin MSW, ACSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in Seattle, WA and a student of Sufism under the guidance of Seyed Ali Kianfar Ph.D and Seyedeh Nahid Angha Ph.D. In addition to her experience and training in Sufi Psychology, she is certified in Psychosynthesis, EMDR, Reiki, Hypnosis and NLP.
George Matchette, MA, LMFT, George Matchette is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist with many years of experience working with individuals and couples. Mr. Matchette specializes in trauma reduction and core belief transformation using a variety of techniques, including active imagination and energy psychology. Mr. Matchette participates in presenting the Forty Days Program: Alchemy of Tranquility® Workshop Series designed for individuals interested in further exploring the multiple dimensions of self, as well as for practicing psychotherapists who are interested in exploring how their spiritual development can positively impact their client’s progress. He regularly teaches graduate courses in communications skills and theories of counseling. Mr. Matchette is a member of the Community Healing Centers and currently provides psychotherapy at its San Francisco location. Mr. Matchette also is a member of Taneen, Sufi Music Ensemble and a Department of the International Association of Sufism, which performs poetry of the great Sufi masters in English translation.
Salima Ginny Patton Matchette, MFT received her MA in psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, student of Sufism Psychology, and Music Therapist. Throughout her career, Ms. Matchette has worked extensively with: individuals dealing with issues arising from past trauma and abuse; adults in recovery from addictions/dependencies; people undergoing difficult life transitions; and individuals, couples, and families with relationship issues. Ms. Matchette also has a thriving Music Therapy practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, working therapeutically with home- and facility-bound elderly clients, using vocal and instrumental music as the modality. Ms. Matchette is also a member of Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble which is a Department of the International Association of Sufism.
Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D. (abd), M.A., is a member of the International Association of Sufism, and is currently finishing her graduate studies in clinical psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto. She is also currently a psychological assistant, working specifically with young adults. Sarah holds a first-degree black belt in Aikido.
Katherine Preston, MA, MFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and has been a practicing psychotherapist for over twenty years. She maintains a private practice in San Francisco and has held many clinical leadership positions overseeing and providing clinical training and supervision for therapeutic services throughout the Bay Area. Currently she serves as a mental health consultant at an independent school in San Francisco and will be teaching at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto. Ms. Preston is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism and a member of International Association of Sufism. She is a member of the Community Healing Center. Mrs. Preston is working as a moderator in 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility Program.
Amineh Amelia Pryor, Ph.D. L MFT is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. Dr. Pryor is co-director of the Sufism and Psychology Forum and co-editor of the SPF Newsletter, a department of International Association of Sufism. Dr. Pryor is a clinical supervisor and psychotherapist at the Community Healing Centers in San Francisco. She presents at local and international conferences and has published articles in the fields of spirituality, psychology, consciousness, and science. Dr. Pryor is the author of Psychology in Sufism and co-author of Sufi Grace. As a presenter and group facilitator in the 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility® Program she also experiences the benefits of the 40 Days practices in her own life.
