Welcome to 40 Days
His Holiness Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar, a world renowned Sufi master, directs and guides The Forty Days: Alchemy of Tranquility, which began in 2008. This program fosters emotional balance and deeper understanding of human behavior and spiritual development. It is based on the ancient recognition that psychology, physiology and spiritual experience are interrelated and interconnected dimensions of the whole self. Through workshops and weekend retreats with a team of experienced psychotherapists and educators, the program is designed to help participants learn how to access their hidden wisdom and to use it in daily life. 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.
40 Days Program
The 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility® program is led by Sufi Masters Seyyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar assisted by a team of experienced psychotherapists and educators. Throughout the ages and across traditions, a practice of forty days has been valued as a concentrated method of self-discovery, and a means of experiencing increased awareness, personal development, and healing. Practitioners move daily, step-by-step, from a limited experience of self to a greater sense of wholeness. This practice results in a state of peace and is known as the “alchemy of tranquility.” The 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility program offers a variety of activities including workshops, retreats, practice groups, and individual mentoring. These offerings draw on techniques of ancient wisdom that lead to inner confidence and stability. Guiding principles and practices include:
- Accessing the wisdom of the heart.
- Exploring dimensions of the self.
- Increasing concentration and presence.
- Harnessing the power of the mind’s influence on personality.
- Bringing the physical system to a state of equilibrium.
- Aligning intention and action.
Annual Retreat 2023
40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Annual Retreat
LOVE AND DESTINY
Love and Destiny, two of the major principles of life, were the focus of the annual retreat in January, 2023. Participants from around the world gathered for a weekend focused on deepening an awareness of Love and Destiny, as a map for developing and discovering inner wisdom. Original music from Taneen, poetry from renowned teachers, storytelling from ancient traditions, movement for breath and awareness, demonstrations and guided meditations enhanced the fascinating and inspiring presentations throughout the weekend.
The retreat was led by Sufi Masters Seyyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar assisted by a team of experienced psychotherapists and educators to offer an opportunity for reflection on the mystery of being and the physiological, psychological and spiritual principles that constitute our totality. Scientific evidence was shared in support of the spiritual significance that gravitational force and attraction has brought each of us from the abstract at the beginning of the universe to receive the form in which we find ourselves currently. Human beings arise from eternity and have the potential to continue our journey in eternity. In every moment, we are both the cause and effect of own destinies. Therefore, we recognized the imperative to practice correctly for self awareness and to discover the secret to secure one’s destiny within eternity. The 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility program was designed to support those who wish to begin a sustained practice for pursuing and discovering this great treasure within.
Join The 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program in January 2024
“Transformation”
Details forthcoming
40 Days Team
His Holiness, Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D., a world-renowned Sufi master, has been teaching spiritual practices and techniques internationally for over 40 years. He is co-director of the International Association of Sufism, and founder and director of the 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility 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. Through the 40 Days program, Dr. Kianfar brings spiritual practices of purification together with psychology, recognizing that many of us carry psychological wounds that first must be healed before we can progress on our spiritual journey. “Tranquility is available only by unity of heart and mind.”
Sheikh Salman Baruti, LCSW, has a B.A. in psychology from San Jose State University and an MSW from the UC Berkeley School of Social Work. For the past 40 years, he has provided client-centered, trauma-informed therapy and case management services to many clients, including teen parents, justice-involved youth and their families, and adults dealing with severe mental health challenges, including homelessness. Sheikh Salman is an empathic listener and passionate advocate who combines years of social work training with the wisdom and compassion of Sufism to help clients navigate myriad challenges in their lives. He is also a member of the 40 Days team who likes to use the wisdom of Sufi stories and poetry to reveal the universal truths of human life.
Jamal Lawrence Granick, Ph.D., is a licensed psychotherapist in California and New Mexico. He is student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Dr. Seyyed Ali Kianfar, the founding directors of International Association of Sufism. Dr. Granick is a member of IAS and serves on its Executive Committee, and has participated in many of its programs, including presenting on Sufism and Psychology nationally and internationally. He also holds a fifth degree black belt in Aikido which he teaches in a regular weekly class. Jamal obtained a Ph.D. from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2011, and did his doctoral research on transpersonal aspects of therapist’s presence in psychotherapy.
Mary Toth Granick, M.Ed, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and maintains a private practice in California and New Mexico. She works with individual adults, couples, adolescents and their families. She also has extensive experience and a background in school-based counseling services. 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. is a senior teacher of the Uwaiysi School of Sufism, guided by Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali. Kianfar. Dr. Hammerle is a member of the International Association of Sufism and sits on the Executive Committee for the Institute for Sufi Studies. She is a psychotherapist and published author who teaches 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 numerous books and articles on spirituality and psychology.
Jalal Brian Heery, Ph.D. is a fifth degree black belt and has been facilitating a weekly online Awareness: Breath and Movement practice under the guidance of Sufi Masters Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. Dr. Heery did his doctoral research on “Awakening Spirit in the Body” at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and works with individuals as a somatic experiencing practitioner and coach, helping foster resilience, and balance, and strengthening an individual’s sense of connection with the source of their own being.
George Matchette, MA, LMFT is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist with many years of experience working with individuals and couples. Mr. Matchette participates in presenting the 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility program. His work includes both the candle meditation, helping to prepare participants for the retreat, as well as a guitarist in Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble. Taneen creates original melodies to accompany the beautiful words of Sufi poetry masters primarily translated by Dr. Nahid Angha. Taneen has performed both locally in the San Francisco Bay Area and internationally, including the Parliament of World Religions Conference in Barcelona, Spain; The Women’s Partnership for Peace in Olso, Norway; and an IAS Sufism Symposium held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Taneen provides music throughout the 40 Days events.
Salima Ginny Patton Matchette, LMFT 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. She also has a thriving Music Therapy practice, 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, a department of the International Association of Sufism.
Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D. is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar, and a member of the Sufi Women Council and the editorial team for Sufism, An Inquiry. She has a background in affective neuroscience, psychology, physiology, and impact science, and consults for universities and organizations designing educational programs and assessment methodologies. Her dissertation and research focus on the human being as a learner, and the interface of science and spirituality in the cultivation of human potential. Dr. Miller is co-founder and director of a Bay Area educational nonprofit, and works also as a professional editor and a professor of Philosophy and Religion at Dominican University of California.
Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D. is a member of IAS and of the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility Program. She received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Northern California. Her clinical interests include increasing self-esteem and self-confidence, anxiety, and existential/transpersonal explorations. Her dissertation and subsequent publications have focused on the potential for higher states of self-development and direct knowing as taught by Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. She holds a second-degree black belt in Aikido, and has published several books on the teachings and practice of Sufism.
Katherine Preston, MA, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and has been a practicing psychotherapist for over twenty-five 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. Ms. Preston is a student of Uwaiysi Sufism and a member of International Association of Sufism. Ms. Preston serves as moderator for the 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility Program.
Amineh Amelia Pryor, Ph.D., LMFT 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.
** International Association of Sufism/40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility Program is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LCSWs, LMFTs, and LEPs, Provider number: 95354. IAS/40 Days maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. Continuing Education grievances and request for refunds, disability accommodations, copies of Continuing Education Credit certificates or other records should be directed to 40days@ias.org. For our policies pertaining to these matters, please go to the policies page.